It's Springtime Pasta Bake

 

Here’s a delicious veggie-loaded pasta bake that's perfect for a springtime meal!  

 

Delicious!

It’s a great dish for the nights you want to go meatless.

 

Broken Spaghetti in Garlic-Butter and Parmesan Sauce

 

Hankering for a big, full bowl of pasta smothered in a creamy garlic-butter and Parmesan sauce?   

 

 

If so, I’ve got a great recipe for you!

 

Creamy Green Chile Corn Pudding

 

This great savory  

side dish is a cross between 

cornbread and a soufflé.

 

Green chiles give this creamy dish a Southwest twist that you can't go  wrong with. 

 

Roasted Acorn Squash with Smoked Paprika

 

When the temperature dips
and the leaves are changing,
it’s time to cook heartier food!

 

An excellent accompaniment to roasted chicken and meats ~ this squash side dish is tasty, not to mention colorful.

 

Slightly Spicy Summer Veggies and Bacon Skillet

 

Turn your farmers’ market pickings into a vegetable stir-fry dish for dinner, it’s as colorful as it is tasty!

 

 

Bill and I both really liked this; just the right amount of seasonings with the extra flavor of smoky bacon. 

 

Fried Cabbage w/Crumbled Bacon and Onion

You’re probably saying, “Really, fried cabbage?"  

I know I did!

We really like cabbage and bacon too ~ just like magic ~ I saw recipes for it everywhere, and knew immediately it was a "must try," with the operative word being bacon!  

Oyster Dressing Mom's Way, Our Thanksgiving Staple

Not all sides are created equal!

This Oyster Dressing is the star on the Thanksgiving table for most us here.  Bill loves it, but turkey is the star to him, probably because of leftover turkey:  sandwiches, ala king, and those big turkey legs.  

Not so pretty, but Oh!  So Good!

We roast one large turkey, a turkey breast and a duck or goose for dinner.  That’s a whole lot of fowl to me!

Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms and Ripe Olives

This is a fabulous side dish of squash that I could actually make a meal of!

It’s fall and squash season again, with spaghetti squash one of the best, due to its unique texture that has a similarity to spaghetti.  

Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad

Light and refreshing, 

this creamy cucumber tomato salad is a hit with any meal!

It’s a classic salad that’s good on its own or served with grilled chicken, fish, pork or burgers or grilled steak. In other words, it’s a tasty side dish that goes for most any meat!

July 4th Best Potato Salad

Bill has probably not met a potato salad he didn’t like, I used to take it or leave it, as in too mushy, too wet, and swimming in mayo. 

Then I made it this way...

Potato salad has been around for many cook outs, a classic for the 4th of July!  The dish has been served since the early 20th century and things haven’t changed much with it.  

A SIDE OF ROASTED REDSKIN POTATOES WITH ONIONS

This isn’t a fancy or complicated recipe...

Flavorful and irresistible, these garlic potatoes are good for any meal of the day.

 
I'm a fan of potatoes made about any way, with the exception of potato soup ~ found something else for dinner when Mom made that years ago. 

Delicious Savory Mushroom Casserole!

No mushroom foraging for me ~ that’s a practice that could kill a person if a mistake was made!  The grocery store is my mushroom source.  

Morel foraging

Mom's Oyster Dressing for Thanksgiving

I’ve posted this before and I'll say it again:  “I would be run out of town if I didn’t serve this for Thanksgiving dinner."

Mom always made this dish at holiday time, for as long as I can remember ~ it's tradition and remains a favorite when I make it now.  If you love oysters, this is for you:  layers of a couple of pints of oysters with the liquor, Club crackers, lots of butter, half and half, salt and pepper, baked till bubbly and browned.  

Fresh Green Beans Cooked to Death with Bacon

I know the trendy sophisticated way is to barely cook green beans so that they have some crunch to them while maintaining their brilliant green emerald-like color.  That’s not my way for an old-fashioned down-home side dish of garden fresh green beans in my kitchen...

I grew up in Louisville ~ I learned to cook fresh green beans the Southern way ~ slow-cooked to death, usually with bacon drippings, a ham hock or bacon like this recipe.  We all know the saying, “bacon makes everything better!”  Pour a little chicken broth in with the seasonings, for a perfect side dish.

End of Summer Potato Salad

I’m fighting the feeling of sunny summertime ending ~ the gradually shortening days of fall returning ~ adjusting to spending more time indoors.  We’re still cooking on the grill and making summer sides, like this dish, for a while yet.  

Potato salad is so versatile, but this one with dill pickles, juice and all, is a favorite for us.  Its loaded with crunchy dill pickles, in a snappy dill pickle juice infused dressing.  This potato salad makes dill pickles the star of the dish!

Great Summertime Fresh Rustic Tomato Tart

This is a tasty meatless 

main dish, side dish, 

or even an enjoyable appetizer, 

using oval-shaped plum tomatoes.

 

The rustic look, for sure!

I use plum tomatoes more in winter-time cooking, when regular tomatoes are out of season, or whenever I make a dish in which I don’t want excess moisture.  They’re the thick-walled tomato that’s synonymous with Italy... 

After Almost 9 Years, it's So Long with a Corn Salad Recipe

It has been almost 9 years, since October 2009, that I started this blog.  That's a lot of posts and I've reached the point where it has become a chore for me, so it's time to say so long.

It has been a great journey, I've learned a lot from all of you over the years and thank you all very much for your support of Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner!  I'm leaving you with a great summer recipe that I hope you'll try...

It’s looks like fiesta time when you serve this spicy corn salad for your crowd! 

Tortellini Salad with Asiago, Peas and Proscuitto

Tortellini was a new food to me when we moved here to the Chicago area years ago ~ it was absolutely love at first bite!

The legend of tortellini is a little amusing: 

Trisha's Potato Salad - Simply the Best!

Sometimes, 

simple is the best way to go 

when it comes to recipes!

When I'm not pressed for time, I like to try more complicated recipes containing a wide variety of ingredients ~ and, I especially like it when they turn out good and delicious.

But, we're definitely not into nouvelle cuisine here. It makes me think of Julia Child's quote, "If it's beautifully arranged on the plate ~ you know someone's fingers have been all over it." It always looks like a still-life painting to me and is too pretty to consume.

That's why I wanted to try Trisha Yearwood's potato salad recipe. It's basic down-home goodness!

CREAMED ASPARAGUS and EGGS OVER TOAST

Spring is on hold for yet another day here; what's with this chilly 26°with snow on the ground, and it's still coming down...

Whatever, it's that time of year ~ Springtime! ~ and asparagus is popping up all over, especially at the grocery store!

Most of the time, Bill and I like it steamed with a little salt and pepper, nothing more or roasted.  Then other times, that all takes a back seat to my creamed asparagus.