Pickled peppers and a few vegetables mix together to become one of those classic sub sandwich condiments. Plus, a few tips for successful pickling adventures this season. I was supposed to share these on Wednesday for the pickling party, but instead, I found myself wanting to sit a bit longer around the dinner table, taking a walk through the neighborhood with the kids and being grateful that I had the opportunity to clean up after all of them. I thought a lot about how I often put off family activities... more

So, I may be a little picky when it comes to salsa. I had one I liked, a “must be refrigerated at all times,” store bought variety. They changed the recipe. Repeat after me: Do not fix what is not broken. I want it to be fresh. I want it to have an afterburn but not enough to make me skimp when loading up the chip. The obvious answer is to make your own. I started about five years ago. It’s worth it, and it’s a relatively easy ordeal, very little actual cooking time,... more

If you saw Ole’s Greek burger post, you may have been left wondering what kind of summer salad you’d pair that with. (I know you were.) It’s not like a regular, ol’ creamy coleslaw would do the trick there. And something about putting tzatziki sauce on your burger doesn’t scream potato salad. It screams pasta salad, naturally. THIS pasta salad. Or something. I was thinking the other day that this would have really looked nice with halved cherry tomatoes and, while... more

A Philly cheesesteak isn’t something to mess with, so we didn’t. Instead, we created our own variety of steak sandwich, topped off with a mound of fresh grilled vegetables and a simple chipotle mayo for a bit of kick. It is the combination we keep coming back to. The vegetables balance the steak and cheese and serve to lighten things up a bit. I even topped mine with some iceberg we had sitting around taking up space to give a little crunch. For these we’re using leftover bacon-wrapped... more

When a man works all day he wants to find some meat on his plate when he sits down for the evening meal (is it dinner or supper?).  With certain meals the meat can be hard to find, for instance, pasta.  Sure you can use a “meat sauce” but I’m usually back in the kitchen a few hours later looking for a snack to take me through until morning.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  I found a great way to bring the meat to the pasta AND use the grill to do it.  Plus it goes together... more