The following “Chew This!” column has been reprinted from “The Shelbyville News”. By: Blaise Doubman.

My Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish
Blaise Doubman

They say that food bloggers are always a season or two earlier than everyone else and, in this case, today, that is true, because I am thinking and talking about Thanksgiving side dishes. Yes, it will be here before we all know it! There are so many ways of making my favorite Thanksgiving side dish, green bean casserole! Just a few years ago, the classic recipe was “updated”, and it was suggested that you should add a teaspoon of soy sauce to the already familiar ingredients. A few years earlier, it was suggested that a sprinkling of shredded cheese on top before baking would be a welcome addition. Then, just recently in the latest food trends, it has been suggested that the recipe should be, almost completely, revamped! How? The addition frozen corn, sour cream and round buttery crackers! I mean, personally, all of them sound delicious to me, but I really prefer the traditional, and familiar, old-fashioned flavors. When thinking about this recipe, I wanted to use my family recipe, which is a mixture of everything that we, in my family, like the best. We like using an additional can of green beans, we like the added flavor of the soy sauce and we also like additional french fried onions. Sometimes we will make our own cream of mushroom soup and sometimes we will even make our own french fried onions. It really depends on the time you have and the preference.

To make your own cream of mushroom soup, cook together 1 stick of butter with about ½ pound of sliced mushrooms and ½ chopped onion for a few minutes until tender. Mix in 6 tablespoons white all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and 2 can of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring, and reduce slightly. Stir in 1 cup half and half or heavy cream. Stir around and continue heating for about 2 minutes then use as desired. To make your own french fried onion, dice about 2 large onions and soak in enough whole milk to cover. Allow them to soak for about 5 minutes. In a large bowl combine 2 cups white all-purpose flour with a couple of teaspoons each of garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Add a pinch of salt. Heat a skillet over medium high heat with about ½ cup vegetable oil. Remove the onions from the milk and dredge them into the flour mixture. Fry the onions in batches for about 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and allow them to drain on paper towels. Sprinkle the tops with a little more salt. I prefer Kosher salt for this.

Old-Fashioned Green Bean Casserole

This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled or even more. Leftover green bean casserole can be kept covered in an air-tight container, chilled, for 3 days. To reheat, place into a 300-degree F oven for about 20-25 minutes until bubbly and hot. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top before baking, if desired.

3 regular sized cans green beans, drained
1 regular sized can cream of mushroom soup
¾ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups french fried onions, divided

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9-inch round baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix together the cream of mushroom soup with the whole milk, soy sauce, black pepper and 1 cup of the french fried onions. Add in the drained green beans and stir lightly.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake, in preheated oven for 35 minutes.

Remove and carefully sprinkle on the remaining french fried onions.

Place back into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Ask and Answer: I have gotten a few questions about my homemade hot chocolate that was shared in my previous column, in the ask and answer section, where people were wondering about adding their own “mix-in” creations. You can add anything you may like, such as peppermint oil, different flavors of marshmallows or even a dusting of ground cinnamon.