I love the Fourth of July probably for the same two reasons most of America loves the holiday: days off work are awesome and barbecues are even better. I’m sure day-drinking summer beers is high up on the list as well. There are so many great barbecue side dishes that it’s hard to play favorites, but one that I always look forward to is coleslaw.

You’re probably thinking, “She just got us all hyped up about barbecues to bring the discussion to… coleslaw? Really?” Think about it though, it’s not only a side dish, but also a topping for burgers and hotdogs fresh off the grill. Versatility at its best. I’ve had some poor luck with homemade coleslaws, mostly because fast food chains have spoiled coleslaw for me with their little plastic cups of goodness probably loaded with preservatives and other fast food chemicals used to make things delicious.

I’ve never let failure stop me before so I kept searching until I found a barbecue-worthy coleslaw. And I did! This coleslaw is simple, crunchy, slightly sweet with a bit of tanginess. Enjoy it on your plate, on your burger and in your stomach this Fourth of July.

Coleslaw

 

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Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ½ white onion, grated
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons celery seeds
• 1 small head cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, grated onion, apple cider vinegar, sugar and celery seeds. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot then toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at least 1 hour before serving.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

I promise these are real mashed potatoes. They aren’t secretly pumpkin cupcakes or some bizarre looking vanilla cotton candy. It’s April 24^th, not April 1^st. There is, however, a surprise to these mashed potatoes. They don’t taste like any mashed potatoes you have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Sometimes expanding our tastebuds into unfamiliar territories is a good thing. This is one of those times.

When contemplating what to serve with Tuesday’s pacific halibut foil packets with shiitakes and snap peas I could only think of my two asian food standbys:  rice and noodles. Both seemed like fine, but very boring, options for a dish with a light and thin sauce. There was one comment on the original recipe that mentioned serving it with mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes and asian cuisine? It certainly seemed like an odd combination so of course I knew I had to try it.

The humble potato is pretty bland on its own and tends to take on whatever flavor profile it is intertwined with, usually butter, milk and salt for the purpose of mashed potatoes. Mimicking some of the asian flavors in the fish dish would, hopefully, provide the perfect complement. And it did! Success! These mashed potatoes were so uniquely tasty and I can’t wait to serve them with stir-fries, sesame chicken or even to jazz up a meal of simple grilled chicken.

I kept the side dish as healthy as one can when we’re talking about mashed potatoes by substituting Greek yogurt for the usual milk or cream. The potatoes are creamy with a strong nuttiness from the toasted sesame oil. Give it a shot and let your tastebuds venture into delicious unfamiliar territory.

Asian Sesame Mashed Potatoes

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
• 4 ounces plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes in a large saucepan for 30 minutes, or until they are very tender. Drain the potatoes using a colander then place the cooked potatoes back in the pot.
2. Mash the potatoes very well then add the Greek yogurt, butter, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mash again until the potatoes are well mixed and fluffy. Adjust sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top and serve hot.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Asparagus has always been one of my favorite vegetables, even when I was a picky little kid. Everyone always loves the tops, which for some reason are my least favorite part. My dad doesn’t like the stems so sometimes we swap. Just like how Matt’s favorite Starburst are the red and orange, while mine are the yellow and pink. You can’t force these things. Only fate can cause the food stars to perfectly align.

My favorite way to cook asparagus is to roast them. It is incredibly simple and I am all about ease of preparation, especially on weeknights, but more importantly roast asparagus are delicious. They are tender, yet crunchy, have a slight char, and they soak up all the flavor from the olive oil and seasonings.

You might be nodding your head and thinking, “Yeah, roast asparagus are the best! They are so tasty there’s nothing in the world that could make them taste even more awesome!” But, my friends, you need to go one step further.

Prosciutto. Salty, delicate prosciutto makes everything better. Especially when it’s blanketing a spear of roast asparagus. I’ve had prosciutto wrapped asparagus a variety of ways, but I’m really digging this crispy version. The prosciutto is wrapped on the raw asparagus before being broiled to crispy perfection.

Served warm or cold, these are right on par for your next gathering this spring. Easy to make and so tasty everyone will be fighting over vegetables. What’s better than that?

