Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Whether it thrills you or bums you out, it’s hard to believe that summer is half over already. Now that we live somewhere with four glorious seasons, I find I start looking forward to the next season right about halfway through the current one. It’s so much fun to always have a fresh new season on the way! 

If you’ve never lived somewhere without four distinct seasons, you likely don’t understand and I’m sure you think I’m nuts. But right now? I’m just so happy to live where we do.

ON THE BLOG this week:  Tender, caramelized meat that clings to the bone and requires just a gentle tug to pull it off makes for the perfect Memphis-Style Spare Ribs. Best of all, you can make these mouthwatering ribs in the oven or on the grill.

Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw is a kicked-up version of our Memphis Coleslaw with a hint of heat from hot sauce and a barely wet dressing.

Chewy, thick, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips are a treat that we’ve enjoyed for a lot of years now. Oatmeal cookies are such a versatile classic. The nuttiness of the oatmeal and sweet chocolate hit the spot every time.

Pineapple, strawberries, and grapes are tossed together with a sweet and tangy dressing to make this Honey Lime Fruit Salad. It’s finished with a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of poppy seeds to make a fabulously refreshing salad on a hot summer day.

Chunks of roasted chicken, sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, gooey cheese, and sweet onions combine in BBQ Chicken Enchiladas. Served sliced on a plate or scooped up with tortilla chips, the whole family cheers when these enchiladas are on the table.

What I’m CRAVING: I love a great Caprese salad and I don’t think I’ve ever seen prettier ones than the salad photos here at Preppy Kitchen. You’ll find me eating this quintessential summer salad as long as the fresh tomatoes are at their best.

My FAVORITE THING this week is my new Aiwa Exos-3 speaker. I can’t even tell you how much I love this thing. It’s beyond words, friends. We’ve had the Aiwa Exos-9 subwoofer in our home for over 5 years now and it’s incredible. I wanted to purchase it again for my office, but it wasn’t available anywhere. I took a chance on the significantly smaller Exos-3 and absolutely LOVE it. 

The sound it delivers is very close to the performance of the much bigger subwoofer (!) and it takes up

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Can you believe how gorgeous and green our world is right now? I’ve been outside early each morning walking and just soaking it all in. What a gift!

It’s been a full week of cooking and shooting new recipes to share with you and I’m so happy about that. Coming up with new recipes and the photography that goes along with that are my two favorite things about food blogging. I can hardly wait to share it all with you.

ON THE BLOG this week: It should come as no surprise to you that steak bites are a weeknight mainstay of our meal planning rotation. These Cajun Steak Bites have just enough kick to please both my spice lovers and less adventurous eaters.

Crisp and salty on the outside with fluffy baked potato inside, these bite-size Roasted Fingerling Potatoes are a great way to change up the average potato side dish.

Sweet and spicy flavors are almost always a sure win with my family. However, coleslaw? That has not always been a reason to cheer. A few years ago that changed when we tried this recipe for classic coleslaw. Since then, we’ve tried some pretty amazing coleslaw recipes. This Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw was eaten down to the very last apple slice and ribbon of cabbage.

This Peanut Butter Frosting is so fluffy, easy, and delicious that you will find yourself topping everything with it. Cupcakes, cookies, crackers the possibilities are truly endless.

Have you heard of a Dirty Banana? I hadn’t until I sailed with Princess Cruises and I have to admit that the name alone made me laugh. Hard. However, the milkshake-like cocktail proved irresistible.

What I’m CRAVING: Lemon Poppyseed Scones! Oh my goodness, friends. Put these scones on your to-do list right now. My friend Lynne was here this week and she made them for me. They were so very very good!

What I’m WATCHING: Guardians of the Galaxy. This show is ALWAYS great for a laugh. The first one in the series remains my favorite and I’ve probably seen it at least six times. 

What I’m LISTENING to: Def Leppard. I’ve been a fan for about as long as I can remember, but the Hysteria album gets played at high volume when I’m spending time in the kitchen.

What I’m READING: Read more

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! This has felt like a really long week for having been just a four-day work week. I’m looking forward to downtime with family and maybe a hike this weekend too.

Starting next week, we’re back to the regular mix of savory and sweet recipes on the website. Anyone else craving some meat, potatoes, and vegetables after seeing so many ice cream recipes??

ON THE BLOG this week: Rich, dark, ultra-smooth, and creamy chocolate meets a hint of orange in Chocolate Orange Ice Cream like no other you’ve ever tasted.

Tart and sweet Roasted Rhubarb Ice Cream is a flavor combo my taste buds crave. The tart pieces of rhubarb are nicely balanced by the sweet cream.

Sweet and slightly tart Cherry Ice Cream is made with just a handful of easy ingredients. No custard base, no eggs, no cooking time, just a quick whirl in the blender with cream, sugar, and cherries.

Dairy Free Chocolate Ice Cream that doesn’t taste dairy-free and doesn’t have any hint of coconut? YES! It is possible and it is fantastic!

