Have you heard of a Dirty Banana? I hadn’t until I sailed with Princess Cruises and I have to admit that the name alone made me laugh. Hard. However, the milkshake-like cocktail proved irresistible.

Spoiler alert: adult milkshakes are now on my favorites list. What’s not to love about a frozen drink/dessert combination?

Dirty Banana

This is a Caribbean inspired cocktail that tastes more like a milkshake than a cocktail. This is a super fun treat whether you’re cruising through a dream vacation or kicked back on your own back porch at home.

The Dirty Banana is absolutely unforgettable. And lucky for me? It’s easy enough to make at home in just minutes.

It’s almost too easy. Start by adding ice to the blender. Then add a splash of rum, kahlua, and coffee liqueur, 1/2 a banana, a splash of heavy cream, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Hit blend and pour it into a glass. Top with whipped cream and sip happily.

The ingredient list might sound long, but you’re only adding a small splash of each liquor and the flavor that is delivered when they’re combined is fantastic.

Oh! I almost forgot. You can make a Not-So-Dirty Banana drink for the non-drinkers and the kids. Just skip the alcohol and add either 1/4 cup of milk or 1/4 cup of cold coffee. (I like both versions!)

Easy Peasy and absolutely delicious too! I probably shouldn’t have introduced my kids to this one, because it’s been dessert every night for a week.

And no, I have not been making one for myself each night along with them. But if anyone wants to visit me and give me an excuse to blend some more of these, I’m game.

Peanut Butter Frosting is so fluffy, easy, and delicious that you will find yourself topping everything with it. Cupcakes, cookies, crackers the possibilities are truly endless.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

You may have noticed, that I am a big fan of condiments and dressings. As far as I’m concerned, frosting is the condiment of the baking world.

The perfect frosting is meant to balance the flavors and sweetness in addition to bringing a new texture to the dessert it is topping.

This Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting goes perfectly with anything chocolate. It is easily spreadable but also pipeable to create pillowing piles of frosting for the perfect accent to a cake.

This recipe will make enough frosting for a two-layer cake. For a pan of brownies or a 9×13 cake, you will want to halve the recipe.

Or, if you’re like my family, you’ll happily make the full recipe and then top graham crackers, cookies, and everything else with the leftover frosting.

Homemade Frosting

Homemade Frosting is so easy to make, it’s almost easier than buying it at the store. Creamy, not-too-sweet, absolutely Perfect Fluffy Chocolate Frosting is truly the best chocolate frosting. (Check out the hundreds of 5-star reviews on that one for proof positive!)

Sweet, but not too sweet, Fresh Strawberry Frosting is versatile for all sorts of cakes and decorating purposes.

Creamy Coconut Frosting topping with a sprinkling of toasted coconut is what island dreams are made of in my world, especially when layered into that Pineapple Cake.

Fresh Blueberry Frosting is a light and creamy frosting, whipped in

This sweet and spicy coleslaw has plenty of crunch! It’s an unforgettable side dish.

Sweet and spicy flavors are almost always a sure win with my family. However, coleslaw? That has not always been a reason to cheer. A few years ago that changed when we tried this recipe for classic coleslaw.

Since then, we’ve tried some pretty amazing coleslaw recipes. This Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw was eaten down to the very last apple slice and ribbon of cabbage.

The comment “Best Coleslaw I’ve ever tasted” was heard and there were echoes of that from almost everyone at the table. I made this for dinner guests again last night and was thrilled that it turned out so well.

A certain non-coleslaw-loving brother of mine just might have taken the serving bowl back to his chair and finished off every last bit.

Spicy Apple Coleslaw

This was the first apple coleslaw we tried, but it certainly hasn’t been the last.

We’ve been making this Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw and the Cranberry Apple Coleslaw now for several years.

I love adding apples to traditionally savory dishes like these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon or this Blueberry Apple Walnut Salad. They add a terrific sweet bite to the dish and we all love that.

Spicy Coleslaw Recipe

We love spicy flavors and in coleslaw the heat is balanced by the creamy sweet dressing. Mexican Street Corn Coleslaw and Jalapeno Coleslaw are two awesome examples of that.

The Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw includes a couple of ingredients that I wouldn’t have thought to include without inspiration from Chef John.

When I saw corn nuts in the original recipe, I may have stopped and stared. I don’t really even like corn nuts. It just sounded so unusual, I had to try it. And they worked!

Just a couple of tablespoons of crushed corn nuts changes the flavor and texture of the salad from very good to delicious. This is an excellent summer salad that I have made many times over the past few years.

For what it’s worth, the Tabasco sauce doe

Crisp and salty on the outside with fluffy baked potato inside, these Roasted Fingerling Potatoes are a great way to change up the average weeknight meal.

Ah, potatoes. They do so much for us! When it comes to side dishes, some kind of potato is almost always fitting. In my house, potatoes show up on the dinner table several nights a week in every form from roasted to mashed and even smashed.

I love how versatile potatoes are and how they’re equally appropriate to serve to company on a special formal occasion or on a weeknight when everyone’s in their pajamas.

This Fingerling Potatoes Recipe is like that–something about them feels a bit more “special” than your everyday Baked Potatoes (though I do still love baked potatoes), especially when paired with the chipotle garlic sauce. Yet, they’re so easy to make (and loved by my kids) that these roasted potatoes have become a permanent fixture of our everyday meals.

What are fingerling potatoes?

Fingerlings are a  small and narrow type of potato. They resemble stubby fingers in appearance, thus the name. They have a delicate and thin skin that doesn’t need to be peeled and their unique look makes them so much fun to serve!

These tubers are often confused with new potatoes, although they aren’t interchangeable. While new potatoes are potatoes that are small due to being harvested early in the season, fingerling potatoes are fully matured.

Oven Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Fingerlings are much quicker to prep and roast than

Steak bites are a weeknight mainstay of our meal planning rotation. Cajun Steak Bites have just enough kick to please both my spice lovers and less adventurous eaters.

Cajun Steak Bites

Steak bites are crispy bits of steak that cook up quickly and easily on the stovetop. I like to use a skirt steak cut into bite-sized pieces.

When making these bites be sure to not overcrowd your pan. You want to give each piece the chance to crisp up and get browned edges. Overcrowding the pan will result in the piece being steamed instead of browned.

The goal when cooking the meat is to create a crisply browned outside and a lovely pink and juicy center for each piece.

As the meat is cooking, if a piece is slightly larger and has a side that looks like it hasn’t browned, flip to that side again for 20-30 seconds. Take caution not to overcook the steak.

I am often asked if I use inside or outside skirt steak. The truth is you can use either in this recipe. However, if I have the choice I go with the outside skirt.

Outside skirt is usually a bit larger in size and is more flavorful and tender than the inside skirt. Sometimes you just have to go with what is available at your local market.

There isn’t always time to marinate a steak so these tasty bites with a flavorful dry rub are a perfect solution. The juicy bites cook up in minutes and make a complete meal, just add a vegetable.

I served the steak bites with a pan of Roasted Green Beans and Garlic Paprika Roasted Cauliflower, along with some Roasted Red Potatoes seasoned with the same Cajun spices I use on the steak bites.

Cajun Steak Bites Recipe

1. Cut the steak into bite-size pieces, about ½” – ¾” in size. Place the meat in a large b