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.

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.