Dinnertime seems to be on a constant racetrack. What’s for dinner? When? How long before dinner—or do we need to rush out after dinner? No time to sit and savor and no time to really talk to your family.
It is time to slow down and serve an appetizer and one of my favorites is this Whipped Honey Goat Cheese Spread. [Read more…]
I grew up falling in love with my mom’s cucumbers and vinegar. It was a tangy addition to many a summertime meal at my childhood home. After I married my husband, I discovered his family’s version of cucumbers and they were delicious too. He grew up with more of a sugar syrup-vinegar version while I grew up with onions and vinegar but no sugar. Either method is a winner in my book. After noshing on these crisp slices all summer long, it was time for a change.
I adapted a recipe that I had developed for the Kansas City Star’s Eating for Life column. I left out the red pepper flakes, added srircha sauce and increased the amount of pasta like pearls in order to please our teenager….voila! Perfect for summer lunches or to accompany burgers from the grill. This version may not be as healthy as the original recipe, but it works and my family will devour it without complaints and still reap the benefits of eating fresh vegetables. This works for me! [Read more…]
About this time in the summer, I grow weary of grilled chicken and plain ole burgers. Don’t get me wrong, I love grilling out, but sometimes you need to change it up a bit.
There are also those weekends that are so packed with fun or work you need a quick meal. Like this weekend, put this recipe in your slow cooker and come out and enjoy the US Bank Great Midwest Balloon Fest at the Kansas Speedway. After your fun day, you can go home and have a great tasting, almost-ready-to serve dinner! (Now, keep reading this blog–and you will discover when we will be at the Balloon Fest–and if you show us a picture of your slow cooker meal, you will get $5.00 off of our Triple Slow Cooker Entertaining Cookbook. [Read more…]
Please tell me it happens to you too! Do you ever get in a salad rut? Where the same ole same ole just won’t fit the bill anymore. Sometimes, the antidote to this problem can be as simple as presentation. Shake it up a bit and go ahead and add more ingredients than you normally would. Take a few extra minutes and fry some bacon. Then present the salad in an artistic manner, set the dinner table and stand back. The ohs and awhs from your family will delight and dinner will be exciting once again. [Read more…]
I am a Farmer’s Market addict. I have to go each Saturday. I need to see what has ripened since my last visit. The colors, smells and ultimately the tastes of the market captivate me. I just bought tomatoes, blackberries, corn, zucchini, peppers, peaches and cucumbers. I love it all, but I was especially thrilled with the big baskets of small cucumbers that are perfect for pickles. I now officially declare it “Pickle Season.”
I don’t mean those pickles that take effort, brining, and weeks of fermentation. Nope. I mean quick, easy, and ready – tomorrow pickles. [Read more…]
