Party Dip Oh Yeah

This White Bean Dip with Pita Chips makes a frequent appearance at my get-togethers. First of all, it's a quick vegetarian dish to have on hand. The dip can totally be made the day before.

You certainly can skip the homemade pita chips and just buy a bag, but the homemade chips are always a hit. The oregano on the chips works perfectly with the dip.

Do keep a close eye on the oven when making the chips as each oven is different, and I have found that different brands of pita cook faster or slower than others.

I like to use Cento beans, which are actually a 19-ounce can. I just up the lemon juice and olive oil to accommodate. I love the green of the parsley in this dip. It adds a nice brightness. This is also a good one to make if any of your guests have an allergy to sesame, which is often present in traditional hummus.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips
From "Everyday Italian"
By Giada DeLaurentiis
Makes 6 appetizer servings

4-6 pita breads, cut into 8 triangular wedges
2 Tbsp. plus 1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove

To make the pita chips:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange the pita wedges over a large baking sheet. Drizzle the pita wedges with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, then sprinkle with oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Toss and spread out evenly over baking sheet. Bake the pita wedges for 8-12 minutes, checking on them at the 4-5 minute mark, and tossing them to redistribute on the pan before returning the pan back to the oven to finish baking. Be sure to keep a close eye on the chips!

To the make the puree:
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse on and off until the mixture is coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually mix in the remaining 1/3 cup of oil until the mixture is creamy. Season the puree with salt and pepper to taste if desired. Transfer the puree to a small bowl and serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside. (The pita wedges and bean puree can be made 1 day ahead. Store the pita wedges airtight at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate the bean puree.)

Your New Fave Din

Here's an easy peasy chicken din: Grilled Chicken with Basil Parsley Sauce. It is literally my son's favorite dish right now. He asked if I could make it every day. He ate three servings of this the first night, and all of the leftovers the second night.

As long as you remember to marinate the chicken at least thirty minutes ahead, you are good to go. This uses thin cut chicken breast so it cooks up super quick. Just make sure you cook it in batches because overcrowding your grill pan is no bueno. Your chicken will end up poached rather than grilled.

I always keep fresh basil on my windowsill and parsley in my veg drawer so making this is a cinch. It goes great with pasta, rice, a salad. Whatevs!

And you can make the basil parsley sauce ahead as well. I'm a big big fan of make-ahead things because I like to have as much cleaned in the kitchen before I sit my bootie down to actually eat. One of my OCD qualities. For sure.

When I made this, I served the super amazing Lemon Fusilli with Arugula by Barefoot Contessa.

Link to that awesomeness is here: Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

And here's the chicken recipe below!

Grilled Chicken with Basil Parsley Sauce
Makes 3-4 servings

For the chicken:

6-8 thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced or 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
Juice from 1 lemon, about 3 Tbsp.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a glass bowl, whisk together thyme, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to make a marinade. Place chicken breasts in the bowl. Coat the chicken with the marinade. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Set in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to 8 hours.

When ready to cook, place a grill pan over medium high heat. Grill chicken in batches about 4 minutes per side. Chicken should be nicely browned and cooked through. Set aside cooked chicken in a covered dish while grilling the second or third batch.

Serve immediately or at room temp with the sauce listed below.

Basil Parsley Sauce
1cup fresh basil
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender or a food processor, place basil, parsley, garlic clove, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Scrape sides if necessary and puree again for 20 seconds. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

To serve: Plate a slice of chicken with a tablespoon or two of the bright basil parsley sauce. Devour!

Nigella Christmas Chocolate Cookies

I've been wanting to make Nigella Christmas Chocolate Cookies for years. But this time of year is always so hectic, and each December would come and go and I just cranked out my cookie standbys: pizzelles, biscotti, ricotta, chocolate chips.

So this week, I changed all that and made a point to get to it already. Afterall, procrastination and putting tasks off is not how I roll.

These are like a chocolate shortbread drizzled with a chocolate glaze and sprinkled with your favorite Christmas sparkles or confetti.

I'm glad I made them. They are a nice surprise.

My batch made closer to 30 than the 24 listed in the recipe.

The recipe is featured in the Nigella Christmas cookbook. Nigella Lawson is one of my fave celebrity chefs and I collect all of her books. If you are not an avid reader of Nigella Lawson recipes, you may be surprised by her style as it is quite colorful and she adds a bit of her own commentary. I have listed her recipe exactly as it is written in the book.

