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

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! It’s mid-June and the weather is about as perfect as it could possibly be. (Not something I recall ever saying in the summertime before we moved to Ohio.) We still have chilly mornings and glorious afternoons and evenings.

Even after 4 years of living here, I still have moments of, “How awesome is it that I get to wake up in my favorite place on earth every morning?!” It’s a gift I don’t take for granted.

ON THE BLOGS this week: Filled with Italian sausage and shredded vegetables before being fried crisp and golden brown, these Italian egg rolls are a fun and unexpected twist on pasta night.

Fluffy Italian rice cooked in chicken broth and then tossed with warm butter and generous herbs makes a terrific side dish for any meal.

This pepperoni pizza grilled cheese sandwich is a fantastic treat, loaded with savory slices of pepperoni, gooey mozzarella, and fresh basil.

Garden-fresh tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a creamy, cheesy topping make each slice of this old fashioned tomato pie a joy to eat!

Tender vegetables are breaded and broiled to perfection with plenty of buttery garlic and lemon in this crispy buttered zucchini and summer squash.

Tender crisp green beans are sauteed along with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and plenty of spice in these flavorful Mexican green beans.

Warm berry sauce poured over cold ice cream is one of my favorite desserts. I make this sauce year-round and every time I serve it, it gets raves. This fruit sauce might be the simplest recipe I keep in my dessert recipe notebook. I scribbled it out on a scrap of paper almost 25 years ago while I was visiting a friend.

Creamy sweet vanilla ice cream filled with crunchy, nutty grape nuts? Yes, please! This grape nut ice cream has been an absolute win with family and friends.

Juicy sweet blueberries are topped with the warm, cinnamon-kissed crunch of a buttery oat topping

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! It’s been a seriously delicious week spent in the kitchen over here. There are a whole lot of great new recipes headed your way this summer.

Oh! If you’re a rhubarb lover, you should definitely subscribe for emails over here, so that you don’t miss any of those new recipes.

ON THE BLOGS this week:  This fried rice with chicken and bacon has been firmly established in our home as the best “unplanned and amazingly delicious” meal ever.

Sweet and slightly tart fresh blueberries are lightly covered in dark chocolate to create an irresistible sweet snack that doubles as a quick and easy dessert too.

Creamy, spicy, pasta with bell peppers and sausage is a 20-minute meal that everyone loves. My family will happily eat this pasta any night of the week.

Anyone who has ever grown their own zucchini knows that before summer is over, you’re going to be looking for new ways to use it. This guide details all the steps to follow on how to make zucchini noodles.

If you know how to cook zucchini noodles you can have these garlic parmesan zucchini noodles ready to eat in just minutes – perfectly seasoned with just butter and herbs or topped with your favorite pasta sauce.

The satisfying sizzle of colorful veggies on a hot grill yields all the fabulous flavor and charring you want in no time at all. Learning how to grill all kinds of vegetables makes summer dinners a breeze.

Fresh strawberries are tossed with sugar and cinnamon before being layered under a sweet biscuit crust to make this strawberry cobbler. If you’re a fan of classic strawberry shortcake, this berry-filled dessert is going to thrill you.

Smooth vanilla ice cream meets the vibrant flavor of sweet, ripe cherries in every bite of this black cherry ice cream. And, the second spoonful? Irresistible.

Sweet, tart cherry filling and a crisp almond topping combine to make an easy and delicious summertime dessert. Whether topped with a scoop of ice cream or served alone, Read more

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Our summer has already been a whirlwind of visits with friends and family and I have been enjoying all of the company. Sean and I have plans to finally see the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie tonight and I can hardly wait.

Psssst – don’t miss today’s giveaway at the bottom of this newsletter!

ON THE BLOGS this week: With a little bit of sweet and salty goodness in every bite, GORP is a snack mix that my family devours every time we make it. Lucky for all of us, it’s an easy hassle-free trail mix to make.

The BEST chicken tetrazzini recipe begins with chicken, mushrooms, and pasta tossed together with a creamy, garlicky sauce. Layer that deliciousness in a baking dish and sprinkle it with just a handful of cheese before baking just long enough to melt everything together. Served with warm bread and a salad, this meal is a hit every time.

This cake. Hershey’s Chocolate Cake is the most versatile and the easiest perfect one-bowl chocolate cake recipe I have ever made. (traditional and gluten-free variations are included with this recipe)

Chock-full of bacon and beef, sweetened with molasses, and simmered until thick and sweet, Cowboy Baked Beans are sure to impress!

Sweet bits of pineapple and spicy jalapeño combine to make this easy pineapple salsa one of our favorite condiments and snacks.

Infused with the flavors of balsamic vinegar, garlic, and fresh herbs, you will want to pour these mouth-watering Marinated Tomatoes over everything.

The bold flavors of ripe, juicy tomatoes marinated in balsamic vinegar with plenty of seasonings make this delightful Tomato Pasta Salad an easy winner.

Gooey mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and fragrant basil on toasted sourdough are going to make this Caprese Grilled Cheese your new favorite lunch option.

This creamy, sweet, fluffy three-ingredient peanut butter spread was a fun discovery when we moved to Amish country a few years ago. The kids fell in love with it as soon as they tasted it.

Nutty Bars Ice Cream is a rich peanut butter ice cream loaded to the absolute max with chunks of Little Debbie’s classic Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We’re home again at last. We had a whole lot of fun exploring Tennessee with our youngest son. (And before I forget, big thanks to Mary for emailing me and recommending we try Hillbilly Golf while we were in Gatlinburg. What a fun afternoon!) Let me just admit right now that I am ecstatic not to be leaving home again until mid-July for our annual family camping trip.

Bring on the summer company, barbecues with friends, and lazy afternoons in the hammock and the rocking chairs. I am ready for it all. (Lest you think my life is picturesque at all times, there will also be 14,793 dishes to wash, piles of laundry for everyone to do, and many more mundane tasks.)

But amidst it all, there will be blue skies, sunshine, warm rain that brings on disgusting humidity (reality check there), and as many outdoor moments as possible. 

ON THE BLOGS this week: Crisp warm tortillas filled with chicken, bell peppers, and plenty of melting cheese are a terrific dinner or an excellent way to use up just a bit of leftovers. Who would turn down a piping hot chicken fajita quesadilla for lunch? (Not me!)

Red potatoes seasoned with Mexican spices are roasted and then tossed with sauteed onions, peppers, and beans, finished with a handful of barely wilted, warm spinach in this Black Bean Breakfast Skillet. Topped with a soft egg or scrambled eggs, this is a hearty and filling, slightly spicy weekend breakfast that can easily be doubled to feed a crowd.

Thanks to the magic of slow cooking, you can create these wonderfully buttery Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions with almost no effort at all.

With crunchy greens, juicy tomatoes, tender peas, cheddar cheese, plenty of bacon and eggs, and a bright, smoky dressing, this old fashioned 7 layer salad delivers more than you might be expecting.

Sweet corn, ripe bell peppers, red onion, and jalapenos are seasoned with a medley of aromatic spices and a touch of fresh cilantro to make each spoonful of this Fiesta Corn a fabulous blend of flavors.

Rhubarb Bars with a shortbread crust and tangy rhubarb custard filling are a fun, easy spring dessert. And this Rhubarb Sauce with Strawberry Jello is a favorite old-fashioned rhubarb treat. Serve it over ice cream or eat it in a bowl just like you would applesauce.

Moist, sweet, and lightly spiced, this car