Need some dressed up sides for a brisket and ribs

baked beans
cole slaw
corn maque choux

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pepper jelly vin.

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You make this yourself? If so, recipe.

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Roasted corn grits

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I am going to do the horseradish potatos instead of this but thats a good choice.

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Grilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce

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Might do this or french green beans wrapped in proscuitto.

This blue cheese cilantro slaw--do you guys serve that with (or on) your pulled pork? If so, recipe, please!

Roasted butternut squash stuffed agnolotti in a brown butter sauce. Knock the panties off.

We serve it with any BBQ that we make. When we do pulled pork sammiches, we put it on the sammich. Sooooo good!

Uncle Lee-Bird's Blue Cheese Cilantro Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1 pkg shredded cole slaw
1/2 bunch of cilantro (stems picked off)
4 Tbs mayo
3 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 packet Splenda
1 1/2 Tbs honey
1/2-1 cup crumbled blue cheese (depending on how strong you like it)
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except the blue cheese in a large mixing bowl
Make sure that the mayo and the vinegar combine evenly
Fold in the blue cheese
Put in the frige to chill for at least an hour...this allows the flavors to get familiar with each other if you know what I mean.

You can add in additional mayo and/or vinegar depending on how juicy your like your slaw.

It can be served without chilling but you will definitely taste the difference when it sits for the specified time.

Make the cheese puffs from Plantation Cookbook. They are easy, delicious and the gals love them. They're puffy and golden. Don't scrimp on the topping. They freeze beautifully, pre-baked.

Serve the puffs on the saucer with a nice cup of curried eggplant soup. Good stuff. Had some for lunch. A friend of mine and I have been serving that soup, over and over again, since October. People who don't like eggplant, love it. I freeze it sans the cream and then warm it up and add the cream just before serving. If you don't have that recipe, let me know.


Grill a variety of veggies for a side and/or pan saute some spinach. A spinach timbale is another idea. Stuff a tomato with a good fresh artichoke mixture and bake or you could just use the breadcrumb/panko route, with some herbs.

If you can find enough good artichokes or the mini ones, you can half them and grill those. I love that. Just steam a bit and then brush with olive oil, season if you wish, and grill. Looks great on the plate and it's yummy.

OR, take a few artichokes, steam and remove the leaves, but save them. Mix up an artichoke stuffing, including the hearts. Load the stuffing halfway up each leaf. Warm in the oven. Put 3 or 4 on each plate.

Trying to think of something different here.


What about sauteed kale and mushrooms? Simple and nice color.

You could also try some beets. People almost never cook with them, as they associate them with canned garbage, but nice color and flavor. You could roast them in some EVOO and even use the tops by grilling them.

Another idea might be a traditional German dish like blaukraut. Just purple cabbage sauteed down in bacon fat, onions, apple, sugar, and some vinegar to cut the fat. Pretty awesome traditional side, and nice presentation with color.

I would love to have the soup recipe!

Not a bad one here:
Polenta Squares with Mushroom Ragu (Giada De Laurentiis)

Polenta Squares with Mushroom Ragu

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 36 bite-size hors d'oeuvres

2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry Marsala
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves



Bring the water, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly until the polenta thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour the polenta into a greased 9 by 9-inch baking pan, spreading so that it is 1/3-inch thick. Cover and let stand at room temperature until set, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and saute until the juices evaporate, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the Marsala. Cover and simmer until the Marsala has reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl to form a paste, then stir the paste into the mushroom mixture. Cover and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley into the ragu. Season the ragu, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Cut the polenta into 36 bite-size squares. Arrange the polenta squares on a platter. Spoon the warm ragu atop the polenta and serve immediately.