Welcome to the weekend, my friends! It’s been a chilly week here in Ohio and I’m very much looking forward to some sunshine this weekend. If you’re in the Columbus area, today is the Granville Barn Hop. It only happens twice a year and it’s a lot of fun to wander through the barns and shops – even if you aren’t buying a thing. And when you do make it out to Granville, you’ll want to check out Cedar & Thread, Green Velvet, and Kussmaul Gallery too!

Last but not least, when you start getting hungry, Snapshots, The Pub on Broadway, Three Tigers, Alfie’s, RayRay’s, and Elm’s Pizza are terrific lunch options. River Road Coffeehouse, Village Coffee, the Pretzel Shop (oh my gosh, the pretzels are so good – I can’t resist stopping any time the light is on!) and Whit’s Frozen Custard are excellent snack choices too. Can you tell I love my little village?

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Sticky Asian Meatballs are sweet and a little bit spicy. I typically serve these meatballs over rice, with some steamed or roasted vegetables on the side. However, they work great as a party appetizer too.

Rice Pilaf makes an ideal side dish for any main course! This simple recipe lets the flavors of garlic and onion shine along with the tender rice and buttery orzo pasta. Learn how to make rice pilaf and you’ll have the perfect side dish at your fingertips for just about any meal!

Meet your new favorite way to cook green beans! Crispy oven roasted green beans have an irresistible taste matched only by their amazing color.

Crispy baked potatoes are filled with hearty meat and vegetables and topped with creamy mashed potatoes in these Read more

Sweet vanilla ice cream filled with chunks of golden Oreos is a smile-inducing bowl of cookies and cream ice cream, if you ask me – or any of my boys.

And I’ll admit now that I’ve made this ice cream twice and I’ve only shared a few scoops with my family. This ice cream proved irresistible and I found myself going back through the day for just one more taste.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

I have had a bit of a love affair with cookies and cream ice cream over the years. Cookies are one of my favorite sweet treats and when they’re chopped up and generously added to a batch of homemade ice cream, I never can resist a scoop or three.

The first time I made ice cream with golden Oreos, I found it to be just a bit too sweet, so I reduced the sugar the next time and it was perfect. The golden sandwich cookies added a more noticeable sweetness than the chocolate ones tend to, so a less sweet ice cream base turned out to be a perfect pairing.

Homemade cookies and cream ice cream is nothing like store-bought varieties, this isn’t Oreo dust or a few crumbles of cookies, this is nearly an entire package of chocolate sandwich cookies stuffed into a batch of ice cream. If you love Oreos, you are certain to love this homemade cookies and cream ice cream.

And speaking of loving Oreos, this Oreo ice cream is not for the faint of heart. The base of this ice cream tastes just like Oreo cookies, not like traditional cookies and cream ice cream with a vanilla ice cream base.

Creamy cookie monster ice cream filled with chunks of Oreo and chocolate chip cookies is a hit with all cookie-loving kids and adults!

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Meet your new favorite way to cook green beans! Oven roasted green beans have an irresistible taste matched only by their amazing color.

Crispy Roasted Green Beans

I have no idea why it never occurred to me to try roasting green beans while I was roasting so many other vegetables. Steamed and stir-fried green beans have been in my cooking life for decades yet I’d somehow never tried oven roasting them.

It turns out that green beans are even more amazing when oven roasted! Roasted green beans turn out with browned and crispy edges and I never can resist eating them right off the pan when they come out of the oven.

I’ve been roasting vegetables for years now, but somehow green beans were never on my list. That all changed when I finally tried it a while back. Sure enough, oven-roasted green beans blew me away.

Oven Roasted Green Beans

Roasting vegetables brings out so much more flavor than other cooking methods. This time of year especially, I love the excuse to turn on the oven and enjoy my vegetables this way. As a huge bonus, roasting green beans is so easy and hands-off. You can make some of the most flavorful veggies you’ve ever tasted with hardly any effort.

