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If you can imagine your favorite homemade brownies transformed into a smooth and creamy bowl of ice cream, then you have a glimpse of the awesomeness that is Brownie Ice Cream. This dessert was an enormous hit with our friends a few weeks ago and there wasn't a bite left the next day.

Yes, I did serve brownie ice cream over warm brownies. Too much decadence? Not at all! (Is there ever such a thing as too much chocolate?!)


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In the interest of never tossing an awesome bagel just because you couldn't eat them lightning fast, here's my little hack for steaming day old, stale bagels at home, using just a sprinkling of water!

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Chicken, the ubiquitous meat for almost every meal, shows up on our tables far more often than most of us want to admit. I'm here today to save you from that moment when you're staring down yet another package of chicken wondering what to do with it. I'm sharing my top five no-hassle go-to recipes that answer the question "what should I do with this chicken?"

Each of these recipes is family and friends tested and 100% kid approved. These simple five ingredient chicken dishes have appeared on our table more times than I can count and they are ALL requested over and over again. Enjoy!

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If you've ever had a garden with a squash plant (or a neighbor with a squash plant), you've probably had occasion to wonder, "What am I going to do with all this zucchini?!" A few years ago, we planted our first garden. My husband asked me how many squash plants I wanted him to plant and in pure naivety, I answered, "you can't plant too many squash plants for me!"

Three months and 40+ squash plants later; we had a daily harvest of anywhere from a dozen to 3 dozen squash. Italian Zucchini, Eight Balls, One Balls, Crooknecks, Pattypans, Mexican Grey, you name it, we planted it. I LOVE zucchini, but even I reached my limit that year. We gave away bags and boxes of squash to anyone and everyone who was willing to take it off our hands.

The upside to an overabundance of squash is that it forces you to be more creative with your cooking. I baked it, roasted it, sauteed it, stir fried it, dehydrated it (still working on that plan), slivered it, chopped it, pureed it (yikes, that was not a great idea), we even learned that squash can be eaten raw. We ate squash with most of our meals for weeks that summer. We ate so much squash that I didn't crave it again for a couple years. This year? I am giddy all over again to see the first harvest. We chose not to garden this year, but my brother was generous enough to bring me these beauties to play with this week. I can hardly wait!

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Monster Cookies have been my family's favorite cookie ever since I was a child. We use my grandmother's recipe and make a giant batch of the cookies every year for our family's camping trip. However, this year we simply ran out of time for our baking plans.

I adjusted the recipe slightly and pressed the cookie dough into the bottom of a large baking sheet. In less time than it would have taken to bake a single tray of cookies, I had these bars cooling on the counter. Easy as can be and the bars were a huge hit with everyone that tried them.

I was expecting a fun treat to snack on over the weekend, but these bars came close to trumping the original Monster Cookies. Slightly more gooey than the cookies and still crisp on top and bottom, this is one of the best bar cookies I've ever tasted.


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While camping last week, my sister brought along a box of paints and a large canvas. I wasn't sure what she had planned until she described the Handprint Family Trees she'd seen on Pinterest. She wanted to do something along those lines with all of the grandkids' handprints for my mom.

We started by painting a large tree in the center of the canvas and letting it dry for about 30 minutes. Then the kids all choose a paint color and we placed a quarter size amount on a paper plate. They used their hand to spread paint all over the plate and then placed that handprint on the tree. Extra sheets of paper kept the younger kids occupied after the initial excitement of making their print on the canvas.



If your family doesn't all get together once a year, mailing a canvas between family members is a great option as well. We are going to add three grandkids that couldn't make it this year, next time they visit. Also, it was a huge help to have extra grown-up hands to help with the little kids' clean-up.

I'm absolutely thrilled with the way our canvas turned out and my mom loves it! With 19 handprints, we opted against labeling each print, but with fewer hands, that might look great as well. If you want to keep track of who each hand belongs to, you can write the names on the back of the canvas and then place a dot of paint next to each name as they make their handprints.

Crisp broccoli is combined with sweet, juicy grapes, and crunchy bits of red onion just before being tossed with a tangy, sweet balsamic dressing. This is a light summer salad that my broccoli-hating-children devoured in minutes. My oldest son avoids broccoli at every other opportunity and he has requested this salad three times in the past month.

