Brown Sugar and Butter Carrots

Carrots, with their vibrant orange hue and natural sweetness, are a versatile root vegetable that can be transformed into a delightful side dish with just a few simple ingredients. In this recipe, I take the humble carrot and elevate it to new heights with the irresistible combination of brown sugar and butter. The sweetness of the brown sugar perfectly complements the earthy flavor of the carrots, while the butter adds a salty and luscious richness. This recipe is incredibly easy to make and will surely become a favorite at your dinner table.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

I like to pair the carrots with my homemade roast beef, brown gravy, and mashed potatoes. This is a family favorite recipe from my husband’s Grandma Jolley. She was an amazing cook and my husband and I both have fond memories of eating this traditional Sunday meal prepared by Grandma Jolley.

Now for the Recipe

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Brown Sugar and Butter Carrots Recipe

Indulge in the sweet and savory flavors of brown sugar and butter carrots. Try this delicious recipe for a perfect side dish! It's a family favorite recipe that never disappoints.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword carrot recipe, carrots, root vegetables, savory and sweet recipes, Side Dish

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 6-8 large carrots
• ½ cup butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• water for boiling the carrots

Instructions

• Peel the carrots, cut them in half, then cut into quarters.
• Add the carrots to a sauce pan. Add enough water to cover the carrots, then add the salt to the water.
• Bring water and carrots to a low boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender and cooked through.
• Once carrots are done, drain off any excess water in a strainer and add the carrots back to the pan.
• Add the butter and brown sugar and stir. Cook over medium heat for about five minutes or so until the butter and brown sugar have all mixed together. Let simmer for a few more minutes and stir every so often.
• Dump the carrots into a serving bowl. The glaze will be a little bit runny so use a serving spoon that allows you to get some of the glaze and drizzle it over the carrots when dishing up.

Savory and Sweet – The Perfect Combination

These carrots offer a simple yet delightful way to enjoy this nutritious root vegetable. The sweetness from the brown sugar and the salty richness from the butter creates a heavenly glaze that enhances the natural flavors of the carrots. This recipe is quick to prepare and adds a touch of elegance to any meal. So, next time you’re looking to jazz up your side dish, give this easy side dish recipe a try!

 Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you’ll want to check out these:

Classic Roast Beef Recipe

Delicious Mashed Potatoes Recipe

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The post Sweet and Savory: Brown Sugar and Butter Carrots Recipe appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Classic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Mashed Potatoes are one of my favorite things to eat! I love potatoes in any form but mashed might be my favorite! I also love to smother them in homemade gravy. My family loves gravy so I learned at a very young age how to make really good mashed potatoes and homemade gravy.

Now for some backstory…

My grandpa was a farmer in Idaho and grew wheat and barley but his winter job was to work in a spud house in southeastern Idaho as a potato inspector. I can honestly say that we had potatoes with every meal! My grandparents would always bring us big boxes of potatoes, or spuds as they called them.

My mom could make potatoes in more ways than I could count including, fried, scalloped, baked, and of course mashed. She found ways to incorporate them into all our meals and I loved them whatever way they were made. In fact, my nickname was PQ, for Potato Queen. My dad called me that because I loved them so much.

We NEVER had instant potatoes and I’m still like that. I can hardly bring myself to make them out of a box since it was so ingrained in me to make the real thing! What can I say? I’m a bit of a potato snob now!

I also learned how to make really good homemade brown gravy that pairs perfectly with this mashed potatoes recipe so tap this link here for the brown gravy!

My Mom and Grandmas would always make their homemade roast beef and brown gravy with this mashed potatoes recipe for Sunday dinner. I have continued this tradition with my family and it’s one of my favorite meals to make!

Here are the recipes:

Roast Beef

Homemade Brown Gravy

Homemade Rolls

Brown Sugar Butter Carrots (recipe coming soon!)

Now for the Recipe: Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe

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Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe

There is nothing better than homemade Mashed Potatoes! I've shared this easy recipe that makes the perfect mashed potatoes. Try pairing this with my Roast Beef and Homemade Brown Gravy for the perfect Sunday dinner!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword mashed potates, potatoes, Side Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 4 pounds potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet)
• ½ cup heavy cream or milk
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp salt for potato water
• ½ tsp salt (to taste)
• 1¼ tsp pepper (to taste)

Instructions

• Wash the 4 pounds potatoes thoroughly under running water to remove any dirt. Peel the potatoes using a vegetable peeler and cut them into small pieces.
• Put the potatoes into a large pot and cover them with cold water. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water to help season the potatoes while they cook. Always salt your potato water!
  
• Place the pot on the stove with the lid on and turn the heat on high. Bring the water to a boil and remove the lid, then reduce the heat to medium and let the potatoes simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
• Once the potatoes are done cooking, drain them in a colander and return them to the pot.
  