My kids, who aren’t usually big vegetable fans, really enjoyed this side dish too! It’s wonderful just as it is and can be adapted with different spices and seasonings to suit your palate. You can even roast some green beans for Green Bean Gratin.

After you try this super simple baked green beans recipe, you need to give Turmeric Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans and Sriracha Honey Roasted Green Beans a shot, too!

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Rice Pilaf makes an ideal side dish for any main course! This simple recipe lets the flavors of garlic and onion shine along with the tender rice and buttery orzo pasta. Learn how to make rice pilaf and you’ll have the perfect side dish at your fingertips for just about any meal!

What is Rice Pilaf?

Rice Pilaf is a dish made from rice and grains cooked in chicken broth and seasoned with onion and spices. Pilafs can also be more elaborate like my Mushroom and Pepper Rice Pilaf or this Indian Pulao. Pulao is a traditional pilaf dish enjoyed throughout India as an everyday staple and it can be dressed up with vegetables or with meat.

Classic rice pilaf is as simple as today’s recipe! This version includes orzo, a miniature pasta. Similar to rice in shape, the orzo adds a heartiness to the soft fluffy white rice.

This pilaf recipe is based on a recipe I found years ago over at Allrecipes.com. With just a few pantry-friendly ingredients this side dish comes together with just a few minutes effort. If you’re looking for an easy rice pilaf recipe without any frills or hard-to-find ingredients, this is the one for you!

How to Make Rice Pilaf

Rice pilaf is very simple! You’ll start by sauteeing orzo in a little melted butter with onion and garlic. Add broth and white rice. Simmer, fluff, and serve.

The result is a flavorful rice that doesn’t require a great deal of seasonings or spices. I typically just use a little salt and pepper to taste.

This is a great side dish for just about any meal. I served the pilaf with Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken and Roasted Bell Peppers, Broccoli and Summer Squash tonight and it was perfect.

My rice-loving son ate a double portion and still asked for more. There were no leftovers at all. I recommend doubling this recipe if serving more than 3-4 people. Especially if you have rice lovers in your family! Plus, leftover rice pilaf is never a bad idea.

How to Cook a Turkey in a Bowl [+Video]

Stressed at the thought of cooking a turkey? Don’t be! We’ve made dozens of turkeys over the years and we’ve figured out how to cook a turkey perfectly every time. Spoiler: the best way to cook a turkey is in a bowl! 

I know, this isn’t your typical roast turkey recipe, but look how brown it got and can you see how it’s falling apart?!

The BEST Turkey Recipe

My friend Brittany was chatting with me over Thanksgiving dinner last year all about turkeys. You see, Brittany doesn’t cook a turkey in the traditional way. In fact, she totally blew my mind when she told me, the best way to cook a turkey — this turkey in a bowl recipe — is life changing.

Yes, it’s a turkey that is literally cooked in a big bowl in the oven.

You’re going to want to buy a big bowl and try this one out for yourself. It’s the simplest and quickest way to prepare turkey that I’ve ever seen, but the results are fall apart moist and tender.

Watch How to Make the Juiciest Turkey in a Bowl

Turkey Basics

Before we get too far into this, I want to cover a few of the basics so you know if is the right fit for your eating schedule:

• A frozen turkey will need thaw 24 hours per every 5 pounds.
• Turkey will need to cook for 1 hour per pound.
• Safe internal temperature for a turkey is 175 degrees F the thigh and 165 degrees F in the breast.

So let’s assume you are going to roast a 18 pound turkey that is frozen when you purchase it and you want to have your meal on Thursday afternoon. Here is your brief timeline:

• Remove turkey from freezer to thaw in the fridge: 4 days ahead of time (Sunday afternoon – Wednesday afternoon)
• Turkey roasts in the oven: 15 hours
• Turkey rests: 30 minutes

The turkey will be falling off