Category Archives: Mains & Sides

Bacon! Bacon, Cheddar, Jalapeno Cornbread

One of my favorite meals growing up was a simple bowl of navy beans and cornbread.  Every time I would go to my grandparents’ house to visit, my grandmother would always fix this simple but flavorful meal for me the first night I was there.  I still love this combination, and make it occasionally for […]

Festive Potato Salad

You just can’t beat homemade potato salad with BBQ!    I had several organic potatoes from my Gaia’s Greens CSA box and needed to use them before they started growing in my kitchen, and as the Universe would have it, I also needed a side dish to take to a cookout yesterday.   This potato salad made […]

Brussels Sprout

Wow – do Brussels Sprout have a bad rap.  Never has there been a vegetable so maligned without basis. Foolish person (aka my husband):  “Like, OMG Brussels Sprouts are like, so gross!” Me:  “Have you ever had one before?” Foolish person:  “No.  I don’t need to have one to know how much I hate it!” […]

Lasagna

Everyone has their favorite lasagna recipe.  This is mine.  And while others are probably more authentic to Italy, this is pretty durn authentic to my Sicilian grandmother, my mother, and my New Jersey Italian relatives although I have made some changes over the years. I’ve tried many recipes, and many variations.  I’ve added spinach, I’ve […]

Salsa & Guacamole for the Fiesta

No Mexican Fiesta is complete without Salsa, Guacamole and chips.    I really don’t care much for the salsa that comes in a bottle or jar, and prefer pico de gallo, so I make my own.   It tastes so much fresher and doesn’t contain all those preservatives and other junk they throw into the bottled kinds. […]

Guestwhirl! Zesty Twice Baked Potatoes

A big thanks to reader Melissa (@ladyvella) for submitting this easy, tasty, and money saving idea!  These would be great as a side dish, or if cut smaller, party appetizers. About Melissa: “When I am not organizing cyber-clutter as a database administrator, I am changing diapers and taking care of my adorable daughter at our […]

Dinner in 15 minutes: Broccoli and Cheese Frittata

So, my husband works a second job two nights a week. On these nights, when it’s just me and the little boys, I like to do quick and easy dinners that don’t take my attention away from the children for too long. It would be super simple to open a box of something and dump […]

A light lunch or an exotic appetizer - Simple Ceviche!
Simple Ceviche

Ceviche is a recent passion of mine– Every time I’ve bought either fish or shrimp lately, I’ve bought some extra so I can make up a batch!  It makes a lovely appetizer for dinner guests, or I just like to eat it for lunch… This is my go-to super easy recipe… It’s incredibly flexible to […]

Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie and File Gumbo

Okay, well maybe just the gumbo, but it’s better than nothing, right? To be fair, I make gumbo all the time – it’s a staple in our house during the cooler months.  I love to make a big batch and freeze part of it to have at a later date.  When I was pregnant with […]

Gulf Coast Grouper Dinner
Gulf Coast Grouper w/ Asparagus & Mashed Sweet Potatoes

My man and I spent Valentine’s Day at the beach this year, having narrowly escaped the snow and rain that blanketed the Southeast.  We LOVE seafood and our first stop when we arrived was the local seafood market.  I picked out some grouper filets and my favorite, Smoked Tuna Dip, and we headed to the […]

Roasted Kale

This is a healthy, relatively quick way to cook kale.  The kale ends up crispy and even your picky non-greens eaters may give these a try. Preheat oven to 400F Kale (2-3 bunches – I used 3 in these pictures) Salt/Pepper/Olive Oil/Minced Garlic/(optional) Cumin Wash your Kale, then trim out the center stem. Rip into […]

Not Your Mom’s Tuna Surprise

It seems that everyone has a fond (or not so fond) memory of a tuna “surprise”  from their childhood.  My version is a riff on a recipe I saw while watching Jacques Pepin on PBS.  This is a really fluid recipe- substitute what you have on hand for a quick and easy mid-week meal Here’s […]

30 Minute Vegetable Soup

My mother use to call this “Dump Soup” because she’d just dump whatever she had into it, but that name just didn’t stick because of all of the wisecracks from family and friends.    That said, you can literally dump whatever vegetables you like and have on hand into this soup and you’ve got a wholesome […]