The first time I made this, my children ate the whole bowl of salad in less than a day. I still can't believe how much they enjoyed it! I've served this salad with Crock-Pot Pulled Pork, Pan Fried Italian Chicken Thighs, and with Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Sandwiches. I also ate the leftovers straight out of the bowl and called it my lunch one day last week.

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Cool mornings, sunshine filled afternoons, and brief thunderstorms, combined this past weekend to create perfect weather and one of the the best camping trips we've had in years. Saturday morning, we loaded the truck and headed to the Sitgreaves National Forest for our Annual Family Camping Trip. My family has been meeting at Woods Canyon Lake every summer for over 20 years now. We've grown from the original crew of 10 people, into a crowd that can range from 25 - 35 or more people depending on the year's events.


With 5 brothers and 2 sisters, (plus all of the extended family attached to each of us), a summer camping trip is our way of making sure we are all in the same place at least once every year. Our children range from newborn to 23 years old. Nothing makes my mom happier than when all of her children and grandchildren are within shouting distance.


The kids build forts every year, and run their legs off from sunrise to dark. The adults play countless board games, fish, hike, chase children, and laugh enough to make our sides hurt. The hiking trails around Woods Canyon Lake are excellent and the Mogollon Rim is a brief hike from our group site. My sisters and I spent one morning hiking out to the rim and then wandering on the trails.


The older kids love the independence and adventure of walking down to the lake without the adults and then wandering  back up to the campsite through the forest. We set up a volleyball net first thing and there is usually a game or two played in the morning and in the afternoon. The little ones bring dump trucks and shovels for digging, plenty of balls to kick and throw, finger paints were a fun addition this year as well.


We spend our nights chatting around the campfire or playing cards and board games around the tables. Flicking june bugs away is a rite of passage for the older kids that want to stay up late with the adults. Those massive (and horribly annoying bugs) have been known to scare off the less brave teenagers.


Sleeping in a tent might not be my favorite thing, but I wouldn't trade my family campouts for a fancy hotel. Waking to the sounds of the forest, starting the water for coffee in the early morning light, chatting quietly with the first people to wake and stumble from their tents, all of it combines for an experience that can't be found outside of nature.

Creamy blueberry ice cream is a summer treat that you simply need to taste to believe. I love berries with cream together in almost any form, but I don't think I've ever seen a blueberry ice cream in the store. (I have no doubt that someone makes one though!)

I had originally planned to make a simple batch of vanilla ice cream to serve with chocolate and caramel sauces for dessert. However, when I opened the refrigerator to grab the milk and cream, I spied the blueberries on the shelf. One thought led to another, and the next thing I knew I had everything in the blender together.

My boys went nuts over this ice cream. It was delicious soft-serve right out of the ice cream maker. I had a hard time waiting while it firmed up more in the freezer. I felt obligated to "test" the recipe once more before sharing it with you, and let me tell you, it was just as big a hit the second time around. In case you need one more reason to try this ice cream, I topped blueberry oatmeal with the last of this ice cream and it was spectacular.
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If the perfect slice of cinnamon toast met Pecan Sandies, this Cinnamon Pecan Shortbread would be the result. This is a tender shortbread, filled with pecans, and then generously topped with cinnamon sugar. I brought a double batch of these bars along on our camping trip last weekend and they kept beautifully for four days at room temperature. They were a perfect snack with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon.

Here are a few more of my favorite desserts that transport well and stay fresh for days:

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Plenty of lemon and dill make this the freshest tasting potato salad I've ever made. It has an unexpected bright flavor that made me stop and savor the first bite. The salad is lightened up with sour cream for half the mayo and it adds an extra tanginess as well. My whole family really enjoyed this salad and I happily stashed the last serving in the back of the refrigerator for my own lunch the following day.

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Baked oatmeal, loaded with the summer's fresh berries and lightly sweetened with honey is a great way to start the day. With all the berries in season right now, they've made their way into several breakfast dishes lately. Our strawberries have been very sweet this year, so I swapped the usual sugar in the oatmeal for honey and I really enjoyed the change. The oatmeal wasn't overly sweet and it allowed the slight tartness of the other berries to shine through.

Oatmeal is one of my children's favorite breakfasts and we've gathered a huge collection of great oatmeal recipes over the past few years. My youngest son loves oatmeal so much, he attempts to order it at almost every restaurant we visit. There's nothing quite like watching the waiter's face as he requests, "A big bowl of oatmeal, please," while we are dining at a Mexican restaurant. Luckily, he loves chips and salsa almost as much, so it's an easy sell.


