Potato salad is a classic side dish that is perfect for BBQ’s, potlucks, and more! I took the classic potato salad up a notch with this Cajun Crispy Smashed Potato Salad that has crispy roasted smashed potatoes, a remoulade inspired dressing, and texture from the veggies to make this the side dish of the spring and summer. I partnered with my friends at Tony Chachere’s to create this delicious potato salad featuring one of my favorite spices, More Spice Creole Seasoning which gives the sauce and the potatoes the ultimate flavor boost. You are going to love adding this crispy smashed potato salad into your weeknight cooking and summer entertaining.
Green bean casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish that is a regular at any holiday table. I put a fresh twist on this traditional side that will have even the green bean casserole disapprovers changing their mind. This recipe for sheet pan green bean casserole has roasted green beans that don’t get mushy, a fresh homemade creamy mushroom sauce, and of course gets topped with plenty of everyone’s favorite French-fried onion strings! This updated version of green bean casserole is easy to make, and you are going to love the fresh flavors.
Labor Day is here and it’s the perfect excuse to make all of the yummy food your heart desires! I’ve rounded up some of my favorite recipes that you can make this weekend to host friends and family and entertain in style! I’ve got you covered from main dishes, sides, appetizers, desserts, and cocktails so that you don’t have to think about a thing. Labor Day has never been more delicious!
Coleslaw is a classic summer side dish that pairs perfectly with BBQ, burgers, and more. It’s a simple recipe that couldn’t be any easier to make and with the perfect dressing, it’s a hit every time. Crisp cabbage and a few simple ingredients get tossed with a creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet dressing that will make this your go-to side dish. This recipe for easy coleslaw couldn’t be any simpler to make and you will love having this recipe on hand all summer long.
Summer is almost here which means BBQ and picnic season are quickly approaching. Macaroni salad is a classic summer side dish that is perfect for bringing to a friends house or serving alongside your favorite main dishes. it’s one of those recipes that everyone loves and you truly can’t go wrong with it. I lightened my version up a tad by cutting the mayo with Greek yogurt and reducing the amount of sugar that is traditionally used plus I add a ton of crunchy veggies for texture and flavor. This recipe for classic macaroni salad will surely become one of your new favorite dishes to make all summer long!
Side dishes are arguably the important element for your Thanksgiving table. They complete the meal and no Thanksgiving feels right without a good balance of everyone’s favorites. That’s why I rounded up 20 of my favorite side dishes to help you finish up your holiday menu. These are my picks for the best side dishes for Thanksgiving and I know you are going to love them all.
Thanksgiving side dishes are my favorite. I mean yes, a good turkey or ham is great too, but I’m truly in it for the side dishes. One side dish that always has to make an appearance at the table is classic corn pudding. If you have never tried this delicious and easy side, it’s a must for any holiday table. This recipe for easy corn pudding is going to quickly become one of your family’s most requested dishes every year.
Do you say stuffing or dressing? I grew up saying dressing but I feel like I sometimes I call it both these days. Honestly I don’t care what it’s called, all I know is that it happens to be my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think most people who disagree just haven’t had a good dressing before. This recipe for easy sausage and herb dressing is going to quickly become a staple at your holiday table every year.
I have never met a potato I didn’t like and fries have their own category of deliciousness if you ask me. I love making fries at home because I can bake them right up and don’t have to feel guilty about eating half the pan. I accidentally made the best fries one night for our dinner and knew that I had to create a recipe for y’all asap. We happen to love mediterranean flavors in our house and this blend of spices really take these baked oven fries to the next level. On top of that I created a feta dip that is going to not only become your new favorite fry dip, but your new favorite spread for all of the things. This recipe for Mediterranean baked fries with feta dip is one that you simply must try.
Watermelon is hands down my favorite summer fruit. We go through at least one watermelon a week and I love not only eating it by itself, but also making summer salads with it. Cucumber and watermelon are a classic combo when it comes to summer salads, but I added a few twists to make this watermelon salad really stand out amongst the crowd! This recipe for smashed cucumber and watermelon salad with crispy shallots and an herby vinaigrette is going to hands down become your new favorite summer salad to enjoy all season long.
This post is sponsored by Tony Chachere’s, but all opinions are 100% my own.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I don’t know about you, but I am all about the side dishes when it comes to the Thanksgiving dinner menu. I mean sure, the turkey is great and all, but bring on the sides please! One dish that our family always has at the table is a corn casserole and everyone always goes crazy for it. For this Thanksgiving, I partnered with Tony Chachere’s to bring you a twist on that same classic corn casserole that takes it to a whole new level. I love a Cajun kick for just about any recipe and this recipe for Cajun corn casserole is surely going to become a new family favorite for your Thanksgiving menu year after year.
