Easy Greek Pasta Salad [+ Video]

A fresh and easy Greek Pasta Salad just in time for summer! This crowd-pleasing side dish is tasty for backyard barbecues. Curly pasta to trap the dressing is essential, then load it up with a variety of olives, fresh cucumber and more!

This easy Greek pasta salad recipe is all about one thing: the chunks of feta cheese. Yes, I love the chewy pasta, the crunch of the fresh veggies, and the tangy dressing. It’s basically summer in a bowl, colorful and fresh.

But honestly? It’s all about the feta for me. Every time I see someone on the Food Network making a salad with chunks of feta cheese, I vow to stop what I’m doing and immediately follow their lead. And now, you can too.

This is one Greek pasta salad your guests will rave about! It is simply the BEST with your favorite summery grilled meats (find my favorite grilled chicken recipe here) or at any potluck or picnic you are attending.

What’s Needed for Greek Pasta Salad?

The red wine vinaigrette is so simple and flavorful, you can throw it together right before you need it. And it comes together in minutes with just a few pantry ingredients. Save the recipe because you’ll want it on all your other salads, too!

For the Greek Dressing:

• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Garlic
• Dried Oregano
• Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

I love the classic combination of cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and olives. Since grocery store tomatoes can be unpredictable, I go with my favorite brand of grape or cherry tomatoes and slice them lengthwise. I also use red onion and kalamata olives, but you are welcome to substitute your favorite onions and olives.

For the Pasta Salad:

• Rotini Pasta
• English Cucumber
• Diced Bell Pepper
• Sliced Red Onion
• Grape Tomatoes
• Feta Cheese
• Kalamata Olives

The measurements and details for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Greek Pasta Salad

This feta and cucumber pasta salad couldn’t be easier to make! Here are the basic steps to making this simple pasta salad recipe:

Easy 5 Minute Lemon Feta Grilled Asparagus Recipe

Lemon Grilled Asparagus with Feta is a vibrant, flavorful side dish that’s both refreshing and savory! Fresh asparagus spears are perfectly grilled with a zesty lemon dressing, creating a smoky char. Topped with crumbled feta cheese, this dish adds a creamy, tangy contrast to the bright, crisp asparagus.

This easy 5 minute grilled (or broiled) asparagus recipe has a short ingredient list and even shorter cook time, but it’s our kids’ favorite side dish!

Recipe Origins

Remember how I used to be picky? Well, immediately after we had our first daughter we moved to California. California is beautiful, amazing weather (we lived in San Diego) and they have awesome produce. Which is great, unless you’re me and you don’t really care for all of those weird vegetables. Remember, this is the old me, the new me will devour veggies faster than anything else. Anyway, we had dinner at my sister in law’s house and I was informed she was making a really easy grilled lemon pepper asparagus recipe…

Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuun! How in the heck was I going to get out of this one?! We were all going to be eating dinner together in the backyard for heaven’s sake!!!! Wait, there was a dog. I for sure could slip one to the dog. Nope, I already was feeling sneaky and knew I couldn’t pretend to eat something and feed it to the dog without feeling horribly guilty. I was going to have to suck it up. And suck it up I did, and it was good. It was real good. And so began my veggie journey. That day I learned that grilled asparagus is phenomenal and since then I’ve converted my mother who always said asparagus was like a nasty weed growing by an old ditch. And now she even loves it. Booyah, baby!

Ingredients for Lemon Pepper Asparagus

You only need 6 ingredients to make this easy vegetable side dish! The olive oil helps the asparagus get a nice char on it and it also helps the seasonings cling to the asparagus. Here is everything you need:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lemon Zest and Juice
• Asparagus
• Salt and Black Pepper
• Feta Cheese
  • TIP: If you aren’t a feta fan, parmesan cheese makes a great substitute!

The measurements and details for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Buy the Best Asparagus

Buying the best and freshest asparagus doesn’t need to be complicated. We have a few tips that will help you pick the best bundle of asparagus.

First, check the tips. They should be pretty firm to the touch and mushy at all.

Next, check the stalks. They should not be soft or rubbery at all.

Finally, check the ends. Even though we will be trimming the ends off, they are a good indicator of the freshness of the asparagus spears. You don’t want the ends to be woody, shriveled or split.

One more tip for buying asparagus, try to av

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Try this simple and delicious chicken parmesan recipe that will have dinner on the table in no time. With a few shortcuts, you can enjoy the classic Italian dish without spending hours in the kitchen.

One of our go to dishes is this quick and easy chicken parmesan recipe. We’ve found that using crushed croutons makes for the ultimate chicken parmesan recipe!

Secret to the Best Chicken Parm

We’ve tried breadcrumbs, seasoned bread crumbs, panko and seasoned panko and we always come back to our same secret for making the best chicken parmesan recipe. I am pretty sure you’re going to love our way and be hooked forever. Crisp, golden brown chicken perfectly smothered in a light and flavorful marinara and mozzarella cheese that’s been cooked until gooey and delicious, now that’s dinner I want!

I really like to make my own marinara sauce and I’ll include a recipe for marinara here, but if there isn’t time, just go ahead and used jarred. Does it really matter? Nah, but I do think homemade sauce is better.

What is Chicken Parmesan?

Is chicken parmesan Italian? Is chicken parmesan and chicken parmigiana the same thing?

Chicken parmesan is breaded chicken that is then covered in a tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella, parmesan or sometimes even provolone cheese. It’s often eaten over pasta like spaghetti but can be eaten alone or as an entree. Chicken parmesan subs are another favorite and we happen to have a really, really good recipe for it if this quick and easy shortcut chicken parmesan recipe isn’t enough for you.

Chicken Parmesan and chicken parmigiana are the exact same thing.