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Did you know that knives are not designed for chopping? They are designed for slicing. There is a subtle difference there, but it makes a HUGE difference in the results and the energy you'll use preparing your ingredients.

I've recently discovered Craftsy and I'm excited to learn some new skills and share them with you too! Craftsy provides interactive video classes covering everything from basic cooking skills to cake decorating, and so much more. The first class I checked out was Craftsy's Knife Skills Class and I really enjoyed it.

The class is taught by Brendan McDermott and his tips throughout the class were excellent. Brendan has been teaching knife skills at a culinary school for over 8 years and he has worked in restaurants since he was 16. (Side note: he also has martial arts training with knives!) The man is truly a knife skills expert.




Watching Brendan slice fresh herbs, parsley, and cilantro blew my mind. I liked it so much, I watched it twice and then went straight to the kitchen to try it myself. (You really should watch him do it! You can go straight to that section at 34:25 of Lesson 4.) Sliced correctly, the herbs should stay dry and separate, making it easier to sprinkle them over and toss them into dishes!

The class is FREE with no strings attached and nothing to sign up for in the future, Craftsy just might change the way you  think of dinner prep time.



Barefeet In The Kitchen is a Craftsy partner and this post is sponsored by Craftsy. All thoughts and opinions given are my own.

Cherry Flop was my grandma's claim to fame in the kitchen and it was her go-to dessert recipe. Grandma was not known for her cooking and baking skills, but she pulled this dessert together for company for more years than I can remember. As the story goes, she misread the directions the first time she made it and the crust flipped over onto the top of the fruit. However it came to be made, "cherry flop" was a hit and she continued making it the same way.

I've adapted her original recipe to make the most of the sweet cherries that are in season so briefly and I've added a splash of almond extract because it is a perfect match for the cherries. As with most of our desserts, I'm also giving you both the gluten free recipe and the traditional version. Served warm, with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream on top, this is an awesome summer dessert!

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I made these cute parfaits for my kids a few nights ago, in about 3 minutes. The boys loved them so much, they asked me to make them again and take a picture to share with you. They were so excited with their "fancy" dessert and I love that such a simple treat made them smile.

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Pulled pork, baked beans, and southern coleslaw are layered together to make these Barbecue Sundaes. My husband was in Texas last month and he tried a barbecue sundae in a restaurant there. He described the meal to me, and I couldn't even imagine it. I had to recreate it as soon as possible for myself.

Let me tell you that this meal is spectacular. I sighed after the first bite and I didn't stop taking bites (while standing at the kitchen counter!) until that jar was empty. I'm not even kidding you. I liked this meal so much, I made it again the very next night.

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The perfect creamy, thick, and frothy coffee milkshake doesn't require a single scoop of ice cream! Two ingredients, plus time to chill, are all that you need in order to blend together an awesome coffee milkshake. This is the creamiest iced coffee I've ever made; I absolutely loved it.


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Rich, dense, chocolate brownies topped with fluffy, whipped, peanut butter frosting, what's not to love? These brownies were dangerous. I baked them to share with another family, and yet I found myself returning to the kitchen for just one more sliver all afternoon. I recommend making these when you have the chance to share with friends. They are ultra rich and perfect for small bite size pieces.
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Fresh pineapple is sliced thin and then baked in a caramelized brown sugar and butter sauce that soaks into a rich, buttery cake. This cake is like no other pineapple upside down cake you've ever tasted. Pineapple has been in abundance all month and we've been eating it every chance we get. When my husband suggested a pineapple cake, I jumped at the chance to make something new.

My boys went a little crazy over this cake. Truth told, I sliced a wedge right before dinner, to take a photograph, and I wound up eating almost the whole slice as I was serving the dinner plates. It might have killed my appetite for dinner, but it was completely worth it!

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With no advance planning required, this flavorful chicken dinner requires just a few minutes work in the kitchen. This is a great recipe for using dried spices; as the chicken slowly cooks, it will absorb all of those flavors. There is no need to marinate the meat, simply sprinkle with seasonings and drop it in the pan. The chicken turns out incredibly juicy with a crisp skin every time.

The hardest part of this recipe is waiting while the chicken slowly cooks on it's own. You want the skin to be golden-brown with all the fat rendered before you turn them over. This chicken is completely worth the wait! It's a great match for Classic Potato Salad, Italian Herb Rice or Rosemary Roasted Potatoes.

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