Rosemary Shortbread.

I made this rosemary shortbread for a buttery treat last week.  I loved the mix of the herbs and the shortbread.  It really gets better after 2-3 days of sitting there.  Let the cookies cool all the way before trying to move them from the cookie sheet -- I was impatient and mine fell apart since they were still hot when I moved them.  This makes quite a bit of shortbread.  Delish!

Here is the recipe.

Homamde Funfetti Cupcakes.

I love Funfetti from a box and I saw this recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to give it a try.  It's a simple recipe and really doesn't take that much longer than a box recipe.  It is a different taste than the box, but maybe that was just the way my batch turned out.  I really liked it though.  I kept telling myself as I was taking bites that I didn't like it... but then I kept eating and eating.  So I think I like them after all.  They're definitely cute!  Here is the recipe.

Chocolate Strawberry-Center Cupcakes with Pudding Frosting

These were so fast to throw together and we've kept them in the fridge for a cool cupcake treat.  I love the pudding as frosting idea - it's super yummy.  I just took the end of a spoon and made a hole for the strawberries instead of taking any cake out - that was much easier and worked just fine.

HERE is the recipe.

Baked Lemon Pasta with Mushrooms and Basil

I love Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta.  It is so easy to make and delicious in every way.  I decided I'd add some mushrooms this time and use basil instead of parsley because basil is the best herb there is, and I have a ton in my garden.  I loved the addition of mushrooms - very yummy.

Here is the recipe.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

I made THIS for the 4th and it was easy & delicious.  It's definitely a good BBQ food.  I hear it's better the second day after the flavors have melded more.  I hope so, since we have leftovers!

Use all of the sauce... do not skimp.

Taco Pasta

I wanted a pretty simple recipe for my second meal at home since the trip.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and I thought it looked delicious.  It was easy to make, fast and turned out really good.  I crumbled tortilla chips in mine and covered it with cilantro from our garden -- yum!  HERE is the recipe.  You should add it to your rotation of easy/fast weeknight meals.

Cobb Salad

I was on vacation for awhile and missed my kitchen while I was away.  It was nice to get back home and start making homemade meals again.  Although I didn't miss doing the dishes.  We have a ton of lettuce in our garden so I decided to make a cobb salad.  I found THIS RECIPE in my Taste of Home magazine.  The dressing was so delicious and this was fresh and yummy.  A favorite for summer, that's for sure.  Recommended!

Stadium Brownies

I found this idea on the back of a Ghirardelli brownie mix box.  I thought it sounded easy and interesting so I threw it together.  Lots of people liked them and I thought they were pretty good -- although I think the brownie itself was why they were good in the first place so that's kind of cheating.


1 Brownie Mix
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 cups popped kettle corn

I just popped a bag of kettle popcorn in the microwave.  Prepare the brownie mix as normal.  Spread the brownie batter in a lightly greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle the popcorn over the top, followed by the nuts and the chocolate chips.  Press the toppings slightly into the batter.  Bake at the temperature indicated on the box, for 30-35 minutes.

These are pretty fun!

Skinnytaste Black Bean, Tomato, Cucumber and Avocado Salad

I am desperate for summer side dish ideas.  Skinnytaste.com has a lot of them and I tried one last night to serve with sloppy joe leftovers.  This salad is pretty much 100% healthy, DELICIOUS and so fresh tasting.  It's going to be my new go-to side salad all summer.  YAY for fresh veggies!

Pioneer Woman Sloppy Joes

These sloppy joes are delicious!  They are easy and fast and have a lot of flavor.  The best part about them is the bun being toasted with butter because it holds the meat in better and the sandwiches don't get soggy like normal sloppy joes do.  I will never again eat a sloppy joe without my bun toasted with butter.  Thanks for another genius idea, PW!  I didn't put the option Tabasco sauce in mine, but I did use Worcester sauce for the first time EVER.  And let me tell you... I loved it.  It really added a great flavor to the meat.  I topped ours with a huge slice of cheddar.  I can't wait for leftovers tonight!