Ingredients for Easy Chicken Parmesan

The beauty of this recipe is that everything can be made from scratch or everything can be store bought so you can decide how quick and easy you want it be! Here is what you will need:

Chicken Parmesan

• Chicken Breasts: Grab boneless and skinless and then butterfly them and pound them flat.
• Focaccia or Garden Herb Croutons: We grab a bag at Costco and crush them in a ziploc bag.
• Butter and Olive Oil: Used to brown the chicken to golden perfection.
• Marinara Sauce: You can make the recipe down below or grab your favorite store-bought brand. I’m pretty obsessed with Rao’s lately!
• Mozzarella Cheese: We prefer Precious brand or fresh mozzarella, but any mozz will work great!
• Angel Hair Pasta: Spaghetti would also work great.

Marinara

• Olive Oil: used to sauté the veggies
• Vegetables: Small Onion, Carrots, Garlic Cloves, Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce
• Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Bay Leaves

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of

Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff

Our easy Ground Beef Stroganoff features flavorful ground beef, rich mushrooms, a silky cream sauce and a dollop of sour cream! It’s a family favorite recipe!

Ground Beef Stroganoff is one our go-to family meals for when you just don’t want to think. Is anyone else feeling like they’ve made 5 billion meals in 2020? Every day everyone wanted to eat, and not just eat, but 3 meals a day!

AND!! I’m a food blogger!! This is my job! But my goodness, someone feed these people!

Fine, I’ll do it. But I’m making Homemade Beef Stroganoff again because it’s ready in LESS THAN 25 MINUTES!

Ground Beef Stroganoff Ingredients

Despite how luxurious the beef stroganoff sauce tastes, it’s actually made with everyday ingredients you have in your pantry! Here’s what you’ll need to make this ground beef dinner recipe:

• Egg Noodles: We like the texture and flavor of the egg noodles with the sauce but any pasta will work fine.
• Ground Beef: We prefer 80/20 or 85/15 for maximum flavor.
• Onions: a yellow onion works great and dice it small
• Seasonings: Garlic Powder, Paprika, Salt, Black Pepper, Dried Parsley Flakes, Onion Powder
• Thyme: We prefer fresh thyme but if you need to use dried, use 1/2 teaspoon.
• Butter: helps sauté the mushrooms and then mixes with the flour to create a roux for the sauce
• Cremini Mushrooms: sliced thin
• Flour: just regular all purpose flour is all you need
• Beef Broth: creates the base for the sauce, use low sodium beef broth if you want to reduce the salt
• Worcestershire Sauce: adds rich umami flavor
• Sour Cream: adds creaminess
• Fresh Parsley: used for garnish

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Ground Beef Stroganoff From Scratch

You are going to love me when you see how easy this beef stroganoff recipe is! It’s ready in as much time as it takes to boil noodles!

1. Start your egg noodles cooking in salted water.
2. Sauté the onions in a large skillet or shallow dutch oven over medium high heat on the stove top and then add the seasonings. Cook until browned and then drain the grease and remove everything to a bowl.
3. Add the butter to the pan and then add mushrooms to caramelize. Then add the flour and stir for a minute or so to cook the flour taste out.
4. Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire and whisk everything together. Simmer a few minutes to thicken. Add in the sour cream and stir everything together.
   • PRO TIP: You’ve just made homemade cream of mushroom soup and it’s so much better made from scratch!
5. Serve over egg noodles in a large pan and top with fresh parsley.

All of the instructions in complete detail

Easy Ham Dipping Sauces [+Video]

Elevate your next ham dinner with these easy and delicious dipping sauces. From a sweet honey mustard sauce to a tangy pina colada sauce, these sauces will take your ham to the next level.

These are the best easy ham sauce recipes that I’ve ever had.

Oh, Christmas Ham, Oh Christmas Ham, and delicious ham dipping sauces… Who needs a song about a tree when you’ve got the world’s best brown sugar ham?!

My family has this funny way of eating ham, we eat it with applesauce. It is truly delicious. I mean, apples and pork are meant to be together and while many may not do actual applesauce they really should. We always use my mom’s homemade applesauce which is 10x better than any ol’ can. Or we did, until we found these ham dipping sauces.

My cousin, Robyn works as the manager for the LDS Church’s Catering and she is the one that introduced me to these easy ham dipping sauces.

I don’t know what it is about ham, but I just have to have a little sauce to dip it in.

Ingredients for Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

This honey mustard recipe is my personal favorite, which is funny because I’m not a lover of mustard. I tell you what though, it is wonderful with the ham. DELIGHTFUL. You only need 3 simple ingredients:

• Mayonnaise: Duke’s is our favorite brand of mayo, but you can use whatever brand is your favorite.
• Honey: adds natural sweetness
  • PRO TIP: If you want to add a little heat to your sauce, use hot honey!
• Mustard: Just regular yellow mustard is our preference, but you change up the flavor to your liking with dijon mustard, stone ground mustard, etc.

If you end up with extra sauce, this would make a bomb diggity sandwich the next day. The measurements needed are listed in the recipe card below.

Ingredients for Pina Colada Dipping Sauce

The pina colada sauce is most everyone’s favorite. It’s so fun and creamy and pairs so well with the ham! It seriously tastes just like a pina colada and I’m sure you won’t have anyone throwing a fit about a little coconut and pineapple action. Here is what you will need:

• Cream of Coconut: head to the alcohol section of your local grocery store and it will be by the margarita mixes
• Sour Cream: use full fat sour cream for maximum flavor and creaminess
• Crushed Pineapple: make sure you drain it before adding to the sauce
• Desiccated Coconut: has a more fine and powdery texture than shredded coconut and a milder flavor

Again, the measurements are listed in the recipe card at the end o