Grilled Potato Salad

A couple weeks ago my husband’s family had a cook-out and I was clueless what to bring since we are in the 90’s here in Atlanta and I didn’t want to make anything that would spoil in the heat. So, what is summer without a delicious potato salad? Not a very good one! I found a recipe on the Kraft website that looked delicious but it didn’t have any reviews. I rarely will try a recipe from a website without any type of reviews but that recipe just seemed too easy for it not to work. With this recipe you won’t ever miss your normal mayonnaise-laced potato salad. It is extremely delicious and has become a go-to recipe for the summer.

Grilled Potato Salad
adapted from Kraft

Ingredients

2 lb small red potatoes, quartered
1/3 red pepper, halved, seeded
1/3 yellow pepper, halved, seeded
1/3 orange pepper, halved, seeded
3 green onions
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup three cheese crumbles
3/4 cup Italian dressing
Salt

Instructions for cooking:

Heat grill to medium-high heat.

While the grill is heating add potatoes to lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes or just until tender; drain.

Grill potatoes, peppers and onions for 10 minutes or until just browned, turning occasionally.

Place potatoes in bowl. Chop peppers and onions. Add to potatoes with remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Deviled Eggs

Growing up in the south Deviled Eggs were always on the table. They are basically a staple in any meal in the south. My Grandmother made some of the best deviled eggs. I hope I make her proud as I try to make the same eggs.

I made these for mother's day at my in-law's house and I will tell you not a single one was left. They were enjoyed by all!

Deviled Eggs can be made lots of different ways. This isn't going to be so much a recipe as a guide on how to make your perfect deviled eggs.

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

8 eggs
Mayonnaise
Sweet gherkin pickle juice
Salt and pepper
Paprika

Instructions for cooking:

Add your eggs to a pot and cover with just enough water to cover the eggs. Let the pot come to a slow boil and lower heat slightly. Cook eggs for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, drain off water and add cold water to the pot to stop the cooking process.

Once the eggs are cool enough to handle peel off outer shell – careful not to damage the egg. (I cook 8 eggs because one we need a taste test and two I usually end up with a egg that just isn’t pretty enough to serve.) Once all of your eggs are peeled cut the eggs in half gently and remove yolks and place in a bowl.

This is where you will need to gage your other ingredients. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste and a couple or few teaspoons of the pickle juice. I like a nice and smooth consistency so I stir and mash with a fork for a good 10 minutes. I highly recommend taste testing throughout this process to make sure each ingredient compliments each other.

Once you’ve reached the point where you are happy with your mixture add it by teaspoonfuls back into the egg white. Once all are filled put into the refrigerator until ready to serve and sprinkle with paprika.

If you like a chunky yolk mixture you can also chop up some gherkin pickles or any type of pickle and add to the yolk mixture.

Enjoy!

Ranch Broccoli Slaw

This is a great side dish for any cook-out!

Ranch Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients

(2) 12 oz bags Broccoli Slaw (or Rainbow slaw)
4 slices of bacon, crisped and broke into small pieces
½ cup finely shredded mild cheddar cheese
½ cup toasted sliced almonds (slivered will also do)
1 ½ cups ranch dressing

Instructions for cooking:

In a bowl mix together the broccoli slaw, shredded cheese, most of the toasted almonds (but reserve some for topping the slaw) and ranch dressing. Sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours – remember the longer it sits in the refrigerator the better it is going to get. When ready to serve top slaw with the bacon pieces and the rest of the almonds. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Fiesta Rice

Fiesta Rice

Adapted from Vintage Victuals

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice, cooked

1 cup fresh or canned mexicorn (I used canned since this is what I had on hand)

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon corriander1 tablespoon enchilada sauce (left over from the Chicken Enchilada recipe - you can use canned)

3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for cooking:

Combine the rice, the mexicorn, cumin, corriander, enchilada sauce and heat through on low heat. Right before serving add and the shredded cheese, tossing lightly with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Spicy Roasted Potatoes

I LOVE POTATOES!! And one of my all time favorite side dishes is roasted potatoes. Adding a new twist to the roasted potatoes is spice! And let me tell you, these add a punch of spice and is great with any mexican themed meal. I made these with the Margarita Grilled Chicken and they were the perfect compliment.

Spicy Roasted Potatoes
Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Idaho potatoes, cut into roughly equal sized wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cumin
Dried parsley, couple of dashes for color
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions for cooking:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a zip lock bag add potatoes, olive oil, spices and salt and pepper to taste. Close zip-lock bag and shake until they are completely coated.

Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet wrapped in aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside. For extra crispiness, which I happen to love, at the end I turn the broiler on for 2 to 3 minutes. Then I remove from the oven and transfer potatoes to a serving dish. Serve warm.

Warning: These potatoes are delicious but can be on the spicy side. If you want just a little kick cut the cayenne pepper to 1/8 teaspoon and up the paprika to ½ teaspoon. If you aren’t a fan of spice then cut out the cayenne pepper all together – they will still have delicious flavor!

Enjoy!