Meals for Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day
Basil-Orange Edamame & Bean Salad
Quick and easy and loaded with fresh flavor, this wholesome dish complements chicken, fish, steak, and pork or can be the basis of a filling plant-based meal. As a bonus, a simple ingredient adjustment will create a new recipe! Even those who claim they don’t care for bean salad have been known to have…
Crab, Avocado & Corn Salad with Cilantro & Lime
Memorial Day weekend officially launches the season of cookouts, picnics, and pool time. A repertoire of simple, make-ahead recipes can ensure more time enjoying the outdoor fun and less time sweating it out in the kitchen. The following crab salad was an early addition to my blog and has developed a loyal fan base. My…
Grilled Balsamic Carrots with Rosemary and Thyme
When they appear on the dinner plate, cooked carrots don’t always elicit oohs and aahs. When carrots are grilled or roasted, however, their flavor is enhanced and they don’t become mushy. They are really quite good! I occasionally roast carrots in the winter and love to use my Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette as a marinade. Grilling is…
Warm Yellow Lentil Salad with Double Mustard Soy Vinaigrette
Quick-cooking yellow lentils provide beautiful color and a lightly nutty flavor in this satisfying, plant-based meal, but brown or green lentils work well too. When it comes to recipes, I try not to overuse the word “favorite.” But the truth is, I have lots of favorites. Whether it is a favorite color, number, season,…
Baby Kale Chopped Salad
Once I put together the salad part of this recipe, I experimented with quite a few new dressings to really make it shine. My extended family served as official taste testers over several Sunday dinners. I offered two bowls, each with different dressings so everyone could offer his or her opinion. They had to keep…
Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar
A popular hostess and holiday gift and a great project for kids to make for friends, Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar are fun to bake, give, and eat. Printable tags included! A delicious cookie-in-a-jar recipe was harder to devise than I expected. Not only did the cookie have to taste great, the mix…
Roasted Tomatoes with Whipped Feta…and some kitchen experimenting
My sister is an artist. At a very young age, she stunned everyone with an amazingly accurate sketch of a horse. Eventually, she became a painting major at Rhode Island School of Design. I always joked that she got all the artistic abilities and I got none! As I grew older, I realized that my…
Easiest Marinated Grilled Veggies
Equal parts of 3 basic ingredients create a flavorful marinade that can be used in so many ways. So easy you can memorize it! These colorful grilled veggies are a regular here. Alongside the classic grilled steak, barbecued chicken, pork or seafood, they are truly the only side you need…and as easy as they are flavorful…
Italian Hoagie Salad
A reader-favorite (and reader-created!) recipe, this satisfying pasta salad was inspired by the classic sandwich and is a tried-and-true crowdpleaser. Easy to make too! It is always a joy to receive recipes from those who read my newspaper column or blog. When readers send me their family favorites, I am always happy to cook them…
Nutella Pops
A cold, creamy treat that’s easy to make, Nutella Pops remind me of the classic chocolate pudding pops that were so popular when I was a girl! Do you remember Pudding Pops? In the 1980s, Bill Cosby was the spokesman for this popular frozen treat. The chocolate version was similar to a creamy fudgesicle,…
Zucchini Pizza Casserole
This family-friendly meal is a deliciously clever way to use an abundance of zucchini. Naturally gluten- and grain-free too! Fresh herbs and zucchini are currently overflowing from our garden. The kale, chard, and spinach will make a comeback as cooler weather returns. So, for the next recipe in my Sargento flavor journey, I…
Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Tomato Feta Salsa
Whether it is too hot to cook or you would simply rather be at the pool, summertime cooking begs to be easy. With a few fresh ingredients, a grill, and a versatile, make-ahead dressing, dinner can truly be as effortless as it is delicious. One of my friends mentioned a few months ago that she…
