Classic Coleslaw receives a much needed make-over in this spectacular recipe. The addition of blue cheese crumbles, bacon bits, tomato, and creamy ripe avocado make for a rich and flavorful slaw. It comes together in minutes with the help of prepared dressing and packaged coleslaw mix! This is NOT your typical coleslaw! Save that for the “in-laws”! lol
Side Dishes
Looking for a totally guilty pleasure dish? I mean “guilty” with a capital “G”! These amazing Loaded Tater Tots will have you swooning with each and every forkful! I took a dish from a local restaurant and gave it my own delicious twist! Golden Crispy Tater Crowns are topped with a rich homemade cheese sauce, more melted cheese, bacon crumbles, jalapeno pepper rings, and fresh Pico De Gallo and Guacamole! I say…when it comes to loaded Tater Tots…go BIG or GO HOME! I went BIG!
Fluff Salads speak to my inner salad soul! What’s not to love about a dessert that masquerades as a salad? Okay in all seriousness…this Strawberry Pineapple Fluff Jello Salad is light and creamy. Loaded with fresh chopped strawberries, pineapple bits, mini marshmallows, and topped off with coconut cookie crumbs it is truly a delightful spring time salad that your family will be requesting you bring to every Family Reunion this Summer! You? Well…you’re gonna wanna hide in the back of the closet with a spoon and have your own personal “Fluff Salad” party!
Asparagus and Spring go hand in hand. This Asparagus and walnut side dish is sauteed in a rich nutty walnut oil, seasoned with minced garlic, coarse black pepper, and salt. It’s topped off with creamy feta cheese. It’s truly one of the easiest asparagus side dishes you’ll make this spring and will look beautiful on your Easter Table!
Not to sound like a broken record…but…the side dishes make the meal! Seriously! What is Turkey without stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, candied yams, homemade buttery rolls, and all your favorite holiday salads? It’s just a big awkward bird sitting in the middle of your dinning table! Oh sure…the “Turkey” got an honorable mention in “Scrooge”…but only because this salad wasn’t on menu! If it was…he would have leaned out the window and asked the boy to go “Fetch” him the pan of Cranberry Orange Jello Salad! Then even that crabby miser could have won my heart!
One of my favorite side dishes when having Mexican Food is the rice! I love a good Spanish rice. Especially if it is packed with the warm flavors and spices of true Mexican food. A few years ago I came up with this home style version that is so easy and so flavorful! So much better than what you find at your local restaurant. I bet you have the secret ingredient in your cupboard right now!
One question I’m asked a LOT is “What do I serve with…..?” I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. What you pair your main dish with, can determine if it’s “o.k.”, or it’s a… “I’ll be dreaming about this dinner for years!” meal. (Okay… maybe they’ll just dream about it for a day or two, but you get my drift!) These perfectly glazed brown sugar and amaretto carrots go great with a Holiday Ham, Turkey, Prime Rib Roasts, or Pork Tenderloin. In other words…they go with just about any meaty main dish you make. Except Hot Dogs…I shouldn’t even have to say that, but you know who you are! lol
I’m struggling to get back into the swing of things after our wonderful Vacation to Virginia! Translation…I’ve been ignoring the garden…and a few other things! I went out the other day and found club sized crookneck squash! I hate to waste…so I decided to fry them up like I do my gigantic Zucchini…only I was lazy and didn’t want to stand at the stove to fry them. So…I didn’t. Instead, I came up with this awesome way to oven fry them! They are AMAZING! I’m thinking I’m going to keep ignoring that garden! (wink, wink) Why not when this is the result!
It just wouldn’t be summer without a pot of these Cowboy Baked Beans on the table next to the grilled chicken and corn on the cob! Ya just gotta have some “stick to yer ribs” beans to make it a complete meal…at least at this nest ya do!
One of the best things about summer is all the delicious fresh fruits and vegetables available. I especially love fresh fruits…blackberries, strawberries, pineapple, apricots, peaches, and plums. So many to chose from. Not too many things better on a hot summer day than a bowl full of cold fruit salad. Each bite packed full of amazing fruity juices. So the last thing we want to do is cover up all that fruit in a blanket of cream dips and dressing. Let’s allow the fruit to be the star! It’s spent months growing into perfection…it needs to shine. The simple Honey Poppy Seed dressing in this salad allows that to happen splendidly! Wanna join me for a cup of this Honey Poppy Seed Fruit Salad?