Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We’ve had a fun week at home with family visiting. Our weather has been chilly, but the sun is making regular appearances now too. The big question these days is how much longer until true spring arrives?? I’m definitely ready for it. 

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Crispy baked potatoes are filled with hearty meat and vegetables and topped with creamy mashed potatoes in these Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes.

Go on and name a salad that is more universally loved than a classic Caesar salad. Crisply fresh Romaine lettuce, the best ever creamy Caesar dressing, a hint of sunshiney lemon, salty Parmesan cheese, and garlicky croutons all help make one of the best-known salads legendary.

I can’t get enough of all the salads lately. Sweet, roasted golden beets and peppery arugula are tossed with creamy goat cheese and crunchy walnuts to make the golden beet salad that I can’t stop eating. Drizzled with a vinaigrette or a balsamic glaze, it’s a vibrantly colorful and flavorful salad that I absolutely love.

This chocolate pudding bundt cake is pure chocolate lover’s heaven! Rich, deeply chocolatey, and super moist, this cake gets rave reviews and recipe requests every time I serve it.

Shiny, rich, and versatile, this chocolate glaze is so simple to make, you’ll be tempted to cover everything in it. From cookies to cakes to brownies, the world is yours to glaze with chocolatey goodness.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make creme brulee at home, today is your lucky day! This luscious and rich custard topped with a layer of hard caramel is made from just four common ingredients; heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.

What I’m CRAVING:  These crisy baked goat cheese bites caught my eye yesterday and this needs to happen here soon. I love topping a salad with baked cheese bites.

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these silk hair ties. I’ve been using them for several years now and they’re my favorites. I sleep in them every night and wear them often during the day. Unlike every other hair tie I h

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! The spring flowers are blooming and it’s looking so pretty around the village. As I was out walking this week, I found myself stopping several times just to admire the beautiful flowering trees.

Today is filled with new recipes for me to cook and photograph and I’m looking forward to it. Plus, it’s raining outside and I’m cozy inside, so no complaints here.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: This easy and impressive poblano corn chowder has serious comfort food power. Gather your ingredients and be ready to gather the praises that will be heaped on you when folks dunk a spoon into a big bowl of this flavorful chicken, corn, and potato chowder with a hint of heat from roasted poblano chiles.

Tender chunks of savory chicken dance with crisp green beans in a sauce that’s the perfect blend of savory and spice in this chicken and green beans stir fry.

A taco quesadilla is the happy marriage of perfectly flavorful taco meat and the crunchy, cheesy goodness of a quesadilla. Use leftover taco meat and you’re just moments away from a meal everyone will love!

A hot skillet full of sizzling, cheesy, flavorful lasagna dip on the table is guaranteed to put smiles on everyone’s faces! True to its name, this hot cheese-laden dip is redolent with the garlic and tomato goodness of comforting, hearty lasagna.

Hash brown waffles are hot, crispy potato perfection. They’re perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and they make a terrific base for all kinds of toppings. They’re fantastic with gravy or a fried egg on top – or both. Hashbrown waffles are immensely snackable with the dipping sauce of your choice too.

These easy, five-ingredient peanut butter s’mores have a layer of marshmallow and milk chocolate sandwiched between two layers of peanut butter cookies. Can you think of anything more calculated to bring happiness in a single bite?

Rich and creamy vanilla ice cream exploding with pieces of homemade chocolate chip cookies is what chocolate chip cookie ice cream is and what makes it so irresistible. This chocolate chip cookie ice cream will keep you coming back for more.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Lynne’s Chocolate Mint Dream Bars. This is just the most outrageously awesome dessert, words fail me. My boys go nuts over it every time we make it.

My FAVORITE THING this week is this little Read more

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! It’s a drizzly warm weekend here in Ohio, and I am happily here for it. My weekend plan is to be on the couch with a stack of books or out for a walk, as long as the weather cooperates.

If you are on TikTok, (full disclosure, I am just not that cool) my brother (Hi, Miles!) has an account that I love. (And yes, I can see it using my computer – again, I’m just not TikTok cool.) 

Anyways, if you’re into homesteading, DIY projects, schoolie life, or just enjoy watching someone else getting things done (yes, that’s me!), it’s a lot of fun to watch. You can check it out here: https://www.tiktok.com/@miles_3m 

IN THE KITCHEN THIS WEEK: Calling all shrimp lovers! These flavorful and satisfying Shrimp Quesadillas with bright bell peppers are fast enough for busy schedules and special enough for company. As a matter of fact, I liked them so much, I made them two days in a row for my lunches last week.

I just put this Noodle Stir Fry with Chicken and Cabbage back on my meal plan. I would be thrilled to eat this weekly. I seriously love it.

Need a super easy brunch that will impress a crowd? Elegant and easy to make, Puff Pastry Danishes are flaky, crispy-edged breakfast pastries that you can customize for everyone at your table. This easy danish recipe comes together almost too quickly to be believed.

