Summer Recipes
California Potato Salad
Buttery avocado, juicy tomatoes, and a bit of crisp bacon will shake up your potato salad routine for a light yet filling spin on the classic dish. This absolutely delicious reader recipe was sent to me by Leola, Pennsylvania native Nancy Irvin James, who mentioned that the recipe got its name because she developed it…
Classic Strawberry Jam
The quintessential flavor of homemade strawberry jam is easy to achieve thanks to these simple instructions! This is the recipe my grandmother always used for her strawberry jam. It’s traditional strawberry jam at its best. The taste and color when freshly made can’t be beat. Opening a jar in the cold winter months provides the…
Strawberry Pesto Pasta Salad
This recipe came from Genevieve, an English teacher at Lancaster Country Day School. Another teacher told Genevieve she simply must share this recipe for the Summer Salad Challenge conducted by The Lancaster Sunday News and me. The recipe came from Genevieve’s sister and, conceptually, it caught my attention right away. Beyond offering a novel, seasonal…
Hoisin Beef Skewers (or Whole Flank Steak)
Prep-ahead convenience, versatility, and appealing flavor make this recipe a go-to for easy weeknight grilling and weekend entertaining. Iโm the type of person who thinks about dinner as I am eating breakfast. So, it may not be surprising that I ponder what to cook for my newspaper column up to a month in advance!…
Baked Greens with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese
As my garden grows and local market stands overflow with spring greens, I have been diving deeper into one of my two assigned food trends: bitter greens. For those who may not have read previously, I am on a yearlong journey with Sargento Cheese, developing recipes and exploring the food trends that were developed by…
Rhubarb Bars
The sweet-tart flavor and slightly gooey filling, which is balanced by a crisp crust, make these bars a must when rhubarb is in season! Happy Mother’s Day! Not only is the following dessert a favorite of my mother, the timing is ideal, as rhubarbโs short season is upon us. If you havenโt baked with rhubarb before,…
Spice-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Everything Sauce
This recipe will make excellent use out of the spices that are likely in your cabinet๏ผand as the name of the optional sauce implies, itโs quite versatile! ย When the first burst of warm weather arrives each spring, I get so excited to cook outside. There is something so relaxing and enjoyable about a meal…
Spring Flowers and a Summer Salad Recipe Challenge
Do you have any special spring traditions? Each year as the weather starts to warm, we pay a visit to a particular field on my in-laws’ farm to pick from a massive expanse of bluebells. Even as my sons grow older, they love to do this. As we pick, we separate out big bunches for…
Fiery Grilled Shrimp
Asian and Cajun flavors come together and create new levels of flavor in this prep-ahead recipe that’s delicious as an appetizer or entree. You know how when you eat something at a friendโs house that is so delicious you hope to leave with the recipe? This is one of those recipes. When I first…
Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasting the tomatoes, onion, and garlic heightens their flavors, and what could be easier than scraping the contents of the baking sheet into a food processor and blending with a few additional ingredients? In my family, there are some who prefer cold tomato soups and some who prefer hot. The great thing about this delicious…
Sunshine Smoothie
Every Tuesday, Project Healthy Ever After hosts a smoothie party and invites people to share their favorite blended combinations. Today, I used one of my kids’ favorite smoothies, a Mango-Peach Smoothie, and added a bit of pureed watermelon to the top, just for fun. The colors were beautiful and reminded us all of a sunny day–on…
Balsamic Pesto Tomato Sauce
The taste of marinara sauce made with fresh tomatoes is divine. Finding the time to peel and seed the required tomatoes can be enough to make you buy a jar! I decided to try a new approach which eliminated these tedious steps. The first time I made this, I turned around and bought more tomatoes…
