Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We had a great time in the White Mountains of Arizona with my family last weekend. (Thank goodness we weren’t headed to the valley where it’s approximately the temperature of my oven this summer.) The heat wave in the mountains was less than awesome this year, but at 9000′ it wasn’t awful.

I’ve probably driven between AZ and NM at least 100 times in my life and this time it was a whole new experience. We took 117 for a portion of the trip and we stumbled on an unexpectedly stunning drive. We stopped and walked the short trail up to La Ventana Arch. It is about 18 miles south of Interstate 40 off Exit 89 and it is well worth the stop.

ON THE BLOGS this week: Rich chocolate, creamy peanut butter, and frozen bananas are blended together in blissful harmony to make this Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie – that tastes more like a peanut butter banana milkshake than a breakfast drink.

Crispy Breakfast Potatoes, roasted to perfect crispiness with fluffy centers and plenty of seasoning, are key players in many of our favorite breakfast recipes.

Roasted Green Beans and Carrots deliver a delightful medley of flavors and textures. You can season them as directed in the recipe below or toss them with any number of different spice combinations.

The irresistible combination of vibrant peas, crispy bacon, and savory cheese complemented by a luscious creamy dressing, creates a perfect harmony of flavors in this Pea Pasta Salad.

Grab a chip and dig right into this creamy Caramelized Onion Dip. This tantalizing appetizer combines the smoothness of sour cream with the sweet and savory essence of onions slow-cooked to perfection. This dip is nothing like the onion dips you’ve tried before and it will leave your taste buds craving more.

Creamy chocolate ice cream filled with chocolate-covered cashews and swirled throughout with caramel sauce adds up to bowls of Bear Claw Ice Cream that no one can resist.

Melted dark chocolate is whipped with tangy cream cheese and a bit of cream to create this luxurious No Bake Chocolate Mousse.

With tangy, sweet rhubarb and an irresistible cinnamon sugar biscuit topping, this Read more

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We’ve been in Arizona for the past couple of days, getting ready for our annual family camping trip, and I sure am looking forward to the cooler weather up in the mountains. Want a peek at some of our past camping trips? You can find them all here. 

With 7 siblings and a whole lot of nieces and nephews now, camping has proven to be the easiest way to get us all together in one place. Not everyone makes it every year, but even when our crowd is smaller, it’s still a whole lot of fun.

ON THE BLOGS this week:  The best ever BBQ Meatloaf is here to add variety to your dinner table! Take an easy meatloaf recipe and make it even better with the addition of tangy barbecue sauce and bacon.

Jalapenos and cheddar cheese make this Jalapeno Popper Potato Salad a guaranteed win. With a creamy, spicy dressing and smoky bites of bacon and egg throughout the salad, it’s a crowd favorite.

Crisp broccoli florets mingle with savory bites of smoky bacon, tangy cheddar cheese, and zesty red onion in this awesome broccoli salad. Each bite offers a delightful balance of textures and a terrific combination of rich, creamy, and savory notes.

Juicy, salty kielbasa sausage and tender-crisp cabbage is a match made in food heaven. With the addition of some chopped onions and garlic, this Sausage Stir Fry becomes a simple one-pan dinner the whole family loves.

A quick and easy, flavorful side dish is only a few minutes away with this Bell Pepper Rice recipe. Combining jasmine rice, fresh bell peppers, and chicken (or vegetable) stock, this rice is a staple in our house.

Crispy tortillas, sweet corn, and gooey cheese combine to create these flavorful, hearty Mexican Street Corn Quesadillas. Whether served as a midday snack or a last-minute dinner option, the whole family is sure to love these quesadillas.

Fluffy Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes layered with sweet strawberry compote, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream are a breakfast dream come true.

Creamy Cookie Monster Ice Cream filled with chunks of Oreo and chocolate chip cookies is a hit with all cookie-loving kids and adults!

What I’m CRAVING: Watermelon Margaritas are calling my name. Fresh watermelon meets Serrano peppers along with a splash of tequila to make this unforgettable drink. They’re a little bit spicy and a litte bit

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Our weekend is a wee bit less exciting than the last, as we’re tackling all of the errands and household tasks that we ignored for the past week as we were enjoying time with visiting family. 

I’ll also be indoors more than out, as the humidity here has reached the ugly zone. All the rain sure does turn everything pretty and green, but it also leaves a whole lot of moisture in the air, doesn’t it?

ON THE BLOGS this week: Zesty and smoky flavors come together in this chili lime shrimp recipe. With little more than a simple marinade of fresh lime juice, chili powder, and plenty of garlic, every bite will leave you craving just one more.

Warm tortillas are filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, crispy bacon, and melting cheese to create these mouthwatering bacon and egg tacos. They are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner any day of the week.

Crisp, earthy spinach leaves blend with ripe, frozen bananas and orange juice to create a Banana Spinach Smoothie that is out of this world.

