Category: Recipe

Updated Recipe: Cold Cucumber Soup – A Lifesaver!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, Soup1 Comment

Sometimes it really pays to think ahead, especially in this heat. When you know you’ll have a long day and won’t feel like cooking when you come home, make a plan. A while back I knew we were going to be gone for quite a while. The heat is on, and I knew when we got home there would be no oomph to whip something up. So, I whipped this up the day before. HAPPY DANCE! What a lifesaver to have something ready when you arrive home. Just sit down and enjoy. So quick and easy – PERFECT for hot weather!

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Caprese Salad – So Fresh (and so fast!)

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, SaladLeave a comment

Have you tried a Caprese salad? Decades ago we vistited NYC and ate at Carmine’s (I wanted to eat every single meal there!) – we ordered a Caprese salad (among other things) and ohmygosh. I had never tasted such a fabulous salad in all my life. We just had zucchini, Vidalia onions and parmesan on thin pasta and it was heavenly – this was the perfect accompaniment!

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Salad Showstopper: Southwest Salad with Chicken, Black Beans, Corn and Pepper Jack!

On By Barbara StroudIn Favorite Things, FOOD, Recipe, Salad2 Comments
Salad with green lettuce, bits of grilled chicken, white corn, chopped tomato, black beans and pepper jack cheese

We love salads. Especially in the summer when the temperature soars and it’s too hot to turn on the stove. Thankfully, my husband will happily grill chicken on the hottest of days (jumping in the pool to cool off in between checking). At least he can stay cool when the temp is soaring. My go to salad (lately) has been grilled chicken, romaine, hardboiled egg, pickled red onion, cheddar, cucumber, tomato, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. But I wanted something different and this is SPECTACULAR, you’ve got to try it!

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Quick and Tasty Egg Salad Sandwiches – What to eat in hot weather!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, sandwich2 Comments
Egg salad sandwich, toast, egg salad, macaroni salad leftovers on white plate

We all like it a little bit different. This recipe is a guide. As I always say, add more of what you like, less of what you don’t and leave out anything you don’t like. I haven’t made this in years and it was a treat. I had already hard boiled some eggs that were in the fridge, so this only took a few minutes to throw together. #delish

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Summer Favorite: Roasted Shrimp & Tomato Orzo with Feta & Olives

On By Barbara StroudIn Favorite Things, FOOD, Photograph, Recipe, Salad, THOUGHTS2 Comments
bowl with orzo salad with shrimp, tomatoes, olives and feta, pickled okra

I posted a version of this recipe over ten years ago. It’s a hit. I love to whip this up in the morning and sit down to dinner with no cooking. What a dream! Best yet, the next day you have another meal (or the following day!) – no cooking! The tastes, textures, and freshness take it over the top. I love to photograph my husband’s plate because his usually looks prettier. I’m always in a hurry to catch up, snap photos, etc. I love how he added the pickled okra, so pretty! I gave a sneak peak on my Instagram/Facebook movie. Recipe below…

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Quick and Delicious Avocado Toast + a Trick for Serving Hard Boiled Eggs!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment

This tip will make your morning brighter! Our latest kick… it’s super fast, easy and the taste is out of this world good. Protein and fiber. A short time later we might have a banana smoothie with Greek yogurt and a dash of cinnamon added. This will hold you for a long time. It literally takes a few minutes…

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Bowtie Pasta with Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Herbs in a Balsamic and Lusty Monk Vinaigrette!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, Salad1 Comment
Cutting board, colorful grape tomatoes, red onion half, basil, parsley, mint leaves, mozzarella, pepper, balsamic vinegar, olive oil

It was a sunny, pretty day, first day of Spring when I made this pasta salad. The sun was warm and fresh ingredients sounded divine. So I whipped together this pasta salad, great served on a bed of arugula and spinach. Thankful my husband doesn’t mind standing outside and tending to the grill on days like today when the yellow pollen is wafting through the air.

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Avocado, Tomato & Cheddar Open Face Toasted Sandwich!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe4 Comments
Diner plate, grilled sandwich, cheddar, avocado, sliced tomato

This toasted (under the broiler) sandwich is quick to throw together with just a few ingredients. It’s also fabulous tasting. I used healthy (store bought) bread, had a ripe avocado (do you know the trick for keeping them good for a long time?) – Give this a try, I think you’ll love it!

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Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Is the Best!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe4 Comments
Photo of hot chocolate mix (homemade) in glass container, tin of starbucks hot cocoa mix on top of container, view out the window, snowy day in charleston, sc

The day I wrote this post was a snow day (woot! woot!) and the grocery store was out of the hot cocoa mix that we like which prompted an investigation. Good grief, I’ve come to find I’ve been paying for the tin! It’s inexpensive to make, comes together quickly and is every bit as tasty as the other brands. TWO ingredients and an optional two more… Whip this together in a few minutes and have it ready to make a nice mug of hot chocolate in the time it takes to heat the milk! FYI, as cold as it was last week, it’s near 70 and sunny today. Crazy🤪! ❄️☀️

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Making Vegetable Broth from Frozen Scraps! #bestever

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, Soup3 Comments
Ball Canning Jar with homemade vegetable broth, 2 jars on a table

A while back I had read about freezing your veggie scraps, then making homemade vegetable broth with them. I had two bags full of veggie scraps. I worked hard to have a good mix. Nothing that would give the broth a bad taste (i.e. cruciferous veggies) or be too soft (zucchini), etc. It came time to make the broth, I had a freezer bag jam packed. Then there was a carrot recall. Ahhh, deciding not to risk death for vegetable broth I tossed it all and started over…

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The Secret to a Good Sandwich!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, Sourdough2 Comments
White plate with a sandwich, turkey, arugula, potato chips, homemade sourdough bread

There is a secret that makes this the most fabulous sandwich – an absolute delight! It starts with homemade sourdough bread, yum! We didn’t have leftover turkey, but buy it sliced at Whole Foods, the in-house roasted turkey – wonderful. A slice of Havarti cheese and arugula added to the tastiness of this sandwich, but the true treat were these two…

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The most delectable Christmas Cookies in all the land!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, THOUGHTS5 Comments
Christmas Cookie Tradition (older photo)

If you’re looking for a super special Christmas cookie recipe – look no further! This is a recipe the entire family can join in on. Everyone can display their artistic abilities (or not, ha ha) – either way, the cookies will taste the same – Out of this world delicious. As a family, we always doubled the recipe for the cookies, not sure if we did for the frosting, there is plenty!

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