Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Guess what?? If the weather forecast can be believed, the temps aren’t likely to drop below zero again anytime soon. My fingers are crossed that we’ll be able to get outdoors for a walk (albeit a very chilly one) later this week! As much as I adore all of the beautiful Ohio seasons, yes, even winter, I’m ready for a few sunshine-filled days before the next snowfall.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Fragrant garlic, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes are sauteed in butter and then tossed with fresh lemon juice and tender pasta to create the lemon butter pasta of which dreams are made. (And before the mushroom haters comment, yes, you can skip them. However, they really are delicious in this recipe, I recommend giving them a chance before ruling them out!)

And speaking of my beloved mushrooms, this broccoli mushroom casserole starts with a mixture of rice, sautéed mushrooms, and broccoli florets in a creamy, cheesy sauce. It’s enticing and fragrant straight out of the oven, and it’s even more irresistible after the first bite.

Made popular by the Zuppa Toscana served at Olive Garden, this sausage, potato, and kale soup has become an instant favorite with everyone who has tried it over the years.

Rich sausage, hearty potatoes, and tender, earthy green beans come together in this incredibly flavorful one-pot meal. It turns out that cooking sausage and potatoes in the crockpot is one heck of an awesome dinner plan!

Chunks of turkey, carrots, celery, and thick egg noodles come together in this creamy chicken noodle soup. I made this soup many years ago to use up some of the leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. Since then, it’s become a staple in our winter meal plan. I made it again this week with a rotisserie chicken.

Chocolate cottage cheese ice cream may sound bizarre, but you’ll need to trust me here. It’s delightfully creamy, tangy, rich and chocolatey, and positively packed with protein!

Two-ingredient pineapple angel food cake is a fun treat that takes nearly no effort to make! When I tell you that the result is far far more than the sum of its parts, trust me here. My family gave this cake universal two-thumbs up across the table.

My friend Hetty sent me the above cake recipe and I was so intrigued that I immediately went to the store to pick up the two (yes, only TWO) ingredients needed to bake this cake. This is a new pantry staple, my friends. Thanks, Hetty!

What I’m CRAVING: This

Chocolate cottage cheese ice cream may sound bizarre, but you’ll need to trust me here. It’s delightfully creamy, tangy, rich and chocolatey, and positively packed with protein!

Chocolate Cottage Cheese Ice Cream

This ice cream was a surprise hit with the whole family. It is just barely tangy and a little bit reminiscent of chocolate cheesecake in flavor.

I really enjoyed it, but my youngest son claimed the remaining ice cream after we’d all tasted it and happily kept it for himself. You might be shocked how very much like “normal” ice cream this is with the added bonus of extra protein!

Oh, how I love cottage cheese! It’s a terrific protein boost and I eat it nearly every day in a breakfast bowl. It’s also great in pancakes and scrambled eggs, a.k.a. my sons’ “power eggs“.

Chocolate Protein Ice Cream

To make this protein packed chocolate ice cream, you’ll need the following simple ingredients:

• Full fat cottage cheese
• heavy cream
• sugar
• cocoa powder
• vanilla extract
• dark chocolate

Be sure to choose a variety of dark chocolate you love on its own! And if dark chocolate isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to substitute in milk chocolate.

You’ll want t

Pineapple coconut cake is a rich white cake full of pineapple flavor and just a hint of coconut, layered with a velvety smooth, indulgent coconut cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with toasted coconut. It’s the perfect dessert for coconut and pineapple lovers alike. 

Pineapple Coconut Cake

Handy canned pineapple and a splash of coconut milk make this special cake reminiscent of a Pina Colada. You already know how much I love a well-stocked pantry and these are two foods that you will always find in my kitchen.

This is not your average pineapple cake. The pineapple is pureed and mixed into the actual white cake batter so you get the tropical flavor in every bite. The resulting batter was so moist and pineapple-y that I could hardly believe it.

Coconut Frosting

In a nod of understanding to all of the people who can’t get past the texture of coconut, this is a smooth frosting flavored with creamy coconut milk. This gives the frosting a subtle coconut taste without the texture that some might find off-putting.

The higher fat content in canned coconut milk makes the frosting nice and creamy. Use the full fat variety of canned coconut milk rather than the lite or reduced-fat versions for the best results.

The coconut milk gets blended with cream cheese and powdered sugar to become a creamy sweet cake frosting that’s worth licking the spoon for. Please note that refrigerated coconut milk will not work in this recipe.

When making the easy coconut cake frosting, be sure to only beat the cream cheese in with the rest of ingredients until just combined. If you beat it for too long, the icing is prone to become runny no matter how much more powdered sugar you add.

Read more

Maple Glazed Cinnamon Butterflake Rolls [+ Video]

Remember those awesome orange cinnamon butterflake rolls that we made a while back? Well, now we’ve got a maple glazed cinnamon butterflake rolls recipe! If you have never tried a butterflake roll before, the best way I can describe this recipe is maple cinnamon rolls combined with a flaky pull-apart dinner roll. 

We love the simplicity of a butterflake roll, but toss in a thick cinnamon mixture and a sweet maple glaze and forget about the normal rolls, we’re talking a mashup between cinnamon rolls and maple bars!! It’s the new creation, Maple Glazed Cinnamon Butterflake Rolls!

Speaking of cinnamon rolls, you need to bake my apple cinnamon rolls as well! Maybe not all on the same day, but those are equally as delicious! 

These Maple Glazed Cinnamon Butterflake Rolls have two options, a heavy maple glaze like a maple bar, or a very light glaze if you’re looking for something that isn’t as rich. Both are delicious, but for the lighter glaze just use more liquid and a stitch less maple extract.

Our kids love to make these with me but the kitchen shears snipping through the dough with little fingers around does make me a little nervous with our younger children, so we have a deal. I do all the cutting and they get to get their hands all sticky and messy by rubbing the butter c

Fragrant garlic, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes are sauteed in butter and then tossed with fresh lemon juice and tender pasta to create the Lemon Butter Pasta of which dreams are made.

And before the mushroom haters comment, yes, you can skip them. However, they really are delicious in this recipe, I recommend giving them a chance before ruling them out!

Lemon Butter Pasta

I’ve been making this pasta for company, for myself, for family and friends for almost 25 years now. This is the first recipe I think of when I am craving pasta.

My husband enjoys this with some grilled chicken added to it, but I’m quite happy with this pasta alone most of the time.

When we were first married, I often made this pasta just for myself on weekends when Sean was out of town.

Lemon Butter Pasta Recipe

Lemon, butter, and garlic are an awesome combination in pretty much any recipe, aren’t they? They truly shine in this sauce along with the mushrooms and tomatoes.

This lemony sauce coats the thin angel hair pasta perfectly and it’s a terrific match for Last Minute Chicken or Crispy Oven Baked Chicken. Chicken is my go-to option with this pasta.

However, Garlic Butter Steak Bites or Pine Nut Crusted Halibut are a couple more delicious ways to serve this meal.

Nowadays, when I make this, I double the recipe and cross my fingers for leftovers for my lunch the next day. I̵