Bite-size chunks of Monster Cookie dough are more irresistible than ever when tucked into the Best Ever Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

What I’m CRAVING: Ranch Chicken and Potatoes with Cheese – this dinner is so good! The recipe is one from my first cookbook and my friend Deborah shared the recipe on her site a while back. It’s definitely time to make it again.

What I’m WATCHING: Heartland Season 11. How could I have forgotten about this show? I stumbled on it again the other day and grinned like mad. I have 4 seasons to catch up on now. It’s been fun to watch the characters develop and see how things have changed.

What I’m READING: Mama Bear Apologetics by Hillary Morgan Ferrer. I’m still working through this one. I’ve never called myself a “mama bear,” so admittedly it makes me cringe a bit every time I read those two words, BUT if you can look past that part, this is an excellent reference on teaching your kids apologetics.

If you aren’t already familiar with apologetics, contrary to how it might sound, the word apologetics does not mean saying you’re sorry. Instead, it refers to the defense of what you believe to be true. Understanding apologetics enables us to confidently deal with the intellectual challenges to Christianity. Our faith is grounded in reason, not just feelings, and learning apologetics

July 2, 2022

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Happy 4th of July!! Our village puts on a fantastic 4th of July celebration every year and we’re all looking forward to it. The fun begins on the 1st this year and will go through the 4th. Here’s hoping for gorgeous weather all weekend!

Just in case you’re as watermelon obsessed as we are this summer, don’t miss this quick video showing how to easily slice a watermelon into bite-size pieces!

ON THE BLOG this week: Creamy Blueberry Ice Cream is a summer treat that you simply need to taste to believe. It’s truly unforgettable.

Two kinds of chocolate and real cream make this the best and easiest homemade Chocolate Ice Cream you can make.

This rich and creamy homemade Maple Ice Cream recipe requires just four ingredients! Pure maple syrup gives this ice cream a smooth natural flavor with hints of caramel and vanilla.

Crunchy, Caramelized Walnuts make a sweet snack and a great topping for summer berry salads and ice cream. Add a handful of these walnuts to the Maple Ice Cream and you’ll be eating the BEST Maple Nut Ice Cream ever.

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Ice Cream is the salty, chocolate sweetness that you just can’t stop at one bite. If I’m honest, I have a hard time stopping at just one bowl.

What I’m CRAVING: This Loaded Baked Potato Salad from Lemon Tree Dwelling caught my eye this week and it sounds incredible. When a fresh garden salad meets up with a fully loaded baked potato, this bowl of deliciousness is the result.

What I’m WATCHING: Here Comes the Boom. I don’t know when my family has laughed as much as we laughed at this movie. It’s simply fantastic. If “heartwarming inspirational comedy” is a genre, this is it.

Kevin James plays a former college wrestler, now a burnt-out high school teacher. When budget cutbacks threaten the school’s music programs, he comes up with a crazy scheme to moonlight as a MMA fighter to raise funds for the school. While it sounds preposterous, this wound up being an inspirational movie with a great message. This movie gets 10 thumbs up from my family.

What I’m READING: Mama Bear Apologetics by Hillary Morgan Ferrer. I just started this book, but I can hardly put it down. If you’ve read this one, I would love to chat about it! “It isn’t enough for our kids to hear us talk about the

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We’re celebrating three weeks of ice cream recipes with a giveaway for the Cuisinart ICE-100 1.5-Quart Compressor Ice Cream Maker! 

You may recall just how much I adore my compressor ice cream maker, no bowls to freeze, no salt or ice to melt, just turn it on and start churning batch after creamy batch of homemade ice cream. Enter to win by going to the giveaway page and submitting your email. 

ON THE BLOG this week: Fresh Mint Ice Cream is like no other mint ice cream you’ve tried in the past. This Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream is a softer, fresher mint flavor that just might blow your mind.

You need this buttery sweet edible cookie dough in your life. It’s filled with miniature chocolate chips in a bite-size chunk of snackable Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites.

And after you’ve made the edible cookie dough, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream will be next on your list. Sweet chunks of edible cookie dough fill each scoop of this rich and creamy ice cream.

Rum Raisin Ice Cream is full of rum-soaked raisins mixed in custardy vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum. This recipe is a little bit old school and a whole lot of creamy delicious.

The most popular question I’ve ever received on this website is whether you can make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. Find out how you can Make Ice Cream Without A Machine.

The Ultimate Ice Cream Maker Review has everything you need to know to choose the perfect ice cream machine! The original post has been updated to reflect current pricing and additional review information for these machines. (I’m thinking this is going to be an annual or even bi-annual update now with the way prices are changing these days.)

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are my wireless earbuds. I don’t know when I’ve ever been so pleased with a $30 purchase. My kids and I all have these earbuds and in over six months of near-constant use, we have yet to have any issues with them. They continue to work flawlessly.

I love these earbuds so much, that I’m giving a few pairs away today just for newsletter readers. Leave a comment below and let me know what you’ll be listening to: Podcasts? Music? Audiobooks? Something else entirely? I’ll choose three winners on Monday evening and send them t