Many home cooks struggle to decide which side dishes to serve with their favorite main courses. It can be quite handy to keep a list of tasty, quick-to-prepare side dishes to help plan dinner menus. Listed below are a few standards and old favorites.

Twice Baked Potatoes

This impressive side dish can be made in large batches. Freeze the extra potatoes you've prepared to have a fabulous side dish that's sure to please and easy to reheat on those busy week nights. If you'd like a step-by-step tutorial for these potatoes, check out:

Southernplate.com for a wonderful variation of this recipe.

Ingredients: (these can be tailored to your individual tastes)

7 medium sized potatoes, washed and scrubbed

1/2 C Sour Cream

3 T butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 T chopped parsley or dried parsley flakes

1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Wash and scrub your potatoes. It's important to get the outside skins nice and clean. Use a fork to poke a few wholes in each potato. Wrap the potatoes in foil and bake them for about an hour in a 400 degree oven. To check if the potatoes are fully cooked, gently squeeze the potatoes to see if they feel soft. Once your potatoes are cooked, remove the foil and slice each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving just enough around the inside of the skin to help keep the shape.

In a large bowl, mash together the pulp, sour cream, butter and cheese. Mix in the salt, pepper, garlic powder and the parsley. Refill your potato skins with this mixture and top with a little added shredded cheese. Heat in a 350 degree oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

If you are freezing some of these stuffed potatoes, skip the extra cheese and place your potatoes in the freezer. When you are ready to reheat, cook the frozen potatoes in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with shredded cheese and return to the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

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Corn

Corn is a healthy, filling vegetable side dish that is easy to prepare. Consider adding a little diced red bell pepper for color and surprise your family and dinner guests with a tasty spin on an old favorite.

Ingredients:

Corn - 2 cans or 2 and 1/2 C frozen corn

2 T butter

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and lightly sautee the diced red bell pepper. Add the corn and cook on medium low heat for ten to fifteen minutes.

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Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese

Nothing says, "I love you!" quite

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