Everything No-Knead Bread

We’re all big fans of “everything” bagel season and add it to almost everything – from eggs, avocado to chicken salad and of course on bagels with cream cheese. When I saw this recipe for a non-knead bread made in a Dutch oven, I had to give it a try.

It was really good. I have a few tweaks to try the next time I make it – more seasoning and also letting it proof longer. It was a little cooler than usual when I made this first loaf, and I think the rise could have been better. It’s a good thing we all enjoyed it, because I’ll be making it many more times this fall and winter.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

Oh my kids. They want bananas. I buy bananas. They don’t eat bananas … and I end up with more overripe bananas. I needed to find yet another recipe to make and decided to give these chocolate chip banana bars a try. They smelled amazing and looked so good.

My daughter enjoyed them for breakfast, while my son preferred them as an after dinner snack. They remind me of banana bread, but much quicker to make. If you have overripe bananas, give them a try and let me know what you think!

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Mini Peach Crisp

I’m savoring the last bits of summer with fresh peaches from the local orchard. Their peaches have been amazing this year – super sweet and juicy. I picked up one last quart before it all that’s available are apples. These crisps are delicious with a gooey filling and the perfect topping….plus they’re individual sized. No feeling guilty for eating an entire one!

They are simple and easy to make. First you make the filling in a bowl, add it to the ramekins and then use the same bowl to make the topping. Perfect!

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Chunky Monkey Baked Oatmeal

Once again I found myself with way too many overripe bananas and needed to find a recipe that would use up the majority of them. This recipe for baked oatmeal was perfect for that! I’ve found baked oatmeal is a great way for my kids to start the day … it keeps them full until lunchtime and they’re not asking for a snack 20 minutes after eating breakfast.

Of course, when I sampled a small bowl of it, I added a some extras to make it even more delicious. It’s totally not needed and is perfect with a drizzle of maple syrup. The original recipe calls for shredded coconut, but my kids don’t like it, so I omitted it.

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Spicy Sriracha Green Beans

We eat a lot of salmon and I’m always looking for a side dish to go along with it. I found this recipe for spicy green beans and I thought it was a great twist on plain green beans. These were really good – but a little too spicy for my kids. I served them with a side of jasmine rice and air fryer salmon fillets.

I can’t wait to try making them again and turning the heat down slightly. The beans are sticky, spicy and delicious! The recipe is not modified from the original recipe, but when I make it next I’ll use less sweet chili sauce.

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Blueberry Oat Scones

I’m trying to get back into the kitchen and making some new recipes. My daughter was asking for scones and I wanted to use up what I had in my pantry and fridge. I found this recipe that doesn’t use heavy cream, which is great since I never seem to have any on hand.

Both my kids loved this recipe and said it was delicious. I didn’t get a chance to enjoy one as they devoured them pretty quickly. I think I’m going to make these with peaches the next time.

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Greek Hummus Dip

This weekend we had an annual picnic at my aunt and uncle’s house and I volunteered to make an appetizer. I was going to make corn and black bean salsa, but my cousin and his wife were bringing that … so off to Pinterest I went to be inspired.

Whenever we go out to dinner, we usually get a hummus plate and thought that would be perfect thing to snack on while hanging out at the pool and catching up with our family. It was a huge hit and it’s so simple and easy to make! You can make your own hummus, but I was short on time, so I picked up a couple containers while I was grocery shopping. This will definitely be a staple potluck appetizer for any future events we’re invited to!

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Salsa

Updated photos (August 2021)

It’s been so long since I made a batch of fresh salsa and it was about time. This recipe is simple and so delicious!

Tomato season is upon us. It’s a little overwhelming with the amount of tomatotes we’re getting daily. So needless to say, you’ll be seeing several tomato recipes over the next couple of weeks. I haven’t found a good salsa recipe yet…until now. This was simple and so fresh. My husband was raving about it tonight.

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Mojito Shortbread Cookies

I decided to grow mint this year and as you can imagine, it’s going crazy! Just warning you, there will be lots of recipes highlighting mint coming to the blog. First up, cookies!! I made a twist on a delicious summer drink – mojito shortbread cookies.

They’re the perfect combination of mint and lime in a soft, buttery cookie. The original recipe calls for powdered sugar sprinkled on the tops, but we prefer them without. I also like this recipe because you can easily swap out the lime for lemon or orange and can change the mint to basil, rosemary or thyme. The options are endless!

mint and lime shortbread cookies
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Garlic Scape White Bean Dip

If you were lucky to snag garlic scapes this summer, don’t let them go to waste. I haven’t seen them at our Farmers Market lately and was so surprised to see one of the stands have a couple bags of them. If you’ve never had a garlic scape before, they’re green, curly and look like green beans. They are the step and flower bud of hardneck garlic plants – this is the most common type of garlic grown in North America.

Scapes are packed full of garlic flavor and make for a delicious pesto. I decided to use this batch and make dip with white beans. It was creamy, simple and went great with mini pitas. It would go great with a plate of cucumbers, carrots and sliced peppers.

Bowl of garlic scrape white bean dip with mini pita
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