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Are you feeling like something new for dinner tonight? Our recipes are sure to tempt you.

The Gardening Cook is here to help you plan delicious meals with less stress. If you love cooking with garden fresh vegetables, that is our specialty!

We offer fresh, flavorful and mainly healthy recipes as well as cooking tips to make your time in the kitchen easier.

These food ideas are made for your daily life, as well as for entertaining with friends.

From cocktails and drinks to appetizers and desserts, make sure that your next gathering will be a hit.

Index of recipes

If you are in the mood for something new tonight, these posts are sure to delight.

Today, let’s explore a variety of creative ways to make use of cooked rice in some of my favorite leftover rice recipes. What to do with leftover rice is something I ask myself all the time. We order Chinese, Indian and Thai takeout often and always have an extra container of cooked rice when we …

Read More about Leftover Rice Recipes – What to Do With Leftover Rice

Let’s have a look at cooking with bay leaves. These little green leaves pack quite a punch when it comes to adding flavor and aroma to your recipes. Bay leaves are commonly used in soups and stews, sauces, and marinades, where they simmer alongside other ingredients. Whole bay leaves are most commonly used due to …

Read More about Cooking with Bay Leaves – Using Bay Leaves in Recipes

Summer just got a little more special with our recipe for stuffed zucchini flowers. The savory blend of creamy goat cheese, fresh herbs, and spinach goes beautifully with the crispy Panko breadcrumb coating. This elegant appetizer showcases the edible flowers of summer squash and is sure to impress your guests. It also gives us a …

Read More about Stuffed Zucchini Flowers Recipe – Fried Squash Blossoms

These stuffed yellow squash boats are the perfect way to use up a plentiful harvest of summer squash that seems to happen this time of the year. One of our good friends showed up yesterday with a bag of yellow summer crook neck squash. We all know the story of locking your doors so that …

Read More about Stuffed Yellow Squash Boats – Healthy Recipe for Summer Squash

This vegetable manicotti recipe is loaded with the wonderful taste of fresh vegetables to delight vegetarians, but the richness that comes from the sauce and cheese that will delight even meat eaters. My whole family is very fond of Italian meals. We are also trying to eat a bit less meat, so Italian vegetable recipes …

Read More about Vegetable Manicotti – Stuffed Mushroom Cheese Manicotti Recipe

These easy egg recipes are some of my favorites.  Most take no time at all and some are even good alternatives to fast food take away breakfasts. There is nothing like an egg to start the day off right.  I love them, especially when the yolks are runny and perfectly cooked.   Protein-rich eggs are taking …

Read More about Easy Egg Recipes – Great Breakfast Ideas

This easy cheese quiche combines cream, eggs and onions for a simple breakfast that is also hearty enough for brunch. I get tired of the same old traditional egg breakfast. A quiche makes a nice change of pace. Today we’ll be making a basic quiche. It is how all quiches start, but you can add …

Read More about Easy Cheese Quiche With Onions – Perfect for Breakfast or Brunch!

This vegan broccoli pasta is an adaptation of the regular recipe that contains full cream and butter. It’s a great choice for those who don’t eat dairy products. This dish is the epitome of comfort and flavor. It has perfectly cooked pasta coated in a velvety sauce infused with the rich aroma of garlic, onions …

Read More about Vegan Broccoli Pasta with Garlic and Onions in a Creamy Sauce

This manicotti with meat recipe adds a nice mix of veggies to the normal manicotti recipe that is made with pasta and ricotta cheese.  It is a great way to get kids to eat their vegetables and not complain. If you’re a fan of Italian cuisine and enjoy experimenting with flavors, then this recipe is …

Read More about Manicotti With Meat – Hearty Ground Beef Manicotti Recipe

This tasty Mediterranean Greek Salad combines juicy tomatoes, green peppers and fresh cucumbers in a tangy dressing. It is a great addition to my collection of Mediterranean recipes. The flavors are delightful and combine creamy goat cheese and tangy kalamata olives for a nice change to a normal tossed salad. It makes a great side …

Read More about Mediterranean Greek Salad – Goat Cheese, Veggies and Kalamata Olives

I really love stuffed portobello mushrooms. They are so creamy, warm and delicious. I am always looking for new ideas on how to prepare them. We often have meatless Mondays at our house and this is a recipe that I make often. These stuffed Portobello mushrooms with Laughing Cow cheese make an impressive appetizer or …

Read More about Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Laughing Cow Cheese

