This fruit dip is absolutely addictive. My sister-in-law makes it for us on occasion, and it works great as either an appetizer, dessert, or summer afternoon snack. I was so excited that she agreed to let me blog it when she made it for Mother’s Day this weekend! There was a good bit of impatience and teasing aimed in my general direction as I snapped these photos – the whole family loves this stuff – but I think you will agree, dear readers, that it was worth it.

You will not believe how tasty this dip is. Plus, you know me, friends, and you KNOW how I love an *unexpected ingredient* – check out what makes this recipe so special! Good ol’ fashioned Tang!

A healthy dinner for a spring weeknight with fresh herbs from the garden. The marinade makes this chicken extra tender. The blend of fresh herbs makes it irresistible!

Here’s a tasty little number I came up with: grilled fish tacos. Hubby and I love Mexican food, and eating lighter is on our agenda these days with a beach vacation coming up. So here is my lightened-up version of fish tacos. Instead of fried fish, it’s grilled. Instead of creamy sauce, use some guacamole. And those fiber-packed tortillas really aren’t that bad! Spicy, tangy, creamy, delicious.

This meal was the unplanned love-child of a rushed trip to the grocery store and a night of cleaning out the fridge. When I asked the hubs what we should call it, he said something like “Good Garden Pasta Surprise.” I said, “Um, no.”

We have some vegetables leftover from last week that I wanted to use up and also some ground beef. Since our outdoor grill died an honorable death during our wine tasting party, burgers were out. Next best option? Sloppy Joes of course!

When brainstorming for a great dessert to complement our Cinco de Mayo feast, I was reminded of a recipe I’d seen Paula Deen make on the Food Network a few years ago. Here is my version!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Well, this was all that was left of dinner by the time I got the camera out.
I guess that means it was good!

I can still remember the Christmas gift exchange we had in elementary school when I was in Third Grade. We all brought in small, generic gifts. Then we drew the name of a classmate and exchanged gifts with them. And I still have the gift that I got: the Gold Medal Alpha-Bakery Cookbook!

I’m often away from home for work. The last time I was away, my hubby told me he had a surprise for me when I got back. I was greeted at the door with bowls of creamy, fluffy, thick homemade vanilla ice cream!!! This ice cream is just dreamy – it reminded me of a frozen custard – it is that rich. The perfect pair with my favorite Fudge Brownies.

For a dear friend’s birthday cake, I decided to try out the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe. I had been hearing a lot of buzz about it online, and wanted to see if it lived up to the hype. It certainly did! This is a great, moist, and easy-to-make chocolate cake. And I especially liked the chocolate frosting.