Sweet corn, crisp peppers and onions, rich cream cheese, and spicy jalapenos are combined in this creamy Fiesta Corn Dip for a snack worthy of any occasion.

This tender and moist zucchini meatloaf with an irresistible balsamic glaze has been on our dinner table three times in the past couple of months. I’ve served it with vegetable rice pilaf and with mashed potatoes. It also makes a terrific meatloaf sandwich if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers.

Sweet corn, creamy potatoes, and crispy bacon are tossed with a smoky, tangy, street corn-inspired dressing to create the bacon potato salad of your dreams.

Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies filled with the perfect amount of raisins are a classic that will never stop being made in my house. These have been Sean’s favorite cookies for as long as I can remember.

Rich and buttery homemade salted caramel is transformed to frosty perfection in this irresistible Salted Caramel Ice Cream.

Slightly chewy and sweetly tart, these Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars combine a crunchy oat topping with flavorful rhuba

Happy 4th of July weekend, my friends! Our village puts on a fantastic celebration every year and my brother and his girls are driving up from GA to enjoy it with us. The fun begins today and will go through the 4th. Here’s hoping for good weather all weekend!

As you’re getting ready for all the fun foods this weekend, and in case you’re as watermelon obsessed as we are this summer, check out this quick video showing how to easily slice a watermelon into handheld wedges or perfect bite-size cubes.

ON THE BLOGS this week: Crisp bacon and lettuce, tart tomatoes, creamy hard-boiled eggs, and jalapenos combine to create this creamy, slightly spicy Jalapeno BLT Pasta Salad.

The perfectly even doneness of a reverse seared New York strip steak makes every single bite a mouthwatering slice of heaven.

Loaded with robust garlic, zesty lemon, and a kick of red pepper flakes, Cowboy Butter is absolutely crave-worthy on steak, vegetables, or fresh bread.

Sweet grapes, crunchy pecans, and vanilla bean sour cream are combined in this unexpected and delicious creamy grape salad. My boys went nuts over this the first time I made it and I couldn’t stop eating bites of it myself.

Spicy, tangy, and savory flavors are stacked atop each together in a baking dish to create this sensational Layered Taco Dip with Ground Beef. My fellow snackers can rejoice because while this is fantastically snackable, it is also hearty enough to be dinner any night of the week.

Learn how to bake zucchini for an easy side dish all summer long. Baked zucchini is slightly sweet with crispy edges and a smooth rich texture.

Garden-fresh tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil, and a drizzle of balsamic make a timeless combination in this Chopped Caprese Salad.

Tender crisp Thai green beans with peanut sauce can be made as mild or as spicy as you like – in under 15 minutes.

Sweet strawberries mingle with crunchy golden Oreos whispering of summer in this lusciously smooth Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream.

If you think rhubarb is just for baked goods, you will be pleasantly surprised by the sweet, slightly tart flavor of this versatile Rhubarb S

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! My two youngest kids are at opposite ends of the country visiting family this week and next. I’m so glad they were able to do this, but man, the house sure has been quiet this week! I miss having them home.

I’ve headed out of town myself for a spur-of-the-moment weekend trip, so Sean and my oldest are going to have to hold down the fort and keep Oscar company this weekend. It’s hard to imagine a time when the boys won’t all be living at home, but I know that day is coming.

ON THE BLOGS this week: A colorful medley of garden-fresh vegetables is tossed in a light oil and vinegar dressing to make this tangy pasta salad a surefire hit at your next gathering.

Sweet onions, fresh zucchini, and grilled corn along with a bit of chicken and plenty of melting cheese made these some of the best vegetable quesadillas that I have made recently.

Roasted peanuts, ginger, garlic, and spicy red chilies give this easy kung pao chicken a kick that makes it quite unique. Kung Pao chicken is savory and sweet with as much spiciness as you might desire. The peanuts provide an additional nutty flavor that really brings it all together.

The robust flavor of artichoke hearts is perfect with the fiery kick of fresh jalapenos in this endlessly snackable artichoke jalapeno dip.

Learning how to roast beets is something that I am so glad I took the time to figure out. Getting those purple rocks soft and delectable is much easier than I imagined!

Sweet and earthy beets dance with tangy goat cheese, crunchy candied walnuts, and a drizzle of rich balsamic in this roasted beet salad.

Sweetly tart and tender rhubarb is baked to perfection under a crisp topping of brown sugar and oats in this easy rhubarb crisp.

There is nothing – and I do mean nothing – that compares with steeping whole spices and tea leaves to make an authentic pot of fragrant, spicy, sweet homemade chai. I’m warning you now, once you’ve made real chai you will never be as happy with the other versions.

Fragrant cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are steeped with black tea leaves to infuse each scoop of this chai ice cream with the classic flavor of chai tea.

Sweet strawberries meet tart rhubarb, b