When you know how to make homemade vanilla whipped cream, everything from fresh fruit to pancakes becomes a delightfully decadent treat.

If there is one thing you need to know how to make from scratch, I vote that you know how to make whipped cream. Consider it a life skill.

Did you grow up scooping cool whip onto pie? or squirting it from those handy cans – sometimes straight into your mouth? My mom was team cool whip for every holiday and I never gave it a second thought.

My sister first introduced me to freshly whipped cream on Thanksgiving day many years ago. Watching her pour cream into the bowl and then beat it into fluffy peaks was a game-changer for me.

This vanilla whipped cream draws a “WOW” from guests every time. It’s as if no one knows how easy it is to make. I can speak to that from experience.

Once you taste homemade whipped cream, you will never go back. Your tastebuds and your family won’t let you.

Vanilla Whipped Cream

My family will happily put whipped cream on just about everything. When I finally triumphed over Gluten Free Pancakes years ago, I wanted to make them extra special. I had fresh raspberries in the refrigerator and decided to whip some cream for a special treat.

My youngest son called it “ice cream” and we all thought the flavor was a perfect match for our favorite vanilla ice cream.

Subtly sweet, richly vanilla flavored, and slightly melted into the fluffy pancakes: that became an immediate favorite pancake topping for the whole family. I’ve been whipping cream to top pancakes almost every weekend since then.

I’m trying to talk myself out of baking something now for dessert tonight, if only so I can make another bowl of whipped cream to top it. Writing about fluffy bowls of vanilla whipped cream makes me crave it all over again!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Ohio teased us with some wonderfully warm days earlier this week but then sent a bunch of rain and chilly weather our way. Regardless of the temperatures at the moment, spring is definitely on the way. The trees on our property are flowering, there are sunshiny daffodils in the yard, and the sun continues to shine through the clouds.

Our Easter traditions are pretty laid back. We’ll be at church tomorrow morning, followed by dinner at home, and then, if I’m lucky, there is likely to be either a walk or a long walk in my future. I’ll happily take either option!

ON THE BLOGS this week: Do you like green chile chicken enchiladas? Do you like chicken pot pie? Do flaky buttery cheesy biscuits make you grin? If so, this Spicy Chicken Pot Pie Casserole is going to make you very happy.

Creamy slow cooker ham potato soup with soft chunks of buttery potatoes and salty-sweet ham is perfect with a salad or just some crusty bread.

Korean ground beef is the kind of dish that both beginning and experienced cooks need in their life. The meal comes together in minutes and is full of fantastic flavors. It is easier to make than ordering take-out, saves you money, and tastes better too!

Creamy, rich, chocolatey Nutella Ice Cream with a melt-in-your-mouth swirl of Nutella mixed throughout is a dreamy way to satisfy your sweet tooth this summer – or this fall, or winter, or pretty much any time of year, if you’re me.

Crunchy, tangy, sweet pepper cabbage slaw is a welcome variation on classic creamy coleslaw recipes. Last year, a reader emailed me this recipe for pepper cabbage (thanks, Amy!) and I’ve had it on my must-try list ever since. I finally had a chance to make it last week and it was a hit.

Sweet peas, salty bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese coated in a creamy, tangy dressing add up to an easy, tasty summer side dish. This bacon pea salad is a timeless favorite that is a great addition to any meal.

Ground beef fried rice is both savory and slightly sweet with a subtle touch of heat. Best of all, this is a dinner anyone can make in under 20 minutes!

If you could put sunshine and sugar in a jar, I am convinced it would taste just like this strawberry compote. If you have access to perfectly sweet and ripe Florida strawberries right now, you need to make this asap. And if you’re still waiting for strawberries to come into their season where you are, put this on your list to make this summer.

Speaking of strawberries, yo

Prosciutto Chicken Milanese

Crunchy panko bread crumbs, creamy taleggio cheese, salty prosciutto, fresh arugula and juicy chicken breast…chicken milanese… It’s what’s for dinner!

Soooo we don’t watch TV. Like, ever. It was a decision long ago to have more productive and restful evenings instead of glued to a TV and it’s been life-changing. Until Cade was on a business trip and saw Bobby Flay’s new show. It’s been so much fun to catch an episode here or there and one day we saw a little ad for a reel he’d made about chicken milanese.

Well, I’ve been trying to sell Cade on Chicken Milanese for years but every time we’ve had it there’s been capers (Cade’s nightmare) involved. I could not wait to try this prosciutto and taleggio cheese version. I will confess, I’m making this up entirely on my own, but inspired by what he did so please don’t kill the messenger if you find his recipe and it’s different.

