The slight tang of buttermilk pairs perfectly with sweet, ripe blueberries in these light and fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes.

Blueberry Pancakes with Buttermilk

I love berries in my waffles and pancakes, but there’s something special about making blueberry pancakes with buttermilk. The buttermilk makes them a little lighter and fluffier, and it adds that signature tang.

Make sure to use real buttermilk in this recipe! You’ll find a lot of substitutions online, but the result is so much better with the real deal. If you don’t have it on hand, don’t worry. You can make some killer blueberry pancakes without it.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I adore the simplicity of breaking out the griddle and whipping up a batch of pancake batter in just a few minutes. (So, my family eats pancakes pretty often.)

We’ve tried pancakes with everything from chocolate chips, to M&Ms, fresh fruit, nuts, and even sweet cereals added in. But, this blueberry buttermilk pancake recipe balances the tangy buttermilk and sweet berries wonderfully and it’s a current favorite.

Read more

Havarti Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese

Oh sweet little piece of deliciousness. This grilled cheese sandwich has become one of our absolute favorites. The simplicity of it is what reeled me in years ago when I saw it featured on a popular talk show. There is a secret ingredient that totally makes this sandwich!

The sandwich has a caprese feel which is one of my favorite flavors in case you couldn’t tell by this caprese sandwich, caprese burgers, roasted tomato caprese soup with mini mozzarella grilled cheese bite croutons (seriously to die for), and grilled caprese chicken.

Everyone we’ve ever made these grilled sandwiches for has been so hesitant about the ingredients list, whole wheat bread, havarti cheese, fresh basil, garden tomatoes, and the secret ingredient…HONEY. Yes, honey. And trust me it’s exactly what the sandwich needs. It’s like a little twist on the classic caprese flavors.

Recommended Equipment

• Nonstick Skillet
• Turning Spatula
• Electric Griddle – I use this if I’m going to make a whole bunch of these sandwiches at the same time

Before you Begin…

Get all your ingredients ready…slice the tomatoes, rinse the basil leaves, butter (or use olive oil) the bread. Then assembling the sandwiches is quick and easy!

Ingredients for Havarti Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese

Well, pretty much all the ingredients for this sandwich recipe are listed in the title, so no surprises here! Except for that secret ingredient! Don’t forget that one!

• Havarti
• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Wheat Bread
• Honey

My best tip for choosing ingredients for a grilled cheese sandwich is that high quality ingredients make a high quality sandwich! The details for the ingredients can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make Grilled Cheese

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Prepare the sandwiches by spreading one side of each of the slices of bread with either butter or olive oil and then drizzling the other side of each slice with honey.

Layer the cheese, tomatoes and basil, and then top with the other slice of bread. Place the sandwich on the preheated skillet and cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden and toasty. Flip and let the other side toast as well.

This beef and broccoli stir-fry is a classic restaurant dish that is surprisingly easy to re-create at home. With tender strips of beef, crisp broccoli, and a flavorful sauce; it all comes together in just minutes.

Want to know a secret? I have a weakness for Chinese take-out. Some nights nothing hits the spot quite like those takeout favorites, right?

I’ve been ordering beef and broccoli for years and was pretty confident I could make my own version that would be every bit as good or better than my favorite takeout joint.

I’ve made several different versions of this beef and broccoli stir-fry over the past few years and combined a few I liked to make this version. The meal was an instant hit with my whole family and has become our favorite easy dinners over the past 10+ years.

With the zing of fresh ginger and plenty of garlic, the stir-fry sauce pairs so well with tender strips of beef and crisp broccoli. The broccoli is cooked until tender, without becoming even a little bit mushy.

Next time you get a craving for Chinese food, skip the take-out order and make this instead. It’s just as quick as ordering delivery and tastes even better.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Both flank and sirloin steak work equally well in this beef and broccoli stir-fry. Sliced into ultra-thin strips, the beef winds up amazingly tender and full of flavor from the sauce.

I’ve found some stir-fry recipes everything ends up getting overcooked and mushy from the sauce. That is NOT the case here! The broccoli stayed slightly crisp with a nice bite while the meat has a browned exterior and juicy inside.

Read more

Skillet Italian Sausage and Peppers Penne [+ Video]

This skillet Italian sausage and peppers with whole-wheat penne is the perfect home cooked meal and it’s all in one pot which makes clean up a breeze!

