Easy Italian Pasta Salad [+ Video]

This easy Italian Pasta Salad is a crowd-pleasing dish perfect for summer picnics or potlucks. Packed with fresh vegetables, cheese, pepperoni and dressed with a zesty homemade Italian dressing, this salad is sure to be a hit. Plus, check out the recipe video for step-by-step instructions!

Have you made our Greek Pasta Salad? It’s really good and one of the most popular recipes on our site. Here’s the thing though, not everyone is a fan of feta cheese, so we felt like we had no choice but to bust out an amazingly easy pasta salad recipe complete with mozzarella cheese, fresh and flavorful homemade Italian dressing, and meat and colorful vegetables galore.

There’s something about pasta salad recipes and summertime that just make the world happy. I get almost giddy the closer we get to summer just thinking about dusting off the BBQ and pulling out the lawn chairs for outdoor cookouts with friends. Make some grilled chicken and grilled corn on the cob with this pasta salad with Italian dressing, and you have yourself the perfect summer dinner!

What’s in Italian Pasta Salad?

I’ll be honest with you — our kids totally pick out some of the ingredients in this homemade pasta salad. Two of our kids love straight up cold pepperoni. So Cade and I are left to eat whatever’s leftover from this pasta salad with pepperoni. The joys of parenthood!

To make this pasta salad recipe, you’ll need:

• Rotini Pasta: Any short, sturdy pasta works great like penne, farfalle, fusilli, macaroni, etc.
• Pepperoni
• Salami
• Black Olives
• Mozzarella Cheese: Fresh mozzarella balls are preferred.
• Parmesan Cheese: freshly grated
• Bell Pepper: I prefer a red, yellow or orange bell pepper.
• Tomatoes: Grape or cherry tomatoes work great.
• Red Onion
• Italian Salad Dressing: You can grab some at the grocery store or make it at home with the recipe we’ve included below.

The measurements needed for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Italian Pasta Salad

Don’t let all the mix-ins fool you, this Italian pasta salad with pepperoni is as easy as it gets! It’s just a matter of cooking the pasta, choppi

Double Dipped Crispy Fried Chicken [+Video]

Double-dipped, crispy fried chicken is a crowd favorite with its extra crunch, juicy texture, and incredible flavor. Serve it with creamy coleslaw and warm cornbread for the perfect Southern meal.

Southern friends, I swear y’all are the masters of comfort food. Nobody does it quite like the South—especially when it comes to fried food. And let’s be real, Southern fried chicken is in a league of its own.

Growing up in a home with a dad from Oregon and a mom from Idaho, fried chicken wasn’t really ever made. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t eat it.

Looking back, this is really quite ridiculous and a little embarrassing to admit, but whenever we went out and had a picnic, we would get fried chicken from… well, from KFC. There, I said it.

Oh gosh, lol, it’s kind of funny if you think about it. I mean, my mom cooked all of our meals, and we practically never ate out, but then we go on a picnic and we take a bucket of fried chicken. Bahahaha.

Southern Fried Chicken

It’s crunchy on the outside and with juicy divine chicken underneath. This is the best fried chicken. It is our absolute favorite and totally irresistible. We use tender chicken breasts, but you could easily swap them for thighs, drumsticks, and even wings!

Southern food is a favorite around here, like our smoked beans, southern cheese crackers, and southern corn bread (which is the best corn bread EVER.)

Ingredients for Double Dipped Crispy Fried Chicken

The secret to making the best Southern Fried Chicken starts with the perfect ingredients. Let’s break down everything you need to make this classic comfort food right at home!

• Water: The base for the brining process
• Kosher Salt: Essential for seasoning and brining
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: The star of the dish

Spring Easter M&M Cookies [+Video]

Deliciously thick, soft, and chewy spring Easter M&M Cookies! These cookies are the epitome of a perfect chocolate chip cookie: delightfully crunchy around the edges with a warm, soft center. Trust me, you absolutely must enjoy one while it’s warm!

I have seriously never worked so quickly to get a recipe out to you all, but the response on our Instagram for our M&M cookies was out of control, so I just had to put these Easter cookies into your hands!

I am almost always making and photographing recipes a year in advance. Therefore, these last few weeks, I’ve been developing, making, and photographing recipes for next spring and Easter. However, I just couldn’t resist showing you all the most perfect and awe-inspiring Easter M&M cookies that I had made last week. They were simply too glorious not to share…and you all agreed!

In fact, you agreed so much that I got bombarded with emails, DMs, comments, and all the things (which I LOVE). So, here they are—you don’t have to wait a whole year because I’m just that nice!

Endless Possibilities for Add-Ins

Even though Easter is over, this recipe works great with any add-ins you want. For instance, you can swap the Easter M&M’s for regular M&M’s or any holiday M&M’s. Since the 4th of July is just around the corner, can you imagine them with red, white, and blue? I can’t wait! Additionally, you could use Reese’s Pieces or pretty much anything else you desire. I’m going to write a whole section about add-ins below.

