We’re definitely into the dog days of summer. Have you been enjoying the weather? For me, this really hot weather almost keeps me out of the kitchen… almost. I’ve held off on turning the oven on most nights the past few weeks and opted to cook out on the grill instead. It’s easy and I love putting together simple, tasty and fresh sides to round out our meals like this Italian Green Bean & Tomato Salad.

Simple Summer Dinner sides are made even more delicious when they come from your very own garden. Fresh and tender green beans along with colorful sweet grape tomatoes are tossed with freshly grated Parmesan and a homemade Italian Vinaigrette dressing in this flavorful salad.

One of the things I love about summer is how easy it is to “eat the rainbow” and get in your daily fruit & vegetable dietary requirements.

But if you don’t have your own garden, that’s no problem! Your local farm stand, farmer’s market or even grocery store should have these summer favorites available this time of year in their produce section.

Start this recipe by preparing the dressing. Add your red wine vinegar, garlic and spices to a blender and combine well. Slowly drizzle in your extra virgin olive oil and store the vinaigrette in a glass dressing bottle or container. Set aside.

Next, trim and cut your beans into thirds and rinse them. Blanch the beans for 3-4 minutes and then remove them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. This gives the beans a bright green color, makes them slightly tender, while still keeping them fresh & crisp.

Rinse and then quarter your grape tomatoes and place them into your favorite glass serving dish.

Add the green beans to the bowl of tomatoes, add the Italian Vinaigrette, the Parmesan cheese and toss well.

Cover the salad with plastic wrap, and let it marinate for at least 2 hours at room temperature.

Bring this dish to your next summer get together or serve it along with your family’s favorite grilled meats for a simple but delicious meal this season!

Enjoy!

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Sometimes when we plan a meal we focus so much on the main dish that the sides aren’t given much thought. As a matter of fact, sometimes side dishes really are an afterthought. As much as I love simple sides, like steamed veggies, leafy salads and fresh fruit, I really enjoy cozy side dishes that are warm and baked in the oven on a chilly evening too. Whether you are planning your dinner menu for the week or bringing a dish to pass this holiday season, these Cheesy Baked Green Beans are sure to become a family favorite!

My dad likes to talk about food with me. I like it because, well…I like to cook. He often reminisces about good home cooked meals that my mother has cooked him in the past and gets frustrated talking about some favorites of his that he can no longer find in the grocery store. One of the items that he can no longer find are french cut green beans in cheese sauce. I have never had it, but it sounded good so I decided to make a tastier homemade version for him myself! Let me tell you…Yum!

This yummy side dish is really easy to make! First, grab a package of your favorite frozen french cut green beans on your next grocery store trip to Walmart. Then head over to the cheese section and grab a package of Kraft Natural Sharp Cheddar shredded cheese. There are so many delicious Kraft Natural Cheese varieties to choose from, so you may even want to grab a few different cheeses for dinner later in the week! As long as you have milk and  few basics at home, you should be all set to get cooking!

In a large stock pot, saute your finely chopped onion, and minced garlic in butter until softened over medium heat. Add flour (to make a roux) and then slowly add milk anda little sour cream until thickened. Season with a little salt and pepper, then add in the Kraft Sharp Cheddar Cheese, stirring until it’s melted and has become a delicious sauce.

Add your thawed french cut green beans to the cheese sauce and mix well to coat all of the beans.

Pour the cheesy beans into a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish evenly and sprinkle the top with more cheese and a generous handful of breadcrumbs.

Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown and bubbly.

These yummy green beans are great served with chicken, beef, or pork for dinner and make a tasty dish to pass for large family gatherings on any occasion.

I can’t wait to share this recipe with my dad! I think he’s going to love it! This dish will definitely be making more appearances on our family’s dinner table. Enjoy!

Looking for more cheesy goodness? Check out the great recipes at KraftRecipes.com!

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Wow!  We are almost half way through July, can you believe it?  The summer sure is going by fast!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  My family and I celebrated our nephew’s wedding this weekend and it was just beautiful.  My husband and our youngest 2 children were in the wedding and were so happy to be a part of their special day.  You can check out a few pictures from the big day on Instagram.

These delicious Parmesan & Garlic Green #Beans make the perfect side dish!
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With all of the wedding happenings going on, my garden was left unattended for most of the weekend.  With the on and off again rain we had during the past week, my vegetables really got growing!  After a quick thunderstorm today, I hurried out to my garden to pick some green beans.  I love to pick them when they are still on the smaller side because I think they are more tender that way, but because this was the first “batch” of beans to be picked, I had varying sizes.  It looks like there will be more beans ready in a few days too:)

Green beans are one of my favorite things to grow in the garden.  They are easy to grow and always yield quite a bit.  I have 1 large raised bed dedicated to green beans and we are able to enjoy fresh beans all summer and have a good amount to store in the freezer as well.

I think I like green beans so much because they take only a few minutes to make.  You can steam them for a quick side dish to go along with chicken, fish or beef or you can even eat them raw for a healthy snack.  Today I decided to saute them with a little garlic and then add some freshly grated Parmesan to them when they were tender but still a little crisp.  If you love garlic, I think you’ll love these simple Parmesan & Garlic Green Beans!

First, trim off the stems.

Give them a good rinse and set them aside.  In a skillet, warm olive oil and a little butter on medium heat.  Add the fresh green beans and saute them until they are tender, but have a slight crisp to them still.

After the beans are almost done, add the minced garlic and continue to saute until the garlic is fragrant and softened.

Add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, give them a good stir, place the green beans into a serving dish, then sprinkle the freshly grated Parmesan Cheese on top for a delicious side dish that is served from the garden to your dinner table!  Enjoy!

*Linking up at:

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Welcome to May!  The weather is slowly getting warmer and the first of my daffodils have blossomed and I am sure my tulips (my absolute favorite) aren’t far behind.  I have been busy working up the soil in my garden and planting a few Spring vegetables.  I like to bring as much fresh food to the dinner table as possible, and when my garden is in full swing, I love cooking with the fresh food that our family grew.  Have you been busy outdoors?  What are your favorite flowers or plants in bloom right now?

I haven’t planted my beans in the garden yet, but since this month is a busy one, I was on a mission to find a simple soup to make that had some pretty Spring color to it.  I was given The Soup Bible cookbook as a gift a few years ago and I kind of forgot it was on our bookshelf.  I was organizing books the other day and stumbled upon it again.  I can’t believe I forgot about it!

It’s a wonderful book, with a ton of soup recipes, complete with big, beautiful photos.  I found a green bean soup that looked simple, so I slightly adapted it into my own recipe.

This flavorful Garlicky Green Bean & Parmesan Soup was even better than I had hoped.  I didn’t have fresh green beans on hand, so I used a bag of extra fine green beans that I had in the freezer.  Super convenient!

The beans and fresh garlic were then sauteed in butter and a little olive oil, simmered in vegetable broth, pureed in the blender and then warmed with cream, Parmesan and Romano cheeses.  I topped my soup with a little extra cheese because I think more cheese always makes everything better!

My whole family loved this soup- even the children, and I served it with a hearty loaf of whole wheat french bread for a satisfying week night dinner.  This has become one of my favorite soups and I will be making again very soon!  If you are looking for a pretty and simple meal this Spring, give this one a try!

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