Summer is in full swing and I couldn’t be happier!

This week’s menu highlight has to be the 4th of July Round Up for Tuesday. Click the link to see the epic collection of the perfect 4th of July recipes. The rest of the week is filled with family favorites like simple Sausage and Vegetable Frittatas, Beef and Lime Chili Fajitas, and the best lamb on the planet.

These perfect summer dinners are just what you need to maximize your fun with family and still keep everyone fed and happy.

Enjoy!
-xo

It wouldn’t be the 4th of July without the most perfect recipes for an epic party. 

From start to finish, I have a fantastic menu ready for you! This menu is seasonal, colorful, and drop dead delicious! I love serving beautiful food, but more importantly, I love spending time with friends. Plan a menu that kills it in the taste department but still allows you to enjoy your guests. Many of these recipes can be prepared in advance or require very little action just before serving.

Welcome your guests with a special drink like Strawberry-Lemonade (no one will complain if you add a little something to make it an adult beverage) and have a side like guacamole and chips ready to go! Between the delicious Corn Soufflé, the gorgeous BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, and the blow your mind desserts, I have you covered!

Let’s get this party started!

Enjoy!

-xo

Guacamole and Chips

Strawberry Lemonade 

BBQ Chicken Sandwich 

Ina Garten’s Tuscan Lemon Chicken 

Corn Soufflé

Tomato BurrataTartine

S’mores Dip

Country Cake with Berries

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Summer is here!

Although it isn’t the relaxed summer I thought I would be having with my kids. It’s a mad dash between basketball practices, games, and playdates. In between, I’m handing over smoothies, snacks, and meals to keep everyone full and happy. It’s pretty much a full time gig with a workout and a blog post squeezed in for good measure.

This week’s dinners are perfect for my crazy schedule. Amanda Frederickson, one of my favorite bloggers offers up a perfect Thai Chicken Satay with a Spicy Peanut Sauce, my favorite summer tomato pasta that reminds me of lunch on the Amalfi Coast, a classic roast chicken that every home cook should know how to make, and an easy but drop dead delicious platter of enchiladas. These are the meals that will get me through the UBER driver challenge this week and make me look like a hero at dinner time.

Enjoy!

-xo

The only thing better than a cookie dough bite is a cookie dough bite dipped in delicious chocolate!

These indulgent goodies are a huge hit with both kids and adults! There is something that just feels super indulgent about eating cookie dough. Even better is to dip these off the charts bites of cookie dough into melted Ghirardelli chocolate! The combination of cookie dough and chocolate pretty much secures this dessert a place on the “next level” list for my Cookie Dough Truffles!

Enjoy!

-xo

Summer is finally here!

Last week, Lily graduated from elementary school. It was a big week for Lily and our entire family. We celebrated our girl and said goodbye to a school that served as an extension of our home. We spent 10 important, formative, and very special years with our children at a school that we truly love. We will miss all of the people who touched our lives over the past decade and inspired our children to become the best possible version of themselves. We are filled with gratitude for the experience.

Now that summer is here for my family, we are ready for lazy mornings and late nights. I’m looking for dinners that reflect how I feel this time of year: relaxed and easy. I go for fresh, seasonal, easy to throw together dinners that make everyone happy. This week, I’ve got a gorgeous Grilled Chicken with Tomato Salad by Gaby Dalkin, an easy breezy Summer Tartine, my favorite marinated, grilled lamb with a to-die-for curry sauce, and a soul satisfying Pasta E Fagioli by Once Upon A Chef.

Enjoy!

-x0

One down, one to go. Jake wrapped up his finals this week and is officially on summer break! While we are all excited to have a change of pace for a few months, the official start of summer is on hold until we spring Lily from school next week. Lily graduates from elementary school next week so there is a big week ahead for her.

While it’s Lily’s big day and we are incredibly proud of her, it will be a very big day for our family. I am emotional about saying goodbye to a place and people who have played a huge role in our lives for the past 10 years. It isn’t just leaving a school, it’s saying goodbye to a very special, sweet time in our lives. While I’m excited about the next phase for Lily, right now, I feel the march of time. Next week I will toast the class of 2017, but for now, I need to soak in these last days.

