Love me some pesto...it's one of my favorite summer flavors. Pesto. It's such a beautiful and delectable sauce. It's so fresh and tantalizing and, let's face it, slightly addictive. It can be made inexpensively with herbs from the garden, but it can be expensive to buy in the store. So when I do buy a container, I like to stretch it out by thinning it with some milk or … [Read more...]
Creamy Lemon Dill Potato Salad
It isn't a summer picnic or backyard barbecue without potato salad, in particular, homemade potato salad. Those are my sentiments, anyways. I would eat it every single day of summer if I had the time and energy to make it from scratch. Since that's not entirely practical, I make sure to serve it at every BBQ, potluck or summer picnic we attend or host. Potato salad is summer … [Read more...]
Pea, Feta and Red Onion Salad
Refreshing, simple, bold, balanced. Those are the four words that best describe this summer side dish. While this could certainly be made with raw red onions, it tastes 18 times better when you caramelize the red onions. They take on that sweet flavor from the sugar and oil during the caramelization process. And that sweetness brings out the sweet in the peas and is the … [Read more...]
Wedge Cobb Salad
New spin on Cobb Salads...serve it wedge style! I love fresh salads during the summer, especially when some, or all of the ingredients are coming out of my garden. (Or down the street from the local farmer's market!) There's just something primitive about eating foods that you grew, or you know who grew them, and where they were grown. There's a comfort to this primitive … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Vegetables Feed the Larger Family
As we head into the summer months, my beloved slow cooker switches into high gear. See, I try and avoid using the oven if at all possible, so the slow cooker gets a lot of use. We all know you can save money and feed many by serving garden vegetables. One way I save is by having veggie night once a week. And sometimes the slow cooker helps me out. All I do is rinse and slice … [Read more...]
Crunchy Parmesan Spaghetti
Spaghetti noodles. With a little crunch. Served warm or cooled. I'm loving these noodles as a side dish this summer. They are the perfect compliment to grilled chicken, steaks and/or shrimp "on the barbie", and grilled pork chops. It's uber simple...instead of tossing with marinara or meat sauce, you toss the cooked noodles with a mixture of bread crumbs and grated … [Read more...]
Cinco Layer Dip Recipe
Seven Layer Dip just got a little skinnier and a little cheaper for Cinco de Mayo! As tradition dictates, parties for Cinco de Mayo happen all over the country to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride. This year at our house, we'll be celebrating with cinco layers and not seven. Overall, it's the traditional Seven Layer Dip, minus the olives and tomatoes. I've removed … [Read more...]
Roasted Red Cabbage with Homemade Ranch Dressing
Not only is it pretty, but I'm pretty sure you are going to fall in love with this Roasted Red Cabbage like we did! Cabbage may be one of those veggies that you see on sale throughout the summer, but you're not sure what to do with it. Besides making cole slaw, of course! I ran across these roasted cabbage wedges from Martha, but decided that they would be … [Read more...]
Batch Cooking: Biscuits
Few things in my stretching-the-budget and filling-tummies career have made as big a difference as biscuits. Do you remember how much the canned variety costs? Oh, I dearly love the convenience. But I don’t like paying for it. Especially when I have to get so many cans to feed the seven of us. And that’s where batch cooking homemade biscuits comes in. But here’s the trick. … [Read more...]
Parmesan Garlic Knots
Today I'm going to tell you about an amazing side that I've discovered. If you like garlic bread with your pasta, you are going love Parmesan Garlic Knots. If you get the generic biscuits in a can from Wal-mart, even if they aren't on sale they are $1.25 for 40 so you'll have plenty! And it will keep practically any pasta dish under $10 for your family! And the good thing is … [Read more...]