Recipes
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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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A Fool for Fruit
If you know me at all, you know I am a bit of an Anglophile. I have never actually been to England, but I love British movies, TV shows and books. I am particularly fond of British murder mysteries. My husband worries that I am watching them for planning purposes. I also have a few British food blogs that I follow. One of my favorites is www.vikalinka.com. Vikalinka was started by Julia Frey, who is a London-based recipe developer and photographer. She has amazing recipes, photos and videos that are often tempting to me. Last summer, she posted a recipe for Blackberry Fool and I saved it to try. Julia…
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You Had Me at Tacos
My grandmother on my dad’s side was old school. She was a meat and potatoes kind of lady of Scotch-Irish descent. All other food was of no interest to her. Other cuisines didn’t come up much in conversation, but I do remember she considered tacos a snack, not a meal. I am not sure why that amuses me, but it does. A couple generations later, my family loves tacos. They are fast, easy and can be extremely versatile. You can have them for any meal, even breakfast. They do make a mean snack, too. We like classic ground beef tacos, chicken, and even fish. This week, I thought I would…
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A Tasty Flop
On our way to St. Augustine, FL, last week, we stopped in Ridgeland, South Carolina, for a bit of lunch. Since it was the start of our adventure, we didn’t want the usual fast food to start out the trip. I Googled what was close to us and found PJ’s Coffee of New Orlean’s. They offered some delicious sandwiches as well as coffee. While at PJ’s, I found my new coffee love – Granita. This is an amazing treat of frozen coffee, blended to a smooth, icy texture. Of course, they have a machine for their granitas to keep them at the perfect temperature and consistency. But I was so…
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Cooking with Coca Cola
We just had our first out-of-town guest since the pandemic began. That’s kind of a crazy thought. But my mother-in-law took a short break from her hectic life to hang out with us for a couple of days. We did venture to our downtown science museum, but mostly we just do our normal things, which included bringing Grandma along to swim practice. We did grill hamburgers once while she was here, but it has been hot and humid, with evening storms always a threat. I had purchased some chicken breasts to grill, but decided to cook them in the slow cooker instead of trying to work around rain. I did…
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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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Speedy Meals for Summer Nights
I am not sure why it is harder to wrap my brain around slow cooker meals that suit summer, but it is. My brain tends towards stews and chilis in the slow cooker, which is really not usual summer dinner fare. But honestly, summer is the perfect time to pull out the slow cooker. You can prep meals in advance and keep your kitchen cool by not turning on the oven or stove top. You can spend a bit of the morning getting dinner prepped and in the pot then you can lounge by the pool all day. Or more realistically run Mom’s taxi service for the kids. My summer…
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The Tuscan Chicken Bandwagon
If you follow any food blogs or just like gorgeous food photos on Instagram, you hay have noticed Creamy Tuscan Chicken swept through the universe a while back. I was intrigued, but honestly not enough to try it. For one thing, it really isn’t very pretty. Well, here we are with Summer Swim in full swing for our youngest daughter, meaning we are at the pool 4 days a week from 4:30-5:30, which is prime dinner-making time. So I hit the Internet to look for healthy meals that can be prepped ahead, like casseroles or slow cooker meals. A slow cooker version of Tuscan Chicken popped up, so I decided…
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Perky, Peppy, Pickled Vegetables
We have been lucky enough to have some food adventures lately. One such fun adventure was to celebrate birthdays for my husband and one of our best friends at Carolina Grill and Tiki Bar in Carolina Beach. It was the perfect evening to sit on the dock sipping amazing drinks and eating salty food. One of the dishes we ordered was Pimento cheese with pita chips. That was amazing in and of itself, but it was served along with pickled vegetables that were out of this world. I could have happily eaten a plateful of those alone. This got me to thinking that I should make some pickled veggies at…
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“Salad” for Dessert
We are into our 4th or 5th gallon of strawberries from our local farmers. I am actually having to swoop in to grab enough for any recipe before they are gone. It’s kinda nuts up in here. But every year, around this time, I see people popping up on social media requesting recipes for Strawberry Pretzel Salad. I was intrigued and decided to investigate. Said salad is not a salad at all. It is a delicious creamy dessert. The question arises, why in the world is this called a salad? I think it goes back to the days of church potlucks, where jellied “salads” brought together gelatin and fruits, sometimes…
