Holiday Side Dishes

I'm a firm believer that the oh so yummy sides are almost as important as the main  dish in my house.  We have a few traditions that came from my grandma and great-grandma that I still carry on today.  One of those is the apple stuffing.  And actually it isn’t really stuffed in the turkey so I guess it’s more of a dressing, but we call it stuffing so stuffing it is! Over the years there have been a few extra add ins like sausage for my mom’s hubby and dried cranberries for a touch of tangy flavor.  But no matter how you slice it up, those apples and bread make the holidays. 

Cranberry Apple Stuffing (Dressing)​

You'll Need: 

• 8 Tbsp Butter
  
• 3/4 loaf wheat & sour dough bread
  
• 1/2 loaf rye & pumperknickel bread
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
  
• 4 stalks celery, diced
  
• 2 granny smith & red apples
  
• 2-3 cups chicken stock
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 2 drops thyme, rosemary, & sage vitality
  
• 1 drop basil & oregano vitality

1. Cut bread into bite size pieces and leave out overnight.
2. In a large sauce pan add butter and saute onions, celery, & apples. 
3. Add broth & bring to a boil, remove from heat.  Cool to room temperature. 
4. In a small bowl add egg & vitality oils, then add to broth.
   
5. Pour over bread and toss to coat the bread in the mixture.
   
6. ​Bake in casserole dish, uncovered,at 350 until top is crusty (about 40 minutes)

So this one is hit or miss with some people, but never the way I make it!  When we host we make them 2 ways.  So whether you make it plain and just toss in the butter, mushrooms, almonds  and hopefully a drop of  Lemon Vitality, or you go all in on the casserole, green beans are a staple for the holidays. 
 

Green Bean Casserole

You'll need: 

• 2 lbs green beans with ends trimmed
  
• 3 cups baby bella mushrooms sliced
  
• 3/4 cup shallots diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic minced
  
• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter 
  
• 2-3 Tbsp Flour (I like Young Living's Einkorn - more about why in a later post)
  
• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 1 cup cream
  
• 1 drop Nutmeg Vitality
  
• 1-2 Toothpick Swirls Black Pepper Vitality
  
• 1/2 tsp Salt
  
• Fried Onions

1. Wash & trim green beans.  
2. In a skillet, melt butter, add garlic, onions and mushrooms and saute until onions are translucent.
3. Blend in 2-3 Tbsp of flour, add chicken stock & heat until slightly thickened.  
4. Add cream & cook until thick.
5. Remove from heat and add essential oils to the mixture.
6. Blanch green beans, and add to skillet.  Blanching is simply cooking the green beans for only a few minutes until they are bright green, then placing them in ice water to stall their cooking & hold the color and crispness.
   
7. Toss the green beans in the mixture.
   
8. Place the combined mixture in a large casserole dish, top with fried onions if desired and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.    

Um you can’t have Turkey, Ham or any kinda holiday dish without mashed or roasted potatoes.  So whether you roast, slice, mash, smash or whip.  Add some flavor to those taters! 

Rustic Rosemary & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

You'll Need:

• 4 lbs baby Red Potatoes skin on
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp Sea Salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 drops Rosemary Vitality
• 1 toothpick swirl to 1 drop Black Pepper Vitality

1. Wash Potatoes (I like to rinse and give them a scrub with Thieves Fruit & Veggie Wash.
   
2. Boil potatoes whole with garlic cloves & salt, until fork tender.
   
3. Drain and return to pot.  Mash or whip, add butter, milk, & Rosemary Vitality & Black Bepper Vitality oils to taste and add salt as needed.
   
4. Top with butter and a sprig of rosemary and serve.

This casserole is actually like the dessert you are allowed to have with your dinner!  It’s sweet and spiced and AMAZING!!  This is another one that we end up making 2 ways sliced and whipped to make sure that everyone gets a little of their family traditions in the mix. 

Sweet Potato Casserole 

You'll Need: 

• 4 large sweet potatoes, boiled & peeled
  
• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup butter
  
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla
  
• 1 drop cinnamon bark vitality
  
• 1 drop clove vitality
  
• 1 drop ginger vitality
  
• 2 drops nutmeg vitality
  
• mini marshmallows

1. Slice or Mash cooked sweet potatoes, and layer in a buttered casserole dish.  
2. In a skillet, melt butter, add sugar and bring to a boil.  
3. Remove from heat, add the Clove, Ginger, and Nutmeg Vitality oils and good vanilla. 
4. Pour mixture over sweet potatoes and top with marshmallows. 
   
5. Place dish on a baking sheet to catch spills and bake on 350 for 25 minutes

This is one that you can do from the can or from scratch, but either way you can add some extra flavor with a drop of orange, lemon, lime, or citrus fresh vitality.   We make it from scratch and I highly recommend it!

Tangy Cranberry Sauce 

You'll Need: 

• 12 oz bag of Cranberries
• 3/4 cup Cranberry juice
• 1/4 cup Orange Juice
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 2 drops Orange Vitality
• 2 drops Lemon Vitality

• 1 drop Citrus Fresh Vitality

1. Rinse cranberries in Thieves Fruit & Veggie Rinse
2. Place in medium saucepan with cranberry juice, orange juice and sugar.
3. Heat on high until it comes to a rolling boil.
4. Lower heat and continue cooking until thick (about 10-12 minutes).
5. Remove from heat & add oils.
   
6. Chill & serve with a sprig of mint.  

Finally, a holiday meal isn't complete without warm rolls with flavored butter!!

Orange Honey Butter

You'll need: 

• 1 stick good grass fed butter (softened to room temperature)
• 1 tsp -1 Tbsp of honey
  
• 1 drop Orange Vitality Essential Oil
  
• Good rolls either from scratch or pre-made and warmed
  

​

1. In a small bowl mix the butter, honey, and Orange Vitality oil
2. Serve with an orange rind twist or orange slice
   

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