Welcome to the weekend, my friends! As I sit here sipping coffee and writing today’s newsletter, my youngest son is making a pot of blueberries and cream oatmeal for our breakfast – and I’m thinking how awesome it is to have older kids now. Younger years are their own kind of fun, but middle school, high school, and college age kids? I just love it so much.

Today’s plan is a whole lot of home organization and cleaning out closets, a trip to drop off donations at the thrift store (thrills a minute here for sure), maybe a car wash, and hopefully a bike ride too. There’s something especially peaceful in knowing I don’t have to be anywhere special or accomplish anything specific this weekend. I’m wishing you much of the same, or as active and busy a weekend as your heart desires.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK:  What’s not to love about a fully loaded ranch potato salad filled with bits of bacon and chunks of egg? This has been my kids’ favorite potato salad for over 10 years now. This is a super easy-to-make potato salad with bacon, eggs, and ranch dressing and it’s been a huge hit with everyone who tries it.

Fresh corn, bell peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, and onion are tossed with lime and a sprinkling of spices to create this Southwest Corn Salad. You’ve likely heard it said before that something is “more than the sum of its parts.” Well, this salad, it is absolutely more than the sum of its parts.

This Zucchini Stir Fry with Chicken is an easy dinner that delivers a whole lot of great flavor. Served on its own or over rice or noodles, this is a meal that always satisfies.

Move over chocolate, there’s a new player in the flavored milk lineup. Fresh blueberries are a total game changer. Sweet and tangy, they bring such a refreshing taste to each sip of this Blueberry Milk.

Juicy blueberries and hearty oats come together with the perfect blend of sweet and tangy in these chewy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies.

Perfectly chewy, fudgy brownies, topped with fudge frosting and a sprinkling of candies, these Cosmic Brownies are better than the original! Just a warning here, it turns out that these brownies are my kryptonite. I have to force myself to give away half the pan every time I make them because I can not stay away from them if they’re in the house.

And yes, I DID make those brownies just so I could make this Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We’ve had a great week with family visiting, driving out to watch the eclipse in totality (so many thoughts here, but WOW sums it up), celebrating my niece’s birthday, playing games, and cooking so much food. You know it’s been a relaxing time when I’m now happily looking forward to several straight days of work. (But first, we’ll enjoy the rest of the weekend!)

ON THE BLOGS 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 the steaming bowls of soup with a handful of shredded cheese and the entire family gives this dinner two thumbs up. The best part? You can make this soup in just TEN minutes!

Mango corn salsa is a sweet and spicy treat boasting a satisfying crunch of fresh corn and mild jalapeno heat. Whether it’s scooped over grilled chicken or served on its own with chips for dipping, it disappears fast.

Creamy, sweet, and tangy poppy seed dressing lightly coats each bite of this broccoli slaw salad. With crisp fresh broccoli and carrots, the bite of red onion, the crunch of pecans, and the sweet chewy fun of dried cranberries, this broccoli salad is a terrific side dish for almost any meal.

Bursting with sweet and slightly tart blueberries, this blueberry simple syrup will elevate your lemonades, pancakes, and cocktails with the essence of pure summer goodness.

Oh, my friends, these blueberry lemon bars turned out even more amazing than I hoped! With sweet bursting blueberries in every bite of the tangy lemon bars, they proved irresistible for me.

These buttery, not-too-sweet glazed lemon cookies have a mild lemon flavor and a sweetly tart lemon glaze. They have been a hit with everyone who tries one.

As much as we all love a good old-fashioned banana split ice cream sundae, I’m here to tell you that banana split ice cream is a whole new world of homemade ice cream.

What I’m CRAVING: Hot pretzels! I have a somewhat ridiculous weakness for fresh pretzels. There’s a pretzel shop in our village and I rarely resist stopping in when their light is on. (Thankfully, the shop is only open two days a week!) In the meantime, when the local pretzels aren’t available, we can make our own using

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! The storms in Ohio have been almost non-stop this week, but there are plenty of signs that spring is on the way. It’s looking beautiful and green all around us these days. (Technically, it’s green everywhere that isn’t currently muddy or flooded, but I’m looking for the blessing in all the rain this week.)

If you’ve never lived somewhere without changing seasons, the wonder of it all is likely not something you notice. But having lived most of my life in the Southwest, I don’t take the different seasons for granted. I love each one so much (yes, even mud season) and I’m looking forward to the crisp mornings, warmer days, and beautiful flowers that spring always brings.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK:  Skip the store-bought spice mixes and stir together a batch of homemade Cajun seasoning! Cajun seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices often used to add a kick to dishes running the gamut from popcorn to veggies to meat! Most of your favorite Cajun-style recipes likely call for some version of a Cajun seasoning mix.

Steak bites are a weeknight mainstay of our meal-planning rotation. And these Cajun Steak Bites have just enough kick to please both my spice lovers and less adventurous eaters.

