I heart salads. And I'm really crushing hard on the crunchiness of this Chicken Nacho Salad. It's all that I love in a good plate of nachos...but mixed together as a salad. Sliced tomatoes, sliced avo, little shredded mozz tossed with some shredded chicken, romaine and crushed tortilla chips. Drizzle a vinaigrette over the top and you've got yourself a great and filling … [Read more...]
Perfectly Seasoned Ground Beef Recipe
My Go-To "Formula" for Perfectly Seasoned Ground Beef Keep reading to find out how much minced dried onion and garlic powder to use when browning and cooking ground beef. I use this ratio in 99.5% of ground beef recipes... Earlier this week, I shared my "ratio recipe" for barely seasoned rice. And I thought I'd follow up with another of my most used "formulas" … [Read more...]
Barely Seasoned Rice
Rice - it's one of our favorite side dishes. Because it's easy. It's cheap. It's filling (hello, 4 growing boys!!!). And it's super 'customizable.' As a kid, we grew up eating simple rice as a side dish. I think it was minute rice, cooked in water. I liked to add butter and garlic salt to mine. Just a smidge. My brother would drown his in salad dressing/vinaigrette - … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Root Vegetables
Healthy, seasonal, 'fix and forget' kind of side dish...or main dish?!? These root vegetables are so delicious and so filling...so much so that I might consider eating them as a meal by themselves. Or maybe with a side salad?! Either way you partake in them, they are delicious. Before we get to the recipe, I've got some tips for you: Place the sweet potatoes on … [Read more...]
Pretzel-Crusted Ranch Chicken Tenders
Where's the Ranch??? You might be wondering why there is ketchup pictured, and not Ranch dressing??? Look a little more closely, and you'll see the Ranch... It's mixed in with the crushed pretzels. You could totes serve these with Ranch...but Ranch plus Ranch...might be too much Ranch. Or maybe there's not such a thing as too much Ranch??? GONE. These were GONE, in … [Read more...]
Glazed Sweet Potato Rounds
Holiday Feast Side Dish Alert... I love sweet potato casserole...I really do. Especially when there is a crunchy, nutty topping or layer in the dish. But what I don't always love is the prep-work. If you're hosting the holiday feast, it's a flurry of madness getting everything ready and sometimes you just want simple and easy. THIS. Is simple and easy. Slice the … [Read more...]
Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
I love Brussels sprouts. But for some reason, we don't eat them regularly. They aren't part of our regular veggies with dinner rotation. (They should be!) I seem to always want them around the holidays. I also seem to always want them with bacon. Because bacon makes everything better, especially Brussels sprouts! With this recipe, we are going to cook the bacon, drain off … [Read more...]
Honey-Glazed Parsnips
Parsnips, what are those Erin? They're like carrots. Similar consistency, similar flavor and they cook up just the same. They're just a different color. If you've never tried them, this is a great recipe to start with...because I'm tossed them together with some carrots in a similar and delicious roasted and glazed recipe. It goes like this: roast the carrots and … [Read more...]
Chocolate Covered Potato Chips
And........... we have a new favorite after school snack. The first time I made this, the boys were super confused as to why I had 2 pots (the double boiler) sitting together on the stove. I've used them many times before, but they never noticed until now. We had a quick little science lesson about the double boiler, how it worked and why the chocolate needed to be melted … [Read more...]
Cuban Black Beans
I adore Caribbean food. I'm not sure if it's because I lived in the Caribbean (specifically the Dominican Republic) for 6 years. Or because I love Latin food in general. Or because I love Tex-Mex food. Or because I just love food. It's probably all of the above...but mainly the Caribbean living part. I also love rich and flavorful rice and beans meals like this one … [Read more...]