But more importantly!!! This is our new favorite chicken!!! It’s light and crunchy, with a perfectly juicy inside. Then there’s this beautifully mild and almost a hint of tang from the creamy, melt in your mouth cheese. All topped off with perfect balance (remember in my cookbook how I talk about salt, fat, acid, heat?) of peppery arugula and bright, acidic red wine vinaigrette. It is amazing!!!

What is Chicken Milanese?

Chicken Milanese is one of the best recipes to learn when you’re starting to cook as it’s a great base which you can later experiment with sauces, toppings etc. So what is chicken milanese?

Chicken Milanese is an Italian breaded chicken which is made by first butterflying the chicken so it’s nice and thin, then dipping it in a breadcrumb and seasoning mixture to created the best breading for breaded chicken.

What Do I Need to Make Chicken Milanese?

This easy chicken dinner looks super fancy but the ingredients are actually really simple. Here is what you will need:

• Chicken Breasts – see section below for how to butterfly a chicken breast
• Flour – just regular all purpose
• Kosher Salt – adds flavor to the breading
• Black Pepper – freshly ground
• Eggs – helps the Panko stick to the chicken
• Water – blends with the egg to create an egg wash to help the breading stick
• Panko Bread Crumbs – a Japanese bread crumb that is extra crunchy
• Canola Oil – used to fry the chicken
• Prosciutto – an Italian dry-cured ham that is uncooked and unsmoked and oh so delicious
• Baby Arugula – gives a bright peppery pop of flavor
• Taleggio Cheese – semi soft cheese with a creamy texture and mild/earthy flavor, see section below for possible substitutes

Red Wine Vinaigrette

• Dijon Mustard – rounds out the flavor of this dressing so perfectly
• Red Wine Vinegar – gives the dressing that signature acid and tang
• Lemon Juice – freshly squeezed is best of course!
• Olive Oil – the base of the dressing, a good quality olive oil will make all the difference
• Honey – adds a natural sweetness to the dressing

Creamy, rich, chocolatey Nutella Ice Cream with a melt-in-your-mouth swirl of Nutella mixed throughout is a dreamy way to satisfy your sweet tooth this summer – or this fall, or winter, or pretty much any time of year, if you’re me.

Nutella Ice Cream is what happens when I’m craving something sweet, standing in front of the pantry, and my eyes light on the jar of Nutella that my kids haven’t yet discovered.

Lucky for all of us ice cream addicts, there’s always plenty of heavy cream and milk on hand for when the need strikes. With little more than a few minutes of whisking, I had this ice cream base cooling in the fridge while I dreamed up how I would finish it after it churned.

Nutella Ice Cream

Inspired by the peanut butter ice cream topping and the magic shell that we’ve been making on repeat for years now, I swirled a variation of Nutella magic shell into this ice cream. While that is not technically required, I highly recommend it.

And while we’re on the subject of “not required, but oh-so-dang-good,” I warmed up the last of our peanut butter ice cream topping and swirled it into a second batch of this Nutella Ice Cream along with the Nutella swirl. I handed a spoon and the container of ice cream to a friend last week and her reaction was absolutely priceless.

I believe her words were something along the lines of, “What in the name of holy ice cream magic is this?!” Yeah, it’s magic. And I’m willing to bet you’ll think so too.

Nutella Ice Cream Recipe

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• Nutella hazelnut chocolate spread
• heavy cream
• sugar
• milk
• vanilla extract
• kosher salt

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I’m sharing 10 healthy Easter recipes that are favorites to celebrate the holiday, or enjoy anytime during Spring! 

Hi friends! How are ya? I hope you’re having a lovely morning! I have an appointment this morning and then we’re headed to a funeral for my great Uncle. He passed away after some health struggles and we were very sad to hear the news. It gives me peace to know he’s up there with my Tata, his brother, likely causing some kind of ruckus.

For today’s post, let’s chat about Easter recipes. I can’t believe it’s this weekend and would love to hear some of your go-tos. Here are some ideas if you’re brainstorming for Easter or an upcoming spring brunch. 🙂

10 Healthy Easter Recipes

1. Morning Glory Muffins via Lexis Clean Kitchen

These Healthy Morning Glory Muffins are made with almond flour and are packed with many delicious add-ins, such as raisins, carrots, apples and nuts. These gluten-free and dairy-free muffins are easy to make and use just one bowl to put together!

2. The Best Baked Chicken

This recipe from Ina Garten is always a hit! I use half the butter, and it’s still delightful.

3. Crumble In A Jar

This recipe can easily be doubled… tripled… if you have extra crumble mixture, freeze it and enjoy w