Dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, and red pepper are delightfully brightened by fresh lemon juice in this Zesty Italian Dressing. So simple to make, it’s ready in just a few minutes!

Italian Dressing Marinade for Chicken

This dressing is fabulous on salads. And, it is also makes an awesome marinade for chicken, too. You don’t need to change a thing. Just shake it together, pour it over the chicken, and let it marinate.

You can use this zesty Italian dressing recipe on a pasta salad, too. Just add enough dressing to make it shiny when you toss it. The pasta doesn’t need to swim in it. Give it a bit of time to rest in the fridge and the flavors will mingle beautifully.

Is Italian Dressing Gluten Free?

For those of you with gluten concerns, I’ve got good news! While most big brands may contain gluten, this recipe makes a 100% gluten-free Italian salad dressing. And, it tastes better than anything you’ll find on store shelves.

This simple Italian dressing works just as well with gluten-free noodles. Or, give Zucchini Noodles a try for a refreshing twist in your favorite pasta salad.

Zesty Italian Dressing Recipe

• olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• lemon juice
• garlic cloves
• oregano
• red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper

Strawberry Simple Syrup is easy to make with just 3 ingredients and it can be used in so many ways!

Add a splash of strawberry syrup to a glass of mint lemonade or to a pitcher of mojitos and you just might find your new favorite drink to sip this summer. Pour it over a stack of buttermilk pancakes or my grandmother’s German pancakes for a breakfast that everyone will love.

Strawberry Simple Syrup

My sister introduced me to this strawberry simple syrup years ago. She excitedly called me up to tell me that she’d made a double batch, and I just had to have the recipe.

We played around with the recipe during a visit later that month. This syrup works well in cocktails, as a topping for pancakes and waffles, and I’ve even been known to add it with some fresh fruit to a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

This delectable infusion of juicy, sun-ripened strawberries has the perfect amount of sweetness. Strawberry syrup takes whatever you put it on and adds a bright pop of color and flavor to it, beyond what you would get with regular syrup. I love having it on hand for guests and special occasions.

This syrup keeps in the fridge for weeks, though I’ve found that at my house it doesn’t last that long before I have to make another batch. My boys love pouring it over a stack of perfect pancakes.

Strawberry S

3 Ingredient Easy and BEST Grilled Chicken Marinade

Want the juiciest chicken recipe ever?? Then you’ve got to make this 3 ingredient chicken marinade. It’s the most simple combination of garlic and herbs, a hint of buttery-melt-in-your-mouth flavor and then that pop of the champagne vinegar. Which is a must if you haven’t ever tried using different vinegars.

Last summer we were crazy busy trying to move and I needed some fast and easy dinner recipes. On a whim I bought a bottle of Champagne vinegar and whipped up a lazy, 3 ingredient chicken marinade that ended up being the best chicken marinade EVER. In fact, I even caught a short little video of the process so scroll down and check out a blast from the past in our old house.

(PS, fun fact! Did you know we write our blog posts an entire year out? So right now it’s September 2022, and I’m sitting at the counter of the rental house we finally found after the most insane summer. Did you follow that story? Talk about stressful chaos! I wonder, by the time this recipe goes live, will we have found our future home and be getting ready to settle in? I can’t wait to see where life takes us so leave a comment if you want an update!

Chicken Marinade Ingredients

You can’t get any more simple than just 3 ingredients for the most delicious chicken marinade! This is all you will need:

• Olive Oil – the base of the marinade and helps the chicken stay moist and juicy
• Champagne Vinegar – this can be hard to find sometimes, but it really is the best flavor for this marinade
• Kinder’s Buttery Steakhouse Seasoning – we buy ours at Costco, but I’ve seen it at Walmart and Smith’s, and of course there is always Amazon

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

How to Make a Grilled Chicken Marinade?

I like to throw all three of the ingredients into a shallow baking dish and to whisk it all together. Then place the chicken breasts into the marinade and give them a flip to coat both sides. Then let it marinade in the fridge.

