Here's a little patriotic inspired fruit salad. Super simple, and fun to eat. The kids will love it! 

You can easily find star shaped cookie cutters in all sizes on Amazon or at a local craft store.

For the cheese, any firm white cheese will do: provolone, mozzarella, swiss, manchego, gouda, etc.

My favorite grapes to use with this salad are the cotton candy grapes. If you can find them, get them. They're so incredibly sweet!

Looking for nonalcoholic ways to celebrate, that are still festive & fun? I love adding fruit to my sparkling water. In our home, we call this "spa water," but it's just fruit in water. It isn't complicated, but it is beautiful, delicious, and a healthy alternative to sodas or cocktails.

As for the sparkling water, my favorites are Topo Chico and Perrier, but any will work.

Here are some fun combos that will leave you refreshed with no extra calories or fighting a hangover the next day…

• Strawberries, Blueberries & Mint
• Watermelon & Basil
• Lemon & Lime
• Blackberries & Raspberries
• Cucumber, Lime & Mint

​Cheers y'all!

Not only is homemade pasta delicious, but it just might be a solution to your "gluten intolerance."
Big Strong Handsome has a gluten intolerance, and typically gets sick after eating foods with gluten. We've found, though, that the "cleaner" the food, the less he gets sick. I recommend finding a "clean" 00 flour and semolina flour that hasn't been processed to death or created with toxic chemicals. After eating my homemade pasta, the only side effect Big Strong Handsome had was a big smile on his face! That's right. No sickness. Turns out, it's not the gluten that causes the intolerance. It's the way we process and grow our food. ​

The first time we made it, we were all so excited. To make it extra fun, I decided to serve it as a tasting dinner with 3 different sauces:  traditional tomato basil sauce, pesto, and a parmesan cream sauce. The favorite overall was hands down the parmesan cream sauce. And the ingredients are, are you ready for this...

• about 7 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano 
• 1 cup or so of pasta water
• a pat of unsalted butter

That's it! I take the pasta directly from the boiling water, and into a separate pan over low heat. I add a handful of cheese, then a splash of pasta water, gently incorporate, and alternate until I've used almost all of the cheese. (I like to save a little to garnish the pasta just before serving.) If you make this, get the real Parmigiano Reggiano. Please, please, please don't buy the pretend stuff that's already grated and mixed in with a bunch of anti-caking ingredients. I promise it makes a difference.

Now, sometimes I take the time to make homemade tomato basil sauce, which is a pretty long process and usually involves a couple glasses of wine, and lots of Italian music. Other times, I reach for my favorite jarred sauces by Michaels of Brooklyn. They're so good y'all, and look at that ingredient list on the label! Yes! To make it even better, I can easily pick them up at Publix or order online.

If you're feeding a large group, like I sometimes do, you might want to serve your pasta with my delicious baked meatballs. It's the perfect pairing... other than a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon, of course. 

Food Network recently showed us a grilled edible cheeseboard. Whaaaat? That's right. The entire board is edible. Beautiful AND delicious? Sign me up.

I had to try this out for myself, but I decided to put my own unique spin on it. The Food Network chefs created theirs with pizza dough, and I opted for a buttery, flaky puff pastry. After creating a board of my own, I think the Food Network chefs had it right. Pizza dough is the way to go here. The puff pastry I used was delicious, but not sturdy enough to support the cheese when eating. I also decided to bake it instead of grilling, and that worked fine for me. 

Who's going to try this edible cheeseboard trend with me?

This is a family dinner that I just completely made up this past fall. My family loved it so much, it makes it into our regular dinner rotation.

These pork chops are beautiful served over a bed of greens on a large platter. Or, call it a day and have them fix their plates at the stove! Dinner is served y'all! 

TIP
I like to sear the pork chops so they're nice and golden brown on one side, then after I flip them I cover the pan with a lid so they cook more evenly inside. 

Food makes me happy! But sometimes life gets busy and you need easy grab-n-go snacks that are healthy options and taste delicious. Here are my top 5 snacks from Costco. 

When I'm grocery shopping I ALWAYS read the labels. Always. Just because something is marketed as "healthy" and "organic" doesn't mean it's good for you. In fact, I feel like most processed foods are big fat lies. I said what I said. Lies. Read the labels people. If there's a ton of ingredients that you can't pronounce, it's probably not that good for your body.

Now, if you're not worried about eating clean, unprocessed foods, no worries! These snacks are quick and easy for on the go snacking and taste delicious.

• ​Made Good Granola Minis
• Kirkland Signature Organic Hummus
• Kirkland Signature Organic Chunky Guacamole
• Off the Eaten Path Veggie Crisps
• Kirkland Signature Cashews

Have you ever made sushi at home? It's a lot of fun, the entire family can get involved, and it's easier than you think! Here's what you need:

Sushi Rice
Rice Wine Vinegar
Nori Seaweed Sheets
Bamboo Sushi Mat 
Plastic Wrap
Bowl of Water
Sharp Knife
​
Filling Ideas
Crab Sticks
​Tuna
Shrimp
Cucumber, julienne 
Carrots, jullienne (or pre-cut matchsticks)
Avocado, thinly sliced
Cream Cheese
Asparagus

Topping Ideas
Soy Sauce
Shrimp Sauce
​*Make the shrimp sauce. You'll love my recipe and it's way better than anything you can buy in the store.
Fish Roe
Sesame Seeds
Pickled Ginger
Wasabi Paste