Tender chicken, salsa, green chile, and black beans are simmered together in the crock-pot and then scooped into warm tortillas to create the easiest, tastiest, salsa chicken tacos and burritos. Salsa Chicken is also tasty when served over rice, wrapped in tortillas, or tossed into a salad.

Dive into this timeless combination of flavors with savory chicken, gooey mozzarella, and marinara sauce, nestled in tender-crisp squash, and topped with toasted bread crumbs. Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats are a big hit!

Creamy, buttery, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes are what food dreams are made of. I suggest making extra, to avoid arguments over who gets seconds.

Soft, tender cookies filled with bursting blueberries and topped with a tangy sweet lemon glaze, these Lemon Blueberry Cookies have been an enormous hit with everyone who tries them.

Apple Crisp Ice Cream, the name alone sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it? That’s before I tell you that this ice cream is made with the creamiest of homemade vanilla ice creams, then completely loaded with bits of cinnamon sweet baked apples, and crunchy streusel topping.

What I’m CRAVING: Do you remember Pillsbury’s Orange Rolls? (Are they still a thing?) Oh, how I us

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Despite the rain in the forecast, we’re hoping to sneak out for a short hike today whenever the weather gives us a break and we might get in some Frisbee golf too. (FYI I’m awful, but it’s still fun.) This is an Easter weekend full of family and friends for us.

I’m simmering some green chile stew for dinner tonight and tomorrow will be a waffle brunch after church followed by country-style ribs for dinner. We don’t have a traditional menu for Easter most years and it’s fun to play it by ear.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Whether you’re dressing up a salad or slathering it on a burger, Thousand Island brings a punch of flavor that’s downright irresistible. Creamy mayo meets tangy ketchup along with the pop of diced pickles and a sprinkle of zesty onions in this recipe for Thousand Island salad dressing.

Want to know how to make perfect French Bread Pizza? This method creates cheesy pizzas with a crispy crust. It’s homemade pizza that’s fast enough for a quick lunch or casual dinner.

Smashed Brussels Sprouts with balsamic glaze are the candy of the vegetable world. I simply can not eat just one!

Hash Brown Waffles are hot, crispy potato perfection. They’re perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and they make a terrific base for all kinds of toppings.

Topped with warm blueberry compote, these crepes are a breakfast that my kids would love to eat every day. Blueberry crepes are a breakfast lover’s dream come true.

Chocolate dipped Coconut Macaroons are rich, sweet, chewy cookies that are almost candy-like. While they’ve been a holiday favorite for as long as I can remember, coconut macaroons are a treat we enjoy year-round.

Vanilla sweet cream ice cream filled with chunks of birthday cake and plenty of sprinkles is as much fun to make as it is to eat! Birthday cake ice cream is my current favorite flavor. And yes, I just declared a new favorite ice cream for at least the 10th time on this website. How could I possibly choose a forever favorite when I’m constantly trying new flavors to share with you?

What I’m CRAVING: All the s

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m very much looking forward to a lazy weekend spent mostly at home – this one will be filled with bonus teenagers and an abundance of food too. I love it when everyone is home at the same time these days. 

And seeing how I am as weather-obsessed as ever, I’ll be headed out for a few walks and enjoying the fresh, chilly air as much as possible.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: This is, without doubt, bar none, the best tomato soup I have ever tasted. If you have someone in your family who doesn’t like tomato soup, this three-ingredient crockpot recipe is the one you can use to convince them otherwise. It has made diehard fans of me and my boys.

I’ve been holding out on you, my friends. I first made this ramen egg roll in a bowl over a month ago and I’ve made it four more times since then. It was an immediate family favorite from the very first bite, and right now, I can’t get enough of it.

Sweet and just a little bit spicy, this bell pepper and chicken stir fry is filled with bite-size sticky sweet chunks of honey sriracha chicken and tender-crisp peppers. The whole recipe comes together in under 20 minutes.

Crispy roasted Brussels sprouts with pecans and bacon is a holiday-sounding side dish you can eat any day of the week.

Do you know how easy it is to make taco soup? (You only need 7 ingredients!) This is a hearty chili-style soup made with beef, tomatoes, beans, and corn. It’s full of Mexican flavors and is the perfect thing to make for busy nights.

Have you heard of mac and cheese ice cream? As the creamy, sweet ice cream melts in your mouth, the flavor softens and leaves you with just a hint of savory flavor. Is it for everyone? Nope. But it has been a huge win with a surprising number of people!

With a sweet, buttery, crispy, cake-like topping and a filling of sweet, warm berries, this blueberry cobbler is dessert perfection with a scoop of ice cream on top.

What I’m CRAVING: These Chocolate Mint Dream Bars are dessert perfection, and my family has loved them ever since my friend Lynne first made them for us. My youngest son made them last night and they’re chilling in the fridge now, ready for dinner tonight. I can hardly wait.

My FAVORITE THING this week is this dish brush. I’d apologize for ho