Turning Sides Into Mains

 Imagine just having sides for dinner. You can. Turning side dishes into  dinner time stars is easy.It's also a fun way to change up the usual supper.

One of the sides that's has been turned into a main for a long time now is salad. It may be a trifle chilly to serve it completely from the fridge. What you can do is add some hot ingredients such as chicken, London Broil, shrimp or salmon. These can be taken from the oven or grill, sliced and put directly into a bed or field greens. Another way of serving a steamy bowl of greens is creating a hot dressing. Yes , salad dressing can be hot.One popular one is made with bacon.It's frying up the bacon, draining it and them crumbling the slices. A roux is made using cornstarch, sugar, water and vinegar. The bacon is added to this and it's cooked over a medium heat until it thickens. It would be great generously spooned over a spinach salad , rich with sliced hard boiled eggs and  of course more bacon. In the warmer months you can easily serve a chilled salad Nicoise. This Provencale favorite has everything in it, from anchovies to artichokes to green beans to capers. It even makes for a nice lunch , especially with some crusty French bread.

Baked potatoes have always accompanied steaks yet they too can be turned into a main meal. You can split them open and fill them up with a variety of stuffings. Many like chili on theirs  and this can be made either a meat lover's one with ground beef or a vegan ones with soy crumbles or just beans. Another tasty filling is sliced ham and broccoli with a topping of melted cheddar, A fun weekend meal is a pizza topped baked potato. This is first cooking onions and mushrooms in olive oil as the potatoes bake in a 425 degree Farenheit oven. Tomato sauce, pepperoni and oregano along with minced garlic is added. The potatoes are then slit open  and filled with this,. They'r topped with shredded mozzarella and returned to the broiler or oven for two minutes. You could also make stuffed baked potatoes too as a main dish.It's baking them first and then scooping out the insides. These are mashed and blended with melted butter. Sour cream, bacon or julienned ham slices and grated onion are added. The potatoes are then popped back into 350 degree oven for another fifteen minutes. You can do the same for Hasselback potatoes too. These are sliced potatoes that are brushed with butter and then baked. They're baked for thirty minutes first , then cheese slices are pit between the slits. and baked for another ten minutes. Top with crumbled bacon, sour cream and chives.

Forget the main dishes. Have sides for dinner.It;s a fun way to enjoy dinner and a change up from the ordinary. You won;t miss those roasts after eating these.

Cool Cooking On Hot Days

 Hardly anyone will want to be in a hot kitchen after being in one for three months. Then it's summer - when roasting or sauteing anything can be a chore. The best bet? Cool dishes for a hot summer. These are lifesavers and just make lunch and dinner easier.

One of the chillest and tastiest is gazpacho. This Spanish classic is an easy make, especially if you follow Susan Lewis Solamont's, the former Ambassador to Spain's wife recipe for it. It's blitzing a cucumber, tomatoes, onions and garlic with olive oil and red wine vinegar. It's a wonderful dinner , especially when served with crusty sliced boules drizzled with olive oil.It's also good leftover for lunch the next day. Vichyssoise is another example of a chill soup. This is  a creamy leek and potato soup introduced in 1917 at the Ritz-Carlton to cool off diners. You can make chef Louis Diat's original recipe that calls for Yukon Gold potatoes, leeks and onions. It can be made vegan with subbing in vegetable broth for chicken and almond milk and coconut cream for regular milk and whole cream. If you don't want soup, then think salad.  Salad Nicoise is a lush salad with sliced hard boiled eggs, tuna, green beans and tomatoes along with black olives on a bed of Boston lettuce . You can add radishes for crunch and bite and the traditional Dijon mustard based vinaigrette too. Another crowd pleaser is Cobb salad, rich with bacon, avocado slices and chicken breasts.along with a variety of different greens like Boston lettuce, watercress and frisee.

Pasta may not be what you want on a hot afternoon but a pasta salad is another thing. Try an Italian style one with precooked pasta.Barilla brands has a wide variety of noodles that have been already boiled. Just open a packet and mix with slices of summer sausage and sliced cherry tomatoes. Throw in some chopped black olives and parsley for a hearty but cool dinner. Precooked pasta with salsa cruda is another temperature cooling dish on a hot night. The sauce is easy to make. It's just cut ripe tomatoes mixed with olive oil, thyme and basil. Some recipes call for a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar but you can also use red wine if you want to. Add some sliced Italian bread to sop up the sauce. Veggie tacos made with an array of fresh produce is a great week night meal. Sliced tomatoes along with julienned peppers and carrots make the filling. You can also add celery and any kind of lettuce for crunch and color. Top with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream for extra richness. Hummus is an easy no cook dip that works well as a meal with pita wedges. Put in some hot pepper flakes or black olives for more flavor.

It's summer and it's time for cool,tasty meals. Don't go crazy cooking hot food in a hot kitchen. You've been doing such for months. Chill with chill meals.

Mini Pasta Maximum Fun!

