Category Archives: sides

White Bean and Tuna Salad with Summer Squash Planks

Posted on August 15, 2025 by okieranchwife

 This is a great lunch or dinner dish when you don’t want to cook or heat up the kitchen. And it is wonderful for Shabbat prep.  It has proteins, carbs and fat in a nice ratio and it is a … Continue reading →

Posted in main dish, salad, sides, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lacto Fermented Produce

Posted on June 3, 2024 by okieranchwife

So we are having a bad rainstorm today with marble size hail. Since I can’t be in the garden I decided to do this post I have been thinking about for a while.  I have been experimenting with fermenting for … Continue reading →

Posted in canning & preserving, condiment, emergency cooking, herbs and spices, salad, sides, snacks, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Posted on May 13, 2024 by okieranchwife

I really like making my own fresh cheese. Elsewhere on this blog I have a post on making eastern European Easter cheese. This recipe is an even more simple process and I have made this several times. It is amazing … Continue reading →

Posted in breakfast, condiment, dessert, emergency cooking, peasant cooking, sides | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Spicy Corn Salad

Posted on May 11, 2024 by okieranchwife

This such a great side dish. I found it back in 2019 from watching a cooking series on OETA, Oklahoma’s public TV channels. It is a Nick Stellino recipe. While he cooks mostly Italian food, this is a Tex-Mex style … Continue reading →

Posted in herbs and spices, salad, sides | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Homemade Herb And Spice Mixes

Posted on May 6, 2024 by okieranchwife

No photos on this post. Sorry. Oh okay. But it is not cooking related. This is in my living room with some of my own photos from traveling through Scotland. That was during my previous life. The photos are the … Continue reading →

Posted in breakfast, condiment, cooking tips, crockpot meals, emergency cooking, fish, grill, herbs and spices, main dish, peasant cooking, sides, soup | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hrudka – Eastern European Easter Cheese

Posted on March 28, 2024 by okieranchwife

This is a repost from Resurrection Sunday in 2022. I don’t eat pork anymore so that protein won’t be on my table this year. I’m making my hrudka today. Hopefully there will be some for Sunday. My family is from … Continue reading →

Posted in gluten-free, sides, snacks | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Gallo Pinto with Lizano Salsa

Posted on February 25, 2024 by okieranchwife

This such a delicious rice dish.  Kudos and a hat tip to one of my friends back in the northeast. Almost four years I and a couple friends from up there were on a vacation in the Smoky Mountains of … Continue reading →

Posted in emergency cooking, main dish, sides, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Snake Bean Trichosanthes cucumerina anguina A new plant in my garden

Posted on July 29, 2023 by okieranchwife

When I saw this vegetable in the Baker Creek catalog I was intrigued. It did not disappoint me. The star shaped flowers smell like a very sweet honeysuckle. The vines and leaves have an odd aroma. I’m still not certain … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking tips, gardening, sides | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Spring “Weeds” are here!

Posted on May 4, 2023 by okieranchwife

The Spring “Weeds” are here! Many people run to get the herbicide to spray the heck out of those darn weeds. I run to get my foraging basket to gather as many as I can find to make a wonderful … Continue reading →

Posted in emergency cooking, foraged food, peasant cooking, sides, soup | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Italian Style Potato Salad

Posted on May 5, 2022 by okieranchwife

This recipe started with my quick sale purchases, as most of my recent recipes do. I found the base recipe over at Epicurious but I made it my way. 2 ½ pounds medium size Red Potatoes 5 Tbsp Extra Virgin … Continue reading →

Posted in salad, sides | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment