Italian Herb Focaccia

I love a good bread. Whether for the prefect sandwich or as an accompaniment for a delicious pasta dinner or some other amazing meal, there's something about a great piece of bread. I like it with a crunchy crust and soft center or a buttery, flaky texture throughout or a nice, chewy and perfectly fluffed piece, like this amazingly easy focaccia bread. This loaf is perfectly seasoned with salt and Italian herbs, and bakes up super quick after two easy rises. I didn't need a lot of ingredients or time to make this bread and I can't believe it took me so long to tackle this recipe. I've wanted to make focaccia for along time--it's one of my favorite indulgences to pick up from the bakery or our farm stand (which sells for a local baker), but I don't due it very often. That's why I have Secret Recipe Club to challenge me to try recipes on my list of must-makes!

Patriotic Potato Salad

This weekend we'll celebrate Fourth of July and I'm looking forward to a cookout with friends. Besides burgers and hot dogs, I'll make up some yummy baked beans and this potato salad, perfectly festive with red, white and blue potatoes. I made this last year and it was a big hit, so I'm looking forward to it again, provided the farm will again have this lovely mix of potatoes. I'm usually partial to a mayo based potato salad dressing, but this combo of mustard and cider vinegar is an excellent change of pace. Quick to put together, you could whip this up on Friday morning just before heading off to your cook out, or make it the night before to save some time.

Garden Pasta Salad

Summer time and the sides get easier! I have a tough time figuring out side dishes to serve during the colder months, but summer time mean veggies fresh from the farm and lots of ways to serve them. This pasta salad is an excellent way to start. You can customize this pasta salad with the vegetables you have on hand or to your taste. But what I really love abut it is the vinaigrette--light and not overly oily or overpowering. Just enough flavor to bring it all together and highlight the crisp veggies. Easy to make too! You can get all the veggies chopped while the noodles boil, then toss together, dress and voila! Plus, this makes a bunch, but you could double it up for a party or BBQ.

Mushroom Parmesan Rice

Confession: I struggle with side dishes. I don't know why. Sometimes it's just hard to know what will be good with the main dish. Or I don't want potatoes again. Or something that will take longer than the entree to make. Yeah, we have chips and salsa a lot as a side dish. So when I do find something that is delicious, easy and quick to make, I jump on it and add it to the side dish repertoire. Like this mushroom Parmesan rice. It fit two criteria--a quick side dish and it used up the overabundance of sliced mushrooms residing in the fridge. Total win. Oh, and it tastes good. Yes, because that's always a requirement. Simple rice, lightly flavored with a nice veggie bonus. This will be the perfect accompaniment for grill season.

Green Rice

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Time to get your fajitas and margaritas on. And for the side, how about a serving of green rice for some color and fun flavor? Spinach, cilantro, and a jalapeno add flavor and color to this dish and I really like the inclusion of corn for a change in texture. This rice is simple, delicious and adds a nice change to the traditional beans and rice you're probably used to with your Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

Cheddar Broccoli Rice Cups

When I was single, living alone, and not interested in cooking for one, I used to grab those packaged rice mixes and basically eat the whole thing for dinner. Hey, I didn't say it was healthy. The broccoli and cheese was my favorite. Knowing that they aren't really that good for you, it's literally been years since I've had them and it never occurred to me that I could make a delicious broccoli and cheese studded rice dish from more fresh ingredients. I know, a lot of things go right past me. So when I saw these rice cups, the light dawned on me and into the kitchen I went. Plus, made up in individual portions, I am able to freeze off the extras and pull them out for a quick side dish with a weeknight meal. I already know these are going to be a big hit this summer with grill season. Each cup is loaded with cheese and broccoli for a perfectly delicious rice side in the right portion.

Cranberry Coleslaw

This is a fantastic and colorful twist on coleslaw. I actually made it for Thanksgiving and then made it again shortly thereafter because it tasted so good. This is definitely in my side dish rotation, with lots of freshness from the cabbage, carrot and onion, a crunch from the sunflower seeds, sweetness from dried cranberries, and a light dressing combining cider vinegar and a bit of mayo to bring it all together. This pretty dish was perfect for the holidays, but is also a great way to bring some color and flavor into the dreary winter days.

