Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Our visit with family this week was wonderful and my brother and I made it out to walk as often as we were able. The fall colors are at their best these days and I can’t get enough of them.

Has the weather finally cooled off where you are? Ohio has been fabulously chilly all week, however, I’m headed back to Phoenix tonight. I’m really not looking forward to 100 degrees again! (Although it is supposed to cool off beautifully there later in the week. My fingers are crossed that the promised rain will actually arrive while I’m in the valley.)

ON THE BLOGS this week: Flavorful and tender marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs can be cooked on the grill or baked in the oven. We eat a great deal of chicken in this house and this is one of my favorite ways to cook boneless skinless thighs in the oven.

In this hummus-inspired dip, roasted cauliflower takes the place of chickpeas making it a low-carb, full-flavored spread. A whole head of garlic roasts with the cauliflower, adding an irresistible caramelized sweetness to this cauliflower hummus.

It takes just 15 minutes and a few simple seasonings to air fry frozen broccoli and cauliflower into irresistibly crispy and delicious bites! I’ve been making this and snacking on it in the afternoon for weeks.

Zucchini Cobbler. Zucchini??? Cobbler? YES. You read that right and you should definitely keep reading. It turns out that zucchini cobbler tastes a whole lot like apple cobbler, my friends. I didn’t believe it either – until I tasted it.

Creamy peanut butter is blended with ripe bananas to make these peanut butter banana pancakes, resulting in a rich, nutty sweetness with a hint of banana throughout each fluffy, golden pancake.

These coconut chocolate chip cookies are loaded with both white and dark chocolate, in addition to a good amount of coconut. They are delicious warm from the oven and every bit as fantastic two days later.

Oatmeal cream pie ice cream starts as a creamy vanilla ice cream with hints of brown sugar and cinnamon, and then it is generously filled with pieces of oatmeal cream pie cookies.

This one-bowl praline cake is almost ridiculously simple, yet it delivers the perfect balance of moist, tender buttermilk cake and the irresistible chewy crunch of caramelized pralines. You just might find y

This creamy vanilla ice cream with hints of brown sugar and cinnamon is generously filled with pieces of oatmeal cream pie cookies.

When I first spied Little Debbie’s line of ice creams in the grocery store, I did a double take. And then I immediately put them all on my must-try-soon list. You know how much I love trying new flavors of ice cream and then recreating them at home. Check out Nutty Bars Ice Cream for the first Little Debbie ice cream we made!

Oatmeal Creme Pies

My grandmother introduced me to Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Creme Pies when I was so young they were basically a magic treat in a plastic sleeve. And there’s still something special about that first moment when I open one. It makes me feel a bit like a kid again.

What I like best about this particular Little Debbie treat is that you can really taste the oats in the cookies, along with a noticeable brown sugar and cinnamon flavor.

They’re chewy, satisfying cookies that I have no shame in eating when I’m craving a treat like my grandma used to make. (Unlike my other grandmother, my grandma on my mom’s side wasn’t known for her baking skills.)

Little Debbie Ice Cream

Both Little Debbie and Blue Bell make an oatmeal cream pie ice cream. Blue Bell’s version is made with an oatmeal-flavored ice cream base with a vanilla icing swirl throughout. (I was not a fan of that idea, as that icing swirl is just too sweet for me.)

Little Debbie’s version is made with a vanilla ice cream base that has just a hint of molasses. Both ice creams contain pieces of chopped-up oatmeal cream pie cookies.

However, much like homemade cookies and cream ice cream, more cookie pieces are always better, and this recipe for oatmeal cream pie ice cream trumped both store-bought versions.

Read more

Weekly Menu Plan – Oct. 23 to 29

Here is your weekly menu plan for next week!

Monday: Enchilada Style Ground Beef Burrito

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Kalua Pork (save leftovers for Thursday night)

Wednesday: Italian Wedding Soup

Thursday: Hawaiian Pork Nachos (use leftover kalua pork from Tuesday!)

Friday: Greek Tostadas

Saturday: Protein Baked Oatmeal

Sunday: Instant Pot Beef Stew

READ: Weekly Menu Plan – Oct. 23 to 29

These coconut chocolate chip cookies are loaded with both white and dark chocolate, in addition to a good amount of coconut. They are delicious warm from the oven and every bit as fantastic two days later.

Chewy Coconut Cookies

These are chewy cookies with crunchy edges, filled to the max with almost all of my favorite cookie flavors. I’ve made them three times in the past month! It clearly takes very little excuse for me to stir together a batch of these cookies.

There’s a little bit of oatmeal tucked inside as well, adding to that terrific texture and chewiness.

White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you don’t happen to be a fan of white chocolate, feel free to replace it with semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate. While I am very rarely a fan of white chocolate myself, I do enjoy it in these cookies.

The white chocolate chips add creamy sweetness, while the darker chocolate chips contribute rich, bitter notes. Their contrasting flavors create a great balance in these cookies.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Mini Grilled Cheese “Croutons” [+ Video]

This Roasted Tomato Basil Soup is easy to make, and we topped it with grilled cheese croutons just for fun! A simple dinner that kids will love!

I know that I can’t be the only one that still has tomato coming out her ears. Right? I was wracking my brain about what to do with our huge colander stacked high with tomatoes, when I suddenly thought, what if I use those flavors, but make a soup to help move us into fall?

DING DING DING! Creamy tomato basil soup with mini grilled cheese croutons was born.

I love those little grilled cheese bites that act like little croutons in the soup. I’m not even kidding, it’s so delicious together.

Ingredients in Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

To make this easy fresh tomato soup recipe, you’ll need the following:

• Fresh tomatoes
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Salt and pepper
• Dark brown sugar
• Chicken broth
  • PRO TIP: If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
• Heavy cream
• Fresh basil leaves
• Baguette
• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Butter

The measurements for all the ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the end of the post. I actually love to make several batches of this recipe so I can freeze a bunch to eat throughout the whole winter. There is just nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of tomato basil soup with a little fresh parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and a grilled cheese sandwich on the side for dipping! Yes please!

What Are the Best Tomatoes for Tomato Soup?

We recommend using Roma tomatoes or vine ripened tomatoes for this creamy tomato basil soup. Avoid using beefsteak tomatoes, as we find they lack the bold flavor this soup needs. Larger tomatoes also hold a lot of water which thins out a soup.

Should the Tomatoes Be Peeled?

Peeling the tomatoes is optional but I haven’t ever felt like it was necessary. Roasting the tomatoes softens the tomato skin and blending them breaks them down until you would never know the skins were on. If you do want to peel them, the skins should slide off easily right after roasting the tomatoes.

How to Make Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Making tomato basil soup with fresh tomatoes is easier than you might think! Here’s an overview of the recipe:

1. Roast tomatoes: Roast the tomatoes until soft and then let them cool a little.
2. Blend: Add the tomatoes to a blender and blend until pureed.
   • PRO TIP: If you have an immersion blender, you can use that instead. Move the tomatoes to a large bowl or sauce pan and blend the tomatoes there. Then they are easily measured to make sure you have enough.
3. Sauté: Heat up some olive oil in a large sauce pot then add the garlic and onions and sauté until fragrant.<