• Using a stand mixer or potato masher, add the potatoes to the stand mixer bowl or you can mash them in the pot or a bowl. Then add the 4 tbsp butter.
  
• Next, add in the ½ cup heavy cream or milk to the potatoes and mix them in the stand mixer or mash with the potato masher until well combined and there are no lumps.
  
• Add ½ tsp salt and 1¼ tsp pepper to taste and continue stirring until the mashed potatoes are smooth and creamy.
  
• If you want your mashed potatoes to be thinner, you can add a little bit more milk or butter until you reach your desired consistency.
  
• Serve the mashed potatoes hot and enjoy! I like to pair them with my roast beef and brown gravy. Recipes are linked in this blog post.

Notes

That’s it! With just a few simple steps, you can make delicious mashed potatoes that will be a perfect side dish for any meal.

Mashed Potatoes are the perfect side dish

I hope you give this homemade mashed potatoes recipe a try! It’s my go to recipe anytime I want to have meat and potatoes for dinner! Your family will love it!

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you’ll want to check out these:

Green Beans with Pancetta

Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese

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The post Delicious Mashed Potatoes Recipe | The Perfect Side Dish appeared first on Home With Holly J.

This yummy macaroni and cheese recipe is comfort food at its finest and can be your main dish or a side dish. This is my go to recipe when I’ve cooked a ham and have some leftovers! Ham is optional, but I’ve always made it with the ham. This is not your traditional macaroni and cheese recipe because it actually doesn’t have macaroni or cheddar cheese in it! I use egg noodles and a delicious mix of fontina, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses. I guess it should be called a different name, but egg noodles and cheese doesn’t quite have the same appeal.

The Ingredients

This recipe is easy to make and cooks in twenty five minutes! There are just a handful of ingredients and the mess is minimal.

The best part of this macaroni and cheese is the top layer of fontina, mozzarella, and parmsean cheeses. They melt and create a yummy crust on top.

Side note: One of my IG followers read my recipe and sent me a message saying this recipe is similar to Giada De Laurentis recipe. I don’t know the original source but there’s a good chance this is where this originated from. So, I’m crediting her since this looks almost exactly like the recipe I have! Giada’s Recipe

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The Best Macaroni and Cheese Ever

This is not your traditional mac and cheese. This recipe calls for egg noodles instead of macaroni and the cheeses are a mix of fontina, parmesan, and mozzarella. This is comfort food at its finest and you can add ham to make it a main dish or to add extra flavor.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, main dish, pasta recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter (softened)
• 12 oz egg noodles
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 tsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt plus more for pasta water
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups grated fontina cheese (packed)
• 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan (packed)
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella (packed)
• 4 oz cooked ham, diced (this is optional)
• 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley (italian parsley)
• water for boiling egg noodles

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450º F
• Take the softened butter, and grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish, and set aside.
• Cook the egg noodles as directed in a large pot of boiling water. Add about 2-3 tbsps. of salt to the water. Cook the noodles until tender but still firm to bite. Approximately 5-7 minutes.
• While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. 
• Stir in 1 cup of the Fontina Cheese, 1/2 cup of the parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, ham if using, and parsley. Mix well.
• When the noodles are done, drain well but do not rinse.
• Add the noodles to the mixing bowl and toss to coat. When mixed well, dump the noodle mixture into the buttered baking dish. 
• Toss the remaining grated cheeses together in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture.
• Bake until the sauce starts to bubble and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top. About 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

I've had this recipe for years and can't remember where I got it but there was no author on it. One of my IG followers messaged me, which I appreciate, and said this looks like Giada De Laurentis Macaroni and Cheese recipe so I'm crediting her after reading hers and mine. Whoever created this recipe though, it's amazing!

You’ll be the star of the show when you make this delicious version of mac and cheese. It’s a great recipe for your leftover Easter ham or any other time you have leftover ham to use up. You can always make it without the ham too!

The sauce tends to be a bit runny so let it set up for about 10 minutes. It’s also great as leftovers!

I like to add a little more cheese on top than it calls for so feel free to add more! You can never have too much cheese! Don’t add more to the mix though as it doesn’t set up if you add too much to the mix. Save the extra for the top! Sprinkle with some italian parsley at the end if you wish.

Here are the links to the items I used:

If you love fontina cheese, my Scalloped Potato Recipe is amazing!!

Enjoy!!

PIN THIS FOR LATER:

The post The Best Macaroni and Cheese Ever appeared first on Home With Holly J.

