A great way to use up leftover ham, especially if it's been in the freezer. My version of ham salad keeps the mayonnaise to a bare minimum, just enough to bind the ham, sweet onion and celery together, highlighting that coveted smoky ham flavor. For anyone who still has Easter ham – or Christmas ham?! – in the freezer, get it out to thaw asap. Ham salad's on the menu.

A taste of summer sunshine, the Finnish classic recipe for "summer soup", in Finnish that's kesäkeitto (kesä meaning summer and keitto meaning soup). Traditionally, Finnish Summer Soup's milky broth is packed with the season's first tiny garden-fresh vegetables: sumptous, that tradition. Me, I make Finnish Summer Soup all summer long with all kinds of vegetables: we lap it up, one potful after another.

A simple but magical combination of sour cream, cream and lime, a homemade DIY version of Mexican crema, the sour cream-like sauce for tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, eggs, even the tops of soups. In our kitchen, Lime Crema is a staple, like ketchup and mustard. We add a tiny dollop to everything, well, not everything, not to hot-fudge sundaes, say, but pret' near everything else.

Homemade bread with a kick, just a touch of salsa and spices. Makes great sandwiches, toast and fry bread. The reddish color is really pretty. And that little kick? Totally unexpected!

A simple sweet 'n' frothy mix of summer strawberries and milks, something creamier and more strawberry-y than a strawberry smoothie, something akin to a strawberry milkshake. Just five ingredients!

What a Match!
The day has finally arrived! Last night I "flipped the switch" and Kitchen Parade's Weight Watchers recipe page is now sorted by Freestyle points!

Another Concept Recipe, Make It Your Way
A healthy grain salad recipe that starts with red quinoa (don't worry, regular white quinoa works too, so would another grain), a few vegetables for crunch, a sprinkle of fresh herbs for brightness, a handful of feta cheese for creaminess, all tossed in an easy vinaigrette. This will be my go-to salad for the summer, protein-packed, fiber-good and eminently variable. But make it your way, it's a "concept recipe" — easily adapted to what you like, what's seasonal in your world, what you have on hand, what sounds good to you!

A simple three-ingredient substitute for Baker's Joy, the baking spray I've relied on for many, many years. If you've got cake plans for Easter, give this easy mix a try. Join me in ditching the Baker's Joy! ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~


No Sugar. No Cornstarch. No Bittersweet Chocolate. No Baker's Joy. No ...In a rush of baking last week, my usually well-stocked pantry failed me. At every turn, some critical ingredient was in short supply ... or entirely o-u-t out.Some substitutes came easily. Brown Sugar. Potato Starch. Baking Chocolate.But a good substitute for Baker's Joy left me stymied. A double batch of Spiced Honey Cake batter was already mixed and I well remember that even with Baker's Joy, some times the sweet cake is finicky to release. I had little confidence that even an extra-good rub of butter and flour would be enough.

What a chili! It's full of protein and colorful vegetables and beans plus warm chili spices! It deserves fame among those who follow the Weight Watchers freestyle program: every single ingredient is "free" and so this is a zero-point chili! So good! ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~


This recipe has just been updated! It's an example of a recipe which deserves a new look, thank you Weight Watchers Freestyle. Plus it's a (slightly? I hope?) humorous look at my long-time love affair with frozen vegetables.
Circa 2004: Frozen Vegetables Were a "New" DiscoveryIt’s silly, perhaps, but only recently did I discover frozen vegetables. For too long, unless a vegetable was fresh, it wasn’t worth serving.The transformation happened over a simple supper when a friend served steamed green beans topped with a little butter alongside chicken and rice. Simultaneously sweet and salty, the beans tasted so good – when I learned they were frozen, call me hooked!Now I regularly …

A New Master Recipe
The one salad dressing I make week-in and week-out, just one "recipe" but never the same twice. That's because it's a Master Recipe that invites creative adaptations to match your own family's taste and what's on hand. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~