Especially around the holidays, when even if we end up making the same family favorites, it's fun to contemplate something different. And one never knows if they will discover a new family favorite.

Of course, when the inspiration to post recipes here on MyBloggers hits me, we are nowhere near Thanksgiving or Christmas so then I decide to wait, and I always forget.

Lately, cooking is the last thing on my mind, but that's no excuse.

Italian Green Beans w/ Tomatoes
Serves 6.
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted and slivered (see Note)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 (9 ounce each) packages frozen Italian green beans, thawed
3/4 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, and garlic and saute 1 minute. Add green beans and salt and saute 6 to 7 minutes, or until beans are tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
Sun-dried tomatoes also come packed in oil. If you want to use those, just drain them then saute in the oil instead of the butter.

And what about this? I want to try it, but am sure it's harder than it looks because if it isn't perfect, it'll just look messy. Yes, if the lines fail, you could go for the marbled effect, but it wouldn't be as exciting. I'll try it using a spatula to separate the squares as I spoon in the potatoes, and perhaps use a pastry bag to get them in there.



Roasted Pepper Mashed Potatoes

6 - 8 servings.

6 red potatoes (about 2 ½ pounds total), cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 tomato, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place potatoes in a large soup pot and add just enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute onions 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Add roasted peppers, tomato, garlic, sugar, and Italian seasoning; saute 5 minutes then set aside.

Drain potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add milk, butter, Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Beat with an electric beater on medium speed 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add onion mixture to potatoes and stir until well blended. Serve or put it in a covered casserole dish and keep warm in a 300 degrees F. oven until ready to serve.

I don't think this next one would save me from making a separate mashed potato dish because some people don't like their food all mushed together. Also, they are going to expect a separate pile of them on the plate, but it's interesting, and I will try it sometime.

Stuffing with Mashed Potatoes

3 cups mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix (14-ounce package contains 8 cups)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes and baking powder. Add stuffing mix, parsley, and black pepper; mix well. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute 10 to 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add vegetable mixture to potato mixture; mix well, then add chicken stock and mix well again.

Place in a greased 2-quart casserole and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and keep warm until ready to serve.
Note: Whether you use the homemade or instant mashed potatoes, there's no need to add salt.

My favorite cranberry sauce is made in food processor: wash and cut an orange into 8 pieces and remove the seeds. Put in food processor with a bag of fresh cranberries and maybe 1/4 cup of dry Jello (red). Process to a medium fine texture. Throw in a handful of walnuts and process until all pieces are the same size. Pour out into a bowl and refrigerate overnight. Taste for flavor: add more Jello if too tart. Note that you can leave out the Jello and use Stevia or regular sugar to get the flavor.

Mr. KTales' favorite is jellied cranberry sauce poured onto the plate straight out of the can with the lines still on it.