Cucumber Tomato Salad

So, I know I have already shared a couple cucumber salad recipes with you all (here and here) but Noah and I are big cucumber fans and we go through quite a few every week. Because of this, we are always looking for new ways to eat them and this is our current favorite. My mom whipped this up one night when we were over for dinner and it was amazing and so simple.

And the ingredients are ones I almost always have on hand. I don’t think I have to tell you how much I love those kinds of recipes!

The recipe recommends making this two hours before you are going to serve it but it is soo much better the next day so if you have the time, mix it up the night before so that it has time to marinate and soak up the delicious dressing.

This is going to be my official summer side dish. Delish!

Cucumber Tomato Salad

3 English cucumbers, washed and thinly sliced
3 medium tomatoes, washed and diced into bite size chunks
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vinegar (I used plain ‘ole white but red wine vinegar would be really tasty too)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil (veggie or canola)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. course ground pepper

Place cucumbers, tomatoes and onions in a medium sized bowl. Add vinegar, sugar, water, oil, salt and pepper to a mason jar or some container with a tight seal. Shake until thoroughly combined. Pour over veggies and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Brown Butter Corn

One of Noah’s favorite foods right now is corn. When I ask him what he wants for lunch it’s always tacos, pizza or corn. He indeed is his father’s son!

Although we all like corn, it can get a little old after awhile so I am always looking for ways to change it up. We of course love Sweet Corn Cake, Corn Casserole and Smoked Corn but I was in need of a simple and quick weeknight side. When I came across this recipe I knew it would be a winner in our house. What’s better than fresh, buttery corn?

Brown Butter Skillet Corn
recipe from Barefeet in the Kitchen

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 ears fresh corn, kernels removed from the cob
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large thick bottomed skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Let it cook until it foams and then a few moments past that it will turn a light brown color. Be careful not to let it overcook, as burnt butter, with light brown specks that will turn black, is not at all the same.

2. Add the corn to the skillet and stir to coat all the pieces. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper and stir again. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the corn is hot and still crisp. Enjoy!

Garlicky Baked Fries

I don’t know about you but I really love potatoes in pretty much any form! I think that fact is pretty evidenced by Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Potato Pancakes, Roasted Teeny Tiny Potatoes, Lemony Greek Potatoes and Smoky Cheddar Potatoes….and believe me there are more! It’s kind of ridiculous!

I have never been able to make super crispy fries in the oven and have been on the hunt for a way how for quite a long time. These garlicky fries are baked but still incredibly crispy because of a few secret steps! They are precooked in the microwave with garlic infused oil and then tossed in cornstarch before being baked. When you bite into them and hear that crunch, you know they are good! They were incredible and I will always make fries like this in the future.

Garlicky Baked Fries
recipe from The Purple Foodie

8 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 russet potatoes (about 8oz each) cut into 12 wedges each
3 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 440° F (I know it’s a weird temp, the original recipe was in Celcius…450 F would be fine just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn).
2. Combine the garlic and oil in a large bowl, warming it until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute in the microwave.
3. Transfer 5 tablespoons of the oil (leaving the garlic in the bowl) to the baking sheet, coating it well.
4. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the garlic mixture and toss to coat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave on high power until the potatoes are translucent around the edges, 3 to 6 minutes, shaking the bowl to redistribute the potatoes halfway through cooking.
5. Combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the hot potatoes and toss well to coat.
6. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with ketchup, mayo or sour cream.

Smoked Corn on the Cob

We recently had some friends over for dinner to catch up and break out the smoker. We made delicious pulled pork and planned on grilling some corn on the cob for one of the sides. Well, unfortunately the Minnesota wind had a different plan for us. It was ridiculously windy that day which meant no grilling and smoking the meat in the garage red neck style. I didn’t want to just boil the corn so Joel suggested throwing it in the smoker. I searched the internet a bit and found that it is possible to smoke corn.

Turns out it was super delicious! Joel, who normally doesn’t eat corn on the cob, devoured it. The corn had a slightly smoky flavor and was great slathered in butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper. This was a simple recipe and the part that took the longest was shucking the corn and removing the silk…..ugh, I hate that part.

Smoked Corn on the Cob

6 ears of corn
6 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Butter

1. Peel back husks of corn but do not remove them from the corn; remove all the silk. Soak the ears of corn in water for several hours.

2. Dry corn then brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Pull husks back over the corn then place in a smoker heated to 225 degrees F. Cook for about an hour and a half. Remove from smoker and remove husks. Serve with butter.

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Cast Party Wednesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots

We have been all about carrots lately. They are a great vegetable to have on hand since they last forever and you can prepare them in all kinds of ways. My mom has always hated cooked carrots and her grandma always told her “cooked carrots will kill you.” It’s been a running joke throughout our family forever so she always gives me a hard time when I tell her we are having cooked carrots with dinner.

I love the sweet and tangy taste that the sauce lends to the carrots. And they really couldn’t get much easier. Have you noticed a trend of ease with the recipes I share? I’m all about easy meals for weeknights as I’m sure many of you are too.

For hot, summer days I am considering placing all the ingredients in a foil packet and throwing them on the grill.

Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots
recipe from So Wonderful So Marvelous

2 lbs. carrots {peeled, washed and cut into chunks}
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
Herbs and Seasonings {I used salt, pepper and thyme}
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss carrots with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and herbs/seasonings of your choice. Place in a 13 x9 and roast for 20-25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar. After the 20-25 minutes, remove carrots and evenly toss with the honey mixture. Return them to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Creamed Corn

Creamed corn is one of those old school foods that totally brings me back to my childhood. I had never cooked or eaten homemade creamed corn until now and my goodness it was so good. It tastes so much sweeter and fresher than the canned version.

If corn isn’t in season when preparing this, adding sugar will help sweeten up the dish but it shouldn’t be necessary during corn’s peak. Use your instincts and taste buds. If you think the corn needs it, add it.

This is the perfect simple summer side dish for any main course. I especially love it with grilled barbeque chicken because it was another childhood favorite. This will definitely be gracing our table over and over this summer.

Creamed Corn
recipe from Taste and Tell

8 ears fresh corn
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half, whole milk, skim milk, or heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or white pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

1. Cut kernels from the cob and scrape the cobs with the edge of a spoon to extract as much juice and material as possible. You should have 5 1/4 cups of corn.

2. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a 12-inch skillet until frothy. Add corn and stir constantly for 1 minute.

3. Pour in half-and-half. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring vigilantly until the liquid has thickened to a dense, yellowish sauce, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let steam for 2 minutes. Serve immediately, and be sure to pool some sauce around each serving.

Grilled Zucchini

I don’t like a whole lot of vegetables but the ones that I do enjoy I totally love. And zucchini is one of those vegetables. I could probably eat it every day.

I love grilled zucchini but I usually had trouble preparing it. I used to slice it into bite size chunks, place it in foil then grill it but I always seemed to overcook it and it just turned to mush. Not so good. One day I decided to just cut thick rings and throw it on the grill and it turned out perfectly. And what makes grilled food even better? A marinade. I just mixed up a simple oil and vinegar dressing then let them marinade in the fridge for as long as I could. Obviously, the longer they can marinade (up to overnight) the better they will taste but I have thrown them on the grill after only 30 minutes and it still turned out great.

This zucchini is a great side to grilled chicken or pork chops for a delicious, healthy and mess free meal!

Grilled Zucchini

1 large zucchini or 2 medium
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. basil
kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper in a sealable container. Seal container and shake until well combined. Wash zucchini thoroughly and slice into thick rounds. Toss in the oil and vinegar mixture and marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Place zucchini on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes then flip and cook another 3 minutes or until tender.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Today I am bringing you another favorite holiday dish that would be perfect for your upcoming Easter celebration! This is one of those recipes that I inherited when I married Joel that was kind of like the passing of the torch. I was given several recipe cards of Joel’s favorite dishes when we married and this was a definite favorite on the list. It always appears at every holiday meal and is usually one of the few dishes that completely disappears before we are done eating.

This is an incredible holiday side dish because it’s super simple to throw together and only involves 4 ingredients. We usually put this together hours before it needs to be baked so it keeps the stress low. I sometimes double the cracker topping for some extra crunch.

Updates on our New Orleans trip coming soon! Man did we eat some good food!

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

32 oz. frozen broccoli florets
16 oz.  Velveeta, cubed
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed*
1 stick butter, melted

1. Steam broccoli and place in a casserole dish. Mix in cubed velveeta (it doesn’t have to melt).

2. Mix crushed crackers and melted butter together until throroughly combined. Top broccoli with cracker crumb mixture.

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

*I use whole-wheat Ritz crackers and can’t tell the difference.

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Cast Party Wednesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday and These Chicks Cooked.

Pizza Sauce

After trying several pizza sauce recipes, I made this one and have never looked back.  Iron Mike’s sauce has a sweet background which is so unique and delicous.  The original recipe was a bit too sweet for our taste so I adapted it, using less honey and brown sugar.

I simmer this sauce for about an hour and sometimes more as we enjoy a thick, rich sauce.  This is great to top pizza or dip calzones in. And it is just so easy to prepare that it seems silly that I bought premade sauce for so long. Another plus to the recipe is that it makes a big amount so I freeze the remainder in batches in freezer bags (makes about 3 pizzas worth).  And it thaws quickly in the microwave or on the counter.

Pizza Sauce
recipe adapted from Iron Mike’s Sweet Tomatoe Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried onions, minced or chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
fresh ground pepper, to taste

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic for a minute.

2. Add the Tomato Puree; watch for splattering.

3. Add everything else and simmer uncovered on low, stirring frequently, for 30-60 minutes, until desired consistency has been reached.

Roasted Cauliflower

I have always liked cooked cauliflower but usually prefered it drenched with cheese or soy sauce. But once I tried this roasted cauliflower my mind was completely changed. It has a crunchy exterior and a soft, delicious interior that has a unique almost sweet flavor. And it’s healthy! This is pretty much the only way I make cauliflower now which is fine by Joel and Noah who love it prepared this way.

I have served this to people who do not favor cauliflower and it has totally changed their minds. It’s a great way to get picky kids to eat their veggies and it’s super easy to prepare.

The smaller the pieces of cauliflower the more browned, crispy surface there will be…a definite plus in my book.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
3-5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Cast Party Wednesday and Tasty Tuesday.