Preparing Popular Picnic Foods

When planning a summertime picnic there are a few staples that always make the cut. In my family they include potato salad and hot dogs (if my dad is cooking it’s potato salad and Kielbasa sausage). The crowd-pleasing summertime foods are favorites in many families namely because they are simple to prepare and can feed a ton of people without too much effort. The following recipes might be a tad labor intensive, but the time you put into them will win you raves from your guests. The recipe for Kielbasa and Peppers can do double duty as an appetizer or … Continue reading →

Watermelon Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

This recipe is the result of a search for salads that didn’t require tomatoes. Because we live in the inner city and our grocery store is not necessarily of great quality (nor do we own a car to go somewhere and buy tomatoes locally), we have decided to forego tomatoes on our food right now! However, my kids don’t like cucumbers, and a salad with just lettuce and dressing is a little boring. Consequently, I turned to my greener friend–spinach. There is nothing more appealing than a spinach salad speckled with brightly colored in season fruit. There’s something about the … Continue reading →

Kicked Up Chicken Salads

Forget about the traditional chicken salads your grandma used to make. You know the ones where it was hard to see the chicken chunks through all that mayonnaise. These next recipes add a new twist to the childhood classic. The first recipe combines crunchy apples and pecans with the tartness of cranberries and the sweetness of coconut. (All that, plus the chicken.) The dish couldn’t be easier to make and it never fails to get guests excited about eating salad. I like to serve this recipe in lettuce leaves and eat it like a wrap. It’s also a fun way … Continue reading →

Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad

With the weather warming up and the kids out of school who wants to spend more time in a sweltering kitchen than necessary? Not me. Which is why I tend to supplement my weekly dinner menu with hearty salads during the hot summer months. It gives me a chance to spend less time in the kitchen and more time outside. The following recipe is one of my favorites. It provides a twist on ordinary chicken salad and doesn’t include a drop of mayonnaise. Besides being healthy (or at least healthier than traditional chicken salad) it is also a breeze to … Continue reading →

Tarragon Chicken and Spinach Salads

Summer is still several weeks away. Yeah, try telling that to residents living along the West Coast of the U.S. where record-breaking heat is saturating the region. Highs in the mid-to-upper 90s are predicted for cities from Oregon to Arizona, which means you can bet that most household ovens will remain off today. Rather, today might be the perfect time to try out one (or both) of the following recipes for cool and simple salads. I grew up in Hawaii and my parents prepared hearty salads for dinner on a regular basis. The following recipes do not require turning on … Continue reading →

Two Different Kinds of Salad Recipes

!When I was growing up we had salad every night for dinner. Lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. Now salads with more pizazz are easy to serve at home and are still great because they require little prep time. These are easy to do as well so you can make them at home for dinner or to entertain guests! Boston Salad with Avocado and Lime Dressing You will need: 2 medium heads of Boston lettuce 1 ripe avocado, pitted 1 bunch of scallions, very thinly sliced 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped For the dressing: 2 limes juiced 1/3 cup extra virgin … Continue reading →

Super Summer Salads

It’s not exactly summer in my neck of the woods. Heck, it doesn’t even feel like spring. Today’s forecast calls for a mix of rain and snow with temperatures barely above freezing. (Don’t ask about the windchills.) I don’t know if Mother Nature can read but the calendar says it’s April 28th. Regardless of what it might look like out my window, I realize that in other parts of the world the mercury has already hit 100 degrees. And believe me I am not letting this batch of nasty weather stop me from looking ahead to the summer months. I … Continue reading →

Rounding Out Your Mother’s Day Feast—Tropical Shrimp Salad

This week I have been guest blogging in FOOD in an effort to share some of my family’s favorite Mother’s Day recipes with you. I covered the main dish and everyone’s favorite part of a meal—-dessert, so this blog is dedicated to rounding out your Mother’s Day feast. The other dish my father (the self-appointed Mother’s Day chef) made sure was prominently featured on my mom’s big day was her favorite Tropical Shrimp Salad. It’s a simple side dish that packs quite a Hawaiian punch… and not just because we lived in the 50th State. You don’t have to be … Continue reading →

Pasta Salads with Punch

When I need to whip together a quick party dish or I’m in a hurry to get dinner on the table I often turn to my clutch recipe—-pasta salad. Luckily for my family I have a variety of pasta salad recipes. Of course, that’s the beauty of the dish. Not only is it versatile, but you can also dress it up or down depending on the ingredients you have on hand. The following are pasta salad recipes that I make at least once a month. The first includes fruit, which catches most people off-guard. However, after the first bite most … Continue reading →

Asian Chicken Salad

This blog title could be equally appropriate as “What to do with your leftover roasted chicken. . .” However, that’s too long, and well, making an Asian Chicken Salad is what you can do with your leftover roasted chicken! My husband even likes this salad because it seems to have a little of everything. It’s a little sweet, a little sour, and a little crunchy. What’s best is that it won’t wreck your diet. If you like Asian flavors–you have to try this! You will need: 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional) 1/4 … Continue reading →