3 Easy Holiday Side Dish Recipes

Guest post by Sumaiya Karim

The holidays are here, and you may be putting together a lot of side dishes and food for parties and family gatherings!

If you want to try some easy yet nontraditional meal ideas (and feature them as a learning opportunity for your homeschool!), try these recipes I made recently:

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

Topping

• ½ cup melted unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cover a baking tray with aluminum foil.
3. Mix flour, sugar, garlic powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
4. Add milk and butter with the dry ingredients and mix until it gets moist. Add cheese.
5. Scoop the batter evenly with a measuring cup, ice cream scoop, or tablespoon onto the prepared baking tray.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.
7. For the topping, whisk together butter and garlic powder in a bowl or cup. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the butter mixture. Serve and enjoy!

Spicy Tangy Taco Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups ground taco beef, cooked
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced avocado
• 1 cup sliced bell pepper
• 3 jalapeno peppers
• 1 ½ cups corn
• 1 ½ cups red kidney beans
• 1 ½ cups shredded Colby & Monterey Jack cheese
• ½ cup cilantro
• ½ cup scallions or spring onions
• 2-3 cups taco chips
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Put the first 7 ingredients one by one, side by side, on a big tray or plate, starting with the cooked taco beef in the middle. Reserve the cheese, cilantro, and scallions or spring onions for the topping.
• Arrange taco chips on every side of the tray.
• Brush the lemon juice on top of everything. If you want, you can also mix all the ingredients together.
• Serve immediately for the freshest taste!

Spicy Garlic Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chili oil or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Topping

• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ½ cup chopped scallions or spring onions

1. Heat the chili oil or olive oil, along with the butter, in a large pan over medium-high heat.
2. Sauté the minced garlic for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper, then add the topping of cilantro and scallions or spring onions. Serve immediately.

We have updated this blog post, originally published in 2022, for timeliness and detail.

Liked this post? Check out two more:

1. 4 pumpkin recipes from Bangladesh
2. 4 easy summer drinks from Bangladesh

Sumaiya Karim is from Bangladesh and has a university degree in media studies & journalism, with a major in public relations. She is a social media intern for MPE. Her hobbies include cooking, photography, videography, traveling, and exploring new things.