Tangy Asian Salad Dressing with a hint of sesame and the sweetness of honey is perfect for topping salads, tossing with cabbage for a quick slaw, or for dipping chicken fingers. Whisk this dressing together now and enjoy it all week long! A couple weeks ago, I asked some friends to share their easiest, most loved summer recipes. I enjoy getting creative in the kitchen, but some nights I simply want to follow a recipe that I know will turn out well and still have the fun of serving my family something new....

Fresh apricots are tossed with cinnamon sugar and then layered between a brown sugar and oat crust to make these Apricot Crisp Bars . Served on their own or topped with Vanilla Ice Cream this is a dessert that everyone loves. Apricot Crisp Almost firm enough to cut into bars and still fruity enough to resemble a crisp, this is simply a fruit crisp with both a top and bottom crust layer....

Have you eaten dates before? This was another first for my family as we received an entire box of fresh Medjool dates from the Agritopia Farm in our CSA box for this week. I love that the dates were grown less than 20 miles from my house. When I heard that we would have farm fresh dates in the basket, my first thought was simply how fun it would be to try another new food ....

Sweet blueberries and bananas combine with tart grapes in this Blueberry Grape Banana Smoothie without any added sugar. It is one of my favorite smoothie combinations. My boys used to ask for this smoothie all the time when they were younger. Even now that they’re teenagers, it’s rare that I get to drink a whole smoothie by myself. Grape Smoothie I have always loved eating grapes. There was something joyous as a child about tearing off a bunch of these round and juicy sweet berries that burst with flavor....

The silky depth of dark chocolate meets the earthy crunch of walnuts in these Chocolate Walnut Cookies. It’s basically a Hallmark movie that writes itself. Mr. Walnuts has a tough exterior, but Chocolate just knows she can soften him if she can get him into the oven. Tiny cups of milk are in their future. It’s pure, indulgent bliss! Chocolate Walnut Cookies Whenever I wake up to one of those mornings where the temperature outside is a little chilly, it makes everything inside feel just a bit cozier....

Creamy white chocolate fudge filled with dried cranberries and macadamia nuts comes together in this Cranberry Macadamia Nut Fudge for a rich and irresistible holiday treat. White chocolate + cranberries + macadamia nuts is a combination that never fails to make me smile. Fudge is one of my favorite treats to make each holiday season. In just a few minutes, you can stir this recipe together and have it chilling in the refrigerator....

Soft, chewy hominy is baked in a creamy sauce along with plenty of spices, green chile, and kielbasa to make this Creamy Hominy Casserole. The meal comes together with about ten minutes hands-on time and then it’s tucked into the oven where it will simmer away on its own until the hominy is soft and chewy and everything is bubbling hot. Last week, I had the opportunity to travel with Certified Angus Beef (C....

Creamy deviled egg filling creates the dressing that coats each bite of this deviled egg potato salad. Chunks of potato and hard-boiled eggs are tossed with the dressing to make the ultimate potato salad for anyone who loves deviled eggs. I love a cold potato salad in the summertime – or let’s be honest, any other time as well. Potato salad is an awesome side dish for almost any meal....

Spicy, sweet, and slightly tangy glazed salmon with broccoli is one of my favorite ways to cook and serve fish. One delightfully simple sauce does double duty as marinade for the fish and flavor booster for the fresh broccoli. Glazed Salmon This keeper of a recipe makes adults and kids alike happy, even if some of the kids turn their noses up at the broccoli. They just don’t know what they’re missing!...

Hawaiian Oatmeal is a hearty, creamy oatmeal filled with juicy bits of pineapple, chewy nuts, a sprinkling of coconut, and a dusting of brown sugar. We are huge fans of oatmeal and there is no better way to start a fall day than with a fun bowl of oatmeal. My kids can make most of our oatmeal recipes on their own and I have to admit that it’s kind of awesome to be served a tasty meal in the morning while barely lifting my sleepy head out of my coffee cup....

