A cold, crunchy salad with fresh ingredients bursting with flavor and the delightful twang of the PRO (pickled red onions) – Could there be anything better on a very warm day? The first time I made this it was slim pickins’ with the peach slices as one of the peaches didn’t make it home from the store without turning a horrible color and croaking right in front of my eyes. $3.44 for 2 peaches. #wow This time the peach was perfection!

Continue reading “Salad with Grilled chicken, Goat Cheese, Cucumbers, PRO and Dill!” →

Deviled Eggs. They’re so versatile, I’ve made them a variety of different ways – and I’m sharing the regular deviled egg recipe plus a few variations. All are delicious. Use large or extra large eggs (directions for both below), whip it up early in the day, make enough to last several days and you’ll be set.

Continue reading “Deviled Eggs with Pizazz!” →

Have you ever had picked red onions? If your answer is no, you’re missing out! I am seriously in love with them, they’re so tasty on everything you top them with, salads, sandwiches, cucumbers, hamburgers, and so much more! They’re quick and easy to make – Keep them in the fridge and you’ll elevate a ho hum dish in seconds!

Continue reading “PiCkLeD rEd OnIoNs – YuM!” →

Oh, this salad is so good – It’s topped with my marinated cilantro lime – grilled chicken. The flavor permeates every bit of the chicken resulting in nice flavor with every single bite. We grill extra and have it the next day or so. It’s good all by itself, thrown into a brown rice/black bean/guacamole/salsa bowl or as above…

Continue reading “Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Leftovers – Make a Salad!” →

A Caprese salad is a quick one to throw together and it tastes like a million dollars. It’s the perfect accompaniment to grilled chicken, steak, fish, vegetables… I remember the first time I had it long ago, I was in heaven at Carmine’s in New York City – I checked their menu and they make it differently than they used to. I’m sure the new salad is good but the regular version… WOW!

Continue reading “Caprese Salad – The Ultimate Refreshing Side!” →

I have always admired the creative ability really good chefs have. They can take a mundane meal and make it over the top, WOW! Have you had a meal somewhere special and were completely blown away by it? The taste, look, texture – everything about it was perfection. Now mine doesn’t look anywhere near the version of the Chef at The Swag – but I tried, and let me tell you, this is darn good! I made this three mornings in a row. It really is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The first day took me a little longer, but after I had my swing down, it went much faster. Of course I had enough pans/dishes to have served Thanksgiving Dinner, but that’s another story…

Continue reading “Avocado Toast with Greens and a Sunny Side Up Egg!” →

I love sharing recipes I run across that make life easier. Instead of guessing when a steak is done, this is a good guide to ensure they turn out beautifully. We don’t have steak often, so when we do, it is absolutely amazing – we used to wait for a restaurant for steak, but no more! It’s easier than you think! I chose sirloin steak because it’s lean, so if we’re going to eat beef, I try to keep it on the leaner side.

Continue reading “How To Grill Sirloin Steak – The Easy Way!” →

This is a quick meal, and if you grill extra chicken breasts you have it for the next day or two, which comes in SO HANDY, especially when you’ll be out and don’t have a lot of time to whip something up. Using good ingredients (vs. processed or pre-made ingredients) can only make it healthier, right?

Continue reading “Marinated Chicken, Brown Rice, Black Beans, Guac and Pico!” →

This pasta salad is one of our favorites for warmer weather – when we grill nearly every day (by “we” I mean “he”) – a tasty vinaigrette pulls this together nicely. I don’t usually use sausage with the feta version, but did so by mistake – it was fabulous! (Olives on top are also nice)! This salad is good right when you finish making it – we have half of it leftover as a side dish for another meal. What you can’t really see are the copious amounts of arugula that this pasta salad is on top of. I like an equal amount or even a little more arugula (or fresh baby spinach). It’s delightful!

Continue reading “A Quick Meal: Bowtie Pasta, Tomatoes, Chicken Sausage, Arugula and a Divine Vinaigrette!” →

It’s always good to have a plan for a new somethin-somethin for dinner. We don’t usually eat like this, but it’s a treat once in a while – a nice splurge. My mom has made these au gratin potatoes for years. Instead of making a béchamel sauce – it’s much quicker, which is nice when time is limited as it was this year. I made these potatoes ahead of time since I knew we would be out. Then finished baking when we got home. They were delicious!

Continue reading “Emeril Lagasse’s Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin” →

Most omelets in restaurants seem to be 3 eggs. I’ve always made them with two eggs, but thought, hmmm… I like just one, so let me give it a whirl. Wow! It was kind of like a crepe – the thinness was awesome and it had the best flavor and texture. A one egg omelette and 1/2 of an orange was utter perfection!

Continue reading “A One Egg Omelet – Easy Peasy!” →

Have you ever tasted a dish at a restaurant that quickly became your favorite? Me too! There was a neat little restaurant in Mount Pleasant, SC (several years ago) – I had a curry chicken pasta. It sounded interesting to me. It was fabulous. I was able to duplicate it at home fairly easily. We haven’t had it in years, actually forgot all about it. Then I saw a recipe for Curry Chicken and it immediately brought me back – which prompted making a slightly different chicken salad.

Continue reading “Curry Chicken Salad – Couldn’t be easier (or tastier!)” →

February 1st, 2023. FEBRUARY! Spring is almost upon us. If you’re looking for an excellent recipe for a shrimp stir fry, look no further. I made this for dinner and it was out of this world. My husband kept saying “this is so good”. #winnerwinner The key to pulling a stir fry together quickly is to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to hit the pan. It goes quickly so there isn’t time to be prepping while you start it. To make this come together quickly I cut the broccoli in smaller pieces so they cook quickly, and I slice the onion in thin strips. They turn out looking like bean sprouts, ha ha. Too good!

Continue reading “Shrimp Stir Fry (with or without soy)!” →