I love fresh Farmer’s Market tomatoes. Sweet and flavorful – these make a perfect little side dish, though I could just eat a bunch of them and call it a meal…

ingredients:
6 small tomatoes on the vine
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper

Wash and dry the tomatoes and take them off the vine. Cut off the tops and scoop out a small bit of the juicy part. Then slice a small bit of the bottom so that they stand up by themselves. We don’t want these bad boys to roll away!

Place them in a mini cupcake pan. This is perfect for holding them in place!

In a small bowl combine the parmesan, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil a little at a time, until you get a nice paste.

Place the parm mix on top of the tomatoes.

Broil in the top rack of your oven for 2 minutes. Serve!

The crispy, warm cheese is a perfect match to the acidy tomatoes. A lovely summer treat~!

This is an old French recipe called Macaroni ala Reine – “Macaroni for the Queen.” Since I’m the Queen around here, I proclaim this to be the tastiest dish ever.

A white mac ‘n’ cheese, studded with bits of rotisserie chicken and lovely peas that pop in your mouth. The perfect dinner. So says me, the Queen.

ingredients:
1 package (approx 14 oz) macaroni
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper
nutmeg
3/4 cup Swiss Cheese, shredded
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
2 cups roast chicken, cooked
1 cup peas
salt
pepper

You know those rotisserie chickens that you can buy at Costco or your local market? They are easy to cut up and keep in the freezer, perfect for meals like this.

Boil the pasta according to the package. Drain – do not rinse! Set aside.

In a large pot melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook down for about 2-3 minutes, then add the milk and the heavy cream.

Whisk continuously. Add the Swiss and the Parm cheeses and whisk until melted. The Swiss makes this a little stringy – I love the chees-i-ness of it. Simmer 5-8 minutes and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Stir in the pasta, roast chicken and peas. Toss until combined and season with salt and pepper.

This is a hearty meal all by itself!

The kids and I like to pretend that a ray gun has shrunk our dinner into tiny bite sized meals, but of course these adorable potatoes also make great party appetizers for those adults who don’t believe in shrink rays.

ingredients:
1 dozen mini potatoes
olive oil
kosher salt

toppings:
baby greens, salsa, cheese, bacon, sour cream

Sometimes you can find a sack of these potatoes at the supermarket, but I usually get mine at local Farmer’s Markets.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prep a sheet pan with a silpat.

Wash and dry the little potatoes. They can be a little dirty, so scrub right in there, but make sure they are good and dry.

Toss the potatoes with olive oil and salt and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking gather your toppings together. Really, anything goes – my favorites are a salad of greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, surprisingly refreshing! Another is cheese and fresh salsa. You just can’t go wrong with that combo. But the all time fave is definitely what you would call a classic baked potato – cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, sour cream and chives.

When the potatoes are done, cut an ‘X’ in the top and push them open – careful, they will be hot! Top with the toppings of your choice and serve!

In the world’s tiniest form, you can eat one of these and be totally satisfied! Yeah right. Just try and control yourself. Somehow they taste even better when they are mini…

Spring is here! That means my weekly (sometimes twice) Farmer’s Market trips are back! While our markets in L.A. are year round, no one likes slogging through the rain with the kids to get produce.

When we go we talk about what’s in season, what we think things taste like, just a whole lot of meal planning for that week. While the kids picked out their choices I went about my biz trying to figure out my lunch for the week.

The idea of an avocado toast is always a winner because it’s quick and simple. Luckily there were some lovely Bacon Avocados at the market. Sadly, they don’t taste like bacon – they are named after a man named Bacon. BOO. But I like Bacon avocados because they are little creamier than Hass, which are the ones I use for guacamole.

I picked up some fresh radishes too. I chose veggies by color this week – pink and green, almost too pretty to eat.

ingredients:
1 medium radish
1/2 Bacon avocado
1 slice sourdough bread, toasted
butter
green tea sea salt

Slice the radish into thin – almost see through – pieces. Place them on top of the buttered sourdough toast.

Scoop out the avocado and spread on top of the radish.

I happened to find some very cool Green Tea Sea Salt when I went to the Spice Station, and it was the perfect compliment sprinkled on top of the avocado. Kosher salt works just as well too.

This is a nice, crisp, pretty lunch. Bring it on Spring!

It’s Fat Tuesday aka Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day!

I first made these back in December when the kids were on winter break and on a pancake kick – as in pancakes all day everyday for breakfast AND dinner.

Pancakes are so easy because it’s just one bowl and the kids love to help with the mixing. Sweet potato and mochi go together really well in dessert form, so I thought it’d also make for a perfect pancake!

ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup mochiko flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sweet potato, mashed
1 egg
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon melted butter

Mochiko is a fine rice flour, and what gives mochi it’s familiar ‘chew’. You can find it in Japanese markets or online. I use it in lots of desserts and savories and it’s a very fun and versatile ingredient.

Start by roasting your sweet potato. Prick it with a fork and place it on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for one hour. When it comes out the skin will peel off easily. Mash it with a fork or a masher and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, mochiko flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon.

