Best Sides of 2021

We continue our count down to 2022 with the best sides of 2021 today. There are 3 salads and a potato casserole in this collection. Two of the four recipes also happen to be recipes that I got from my mom.

First recipe is an easy broccoli salad. I have had this salad before, but forgot how much I loved it. Then, I had a friend at work make this and bring it to share. It reminded me how much I really like this salad. Usually, I like to enjoy broccoli when you cook it. However, this salad is one way that I like to enjoy raw broccoli. In addition to broccoli, there is diced red onion, crumbled bacon, craisins, and shelled sunflower seeds in this salad. Then it gets coasted with a simple dressing made of mayo, sugar, and red wine vinegar.

The second best side of 2021 is my mom’s shrimp salad.  You can find it at many of our family gatherings. The recipe originated from my Grandmother’s neighbor, Marilyn. Then my mother adapted it slightly by adding the dill weed and celery to the recipe. I definitely think that the dill weed makes this salad fabulous. We do have some kids in the family that don’t like shrimp. So we even leave some of the salad without the shrimp in it and it’s still delicious.

Cheese potatoes is our third side.

This recipe comes from one of my old neighbors. I love to serve these potatoes with ham. So it is a perfect dish to serve for Christmas or Easter lunch or dinner. This recipe is definitely a family favorite. It only takes 6 ingredients to make this.

The last of the best sides of 2021 is a creamy Jell-o salad. It is a favorite for my family and often found at family gatherings also. We happen to have it on Christmas day at my mom’s house. She made one that was strawberry and another that was lemon. The creamy base for this Jell-O salad comes from a large box of Jell-O cook and serve lemon pudding. This is key. It has to be the cook and serve version. The instant kind will NOT work. No only does it make this salad creamy but it also adds a delicious lemon flavor.