This tomato and feta salad is so simple to make and so pretty to look at that it's become that special potluck dish we take to every party and family event. People rave over it and everyone wants the recipe, I can even get most of the kids to eat it - I still have one that resists anything with green in it, and one that just doesn't do cheese. It only takes a few minutes … [Read more...]
Arborio & Mushroom Fall Side Dish
Y'all. I went through my about 8 different titles before settling on the "side dish" addition. It started as salad...but that was before I tasted it warm. Then I decided that salad was the wrong and perhaps pilaf would be better. But then I tasted it after it had chilled. And I was back to salad. Then I thought this would make the perfect lunch for a chilly fall day. But it's … [Read more...]
Grilled Bacon Ranch Potatoes
We absolutely love to grill out, really any time of the year, but we do seem to cook on the grill much more often in the summer months and these potatoes are one of our favorite dishes to make. I'd been planning to make them all week long but the weather hasn't cooperated since we've been getting buckets of rain so I made them in the oven tonight instead and they were just as … [Read more...]
Sauteed Okra Recipe
Learn how to make a simple sauteed okra recipe to accompany your favorite summer meals. Summer comes and it's always time for fried okra. But it's also always good to have a lighter version of a garden favorite. That's when it's time to slice up and saute your okra. Four cups of sliced okra makes a wonderful side for my family of seven. Yum! Sauteed Okra … [Read more...]
Asian Spinach Salad with Soy-Sesame Vinaigrette
While I do my best to eat salads for lunch during the winter months, I find myself gravitating towards soups and breads when it's chilly outside. But come spring and summer, I'm enjoying a delicious salad for lunch most days of the week. And I especially love picking lettuce and spinach leaves from my garden. I enjoy making my own vinaigrette for my salads as well, and … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
I love baked beans. They are an essential part of our summer barbecues and picnics. But who wants to turn on their oven for several hours on a hot summer day? Not me! So I cheat and make my baked beans in a slow cooker. This slow cooker baked beans recipe is really easy to make. It is made of common pantry staples, but if you do not have molasses on hand, replace it with … [Read more...]
Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad
Hello lovely. Yes, this is a lovely, lovely salad. It's lovely because it combines a few of my favorite flavors (strawberry, spinach and almonds). It's lovely because it tasted light, but the quinoa made the me feel full. And it's even lovelier because it is made of "ingredients I had on hand." Otherwise known as "popular ingredients that most people have"...because I don't … [Read more...]
Baja-Cali Black Bean Salad
So this was my lunch yesterday and today. And I'm thinking about whipping up another bowlful this weekend to serve with some yummy grilled chicken (if it warms back up enough to be pleasant for eating outdoors! Brr!). And whipping up is probably not the best verb here...because there is no whipping involved. Just stirring really. So maybe I'll stir up another bowlful this … [Read more...]
Beef and Blue Cheese Bites
I love a nice tender steak topped with crumbled blue cheese. That got me thinking about how to make a recipe to get close to that flavor yet enjoyable for the kids and used what I had on hand. By the time I got it in the oven, I was really craving that meaty blue cheese flavor and crossing my fingers it was going to turn out like I wanted. I'm very happy to report that this is … [Read more...]
Grilled Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Mashed potatoes with grilled potatoes. Delish! I'd like to introduce you all to the Klondike Rose potato. I'm sure you are familiar with Russet potatoes, baby red potatoes...what they look like, how to cook with them. But don't pass these guys up in the produce department. I love that you don't have to peel them because their skin is really thin (and also gives … [Read more...]