My tips for the cookies that may have differed from her recipe are as follows:
1. I did not wear rubber gloves to roll out the dough. And it was totally just fine.
2. I did not remove my cookie sheet from the oven to place on a cold a surface. I don't even know what that means. Ha. Maybe her fancy kitchen has ice cold marble surfaces on which hot cookie sheets can be placed? I used a standard cooling rack on my common man formica.
3. My yield was greater than 24, so you may want to have 3 cookie sheets prepared.
4. Just in case it's not clear for you in her recipe, please bake each sheet one at a time.

Christmas Chocolate Cookies
From "Nigella Christmas"
By Nigella Lawson
Makes approximately 24

2 1/4 sticks (18 Tbsp.) soft unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

For the Festive Topping:
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup boiling water, from a kettle
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Christmas sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line  2  cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and when you have a light, soft, whipped mixture, beat in the 1/3 cup cocoa powder (sifting if it is lumpy) and, when that's mixed in, beat in the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.

This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the cookies wearing my disposable vinyl gloves, so pinch off pieces about 1 Tbsp. in size, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them well spaced on your cookie sheet. You should get about 12 on at a time.

Bake each batch for 15 minutes; even though the cookies won't feel as if they've had enough time, they will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top, and it's this cozy, homespun look that I love.

Remove the cookie sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it to catch drips while topping them.

To make the topping, put the cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything's smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.

When the cookies are cool, drizzle each with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze - to glue the sprinkles on in a minute - using the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbly look is part of their charm. After you've iced 6 cookies, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles, and continue thus until all the cookies are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa "glue" has dried and the sprinkles won't stick on.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Fresh baked goods are one of the greatest things ever, in my humble opinion. So, whenever I have a moment to whip up a fresh batch of anything, I go for it.

These Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits are totally amazing. The recipe is a Barefoot Contessa from her cookbook called "Back to Basics."

Now, buttermilk is not an ingredient I have on the ready like ever. But, you can make up your own buttermilk substitute on the fly with regular old milk and a lemon. Simply measure out a scant 1 cup of milk and add 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice. Stir and let it hang out for 5 minutes. Voila. Buttermilk. For this recipe, you just need a half cup of buttermilk.

I made these biscuits the last time I made a buffalo chicken salad. Here's a pic:

 Link to that awesome recipe is here: Buffalo Chicken Salad

These biscuits would obviously rock with a brunch situation. I also feel like they would be amazing with a chowder or a stew or if you're whipping up a baked ham din.

You can totally use pre-shredded cheese. That's what I did (sorry, Ina.). Totally top each biscuit with a pinch of flaky sea salt. It's the ultimate finishing touch. They are so super amaze. You will definitely eat a whole bunch. I love this recipe because each biscuit looks unique. I love the whole misshapen quadrangle situation that is going on. Yay!

Here's a pro tip with the butter. Cut it into cubes and just leave it on the butter wrapper to easily dump it into the mixing bowl. I like to chop the butter first and put it back in the refrigerator to keep it super cold for biscuits and pie crusts. Then I measure out all my other ingredients. When it's time to make the dough, just pop out your cubed butter from the fridge. Gotta be prepared! And you totally do not want soft butter for flaky perfect biscuits.

Here's the recipe for the biscuits:

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits
Makes 8 biscuits
From "Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics"
By Ina Garten

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a handful
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk, shaken
1 cold extra large egg
1 cup grated extra sharp Cheddar
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water or milk
A sprinkle of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place 2 cups flour, the baking powder and kosher salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas.

Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small glass measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened. In a small bowl, mix the cheddar cheese with a small handful of flour and, with the mixer on low, add the cheese to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined.

Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about six times. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 5 by 10 inches.

With a sharp, floured knife cut the dough lengthwise in half and then across in quarters, making 8 rough rectangles. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot or warm.

Eggs in Purgatory

Oh, if only I had known the savior that is Eggs in Purgatory as a young collegiate party animal. I suppose it is named as such because of the spicy nature of the sauce, but I like to think of its nurturing qualities when one feels like he or she is ready to enter the depths of hell due to one too many. And, you know. We've all been here. 

 I mean this is seriously the most perfect food to nurse a hangover. Or, more importantly to feed your drunken-stupor soul when you stumble home in the wee hours of the night/morning and must stave off ravenous hunger that follows a night of hitting that bottle a little too hard. This dish is so necessary before making it to bed with two liters of water, a chaser of Gatorade and a bottle of Tylenol PM on your nightstand. 

