Category: Sides, Salads and Soups

apple hazelnut salad

Apple, Hazelnut, and Blue Cheese Salad

Jump to Apple, Hazelnut, and Blue Cheese Salad Recipe

This apple, hazelnut, and blue cheese salad could also be pear, pecan, and goat cheese salad or blueberry, almond, and feta salad, whatever combination suits you, the method is the same. What makes me want to bring it to you today is to let you in on my secret weapon for a simple but always impressive way to dress it. Continue reading “Apple, Hazelnut, and Blue Cheese Salad” →

auntie1 Comment
roasted baby potaoes

Roasted Baby Potatoes

Jump to Roasted Baby Potatoes Recipe

We’ve been eating a lot of roasted baby potatoes in our house since I discovered the reasonably sized bag at Costco. I think it’s 5 pounds, very manageable and likely to be eaten before growing the dreaded sprouts. They couldn’t be easier to fix and they have the perfect ratio of seasoned crispy skin to creamy inside that’s a bit sweeter than the average potato. Continue reading “Roasted Baby Potatoes” →

auntieLeave a comment
green curry chicken soup

Green Curry Chicken Soup

Wow, what a weekend! December is in full swing for our family. Saturday morning, the girls were in the Christmas parade downtown. Some very dedicated parents (not me, I totally slacked on this one) and teachers built an award-winning float for their school that the fourth and fifth graders got to ride on and belt out Christmas carols to parade watchers. They had a blast and they won the 1st Place Jingle Bell Music Award! Continue reading “Green Curry Chicken Soup” →

auntieLeave a comment

Marinated Vegetable Salad

I don’t know about you but sometimes (okay, pretty much every time) I get a bit carried away at Costco and stray from my normal produce purchases. I know better. I’m usually safe with most fruit and a few items likes peppers, celery, onions and cucumbers but anything beyond that is destined to be half eaten then go bad and be thrown out despite my best intentions. Then I feel really bad about myself. Such was about to be the case with a just over 2 pound bag of asparagus that had reeled me in, so I had to come up with a plan to save at least a good portion of it. I’m quite pleased with the result.

Continue reading “Marinated Vegetable Salad” →

auntieLeave a comment
sautéed kale

Garlicky Sautéed Kale

 My daughter, Ella, recently declared that kale is her favorite vegetable because of this preparation so I feel extra compelled to share it. She’s highly suspicious of anything new and especially of anything green so getting her to try it was no small feat but once she did, kale was in. She now requests it. It’s super weird. I suppose it’s just another example of how a little garlic, butter, and cheese can make anything taste great. If you fear all the fat, by all means, use a little less oil and butter but if you’re trying to win over a nine-year-old (or a reluctant 49-year-old) I suggest using the full amount.

Continue reading “Garlicky Sautéed Kale” →

auntie1 Comment
chipotle beef chili

Chipotle Beef and Red Bean Chili

So, I was going to put this chili in a bowl, top it with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onion, you know, make it pretty, then take my cover photo but I totally forgot and by the time I remembered even the leftovers were gone. This happens more often than I’d like to admit and usually, I just won’t post the recipe until I have a chance to make it again. Sometimes you have to just move forward though and put the perfectionist tendencies aside if you want to get anything done. I’m working on that, thus the subpar cover photo.

auntieLeave a comment
spinach mushroom soup

Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Soup

Jump to Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Soup

 Happy New Year! I hope 2016 is off to a good start. Mine started with the worst head cold I can remember. Followed by a sick child who didn’t end her winter break until Friday. Topped off with a husband who was sicker and whinier than all of us because, as he told my daughter, he’s a guy. What he is is a piece of work! That’s all behind me now though and I am blissfully typing away while all the whiny people I love are up at the ski mountain. Just me and my barky dog until this afternoon.
Continue reading “Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Soup” →

auntie2 Comments
fennel apple salad

Spicy Apple, Fennel and Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

I’m kind of in love with this salad. This is a very good thing, for me to be in love with a salad right now, because we are in the thick of the holiday season and I need something to counterbalance all the festive food I’m definitely, hopelessly in love with. The ingredients couldn’t be more perfect. The fennel and ginger aid in digestion, the Serrano chili pepper helps boost metabolism and the apple cider vinegar is said to do both. And of course, kale is kale. The green apple, chili pepper, and dried cranberries contribute to a really nice tart, spicy, sweet balance of flavors.

Continue reading “Spicy Apple, Fennel and Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette” →

auntieLeave a comment