Furthermore, these cookies do not need to wait in the fridge, but I believe that they taste a little better if you let the dough rest. The key is that anytime you refrigerate or freeze a cookie, you want to give it about 15-30 minutes on the counter (if refrigerated overnight) to rest, the same goes for frozen cookies.

Ingredients for Easter M&M Cookies

This will be pretty much your standard list of ingredients for classic chocolate chip cookies plus some M&M’s. Here is what you will need:

• Unsalted Butter – using unsalted allows you to control the saltiness of the recipe and make sure it is softened but not too soft!
• Brown Sugar – you want fresh moist brown sugar to make the texture of these cookies perfect
• White Sugar – just regular granulated white sugar
• Egg – gives structure to the cookies and helps hold everything together
• Vanilla Extract – adds to the flavor, and use the real stuff…no imitation vanilla

• Flour – make sure to measure the flour correctly so they come out chewy and soft
• Baking Soda – gives the cookies their rise and fluffiness
• Cornstarch – helps make the cookies stay thick and soft
• <

Berry Avocado Chicken Salad – Healthy Version

Juicy chicken breast adds a little protein to this simple berry avocado salad with a light poppyseed dressing. Throw on a little gorgonzola, candied nuts and you’ve just made the most perfect dinner salad recipe.

We chose to use Greek yogurt instead of the oil, sour cream or mayonnaise versions. We also found that because of the creaminess of the Greek yogurt there was no need to use an entire cup of sugar like many of the recipes out there. Plus bonus protein from the yogurt! I love when I can make something a little healthier and it still tastes fabulous!

Years ago my friend invited me to a girls night dinner to chat. She had a gift card for us both at a local restaurant and as we were fighting to survive unemployment (link to fighting faith) it was a blessing so I hopped in the car with her. Little did I know she was going to change my whole salad and soup life! She taught me how to turn a “nuts about berries” salad into something incredible, how to take tomato soup and creamy cauliflower soup and combine them with a little orzo on top for the best soup ever and now I’ve been making this berry avocado chicken salad ever since! I think the candied nuts and cheese are essential, but you can do any changes you’d like- feta instead of Mild Blue Cheese or gorgonzola is great too for example. See our entire list of possibilities below!

Ingredients for Chicken Berry Avocado Salad

This berry avocado salad only uses just a few wholesome and fresh ingredients. You’ll only need 4 ingredients for the light poppyseed dressing! Here is everything you will need:

• Chicken Breasts
• Brown Sugar BBQ Rub: Salt and pepper would work great too.
• Butter Lettuce
• Spinach and Kale Combo
• Avocado
• Berries: Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries and Blackberries
• Candied Pecans
• Crumbled Mild Blue Cheese, or gorgonzola

Poppyseed Dressing

• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Sugar
• Prosecco or Champagne Vinegar
• Poppy Seeds

The measurements and details for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe at the end of the post so keep scrolling!

How to Make Berry Avocado Salad

This salad recipe is so easy to make, and taking the time to cook the chicken and make the candied pecans is so worth the extra effort! Here are the basic steps!

1. Cook the Chicken: Season each chicken bread on top and bottom with the BBQ rub and cook over medium-high heat either on the grill or in a pan on the stove top with a drizzle of oil. Then turn the heat d

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Oh, what a GLORIOUS week of weather we have had in Ohio. Temps have been in the 70s for several days now! I’ve done my best to soak up as much of it as possible with long walks every afternoon.

I’ve been told this is a false spring and the temps are about to fall again. So, it’s unlikely to be this warm again for a while. But as long the sun continues to shine, I’ll be grinning up at it and hoping the plants all survive the coming cold days.

IN THE KITCHEN THIS WEEK: Loaded with our favorite Mexican flavors; this Southwest Chicken Soup is slightly spicy with chunks of tomatoes, corn, black beans, and tender chicken. I like to top my bowl with a handful of shredded cheese and some tortilla strips.

Last night’s dinner was this fully loaded Chicken Potato Broccoli Casserole. It starts with fluffy mashed potatoes that are mixed with tender bites of broccoli and chicken, then generously sprinkled with bacon and cheese. The result is an absolutely irresistible dinner.

Oven-roasted Cabbage with Balsamic Glaze is nothing short of a crazy obsession. Try it and you will understand. I’ll be making it again next week. 

This Spinach Orzo Salad is filled with cranberries, creamy goat cheese, tender pasta, and plenty of fresh spinach tossed in a tangy sweet dressing. The salad can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days – making this an awesome make-ahead meal for lunch or dinner.

My son requested chili (again), so I’ll be making a big batch of the easiest and tastiest chili for easy dinners this coming week as the weather cools off again. 

Skip the traditional fried donuts and make these Apple Cider Donut Muffins! With a sugary coating reminiscent of their namesake, these muffins offer a delightful twist on a beloved classic.

Andes Mint Cookies are a soft-baked chocolate cookie loaded with Andes Mint pieces and spread with an extra layer of mint goodness. They’re amazing straight from the oven.

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these bath salts. The eucalyptus and spearmint fragrance is lovely and the salts are the perfect way to relax at the end of the day. The muscle and tension relief is like nothing else I’ve tried. In combination with this foaming bath, it feels like a spa experience every night.