the best potato salad

There are approximately a bajillion of recipes out there for potato salad. This recipe cuts back on a handful of mayo, discards most of the egg yolks, and adds a twist with the green onions to amp up the flavors. For hard-boiled egg haters-- just give it a chance! T HATES hard-boiled eggs with a passion and the first time he had this salad I kept that little ingredient a secret until after he expressed his love of this version of potato salad...and when I broke the news to him he wasn't even angry, he still loves this potato salad and reports that even the biggest hard-boiled-egg-hater won't notice them!

Ingredients (makes 6 side-servings):
10 small potatoes
6 cornichons
6 green onions
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
2 tbs dijon
1 tsp paprika
sprinkle of salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Cut potatoes into eight equal pieces. Boil, covered, in a pot of water for 20 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork. Add eggs to the boiling water for the final 12 minutes.   

2. Strain and let potatoes cool in a large bowl for about 15 minutes. Place the hard-boiled eggs in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes before peeling.

 3. Chop green onions and cornichons and add to the bowl of potatoes.
  

 

4. Peel the hard-boiled eggs, discard 3 of the egg yolks (this is Erin's favorite part), chop and add to the bowl.

 

 

 

5. Add mayonnaise, dijon, paprika, and a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Mix gently to fully coat all ingredients.
 

 

6. Cover and let chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving!

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early summer brussel sprouts & corn

One of the best feelings happens when you throw a bunch of ingredients you like and have on hand together and it actually works out, for once. I got one of those great feelings last night when I made this early summer brussel sprouts & corn sides, which is now one of my absolute favorites and a new go-to side dish. Perfect for a summer cookout, an elegant evening in, or just one day of the week.

Ingredients (for 2 veggie-loving adults, or 4 side-portions):
1 lb brussel sprouts
2 ears of corn, kernels freshly cut off of the cob
3 tbs olive oil, divided
1/2 lemons-worth of juice
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt & pepper 

Directions:
1. In a large pan heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium-high heat. Cut brussel sprouts in half and add to pan.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and generous pinches of salt & pepper.  
 

2. Shake and stir to coat, continue to shake every so often, to enable a caramelized sear but not an over-cook on one side.
 

3. After about 10 minutes (adding more olive oil as needed), when brussel sprouts are browned, soft on the outside, but a bit hard n crunch on the inside, add fresh corn kernels to the pan.
 

 

4. Drizzle 1 tbs olive oil over the corn, sprinkle with more salt & pepper and stir & shake to fully mix.
 

5. Cook altogether for another 5 minutes, until corn is warm but pops to the bite.
 

 

6. Serve warm & enjoy!

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caramelized chicken wrap

I like to put honey, rock salt, and garlic all over my whole roasted chickens to make a supa crispy blackened outside. Not having a whole chicken on hand (shucks), but craving this combo, I decided I would settle for a whipped up caramelized chicken wrap. Turns out I didn't settle and this was aaaamazing.

Ingredients (for 5 tortillas-worth inspired by this recipe):
1 lb organic chicken breast, sliced
1/4 cup honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbs olive oil  
rock salt & pepper
1 cup water, divided
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
1.5 cups rice pilaf
5 tortillas
Creme fraiche for topping

Directions:1. Cut chicken into slices and place in a bowl or a ziploc bag directly. Add honey, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and rock salt & pepper. Mix and stir to coat. Transfer to a ziploc bag or cover with clingwrap and place in fridge for 20 minutes.
 

2. Heat a pan (or this nifty pan that lets liquid pool in the cracks) over medium-high heat.
 

3. Add chicken and marinade to the pan, squeezing every bit of marinade out onto the pan. Let cook over medium-high heat while marinade bubbles underneath and browns the chicken until dark (shown in last picture of this instruction).

 

 

 

 

4. Add 4 tbs water to the pan to sizzle and stick the sauce to the chicken.  Cook until water is gone. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm, but let breathe to not overcook while sitting.
 

 

5. Add tomatoes to the pan over medium-high/high heat. Add remainder of water to the pan and shake to coat. Cook until tomatoes begin to squish and split, about 10 minutes.
 

 

6. Add squished tomatoes to the chicken plate, arrange wraps in the order of tortilla, rice pilaf, chicken, tomatoes & a dollop of creme fraiche.
 

 

 

 

*Of note for leftovers: chicken and rice saves well in the fridge, 

tomatoes & creme fraiche do not*

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tuna pasta salad

Growing up my mother would always make tuna pasta salad as a summer side. Eventually I learned this dish would be a perfect main component of a meal, any meal...and yes I've eaten this multiple times for breakfast. With a hands-on time of maybe 10 minutes, this dish is one of my top 5 dishes of all times, and it cuts corners and cheats and I still love it and always will! If you decide to make this, please please please let it cool in the fridge for as long as you can wait, because it really tastes disgusting when warm.

Ingredients (enough for 8 as a side dish, or 4 as medium bowls for a main dish):
1 lb small pasta of choice (I used elbows)
9 tbs white vinegar
2 envelopes dry Italian dressing mixture (I used Good Seasons)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbs dried parsley
1 tbs dried basil
2 cans tuna

Directions:
1. Cook pasta until just past al dente. Set aside.

2. Combine vinegar, salad dressing, and mayonnaise & mix until blended.

3. Gradually add oil while mixing.
 

4. Add dried parsley & basil. Mix again.

 

5. Add tuna and mix again to fully coat and flake tuna into smaller bits.
 

6. Pour 1/3 of pasta into a large tupperware, top with 1/3 of tuna mixture and mix to coat fully. Repeat this pattern two more times until all pasta is well-coated with tuna mixture.
 

7. Pop in refrigerator until cooled off (at LEAST 1.5 hours) before enjoying!
 

 

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early fourth of july bbq

Growing up in the middle of nowhere, my town used to put on a fireworks show a week or so before July 4th (due to fearing the residents would go to a larger fireworks show in neighboring towns instead of ours). In honor of this ritual, we celebrated with a BBQ.

The evening began with some Pimms and cheeses. We continued with hot dogs, cheeseburgers, veggie burgers, potato salad, cole slaw, and garlic basil corn... the usual June 23nd pseudo-July-4th-BBQ spread. We wrapped up the evening with strawberry shortcake and called it a night after relaxing under the lanterns. Looking forward to the real July 4th filled with sparklers and a quiet night in.

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