Of course, you can also make this when the husband is traveling and there's nothing much to eat. Or, because you just really freaking want a pan of the tomato/egg gloriousness because it is THAT AMAZING. This works for all courses: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack time. It's the perfect meal.

You can make Eggs in Purgatory with a can of chopped tomatoes or pureed tomatoes or leftover marinara sauce. Hot pepper flakes, garlic, olive oil, basil and parmigiano cheese and you are good to go. Just make sure you have some major slices of Italian bread toast as a go-along because I don't care what any of these diety people preach: Drunks and really hungry peeps need carbs.

Eggs in Purgatory

Serves 1

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. (or more) crushed red hot pepper flakes

114 ounce can of diced tomatoes or tomato puree

Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs

Grated parmigiano cheese 

1 Tbsp. shredded basil

Serve with Italian bread, toasted

In a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for a minute or two. Add tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cook for five minutes. Stir.

Meanwhile, gently crack open two eggs in a bowl. Set aside.

While the sauce is still simmering over medium high heat, gently add the eggs directly to the tomatoes. Season with a little salt, pepper and about a Tbsp. of parmigiano cheese. Cover with lid, partially. Cook for about five minutes or until the whites are opaque and set. I like to rotate the pan halfway through the cooking process. The yolk should be runny.

Garnish with basil and a drizzle of olive oil and more cheese if desired. Serve with toast. 

Crowd-Pleasing Baked Artichoke-Spinach Dip

Here's an oldie but goodie: Baked Artichoke-Spinach Dip straight from the pages of the red-and-white-checkered Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Every year I do a cookbook purge. But the BHG always makes the cut. Sometimes those classic recipes from yesteryear are just what we need.

This is a great dip for holiday parties, birthday parties, family get togethers and sports gathering. My crowd always loves it!

Be sure to drain your artichoke in the colander pressing into them gently with a spoon. This makes the dip less watery.

You can totally make this the day before and bake the day of your event. Just be sure to go with the longer baking time of 25 minutes.

Serve this dip with pita chips, crackers, crusty bread or tortilla chips.

Baked Artichoke-Spinach Dip
Makes about 3 cups dip
From "The Better Homes and Garden Cookbook"

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 to 2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
Dash white pepper (The Jersey Girl uses regular black pepper)
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup loosely packed, coarsely chopped baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion (1 medium)

1. In a large bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, mustard and pepper. Stir in artichoke hearts, spinach and onion. Spread mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

2. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. Serve with pita wedges, French bread, and/or crackers.

Make-ahead directions: Prepare as above through step 1. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Uncover and bake about 25 minutes or until heated through.

Thankful for the Memories

Thanksgiving is all about tradition. Especially with the food.

That's why my Mommom Sacco's amazing string beans are always on my Thanksgiving table. This dish requires very few ingredients. Beans, a small potato, garlic and oil and voila - magic happens.

That's really how it was with everything my Mommom cooked and baked. And that's one of the reasons I love her recipes so much.

Hope you love this one, too. It's wayyyyy better than the whole string bean casserole nonsense.

I'm so thankful for all the amazing recipes my grandmother taught me. They bring her back to life each time I make them. We love you, Mommom!

Mommom Sacco and me at her last Thanksgiving in 2015. 

Mommom Sacco's String Beans
Makes 10-14 servings

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. string beans, washed, trimmed and cut in half
1 small baking potato, peeled and quartered
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper.

In a large pot filled with cold water, add prepared string beans and quartered potato. Place on stove top. Bring to a boil. Partially cover pot with lid, and boil for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender and falling apart.

Carefully drain the beans and potato in a colander over the sink.

Return pot to stovetop. Add oil and garlic. Cook garlic over low heat. Do not burn!

Add drained string beans and potato to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the beans and potato in the garlic oil. Using a fork carefully mash up the potato. Toss again. Taste for seasonings.

Dish may be made the day before and reheated before serving.

Refresh Your Palate

Thanksgiving din is decadent.  And heavy.

So, it's nice to have bright and refreshing cranberry relish to lighten things up.

Back in the day, my mom rocked out a cranberry Jell-O mold totally reminiscent of the days of Betty Draper. It remained largely untouched. Sorry, Mom.

I recently read that cranberry sauce is the least fav side of Thanksgiving. To which I say, "Obviously!" Who want to eat a congealed jiggly concoction from a can?

