Watermelon Radish and Cucumber Salad

This watermelon radish and cucumber salad with red onion and fresh dill is a classic combination of ingredients for serving as a summer side dish. 

Bring this salad to a family barbecue or get together, or serve it for lunch on a hot summer day for a refreshing, cooling, and nutritional dish. 

Roasted Onion Dip with Radishes and Potato Chips

This Roasted Onion Dip will change your mind about onion dip. It's made with slow-roasted onions and garlic and mixed with Greek yogurt. This onion dip is a game changer.

This onion dip is just about the most incredible dip you will ever have. I know there's a lot of hyperbole in that statement, but I stand by it. This onion dip is gooooood! This is not your grandma's sour cream and Lipton onion soup dip (not that there's anything wrong with it).

Thai-Style Coleslaw with Chiles, Mint, and Cilantro

This Thai-Style Coleslaw with Chiles, Mint, and Cilantro is a wonderfully light side dish. The bright flavors in this salad pair especially well with rich barbecued meats and ribs.

The dressing for this Thai-style coleslaw is made with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, coconut milk, and a minced serrano chile. You steep the the chile in the lime and fish sauce mixture before dressing the salad, which mellows the chile yet still preserves its flavor.

Crunchy Iceberg Salad with Homemade Creamy Roquefort Dressing

This crunchy iceberg salad with homemade creamy Roquefort dressing is the perfect first course for a small dinner party.

One of my favorite things to do is have good friends or family over for dinner. While I don't get to do it as often as I'd like, when I do, I love making something elegant, but fairly easy to prepare. This way, I'm not too stressed out when our friends arrive, nor am I stuck in the kitchen.