Crispy Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Place an oven rack about 5-6 inches below the heating element then preheat the oven to broil.
2. Lay the asparagus on a baking sheet then toss with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Wrap each stalk of asparagus with a slice of prosciutto. Take 1 piece of prosciutto and wrap it tightly around the asparagus stalk in an upward spiral starting at the bottom of the stalk. Repeat for the rest of the asparagus.
4. Spread the wrapped asparagus out on the baking sheet so that none of them are touching each other. Broil the asparagus for 3 minutes, flip the asparagus, then broil for 3 more minutes. The prosciutto should be crisped and lightly browned.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

This post was originally published on 4/10/2014. It was updated with new photos and content on 4/19/2019.

At Thanksgiving a while back there was a baked spiral ham that was served alongside Pineapple Bread Pudding. At first I was nervous as I’ve always had bread pudding exclusively as a dessert. Two servings later I was completely hooked. Fast forward to five years later and this is hands-down still my absolute favorite dish to eat with baked ham.

Bread pudding as a side dish? Sure it sounds strange, but after one bite you will be saying, “I can’t believe I ever ate baked ham without this!” Except it will sound like, “Om nom nom nom,” because when something is this delicious you don’t have time for things like manners and not talking with your mouth full. But try to keep it classy, you don’t want grandma giving you the stink eye at the dinner table.

As a lover of sweetness, carbs and all things delicious this Pineapple Bread Pudding is right up my alley. I chose to use challah bread because there is a richness and subtle sweetness about challah bread that is a result of its higher egg and butter content, which stands up perfectly with the pineapple. My favorite part about making this recipe is that there’s only five ingredients. Five! It can’t get more simple or easy to make than that.

I am at a loss as to how else to describe this amazing dish because just thinking about this pineapple bread pudding is making my head cloudy with desire. So let’s just get right to it.

I could eat this Pineapple Bread Pudding every night of the week. I can’t think of anything I would rather eat with baked ham. I think it also might be good as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Go make this now.

Pineapple Bread Pudding

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• ½ loaf challah bread, about 5 thick slices
• 4 large eggs
• 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ¾ cup sugar

Directions

1. Cube the challah bread into 1” pieces. You should have enough pieces to fill a 9” x 9” baking dish. Place the bread in a large bowl and let sit uncovered for at least an hour. You want the bread to get a little stale so that it stays firm when you add the liquid.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray a 2 quart baking dish and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and then combine with the can of crushed pineapple, melted butter and sugar. Once combined carefully mix in the bread cubes until coated. Spoon the entire contents of the bowl into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

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Lauren Uncategorized 6 Comments

Many people extol the wonderful qualities of winter. They argue that warm winter fires, cozy blanket couch snuggling and glistening snowflakes are romantic and special. Well as someone who lives in a fireplace-less apartment that Matt keeps at a snuggie required temperature year round I argue, what is so romantic about an extra-long work commute on a sandy, dirty snow-covered road?

Yes, I know, January just started and I’m already complaining about winter. January gets me a little down as my favorite holiday of the year is over and there’s nothing to look forward to for the rest of the season. Besides Valentine’s Day, my anniversary, skiing, creamy winter mac and cheeses… but hey, I’m busy complaining here! Sometimes I need a little burst of summer to get me through these long dark days. Aside from actually seeing the sun before and after work, what really gets me thinking about summer are summer vegetables. And french fries, mmm french fries.

Voila! Baked zucchini fries. These fries will have everyone gobbling their vegetables like they’re, well, eating fries. The subtle flavor of the zucchini is amped up by the seasonings in the crunchy coating. Served alongside special sauce these baked zucchini fries may just be habit-forming. My mom used to call it fish stick sauce, but I think special sauce sounds a little more appetizing and versatile. Special sauce is also fitting as it has special powers that include getting kids to gobble up their fish sticks and vegetables. So make these fries and bring some summer to your winter.

Baked Zucchini Fries with Special Sauce

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

for the zucchini fries

• 1 large zucchini
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper

for the sauce

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons ketchup

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Lightly coat a cooling rack with cooking spray then place on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Set aside.
3. Cut the zucchini into 3 inch sticks.
4. Place the olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.
5. In a separate small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and seasonings.
6. Working one zucchini stick at a time, dip the stick into the olive, coat in the breadcrumb bowl then carefully place on the prepared cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining zucchini sticks.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
8. While the zucchini fries are baking, combine the mayonnaise and ketchup. Serve the zucchini fries warm with the special sauce for dipping.

Notes

Zucchini is naturally a soft vegetable when cooked so don't expect a sturdy fry, just one with flavor and an outer crunch.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments