Tag Archives: side dish

Red Skin Potato Packets with Garlic Butter

It is just too hot to cook! Add this recipe to your summer menu for a great grilled side dish that offers full flavor with minimum preparation or clean up! Do you remember those red skin potatoes that we got in our last CSA box? Well, originally I had planned on turning some of them into potato salad and some into oven roasted potatoes. With the heat, though, I opted instead to do these little red skin potato packets. Okay, laziness had something to do with it, too! My husband was grilling chicken anyway… This recipe generously feeds six with … Continue reading →

Cooking with Kids—The Letter S

You don’t have to write for a living to know that inspiration can come from random events. Such is the case with this next blog. Yesterday I was cleaning out one of the drawers in the kitchen when I ran across the following recipes. Each features my mother’s perfect penmanship and all three ratty looking recipe cards quickly caught the eye of my preschooler who can spot grandma’s handwriting a mile away. She picked them up and stared at them for a while then very matter-of-factly asked if we were having an “S dinner.” When I asked her what she … Continue reading →

Mother’s Day Potluck: Chinese Shrimp and Noodle Salad

This is year my beloved grandmother will be spending Mother’s Day in a nursing home. It will be her first Mother’s Day since her horrific stroke and I wish more than anything we could be with her to celebrate. If I were there I wouldn’t hesitate to whip her up some of her favorite dishes. (Unfortunately, we are 5,000 miles away and we’ll have to settle with sending her some photo gifts in the mail.) However, my parents and brothers (along with my sister-in-law) have assured me that they will be hosting a little potluck in honor of my grandma … Continue reading →

Rounding Out Your Mother’s Day Feast—Tropical Shrimp Salad

This week I have been guest blogging in FOOD in an effort to share some of my family’s favorite Mother’s Day recipes with you. I covered the main dish and everyone’s favorite part of a meal—-dessert, so this blog is dedicated to rounding out your Mother’s Day feast. The other dish my father (the self-appointed Mother’s Day chef) made sure was prominently featured on my mom’s big day was her favorite Tropical Shrimp Salad. It’s a simple side dish that packs quite a Hawaiian punch… and not just because we lived in the 50th State. You don’t have to be … Continue reading →

Super Simple Salads

Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year? In our family even if my mom is the one preparing the main meal we all chip in by bringing a dish to pass. For some reason I’m always told to bring the salad. (Likely because one year I brought burnt pie to Thanksgiving.) I’ve since redeemed myself with the following salads. Both are super simple to make and have proven to be major crowd-pleasers—–even those who say they hate salad end up having seconds and thirds. And what’s nice about these recipes is that you can prepare them the night before, leaving … Continue reading →

Creamy Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

Think that great macaroni and cheese has to be made in the oven? No way! You can make a great creamy macaroni and cheese in your crockpot. What I love about this recipe, besides the fact that it can go into a crockpot, is that it uses less processed ingredients. There is no Velvetta-type cheese in this dish. Of course American Cheese, which is used in this recipe, is itself processed, but at least it does contain milk and isn’t quite as processed as that ready-melt type of cheese product. I like to get my American cheese from the deli, … Continue reading →

Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

Why put your mashed potatoes to cook in the crockpot? Because the additional ingredients will meld with your potatoes, giving you amazing flavor. I tend to serve this dish at family gatherings because I can leave the crockpot and guest can help themselves to warm, amazing mashed potatoes. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than cold mashed potatoes, except maybe cold gravy. And the crockpot tend to get food throughly hot, so even with the crocpot turned off, the mashed potatoes will stay steaming for a long time. Although this recipe makes a lot of potatoes, I find that … Continue reading →

Quick and Easy Party Dishes

My daughter’s playgroup meets this week for our Halloween bash (eight moms and 12 kids under the age of four—so it’s not a huge gathering). Since we are celebrating a holiday we decided to forgo our usual small-snack-only rule, instead each mom is required to bring one main or side dish. Since I am not hosting the party (whew) it means I need to find a versatile dish that will travel well. The following are some of my tried and true party/potluck dishes. I will be making and taking one of them along on Tuesday (I haven’t decided which one … Continue reading →

Grilled Artichokes

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My kids and I love artichokes (the hubby is not a fan so we hog out on them when he is out of town), and by far they are best when they are grilled. Here’s how I like to prepare them, grilled on a barbecue. If you don’t want to break out the grill, you can get the same effect with a good frying pan, although you won’t get that smoky barbecue flavor. A cast-iron skillet is best, but I’ve also used my pancake griddle. Cut the stem off the artichoke, then cut artichoke in half. Cut out the furry … Continue reading →

All Choked Up Dip

With flavor packed marinated artichokes, cream cheese and crispy pita wedges… who wouldn’t love this dip? INGREDIENTS: 8 oz cream cheese 12 oz shredded mozzarella 1 c mayonnaise 1 c grated parmesan 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 jars marinated artichoke hearts 1 package pita bread DIRECTIONS: 1. Drain artichokes well and tear them apart with your fingers. 2. Cut up pita bread into chip size triangles, seperate and bake on a cookie sheet until crispy (approx 5 minutes). 3. Combine all other ingredients and mash. Bake in a uncovered casserole dish for approx 30 … Continue reading →