Welcome to the weekend, my friends! What are you up to this weekend? I’m looking forward to a simply fascinating weekend of cleaning out my closet. Are you jealous? I’m over here, genuinely excited about it. We cleaned the garage last weekend (that’s a royal “we” by the way, my middle son did a fantastic job of the garage clean out on his own), and that motivated me to clean out more of my spaces in the house.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK:  It isn’t often that a salad manages to qualify as a full meal for my crew, but this Italian chopped salad checks all the boxes for us, with plenty of meat and cheese, crunchy fresh vegetables, tangy olives and pepperoncini, tossed in a zesty Italian dressing.

I could write an ode to smoked salmon dip at this point. My whole family has fallen in love with this snack. We dip vegetables into it, crackers, and even chips. I’ve smeared it on a bagel and eaten it off a spoon straight from the fridge. You can not go wrong with this one, my friends.

With little more than a few small zucchini and a couple of ears of fresh corn, you can be on your way to piping hot, crispy, craveable zucchini corn fritters. And while you can eat these crispy fritters all year long, they’re especially spectacular made with corn cut straight off the cob in sweet corn season.

And speaking of corn season, fresh corn, crisp peppers and onions, rich cream cheese, and spicy jalapenos are combined in this creamy fiesta corn dip to create a snack worthy of any occasion.

Chock-full of bacon and beef, sweetened with molasses, and simmered until thick and sweet, cowboy baked beans are a favorite for family dinners, barbecues, and potlucks.

Potluck pasta salad is filled with bell pepper, pasta, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and cheese. It’s delicious warm, cold, or at room temperature. This pasta salad is a classic favorite. It is a light and tangy salad that is perfect for summer barbecues, weeknight dinners and lunches, potlucks, and parties.

If you haven’t roasted strawberries before, this is a great time to try it! Creamy strawberry ice cream made with roasted berries is a treat like nothing you can buy at the stores.

Homemade blueberry pie filling tastes so much better than store-bought! And best of all, it’s super easy to make. Use this awesome berry sauce to top pies, cheesecakes, pancakes, or waffles. It’s delicious on Read more

5 Minute One Skillet Honey Lime Corn Side Dish

This deliciously buttery corn side dish is our FAVORITE! This 5 Minute Buttery Honey Lime Corn recipe is perfectly seasoned, and it’s the perfect side for any meal – Mexican, Southern or just All-American!

This honey butter skillet corn is fast, flexible, and works with frozen or fresh corn – whatever you’ve got on hand. It’s rich, cozy, and just fancy enough to feel special without making dinnertime any harder.

Our savory corn side pairs perfectly with our Beef Tacos! But don’t stop there, it would also go great with our VIRAL Pulled Pork, or this mouth-watering Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.

You’ll Make Buttery Honey Lime Corn On Repeat Because…

• This one skillet corn recipe needs just 5 minutes and a few staple ingredients that you likely already have on hand.
• Frozen or fresh corn work the same!
• It’s a flavorfully delicious one-pot side dish.
• It’s quick to make, about 5 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients for Honey Butter Skillet Corn

Corn may not be glamorous, but melt it into honey and butter and suddenly it’s stealing the spotlight from the steak. This recipe’s so simple, even your toddler could stir (though you might find corn in places corn should never be).

• Unsalted Butter: The rich, creamy base. Salted butter works too – just ease up on the added salt.
• Frozen Corn: Quick and easy, but fresh tastes great too. See tip below for using canned corn.
• Kosher Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavor. Halve the amount if using fine salt.
• Chili Powder: A smoky, subtle kick. Swap in paprika or a pinch of cayenne if preferred.
• Lime Juice: Adds brightness and cuts the richness.
• Honey: Sweetens everything up and makes the dish shine. Maple syrup or agave can pinch-hit.
• Cilantro: Brings a fresh finish. Try green onions or chives if cilantro’s not your thing.

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

How to Make Skillet Lime & Honey Butter Corn Side Dish

This recip

If you haven’t roasted strawberries before, this is a great time to try it! Creamy strawberry ice cream made with roasted berries is a treat like nothing you can buy at the stores.