Broccoli Parmesan

This is by far one of my favorite "fancy" ways to prepare broccoli.  Now, Dave and I love broccoli and will have it just steamed, maybe with a little salt and butter, but even just plain is great for us.  But toss a creamy cheese sauce on top and broil it for a bit of crispy gooeyness and I'm sold.  I love everything about this broccoli and made it for the very first Thanksgiving we hosted. I really should make it more often, because it's simple and can easily be added to a weeknight meal.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

I love taters.  It must be the Irish in me, but whatever it is, I can't get enough of them: fried, roasted, baked or mashed.  Mmm, mashed.  It's by far my favorite way to shovel potatoes into my face.  Since we're frying our turkey this Thanksgiving, I wanted a flavor-packed variation since I won't have pan drippings to make gravy.  I have some other gravy-making alternatives in mind, but in case those don't quite work out, at least these potatoes can stand on their own.  Loaded with cheese, sour cream, bacon and scallions, it's like potato skins in mashed potato form.  Creamy and delicious, how could you not want to pile these onto your plate?

Butternut Squash Parmesan

Butternut squash is one of those perfect squashes that so easy to prepare in a bunch of different ways.  Since it's easy to peel and relatively easy to cut (compared to other squash), it lends itself to being treated like a potato instead of like other squashes that basically only want to be roasted with the rind on (I'm looking at you acorn squash).  So this version of butternut squash laden with garlic and Parmesan cheese makes an excellent side dish for Thanksgiving.  The squash bakes up flavorful and soft while the topping gets nice and crunchy.  Plus it's a rather light way to prepare squash so you can load up on this and still have room for pumpkin pie.

Vegetarian Black Beans and Rice

I can think of all kinds of meals for which this black beans and rice dish would make the perfect side, but my favorite way to have it has actually been for lunch with a green salad.  It's filling but still has light, fresh flavors that keep me going through the afternoon.  Dave surprised me by really enjoying this as well, and he's figured out that wrapping some of this in a tortilla with a little taco sauce or salsa makes a perfect and quick burrito.  There is a bit of sweetness from the tomatoes and a gentle heat from the diced chilies, plus lots of flavor from cilantro, cumin, onion and garlic. Definitely yummy and healthy never hurt anyone.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Finally, I've come across a zucchini recipe that Dave will eat!  And the zucchini can be replaced with other squash like summer squash or even delicata, so just use what you have on hand this late in the season.  This yummy rice is cheesy and full of flavor with a great texture.  Plus it's easy to make.  I've toasted rice before when I made this Mexican rice and it really brings out a difference flavor in the rice and I think it helps absorb the liquid better to create a fluffy rice that blends well with the added squash and cheese.  I'm so glad I stumbled across this dish.  I've made it three times and am thrilled that Dave likes it so much.  At last, he's a believer in zucchini!

Skillet Squash & Pepper Pasta

This dish was a surprise.  And it's a huge hit in our house, the perfect summer side, that comes together quickly while your chicken or steaks hit the grill.  Lots of late summer veggies come to the table to make this dish fresh and bright.   The late summer brings lots of summer squash and bell peppers to the CSA boxes and this is a great way to let those flavors shine.  Even though I serve this as a side dish with dinners, it's certainly hearty enough on it's own and I've definitely loaded up an extra large sized portion of leftovers for lunches.  If you're still overrun with zucchini, that would also make a perfect addition or substitution to this dish.

Homemade Pesto

Confession: I've never been a huge fan of pesto.  I'm not sure why--maybe I just never had the good stuff.  But over time I've started having bits of it, spread on a wrap or maybe a fancy bruschetta.  And then we were faced with a huge bunch of basil in our CSA box a few weeks ago and Dave really wanted pesto.  (PS: I had no idea he liked pesto so much.)  So knowing what to do with basil was one thing, but what to do with the pesto?  Well, I figured that out and in doing so learned that this pesto is good enough for dipping crusty bread (aka: eating with a spoon) and loads of other fun things.  The flavors are fresh and bright (it helps that I used pesto that was freshly picked), with garlic and a nuttiness from the walnuts I used.  I'm glad Dave actually had an idea because this pesto is delicious, super simple (I made two batches) and incredibly versatile.