Mention pasta and everyone's minds turns to spaghetti, maybe linguine or angel hair if they're
 a bit more sophisticated. Yet there's a whole selection of mini pastas that pack great flavor. Use these with traditional sauce for a tasty hot dish or in salads for a cool side at a barbecue or tailgate party.

Pasta comes in many shapes and sizes. The smaller sized varieties can be turned into any dish. A favorite is acine de pepe, translated  grains of pepper in Italian. .These are basically spaghetti minced into small pieces. It's a wonderful alternative to the star shaped pastina and cooks up into fat little kernels.It's great in any broth such as vegetable, beef or chicken, Put more than a cup in and it makes a filling dinner. To turn it into it more substantial serve it with any sauce that would go with spaghetti or ravioli. It makes a nice meal for one, especially served in a butter sauce with a sprinkle of Parmesan. Serve it with marinara and meatballs for a fun kid's meal.Acine de pepe can also be used in soups and is a staple in the classic Italian wedding soup. It can also grace  minestrone too and be a nice  change of pace in a chicken noodle soup. The little pasta  bits can be used in a salad for a spin. Try it with sliced grape tomatoes and parsley for a nice side with burgers or grilled steak. Mix it with tuna, chopped celery and onions for a twist on the classic tuna salad.Acine de pepe can also be used in fruit salads with pineapple chunks and orange wedges.

Orzo is another mini pasta that can be served hot or cold.It comes from the Latin hordeum or barley and can be the base of many dishes.It can be a main dish or a side.Many home chefs use it instead of rice as the Greeks do, and it's usually the base of many pilafs. Try it with Parmesan and basil for a quick and tasty dinner.It's made similar to the way risotto is cooked. Saute the raw pasta in butter until lightly browned  and then add the chicken broth.It can also be turned into a variation of risotto Milanese with the addition of saffron.Orzo is perfect paired with chicken and blends well with any green veggie such as spinach and broccoli. The orzo grains are also a fun change in any soup that calls for noodles. Even add it to tomato soup for a nice surprise.Like acine de pepe, it can also make for a great cold salad. Try it Greek style with sliced cucumbers,kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese.Artichoke hearts, parsley, and lemon juice are also added  to make for a lively flavor.For a colorful side make a checkerboard orzo salad with goat cheese and cubed tomatoes.A truly filling orzo salad is one made Nicoise style with tuna in oil, artichoke hearts and arugula. Red onions and bell peppers are also tossed into the mix for color and bite.

Mini pastas such as acine de pepe and orzo are little pastas that guarantee big flavors. They are fun and versatile,perfect for any main meal or side. Try them and see what a big impact they'll make.

Meals To Go - In A Jar?

A hearty and healthy meal on the go is a a rarity, However it doesn't have to be - thanks to Mason Jars. Mason Jars??? Yes, there is an interesting new cookbook that has all sorts of recipes that involves using these classic containers to make meals. They're great for office and school lunches as well as for picnics.

Tanya Linton, a lifestyle writer and television wrote  150 Best Meals In A Jar.(Robert Rose Press) thanks to her passion for making them. It's an innovative idea because  Mason jars make great containers. Mostly crafty gift givers use them at Christmas to fill with ingredients for soup, cookies and/or hot cocoa. Yet they can be used for so much more and  don't come with any of the health concerns of plastic containers. She includes a thorough explanation of how to scrupulously cook foods and prep produce  because even the slightest  mistake can cause food poisoning, There is even a guide for layering ingredients for both Mason jar salads and Mason jar meals. She also recommends subbing in one ingredient if you don't have the one needed. The book is divided into different sections. There is the breakfast one, a huge one devoted to all sorts of salads from veggie to surf and turf., along with one for dressings .Ms. Linton also includes the trendy rice bowls along with hearty meals and finishes up with desserts.It's a nice variety for those wanting to go from simple salads to more complicated dishes.

Home chefs will love the variety of different recipes. There are the breakfast ones that include an overnight oatmeal one that  will "cook" the grain along with a trail mix and a chocolate ricotta spread. There are some great soup recipes such as the fun pizza soup which has all the pie ingredients plus chicken broth.. There's also chicken soup n the jar, the perfect gift for a sick friend.Ms. Linton's specialty is salads and she shines in all the recipes she gives for them. There are ones that features just veggies such as kale and quinoa salad with a citrus dressing  and the triple berry spinach salad with lemon poppy seed dressing.  The meat ones feature the famed Cobb  salad with  homemade ranch dressing and the classic salad Nicoise, complete with tuna, olives and hard boiled eggs. The salads and dressings are separate so home chefs can mix and match them.I love the rice bowl and layered meal Mason jar recipes. These are full dinners in a jar.Home chefs can make a layered turkey dinner or lasagna, There is the polenta Bolognese and a shepherd's pie with lamb. The rice bowls feature a tasty Santa Fe style complete with avocado , black beans and hot sauce and fried egg rice bowl , a tribute to the Korean dish bibimbap. Finish with a jarred dessert of banana s'mores or brownies smothered in chocolates and the raspberry soaked pretty macaroon pavlova.