Homemade strawberry ice creams have very little in common with any of the commercial strawberry ice creams you’ve likely tried in the past. So, let this be your reminder to churn a batch this summer and guarantee smiles from everyone.

Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

To make this ice cream, you’ll start by scattering some fresh berries on a baking sheet, (I typically use the less-than-perfect berries for recipes like this), drizzle them with a tiny bit of maple syrup or lightly sprinkle with sugar, and pop them in the oven for a while. You don’t need to babysit them, just give them a stir midway through the roasting time.

When the berries have softened and released their juices, you’ll transfer them to the blender along with any juices. Add some milk and puree until smooth. Then just add the remaining ingredients, pulse a few times to combine, and pour the mixture into your ice cream maker.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipes

Homemade ice cream is about the easiest dessert you can learn to make, and roasting the berries for your next batch of ice cream brings a whole new strawberry ice cream to the table.

As I was writing this recipe out to share with you, I realized that I have a bit of a love affair with strawberry ice cream. It all started with this Read more

I could write an ode to smoked salmon dip at this point. My whole family has fallen in love with this snack. We dip vegetables into it, crackers, and even chips. I’ve smeared it on a bagel and eaten it off a spoon straight from the fridge. You can not go wrong with this one, my friends.

Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe

We love the smoked trout dip at Hudson29 so much, it inspired me to figure out how to make smoked salmon dip at home for unlimited access. This recipe would work every bit as well with smoked trout, if that is an easily accessible ingredient for you. Where I am, smoked salmon is readily available almost everywhere.

This creamy dip starts with a simple creamy smooth base of blended cream cheese and sour cream. And then you’ll add bright tangy lemon juice, briny capers, fresh dill, even a little horseradish for some subtle heat, before mixing in the salmon for rich, smoky flavor.

If you’re looking for a snack or appetizer that feels kind of fancy (with the bare minimum of effort) next time you have friends over, this is it. And while my kids have never been super fussy eaters, I was shocked how much they liked this. My oldest even asked it I could make it again a few days later because he enjoyed it so much.

Smoked Salmon Dip

We serve salmon dip with crackers, crostini, tortilla chips, pretzels, even potato chips. (And yes, my boys will eat this with absolutely everything – no judgement here.)

I love it with fresh vegetables, the crisp cold vegetables pair perfectly. And believe it or not, while celery may not be my favorite vegetable pretty much ever, I LOVE it with this dip. I will happily eat an entire plate of celery alongside some salmon dip.

My favorite way to make this is with visible chunks of salmon scattered throughout the creamy dip. However, you can also blend everything together until it’s a smooth and creamy spread, perfect for spreading on sandwiches or bagels. The dip is terrific made both ways.

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It isn’t often that a salad manages to qualify as a full meal for my crew, but this Italian chopped salad checks all the boxes for us, with plenty of meat and cheese, crunchy fresh vegetables, tangy olives and pepperoncini, tossed in a zesty Italian dressing.

Italian Chopped Salad

This is a terrific make-ahead meal option for summer days and nights. Divide the prepped salad into separate containers or zip-close bags. Lay a paper towel in the containers or bags to help absorb any moisture that collects, and the salad will stay fresh longer.

When you’re ready to enjoy some salad, drizzle a portion of salad with the zesty Italian dressing and toss right before serving or eating. You can add croutons, chips, or even toast some garlic herb bread to enjoy along with the salad, if you’re like me and enjoy a bit of carb-y awesome crunch with your salads.

Chopped Italian Salad

The key to a great chopped salad is to make every bite the same size. My family goes a bit crazy over chopped salads, and they often comment how great it is to have a bit of each flavor in every bite. One of my boys even insists on reveling in his salad by eating it with a spoon. And the spoon never fails to make me laugh.

I’m willing to bet that after your first bite, you’ll agree that it is well worth the few minutes of extra effort to chop things small. To make a chopped salad, simply cut all the ingredients very small and as close to the same size as possible.

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