My husband and I went to dinner with friends a couple of weekends ago, and I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY with not only how fabulous the meal was, but with how much the host enjoyed cooking it all. She was so content to chop vegetables and measure ingredients in their open-concept kitchen while I drank wine and watched her in awe, and when she saw the look of pure joy on all of our faces as we bit into the most exquisite piece of halibut we’ve ever eaten in our lives, the look of accomplishment on her face was priceless.
Now, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know cooking isn’t really my thing, but after seeing how easy my gal pal created a meal that was more delicious than anything I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant, I decided it was time I taught myself how to cook.
I feel like I’ve gotten the basics down when it comes to cooking meat and fish, but I’m always stumped when it comes to finding foods to go with them, so I decided to gather some ideas for easy side dishes I can make ahead of time so I’m not scrambling during the dinner hour.
Here are 25 of my favorites!
1. Honey Glazed Baby Carrots (Damn Delicious)
2. Sweet Corn Spoonbread (Southern Bite)
3. Lemon Herb Roasted Potatoes (RockRecipes.com)
4. Bacon Wrapped Asparagus (Gal on a Mission)
5. Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli (Damn Delicious)
6. Mexican Sour Cream Rice (Nums the Word)
7. Black Bean and Corn Salad (Never Enough Thyme)
8. Zucchini Fries with Ranch Dipping Sauce (Yummy Healthy Easy)
9. Easy Creamed Corn (Damn Delicious)
10. Mexican Chopped Salad (The Cafe Sucré Farine)
11. Skinny Broccoli Salad (Skinny Mom)
12. Summer Vegetable Tian (Budget Bytes)
13. Easy Roasted Vegetables (Damn Delicious)
14. Sesame Noodles (Gimme Some Oven)
15. Southwestern Grilled Sweet Potato Salad (Two Peas and Their Pod)
16. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad (RockRecipes.com)
17. Oven Roasted Corn (Hugs & Cookies xoxo)
18. Parmesan and Spinach Orzo (Damn Delicious)
19. Bacon Green Bean Bundles (Spend with Pennies)
20. Garlic Ranch Potatoes (Damn Delicious)
21. Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash (the fit fork)
22. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar & Honey (Kevin is Cooking)
23. Baked Asparagus Fries (Damn Delicious)
24. Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad (Creme de la Crumb)
25. Kale, Quinoa & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad (foföko)
While I may not be the best cook, did you know I spend a lot of time pinning FANTASTIC recipes on Pinterest? It’s true! Check out my Chance of Food board below for some meal-planning inspiration!
