Category Archives: Food
delightful pasta salads for summer tables
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
Pasta salads don’t have to be boring, predictable or bland.
There are many variations you can try. Don’t limit yourself as to dressings. If you don’t like Italian dressing, don’t use it. And remember to season the pasta well.
Another thing you need to remember is to rinse the pasta in cold water after it is cooked. This will keep it from getting sticky.
I hope you’ll get out of your comfort zone and experiment a little. Enjoy.
Reasonable recipes for summer suppers
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
If you’re looking for a meal that isn’t labor intensive and doesn’t take up an entire afternoon to prepare, try one of these dishes.
The barbecue chicken recipe may be the best I’ve ever found for this dish. And the marinated cole slaw is a really nice dish to have on hand because it keeps well for several days and complements almost any meal.
The oven roasted potatoes make a change from the go-to versions, and you may be surprised by how tasty the sauteed green beans are.
I hope you’ll give them a chance.
Easy as pie blueberries
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
July is National Blueberries Month, and fortunately for us, blueberries are now available locally, and they are in abundant supply.
They’re delicious by themselves in a bowl, mixed with chopped cantaloupe and sliced bananas as a fruit salad or dropped into a bowl of cereal. But if you want to take blueberries into the dessert arena, feel free to try any of these recipes.
When a blueberry pie or cobbler is taken from the oven, a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top only makes it better. So help yourself.
What to eat when it’s too hot to cook
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
June 21 was the official first day of summer, but the thermometer before that said otherwise.
When it is 95 degrees outside it is summer, and it is much too hot to stand over a hot stove.
So make it easy on yourself and take a break from hot meals. These are the days when cold and light meals are especially appealing.
And it is always a good thing to try something a little different.
Stay cool and eat light.
Quick and easy kiwi fare
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
Kiwi fruit can be found in almost every grocery store, but they are still fairly new to American markets. Originally called Chinese Gooseberries, the egg-shaped fruits were renamed when exported to the U.S.
They can be grown in the South Carolina lowcountry and have their own unique flavor.
Some think they taste like a combination of strawberries and bananas, but we’ll leave it up to you and your taste buds to decide.
The recipes featured this week are long on taste and short on preparation, so they should fit right into summer days.
Enhance grilled meats with marinades
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
If you want to make your own marinades for grilling, it isn’t difficult. Marinades can do a lot of things to improve grilled meats, which can be dry and leathery. The flavors of the marinade don’t overpower the meat, but do help tenderize and keep meats moist.
Make sure the meat is done, but don’t overcook. You know your grill best and the temperatures needed to get the best from whatever recipe you cook.
I hope you enjoy these.
Nuts put crunch into pie crusts
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
If you would like to turn a good pie into a great pie, rethink the crust.
Using these nut-based pie crusts will really jazz up an old favorite. The pecan and almond crusts are delicious with a chocolate or banana cream filling. And pairing them with coconut cream is also a winner.
Lemon meringue pairs well with the pistachio crust, and pumpkin or apple go the extra mile with the walnut curst.
Actually, it’s hard to come up with anything that wouldn’t taste good with nuts… So go ahead and knock their socks off.
Come up with your own pairings. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little with these.
Eat asparagus for your health
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
Asparagus are not just good, they’re good for you. They have vitamin E, K and folic acid and are credited with helping as a conductor of insulin in the body.
They’re a fibrous vegetable, and a serving can fill you up. These are all good reasons to eat asparagus for your health.
But isn’t it nice that something so good for you is delicious.
None of these dishes are really complicated, but they can be served up quickly and pack some punch into an everyday meal.
I hope you’ll enjoy this delicious vegetable.
Takeout Thai made at home
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
If you love Thai food and don’t want to go out, you can still enjoy some of your favorites at home.
If pork isn’t your favorite filling in the recipes for egg rolls and pot stickers, chicken can be easily substituted.
A couple of the best things about Thai food are its special seasonings and unique flavors. If you like your dipping sauces a little hotter, it’s easy to add a few extra red pepper flakes.
I hope you’ll make these dishes among your favorites.
Tasty Spring salads knock it out of the park
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
When the weather begins to warm, we become less interested in hot and heavy dishes and often turn to salads.
The four featured this week are different from each other, but all are healthy and nutritious.
Now that meat prices have gone up, it’s good to have an alternative. I hope you enjoy these recipes.