Cheesy hot bean dip is a hit for any occasion. This easy recipe can be made in the oven or in the crock-pot! Serve with all your favorite dippers for a knock-out appetizer or party food. Hot Bean Dip When it comes to dips, my family means business. We love hot dips–usually with lots of cheese–the very best. Bean dip might not sound very exciting at first thought. But that’s because you haven’t tried THIS Hot Bean Dip recipe!...

Vanilla Coffee Syrup is a staple in every coffee house and it’s one of the easiest things you can make at home. There’s no need to ever again pay for store-bought syrups with extra ingredients. You can make Vanilla Coffee Syrup at home, using just a few common ingredients and no preservatives or artificial flavors. It takes less than 5 minutes to stir together this syrup and it tastes better than any store-bought options....

Fluffy Biscuits with plenty of buttery layers are possible with just a few helpful tips and about ten minutes of hands-on effort. I have included a whole lot of photos with this recipe to illustrate the steps below and show you how simple it can be to make perfectly fully homemade biscuits. I’m telling a bit of a story today, so feel free to hit that “Jump To Recipe” button at the top of the page if you’re uninterested in my biscuit-making lesson....

I know–light and fluffy aren’t two words you’d typically think of to describe Whole Wheat Pancakes, which have a reputation for being dense and chewy. Light and fluffy is, however, the perfect way to describe this Whole Wheat Pancakes Recipe. This recipe was originally published over ten years ago. I shared this recipe the very first week I started blogging! It’s hard to believe sometimes that it has already been that long....

Nutty Bars Ice Cream is a rich peanut butter ice cream loaded to the absolute max with chunks of Little Debbie’s classic Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars. Over the top? Maybe a little bit, but who is going to complain when you hand them a bowl of ice cream that literally tastes like a peanut butter cup filled with chunks of nutty bars? No one. That is who. Nutty Bars Ice Cream A bowl of this ice cream tastes like a childhood dream come true – if your childhood happened to include Nutty Buddy Bars....

Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream is a creamy, rich ice cream loaded with chunks of chewy oatmeal cookies. This fun ice cream is my newest favorite frozen treat. (I figure I’ve written “newest favorite” at least 100 times on this blog already, but I’m choosing to ignore that little fact for now.) This ice cream has been all I could think about ever since I took the first bite. I’ve made Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream several times now and it’s quite simply the ice cream of this oatmeal cookie lover’s dreams....

Savory ham meatballs are coated in a thick, sticky, sweet and sour glaze and then baked in the oven until piping hot and irresistible. You know those foods that stick in your memory? These ham balls are one of those recipes. I tried one when they were still piping hot from the oven. I burned my mouth and then, despite the burn, I ate another one while they were still way too hot....

Tart lime juice and peppery cilantro infuse the long, fluffy grains of rice with fabulous flavor in this simple Oven Baked Rice. Oven Baked Rice Oven. Baked. Rice. This is a game changer, my friends, and there’s no better way to try it for the first time than in this cilantro lime rice. I tried baking rice in the oven once years ago when I first heard about it. But, I was unimpressed....

Crispy, pan-fried pork schnitzel is my kind of comfort food. I very rarely break out the oil in my kitchen for any kind of frying, so you know that when I do, it’s going to be worth it. Pork Schnitzel If you’ve never had pork schnitzel before, get ready for a completely and totally satisfying dinner. This is the kind of classic dish that makes you pause after the first bite, just to appreciate how good simple food can be....

An irresistible sweet and tangy glaze takes this slow cooker pork roast from just another crockpot meal to a tasty and fantastic meal. Pork Roast with Glaze This slow-cooked pork roast is both company worthy and also perfect for a lazy weeknight dinner. I’ve served this pork with smashed potatoes , over rice, (it’s really great with this mushrooms pepper rice pilaf ) and stuffed into soft rolls. This roast was a delicious surprise the first time I made it....