150 Best Meals In A Jar is a great cookbook for home chefs who want to make hearty and tasty meals on the go. It shows how to take the humble Mason Jar and turn it into a container for a salad, lasagna or even a sweet treat. It's fun and innovative way to cook.

K S S Keep Salads Simple

This is the season for salads. It's a great time to take advantage of all the bountiful harvests out there. The best part of any summer salad is its' easiness . Don't overthink them. Keep them simple and tasty.It means less time in the kitchen and more time at the patio table.

Sometimes just one ingredient can make an entire salad.Take tomatoes or celery for example. A great accompaniment to any barbecued meat is a tomato salad. All you need are three or four vine ripes , sliced and mixed with a simple olive oil and lemon dressing. Mince up a garlic clove and add some oregano along with salt and pepper for flavoring..A chilled tomato salad is  even good spooned on slice s of Italian or French bread. Celery salad is one of the easiest to make as well. Chop up seven or eight stalks,  and again, just mix with  a dressing of only olive oil , lemon, salt and pepper.

Even a classic garden salad is a breeze to whip up.Use  iceberg lettuce and any kind of tomato along with a homemade French dressing.This last is just taking half a cup of mayo with three to four tablespoons of ketchup.Stir tiogether until well blended and then pour over salad. If you want something with a more exotic flavor add some tuna in olive oil along with some pitted black olives  to your salad. This makes a nice simple salad Nicoise without all the other ingredients. You can also try adding in canned salmon, chicken, or turkey to any kind of greens from arugula to baby spinach  to a field mix.

Now is the time for simple dishes that are tasty and cool. An easily made salad with one or two ingredients is all you need . It's a great way to eat both delicious and healthy during these steamy days.

Eating Through A Heat Wave

Doing anything during a heat wave is a chore. This includes cooking and eating. Yet you have to sustain yourself despite the high temps? What to cook and eat? The easiest, lightest foods you can think of making and eating. There are some tasty dishes that are a cinch to create and are as light as air.

Think salads during these impossible days. Put a spin on the original by using Spring greens or spinach as the base.Add much needed protein with bacon, hard boiled eggs and cheese. Use cold cuts or already cooked bacon (or you can just microwave it). A chef salad is the perfect hot weather dinner , with various cold cuts such as chicken roast beef, and ham tossed over Cobb lettuce. You can also throw in julienned cheeses such as American , cheddar and Swiss. Served with a homemade French or a simple vinaigrette along with breadsticks,Another is the famed French Salad Nicoise. This is made with tuna fish and anchovies along with hard boiled eggs, and capers with tomatoes and greens. It's a refreshing alternative to the classic dish.

As much as grilling is a part of summer it is also hot. Who wants to stand over an inferno for half an hour in 100 degree temps?. Go cold with sandwiches. The best kind is an Italian hero. These are easy and fun to make. Get a variety of different sliced meats such as morta della, cappicola and salami. Shred lettuce and slice tomato to layer on the bread along with mozzarella or Provolone slices. You can make a dressing using oil, red wine vinegar and rosemary. Heroes can also be stuffed with homemade chicken , tuna or egg salad Remember to make the salads as close to dinner time as possible This ensures freshness and are free from the threat of food poisoning and salmonella.

During these impossible times. you have to eat. Make the lightest and easiest foods with the least minimum of fuss. They'll get you  and your through these hellish times

Easter Leftovers Holiday Recycling Part One

Now that the holiday weekend is over, there are the holiday leftovers to deal with. WHat to do with the leftover ham and lamb? All those pretty eggs? Recycle them into new and tasty  dishes that empty the fridge and keep the family fed for a few days. It's also a nice way to prolong Easter and keep the holiday spirit.

Ham is one of the easiest meats to recycle. It can be ground in a food processor with some mayonnaise and celery seeds for a yummy deviled ham.This can be spread onto whole wheat bread for lunch or even a Spring picnic. It can also be chunked and mixed in with chili for a more richer and earthier flavor. Save the bone for flavoring split pea soup.Lamb can be made into everything from meat balls to meat loaf.An exotic dish is making a spicy version of the meatballs, using coriander, onion and mint with a mint laced yogurt sauce. Another is a lamb loaf, a variation on  meat loaf, using chili powder, fenugreek and cumin.

What to do with those dozen or two dozen eggs you dyed on Saturday? Hard boiled eggs can be used in a whole slew of ways..They can add color to a regular salad, thanks to the dye seeping through the shell and into the whites. Add them to a Spring spinach salad with some crumbled bacon bits or to a lush salad Nicoise , redolent with tuna and olives. They can also be sliced and served  with a butter sauce.over the vegetable of the season - asparagus.Of course hard boiled eggs are their best in a tarragon laced egg salad. As for the asparagus itself, leftover stalks can be cut up and mixed in with salads. Other veggies such as spinach and celery can be cut and put into soups or even omelets and quiches.

Easter leftovers needn't be challenging.There's so many ways to recycle them. They can into interesting dishes that still have the flavor of Easter but with something more. Good dishes that celebrate the Spring season!