Tuna Noodle Casserole Recipe
We used to eat tuna noodle casserole when I was a kid. But it was a classic 60’s dish… gloppy with condensed soup and flavorless. This tuna noodle casserole recipe has been updated with Mediterranean flavors to complement the tuna. This recipe uses less than half a pound of pasta but it makes 4 hearty servings. The Mediterranean ingredients extend the casserole beyond the pasta. And I find the lemon juice and zest very refreshing. If you’d like to double this recipe, use a 9×13-inch baking pan. Similarly to cut the recipe in half,...
read moreHealthy Pumpkin Bread
I love pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving but sometimes my son requests French apple pie instead. So to get my pumpkin fix I make this healthy pumpkin bread recipe, which is great anytime. This easy recipe is made healthy with whole wheat flour for nutrition and fiber, nuts for protein and fiber, pumpkin for vitamin A (beta carotene), and dried fruit. This is an easy way to sneak a little extra fruit into your diet… or your kids’. To accurately measure the flour I use the scoop and sweep method. First fluff your flour by scooping it...
read morePotato Salad Recipe – Easy
I have never been a big fan of traditional potato salad made with mayonnaise. It’s usually gloppy and/or bland and it involves a lot of prep work too. Next time try this Austrian potato salad recipe, an easy alternative. Austrian potato salad is somewhat similar to German potato salad because they’re both made without mayonnaise and usually served warm. This recipe is made without bacon but it has big flavor with a sweet and sour tang to it. Delicious! And it’s super easy to make. There’s no need to hard boil eggs first. And the...
read moreBLT Chicken Burgers – Easy Hamburger Recipes
I love to barbecue hamburgers in the summer. There’s nothing so mouth-watering as a juicy burger right off the grill. Except that juicy beef comes with a high-fat, high-calorie price tag. So try this instead: BLT Chicken Burgers, one of my easy hamburger recipes. Yes, real bacon would taste even better but in sticking with the lower fat and calories theme, I’m using turkey bacon. I can’t find ground chicken so I always use ground turkey instead. Buy ground chicken if you can find it, as it tastes a little better in my opinion. And...
read moreEgg Salad Sandwich Recipe
It seems the only kinds of sandwiches I ate as a kid were lunchmeat or peanut butter and honey… that was yummy by the way. As an adult my tastes have evolved. Here’s one of my favorites now, an egg salad sandwich recipe. We buy our eggs at Costco so that means we’re buying 2 dozen at a time. And the expiration date is in about 3 weeks. That’s a lot of eggs for two people but the price is so good, I hate to shop elsewhere. For a while I was tossing out the leftover eggs when they expired. Then I had a brilliant idea… why not make...
read moreEasy Potluck Recipes – Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad
Everyone seems to bring casseroles, desserts, and appetizers to potlucks. But few folks volunteer to bring any veggies, other than a basic green salad. So I wanted to share one of my favorite easy potluck recipes for creamy dill cucumber salad. I took this dish to a recent gathering of several friends and they all raved about this dish. In fact… a couple even went for second helpings. And today it’s over 90° which is warm for northern California in April. So I’m definitely thinking about grilling and salad recipes because I don’t...
read moreEasy Coleslaw Recipe
I was looking for an easy coleslaw recipe to serve with my Pineapple Chicken. When I discovered this one, I knew it was perfect because the sweetness of the apple would pair nicely with the pineapple. I love salads but sometimes I just want a change of pace. And I do love good coleslaw but so many of the recipes use a gloppy mayonnaise-based dressing that I find too heavy. This slightly sweet vinaigrette is perfect. I was actually just cooking for myself so I had one portion left over to eat the next day. The cabbage and apple had softened...
read morePineapple Chicken Recipe – Easy Teriyaki
This is a super quick recipe for those nights when you’re running late and everyone’s starving. It’s a pineapple chicken recipe that’s easy to make in a half hour using staples and pantry ingredients. If you’re really strapped for time, substitute ½ cup of bottled teriyaki sauce and stir in the pineapple chunks. I like Mr. Yoshida’s Original Gourmet teriyaki sauce (they sell it at my Costco). Teriyaki chicken can be pretty boring… chicken covered in sauce. The pineapple is a great addition because it thins the sauce a...
read moreEasy Sugar Cookie Recipe
Typically you associate cookies with kids but I’m of the opinion that you’re never too old for cookies. Sugar cookies have few ingredients so definitely add this easy sugar cookie recipe from scratch to your repertoire. Sugar cookies provide a blank canvas. You can dust them with cinnamon sugar, sparkles, or colored sugar. You can even decorate them if you’ve used cookie cutters on rolled dough. One variation is of course snickerdoodles… still my son’s favorite cookie. You can add food coloring or another flavoring such as almond...
read moreChicken Quesadilla Recipes – Easy with Leftover Chicken
I love Mexican food but I don’t love leftovers. My son has complained for years about eating leftovers and I have to agree… leftovers aren’t as tasty as the original meal. So here’s one of my Chicken Quesadilla Recipes made easy with leftover chicken. If you don’t have leftover chicken, buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store that’s already roasted. The ones that Costco sells are really good and affordable too. This is one of those easy recipes that can be made fast. Since this is really an “assembly” recipe with...
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