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Layers of crisp greens, hardboiled eggs, bacon, tomatoes, onions, cheddar cheese and sweet peas, make up a Classic Seven Layer Salad. Would you believe that this is the first time I've tasted this salad? It is one of the most frequent recipe requests I receive all summer long, so it was definitely time to try it! My whole family loved it and I'm planning to make it again next weekend!

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These are creamy, buttery, salty potatoes that put every other boiled potato to shame. Salt potatoes are a staple in Upstate New York and I've been told that people get a wee little bit crazy about them. When I tell you that these just might be the most perfect bites of potato that I've ever tasted, I don't say that lightly.

My whole family LOVES potatoes. Smashed, Mashed, Whipped, Baked, Stuffed, Roasted, Hot, or Cold: we are serious about our potatoes. But these potatoes? They just went to the top of my potato recipe list, not in small part because it's barely even a recipe! Delicious food with no work involved to get it makes me a very happy girl!

A few weeks ago, my friend Rebecca told me that I must try Salt Potatoes. When she tells me that I "must" try something, I listen. I actually went to two stores yesterday, just to find the little potatoes, because I couldn't get this idea out of my head. Now would be a good time to remind you that Rebecca has never steered me wrong; see evidence A (Dill Pickle Dip), B (Brown Butter Syrup), C (Ham Balls), and D (Ham Ball Stir Fry). Clearly, if she was insisting I try these simple potatoes, they must be good.

Good? These potatoes are so far past good, I don't even have words. (or maybe I have too many words!) This is the simplest potato side dish I've ever made and every bite was perfect. If you're a bit of a nerd, like I tend to be when it comes to our food sometimes, you might get a kick out of knowing that there is a scientific reason why these potatoes are almost unbelievably creamy. The extra-salty water boils at a higher temperature, causing the starch in the potatoes to cook more completely. That lightly salted skin on the potatoes will beg for a swirl through the butter and you will not regret it.

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When I saw swordfish on the list of ingredients for the Tabasco 10 Ingredient Challenge, my mind starting racing with ideas for it. Our recipe index is filled with great ways to cook different varieties of fish, but I wanted something really different this time.
I'm giving you three recipes today! If you aren't a fish lover, these Sweet and Spicy Marinated Tomatoes are for you. This is one of the most versatile summer vegetable recipes I make. I've tossed them into pastas and salads, served them as a side dish on their own, and I've turned them into a bruschetta topping as well. They were delicious as a topping for both of the swordfish recipes.

Basil Crusted Swordfish comes together in just a few minutes and results in a perfectly crisp crust, without drying out the fish at all. The fresh basil flavor really comes through and the hint of heat from the Tabasco works well with it. This is a great meal to make for 2-3 people, with very little advance planning required.

Spicy Cilantro Grilled Swordfish starts with a simple, fresh marinade and finishes with just 5-6 minutes on the grill. The cilantro and Tabasco flavors aren't overwhelming and they are a great match for the sweet and spicy tomatoes.


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Sweet, buttery cake, filled with juicy blueberries is perfect for breakfast, for snacks, for dessert, for any excuse, or no excuse at all. This cake requires no glaze, no icing, no special topping, nothing else is necessary. It is one of the simplest cakes you can make with just six easy ingredients and it comes together in very little time.

The cake reminds me of coffeecake in texture, but it is much lighter than the typical heavier streusel versions. You're welcome to glaze it or dust it with sugar before serving, but this cake truly stands alone. For a fancier dessert, I've topped it with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream, but it is served (and snacked on) plain more of the time.

In the mood for something rich and chocolatey? Check out the Cold Chocolate Snack Cake and consider yourself warned. No one has ever had just one sliver. (There's a reason we leave the knife in the pan with the cake!) If you're more of a cheesecake lover, these bite-size Caramel Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes are irresistible!

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Fluffy french toast is topped with a soft egg and then drizzled with maple syrup that has been transformed with a splash of Tabasco sauce. Are you cringing at the thought of shaking Tabasco into your syrup? I dare you to try it. You might thank me later. Just a splash of that smoky heat woke up this breakfast plate. My oldest son and I are still talking about this awesome breakfast and we've made it twice more in the past week!

I'm excited to share this recipe as part of the Tabasco 10 Ingredient Challenge. For a peek at the list of ingredients and the rules, check them out here!