No one, that's who.

So grab a bag of fresh cranberries and a clementine and get to business. The color and fragrance is total fall. And your guests will love this little kick of cranberry, trust.

Refreshing Cranberry Relish
Makes 2 cups

1 12-ounce bag of cranberries, rinsed and picked through
1 clementine, unpeeled, cut in quarters.
1/2 cup granulated sugar.

In a food processor, add cranberries and clementine segments. Pulse about 10 times to finely chop the fruit. You may need to scrape the sides once during this process. Be sure to not over-pulse. You want the mixture to have texture.

Spoon cranberry clementine mixture into bowl.  Gently stir in sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least a day.

Trisha Yearwood Pork Tenderloin

Who doesn't need a good crockpot recipe up her sleeve?

This Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin comes from Trisha Yearwood. While I don't avidly watch her show on the Food Network, I've heard of her cooking skills and thought this dish looked interesting. 

This is a crockpot recipe, but it starts on the stove with searing the meat and ends on the stove with making the gravy.

I served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe.

I followed her recipe closely, but I do use low sodium soy sauce and low sodium chicken broth. I also skipped the very first step of seasoning the pork tenderloin with salt. I try to cook with minimal salt always, and I thought the soy sauce provided ample salt. I seared the meat in olive oil rather than vegetable oil. The seasonings seem sparse in the recipe list, but it all worked well together. 

My pork tenderloin was just under 3 pounds and it came in two pieces. You may use a pork loin or a pork tenderloin for this recipe. 

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

By Trisha Yearwood

Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 1/2 to 3 lb. pork loin, trimmed of all visible fat

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (The Jersey Girl used olive oil)

2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

salt and pepper, to taste

Season the pork loin lightly with salt. In a small bowl combine the garlic powder, ginger, dried thyme, and black pepper. Rub the seasoning over the surface of the pork loin.

In a skillet heat the oil and brown the pork loin on all sides. Transfer the pork to the crock pot. Combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, and soy sauce; pour over the pork loin.

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5.

After cooking, transfer the roast to a platter and keep warm.

To make the gravy, pour the liquid from the crock pot into a measuring cup. Skim off the fat. Measure two cups of the liquid, adding water if needed. Transfer to a sauce pan reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Stir the cornstarch into the reserved liquid, then stir into the liquid in the sauce pan. Heat, stirring frequently, until the gravy is thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the roast with the gravy.

Green Goddess Crudite

Holiday and party season is just around the corner, and we always need a good dip and crudité situation for happy hour, no?

Well, that's what I tell myself. Bright, colorful veggies liven up any get together, in my opinion.

So I'm giving you this Basil Green Goddess Dressing recipe. Whenever I make I, the young and old rave about its loveliness. So, get on it! I like this because it truly is a salad dressing recipe so it doesn't feel overtly heavy  as a dip. It's a thinner consistency, which I love.

It's a Barefoot Contessa recipe, so you know it's amazing. Serve with whatever veggies you like. My fam usually grooves on peppers, carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, scallions and celery.

Basil Green Goddess Dressing
From "Barefoot Contessa at Home"
By Ina Garten 

1 cup good mayonnaise
1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (6 to 7 scallions)
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tsp. chopped garlic (2 cloves)
2 tsp. anchovy paste
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sour cream and process just until blended. (If not using immediately, refrigerate the dressing until ready to serve.)

Serve with your favorite cut-up veggies such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, radishes, broccoli, scallions, etc.

Cauliflower Soup: Trickery at Its Finest

I'm not one for disguises. Especially regarding food.

I know it's like totally a thing for moms to hide veggies inside of baked goods and burgers and smoothies and what not. That's not really how I roll.

But this Cauliflower Soup is a charade I totally support. It has the look and feel of decadent Potato Soup, but surprise, surprise, it's just 100 percent cauliflower. And celery and onion - two other lowly workhorses in the kitchen. Just a touch of butter and no cream, this recipe is beyond simple and truly delish. Who knew the humble cauliflower could be so luscious?

Top a bowl of this deliciousness with cheddar cheese and chives, and you could completely pass this off to your fam as potato soup. The thing is, the cauliflower soup has way less calories, fat and carbs than your potato variety. Here are the health stats, in case you care: One cup of pureed potato has 214 calories, 7 grams of fat, 3.1. grams of fiber and 35 grams of carbohydrates. One cup of pureed cauliflower has 142 calories, 0 grams of fat, 7 grams of fiber and 10 grams of carbohydrates. If you are on a health kick, this soup is totally for you!

