Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

May 4, 2023 Amanda Plott

So… just hear me out. Pickle flavored stuff has kind of become the trendy thing these days and let me just say, I don’t mind it at all. I love me a good pickle. Dill pickle that is. None of that sweet bread and butter nonsense. This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is pretty amazing. It’s light, tangy, and super easy to make too.

I know it might sound a little weird at first, but I promise it’s one of the best pasta salads I’ve ever had. And I’m southern so I’ve had a lot of different kinds of pasta salad. I lightened this pasta salad up and made it a bit better-for-you but first subbing in a whole wheat pasta. I also kicked the sour cream out and used a plain fat-free greek yogurt instead. And obviously a light mayonnaise was the way to go…

Cheesy Tamale Sauce

April 8, 2023 Amanda Plott

I was cleaning out my freezer the other day when I found that my mom had stashed some tamales in there from Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s hard to say which. Either way, I was trying to think of what to do with them outside of my usual go-to which is to serve them with a bowl of chili. Then I started to think about how they serve them at restaurants - which is generally as a main and not a side dish.

Enter this Cheesy Tamale Sauce! It’s easy. It’s cheesy. And you’re going to want to make it for your tamales from now on. You might think this sauce is something like enchilada sauce, but it’s actually very different. It starts out with a roux and builds from there with broth, a lot of seasonings, and finally cheese!…

Broccoli Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

January 7, 2023 Amanda Plott

The russet potatoes are HUGE here right now and I love getting to play around with them to use them as more of a meal than a side, and the bigger ones allow me to do that more easily. I was also really vibing with broccoli and cheese so I thought I’d put the two together. These Broccoli Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes are so big that they could definitely be used as a meal in themself which is basically what I ended up doing.

They also can be made ahead of time and then put through the final bake when you’re ready to enjoy them. I had planned to end up with two servings, but they were so big that I opted to go with twice baked rather than just a loaded potato. So I cooked two up for dinner one night and saved the other two for lunch the next day…

Butternut Squash Salad + Maple Vinaigrette

September 13, 2022 Amanda Plott

Yes, another salad! This Butternut Squash Salad is a little different though since it’s got a lot of fun Fall flavors packed into it and it’s super easy to make. The homemade maple vinaigrette has to be one of my all time favorites, and it’s easy to see why. This salad starts off with a base of greens. I went with a mixture of baby spinach and a spring blend, but arugula would be a good option too!

After that it’s loaded up with oven roasted butternut squash, cranberries, feta cheese, and YES even bacon! The homemade maple vinaigrette might sound strange, but trust me, you’re going to love it. I used a bourbon aged maple syrup, but you can use any kind you want so long as it’s actual factual maple syrup, and not just flavored like maple syrup. Trust me, there IS a difference…

Jalapeno Popper Air Fryer Wontons

September 4, 2022 Amanda Plott

Sometimes you just need a new sort of side dish or snack, or even to take an old favorite and mesh it together with another to come up with something new and different. That’s where these Jalapeno Popper Air Fryer Wontons came in. I decided to keep it simple one night this week with a spiced up homemade tomato soup, and wanted something fun and exciting to pair with it.

My first thought was jalapeño poppers, but I wanted something that I could dip into the soup too if I wanted, sort of how you do with tomato soup and grilled cheese or crackers! So, I settled on these Jalapeno Popper Air Fryer Wontons which are basically jalapeño poppers inside a wonton wrapper to make them perfect for dipping and dunking!…

Salt & Vinegar Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

June 12, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s almost too hot outside here to grill lately. Almost, but not quite. And being as my kiddo is in love with steak right now, it’s become a part of the weekly rotation. Even if a good steak is on the meal plan each week, I like to keep things fresh and new as far as the sides go. That’s where these Salt & Vinegar Roasted Fingerling Potatoes come in.

I got my hands on some local fingerling potatoes recently, the yellow ones are ‘banana’ fingerlings and then I also got some purple fingerlings. Instead of just the usual oil and salt, I took them a step further this time and pre-cooked them in some vinegar. What’s the point of that, you ask…?…