With the longer more relaxed days of summer within reach, my menu planner is tasting a lot like the season. A lovely Mediterranean Chicken with Lemons and Potatoes, Cauliflower Rice with Asian seasonings, my favorite summer fish with corn and tomato, and flavorful, moist Turkey Burgers loaded with herbs and zucchini.

Enjoy!

-xo

What’s the deal with Fidgit Spinners?

They are twirling and buzzing all over town. Kids and adults are happily playing with this clever stress relieving gadget. They were first used for kids with ADD/ADHD but the calming sensation of this little gadget has soothed people well beyond that original demographic.

The popularity of the Fidget Spinner has become so overwhelming that schools across the country have banned the device as it became a distraction in the classroom. With summer here and no teachers in sight, it’s time to break out the Fidget Spinners!

They come in a variety of colors, sounds, and twinkling lights. Fidget Spinners are a perfect end of year gift for the kids!

Find Fidgit Spinners here.

Enjoy!

-xo

I love to cook, but clean up? Not so much. 

I’m always looking to improve my cooking game. Sometimes an improvement means reducing the mess in my kitchen without sacrificing taste. The way I make bacon is the perfect example of preparing something a different way that reduces clean up and doesn’t diminish the quality of the end result.

My family loves bacon but I don’t love the clean up. I found that I made bacon less and less because of the grease that splattered around the kitchen. Making bacon in a pan on the stove top turns out delicious bacon but left grease on the range and countertop. There had to be a better way. What if there was an easier method that offered a perfect result and easier clean up? Sign. Me. Up.

The solution? Roasting bacon at a high temperature in the oven. The bacon is crispy and delicious without the hassle. The clean up is easier and this method frees me up to do other tasks in the kitchen. When I fry bacon in a pan, I watch it and turn it to ensure it cooks evenly. With the oven roasted method, the bacon is elevated on a rack and there is no need to turn the bacon. The air that circulates around the bacon allows it to cook evenly and crisp. I love putting a tray of bacon in the oven and forgetting about until the timer goes off.

Clean up is easy, but I recommend waiting until the grease at the bottom of the pan cools.

Wrap half sheet pan in foil for easy clean up. Find half sheet pan here.

Place wire cooling rack on top of foil covered half sheet pan. Find wire cooling rack here.

Layer bacon in single layer on top of wire rack. It’s okay if they touch. The bacon will shrink as it cooks. Use caution when taking hot pan out of the oven. Hot grease will accumulate at the bottom of the pan.

Transfer cooked bacon to paper towel lined plate.

Enjoy!

-xo

Anyone else have summer on the brain?

By my Menu Planner, you would think that I’m enjoying leisurely beach days and after dinner  S’mores Dip in the backyard. Meals like Gaby Dalkin’s Grilled Steak with Tomato Salad, Wedge Salad with a Creamy Herb Dressing, and easy BBQ Chicken Sandwiches are exactly how I want my summer to taste. I may be jumping the gun on summer with what lies ahead this week.

The reality is that Jake has a stressful week ahead of high school finals and Lily is still in the swing of things with school and activities. I’ll be driving a lot with Jake’s test schedule and Lily’s regular routine. The food on my menu is perfect for a busy week. The menu I created tastes like the freedom of summer during what I anticipate will be a busy week.

Enjoy!

-xo

Spiralizer is a game changer.

When Doug was doing Whole30, I cooked a lot of zucchini noodles in place of pasta. His favorite dinner from that entire experience was Turkey Meatballs in homemade Tomato Sauce over Zucchini Noodles. While zucchini noodles look impressive, they are actually incredibly easy to make at home.

My local markets sell zucchini noodles in the produce section but they are almost always sold out, thicker than I like, and the zucchini is never organic. I like making “zoodles” at home for a few reasons. I like to control the thickness of the “zoodle”, I want to use beautiful organic zucchini, and I don’t want to rely on the store if they are often out of stock.

With seasonal summer produce making it’s way into the markets and gardens getting ready to deliver boatloads of zucchini, I thought I would share this wonder of a machine. It’s wonderful for other produce like potatoes, carrots, and onion. On my “to make” list is spicy curly fries and with the Spiralizer, it will be a snap.

Find Spiralizer here.

Enjoy!

-xo