Cauliflower Soup
Makes 6 servings

1 medium head of cauliflower, florets cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4-5 cups)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve: Shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives

In a large soup pan, add cauliflower, celery, onion and water. Bring to a boil. Cover partially and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Using a ladle or a spoon, transfer cauliflower mixture to a blender. Puree in blender until smooth.

Return the same soup pan to the stove. Add butter and heat over medium high. Once butter is melted and bubbling, add flour. Whisk to make a roux, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower mixture and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve with cheddar cheese and chopped chives.

Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon

Salad for dinner is a hit in my house.

Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon is easy to prepare and a beautiful meal that has something for everyone. You can change your veggies to suit the tastes of the players in your family. An arranged salad platter makes it easy for each person dining to select the salad items that suit his or her fancy. I like to serve the dressing on the side. Be sure to serve your salad with feta. It's such a nice touch. 

I use the same dressing for the salmon marinade as well as the salad dressing. Just make sure to carefully spoon the dressing onto the salmon and don't cross contaminate by touching the salmon with your spoon. You could also divide your dressing into two portions just to be safe. You just need about 1 Tablespoon of dressing per serving of salmon. The rest can be used at the table for the salad.

I round out this dinner with homemade hummus, crudité and warmed pita. Be sure to serve your salad with feta.

This is such a fun dish to make. Your kids can help, and it's a pleasant deviation from the same ole' rotation we get into during the week!

Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon
Makes 3 to 4 servings

Greek dressing
1/2 tsp. oregano
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Whisk vigorously. Set aside.

Salad:
Romaine lettuce, cleaned and dried, sliced into bite size pieces about 2-3 cups
1/2 English cucumber, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 medium red bell pepper, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 medium green bell pepper, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1/4 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved

To serve: Greek dressing (See above recipe) and crumbled feta cheese

On a large platter, arrange each salad ingredient side by side in a circular formation. Serve with crumbled feta cheese and remaining dressing that was not used to marinate the salmon

Salmon:
3 to 4 salmon filets with skin or without (The skin peels right off once the salmon is cooked)
2 tsp. olive oil
3-4 Tablespoons of Greek dressing (See above recipe)

Preheat oven 500 degrees Fahrenheit

Cover sheet pan with aluminum. Lightly brush with olive oil. Place salmon filets on prepared pan. Spoon a Tablespoon of dressing over each salmon filet. Using a pastry brush, brush dressing over the salmon so that the entire filet is covered. Let salmon sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. Place in oven.

Roast for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove skin from the bottom of salmon if necessary.

To serve: Place salad on a dinner plate. Top with dressing and feta cheese. Top with warm salmon.

Pierogies and Sauteed Veggies

I always need more meatless main recipes in my arsenal. I hope you feel the same and add this to your stash: Pierogies and Sauteed Veggies.

While making homemade pierogies is totally on my culinary task bucket list, this recipe utilizes a good ole box of Mrs. T's mini pierogies that I usually have stashed in my freezer for emergencies.

The entire endeavor of making this takes no more than 20 minutes. And it is a hit with the whole family. My son asks for many extra servings.

You can sub out any veggies you love. I think this summery mix of zucchini and red and green bell peppers is really nice with the pierogies. I sometimes serve this on top of fresh arugula too for a salad situation.

Pierogies and Sauteed Veggies
(Makes 4 servings)

1 box (12.84 ounces) frozen mini cheddar pierogies, such as Mrs. T's (about 28 pierogies)
1 small red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 small green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 small zucchini, trimmed, sliced in half and cut into moon-shaped pieces
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream to serve

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pierogies to boiling water. Cook according to package instructions, usually about 3 to 6 minutes once water comes back to a boil. (I usually go longer, like 6 minutes.) Stir the pierogies occasionally while they cook. If you think they aren't cooked entirely, boil them longer.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add butter. Once butter is melted, add peppers, zucchini and onion. Toss frequently and cook until lightly browned about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper

Using a slotted spoon or a spider ladle, transfer cooked pierogies directly into the saute pan with the veggies. Toss the pierogies so that they become slathered in the butter and veggies. Add a ladle of water from the pot in which the pierogies boiled to the saucepan with the veggies and pierogies. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 4-5 minutes.

Serve with sour cream.