Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Whether it thrills you or bums you out, it’s hard to believe that summer is half over already. Now that we live somewhere with four glorious seasons, I find I start looking forward to the next season right about halfway through the current one. It’s so much fun to always have a fresh new season on the way! 

If you’ve never lived somewhere without four distinct seasons, you likely don’t understand and I’m sure you think I’m nuts. But right now? I’m just so happy to live where we do.

ON THE BLOG this week:  Tender, caramelized meat that clings to the bone and requires just a gentle tug to pull it off makes for the perfect Memphis-Style Spare Ribs. Best of all, you can make these mouthwatering ribs in the oven or on the grill.

Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw is a kicked-up version of our Memphis Coleslaw with a hint of heat from hot sauce and a barely wet dressing.

Chewy, thick, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips are a treat that we’ve enjoyed for a lot of years now. Oatmeal cookies are such a versatile classic. The nuttiness of the oatmeal and sweet chocolate hit the spot every time.

Pineapple, strawberries, and grapes are tossed together with a sweet and tangy dressing to make this Honey Lime Fruit Salad. It’s finished with a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of poppy seeds to make a fabulously refreshing salad on a hot summer day.

Chunks of roasted chicken, sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, gooey cheese, and sweet onions combine in BBQ Chicken Enchiladas. Served sliced on a plate or scooped up with tortilla chips, the whole family cheers when these enchiladas are on the table.

What I’m CRAVING: I love a great Caprese salad and I don’t think I’ve ever seen prettier ones than the salad photos here at Preppy Kitchen. You’ll find me eating this quintessential summer salad as long as the fresh tomatoes are at their best.

My FAVORITE THING this week is my new Aiwa Exos-3 speaker. I can’t even tell you how much I love this thing. It’s beyond words, friends. We’ve had the Aiwa Exos-9 subwoofer in our home for over 5 years now and it’s incredible. I wanted to purchase it again for my office, but it wasn’t available anywhere. I took a chance on the significantly smaller Exos-3 and absolutely LOVE it. 

The sound it delivers is very close to the performance of the much bigger subwoofer (!) and it takes up

Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw is a kicked-up version of our Memphis Coleslaw with a hint of heat from hot sauce and a barely wet dressing.

Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw

Homemade coleslaw can be found in my refrigerator at any time. It is the easiest side ever to make and it goes with quite literally everything.

This simple made-from-scratch dressing is super simple to create from items you probably have on hand. The hot sauce brings just the right amount of heat, and that can be adjusted to your preference.

Coleslaw travels well when kept cold and a little bit goes a long way when feeding a crowd. If coleslaw bores you at times, give this recipe a try. Trust me when I say this sweet and spicy version is always a hit!

To me, celery seeds are a must for a coleslaw dressing, bringing just the right earthy bitterness to contrast the sweet and spicy dressing. While apple cider vinegar is my preference in slaws, this is a time where you could use regular vinegar if that is what you have in the pantry.

Fresh cabbage or the bag mix of slaw will work well for sweet and spicy coleslaw. I do laugh at comments I get saying, “It’s not homemade, you used slaw mix and didn’t shred your own cabbage.” Yes, yes I did use pre-shredded, and it works great!

This coleslaw pairs really well with Slow Cooker Mexican Baked Beans and Mexican Pulled Pork.

For a southwestern spin on a southern classic, stack all three for Barbecue Sundaes. My family gives this coleslaw two thumbs up and I barely managed to save a spoonful for my lunch the following day.

Spicy Coleslaw

The ingredients for the coleslaw include:

• ma

Tender, caramelized meat that clings to the bone and requires just a gentle tug to pull it off makes for the perfect grilled spare rib. Mixing up an easy and flavorful dry rub for ribs makes them even more delicious.

Dry Ribs

Would you believe that a week ago I had never cooked bone-in ribs?

I assumed that they would be more difficult and complicated than the country style boneless ribs I’ve always purchased. I was wrong. These were so easy; I made them twice just to make sure it would work the same.

Technically, I made three batches, because I mistakenly thought that I could get away with using the crockpot. Let’s just say they were not the same.

In all fairness, the ribs that started in the crockpot were edible and the flavor was great, but the texture was off and there was just no comparison to the grill or oven versions.

Memphis Style Dry Ribs

When I decided to tackle cooking ribs for the first time, I went straight to my personal grilling expert. Chris from Nibble Me This has been an expert in the grilling arena for a very long time now. He first tempted me with the Grilled Smokey Chicken and Bacon Cheeseburger.

Next, he convinced me to grill our steaks using the reverse sear method. I’ve used that method repeatedly and never looked back. (There is nothing else like it, I promise, even if the photos do desperately need to be updated.)

And for further proof that Chris’ recipes have never let us down, his Po’dunk Sauce is the ultimate dipping sauce for any potatoes in your life!

The grilling method here creates perfectly cooked ribs each and every time. I was also thrilled to find out that I

Chewy, thick, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips are a treat that we’ve enjoyed for a lot of years now.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

It is no secret that I keep a full cookie jar. I have a house full of boys constantly on the prowl for a snack. I also stash lots of cookies and cookie dough ready to be baked in the freezer to avoid running out.

Oatmeal cookies are such a versatile classic. The nuttiness of the oatmeal and sweet chocolate hit the spot when the mid-afternoon munchies come on. These cookies help fill the gap when dinnertime gets stretched later during the summer.

If you find yourself out of quick oats when making these cookies you can use regular rolled oats. They are fairly interchangeable when baking. The rolled oats will result in a slightly heartier cookie and may take longer to bake.

I like to consider oatmeal cookies breakfast. I mean it is basically a bowl of oatmeal and when peanut butter is added there is your protein. Breakfast, who would argue with that logic?

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe multiplies beautifully. I frequently triple it in order to have plenty of cookies to stash in the freezer or to make more Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches.

When multiplying the recipe, take care not to allow the dough to warm too much. I find it’s helpful to tuck the cookie dough in the fridge between batches. This results in thicker, prettier cookies every time. 

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Pineapple, strawberries, and grapes are tossed together with a sweet and tangy dressing to make this Honey Lime Fruit Salad.

It’s finished with a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of poppy seeds to make a fabulously refreshing salad on a hot summer day.

Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Summer fruit salads are beautifully versatile. They are always a hit at barbecues and picnics and with the fruits in season right now; you can choose your favorites to combine.

The first time I made this salad, I simply worked with the fruit that was already in the house. We liked it so much, I’ve been making it the same way ever since.

Fruit Salad Dressing

This salad shares a similar honey-lime dressing to the Winter Fruit Salad I shared ages ago. If you enjoy these flavors, you’ll want to try that one next you have an abundance of clementine oranges in the house.

The simple honey-lime dressing takes an everyday bowl of fruit up a notch and makes it something special.

Just whisk together equal parts honey and lime juice and add a sprinkle of salt. The recipe can be doubled or tripled as much as you like!

Summer Fruit Salad Recipe

• Combine the pineapple, strawberries, and grapes in a medium-size bowl.
• Drizzle the lime juice and honey over the fruit.
• Sprinkle with salt and poppy seeds.
• Toss to coat and chill until ready to serve.

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