The Accidental Salad

A bowl of green beans and other vegetables.

Ingredients 2  12 oz packages frozen green beans 1  10 -12 oz package  frozen asparagus 1 package frozen shelled edamame ¾ cup Sesame Dressing (I used the recipe in my cookbook, page 38 – it’s my favorite dressing! There are many others you can buy and keep on hand.) 1 cup toasted almonds ( I toast them in…

Read More

The Best Granola

A bowl of cereal with berries and bananas

Ingredients 3 c old-fashioned oats 1 c chopped walnuts (or pecans, or almonds) 1 c unsweetened coconut flakes 3 Tbsp brown sugar ¾ tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger ¾ tsp salt 1/3 c honey 2 Tbsp canola oil cooking spray 1 c dried fruit – anything you like Directions Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line…

Read More

The California Dessert

Two glasses with fruit in them on a table.

Ingredients 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced 16 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese 4 Tbsp honey 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar Fresh ground pepper 1 – 2 Tbsp fresh chopped tarragon (I guess you could use mint – but it would definitely change the taste) Directions For each serving – add 2 Tbsp ricotta cheese to…

Read More

THE Casserole

A plate of food with meat and green onions.

Ingredients   3 c cooked chicken, chopped *see note1 pkg Uncle Ben’s wild rice mixture1 can cream of celery or mushroom soup 1/2 onion, chopped1 c mayonnaise2 cans (16 oz.) French style green beans, rinsed to get rid of the can taste1 can water chestnuts rinsed and choppedsalt & pepper to taste 2 tsp paprika, optional for…

Read More

The Swor House Baked Beans

A bowl of chili with beans on top.

Ingredients * 28 oz can baked beans, undrained 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained 15 oz can black beans, drained 1 cup frozen lima beans or 15 oz can of lima or butter beans 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained 1 small onion chopped ¾ cup ketchup ½ cup brown sugar 2…

Read More

Three Amigos Salsa

A jar of ketchup and a container with a lid.

Salsa Verde Ingredients 8 tomatillos 1 onion, coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic 2 arbol dried chiles or other mild dried red chiles (about 2 Tbsp) juice of 1 lime 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro 1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp salt (more to taste) Directions Husk and rinse tomatillos. Place in…

Read More

Tiny Cheese Biscuits (with pepper jelly)

Biscuits on a plate with butter and a creamer.

There is a recipe you will adore that makes the best little cocktail biscuits in the world. It was tempting to keep it a secret because I thought it might be a reason people asked me to parties – with the assumption that those biscuit would come along too. But really, who likes a person…

Read More

Tiny Cheese Biscuits (with Pepper Jelly)

A plate of biscuits and butter on the table

Ingredients 8 oz cream cheese (one package) 10 Tbsp stick butter (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp) 1 cup self-rising flour Pepper Jelly Directions Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a ball of dough starts to form (can be done with an electric mixer or by hand). Pat dough into a disk…

Read More

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

A bowl of rice and squash on the table.

Clean your pumpkin, pulling out the seeds. I dumped mine into a colander, removing as much of the pumpkin “guts” as I could. Now here’s the trick that I learned from an old pro: boil them! That’s how you make them salty, crispy and tender enough to eat. Put the seeds in a saucepan and…

Read More

Tomato and Peach Salad with Burrata Cheese

Two ripe peaches on a black table.

Friends, I hope I’m not on a salad overkill with this recipe, but all the produce is so beautiful right now. Our little back yard garden is just magic yielding some new treasure every day. I guess what I’m saying is that making delicious salads is an irresistible thrill this time of year. In the…

Read More