Tag Archives: Salad

Nontraditional Easter Dishes

Traditionally, Easter is celebrated with ham or lamb and hot cross buns. Of course, these days, people tend to put their own spin on Easter buffets and now you can find everything from Chinese noodle dishes to Cuban pork on the holiday menu. My neighbor never prepares ham or lamb on Easter; rather the family sits down to a hearty beef stew after hunting for eggs. (She puts the stew on before the hunt, it cooks while they are hunting, and lunch is served shortly thereafter.) It helps that we live in the Upper Midwest where spring temps don’t usually … Continue reading →

Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day Leftovers

St. Patrick’s Day is over, though you might have a hard time telling by looking in my refrigerator: No beer and lots of corned beef and cabbage leftovers. Blame it on the leprechauns or the fact that I overdid it on the corned beef. Regardless, I have my work cut out for me to try to breathe new life into all this leftover brine-cured beef. Fortunately, I have a few recipes that are perfect for leftover corned beef and cabbage. If you gorged on the traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare last night, and still have a hankering for the pickled … Continue reading →

A Garbage Disposal Salad?

Some headlines you just have to click. I was browsing some health headlines this morning and saw an interview with Kristen Bell — star of the new movie When in Rome. The headline I couldn’t resist clicking was this: “Kristen Bell’s diet secret? Garbage disposal salads.” You can read the full interview at Health.com if you’re curious… I certainly was! Turns out a “garbage disposal salad” is one where you put everything you can find into a salad. Fruits, veggies, nuts, cheeses, what have you. Bell commented that with so many flavors, you didn’t need the salad dressing. That’s a … Continue reading →

Healthy Recipes for 2009

Many of us started the New Year resolving to get into shape by eating healthier and exercising. How’s that going for you? With the recent stretch of bitterly cold winter weather, I felt more like digging into a warm bowl of macaroni and cheese than a plate of cold celery and carrots. But, now that the Artic blast is moving out it’s time to get back on track. The following healthy recipes are some of my favorites. They do not compromise on flavor. Rather, they are loaded with low calorie ingredients and won’t leave you hungry an hour after you … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Recipes: Unique Salads

In our family the person who has the least amount of cooking experience makes the salad on Thanksgiving. Well, that was our tradition until my brother married a woman, who practically lives on greens. My sister-in-law, who is by no means a slouch when it comes to cooking, is now in charge of providing salads to our family feasts… and I for one couldn’t be happier. Toss out your perception of what a salad should consist of and try these hearty and healthy alternatives this Thanksgiving: BERRYLICIOUS MIXED GREEN SALAD Ingredients: 2 cups mixed field greens 3 cups romaine Red … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: W is for Wild Rice

Welcome to October! Let the holiday countdown begin, right? I say that with a twinge of sarcasm because to be quite honest I am still lamenting the fact that our local pool closed a few weeks back. As for preparing for the holidays, well, that’s so way off my radar it’s not even funny. However, I realize that there are some of you who are in full-on holiday mode—-be it Halloween, Thanksgiving or (gasp!) Christmas (I know a gal who completed her Christmas shopping last weekend… we are no longer friends… just kidding) so I thought it would be helpful … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: A is for Apple

There is a frost advisory posted for my neck of the woods tonight. Like it or not (NOT!) fall is on its way. Actually, I love autumn; it’s the season that follows so quickly on its heels that I dread the most. Still, I plan to embrace the fleeting season as much as possible by sharing some of my favorite autumnal recipes. And what better way to kick start this series than to begin with the letter A and the ultimate fall fruit—-apples. The versatile ingredient can be added to every meal and practically every course as illustrated in the … Continue reading →

Shakin’ & Bakin’ with Bacon

When Oscar Mayer introduced its Ready to Serve bacon a few years back you could have gotten a sunburn from the megawatt smile my bacon loving mom flashed each time she picked up a package from the grocery store. Heck, if it were not for my mom’s obsession with bacon my preschooler wouldn’t be walking around telling people that her grandma puts bagels on her salad. (She means Bac-Os.) With the weekend fast approaching I’m sure home cooks the world over are planning to fry up a pretty pound of the pork product to go along with their pancakes and … Continue reading →

Say So Long to Summer with Spicy Cashew Strawberry Salad and Orange Spinach Salad

Summer is fading away… say it ain’t so. Soon it will be back to school, back to wool sweaters and back to scraping ice off my windshield. But, rather than dwell on the inevitable I’ve been trying to spend as much time outside as possible, including dining alfresco. Next week our entire playgroup will be having an end of the summer luncheon in the park. And with the Labor Day holiday fast approaching most of you likely have outdoor plans as well. If you are looking for a quick and easy potluck dish to pass at your next outdoor gathering … Continue reading →

Spicy Summer Salads

Who hasn’t been inspired by the steely determination and incredible athleticism displayed by the participants of the Summer Olympic Games in China? My family has been so wrapped up in the Olympics telecast that I have been making sure dinner and the dishes are done before the first second of primetime coverage begins each night. The broadcast of the games has also influenced our dinner menu. I’ve been trying to make dishes that are not too involved, yet contain the required nutritional allotment for a growing family. The following recipes are easy to prepare and would be welcome additions to … Continue reading →