Make-Ahead Recipes
Salsa Chicken
Quick and easy to make. Short list of ingredients. Tastes great. This flexible meal is destined to become a family favorite! While perusing the magazines at an airport newsstand several months ago, I spied one with a title indicating that all of the recipes had five ingredients or less and could be prepared in 15…
Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp with Basil
Prep these tasty bites in advance for an appetizer or entree that’s equal parts easy and delicious โ with just three main ingredients! If you ask a group of children what their favorite season is, youโll likely hear a chorus of โSummer!โ amidst a few shrieks of โWinter!โ No school and frequent dips in the pool…
Fresh Peach Cake
My enthusiasm for fall apples knows no bounds and I hold no grudges against pumpkin spice everything. But just because schools are back in session doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye to all the amazing fruits and veggies that are still at their peak. (Speaking of school, when this recipes posts, I will be…
John’s Dilly Beans
This is a simple canning process requiring no fancy equipment. You can even use a stockpot instead of a canner. As I unpacked my older sonโs duffle bag after his first summer at camp 10 years ago, I found a small glass jar carefully nestled among the dirty socks and damp towels. When I…
Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt (or Cottage Cheese) Cups
The convenience of store-bought yogurt cups is undeniable, but there are a few good reasons to keep a stash of this easy, homemade alternative on hand. Ready-made fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cups tend to be more jammy than fruity, and they’re usually a little too sweet for me. Starting with fresh, seasonal fruit adds so much…
Roasted Zucchini and Mushrooms with Feta
This garden-fresh dish is super simple to make and complements most any protein. When tossed with pasta, it becomes a complete meal! At the start of each season, I spend a little too much time pondering how to fill the three months that follow. Sometimes, I have a minor panic that I wonโt have…
Long’s Yellow Tomato Soup
A delightful summer soup with a stunning color and a hint of optional heat. Yellow tomatoes are also a lower acid tomato with lots of natural sweetness. The mere description of this soup inspired me to plant yellow tomatoes in our backyard garden. The first year, I think I got three. The second…
Sandy’s Tomato Pie
Essentially a crustless pie, the unique ingredients in this seasonal favorite create a crusty base that’s loaded with flavor and fabulous texture. (For those who need it, there’s an excellent gluten-free option in the recipe notes.) Soft foods like mashed potatoes, soup, Jell-O, and ice cream are normally on the menu the day someone…
Peach Melba Overnight Oats
Sweet peaches, tangy raspberries, creamy yogurt, and hearty oats come together quickly in this wholesome, prep-ahead breakfast that’s worth waking up for! Sweet, juicy peaches, tangy raspberries, creamy yogurt, and hearty oats. This is the recipe that sold my kids on oats several years ago–and eating them cold no less! Fruity flavors lead the…
Roasted Eggplant Salad with Smoked Almonds & Goat Cheese
This unique salad offers a little something smoky/salty/tangy plus a hint of crunch to balance the creaminess of the roasted eggplant. For a heartier meal option, stir cooked pasta into the eggplant mixture…or add the cold leftovers to a bowl of baby spinach for a filling green salad. My friend Dan’s two favorite foods are eggplant…
Barbecue Sandwiches
The “Sloppy Sauce” that envelopes the ground beef in these classic sandwiches is quick, easy, and contains less sugar than many traditional recipes. The taste, however, is spot on! Breakfast for dinner is always a hit in our house. Come six oโclock, eggs are conveniently quick and satisfying, and an occasional stack of pancakes…
Piรฑa Colada Smoothie Bowl
As a boy, my Dad was required to take a spoonful of cod liver oil every morning before breakfast. It was one of those oft-repeated stories we heard if we voiced displeasure with what was on our plate. I still have this mental picture of my maternal grandmother hovering over my dad as a young…
