I was first challenged to write on topic of food during my junior year at Belmont University.

I was taking what is better known around the university as a “third year writing class.” It’s with good intent that they make you take an English course later in your collegiate career to guarantee you have at least a decent knowledge of the language before you graduate. However, this course was completely different than most English courses. There were several courses to choose from and they all had a specific theme. You could have chosen to study Shakespeare, Southern American Literature, or a myriad of many other topics.

One course, however, stood out to me above the rest and it was themed around Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Gulf coast in 2005. This particularly peaked my interest because I grew up going to New Orleans every year as a kid to visit family, friends, and to celebrate Mardi Gras.

Well, of course, I enrolled in this particular themed course! We spent an entire semester looking at and studying the effects of the storm on the New Orleans area. After analyzing the outcomes of the tragedy over the course of the semester, our final project would be to write a term paper about any issue related to the storm. Many students chose to write about the levy failure, the flooding issues, the lack of emergency response, or FEMA.

I, on the other hand, decided to take a different approach. I wanted to write about food. Food, after all, is an integral part of every human’s daily life. What’s better than having a nice warm meal when you have literally lost your home, possessions, and so much more? A warm pot of gumbo was seriously a welcome sight to many New Orleanians in terms of rebuilding and recovering. It simply was the glue that held them together. It was so important that the local newspaper in New Orleans (The Times Picayune) launched a campaign to go back through their archives and pull recipes that were published in the paper over the course of a century in order to craft a cook book to replace the lost recipe boxes that so many families were now without.

It was a massive success and, yet again, another example of how food is the glue that brings us together. Food gives us the ability to cope, and it gives us a will to survive.

Now that the holiday season is upon us, I couldn’t help but think about the same exact concept that I wrote on years prior. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years, just to name a few are all centered around food, family and togetherness. Obviously, on a less tragic note than a devastating storm, we have these fun-filled happy events every year, which are extremely important to drawing families, friends, and neighbors closer together. What’s the common denominator? Food.

My family takes the holiday season very seriously, and our food is very serious business. We also like to adopt an attitude that there is always plenty and there is always an extra chair at the table for anyone who needs to feel the warmth and love of friends and have a satisfying hot meal. In today’s world and economy there are people less fortunate than us. There are people who may have no family or loved ones. There are people who may struggle with the holiday season for one reason or another. I believe its our duty to extend a welcoming handshake to these people and pass around the warmth and love, and the way to do that is through food.

I will include a few recipes with this article sharing some of my favorite holiday side dishes that we include in our Thanksgiving and Christmas menus. I want to encourage you to give them a try and hopefully you will incorporate them into your ongoing holiday traditions.

Lastly, I want to say that while enjoying these recipes, perhaps pick up the phone and call an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a bunch of years, walk next door and knock on your neighbor’s door, speak with that single mom at church, talk with the clerk at the checkout in the grocery store. Extend an invitation, reserve an extra chair, bake them a dish and drop it off. Either way, share the warmth and the food this holiday season.

I firmly believe if more people would take on this practice, then the world would truly be a better place. Again, food is something that we all must have, so let’s share it with friends, family, and neighbors. I promise it’s much more fun to break bread with a table full of people rather than eating alone.

Now, on to the recipes! I am going to share with you a few of my favorite side dishes, which are present, every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and often New Years! On the list we have “Old Fashioned Mac & Cheese,” “Broccoli Casserole,” “Squash Casserole,” “Candied Pecan Sweet Potatoes,” “Wild Rice & Mushrooms,” and “Layered Salad”.

I hope you will give all of these a try and as always, happy cooking and happy holidays!

 _ The Tennessee Rebel

OLD FASHIONED MAC & CHEESE

1 – Box of elbow macaroni (1lb); 4 – Cups of sharp cheddar cheese; 2 – Eggs scrambled; 2-3 – Cups of milk; ½ – Stick of salted butter cut into slivers; Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Prepare pasta according to box directions
3. Layer pasta into a 9×13” casserole dish and top with about half of the cheese.
4. Layer remaining pasta on top of cheese and then top with the remaining cheese.
5. In a mixing bowl whip the eggs and add the milk salt and pepper.
6. Pour egg mixture over the top of the Mac & Cheese.
7. Top the Mac & Cheese with pats of butter.
8. Add additional milk so that the liquid roughly comes half way up the side of the casserole dish.
9. Bake covered in foil for about 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes to make sure the cheese is golden brown.

Note: Use any cheese you desire or use a combination of cheeses! It’s cheese you can’t go wrong!

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE – 1 9X13 PAN

3 – 10oz. bags frozen chopped broccoli; 1 – can cream of mushroom soup; 1 – cup Dukes mayonnaise; 8oz. sharp cheddar shredded; 2 – eggs beaten; salt and pepper to taste; 1 – teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 ½ – cups Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs; ¼ – cup shredded parmesan; 2 – tablespoons butter melted.

