I have a well-established love of ice cream, with over 150 ice cream recipes here on the website, and yet I still make this simple ice cream recipe at least once a month. There’s a reason why we call this the easiest (and best!) ice cream you will ever make or taste.

Can anyone ever turn down a scoop of rich and creamy homemade ice cream? With just a handful of ingredients, this vanilla ice cream is beyond easy to make and it’s adaptable for whichever add-ins you’re craving.

While ice cream is a staple in our freezer year round, the add-in potentials for this particular ice cream are endless. I’ve filled this ice cream with chunks of brownies, bits of cookie dough, pieces of oatmeal cookies, and swirls of salted caramel sauce.

I try to keep a stash of crumbled cookies, brownies, and other treats in the freezer so that I can toss in a few handfuls whenever I’m churning a batch of ice cream.

I’ve also topped this ice cream with warm chocolate sauce, salted caramel sauce, or my favorite of all, this simple berry sauce. There has yet to be a combination that we didn’t love.

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Homemade Strawberry Shortcake with Biscuits Recipe

Forget those little store-bought fake-cake shortcakes! This is the most delicious strawberry shortcake recipe we’ve ever made! We layer our buttery, flaky homemade biscuits with irresistible sweet strawberries and whipped cream to make homemade strawberry shortcake completely from scratch!

This strawberry shortcake is so simple that you can make it within the hour, and so satisfying that it will easily become your go-to summer dessert.

For me, the moment that marks the beginning of summer is when I bite into my first strawberry of the season. Is it even a lazy summer day if it doesn’t end with juicy berries piled on flaky biscuits and a big dollop of freshly whipped cream?! Homemade strawberry shortcake is the essential dessert for summer!

Gardening with Mom

I grew up obsessed with strawberry shortcake! Not only was it my favorite, it was a reward for hard work. 

Every summer, we’d plant the biggest garden, and by “we,” I mostly mean my mom. I remember Dad tilling the soil, and my 4 siblings and I “helping” for what felt like hours (it was probably 30 minutes). We’d dig through tomato vines and hunt for huge spiders with colorful patterns and potato bugs, then rush back to the house with dirt in our shoes and under our nails.

Fried Chicken, Jojo’s and Strawberry Shortcake

After a hot shower, we’d all pile around the table for fried chicken, JoJos (if you’re from the Pacific Northwest, you know), and to finish the day: strawberry shortcake. Always from those little spongy packages, always stealing the bits stuck to the white cardboard, and always – always – a big scoop of Cool Whip on top.

From Scratch Biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake

These days, unlike the little packaged angel food cakes, we make our shortcakes with from scratch flaky, buttery biscuits as a nod to BurgerVille (a PNW classic).  But the berries? Still done the way Mom taught us: 

How to Make Fresh Strawberries for Strawberry Shortcake

What’s the secret to Mom’s extra sweet berries?

Smash a few, slice the rest, sprinkle on a little sugar, and let them sit! That’s the secret to extra-juicy, syrupy strawberries – and trust me, they are heavenly.

Tips for Perfectly Flaky Biscuits

• Use a food processor or pastry cutter to cut in extra cold butter, jus like you would for a pie crust.  
• Use unsalted butter to control the salt of the biscuit. 
• Don’t over mix as this will lead to a tough bis

Give your regular tuna sandwich a high octane upgrade with this spicy tuna salad recipe. A little bit of hot sauce and some jarred jalapeños bring the heat to this anything-but-boring tuna salad. You’re going to look forward to lunch all morning long!

Spicy Tuna Salad

I have always loved tuna salad, but sometimes I just feel the need to change it up. This zesty tuna can be as hot or as mild as you’d like it, depending on the oomph your jarred jalapeños pack.

Many major brands label their canned peppers as mild, medium, or hot, so choose accordingly! And if you -like we do- love some fire, use “hot” canned peppers, go for it with the hot sauce, and add the optional cayenne pepper.

Whatever you do, don’t skip the crunchy celery and onion! The texture they bring to the party makes this tuna salad hard to stop eating! And the cilantro adds a burst of freshness that really makes you want more.

Spicy Tuna Fish Salad

My first thought after eating a giant serving of the salad plain was that it would make a killer pasta salad and boy was I right! To turn this into a pasta salad, double the dressing and add 8 ounces of bite-size pasta.

Spicy Tuna Salad Recipe

Not a fa

Frito pie casserole is the large scale, crowd-friendly version of walking tacos; seasoned taco meat with beans topped with melted cheese and crunchy corn chips. If you want to make it a meal in one, top as you would a taco with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and cilantro!

Frito Pie Casserole

I’m sure you’re familiar with walking tacos which are sometimes known as Frito pie. This is the version you make when you want to feed a crew and don’t feel like bothering with a bunch of little snack-sized bags of corn chips.

With all the irresistible qualities of a walking taco tucked in a convenient casserole format, this meal pulls together in a flash. If you’re lucky enough to have three or four cups of our leftover Best Taco Meat, you’re even closer to getting dinner on the table.

Frito Chili Pie

While taco meat is usually our protein of choice for this casserole, you can easily swap in three or four cups of your favorite chili. Whether you choose Hearty Pepper Chili, Spicy Five Bean Steak and Sausage Chili, or even Vegetarian Four Bean and Chipotle Chili, everyone at your table will love this dish!

This Frito pie casserole recipe is as easy as one-two-three. It’s just a matter of layering the ingredients in your baking dish and sending it on a quick trip through the oven.

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One Layer Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Dive into summer with our one layer strawberry shortcake cake! This single layer, 9×13″ white cake uses a simple boxed cake mix that’s been doctored up for the most moist white cake recipe. Top it all off with a dreamy cream cheese whipped cream frosting and plenty of juicy strawberries. The classic flavors of strawberry shortcake in a 1 layer cake!

Watch How This Strawberry Shortcake Cake Recipe is Made…

I’ve found that when we get invited to a summer potluck, BBQ or picnic I struggle to figure out the perfect summer dessert to bring. I want something light and comforting, but it must scream summer too. That to me is always strawberry shortcake, but let’s be honest, individual desserts are kind of a hassle to drag out to a park or friend’s backyard. That’s where my favorite strawberry shortcake cake comes in!!!

It’s a simple, extra moist white cake that uses a doctored up cake mix, a dreamy, creamy whipped cream and cream cheese frosting and a fresh strawberry sauce on top. 

Bonus! This cake is best made a whole day ahead! 

Ingredients for Strawberry Shortcake Cake

• For the Cake: White Cake Mix, Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix, Sour Cream, Canola Oil, Eggs, Milk and Vanilla Extract
  • PRO TIP: Use just the pudding powder for the recipe! Don’t make the actual pudding. Also…don’t use French vanilla pudding mix or your cake will turn out yellow.
• For the Strawberry Topping: Water, Strawberry Junket and Strawberries
  • PRO TIP: You can find strawberry junket by the Jello. It is a packet for making a strawberry glaze. You can also just buy strawberry glaze or skip the glaze altogether and just macerate the strawberries in some sugar. They will be a little less saucy but still heavenly!
• For the Frosting: Heavy Cream, Powdered Sugar and Cream Cheese

Keep scrolling to the end of the post for all the details and measurements you need.