March 18, 2023

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! My youngest son turns 13 this weekend and even though we’ve been watching the calendar waiting for this weekend to finally arrive, it’s a little bit unreal. We have three teenagers in the house now and I love it.

I’ve said it before and it bears repeating, parenting older kids is a whole lot more fun than the babies and toddlers ever were. If you’d told me 15 years ago just how cool it would be to have teenagers, I never would’ve believed it.

ON THE BLOG this week: This is beyond any doubt the BEST ham I have ever tasted – and the secret is all in the 3 ingredient ham glaze. (This ham is so completely worthy of hyperbole; I gave up on attempting to write the post without it.)

Fresh broccoli with dried cranberries, bacon, and red onion tossed in a tangy sweet dressing makes for a crave-able Cranberry Broccoli Bacon Salad. This salad was a hit with my non-broccoli fans too!

Tangy, sweet, Memphis bbq sauce is so much tastier than anything store-bought! (And you can make it with just a few pantry ingredients!) Have you tried making barbecue sauce? If you haven’t, it’s time to give it a try.

This lightly sweetened baked oatmeal is filled with bursting blueberries and wholesome oats with a hint of fragrant cinnamon.

This garlicky Bacon Asparagus Pasta includes a generous handful of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes as a perfect match to the fresh flavor of asparagus. (I actually had to hide the tiny portion leftover last time we made this because I was determined to have it for lunch the next day!)

Steak Fajita Quesadillas combines the rich, meaty flavor of a steak with the vibrant colors and bold flavors of fajita vegetables, all wrapped up in crispy, cheesy tortillas.

This lightly sweetened and spiced cake is filled with chunks of apple, then drizzled with warm caramel sauce just before serving. A sprinkling of raw sugar over the top of the cake adds a bit of crunch and sweetness as well.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies are thick, chewy chocolate cookies topped with gooey marshmallows and a generous dollop of fudge frosting.

Cinnamon coffee cake loaded with layers of buttery cinnamon brown sugar streusel is something

Cinnamon coffee cake loaded with layers of buttery cinnamon brown sugar streusel is something that I can not resist whenever it is in the house. Fortunately, it’s irresistible to everyone I know, so it disappears fast any time I make it.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Whether it’s early in the morning with a cup of coffee, mid-afternoon, or late at night, this cinnamon coffee cake is a favorite. Heavy on the cinnamon streusel, this cake is literally half streusel.

The sour cream gives a delicious richness and tender, moist crumb without making the cake overly sweet. It really is the perfect treat with a mid-morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea. My kids devour it as an after-school snack.

Simple cakes like this one are some of my favorite treats to share. Whether I’m taking a whole meal to someone, or sharing a dessert just to bring a friend a smile, cinnamon coffee cake with abundant layers of cinnamon streusel is perfect for any reason.

I first shared this recipe in The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook and it’s been on my frequent repeat list ever since. (For those of you counting, that’s a solid 7 years in the favorites rotation!)

I’m happy to tell you that coffee cake freezes quite well. Wrap individual slices tightly and store them in an airtight container or zip-close bags. Frozen cake can be thawed at room temperature or reheated from frozen in the microwave.

This lightly sweetened baked oatmeal is filled with bursting blueberries and wholesome oats with a hint of fragrant cinnamon.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

My family likes oatmeal in every way, shape, or form you can serve it. So, finding new ways to make and serve it makes all of us happy.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal is a hearty breakfast that can be stirred together in just minutes. If you haven’t yet tried baked oatmeal, this is a delicious recipe to start with today.

Side note, because you all know that I’m weather obsessed now that we live in Ohio – I am loving the mornings that we’ve had over the past week! When I’m done sitting on the porch with my coffee, baked oatmeal sounds better than ever.

Muesli-style slow cooker oats, nutty granolas, peaches and cream oatmeal with sweet bites of fruit and melting brown sugar, chewy baked oatmeal; we love them all. And I doubt that any of us will ever turn down a warm oatmeal cookie.

You can find a full list of some of our favorite oatmeal recipes right here.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bake

With all of those varieties to choose from, I can still say, beyond any doubt, that our all-time favorite way to make oatmeal for breakfast is baked. And blueberries in oatmeal? That’s a sure fire win.

Pulling a pan of baked oatmeal out of the oven in the morning makes eating oatmeal feel like a special treat. Whether you choose to fill yours with apples or berries, dried fruit, or crunchy nuts, there really isn’t a wrong way to prepare your morning oatmeal.

This blueberry oatmeal bake is loaded with fresh berries, but it can also be made with frozen blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.

While I do enjoy chopped strawbe

This lightly sweetened and spiced cake is filled with chunks of apple, then drizzled with warm caramel sauce just before serving. A sprinkling of raw sugar over the top of the cake adds a bit of crunch and sweetness as well.

Apple Spice Cake

There are a few different ways to serve this cake. I like it best when topped with warm salted caramel sauce, and my husband prefers his topped with whipped cream. (Naturally, my kids voted for both toppings.)

If we’re lucky enough to have a slice of cake left the next morning, I usually snack on it with my morning coffee.

With fragrant cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom complementing the chunks of soft sweet baked apples, this apple spice cake is a popular fall and winter dessert.

It’s a common misconception that a moist cake is created by the amount of liquid used in a recipe. The truth is that moistness is actually created by the fats in ingredients like eggs, butter, oil, sour cream, and milk.

A generous helping of sour cream in this apple cake helps creates a dense, super-moist crumb. Full-fat Greek yogurt may be substituted for the sour cream here if you happen to have it on hand and do not have sour cream. Both options will work nicely.

Read more

Tangy, sweet, Memphis bbq sauce is so much tastier than anything store-bought! (And you can make it with just a few pantry ingredients!)

Have you tried making barbecue sauce? If you haven’t, it’s time to give it a try. And if you have but you haven’t found a recipe you love yet, this Memphis-style barbecue sauce recipe just might be the one.

Memphis BBQ Sauce

This is a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce with a hint of spicy heat. The memphis-style bbq sauce is thinner and tangier than most barbecue sauces, and I prefer it to the thick and smoky sauces typically available at the grocery store.

I really like the ratio of tang to spice in this version and I’m thrilled to share it with you today. If you want something a little different next time you’re grilling or when you’re pulling together a quick weeknight dinner of BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potatoes, take five minutes and stir together a batch of tangy bbq sauce to make it even better.

There are many different BBQ sauces out there beyond the classic flavors. This Sriracha Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is one that my husband and oldest son love.

If you’re after a homemade BBQ sauce that’s heavier on the spice, a bit sweeter, and a little bit thicker, check out this Sweet and Spicy Homemade BBQ Sauce – it’s reminiscent of Sweet Baby Ray’s sauces and my kids love it.

Got spice lovers in your house? They’ll go nuts for this spicy barbecue sauce with enough heat to bite the back of your throat. It delivers plenty of warmth with lots of Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper. If you just want a simple classic, Homemade Barbecue Sauce is it.

Carolina Style BBQ Sauce is packed with mustard and then there are Korean Barbecue Sauces in a league of their own.

For something a little less traditional but just as delicious, you need to try Tangy Peach Barbecue Sauce. Like this BBQ sauce, it’s ultra tangy and also has a subtle fruity peach flavor.

During peach season, I make it as often as I’m able to get my hands on fresh