You can also use a ziploc bag to marinate the chicken. Just whisk all the ingredients together in a glass measuring cup and pour the marinade over the chicken in the bag and let it sit in the fridge until you’re ready to grill.

Can Other Types of Vinegar Be Used?

The best substitute for champagne vinegar is Asian rice vinegar. White wine vinegar or sherry vinegar are also good substitutes.

Red wine or apple cider vinegar are ok substitutes but they are less sweet and pack bolder tangy vinegar flavor.

Can Other Cuts of Chicken Be Used?

You can absolutely use this marinade on chicken thighs, wings, or drumsticks.

How Long to Marinate Chicken

Marinating chicken for even just 15 minutes can add so much flavor to chicken. I have found the sweet spot for this marinade is from 2-6 hours. For the best f

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’ve been traveling since last Wednesday (first to NM and then to AZ) and finally made it home last night. I am so very happy to be waking up in my own bed and enjoying a lazy day with my family today.

ON THE BLOGS this week:  Creamy and cheesy, with wonderful lingering heat, this green chile mac and cheese is a keeper, transforming the quintessential comfort food into a dish that is positively irresistible.

The ever-popular and timeless rainbow fruit salad combines a variety of bright and colorful fresh fruits with a tangy honey lime dressing to create a crave-worthy summer side dish.

Bold and spicy flavors meet the refreshing crunch of fresh cucumbers in this spicy Asian cucumber salad. This simple side dish is endlessly snackable.

Tender crisp cabbage, carrots, and peppers combine with savory ground beef and leave a subtle, lingering heat that will have you wanting more. It’s a fully loaded skillet of eggroll flavors we love.

Grandma’s German pancakes meet irresistibly caramelized apples in these German apple pancakes. You won’t believe how easy it is to make such a scrumptious breakfast treat.

Filled with plenty of fresh strawberries and blueberries, these fluffy hotcakes are heavenly. These berry pancakes will make everyone smile this weekend.

Get ready for a tasty combination of fresh fruit and cool mint in these blueberry mojitos. You’ll find yourself hooked from the first sip!

Creamy vanilla ice cream swirled with tart lemon curd is a treat worth making year-round. Brighten up your next dessert with this refreshing lemon curd ice cream!

What I’m CRAVING: This Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi caught my eye yesterday and it sounds so good! It needs to be on our meal plan soon.

What I’m READING: He Who Fights with Monsters 8: A LitRPG Adventure by Shirtaloon and Travis Deverell. I’m hooked on this series all over again with the 8th book. It’s been a fun read / listen while traveling. 

What I’m LISTENING to: Houndmouth. This group is new to me and I’ve been enjoying them. It’s Americana meets rock, blues, alternative, folk… I don’t even know exactly how to describe it, but it’s a whole feeling. If you lik

Creamy vanilla ice cream swirled with tart lemon curd is a treat worth making year-round. Brighten up your next dessert with this refreshing lemon curd ice cream!

Lemon Curd Desserts

When I first had the idea for this ice cream, I tried making it with freshly churned lemon ice cream. While that was delicious, it was overwhelmingly lemony, without a strong flavor from the curd itself.

Well, I adore lemon curd desserts, so that wasn’t going to work for me. Next, I tried swirling it into a batch of cheesecake ice cream.

That was delicious as well, but it wasn’t quite what I wanted. The cheesecake flavor was dominant, and I really wanted the curd to be center stage in this ice cream.

I should’ve known that I’d wind my way back to classic vanilla ice cream for this recipe. The base is simple with just five ingredients: heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla.

Those pure ice cream flavors allow the subtle brightness of the lemon to shine exactly the way I imagined it could. For a real treat, warm the leftover curd and drizzle it over each cold, creamy scoop. You won’t regret it.

Microwave Lemon Curd

When I first saw a recipe for microwave lemon curd, I have to admit that I was skeptical. I love lemon curd, but I am such a slacker about making it. I never want to stand by the stove and Read more