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When Tabasco contacted me to see if I wanted to participate in their 10 Ingredient Challenge, I think my family was even more excited about it than I was. The way we go through hot sauce in this family is absolutely unreal. I'll take any excuse to add a splash of heat or spice to a recipe. (If you've been reading this blog for any length of time at all, this won't come as a surprise!)

There are ten bloggers participating in this challenge and each of us will be sharing five recipes with you this week. The rules are simple. Using only this list of ingredients, create five different recipes that all include Tabasco Original Red Sauce.


I had a blast playing with the flavor combinations and I can hardly wait to share them with you! Check back Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week to see what I made!

Monday: Brioche French Toast with "Hot" Maple Syrup
Wednesday: Basil Crusted Swordfish with Sweet and Spicy Marinated Tomatoes
Friday: Flourless "Hot" Chocolate Cake

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Fresh zucchini, grilled corn, and sausage are quickly sautéed and tossed with a handful of spices to create this super easy one-skillet meal. This easy dinner is also known as, "What to do with the BBQ leftovers?"

I made this for the first time last year using a bunch of leftovers from a summer barbecue with friends. Ever since then, I intentionally throw some extra brats on the grill and I remember to save a few ears of corn too. This tasty meal takes almost no effort to put together and it tastes fantastic. The sausage adds great flavor to the vegetables and the fresh zucchini is the perfect compliment to the grilled corn.

If you're looking for more recipes to make the most of your zucchini harvest this year, check out a few more of our Summer Squash Recipes!

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Creamy, rich, chocolate ice cream studded with bits of roasted cherries was one of the very best ice creams I made last year. I saved the recipe a full year, so that I could share it with you when cherries were in abundance. Now that they are finally back in season, I plan to make this every chance I get until the cherries are gone!

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Fresh apricots are tossed with cinnamon sugar and then layered between a brown sugar and oat crust. 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. There's no need to cut in cold butter or stress the streusel topping, just pour melted butter into the oat mixture and it will form the perfect crumb crust and topping. This might be one of the easiest fruit desserts you'll ever make!

These bars are dangerously tasty. They aren't overly sweet and they are filled with juicy pieces of apricot and crunchy bites of streusel crust and topping. They were so tempting that I actually had a friend come and take the rest of them off my hands because I feared how many I might eat before my husband could take them to the office the next day!
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Homemade barbecue sauce is almost ridiculously easy to make and I can promise you that it tastes better than anything you can buy at the store. This is a spicy, rich, slightly smoky barbecue sauce that is perfect with beef, chicken, or pork.

A few weeks ago, my husband requested a bourbon barbecue sauce. We were making ribs and he wanted to dip them in a spicy sauce. I didn't get a single picture of the sauce at the time, because we ate almost all of it. I made this sauce again a couple weeks later for pulled pork and again, it disappeared before I managed to snap a photo.

This time I planned ahead and made the sauce early in the day, so that I could get a picture. I chopped up some roast chicken and tossed it generously with the barbecue sauce. We made it into sandwiches this time, but we've also stuffed saucy barbecue chicken into potatoes.

If you don't happen to be a fan of bourbon, here are a few more great barbecue sauces:

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If you haven't yet tried Marinated Tomatoes, you are missing out on one of my favorite summer foods. Bite size tomatoes are marinated in a combination of oil, vinegar and spices with just the right amount of sweetness.  I've always liked tomatoes, but these are irresistible!

I find myself snacking on them all afternoon, as they marinate on the counter and in the refrigerator. Those tomatoes along with their marinade are the dressing for this salad. The pasta and vegetables absorb all of that delicious marinade and the flavors are wonderful together.

Pasta salads are a great main dish or side dish all summer long. I love having a bowl ready to go in the refrigerator for busier days and the nights when I just don't feel like cooking.
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Tender, fluffy, lightly sweetened baked french toast, filled with fresh blueberries and then drizzled with Lemony Maple Syrup was a huge hit in our house this week. To say that I loved this dish doesn't even begin to express how pleased I was with it. I've been under-whelmed with the baked french toast recipes I've tried in the past. Often too sweet, too soggy, too dry, or simply not flavorful enough, I stopped trying them years ago. I think the reason that this works well is because the bread is not soaked overnight. It absorbs plenty of moisture while it bakes and doesn't become soggy in the process.