As Easter approaches, many families are looking for fun and creative ways to celebrate the holiday. One popular activity is an Easter egg hunt, but why not add a twist to the traditional hunt with some Easter egg hunt clues and riddles? In our blog post, we’ll be sharing ideas and tips for an Easter …

Read More about Easter Egg Hunt Clues for Teens – Easter Basket Scavenger Hunt

  Are you planning a camping trip and looking for some easy campfire recipes that your family will love? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of 15 food ideas for camping that are sure to satisfy your appetite and make your outdoor adventure even more enjoyable. From breakfast to dessert, these recipes require minimal …

Read More about 15 Easy Campfire Recipes To Try on Your Next Outdoor Adventure

This delicious gluten free apple crumble is full of flavor but contains no wheat at all. What do you do when you are pining for a pastry style crumble but are following a gluten free diet?  No problem at all with substitutes like oat flour and gluten free oatmeal. I love using apples in the …

Read More about Gluten Free Apple Crumble – Tasty GF Apple Crisp Recipe

These basics will help you learn how to grill like a pro. Included are my top 25 grilling tips to make sure that your next barbecue is something your friends will rave about. It’s that time of the year again. One only has to be outside around 6 pm to smell the aroma of someone …

Read More about How to Grill Like a Pro – 25 Grilling Tips for Summer Barbecues

Looking for a sweet dessert to serve as the ending to a romantic dinner? The easy strawberry cheesecake swirl brownie bars recipe are the perfect choice! These cream cheese brownies are rich and delicious and make a great addition to your collection of cheesecake recipes. I love any desserts that are strawberry flavored. This easy …

Read More about Strawberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownie Bars – Fudgy Brownies

Pizza for breakfast? Yes, you can enjoy this meal often if you make my slimmed down version. This breakfast pizza recipe is easy to make, super tasty and healthy, too. English muffin pizzas are a fun way to incorporate vegetables into breakfast. The kids will love to help you make this breakfast recipe by assembling their own …

Read More about Breakfast Pizza with Canadian Bacon – Healthy English Muffin Pizza

These left over rice patties are crunchy and savory with a fresh flavor that comes from a variety of garden herbs. I got a rice cooker a while ago and now I make rice all the time. When I prepare it, I usually make extra servings so that I can have some leftover rice on …

Read More about Rice Patties – Recipe for Left Over Rice – Making Rice Fritters

This recipe for Mediterranean lemon chicken piccata combines lemon and capers for a tangy topping.  The recipe is quick and easy and perfect for a weeknight meal. You’d never think it when you see them in a jar, but capers come from a prickly bush called capparis spinosa. It grows wild across parts of Asia …

Read More about Lemon Chicken Piccata Recipe – Tangy and Bold Mediterranean Flavor

Looking for easy appetizer ideas that will be a great start to a cocktail party, or a fancy dinner for special friends?  This phyllo cup recipe with crab and cream cheese will delight the most discerning of guests. These little bites of goodness are super easy to make since they use frozen miniature tart shells. All …

Read More about Phyllo Cup Recipe – Appetizers with Crab Meat – Crab Phyllo Cups

One of my mother’s time honored traditions was to serve a pumpkin cake each year, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, with her special toasted coconut frosting. She is not with us now, but that does not mean the cake will be missing! My whole family takes turns at making the cake for our Thanksgiving celebration. …

Read More about Pumpkin Cake with Toasted Coconut Frosting – Thanksgiving Dessert

This Brussels sprouts leaves recipe makes great use of parts of the plant that might end up on a compost pile or in the trash can. Brussels sprouts leaves (AKA tops) are not sold in stores. You get them by growing the plants themselves.  The leaves that are used for this recipe are the ones that …

Read More about Brussels Sprouts Leaves Recipe with Bacon Onions & Garlic

This recipe for steaks with a Cuban mojo marinade combines spices with orange juice, olive oil and grill mates seasoning for an easy and spicy main course dish. I love the sweet, tangy and savory flavors.  It makes grill night or a camping trip meal something special. We grill every Saturday’s night at our house. My …

Read More about Steak with a Cuban Mojo Marinade – Easy Grilled Recipe

This Montreal steak seasoning recipe has a sweet and spicy rub made from Grill Mates that is sure to delight your friends. Even better, it is simple and easy to prepare. Team the recipe with grilled corn in their husks and you have a crowd pleasing meal. At our house we grill every Saturday night. …

Read More about Montreal Steak Seasoning Recipe With Sweet and Spicy Grill Mates Steak Rub