Add the mashed sweet potato, egg, milk (you may not need all of it depending on the consistency!), vanilla and butter. Stir to combine, making sure all the flour is dissolved. If the mixture is a bit thick, add a little more of the milk.

Ladle the batter into a hot pan (how to make perfect pancakes, here). When bubble form, flip them over and cook until done. Darth Vader totally photobombed this shot. I think he loves pancakes. Evil pancakes.

The sweet potatoes add a nice flavor to the pancakes and together with the mochi, you get a nice hefty chew. I make an extra batch of these and freeze them for mornings when the kids DEMAND hot pancakes and I am still wiping the sleep out of my eyes. A few minutes in the microwave and they taste just as fresh as the day I made them!

Sometimes I build entire meals around side dishes. This salad is fresh and crunchy and a great accompaniment to Root Beer Pulled Pork, a great summer meal. What. It’s still winter? Phooey.

ingredients:
1 bag broccoli slaw
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Juice of one lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
Salt
pepper

Sure you could make your own slaw, no biggie, but since I happened upon this bag from TJ’s I went for it.

Combine the brown sugar, mustard, lemon, olive oil, sesame oil and cider vinegar. Toss with the slaw, season with salt and pepper.

This is a great quick dinner that you can throw together in the morning and come home to without a care in the world. Warm and flavorful, you’ll look forward to dinner being fully prepared!

ingredients:
8 chicken thighs
1 onion, chopped
6-8 tomatoes cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
14 ounces chicken broth
1 cup water

Fresh tomatoes straight from the garden make a world of difference. I know not everyone has access to that – but wow, the flavors are amazing. Luckily a little Fairy dropped off an abundance of them on my doorstep.

Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the crock pot. Add the diced onion, minced garlic and then the tomatoes.

Sprinkle the onion powder, salt, pepper and oregano on top.

Pour the chicken broth and the water along the side of the crock pot wall, carefully not to disturb your spices too much.

Cover and cook and low for 8 hours. Serve this over rice.

The smell of this cooking all day will fill your house with deliciousness. My kids love the fact that the chicken is so soft and moist. A great meal with virtually no prep or clean up!

This is the simplest recipe and the best for a party appetizer – it just adds a little something extra to plain ol’ edamame. It’s not that spicy trust me – from someone who doesn’t care for spicy things – but you can always adjust it to taste.

ingredients:
1 package frozen edamame
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Ichimi Togarashi
1 teaspoon sugar

Ichimi Togarashi is a dry Japanese chili pepper – you’ve probably seen the little red topped bottles in more ramen restaurants next to the salt and pepper. it’s a shakeable condiment that you can find in Japanese grocery stores.

In a small bowl combine the salt, ichimi togarashi and sugar. Stir well and set aside.

Boil edamame according to package, drain. Blot them dry with paper towels, just a bit – then sprinkle the seasoning on top.

Serve it and act like you worked really hard to make it.

You know who the real winner of the Fried Chicken Face Off, was? The CORN SALAD. I wanted to make ‘light’ side dishes so as not to compete with the greaz-i-ness of the fried chicken. This corn salad was perfection. Adapted from an Ina Garten recipe – per the usual, it was fantastic. Minimal ingredients, AMAZING flavor.

ingredients:
4 cups of cooked corn (cut off the cob)
1/2 cup red onion, diced small
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

In a small bowl combine the cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and basil. Whisk to combine.

In a large bowl toss the corn and red onions with the dressing.

That’s it? YES THAT’S IT. So simple, you won’t believe how great this tastes.

For Mother’s Day we had a ‘Rib Taste Test.’ Everyone brought ribs from different restaurants and we decided who’s cuisine reigned supreme.

O.G. insisted that we cannot live on ribs alone and that I needed to bring a side dish. So I made these potatoes, which of course she refused to eat because she was ‘full of ribs.’ (I forced her to try one later. She loved them.)

ingredients:
6 potatoes
One slab bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

First I bake the potatoes like I always do. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a baking sheet with a wire rack on top.

Wash the potatoes, dry them – rub them with olive oil and some kosher salt. Place them on the rack on the baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour.

While the potatoes are baking, slice up and fry your bacon – crumble into small pieces and set aside.

When the potatoes come out, let them cool for about 10 mins. Slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the inside of the potatoes.

Now, I like to leave a little protective ‘shell’ of potato when I do this, it holds the filling a little better. It kinda looks like a shoe…

Put all the scooped out potato into a large bowl. Add 3/4 of the crumbled bacon, the 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, butter and then season with the salt and pepper.

Mix it together well, I like to use a masher. It keeps it smooth but doesn’t cream it into oblivion. Now scoop the filling into each of the ‘shells’ and put them on a lined baking sheet.

Let’s go over the top now. Are you ready? On top of the stuffing, add the leftover bacon and the 1/4 cup of cheese evenly on each potato.

Put them back in the 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then you’re ready to serve.

You’ll get a nice warm, crazy delicious side dish….OR for extra excitement, serve this as a MAIN dish with guacamole and salsa. Trust me. It’s the best.