When I found myself with an abundance of leftover Challah bread in the house, I figured it was time to try baked french toast once again. Oh my word, this is like no other baked french toast I've tasted before. With a texture similar to bread pudding, without being a bit soggy, this was everything I'd hoped and then some. The lemon-y maple syrup cuts the expected sweetness and doesn't overwhelm you with the usual maple flavor. The blueberries add a perfect sweet tartness to the dish.

It's unusual for me to over-indulge with a sweet breakfast. I'm much more of a savory breakfast person these days. This was such a perfectly balanced sweet and barely tart bland of flavors, I found myself eating a second serving and then considering a third before I decided I'd best get the leftovers into the fridge immediately!

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The heat has arrived with a vengeance here in Phoenix. In honor of our crazy weather, I've gathered my favorite quick and easy salads to keep the kitchen cool this summer. I love a great salad in the summertime, but often I don't even want to spend the time chopping, slicing, dicing, or whatever else may be involved. Every one of these salads goes from prep to plate in ten minutes or less. These are perfect main dishes and side dishes for nights when you want to spend as little time as possible standing in the kitchen!

(Click the photos to go straight to the recipe for each salad.)
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An abundance of fresh strawberries, crisp buttery brown sugar covered oats, and chewy sweet coconut are layered into this simple fruit dessert. My husband, kids, and our friends all raved about this dessert and there was only a small serving left the next day.

I served this with homemade vanilla ice cream the day that I made it and I finished it off the next day, a sliver at a time. These bars were heavenly with the ice cream and they were also awesome all by themselves.

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Sweet and slightly spicy grilled chicken topped with melting cheese and sweet pineapple turned out to be one of the best things I ate this weekend. My kids absolutely flipped out over these sandwiches. My oldest son declared this "the most excellent and delicious burger he has ever tasted, even better than the fancy burgers from the really nice restaurants." (His experience in really nice restaurants with burgers is limited to Red Robin and Five Guys, so take that with a grain or two of salt.)

When I saw my friend Amy share this sandwich on Facebook the other day, I immediately turned and asked my husband if he'd mind running to the store. I absolutely had to have it and let me tell you it was everything I hoped it would be. This sandwich is going to be in my meal plans all summer long!

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Light and slightly tangy pasta salad, with just enough creamy dressing to coat the noodles and vegetables, this is one heck of an awesome pasta salad. Perfect on it's own for a light meal or as a side dish for all the summer potlucks and barbecues. This is better than any deli salad you can buy at the store!

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Sitting in my grandmother's kitchen, I could look out the window and watch the rabbits, squirrels, and quail families nibbling on the scraps of food that we had set outside for them. Grandmother was already hard at work whisking crepe batter or preparing pans of German pancakes for the oven. Orange sauce and vanilla waffle sauce were simmering on the stove, ready to pour as the family began to wander downstairs.
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Apple Crisp Ice Cream, the name alone sounds heavenly, doesn't it? That's before I tell you that it is made with the creamiest of homemade vanilla ice creams, then completely loaded with bits of cinnamon sweet baked apples and crunchy streusel topping. There is nothing about this ice cream that I did not love. (Except perhaps the fact that I ate way too much of it.)

The idea for this ice cream popped into my mind a few weeks ago. I tried a couple of different versions using the same ingredients, but not the real apple crisp. They lacked the true apple crisp flavor I wanted. I finally caved and decided to bake an actual apple crisp just for the ice cream. As soon as my apple crisp  finished cooling last week, I was chopping it into bits and folding it into this ice cream. I don't know when I've been more excited about an ice cream recipe.

I initially thought of this recipe as "sacrificing" an apple crisp for the ice cream, but after one bite, I realized it was no sacrifice. I ate this ice cream off a spoon straight out of the freezer, and served it in ice cream cones as well. I might have even gone a little crazy and scooped the last of it over a warm brownie last week as well. (That was tasty, but way too rich and randomly flavored even for my sometimes bizarre tastes!) This ice cream is already in my all time favorite recipes list.

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Warm slices of baked apples covered with cinnamon brown sugar streusel topping are all that's required to make the perfect apple crisp. This fruit filled dessert is not at all soupy, with soft apples covered with just enough crunchy topping to make it perfect. All by itself or topped with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, this is one of our favorite desserts year round.

In case you're wondering, my favorite way to eat this is with my morning coffee and a scoop of ice cream. It's probably a good thing that I don't usually have it waiting in the kitchen!

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