If you have ever been to a Mexican restaurant, then you have probably seen charro beans on the menu for a side. They are a popular Tex-Mex side dish and one of my favorite side dishes that I like to enjoy. Charro beans are made with pinto beans that get strewed with smoky bacon, onion, garlic, spices, and more to make them extra flavorful and delicious. I started making my own charro beans a few years back and they are so delicious that you could honestly make a meal out of them on their own, you just need a side of tortillas and some avocado. I would 100% be a happy girl to eat these for dinner any night of the week. My charro beans are easy to make, are packed with flavor, and will make the best side dish for any Tex-Mex or Mexican meal that you make at home.
Raise your hand if you are in need of all the easy side dishes right now? I feel like I have been making the same recipes over and over lately and last week I decided I wanted to try a few new recipes to switch things up! I ended up creating a dish with some asparagus that needed using up from the fridge and threw in some peas from the freezer along with some fresh herbs that I had, and the result was so good y’all! It was such a nice change from the usual roasted asparagus that I usually make, not to mention it takes about ten minutes total from start to finish so its kind of amazing. I figured that you probably needed this dish in your life too, you’re welcome. My easy asparagus and peas with herbs pairs perfectly with any protein you might be making and will quickly become one of your favorite dinnertime sides!
Potatoes in general are one of my favorite things to eat. I love them in all forms from baked, roasted, in hash brown form, mashed, as french fries (come to mama), and everything in between. I love that such a humble ingredient can truly be transformed into so many delicious ways. Potatoes are definitely something that I stock up on at the grocery store every week even when I have no idea what I will be doing with them. I almost always find a way to incorporate them into our weekly meals whether it be for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! One of my favorite special occasion potatoes are twice baked potatoes. I am not sure why I haven’t shared my recipe for the best twice baked potatoes with you until now, but the time is finally here and you are going to love them so much!
Greek style rice is simple, but full of flavor and turns out is super easy to make at home too. We eat rice several times a week and I love switching up the type of rice I make depending on the sort of meal I am making. One meal that I cook at home quite often is my chicken shawarma and Greek rice is a must make for a side dish. I started making this recipe at home after moving from Louisiana and when I no longer had access to our favorite Mediterranean restaurant and couldn’t find another restaurant that compared. I tested out this rice many of times before getting it just right, but finally found the perfect combo of flavors! Now my easy Greek rice is one of our favorite rice dishes and I know that you are going to love it too.
Green beans are a staple for a vegetable side dish at our house. There are so many ways to cook them, but I have found my favorite method and no other beans compare. These green beans are the kind of veggie side dish that you will want to make over and over again because they are just that good. We have them at least once a week at my house and eat them like they are French fries, true story! You will not have a problem getting your kiddos or any other picky eaters in your house to eat their green vegetables with a recipe like this. My Garlic and Shallot Green Beans are going to become your new favorite side to serve with almost every meal.
Okay we are sixteen days away from Thanksgiving y’all…can you believe it? Are you already menu planning? We will be heading to Louisiana to be with family, but I am always responsible for a few sides to bring to the table. I like to add some green to the mix whenever I can and while green beans are usually a classic, brussel sprouts make for another great vegetable option! My citrus bacon brussel sprouts are going to steal the show in the sides category and will convert even the non-brussel sprouts lovers in your family!
Holy moly, where has this year gone guys? Christmas is in FIVE days and I am not sure if I am ready or not! My shopping is done, but I just don't know if I am ready for the season to be over and for all of the Christmas decorations to come down. Everything looks so pretty with extra twinkle from the lights and my house always feels so bare when the tree goes down. I am trying to soak up these last days before Christmas and do all of the Christmas things like making tons of cookies, blaring Christmas tunes, and planning out my menu! To me, potatoes are a must on Christmas and my easy potatoes au gratin are always a hit at the table!
Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably have seen some kind of footage from the floods in Louisiana. My husband's family, our dear friends, and thousands more have lost so much in this tragedy that occurred over the weekend. I have been almost feeling guilty about posting my regular food, because honestly it seems kind of silly considering what is going on in South Louisiana right now. But...then I got to thinking that if I was there, I would be trying to feed people because it's what I do, and a good plate of hot food can always make people feel better. So here is a colorful dish that is one of the most delicious things I have ever made, I kid you not. My Easy Skillet Mexican Corn on the Cob is going to bring a smile to your face and to your belly no matter what kind of day or week you have been having.
t's raining cats and dogs here in Texas and the sun isn't supposed to show it's face to us again until Friday...bummer dude. I am not one of those people who likes rain for more than about a day because I crave sunshine like I crave chocolate. I need it for energy, a good mood booster, and I tend to eat healthier when the sun is shining. When it rains, I want comfort food and to stay in my pajamas all day, if I'm being honest. Recipes like these Indian spiced cauliflower steaks save me when the weather gets dreary because it satisfies my need for comfort food while not derailing my diet.
