Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We had a great time in the White Mountains of Arizona with my family last weekend. (Thank goodness we weren’t headed to the valley where it’s approximately the temperature of my oven this summer.) The heat wave in the mountains was less than awesome this year, but at 9000′ it wasn’t awful.

I’ve probably driven between AZ and NM at least 100 times in my life and this time it was a whole new experience. We took 117 for a portion of the trip and we stumbled on an unexpectedly stunning drive. We stopped and walked the short trail up to La Ventana Arch. It is about 18 miles south of Interstate 40 off Exit 89 and it is well worth the stop.

ON THE BLOGS this week: Rich chocolate, creamy peanut butter, and frozen bananas are blended together in blissful harmony to make this Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie – that tastes more like a peanut butter banana milkshake than a breakfast drink.

Crispy Breakfast Potatoes, roasted to perfect crispiness with fluffy centers and plenty of seasoning, are key players in many of our favorite breakfast recipes.

Roasted Green Beans and Carrots deliver a delightful medley of flavors and textures. You can season them as directed in the recipe below or toss them with any number of different spice combinations.

The irresistible combination of vibrant peas, crispy bacon, and savory cheese complemented by a luscious creamy dressing, creates a perfect harmony of flavors in this Pea Pasta Salad.

Grab a chip and dig right into this creamy Caramelized Onion Dip. This tantalizing appetizer combines the smoothness of sour cream with the sweet and savory essence of onions slow-cooked to perfection. This dip is nothing like the onion dips you’ve tried before and it will leave your taste buds craving more.

Creamy chocolate ice cream filled with chocolate-covered cashews and swirled throughout with caramel sauce adds up to bowls of Bear Claw Ice Cream that no one can resist.

Melted dark chocolate is whipped with tangy cream cheese and a bit of cream to create this luxurious No Bake Chocolate Mousse.

With tangy, sweet rhubarb and an irresistible cinnamon sugar biscuit topping, this Read more

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? We have no real plans… and I’m kind of looking forward to it. The kids start school in a few weeks (WAH) so I think I need to get my life together and start ordering/planning. Word to the world if your girls wear uniforms: these skirts are the BEST. I ordered the girls new sets since they loved them so much last year, and also ordered some of these.

I’m also teaching a Zumba class, a spin class, and taking Liv to see the new Barbie movie. Can’t wait!! I’d love to hear what you have going on.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

Life:

We had some friends over for sushi night last weekend and it was so much fun.

The Pilot made an enormous pitcher of Mai Tais using this recipe,

I made some steamed edamame, house salad with ginger dressing, these truffle edamame dumplings,

and ordered a bunch of different sushi rolls to share from Sachiko. Our friends brought the dessert; the cutest rice crispies decorated like sushi rolls (like this!), along with homemade lemon bars and chocolate chip cookies.

We also celebrated Nani’s birthday this week! We had an amazing dinner at Gavi, including two different chef’s boards, the Sicilian salad, and for my entree, I chose the chicken marsala.

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Creamy chocolate ice cream filled with chocolate-covered cashews and swirled throughout with caramel sauce adds up to bowls of Bear Claw Ice Cream that no one can resist.

Chocolate and Caramel

Chocolate and caramel might be the most popular dessert flavor combination ever. And there’s a good reason for that.

Caramel, pecans, and dark chocolate are combined in this simple homemade caramel turtle bark candy. If you like chocolate turtles, you’re going to flip for this easy shortcut recipe!

This Turtle Cheesecake with caramel, chocolate, pecans, and an Oreo crust is a dessert that gets talked about long after the plates are cleaned. Sweet, decadent, and almost magically delicious, this cheesecake steals the show.

Creamy White Chocolate Fudge filled with pecans and swirled with caramel might be the ultimate treat for a holiday tray. This is a quick and easy 5 Minute Fudge Recipe that is perfect for any occasion.

Millionaire Bars begin with crisp buttery shortbread, then they are layered with chewy caramel and dark chocolate. I could probably stop right there and you’d be convinced to make these bars.

However, I need to tell you that Millionaire Bars taste just like a Twix, only better. Why? Because the shortbread is more flavorful, the caramel is richer, and the chocolate is darker. So yes, much better.

Every scoop of this Twix ice cream is bursting with chunks of cookies, caramel, and chocolate. If you love Twix candy bars, this ice cream just might be your newest favorite flavor!

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Sharing a recap of our 7-night Mediterranean cruise (Italy and Greece) on the Disney Dream! This is not sponsored (I wish, lol), but I’m excited to share our experience. 

They have a handy little trick when you’re on board a Disney cruise: you have the option to book a placeholder for a future cruise at a slight discount. This way, when you get off the ship, it’s slightly less depressing because you know you’ll be on another one soon. We got off the Disney Dream in Rome a few weeks ago, and already, we can’t wait for our next Disney cruise.

This was Disney cruise #4 (we’ve done Alaska, Bahamas, and Mexico), and it was our favorite one. It was a combination of the destinations plus the larger ship, which was a literal Dream.

(We also got to enjoy Rome on either side of our cruise! You can read about our Rome adventures here.)

7-night Disney Dream European cruise

We arrived at the Civitavecchia port via a private car that the hotel booked fo us, and it was the quickest and most seamless boarding experience. By 1:30pm, we were at the pool, watching the kiddos swim and drinking cocktails with friends. (A pro tip from one of our good friends: pack your swim gear in a tote bag and check everything else. Your room won’t be ready yet, so you can head straight to the pool. It’s the least busy it will be for the entire trip and after a couple of hours, your room will be ready with all of your luggage waiting for you outside the door.)

We had lunch from Cabanas (the buffet) and ate it by the pool, checked out our room, and then got changed for the Muster Drill, Sail-A-Wave party and dinner.

On Disney cruises, you’re on a dining rotation. You get the early (6pm) or late (8pm) seating, and alternate restaurants each evening. You can opt out of your more formal dining to have a quick bite or room service instead, but no matter what, your table will be

Crispy breakfast potatoes, roasted to perfect crispiness with fluffy centers and plenty of seasoning, are key players in many of our favorite breakfast recipes.

Crispy pork, tender vegetables, and potatoes topped with a perfectly soft egg? Sign me up for this Pulled Pork Breakfast Skillet any day of the week.

Warm tortillas, fluffy scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, crispy bacon, and melting cheese are combined to create these hearty Breakfast Tacos. What’s not to love about that classic combination?

Make Ahead Breakfast Potatoes

However, as much as I love having roasted and pan-fried potatoes with our eggs for breakfast, it’s unlikely that I’m going to be willing to spend time chopping and roasting them most mornings.

Instead, I throw a tray of these in the oven at other times during the day when I might already have the oven on. They take about 45 minutes to roast, but when the oven is already on, it doesn’t seem like much effort at all.

Crispy Breakfast Potatoes

When I’m ready to use these potatoes, I simply put the amount that I need in a skillet over medium heat to warm them and let them get just a bit crispy again before serving.

And if I’m in a serious hurry, they reheat nicely in the microwave too.

Mix the flavors up each time you make them. Add whichever seasonings you like to your next batch of potatoes. Seasoning mixes, thyme, rosemary, garlic, or pretty much anything will work here.

Oven Roasted Breakfast Potatoes

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

• Yellow or red potatoes
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Seasonings (e.g. thyme, rosemary, garlic, cayenne pepper)

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