Category Archives: Sides

Zucchini, Zucchini, Zucchini!!!!

Healthy, Recipes, Sides, ,

spaghetti zucchini

I love this time of year when the Farm stands are brimming with wonderful fresh vegetables.  One of my favorites to grab is zucchini.  It’s cheap, it’s good and there are so many ways to prepare it.  If you are like a lot of people you may have a “go to” recipe for it and that’s about it.  This post has my favorite zucchini recipes all in one place, so you can get a little crazy and try something new!

zucchini spaghetti tomato sauce

The photo above is my current favorite recipe, Zucchini “Spaghetti” with Tomato Sauce.

Zucchini gratin

This is also a very delicious, healthy zucchini dish, Zucchini Gratin.

chicken succotash

My current favorite lunch recipe, Zucchini Succotash with Chicken & Pesto.

pasta with sausage and zucchini

Of course there has to be a pasta dish, Orrechiette with Zucchini & Sausage.

Zucchini Gratin

Healthy, Recipes, Sides, ,

Zucchini gratin

During grill season, it’s hard to come up with interesting side dishes.  You start to get sick of pasta salad, potato salad, salad salad, etc.  Who doesn’t love a gooey, cheesey dish? This is a great side and a fantastic way for you to get your kids to eat some veggies.  Best thing is that you can make it ahead and then just throw it in the oven to finish. Continue reading Zucchini Gratin →

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Recipes, Sides, , ,

bourbon barbeque sauce

It’s getting close to grilling, smoking and barbecue season!  Please do not buy pre-made barbecue sauce.  This takes 10 minutes to make and will stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.  I make a double batch and keep it around for any grilling.  The secret to this sauce is the bourbon.  It gives it a rich flavor that has a little heat.  This sauce is great on chicken, steak, ribs, pulled pork, burgers, you name it! Continue reading Bourbon Barbecue Sauce →

Pommes Anna

Recipes, Sides, , , ,

pommes anna

This is a very simple but complex dish.  Potatoes, butter salt & pepper.  It doesn’t get much simpler than this.  The key is extremely thin layers of potato, butter, salt & pepper.  I can’t quite explain how good these are, except to give you some evidence:  I made them Saturday night in the mini tins as you can see below.  I made them as a side with a fantastic filet mignon I got from the butcher.  Bill took one bite of the potatoes and declared they were the most amazing he has ever had in his whole life……..better than the best french fry, or the best au gratin or the best hash browns, or the best mashed potaotes…..I think you get the drill.

I then proceeded to make them again Sunday night to go with family dinner.  This was justified as I wanted a photo of when you make it whole and slice as well as the individual.  I got no arguments from Bill, as far as he was concerned, as long as he got to eat it again, he didn’t care why!  Oh and Will and Bill fought for the leftovers for breakfast 🙂

This is a tad tedious to make.  You MUST use a mandolin or don’t even bother, the thin layers are what makes this.  Pour yourself a glass of wine (after you have finished with the mandolin) and lovingly add the layers.  Trust me, it’s worth it!

pommes anna mini

Continue reading Pommes Anna →

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

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Roasted Tomatoes

One of my favorite side dishes and also one of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes during the winter when I am missing my favorite fresh tomatoes from Wilson’s farm.  They get a little sweeter when you roast them and they are the perfect side for Roasted Chicken or Roast Beef.

You could also make it a quick pasta sauce.  If doing that, add 2 extra Tbsp olive oil to the pan to create the sauce.  Cook the pasta until al dente, drain but reserve one cup of the pasta water.  Put the pasta back in the pan, add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of pasta water.  Add more pasta water if needed.  Sprinkle some chopped basil and you have a great pasta dish! Continue reading Roasted Grape Tomatoes →

Butternut Leek Soup

Appetizers, Healthy, Make Ahead, Recipes, Sides, , ,

butternut leek soup

I love this soup recipe. The combination of the roasted butternut with the leeks and ginger is fantastic.  I don’t usually do the fried Leek garnish, but last night Bill and I went out to dinner and his appetizer had these beautiful tasty little fried leeks on it, and when Bill saw the leeks on my cutting board, he asked if I was making fried leeks and I said, good idea!  They will make my picture look pretty.

As quality control I had to have a bowl before I finished this post and I can tell you, the little crispy fried leeks are totally worth it!  🙂 Continue reading Butternut Leek Soup →