Kale Coleslaw

The thing with have a CSA (community supported agriculture) membership, is that sometimes you get some goodies you might not normally have chosen for yourself.  Sometimes that's a win, sometimes you understand why you didn't pick that particular item yourself.  This summer, I've been exposed to kale for the first time, so I wanted to find a fun way to try it.  Enter this coleslaw, packed with cabbage, kale and carrots, dressed in a lemony mustard vinaigrette with the added crunch of toasted sunflower seeds.  This dish is the perfect introduction to kale because you get a subtle change to the texture and flavor of the vegetables while seasoned with a flavorful but not overpowering dressing.  I'm really glad I took the kale plunge and I look forward to trying it in more dishes.

Skinny Coleslaw

Summer time means cookouts, gatherings and making things easy and delicious.  We hosted a bunch of friends for fun evening last weekend and picked up takeout from a local restaurant that makes crazy good BBQ.  Needing a healthy side, coleslaw was the clear choice for a veggie, but I didn't want a typically heavy on the mayo version.  Plus Dave is super picky about his coleslaw.  This one was a definite win.  Lots of crunch from cabbage and carrots, but a light and tangy dressing that hit all the right notes.  This coleslaw is perfect for summer and I'll definitely be making it again for our summer parties and pot lucks.

Polish Kluski (Drop Dumplings with Butter & Onions)

These little balls of tastiness were a Lenten staple in our house growing up. They are super quick to make, very tasty and use pantry staples.  My mom would often round out a fish dinner with these tasty dumplings that just get better with the addition of butter and onions.  While mine turned out a little plumper and bigger than hers, they still tasted perfect (although more butter always makes these even more delicious).  I have memories of watching my Mom whip these up to put a quick dinner on the table, so while it may seem unusual, these are comfort food to me.  I served these with tuna patties and salad for a last minute dinner and everything just felt right with the world.  A cross between a buttered noodle and an unfilled perogi, these dumplings remind me of home.

Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

The thing with a winter CSA in New England is that there are weeks when you are overrun with so many root vegetables that you might be overwhelmed at the idea of making a bunch of different dishes to use them all.  Sweet potatoes, beets, rutabagas, rainbow carrots, parsnips; the list goes on.  And while I'm learning to enjoy some of these new-to-me veggies, I don't necessarily want to invest a whole lot of time, effort, and energy into prepping something I don't know if I like yet.  I want to be able to taste the essence of these veggies the first time I make them.  Then, once I know I like them, I can experiment with  new cooking methods, seasonings, and dishes to incorporate them.  So these basic roasted winter veggies are a a perfect way to enjoy each vegetable in it's own flavor, but also use up a lot of different vegetables at once.  Perfectly seasoned and roasted to a crisp outside and fluffy soft inside, this recipe is a great way to just enjoy the bounty of winter.

Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes

A perfect side dish!  Toss it together and forget it all day while these cheesy delights cook and are ready when you come home.  Perfectly tender, well-seasoned and lightly coated in a melty cheese topping, these potatoes pair well with chicken, pork, meatloaf or just about anything.  I actually ran two crock pots for this meal--one with a lovely chicken dish and the other cooking up these lovely gems for a hearty, complete meal that literally took 10 minutes to make.

Red Cabbage Coleslaw with Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette

I know coleslaw is traditionally a summer side dish, but we're starting to get closer to spring and the cabbage is ready now, so really, what's stopping you?  Colorful red cabbage speckled with pretty orange carrots and dotted with scallions makes this a perfect introduction for a bright, cheery spring.  The dressing is tasty, but I didn't think the ginger flavor shined through to really make it a ginger vinaigrette.  I'm sure that's because I used ground ginger, rather than fresh and probably didn't use enough of it.  But the orange juice and the cider vinegar provide a nice, bright and tangy flavor with a little sweetness from the honey.  The coleslaw pairs nicely with pork (we had it with pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy), but I also topped a bowl of romaine with it for a lunch salad alternative and it was great.  I also think it would be tasty atop a pulled pork sandwich or a side for anything grilled.