Every BBQ, summer picnic or cookout needs a salad! I usually make pasta salad or ask my mom to make macaroni salad (I haven’t perfected her recipe yet!), but now this salad is going to be my go-to recipe! Today’s #CookOutWeek recipe features broccoli, cauliflower, cheese and bacon in a creamy, tangy sauce! I love the crunch of the veggies – plus you can’t go wrong with bacon and cheese! My kiddos were iffy on it, but ended up devouring it after their first bite!
For #CookoutWeek, I’ll be taking you through an entire meal, course by course – perfect for your next bbq, picnic, cookout or just for dinner! I’m starting out with an appetizer – spicy seven layer dip. Ironically, I’ve never made a layered dip before, but this will be made over and over again. It’s super easy especially since I’m using store-bought hummus and guacamole. My husband and I loved it and the spice the hummus had. I served it with blue multi-grain tortilla chips, but you could serve it with a veggie tray and it would be delicious too!
Get those grills fired up… because it’s #CookoutWeek 2017! This week, I’m joining forces with over 40 food blogger friends to bring you delicious recipes perfect for every backyard BBQ, picnic, summer party, or cookout.
We also have a fabulous giveaway featuring products from the brands who have made #CookoutWeek possible! You can enter below to win:
Happy first day of summer! It’s finally feeling like summer here in PA and we’ve been able to go swimming already – which my kids absolutely love! Do you have any vacation plans this year? We’ll probably do a couple of day trips to the shore and my kids are begging to go to Hershey Park.
Today is also June’s Fantastical Food Fight! Each month, there will be a theme or ingredient to be featured and anyone participating the challenge will share their recipes with everyone else. Check out the blog hop below the recipe!
This month’s theme was peaches and cream. I didn’t want to make something that I would normally make and wanted to try something different. This was the first time I ever used gelatin. Add on the fact that I don’t care for foods with jello like texture – but I was surprised these gummies are good! They’re different from what my kids are used, but the peach flavor was perfect – not too strong and enough to taste it. I had a little trouble getting the gummies to release from the pan to cut into small squares, so I used a mini cookie cutter to make star shapes! These gummies don’t have a long shelf like, so I sent them to camp with my daughter for her friends to enjoy! Another thing I like about the recipe is that the flavors can be changed to whatever you like. I bet mango and strawberry would be delicious!
Did you ever have one of those days where nothing goes right? Yesterday was one of THOSE days. I was all ready to get our grill started to grill pork chops and of course when I went to light it, it only “clicked, clicked, clicked”….GREAT. Now to switch gears and cook them inside. I also was making a box of mac & cheese for my kids and while I was draining it, the bottom of the lid slid out of the pot and all the pasta ended up in the sink. Needless to say, I was about ready to throw in the towel and order pizza. Later I found out that it was National Kitchen Klutzies Day….I think that explains it all!
Anyways, these pork chops were delicious. The lemon flavor was subtle and the marinade made them moist and not dried out. It was definitely a hit with me and my husband – my kids…not so much. Oh well, more for leftovers and to make these again when I get our grill working.
The weather has been off here in PA, so we’re now just getting spring veggies. I’ve been craving green vegetables lately, so when I got a box of spring peas in my CSA, I knew I wanted to whip up a pasta dish with them. I found this quick and easy recipe for tortellini with peas, asparagus and bacon – PERFECTION! I mean really, you can’t go wrong with bacon!! Another perk of this recipe, it’s quick and easy for those busy weeknights.
As usual, I had a couple of over-ripe bananas and needed to find something to make to use them up. I don’t know why we always end up with 2 or 3 bananas that never get eaten?!? I was thinking about making one of my muffin recipes, but then decided on this recipe for a double chocolate banana cake.
It’s super moist, rich and I used a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips to make it even better. It takes all of 5 minutes to throw together and then 30 minutes of baking until you have this delicious cake. It can be eaten at room temperature, but I recommend eating it when it’s warm.
I’ve missed the last couple of months of #FilltheCookieJar because, well….life got in the way. I was determined to make it back this month for the summer theme! I had a little extra time this month with the holiday on Monday and was excited to try a different and unique cookie recipe. I went with something a little sweet with a touch of savory and came up with these delicious basil lime cookies.
They’re slightly crispy with a hint of lime and basil. My daughter was confused when she saw me chopping basil for a dessert recipe, but she’s loving these cookies! Basil is one of the things that remind me of summer. I grow a bunch of it and use it to make pesto, for tomato mozzarella salad and anywhere else I can use it. And you can’t forget about limes…hello margaritas!
I’ve been craving Mexican food lately and thought this would be great way to enjoy some delicious food and eat from our pantry. I only needed to pick up corn tortillas, but I had everything else in the house.
The recipe came together really quickly and gave us enough for leftovers and a couple lunches for me. I love the mix of corn and black beans and my kids didn’t even know I used ground turkey instead of beef. I love swaps like that!
I felt like a kid on Christmas morning waiting for my first shipment for wine from Direct Cellars. I impatiently stalked my UPS delivery driver and was worried when he didn’t make his normal morning deliveries. When he pulled up outside my house, I jumped out the door to greet him – I’m sure he was thinking “why is this lady running out to greet me?” – but after I said I was waiting for my first wine shipment, he totally understood!
