Five Easy Holiday Sides

Here are five easy holiday side dishes that look great, taste great, and are easy to make.

Don’t let holiday cooking intimidate you. We’ve all been there. You agreed to take something to a holiday get-together, but the thought of cooking something fancy enough for the holidays seems overwhelming because:

• You’ve been working long hours due to an end-of-year deadline or the December rush.
• Your kids are out of school and keeping them busy is keeping you busy.
• You’re getting ready for holiday travel and a side dish is the LAST thing on your mind.
• The annual holiday potluck is happening at work and you HAVE to make something.

Whatever your reasons are, let one or more of these holiday side dishes take the stress out of holiday cooking.

Baked Acorn Squash

Baked acorn squash is a classic holiday standby for a reason. It tastes terrific and it’s easy to make. This recipe includes both a savory and a sweet version of this holiday side dish.

For the savory version, you’ll need acorn squash, olive oil, salt, and fresh cracked pepper. For the sweet version, use butter, brown sugar, dried cranberries, and walnuts. Go here for the acorn squash recipes.

Carrot Cranberry Salad

This colorful carrot cranberry salad is crunchy, sweet, and super-easy. It comes together in minutes. Even though it’s simple, it’s tasty, attractive, and appetizing.

You’ll need a bag of matchstick carrots from the produce section of the grocery store, dried cranberries, walnuts, and poppyseed dressing. Go here for details.

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts

These pan-seared Brussels sprouts are tender and delicious. With the added mushrooms and leeks, this side dish works well during the holidays or at any time of year.

The mushrooms and leeks in this recipe add lots of flavor to these little veggies. You’ll need Brussels sprouts, one or two leeks, and mushrooms. Read all about pan-seared Brussels Sprouts here.

Sweet Potato Walnut Crunch

This sweet potato walnut crunch recipe is great as a side dish. Serve it at home or share it with friends and family at a holiday gathering. Dates add some natural sweetness and the walnuts add a nice crunch.

Here’s all you need to make this sweet potato walnut crunch unless you want to add a little optional butter or margarine: one or more sweet potatoes, walnuts, and dates. Go here to read all about this sweet potato walnut crunch holiday side dish.

Waldorf Salad

This classic Waldorf salad recipe is always a hit. It’s sweet and fruity with crunchy toasted walnuts and celery.

You’ll need apples, walnuts, grapes, celery, and some kind of dressing to make this Waldorf salad. Go here to see how to make this classic recipe.

Happy Holidays

However you celebrate the holidays, I hope one or more of these simple side dishes suits your needs. You might also like garlic roasted asparagus and yellow squash soup. Whatever you wind up making, enjoy your time in the kitchen.