This sweet and spicy coleslaw has plenty of crunch! It’s an unforgettable side dish.

Sweet and spicy flavors are almost always a sure win with my family. However, coleslaw? That has not always been a reason to cheer. A few years ago that changed when we tried this recipe for classic coleslaw.

Since then, we’ve tried some pretty amazing coleslaw recipes. This Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw was eaten down to the very last apple slice and ribbon of cabbage.

The comment “Best Coleslaw I’ve ever tasted” was heard and there were echoes of that from almost everyone at the table. I made this for dinner guests again last night and was thrilled that it turned out so well.

A certain non-coleslaw-loving brother of mine just might have taken the serving bowl back to his chair and finished off every last bit.

Spicy Apple Coleslaw

This was the first apple coleslaw we tried, but it certainly hasn’t been the last.

We’ve been making this Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw and the Cranberry Apple Coleslaw now for several years.

I love adding apples to traditionally savory dishes like these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon or this Blueberry Apple Walnut Salad. They add a terrific sweet bite to the dish and we all love that.

Spicy Coleslaw Recipe

We love spicy flavors and in coleslaw the heat is balanced by the creamy sweet dressing. Mexican Street Corn Coleslaw and Jalapeno Coleslaw are two awesome examples of that.

The Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw includes a couple of ingredients that I wouldn’t have thought to include without inspiration from Chef John.

When I saw corn nuts in the original recipe, I may have stopped and stared. I don’t really even like corn nuts. It just sounded so unusual, I had to try it. And they worked!

Just a couple of tablespoons of crushed corn nuts changes the flavor and texture of the salad from very good to delicious. This is an excellent summer salad that I have made many times over the past few years.

For what it’s worth, the Tabasco sauce doe

Crisp and salty on the outside with fluffy baked potato inside, these Roasted Fingerling Potatoes are a great way to change up the average weeknight meal.

Ah, potatoes. They do so much for us! When it comes to side dishes, some kind of potato is almost always fitting. In my house, potatoes show up on the dinner table several nights a week in every form from roasted to mashed and even smashed.

I love how versatile potatoes are and how they’re equally appropriate to serve to company on a special formal occasion or on a weeknight when everyone’s in their pajamas.

This Fingerling Potatoes Recipe is like that–something about them feels a bit more “special” than your everyday Baked Potatoes (though I do still love baked potatoes), especially when paired with the chipotle garlic sauce. Yet, they’re so easy to make (and loved by my kids) that these roasted potatoes have become a permanent fixture of our everyday meals.

What are fingerling potatoes?

Fingerlings are a  small and narrow type of potato. They resemble stubby fingers in appearance, thus the name. They have a delicate and thin skin that doesn’t need to be peeled and their unique look makes them so much fun to serve!

These tubers are often confused with new potatoes, although they aren’t interchangeable. While new potatoes are potatoes that are small due to being harvested early in the season, fingerling potatoes are fully matured.

Oven Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Fingerlings are much quicker to prep and roast than

Steak bites are a weeknight mainstay of our meal planning rotation. Cajun Steak Bites have just enough kick to please both my spice lovers and less adventurous eaters.

Cajun Steak Bites

Steak bites are crispy bits of steak that cook up quickly and easily on the stovetop. I like to use a skirt steak cut into bite-sized pieces.

When making these bites be sure to not overcrowd your pan. You want to give each piece the chance to crisp up and get browned edges. Overcrowding the pan will result in the piece being steamed instead of browned.

The goal when cooking the meat is to create a crisply browned outside and a lovely pink and juicy center for each piece.

As the meat is cooking, if a piece is slightly larger and has a side that looks like it hasn’t browned, flip to that side again for 20-30 seconds. Take caution not to overcook the steak.

I am often asked if I use inside or outside skirt steak. The truth is you can use either in this recipe. However, if I have the choice I go with the outside skirt.

Outside skirt is usually a bit larger in size and is more flavorful and tender than the inside skirt. Sometimes you just have to go with what is available at your local market.

There isn’t always time to marinate a steak so these tasty bites with a flavorful dry rub are a perfect solution. The juicy bites cook up in minutes and make a complete meal, just add a vegetable.

I served the steak bites with a pan of Roasted Green Beans and Garlic Paprika Roasted Cauliflower, along with some Roasted Red Potatoes seasoned with the same Cajun spices I use on the steak bites.

Cajun Steak Bites Recipe

1. Cut the steak into bite-size pieces, about ½” – ¾” in size. Place the meat in a large b

Asian Cucumber Salad

This light and fresh Asian cucumber salad is our new favorite healthy side dish, complete with a sweet and tangy vinegar dressing.

Earlier this year I was working on an Asian steak marinade and I was playing around with the idea of using black vinegar in it. The final recipe was tested when Cade’s mom came into town and it was a total hit. Without even realizing it though, I’d added black vinegar to the cucumbers instead of the steak marinade that morning. It turned out both dishes needed something a little different than what I was doing and it was awesome!

You can read below for a substitute as we still love cucumber salad with just straight up rice or apple cider vinegar. In fact, we often use both. 

Ingredients for Asian Cucumber Salad

It only takes 7 ingredients to make this simple but refreshing salad recipe. Here is what you will need:

• English Cucumber – I just to just slice them thin by hand, but feel free to remove the seeds if you want
• Red Onion – totally optional but I love the zip it adds, do a fine slice on a mandolin
• Rice Vinegar – mild, sweet and sour flavor
• Chinese Black Vinegar – a dark mild vinegar with a slightly fruity flavor
• Honey – adds sweetness and balances the saltiness and tang
• Sesame Seeds – give them a little toast to enhance the nutty flavor
• Fine Sea Salt – dissolves easily into the dressing and adds flavor

Read more

The secret to this Better Italian Stuffed Peppers recipe isn’t anything crazy, so why does no one do it? I guess it took a hater of stuffed peppers to make the magic happen.

Motherhood with Joy

My friend recently had her little boy in the hospital with a bad case of pneumonia. Anytime a child, especially one that’s still a young toddler ends up in the hospital, my heart lurches into the reality of time and love. It seems only yesterday and somehow a million years ago that I was lying in a hospital fighting to survive along with an unborn baby doing the same thing, but at my own expense. I lack an awful lot in life, certainly when it comes to parenting, but times like these always remind me of one thing, and I hope it will make sense to say it, at least I’m here.

I may not make perfect decisions or respond to situations perfectly, but oh how I perfectly ache to be a good mother. To remember to love them and to strive a little more to extend that love to those outside of my home. As I honor the gift of motherhood I find myself wondering, what is the secret to motherhood with joy?

My friend’s son made it out of a much longer stay in the hospital than expected. She had so much on her plate and could have lost faith in tomorrow, in medicine, even in God, but she continued on, giving all she could muster each day for him.

I guess that’s it. All I can do it strive each day to begin again and remember that though tempted to lose faith in many things, myself, people and the world, God never loses faith in those things. Maybe I won’t end up with adult children that think I was the best mom, but maybe they will think I was trying to love them. Maybe that’s enough. Just to try to love.