This dish is a family favorite for us! And it’s weird to say that because I have picky eaters (they are SO much better than they used to be), and usually peppers and onions aren’t on the “yes list” for picky eaters, but in this recipe, they just work! The flavor is bold, and everyone loves sausage and pasta!

When I need to get dinner on the table quickly, this is one of my go-to recipes. All you need is one pan and 30 minutes!

What Do I Need to Make Sausage and Peppers Penne?

Most of the ingredients in this dish are pantry staples, so all you will need at the grocery store are some sausage links, a couple of peppers and an onion. Here is a list of what you will need:

• Whole-wheat Penne Pasta – you can find this right by all the other pasta at the grocery store
• Italian Sausage – I generally go with mild uncooked sausage, but you could use spicy sausage or a sweet sausage depending on what you are craving
• Green Pepper – remove the stem and seeds and slice into thin slices
• Red Pepper – remove the stem and seeds and slice into thin slices, red peppers are a little sweeter than green peppers so they add another dimension of flavor
• Yellow Onion – use a sharp knife to slice the onion in the thin slices
• Red Wine (cooking wine) – we don’t drink alcohol so we cook with cooking wine, but feel free to use whichever you prefer
• Tomato Paste – a 6oz can, any brand works, just choose your favorite
• Tomato Sauce – an 8oz can, any brand works, just choose your favorite
• Water – thins out the sauce a little
• Italian Seasoning – a dried seasoning blend that you can buy at the grocery store that usually includes dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme and dried marjoram
• Sugar – enhances the flavors
• Salt – adds flavor
• Parmesan Cheese – great for a garnish to add an extra punch of flavor

The measurements for every ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. The detailed instructions for how to make this recipe are also in the recipe card.

Reasons You Will Love This Italian Sausage Recipe

Here are a few reasons that you are going to love this recipe:

1. Easy: The ingredients are simple and easy to find. The recipe is made in one pot so cleanup is easy. The only techniques you need to know are slicing, sauteing and simmering. Nothing fancy here!
2. Quick: I live for dinner recipes that come together in less than a half hour!
3. Flavor: By sauteing the sausage in the pan first, it flavors the whole dish. The peppers and onions get flavored by the sausage and add their own flavors and then the tomato pasta and sauce with the Italian seasoning and red wine add all the flavor you need.
4. Well rounded: This dish includes veggies, protein and carbs all in one pa

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! My mom has been here in Ohio with us for the past week and it’s been fun hearing the kids chatting with her most evenings as I head for bed. (Yes, my mom is way more of a night owl than I am. Me? I’m likely to be tucked into bed by 9pm most nights.) 

As I write this, I have a peach coffeecake in the oven for brunch tomorrow morning with friends and the smell is AMAZING. Is anyone else in absolute peach heaven right now? (Kroger has had them on sale for $.99 lb for a couple of weeks now and I’ve been buying big bags of them as often as possible!) I have at least two dozen peaches ripening on a tray in the kitchen at the moment and I’m looking forward to playing with them next week.

ON THE BLOGS this week: Broccoli cheddar pasta salad with tiny broccoli florets, diced red pepper, red onion, and cheddar cheese in every bite is a perfect combination of flavors and textures. I LOVE the crunch in this salad.

This saucy ground beef stir fry with crisp bell peppers and broccoli is an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. My kids very happily clean their plates when this is on the table.

The cheesy broccoli quesadilla combines everything you love about the classic cheddar broccoli combination and toasts it into gooey awesomeness between a couple of buttery crisp tortillas.

With the satisfying crunch of carrots, the juicy burst of apples, and the delightful chewiness of raisins, this carrot apple salad is an old-fashioned favorite that is both refreshing and wholesome. It’s time for this vintage recipe to have its comeback.

Fresh sweet peaches are tossed together with sugar and spices, then baked in between layers of brown sugar and oats to form a chewy sweet crust for this Peach Crunch. If you’re anything like my family, peach season means that many of your favorite desserts are about to be made. This peach crunch recipe has been a favorite since long before this blog was a thing.

You need just three ingredients to make this homemade peach sauce. The deliciousness begins with ripe, juicy, peaches. When the peaches grow fragrant and soften, that’s the signal that it is time to start making our favorite peach recipes.

The quintessential summer flavor combination of peaches and cream has been transformed into cold and creamy scoops of peaches and cream ice cream and it is everything I imagined it would be. I found myself repeatedly going back to the freezer for “just on