Winstead Wandering

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Greek Panzanella

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Colorful fresh veggies, tossed with vinaigrette and crispy homemade croutons, make this warm and hearty Greek Panzanella the perfect appetizer, salad, or meal.

Colorful fresh veggies, tossed with vinaigrette and crispy homemade croutons, make this warm and hearty Greek Panzanella the perfect appetizer, salad, or meal.

As much as I love cooking now, I didn’t do much of it when I was growing up. It wasn’t until I moved away to college that I began to appreciate the quality of cooking I grew up with, both from mom and from my stepmom. There’s nothing like bland cafeteria food to open your eyes to how good you had things.

I spent much of that first summer break trying new recipes, and this Greek Panzanella was one of them. It was  so easy to throw together, even with my amateur cook status. Now, years later, it’s still a favorite. The recipe is the perfect fun alternative to the typical veggies and dip found at so many showers and parties.

Colorful fresh veggies, tossed with vinaigrette and crispy homemade croutons, make this warm and hearty Greek Panzanella the perfect appetizer, salad, or meal.

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Easy Holiday Side Dish Recipes

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It’s totally possible to keep your stress level under control and still create a delicious meal. Here are seven easy holiday side dish recipes to help you do just that.

It's totally possible to keep your stress level under control and still create a delicious meal. Here are seven easy holiday side dish recipes to help you do just that.

There’s something about holiday meal preparation that just seems synonymous with stress. Maybe it’s cooking for relatives you only see a couple times a year, or maybe it’s the pressure to create perfect memories on a day that only comes around once a year. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t have to be that way.

You can prepare mouthwatering, memorable meals for your guests while keeping your blood pressure in check. The trick is to choose dishes that are deceptively easy and crowd-pleasingly delicious. All of the recipes gathered here fit that criteria; now searching for the perfect dish is one less thing you have to worry about this holiday season.

Easy Ranch Roasted Carrots

It's totally possible to keep your stress level under control and still create a delicious meal. Here are seven easy holiday side dish recipes to help you do just that.

These are the complete opposite of the mushy, flavorless carrots that are often served at holiday meals. They’re tender but still crunchy. The roasting adds a delightful carmelization, and the ranch seasonings are subtle, but present.

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

It's totally possible to keep your stress level under control and still create a delicious meal. Here are seven easy holiday side dish recipes to help you do just that.

This casserole combines everyone’s favorite baked potato toppings in a hot, cheesy dish of goodness. It’s loaded with sour cream, cream cheese, bacon, garlic, cheddar cheese, and more.

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parmesan and panko crusted baked vegetables

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Green beans and asparagus are coated in crispy bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and baked until tender for a healthy side dish with a satisfying crunch.

Green beans and asparagus are coated in crispy bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and baked until tender for a healthy side dish with a satisfying crunch.

If you’re in the “a vegetable with a few added calories is better than no vegetable at all” camp, you’ve come to the right place. I make my home in that camp.  I’m Head Counselor of that camp. I fly that camp flag with pride.

Today, I’m showing my camp spirit by sharing with you how to take ordinary asparagus or green beans, dust them with flour and soak them in egg, and then crust them with crispy panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. It’s a dish our whole camp can get behind.

When I made this dish, I used a combination of green beans and asparagus, because that’s what I had. The two work well together because they’re of similar thickness, but you could choose to use both or one or the other.

Green beans and asparagus are coated in crispy bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and baked until tender for a healthy side dish with a satisfying crunch.

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pan-fried romaine lettuce {a frugal side dish}

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Pan-fried lettuce…that sounds crazy, right? The idea that you’d take a vegetable traditionally served chilled, a vegetable that’s typically consumed along with an assortment of garnishments designed mostly to hide the flavor, and intentionally heat it, wilt it, and season it only with ingredients intended to enhance it’s natural flavor.

Pan-fried romaine lettuce is a fun and unique spin a boring salad. It's just as fast as gathering all the ingredients for a good salad, but it tastes so much better.

Well, call me crazy, because I love this stuff. It’s such a unique, quick, and inexpensive side dish. The romaine is seasoned only with the garlic-infused olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s pan-fried at high heat, so the romaine gets hot and wilted without losing it’s natural crunch.

You could throw in any spices you like, but I prefer to keep it simple. I tend to crave crunchy, salty foods and, while I won’t try to pretend this lettuce is a substitute for potato chips, it does fill a little of that void.

Pan-fried romaine lettuce is a fun and unique spin a boring salad. It's just as fast as gathering all the ingredients for a good salad, but it tastes so much better.

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no clean-up baked garlic green beans

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These baked garlic green beans are easy, healthy, and delicious. The best part? They only use a few ingredients and you don’t have to dirty any pans or bowls to make them.

Green beans are ranked right up with carrots and bell peppers as one of my favorite vegetables.

I love that they have a crisp crunch and fresh flavor of their own, but that they’re easily enhanced by whatever seasonings you add to them.

These baked garlic green beans are easy, healthy, and delicious. The best part? They only use a few ingredients and you don't have to dirty any pans or bowls to make them.

These no clean-up baked garlic green beans hit all the right notes. The prep and clean-up couldn’t be easier. The beans are tossed with seasonings right on a foil-covered baking sheet, so you have no bowls or pans to wash.

The beans are coated with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper; just a few classic flavors to bring out the fresh snap of the green beans without taking over.

These baked garlic green beans are easy, healthy, and delicious. The best part? They only use a few ingredients and you don't have to dirty any pans or bowls to make them.

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