Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We spent most of last week driving to Arizona and back for our annual family camping trip in the White Mountains. It’s a heck of a drive now that we live in Ohio, but we love the family time. After 56+ hours sitting in the car for the drive, I’ve been on my feet and moving as much as I can this week. 

And speaking of being on my feet, there are some great new recipes on the way to all the sites. (Have I mentioned lately how much I love this job?!)

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Juicy fresh peaches are matched up with spicy jalapenos, fragrant red onions, fresh cilantro, and zesty lime in this utterly irresistible peach salsa. I guarantee you can’t stop at one bite of this beautiful dip!

California spaghetti salad is a guaranteed hit for the summer vegetable lover in your life! This amped up pasta salad is exploding with peak-freshness produce and an irresistible Parmesan dressing.

Coleslaw gets an exciting upgrade in this pineapple coleslaw. Crunchy cabbage and sliced almonds are paired with sweet and fragrant pineapple tidbits, super fresh green onions and cilantro in a tangy but light and creamy dressing.

This peach cobbler is made as easy as can be with canned peaches and it is exactly what I remember my grandmother making when I was little. The topping is a little bit cakey, and buttery sweet, and the peaches fall through as it bakes and create juicy pockets of fruit in each bite.

Almond glazed, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies are the perfect afternoon treat with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Keep a stash of these on hand for a sweet accompaniment to a cuppa whatever you love best.

Full of tender apples, beautifully citrusy rhubarb, and crowned with a classic brown sugar oat crisp topping, this apple rhubarb crisp blends seasons together in sweet tart harmony. It’s different and it’s delightful.

Deep, dark, and indulgent, chocolate chocolate chip ice cream is unapologetically extra chocolatey. Not one, not two, but three kinds of chocolate make their way into this rich and creamy chocolate lover’s dream of an ice cream.

What I’m CRAVING: The biggest, greenest, crunchiest salads possible! After a lot of travel, with more on the horizon, I’ve happily made and eaten as many salads as possible. I have this one on my radar to ma

Marinated Smoked Chicken Thighs on the Traeger

We have smoked chicken breasts, a whole chicken and chicken wings so it was high time we share our smoked chicken thighs recipe. Chicken thighs have the best flavor and we are ramping that flavor up in the Traeger!

We start with a sweet smoky marinade and allow the chicken thighs to soak in all that tasty flavor. Then we smoke them on the Traeger. Serve them with an elote corn and some mac & cheese, and you have the perfect summer meal!

Remember how we used our Traeger as our oven a few summers ago while our kitchen was being remodeled? We love our Traeger so much! Not only does it make delicious food (practically on its own), but it also saved us last summer and is a great way to avoid turning on the oven when it’s scorching hot outside!

What Ingredients are Needed for Smoked Chicken Thighs?

Grab your chicken thighs and all the rest of these ingredients for the best smoked chicken thighs:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
• Honey
• Soy Sauce
• All Spice
• Cayenne Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Yellow Onion
• Garlic
• Dark Brown Sugar
• Corn Syrup
• Water
• BBQ Spice Rub

If you are a sauce lover, like I am, you can dip this chicken in some homemade bbq sauce…store-bought or whatever your favorite barbecue sauce is! The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Smoked Chicken Thighs

The first step in making these smoked thighs is to decide if you are going to smoke the meat in a pan in the smoker (this is the way I prefer to do it) or directly on the grill. If you want to cook them directly on the grill, save about a third of the marinade to use later.

The next step is to make the marinade. We like to pour everything directly into the ziploc bag that we are going to marinate the chicken in…less clean up! Put all the ingredients into the bag and then squish everything together to combine.

NOTE: If you’re grilling directly on the grill, reserve a third of the marinade for later now before adding the chicken.

Add the chicken to the bag and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 1-12 hours.

When you’re ready to start smoking, place all the chicken thighs and marinade into your pan.

Deep, dark, and indulgent, chocolate chocolate chip ice cream is unapologetically extra chocolatey. Not one, not two, but three kinds of chocolate make their way into this rich and creamy chocolate lover’s dream of an ice cream.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Whether you love an ice cream cone piled high or a bowl with one single, solitary, perfect scoop of ice cream in it, I’m betting that ice cream puts a smile on your face. It sure does on mine.

And this particular ice cream is a definite smile maker. It is, of course, divine on cones and in bowls, but do also consider it as a filling for The BEST Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches.

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Weekly Menu Plan – Jul. 29 to Aug. 4

I can’t believe summer is almost over! It is truly bittersweet! As we soak in the last few weeks of lazy summer days, let us help you with your meal planning so you can focus on all the fun parts about summer! Weekly menu plan to the rescue!

Monday: Easy Asian Orange Chicken [+ Video]

Tuesday: How to Make the BEST BLT

Wednesday: Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole [+Video]

Thursday: Tropical Fruit Yogurt Parfait

Friday: Brazilian Smoked Tri Tip on a Traeger

Saturday: Easy Grilled Steak Burrito Bowls

READ: Weekly Menu Plan – Jul. 29 to Aug. 4

Juicy fresh peaches are matched up with spicy jalapenos, fragrant red onions, fresh cilantro, and zesty lime in this utterly irresistible peach salsa. I guarantee you can’t stop at one bite of this beautiful dip!

Peach Salsa

What can you serve this peach salsa with? I think it’s more of a question of what it doesn’t go with.

I could polish off an entire batch of this by myself with a bag of chips (or even by the spoonful), but that’s not all it’s good for.

Spoon it over Pulled Pork Tacos or Sweet and Tangy Pulled Pork on sliders for some serious wow factor. Serve grilled or air-fried salmon over a bed of peach jalapeno salsa.

Or -and this may sound crazy at first, but stick with me- try it scooped over a little of The Best (and Easiest) Ice Cream You’ll Ever Make for a sweet and savory end to a summer meal.

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