I have a confession, I am not really back into the kitchen yet. This recipe was one I made and shot before giving birth that I had planned on blogging before I went into labor. And I'm so glad I had it on the back burner to have ready to go post baby because last night was my first night back in the kitchen in over a month! Easy dinners are an absolute essential for me right now, especially because Canean has been having to do some of the cooking while I have been in recovery/new baby mode! My spinach, sun-dried tomato, and goat cheese stuffed sweet potatoes are the perfect easy dinner or side and happen to be packed full of nutrients and can be ready without breaking a sweat.
Last year I partnered with the talented ladies of Five Seasons Cooking to photograph and style their delicious recipes for their debut cookbook! After long hours and lots of hard work, Five Seasons: A Guide to Seasonal Cooking was released on September 18th! The result is a gorgeous, coffee tale worthy book filled with amazing recipes inside.
The book is broken down by season using all seasonal and fresh ingredients that you can find at your local market or grocer throughout the year. The recipes are easy to follow, and I have no doubt that it will become one of your new favorite kitchen essentials! Being there to photograph the food, I can attest to the fact that everything in this book tastes amazing. I literally tasted almost every recipe and love them all!
When you marry a man from Louisiana you learn to cook rice...a lot. Growing up Cajun, my husband ate rice with most meals and still to this day it is one of his favorite side dishes. While traditionally white rice was always served, I have over the years, swapped some of that white rice for brown rice as a healthier alternative! On top of that, adding in different flavor components to a rather plain side, keeps things interesting for the both of us! My cilantro and lime brown rice is one of our favorite ways to prepare brown rice and is delicious served alongside your favorite tacos, or with a grilled piece of fish.
Last week I shared my new favorite risotto recipe where I added pesto to the mix. It's a great recipe if you missed it, but the point here is that you almost always have leftovers after you make risotto. Leftovers that are too delicious to get rid of, and one of my favorite ways to use up my risotto leftovers is to make risotto balls! Being that I could dip most things into marinara sauce (mozzarella sticks, pizza crust, crusty bread...okay so I could did anything carb loaded into marinara sauce), my baked pesto risotto balls are the perfect accompaniment to my love of dipping and marinara.
These little balls of flavor are perfect to serve as an appetizer or as a side dish in my opinion. And since the risotto is the real time consuming part and it's usually already made, you can whip up these risotto balls in a flash! Your guests will be impressed, your kids will love them, and you will look like a kitchen genius.
Happy Hump Day! I kinda miss that camel commercial...I haven't seen it in a while. But it always made me laugh even though maybe it really wasn't that funny. There is just something about animals talking that always cracks me up. Maybe it's because I used to secretly wish my pets and my stuffed animals would talk back to me when I was little and used to tell them I would keep it a secret if they did??? Yeah, that's not weird at all. But anyway, the good news about hump day is that the weekend is in sight and maybe you have some big Valentine's Day plans...or maybe not and that's okay too because really the best part about Valentine's Day is having an excuse to eat as much chocolate as you want and no one can judge you! We will be staying in Saturday night to celebrate the big V-Day and will probably end up having my anytime roasted potatoes as part of our menu!
Poor potatoes. They get such a bad wrap. People are all like potatoes will make me fat. And yeah they will make you fat if you smother them with butter and sour cream and cheese or deep fry them in grease. But if you cook them right, they are quite healthy and have lots of nutritional value that your body needs like they can lower blood pressure, contain the vitamin B6 (which is good for all sorts of stuff), contain potassium, fiber...the list goes on. And I happen to be a potato fanatic.
One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is to slice a tomato and eat it all by itself, because for these few summer months tomatoes are at their peak and are so sweet and juicy. I just slice and add salt and pepper, simple as that! They become the perfect snack, or the perfect addition to any meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. My other fave summer veggie are cucumbers that beg to be eaten just sliced with a little garlic salt or Cajun seasoning. My other favorite thing to do with these beauties is to make a fresh summer tomato and cucumber salad that is the easiest side dish to accompany any weeknight meal or summertime backyard BBQ's.
This post is sponsored by Tony Chachere’s, but all opinions are 100% my own.
If you love deviled eggs and a good pasta salad, then you are going to go crazy over this Cajun Deviled Egg Pasta Salad. It takes everything you love about traditional deviled eggs and transforms it into an irresistible pasta salad with a Cajun twist. I used my favorite Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning to give the dressing for this pasta salad a bold kick of flavor that takes this pasta salad to the next level.