1. Prepare broccoli according to package directions
   
   
2. Mix broccoli, cream of mushroom, mayo, sharp cheddar, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika.
   
   
3. Pour broccoli mixture into a 9”x13” casserole dish.
   
   
4. Mix melted butter, bread crumbs, and parmesan chees until evenly coated.
   
   
5. Spread bread crumb mixture on top of casserole about ¼ “ deep.
   
   
6. Bake uncovered at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

SQUASH CASSEROLE – 9X13 PAN

4 – Pounds Yellow Squash; 6 – Tablespoons Butter Divided; 1 – Large Vidalia Onion; 3-4 – Garlic Cloves Crushed; 2 ½ – Cups Italian Panko Bread Crumbs; 1 ½ – Cups Parmesan Cheese Shredded Divided; 2 – Cups (8oz) Gouda Cheese Shredded; 3-4 – Stalks Green Onions Minced; 1 – Tablespoon Dried Parsley; ¼ – teaspoon Cayenne Pepper; 1 – teaspoon salt; ½ – teaspoon Black Pepper; 8 – Ounces Sour Cream; 2 – Eggs Beaten; ¼ – ½  – teaspoon Garlic Salt.

1. Rinse and slice yellow squash into ¼” slices. Place in Dutch oven or stock pot and cover with water. Add additional salt to water if desired. Boil for 1-2 minutes then reduce to simmer for 10-12 minutes or until squash easily breaks but is not mushy. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt about 3T of butter in a heavy pan then add chopped onion and garlic. Sauté 5-6 minutes or until onions are transparent and garlic is fragrant. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.
3. Remove onion mixture from heat and stir in with squash.
4. Stir in 1 cup breadcrumbs, ¾ cup of parmesan, 1 ½ cups gouda and mix until cheese begins to melt.
5. Add green onions, parsley, cayenne, salt and pepper then mix.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F.
7. Beat eggs and add eggs and sour cream to squash mixture and mix well until fully incorporated.
8. Grease 9×13 baking dish generously with butter. Add squash mixture and spread evenly.
9. Cover top of mixture with remaining gouda.
10. Melt remaining 3T butter and mix with 1½ cups breadcrumbs, ¾ cup parmesan, and garlic salt.
11. Spread breadcrumb mixture evenly over dish and bake at 350°F uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and casserole is set.

CANDIED PECAN SWEET POTATOES

3 – large sweet potatoes; 1 – cup granulated sugar; 2 – eggs; 1 – stick of butter softened; 1 – teaspoon; vanilla extract; Pecan Topping; 1/3 – cup melted butter; 1/3 – cup all-purpose flour; 1 – cup brown sugar; 1 – cup chopped pecans; 1 – Tablespoon cinnamon.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Boil potatoes until tender.
3. Once cooled, remove skin from potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl.
4. Whip the potatoes with an electric mixer until fluffy.
5. Add sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla to the potatoes and continue to whip.
6. Add potato mixture into a greased casserole dish.
7. Mix the crunch topping by combining the butter, flour, brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon and top the potato mixture with the topping.
8. Bake for approximately 45 minutes

WILD RICE AND MUSHROOMS – 2 QUARTS

1 – Box Uncle Bens Original Wild Rice; ½ – Stick Butter; ½ – Onion Chopped Fine; 1 – Small Can Mushrooms Stems and Pieces; 1 – Can Campbell’s Beef Broth; 1 – Can Campbell’s Beef Consume.

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place butter and onions in 2 quart casserole and place in oven while preheating.
3. Once the oven is preheated add the rice, mushrooms, spice packet from rice, and beef broth and beef consume. Mix well with a fork to dissolve seasonings and make sure all rice is coated.
4. Cover and bake at 450°F for 45minutes or until rice is tender.

LAYERED SALAD – 10 SERVINGS

1 Head Iceberg Lettuce Washed; ½ Red Onion Thinly Sliced into ½ Rings; 15oz. Can Small Early Peas; 1 Pouch of Real Bacon Bits; 8oz. Block of Swiss Cheese Shredded; Sugar; Salt & Pepper; 1 ½ Cups Dukes Mayonnaise (or more as needed)

1. Rinse lettuce extremely well and pat dry.
2. In a large mixing bowl begin tearing 2” pieces of lettuce off and arranging in the bottom of the bowl. Add lettuce until the bottom layer is approximately ½” thick.
3. Sprinkle a handful of the peas, a handful of the bacon bits, a handful of the cheese, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and salt and pepper over the lettuce.
4. Repeat the layering process at least 3-4 layers until you finish the top of the salad with peas, bacon, and cheese.
5. Spread mayonnaise across the entire top of the salad making sure to seal the top. The layer of mayonnaise should be a healthy ¼” thick.
6. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.
7. Remove from refrigerator and toss with salad tongs to mix thoroughly.
8. Serve!