Easter is coming! Here’s a round-up of some of my favorite springtime breakfasts, sides and desserts, perfect for your family get-together this week! Just click on the recipe title to be taken to the full recipe! Enjoy and Happy Easter!
The only people I know who consider carrots a snack food are practically vegetarians. Sure, they are crunchy and pair perfectly with hummus. But really? I’d much rather be noshing on pretzels or chips. Carrots are not my first thought when deciding on a snack. You also probably never thought of them as pub (sorry, there’s my English roots showing) food. But I’m telling you, carrots made with a perfectly seasoned beer batter are both deserving of munching and would totally fit in on your favorite bar counter while you down a few brewskies.
I’ve made cornbread lots of times. And, have a great recipe for big giant fluffy biscuits. But when I made a white chicken chili a couple of weeks ago I just didn’t feel like either of those breads were going to be just right to serve up alongside the chili. I went searching for some combination of the two and found this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. I just love those guys. I don’t know what it is about the super detailed scientific reasoning behind food but it totally works for me. These babies are a perfect blend of cornbread and biscuits.
Bread. Glorious bread. I blame my mother and my English heritage for my adoration of bread. Soft, doughy perfection. And butter. I think I love butter even more. Creamy delicious butter. Mmmmm. This Basil Butter Garlic Bread is out of this world amazing. It cranks up the awesome from your standard garlic bread with the addition of basil and parsley. Then it’s topped off with melted cheese. Oh baby.
It’s zucchini season! Many of you, with greener thumbs than I, are reaping bountiful harvests of beautiful green squash. I’m so jealous! I kill just about every plant I touch, so a garden of homegrown deliciousness has never worked out for me. Also, it seems like a lot of work. Kudos to you vegetable garden type folks!
As a lifetime Seattle Seahawks fan, I was sad to see the starting career of Matt Hasselback come to a close last week as Jake Locker was named the quarterback for the Titans. I’m really happy for Jake, cause he hails from the University of Washington. Keeps it all in the state at least. I’ll always have a soft spot for number 8 since he took my Hawks to the Superbowl. He’s a stand up guy with a great attitude and I wish him all the best.See this article for more info on Matt and what a tremendous person he is.
In the summer, there are lots of opportunities to bring salads and slaws to BBQs. I recently brought a sweet & sour apple slaw (light & delicious) and of course there’s always my standby Chinese chicken salad (perfection!) if I’m not sure what to bring. Last weekend I wanted to make something close to a traditional cole slaw, but with a little twist. I dunno why, it has been forever since I had just a cole slaw. I needed that kind of dressing. This is what I came up with. Crunchy apples with moist tender chicken and a killer slaw sauce with a kick from lemon juice and cider vinegar.
I got this recipe out of a BHG magazine and I absolutely love it. Kick up your standard boring coleslaw with the addition of sweet apples, tender chicken and a great dressing. It all comes together in a flash, perfect for the 4th of July and summer BBQ’s!
This is also an incredibly light meal with less than 300 calories in about two cups of salad! Enjoy!
Sweet and Sour Chicken Slaw
12 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded or chopped
4 cups packaged shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix)
1 cup fresh pea pods, trimmed and halved
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup raspberry or strawberry spreadable fruit (the all fruit jam)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 red apple, cored and chopped
1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cabbage, pea pods, apple and onions; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together spreadable fruit, oil and cider vinegar.
3. Add dressing to cabbage mixture and toss to combine.
4. Salt and pepper to taste if desired.
I look forward to these potatoes every time my mom has a brunch. They are amazingly rich. They equally amazingly bad for you. But I don’t care. I love them. Now you can too. I actually was so excited to dig into these when I made them recently that I forgot to take a photo. So, I took one after half the dish was gone. Oh well.
There’s a hard way and an easy way to make these potatoes. I make them the hard way for special occasions like Easter dinner. I make them the easy way for pretty much everything else. [Read more…]
