Slaws and salads
The Zen of Slaw. Slaw is slaw, right? Wrong! Cole slaw is the world's best salad. Crunchy, juicy, refreshing with bright sweet/sour/salty/savory flavors, it kicks the butissimo of any wimpy limpy lettuce leaf salad. But more important, slaw is the perfect accompaniment for barbecue. There are scores of great slaw recipes with a wide variety of ingredients, and each recipe can be prepared with a wide variety of techniques. They are easy to make, but like anything else, there are secrets that separate everyday from holiday slaw. Here are some tips on technique to make your salad slawsome.
Adult Creamy Cole Slaw. Not too sweet, this slaw is perfect for piling on top of a pulled pork sandwich Carolina style.
Wonderful Waldorf Slaw. Here's a great slaw recipe with a twist: Inspiration from the famous Waldorf salad.
Thai Cucumbers. One of the simple pleasures of dining in a Thai restaurant is the lovely delicate cucumber salad they serve as an appetizer. The delicate piquance of the mild rice vinegar is a great counter-point to the sweetness of a classic Kansas City sauce. And the best part is that, unlike so many other cucumber salads, there is no oil in this recipe!
Potatoes
The Zen of Potatoes. So versatile, and such a perfect accompaniment to meat. Such comfortable food. Here's what you need to know about the different kinds of potatoes and which ones to bake, fry, and boil.
Mom's Potato Salad. Only better.
Latkes (Fried Potato Pancakes). The most perfect use of potatoes, better even than French fries and hash browns, are potato pancakes because they have the best of both and then some: Mahogany crunchy edges, crispy golden across the midsection, and tender, rich, meaty interiors.
Great Greek Potatoes. Picquant from lemon juice and aromatic from garlic and oregano, this is such a simple recipe you will be cooking it every night.
English Blue Cheese Potatoes. So simple. So quick. So tasty. Why haven't you done this before?
Ultimate American Garlic Mashed. None of that raw garlic harshness, we can teach you a trick to make it sweet and mellow.
Italian Pesto Potatoes. You'll wonder why you've ever made any other potato recipe.
Warm French Potato Salad. Less is more says the old saw, and this recipe featuring olive oil proves it.
Oktoberfest German Potato Salad. Warm German Potato Salad is perfect for tailgaters and fall/winter dining.
Other side dishes
Ultimate Corn on the Cob. This corn is so good, it should be illegal. If you ask me, the best way to cook corn is on the grill, and I have a few tricks that you can use to make the Ultimate Corn on the Cob.
Bourbon BBQ Baked Beans. Three ways to make this classic soooo much better than the stuff from the can.
Bron's Great Cheesy Grits. In the south, where corn is king, grits are it. A grainy corn porridge they are served with breakfast, lunch, and supper. And they make an excellent accompaniment for ribs. Especially cheese grits.
Caramelized Onions and Caramelized Onion Pizza. Mahogany colored caramelized onions are a wonderful sweet savory topping for ribs, chops, steaks, burgers, hotdogs, baked potatoes, your lover. My favorite substrate is pizza dough.
French Green Beans. Quack and easy, crunchy and flavorful, even my Dad ate these and he hated veggies.
Drunken Cranberries. You'll never go back to the canned stuff.
Soused Apple Slices. Apple sauce with crunch? And a kick? Sign me up!
Bread, Butter, and Sage Stuffing. Perfect for turkey, or any old time.
Home-made Boursin Cheese Spread. If you haven't tasted Boursin (TM), you're missing something. It is a spreadable cow's milk cream cheese flavored with garlic, black pepper, and herbs. It's great as a spread on a crusty baguette or on crackers or stuffed into jalapeno poppers. It is also wonderful as a sauce dolloped on a hot steak, asparagus, or in with mashed potatoes.
One-Eyed Jalapeno Poppers. These are great appetizers. While restaurant jalapeno poppers are usually breaded and fried, the grilled version are much more flavorful. And you can remove most of the heat to accomodate wimps if you wish.
How to Boil an Egg. You thought you knew how? No you don't.
...more to come (be sure to subscribe to my free, spam free, email newsletter to be notified when new recipes and other articles come online).
