Recipes
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Easy Ice Cream Cake
Monday was Ryan’s birthday and there is nothing he likes more than mint chocolate chip ice cream. Every year, in celebration of his birthday, the kids and I surprise him with some sort of chocolaty-mint dessert. In addition to homemade masterpieces, past years have included, Jenny Cookies’ mint chocolate chip cake, High 5 Pie’s raspberry mint chocolate whip pie and Trophy Cupcakes’ chocolate chip mint cupcakes. This year I was admittedly behind the eight ball for Ryan’s birthday dessert. We had been in Lake Chelan the prior week and spent the weekend camping (see post here), but NYT Cooking came to my rescue. On Sunday, NYT Cooking fortuitously posted on…
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Aunt Janet’s One Pot Meal
Originally my Aunt Janet’s recipe, this is a super easy family favorite meal that we grew up eating and I still make regularly. After being in Chelan for 10 days, I came home to an empty fridge and zero desire to meal plan for the week. That being said, I also really needed groceries and some vegetables in our lives. So, I Instacarted (can I make that a verb?) all the easy things I could think of that would get us through the week without much effort AKA Aunt Janet’s One Pot Meal. So long story short, this is the perfect meal to serve last minute that requires minimal ingredients…
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Camping With Kids
This past weekend we took Sam & Emma camping with some close family friends at Birch Bay State Park just outside of Bellingham, Washington. When I mentioned my weekend plans to an office colleague, her response was “You are going camping? In a tent? I took you as more of a five star resort sort of gal.” Truth be told, yes, given the choice of vacations, I would rather be lounging poolside, cocktail-in-hand than camping in a state park with mosquitoes and no running water. Sam and Emma, however, absolutely love to camp and we do our absolute best to make our meals campfire gourmet. So with the tips below…
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Baked Tacos with Three Fresh Salsas
Have you ever baked your tacos? I just started because Chris requested tacos for dinner a few weeks ago and it’s a game changer! Tacos taste THAT must better after they are toasted in the oven. The cheese melts which helps keep the meat and beans in place and the taco shells gets nice and crispy. They are a great way to feed a crowd because you can have them all ready at the same time so people can just grab their own taco and load it up with what they want. I served baked tacos for dinner one night in Lake Chelan over the Fourth of July and Megan…
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Magical Cold Brew
We have a fantastic cold brew coffee recipe for you today! Ryan does not even like coffee (unless it has chocolate in it!) and he mainlined this magical cold brew. A recipe born out of necessity because, unfortunately, COVID-19 has closed our favorite Lake Chelan coffee stand for the summer. Which, while at the lake, we typically walk or kayak to everyday for an iced coffee. And, despite this closure, our kids still wake up at the crack of dawn ready to play on the lake. So we started experimenting with cold brew recipes… Below is the magical recipe we are now making over and over again. INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup…
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Chocolate Banana Pops
Looking for a fun kitchen activity with kids this summer? We recommend making chocolate banana pops! An easy, fun to make, tasty and entertaining idea that the whole family will enjoy. Let the kids explore the pantry to pick out toppings. We promise there will be lots of smiles, giggles and chocolate everywhere! Here’s what you need: 1 cup chocolate chips (we used both white and dark chocolate) 2 tablespoons coconut oil Firmer bananas Popsicle Sticks Sprinkles, mini M&Ms, mini chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, chopped peanuts, butterfinger, coconut – and whatever else you want! Directions: Cut firm banana in half crosswise and put on a popsicle stick Put on…
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Three Ways to Serve Watermelon
Hello Sunshine! Watermelon season is here and we can now officially say its summer. If we’re not eating watermelon in the traditional sliced triangle, here are our three favorite ways to serve it. How do you like your watermelon? Watermelon Arugula and Feta Salad All the ingredients of this fresh summer salad compliment each other so well and it’s pretty to look at too! It is delicious, easy to throw together and perfect to serve with anything you are grilling. INGREDIENTS 3 cups seedless watermelon, cubed and chilled 1/2 cup crumbled feta (plus more to sprinkle on top) 7 oz arugula 1/4 small red onion, sliced very thin 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper Balsamic glaze…
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Patriotic Pasta Salad
Still looking for a festive dish to to serve for the Fourth of July? We have a fun, easy!, and celebratory red, white and blue pasta salad recipe for you today. The perfect thing to bring to a Fourth of July barbecue or potluck (do such things still even exist?!?). A takeoff from Freutcake’s beautiful Blueberry Tomato Pasta Salad, I simply added penne noodles and diced chicken breast to take this recipe from a side dish to the main event. How to Cut Mozzarella into Stars Cutting mozzarella into stars is not nearly as hard as it looks and because the rest of this recipe comes together so quickly, it’s…
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Prosecco Pops
Who can say no to a boozy popsicle on a hot day? A boozy and patriotic Prosecco Pop? Even better. These tasty treats can be made with any fresh fruit you have lying around, but given it’s the week of 4th of July, I’m sticking with red, white and blue. Naturally, if I am making Megan and I popsicles I need to make the kids popsicles too otherwise sh*t would hit the fan. So the good news is I have two tasty and simple popsicle recipes for you just in time for the warm (fingers crossed) holiday weekend ahead. Prosecco Pops Ingredients Silicone Popsicle Molds 2 mini bottles of Prosecco…
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Patriotic Sangria
Looking for a celebratory cocktail for the Fourth of July? We have a good one for you that just happens to be red, wine and blue! Mallory and I tried it on a Monday evening with Freutcake’s mojito pulled pork on pretzel buns and the Summer Slaw from this post. The combination would make a great meal for the Fourth or any other fun summer evening. INGREDIENTS: 1 cup blueberries 2/3 cup raspberries 1 cup quartered strawberries 1 bottle dry rosé 4 cups chilled club soda or seltzer 1/2 cup sugar 2 mint sprigs 4 lemon peel strips 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice DIRECTIONS: Make syrup. In a small…
