Baked Potato Salad

With spring finally showing up here is Nebraska this weekend, and summer just around the corner in other parts of the country, this weekend just begs for a cooking out. We love grilling out when the weather is nice, and this baked potato salad is a favorite in our household as a side for anything grilled.

Chef's Day Off #9

This week's featured recipe on Chef's Day Off comes from Evelyn over at My Turn (for us). Having lived in Texas for five years, I am very familiar with Tex-Mex food. Her Beer Braised Beef Taco Boats are the stuff Tex-Mex dreams are made of. Beef, roasted tomatoes, and beer....let's do this!!!!

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is an easy to prepare dish originating from the Middle East. It is served as a common part of everyday meals as both a dip for vegetables or as a spread with pita bread. The ingredients used in this dish are very common, and the preparation of this dish is something that be be done in just a couple of minutes. The ease and speed of this dish makes it ideal for when unexpected guests drop by.

Chef Day Off #8

This week's featured recipe on Chef's Day Off comes from Leia over at Latitude Adjustment.   Her Ham and Chicken Calzones remind me of one of our favorite foods--pizza. As she mentions in her post, a calzone is basically a stuffed pizza, and her recipe can be easily modified to suit individual tastes. Looks like today is a calzone day. Works for me!!!

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Pear Crumb Pie

So I have a confession to make. My family and I are a bunch of math nerds, so there was no doubt as to what my post for today was going to be. Today is March 14, also known to some people as Pi Day. Pear Crumb Pie for Pi Day. It's a match made in Heaven.

Chef's Day Off #7

This week's featured recipe combines my wife's favorite ingredient (chocolate) with one of my favorites (chocolate), then stirs in those little chocolate mint candies. I could only be talking about the Triple Chocolate Mint Cupcake Squares from Pamela at Pamela's Heavenly Treats. These look absolutely delicious and so easy to make.

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Chicken Milano

When it comes to cooking, I would have to say I cook more Italian food than anything else. Italian food, like American cuisine, is very diverse. Fresh salads, light pastas, creamy risottos, and beautiful tomato sauces are all part of the Italian experience, but this dish would have to fall under Italian comfort food. I mean, chicken breasts, topped with smoky ham, smothered in Alfredo sauce, and baked until lightly browned and bubbly. What else would you call it?

Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad w/Grapefruit Vinagrette

Salads are a staple in our house, but sometimes we get bored with the standard lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. This salad uses cooled roasted vegetables as well as fresh greens and juicy grapefruit. The addition of radish provides a little crunch and a tangy flavor.

Chef's Day Off #6

For this week's day off, I feel like being lazy. Sometimes I just need to sit back, relax, and enjoy a little time with the family. But we still need to eat, so this Herb and Onion No Knead Bread from Joy over at Yesterfood is perfect for a lazy day. A few minutes mixing, 45 minutes of rising time (just long enough for an episode of Psych), and an hour in the oven (time for another episode) for made from scratch yeast bread. Sounds like a good day off to me.

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

This morning I woke up and came downstairs to find five bananas that needed to be used immediately or thrown away. Since everyone else was still asleep, I decided to wake them all with the smell of banana bread baking in the oven. Sure enough, thirty minutes later my wife and both kids came down the stairs, sniffing out the wonderful smells coming from the oven. The hardest part was making them wait for the bread to cool off enough to cut it without burning myself.