Our local library has been hosting a summer concert series, and for the past few weeks we’ve gone and had a little picnic dinner and listened to the music. It’s been so cute to see Jane get into the music, she sat with her little box of snacks and clapped at the end of each song. Last week I wanted to make a few simple snacks that we could transport for our picnic, and I got a craving for a savory crostini. This recipe was made with a rather loose plan of blending a few pantry ingredients together in my food processor and crossing my fingers it came out delicious. I’m happy to report, the experiment was a success! The sun-dried tomato chickpea spread has a lot of the Mediterranean flavors of a white bean dip, but a bit more of the texture of a rustic hummus. It tasted really fresh and delicious for a summer snack, but I’m going to keep this recipe in my back pocket for some easy holiday entertaining appetizers too! Get the full recipe below: 
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I’m constantly brainstorming new recipes that can be prepped in big batches and reheated throughout the week. It’s the best way to keep us on track with healthy eating choices, especially during lunch time. One of our all time favorite meal-prep recipes that we have for both lunch and dinner is a spicy chicken thigh recipe that we grill over high heat for a tasty charred flavor. We have made it so often though, that I needed to think of a way to refresh it and prevent lunch boredom. I decided to take the same flavors from the marinade and turn it into a spicy lime peanut sauce that would glaze baked turkey meatballs, and serve them over white rice with some diced carrots, onions and scallions. One of the things I love about this recipe is you can be prepping all of the elements simultaneously; the sauce can cook on the stove while the meatballs are in the oven, and I use my Instant Pot to cook rice while I chop up the veggie toppings. It makes enough for a few dinner portions or a whole work week of lunches broken down into some microwaveable glass containers! Get the full recipe below:
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Sometimes instagram makes me crazy — the always changing algorithms, my slight addiction to checking it — but one thing I currently love about it is that it’s an instant feedback loop for my content. People tend to comment on my blog posts less and less, but more and more I’m having great 1:1 conversations with readers in Instagram messages. Last week I shared a fun summer BBQ menu idea, and right after posting it I got a ton of questions from readers about the pasta dish in the images. I wasn’t planning on sharing the pasta recipe because I didn’t have great photos of it, and the recipe needed some adjustments. But after a few requests I decided to write it up and with some tweaks! 
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I’m really excited to share this recipe with you today because it’s one I’ve been working on for a bit! I love a corn chowder. While most young adults gain the freshman 15 at college from drinking too much beer, I gained it because I used to eat corn chowder for lunch 3x a week at the Au Bon Pain (ironically) located underneath our campus gym. I debated with someone recently about corn chowder being a summer dish — it is, after all, the season when corn is at peak-tastiness. And I find it to be a delicious thing to eat on a cool summer night by the beach. I made a batch of it when we were on the Cape a few weeks ago, and decided to tweak the recipe a bit more another night last week. This spin has lots of spiced flavor from the cumin and chili powder, balancing out the sweetness of the corn. One of my favorite local restaurants serves a version of this dish with a potato crusted haddock, which inspired me to give my own recipe a seafood addition. I served it with a piece of blackened cod on top, and it was a hit. Even Jane got in on the action and had a piece of the fish and some corn — yum! Get the recipe below.
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When we were on vacation we visited a fun restaurant in Provincetown, and I swore that every other guest that came back from the bar and a big giant frosé cocktail. I didn’t get to order one and I have been thinking about it ever since! When I got home I decided to try my hand at making my own version of frosé mixed with some sweetened berry flavors. I got a little bit impatient as the wine was freezing, and before I got to blending it in our blender into a true frosé, I decided to dig in sooner while it was still in it’s slushy frozen state. It came out like a sweet granita dessert, but with rosé flavors coming through. It’s one part cocktail, one part frozen snack, and 100% delicious — find out how to make this easy treat below! 
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After a week of vacation — i.e.: take out pizza on the beach, clam shacks, and lots of porch cocktails— I am in major need of some diet detoxing. When we arrived home from our trip, my husband and I both agreed we were in the mood for some fresh, lighter flavors to ease out of the deep-fried calorie-heavy meal plan we had been on at the beach. I sat down to write our grocery list for the week and decided the best way to do that was with some Mediterranean-inspired flavors!
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We have been on a non-stop BBQ menu rotation the past few weeks between the Fourth of July celebrations, hosting a friend’s bridal shower, and my husband’s newfound hobby: cooking in his new Kamado-style smoker. There are zero complaints over here, I love all of the outdoor cooking and dining. I have found though, that my usual BBQ-side repertoire was getting a little bit stale. In an effort to mix it up, I decided to give a fresh spin to one of my favorite BBQ side — macaroni salad. I love a classic macaroni salad but have been looking for something a bit more grown-up and a tad bit lighter for these warm weather al fresco dinners. This version has a lemon-herb dressing that I made with tons of fresh herbs from the garden and bright citrus combined with Dijon and mayonnaise. For color and crunch I mixed in red peppers and red onions, and loads of cracked black pepper and peas. I’m definitely going to be adding this one to future BBQ menus! Get the recipe below:
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I have been working on perfecting this summery side dish the past few weeks as I’ve made it for holiday BBQs, bridal showers, and a weeknight dinner. Each time it got a little bit better, and gobbled up in a near instant as it hit the table. It’s a simple mixture of ingredients that just happen to taste delicious during the peak of summer — bright mixed tomatoes, sweet grilled corn, and flavorful fresh herbs. My favorite part about this dish is that it tastes better the next day after all of the ingredients have marinated together overnight, so it’s easy to make ahead when you’re entertaining! The leftovers (if you have any!) are equally delicious — I tossed them over a bit of warm pasta for lunch the next day — YUM. Get the recipe below: 
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We had some friends over for a very small, casual BBQ. It was a last minute get together, and I didn’t want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen since it’s been so very hot out lately. I made a few quick side dishes, my husband was in charge of smoking a brisket on the grill outside, and all that was left to think about was dessert. Given the soaring high temperatures, I decided to get some ice cream from our favorite spot (Hornstra Farm if you’re local!), and ice cream cones for serving. Jane is very into ice cream cones right now — she is fascinated by being able to both hold the cone and eat it. I get her fascination — what a wonderful, practical, and delicious invention! I decided since it was a special occasion that I would jazz the cones up a bit and dunk them in chocolate and sprinkles. 
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Dinnertime can be hectic around here. The clock strikes 5pm and I know that I have to get a meal started at just about the exact moment that toddler-meltdown-hour is also about to begin. I almost think that there should be a cooking competition show where chefs have to make a dinner out of a mystery basket of ingredients while a toddler is pulling on their pant leg asking for some snacks – now that would be a cooking competition worth watching!
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I'm Kate, and I like to
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