These homemade Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese recipe is comfort food at its finest. It’s simple to make and is great as a side dish or main dish. I paired it with my Roasted Beef Tenderloin but it also goes well with Ham or any type of meat.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

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Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese

This homemade Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese recipe is great as a side dish or can be a main dish if you're vegetarian. This is an easy recipe to make and is also great the next day as a leftovers.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Fontina Cheese, Scalloped Potatoes, Side Dish

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 8 medium yukon gold potatoes peeled and sliced (Any type of potatoes works)
• 3 cups grated fontina cheese
• 1 quart half and half
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup butter (2 cubes)
• 2-3 tsp salt (to taste)
• 2 tsp pepper (to taste)
• 2 tsp onion salt
• 1 tsp Johnny’s seasoning or any seasoning salt

Instructions

• Peel and wash potatoes. Slice potato in half vertically and slice into approximately 1/4" slices. Set aside in a bowl with cold water covering them. This prevents the starch from turning them brown while you make the sauce.
• Grate the fontina cheese and set aside.
  
• In a medium-sized saucepan, melt 1 cup butter on medium heat. When butter is melted, add 3/4 cup flour. This is called a roux and is the base of the white sauce. Stir until it starts to bubble and then add 1 quart half and half in slowly and then add 1 cup milk. Keep stirring and increase heat to medium-high. Add the seasonings. Keep stirring with a whisk to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. Take a little taste and make sure it's salty enough. The potatoes will absorb some of the salt so you want to be sure that's it has enough salt. Once sauce has thickened remove from the heat and set aside.
• Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Drain the water from the potatoes. Layer 1/3 of the potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish and cover with 1/3 of the fontina cheese then 1/3 of the white sauce.
  
• Repeat 2 more times ending with the fontina cheese on the top. Cover with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for about one hour.
  
• Take the foil off the last 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Holly

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The post How to Make Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese appeared first on Home With Holly J.

This simple veggie salad is light and so easy to make! I came up with this recipe after visiting my friend Amy Brown’s Laughing Goat Flower Farm.  Amy has a beautiful flower farm and grows vegetables that she sells to local restaurants. When I saw how many beautiful varieties of cherry tomatoes she had in her massive garden, I knew I had to make something with them.  I also grew some of my own vegetables and wanted to use what I had in my garden as well! Using what is fresh and in season is something I really enjoy. There is nothing better than picking something you have grown, as you know exactly where it came from. I have always enjoyed growing and cultivating my own food.

When my husband and I first met, he took me to Idaho to meet his grandparents.  They lived on a farm in Kuna, Idaho. The farm had been in his family since the early 1900’s.  My husband’s grandpa had the most amazing garden. I remember walking through row after row of every vegetable you can imagine and all sorts of berries, melons, grapes, and fruit trees.  Grandpa and Grandma Fuhriman would make delicious jams, grape juice from different varieties of grapes, the best pickles you’ve ever had, and so many other things. They canned everything they grew.  I ate so many good things that weekend and decided that one day when I had a home and property of my own, I would have a garden.

My husbands mom, Kathy, also has an amazing garden and her garden is also beautiful.  She has a knack for growing things, just like her father, Grandpa Furhiman did, but she also makes it look pretty at the same time.  I have enjoyed canning with her when I go to visit her in Idaho in the summer.

There is something magical about being able to go into your own garden, pick fresh produce and make recipes with what’s in season.

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Simple Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Course Salad, Side Dish, Snack

Keyword fresh, salad, Tomato

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Chill 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 4 Pints Various Cherry or Small Tomatoes
• 1 Cucumber Large
• 1 Shallot Medium Sized
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 TBSP Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper

Instructions

• Slice 4 Pints Various Cherry or Small Tomatoes into halves and put in a mixing bowl.
•  Then dice 1 Cucumber into small pieces.
• Peel and chop 1 Shallot up into small pieces as well.
• Drizzle approximately 2 TBSP Olive Oil and then add 1 TBSP Lemon Juice. 
• Add 1 tsp Salt and 1/2 tsp Pepper to taste and toss to coat everything in the Olive Oil and Lemon Juice.
• Chill until serving.

I paired this light and fresh salad with my homemade lasagna to balance out the heaviness of the pasta. It goes well with anything though.  So, if you have a lot of cherry tomatoes on hand or see some nice varieties at the market, this is a great accompaniment to any main dish. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!

[holly_healthful_tips]  

Holly’s Helpful Tips:

*Some of the varieties Amy grew in her garden and that I used in the salad (in case you’d like to grow your own) were: Jaune Flamme (bigger orange) Lemon Drop (round yellow) Yellow Pear Cherry Bomb Chadwick Cherry Black Cherry *You can make this salad with any tomatoes you’d like! Fresh is always best! This dish has so much color, making it the perfect salad or side for any meal. Beautiful and delicious! [/holly_healthful_tips]

Simple Veggie Salad

The post Simple Tomato Cucumber Salad appeared first on Home With Holly J.