This Steak and Mushroom Skillet delivers all the flavors I crave in a great restaurant steak. Lucky for all of us, that steak has been transformed into a quick stir fry that can be made even on the busiest of nights.

Quick and easy Chicken Fajitas are simple to make with just five ingredients! These fajitas are filled with great flavors from peppers, onions, chicken strips, and spices.

Lemon Posset is creamy, velvety 3-ingredient lemon pudding that is impossibly simple and satisfying. It’s impressive as can be and proof that old-school techniques can yield very happy modern results!

Almond-flavored ice cream swirled with buttery toasted almonds? Yes, please! Each bite of Almond Ice Cream is an irresistible combination of creamy smooth ice cream and those crunchy buttered almonds. 

My FAVORITE THING this week is this ice cream scoop. Several years ago, I ordered and tested every unique ice cream scoop I could find online or in stores. With over 150 ice cream recipes, I

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! My youngest son and I spent the past few days in Arizona and New Mexico visiting family and it was a great time for all of us. As much as we love Ohio, it’s a lot of fun to be back in the Southwest for these visits. (Especially before the sun reaches earth-boiling temperatures each summer.)

IN THE KITCHEN THIS WEEK: With traveling this past week and heading home today, I’ve planned some very simple meals to get us through the rest of spring break and into the last of the school year. BBQ chicken stuffed potatoes are always a hit with everyone and they’re literally the easiest meal you can make. 

All the ingredients we love in classic Chinese Egg Rolls come together in this egg roll stir fry recipe. This is an irresistible bowl of deconstructed egg rolls and you’re going to love it.

Tender peas, sweet carrots, and savory bits of celery and onions in a creamy, rich beef gravy baked inside a buttery crust make for a fantastic (and EASY) ground beef pot pie.

Some foods are so basic, so incredibly simple, that it can be difficult to describe their awesomeness. That’s how I feel about cottage cheese with fruit. Two ingredients. Just TWO. I’ll be making these bowls with strawberries all week long. 

With an abundance of sweet ripe berries, fresh green spinach, chewy pasta, and a bright and flavorful light balsamic dressing, this strawberry spinach salad is an unexpected and delicious pasta salad that is certain to become one of your family’s new favorites.

California spaghetti salad is a guaranteed hit for the vegetable lovers in your life! This amped up pasta salad is exploding with fresh vegetables and an irresistible Parmesan dressing.

And with all the berries coming into season, Strawberries Romanoff definitely needs to be on the meal plan. The last berries I bought were so flavorful, I immediately knew this dessert needed to happen asap.

My FAVORITE THING this week is my hand cream. Each time I visit family back in AZ and NM, my skin dries out like mad. Fortunately, this is never far from hand, (ha, pun unintended) I love it so much. 

What I’m LISTENING to: Psalms by Sandra McCracken. This album has a unique sound, reminiscent of Americana and folk. I love her variations on some of the traditional songs she’s included. We initially discovered he

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Oh, what a GLORIOUS week of weather we have had in Ohio. Temps have been in the 70s for several days now! I’ve done my best to soak up as much of it as possible with long walks every afternoon.

I’ve been told this is a false spring and the temps are about to fall again. So, it’s unlikely to be this warm again for a while. But as long the sun continues to shine, I’ll be grinning up at it and hoping the plants all survive the coming cold days.

IN THE KITCHEN THIS WEEK: Loaded with our favorite Mexican flavors; this Southwest Chicken Soup is slightly spicy with chunks of tomatoes, corn, black beans, and tender chicken. I like to top my bowl with a handful of shredded cheese and some tortilla strips.

Last night’s dinner was this fully loaded Chicken Potato Broccoli Casserole. It starts with fluffy mashed potatoes that are mixed with tender bites of broccoli and chicken, then generously sprinkled with bacon and cheese. The result is an absolutely irresistible dinner.

Oven-roasted Cabbage with Balsamic Glaze is nothing short of a crazy obsession. Try it and you will understand. I’ll be making it again next week. 

This Spinach Orzo Salad is filled with cranberries, creamy goat cheese, tender pasta, and plenty of fresh spinach tossed in a tangy sweet dressing. The salad can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days – making this an awesome make-ahead meal for lunch or dinner.

My son requested chili (again), so I’ll be making a big batch of the easiest and tastiest chili for easy dinners this coming week as the weather cools off again. 

Skip the traditional fried donuts and make these Apple Cider Donut Muffins! With a sugary coating reminiscent of their namesake, these muffins offer a delightful twist on a beloved classic.

Andes Mint Cookies are a soft-baked chocolate cookie loaded with Andes Mint pieces and spread with an extra layer of mint goodness. They’re amazing straight from the oven.

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these bath salts. The eucalyptus and spearmint fragrance is lovely and the salts are the perfect way to relax at the end of the day. The muscle and tension relief is like nothing else I’ve tried. In combination with this foaming bath, it feels like a spa experience every night.