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Sunny Side Dishes for Thanksgiving Dinner: Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, and Mac n Cheese

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Last week, I shared with you Sunny Anderson’s recipe for Vegetarian Southern-Style Collard Greens, in anticipation of this Thursday’s Thanksgiving dinner spread.

This week, I’m going to share three more Sunny Anderson recipes for my other favorite delicious Thanksgiving dishes, a side dish trio I like to refer to as the three S’s; Sweet Potatoes and Marshmallows, Simple Stuffing, and Spicy Macaroni and Cheese. Don’t forget to wear your stretchy Thanksgiving pants, because trust me, you will want seconds, thirds, and perhaps even fourths!


Source: Buzzfeed.com


*Source: tumblr.com

Once again, Sunny’s southern inspired treats will have you and your fam making yummy noises, till the last bite of leftovers is gone.

Sunny Anderson’s Sweet Potatoes and Marshmallows


*Source: foodnetwork.com
 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dish
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
  • 1 lemon, sliced and seeded
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 3 cups marshmallows

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot melt 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then lower and simmer while stirring until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.

Peel potatoes and cut lengthwise, then again making long quarters. Cut these into 1-inch pieces ending up with pie slice-shaped wedges. Place in a separate large pot of boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes. Potatoes should give a bit when poked with a fork.

Drain the potatoes and arrange in a single layer in a buttered 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour the syrup over the potatoes; making sure it covers the potatoes. Place lemon slices on top and bake for 35 minutes, spooning syrup over potatoes twice during that time. Potatoes are done when they are tender to the fork.

Remove from the oven, remove the lemon slices, and stir in pecans. Arrange the marshmallows evenly on top. Place back in the oven turning it up to 400 degrees F and cook until marshmallows puff up and turn brown, approximately 10 more minutes.

Sunny Anderson’s Spicy Macaroni and Cheese


*Source: foodnetwork.com
 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups elbow pasta, cooked until almost al dente
  • 8 ounces Cheddar, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
  • 8 ounces Colby cheese, cubed
  • 8 ounces Monterey pepper jack cheese, cubed
  • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 4 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1/4 cup finely grated onions
  • 4 slices bread
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • Special equipment: 2-quart baking dish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together the pasta with the cheese cubes and pour into the baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg. Add the sour cream, egg, heavy cream, half-and-half and onions. Pour over the pasta and cover with the shredded Cheddar. Bake uncovered until the top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-size squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, and add the bread cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.

Sunny Anderson’s Simple Stuffing

 

Ingredients:

  • One 12-ounce bag stuffing mix, such as Pepperidge Farm
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 5 to 6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, grated on a rasp
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock

Combo #1:

  • 8 ounces sausage, sautéed
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped and sautéed
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped and sautéed
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped and sautéed

Combo #2:

  • 8 large oysters (about 1 cup)
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

Combo #3:

  • 1 cup dried apricots, diced
  • 1 bulb fennel, sliced and sautéed

Combo #4:

  • 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
  • 2 apples, diced

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the stuffing mix with the parsley and set aside.

In a large pan on medium heat, add the butter, celery, onions, thyme, sage and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and a nice grind of pepper. Cook until the onions and celery are tender but the garlic is not browned. Remove to the bowl of bread cubes. Pour the stock over the bread and veggie mixture and stir to combine (this is a wet dressing, so it should be very moist). If using one of the add-in combinations, mix in the ingredients carefully.

Pour the mixture into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Press down to make it compact, and then cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes more.

For more information on these recipes, and other Sunny Anderson Dishes: Sweet Potatoes and Marshmallows, Spicy Macaroni and Cheese, and Simple Stuffing.

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson and The Food Network
And don’t forget to check out Sunny Anderson’s TV show, Cooking in the Real, only on the Food Network!

Sources: 1 | 2 | 3

*Photos sourced on Pinterest

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