Hush Puppies

this is a great southern side dish that tastes great with fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, or jambalaya

2 qts. vegetable oil for frying
3 c. yellow cornmeal
2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1 egg, beaten
1 small onion, minced

Heat vegetable oil to 365 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine corn meal, baking powder, salt, milk & water. Mix in egg and onion. shape the batter into small balls, approx. 1 T. each. Use a long handled spoon to gently slide the hush puppies into the hot oil. cook 8 or 10 at a time, until golden brown. (Make sure insides are fully cooked) Remove from the oil with slotted spoon & roll on paper towels to briefly drain. Serve hot, makes 2 dozen.

submitted by: Lindsay Anderson 11/05 sides

Yam Fries

This is a healthy (and yummy) alternative to french fries. Kids love them so it's a fun way to sneak in a veggie.

Ingredients:
2 Yams (or 1 yam and 1 potato)

Sauce:
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. cumin

Peel and cut 2 yams (or one yam and one potato) into fries or small wedges. Coat in sauce. Bake on cookie sheet @ 450 degrees 20-25 min. turning over 1/2 way through. (I sometimes cook them longer until more crispy on the outside) salt to taste

submitted by: Becca Hansen 11/05 sides

Grape Salad

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4-1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip

about 2 lb. seedless grapes (I like a combo of red and green)

chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and powdered sugar until creamy. Fold in the Cool Whip. Gently fold in the grapes and nuts, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.

Notes: I don't know the exact amount of grapes we use, we just kindof keep throwing them in until we feel like there are enough. I use about 1 1/2 - 2 bags of grapes. But this recipe makes a lot of cream mixture and you want plenty of grapes, so that the cream mixture is really just enough to coat the grapes, rather than being an excessively creamy salad, if that makes sense. We actually added more grapes to the salad in the picture because we felt like there weren't enough in it.

Also, we only had red grapes for the salad in the picture, but I like it with both red and green grapes for a variety in the color. And the nuts will give it a little extra crunch and texture.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients

2 c. long grain rice
8 oz. tomato sauce
4 c. water
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. each salt and pepper
dash cumin
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
1/4 c. cooking oil

Directions

1. In a skillet brown rice in oil.
2. Add onion and pepper.
3. Saute well.
4. Add water, sauce, and spices.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Cover and simmer until water is reduced, like cooking regular rice.

This makes a lot of rice, so for just 2 people I would cut the recipe in half.