Lunch
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Taking Grilled Cheese Up a Notch
Last week, we took a day trip out of town to go see the Immersive VanGogh art exhibit in Charlotte, NC. The exhibit was very cool, bringing the famous artist’s works to life in a large warehouse at Charlotte’s CAMP North End event venue. The area gets it’s name from it’s past history as the Charlotte Area Munitions Plant. The group of warehouses has served many purposes over the years, most recently being turned into the public space it is today. It embraces it’s history, while providing exciting new spaces for art, work, food and play. We had tickets for the exhibit on a Monday, and it turns out many…
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Simple Summer Supper
While we were freezing corn last week, we pulled some from the batch to eat later that day because it was so delicious. I could totally eat JUST corn for dinner, but thought I should have something else with it for the rest of the family. After helping my mom with the corn in the morning, I was hot, tired and uninspired. I started poking around the pantry and found some fun pasta that I had found awhile back at Trader Joe’s. It was tiny, tricolor spirals, perfect for holding sauce or dressing. I decided on a pasta salad of some sort. Next, I found some Halloumi cheese hiding in…
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Fruit Salad – A Summer Staple
I’m not going to lie to you – it’s been a week. I have managed to make dinner every night, but something has gone amuck each evening and dinner has ended up very late. This is not my favorite scenario, but some weeks are like that. The one bright food spot in the week for me was a visit to our local fruit stand. It was one of those perfect golden moments when the last of the strawberries were in, along with the first watermelons and cantaloupes, and some elusive early season peaches – all the makings for a beautiful fruit salad. So, that’s just what I did. I made…
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Elevated Weeknight Sandwiches
I have a problem. Just like Oprah, I LOVE bread. I love freshly baked loaves of sourdough, French baguettes, nutty 12-grain loaves and even crumpets. I cannot resist sweet breakfast bread loaves like cinnamon swirl or cranberry nut. If I enter a grocery store and that freshly-baked-bread smell hits my nose, I am a goner. I set myself up for a failure of self-control last week. I had to give blood for a routine doctor visit, and it was a fasting blood draw. Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I would swing by Trader Joe’s. Having not had proper breakfast, I fell hard for the bread isle. It…
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Seasonal Fries
Apples aren’t the only seasonal thing in at the farmers market. Root vegetables are also having their moment. Sweet potatoes in particular are in abundance. There are many ways to serve up sweet potatoes – bake them, roast them, stick ‘em in a stew. But sweet potato fries are always a crowd pleaser. We have been having a debate in our house since last year about whether or not to purchase an air fryer. I am generally all for the latest kitchen gadgets that make cooking easier. But it appears that most air fryers are large, countertop appliances and my counter space is already at a premium. Last week, many…
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Speedy Weeknight Pizza
Last weekend, we were enjoying a lovely dinner out with friends. We have reached that sweet spot in parenthood where we can leave our teenagers at home to fend for themselves while we enjoy a date night. As our meal was wrapping up and we were contemplating dessert, I got a text from our oldest saying the oven was not heating as it should. As we were celebrating a birthday with friends, I didn’t think too much of it. In fact, I told myself it was probably nothing and she just did something wacky, as distracted teens do often. Sadly, it was not just operator error. Something was clearly wrong,…
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Lighter Fare
I was first introduced to Chicken Salad Chick during a visit to Summerville, South Carolina. If you love chicken salad, you will love this place. The idea is simple – chicken salad, in various forms, savory, sweet, spicy or mild. It is amazing. My favorite part is that you can get 2 or 3 scoops of different variations on the same platter, so you can try a variety each time. Much to my delight, we have a Chicken Salad Chick coming to our neck of the woods soon! I am so excited for it to open, but must wait patiently. In the meantime, chicken salad really is a great option…
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Quick Bites
Here we are, mid-August and school is about to start. Well, school online, at home, but still, routines must be established again. We have gotten a bit lazy since March. The school day with be starting at 7:25 a.m. and I am not going to lie – this is going to hurt. It may be difficult to get a good breakfast in before the start of the day, but I hope to have some healthy easy lunch options for the girls to grab. I will be wearing the hat, or hair net, of the school lunch lady. My kids have out grown sandwiches, sadly, so I hope to keep some…
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Fresh & Fast Frittatas
Last week, I found myself at 4 p.m. with no plans for dinner and a pop-in dinner guest. The guest was my oldest daughter’s boyfriend and not a complicated person to feed, but still, I had no dinner ideas. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Coincidentally, this same evening, my mother found herself with an abundance of produce, due to an online grocery order mishap. She knocked on my door with a head of broccoli and a package of zucchini. I had been to the farmers market earlier in the week, and had purchased some lovely new potatoes that also needed to be used. Now my brain started to kick in and I…
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Mexican Pizza
Spring is almost here, though it is being a bit of a tease here in North Carolina. For a lot of families, Spring brings busier schedules with sports and other activities, along with the need for quick and easy dinner options. I shared Huevos Rancheros with you a few weeks ago as one of these quick and easy meals. Corn tostadas were the base of this meal and after using only a few, there are still a lot left in the package. Trying to think of something else to make that would use up more tostadas, I decided to make a version of Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza. They are incredibly…
