Once I moved to the South, a good chicken salad sandwich quickly turned into one of my favorite standbys for lunchtime. My first manager took me to lunch at one of his neighborhood favorite spots, Nashville’s “The Picnic Café,” where they make what I’d consider to be the quintessential chicken salad sandwich. This is my homage to that delicious recipe, perfect for a “picnic” of your own!
The smell of banana bread baking in the oven is one of my all-time favorite things. It takes me right back to the sweetest parts of my childhood–regularly enjoying this treat on early mornings waking up in the backcountry of the ranch where I spent most summers. It was portable and freezable, didn’t need to be cooked, and was still delicious even if
Maybe it’s because it has a fancy, French sounding name, but chicken cordon bleu has gotten a reputation for being a difficult-to-make, fancy, decadent dish. Well, not to go all French on you, but au contraire, my friend. Chicken cordon bleu is, essentially, just a chicken cutlet pounded out, stuffed with ham and cheese, and coated in bread crumbs. With a few simple steps, you can not only make your own at home, but you can lighten it up, too: this cordon bleu is baked right in the oven. With a simple salad of lightly dressed summer greens, this is a perfect weeknight dinner that’ll have everyone in your family asking for seconds.
One of my favorite side dishes is potato salad, especially in the summer. Too often potato salad is bland and gloppy with too much mayonnaise and mushy, without enough crunch. This simple, lightened up potato salad is made with tangy Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. A zesty reimagining of a classic summer side, this potato salad is full of fresh herbs for flavor that’s perfect for adding some unexpected zing to your next cookout.
Rice or potatoes, rice or potatoes. That’s the question that often dogs me during the late afternoon when I’m trying to figure out what to make for dinner, and which starch would better complement it. I happen to be a big fan of wild rice – the chewy texture, the nutty flavor – but sometimes it’s nice to mix it up a little. So, one night when I was whipping up a Mediterranean style dinner, I threw together this cool and flavorful wild rice salad. Simple to assemble and easy to prepare ahead of time, it’s filling and delicious on its own, but makes an excellent side dish, too. It’s a perfect accompaniment to lighter summertime cooking.