Side Dish

Green Chile Meyer Lemon Risotto

January 27, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

I am always happy when I see Meyer Lemons return to the store. I am a lemon fiend but these are a notch above with a sweeter flavor. I traditionally make lemon risotto with them but decided to try a new take on my favorite recipe. I diced a green chile, several cloves of garlic and shallots. I placed them in a skillet over medium high heat and sauteed for a few minutes. I added the risotto and then a splash of chardonnay. I kept the risotto covered with chicken stock and stirred frequently. At the end I added Parmesan [...]

Filed Under: Recipes, Side Dish

Browned Butter Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

December 3, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

December is here and Christmas Cookie baking is in progress. I will have lots to share soon but today wanted to share these delicious Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes. They have a nutty butter taste and make for a great side dish. December really is the month of giving. There are so many great organizations in need during this season. One woman told me how their local food ministry was struggling to provide food to everyone this holiday season. I work with Olive [...]

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Recipes, Side Dish, Vegetables

Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Meringue

November 23, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

BEAUTY Sweet Potato with Cinnamon Meringue

I know that most of you will have chosen your Thanksgiving dishes by now but I wanted to share a few more recipes with you. Today it is Sweet Potato Casserole with Cinnamon Meringue. It was only a few years ago that I started to like sweet potatoes. I started with the old school yams with marshmallows and graduated to sweet potatoes with sauteed apples. Last year I tried Ruth Chris Sweet Potatoes. I have been making up for lost time. I started seeing different versions of sweet potatoes with a meringue. I ended up creating a mashup of several [...]

Filed Under: Recipes, Side Dish, Thanksgiving Tagged With: Side Dish, sweet potatoes, thanksgiving

Southwestern Corn and Bacon Stuffing

November 13, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

I spent the weekend in beautiful Napa. It was a weekend of delicious food, film and wine! I can’t wait to share about my trip but that will have to wait. I do have to say Bottega is my new favorite restaurant. But more about that later. Today we are talking Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is next week so it is time to whip out some side dish ideas. While the turkey is the main course the side dishes really add to the meal. This Southwestern Corn Dressing is a perennial favoite that I love to serve, especially with a spicier turkey. [...]

Filed Under: Recipes, Side Dish, Thanksgiving

Apple Hazelnut Radicchio Salad Recipe

October 27, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

It is the weekend. Who else is doing the happy dance? In a sea of Halloween candy and sweets I thought I would serve up a delicious and light salad. I have lots of fall baking on calendar this weekend along with a few crafts I have put together for the Creating Memorable Holidays Seminar. My latest obsession is the hazelnut. I have been working my way through a few new recipes highlighting this nut. Wait until I share the caramel corn I added it to last [...]

Filed Under: Fall, Recipes, Salads Tagged With: apple, dates, hazelnut, salad

Twice Baked Potatoes with Hatch Chiles

September 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

When I was little special family dinners included twice baked potatoes. They were a little crunchy on top and creamy, like mashed potatoes on the inside. When I knew Mom was making them I would look forward with anticipation all day. Just last week when I asked a friend of mine what he had for his birthday he said twice baked potatoes. A few days later, a box of Melissa’s Hatch Chiles arrived and I immediately thought about trying to remake them with the chilies. I turned on the grill and roasted all of them. I removed the skins and [...]

Filed Under: Features, Recipes, Side Dish, Vegetables Tagged With: hatch chile, potato

Carmelized Corn, Mango and Bacon

August 14, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

I found a new way to make corn yesterday! If you are a regular reader here you know I have made my share of corn recipes. This week’s special is Carmelized Corn, Mango and Bacon. Yes, I said mango and it was delicious. Last night I came home determined to use up food in my refrigerator. Sometimes my eyes are much bigger than my schedule when grocery shopping and I hate wasting food. I had opened up this cookbook Spur of the Moment Cook. It was a book my friend Deanna first discovered when we were both honing our cooking [...]

Filed Under: Recipes, Side Dish, Vegetables Tagged With: bacon, corn, easy, jalapeno, mango, Side Dish

Roasted Garlic Potatoes

August 3, 2011 By cheri 1 Comment

Roasted potatoes are so easy and a great side for barbecues. You put them in the oven and forget out about them until the timer goes off. I served them with this Peach Chicken at a outdoor shindig. My first week at work was halted when I came down with some horrid virus. I don’t think I have ever called in sick on day 3 of a new job! Have any of you? Back to potatoes, one of my favorite foods. These are versatile, throw in different herbs, squeeze some lemon, play around. If there are left overs, fry them [...]

Filed Under: Recipes, Vegetables Tagged With: garlic, potato, roasted

Strawberry Chopped Salad & A Giveaway

July 27, 2011 By cheri 17 Comments

On a hot summer day I think many of us are reticent to turn on the oven or even heat up the barbecue. I know I go for easy and refreshing food. One of my good friends was visiting last week and we went to True Foods, a restaurant by. I had their Summer Chopped Salad and knew I would be home trying to recreate it. The salad has strawberries, snap peas and fennel topped with a little cheese, toasty almonds and light white balsamic vinaigrette. I have been loving snap peas this summer. They are tasty raw or cooked. [...]

Filed Under: Features, Recipes, Salads Tagged With: fennel, recipes, snap peas, strawberry, summer

Grilled Apricots, Cherries, Goat Cheese and Pancetta Salad

June 9, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

When summer comes around I love mixing grilled fruit with salad so this week made a Grilled Apricot, Cherries, Pancetta and Goat Cheese Salad. I was at the local farmers market and bought a bag of sweet dark cherries. They are my summer candy. I love the dark crimson color and the sweetness of the cherries. They pair beautifully wit the apricots and the salad quickly comes together. Things have been a bit busy around here. I have been knee deep in a project that I am so excited about and can’t wait to share with you. Hopefully soon! I [...]