Guess what day it is?!?!?! It’s my birthday! And for the most part, when you’re an adult, a birthday is just another day. A reminder of the constant march of time, that you aren’t getting any younger. As if I need a birthday to remind me of that…I have plenty of gray hairs to remind me of that on the daily! Is there a difference between birthday cakes for kids and birthday cakes for adults? I think so. Most kids are just after as much frosting as possible…and while I definitely don’t hate a delicious frosting, I want my birthday cake to have a little something more. I have a standing request for cupcakes from Federal Bake Shop for every birthday, but I would gladly take any of these birthday cakes that anyone would like to bake for me!

Sheet Cakes

If I’m going to bake a cake, I’m going for simplicity. I can’t remember the last time I baked a layer cake. I prefer a bundt, a bar, or, my favorite, a simple sheet cake. I am the queen of taking a cake that is traditionally made as a layer cake and reimagining it as a sheet cake. Here are some of my favorites!

Classic Yellow Cake

You can’t go wrong with a classic yellow cake with chocolate icing! This one is like the boxed mix from your childhood…only not.

Check out this recipe

Italian Cream Sheet Cake

Tender white cake, cream cheese icing, coconut, and pecans? Italian cream cake has it all!

Check out this recipe

Hummingbird Sheet Cake

This classic Southern cake is usually a stacked-high layer cake, but I simplify it by pouring the batter into a sheet pan. So delicious!

Check out this recipe

Banana Pudding Cake

This poke cake has vanilla pudding, bananas, and whipped cream, just like the classic Southern dessert!

Check out this recipe

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

It doesn’t have to be fall to eat pumpkin cake! This one is SOOOOO creamy and delicious!

Check out this recipe

Biscoff Cookie Butter Cake

I love cookie butter, and around here Biscoff brand is the easiest one to find. I love to make this cake with cookie butter, crushed Biscoff cookies, and just a hint of coffee flavor!

Check out this recipe

Caramel Sheet Cake

If you are a frosting lover, this is the cake for you. Look at that layer of caramel frosting!!!

Check out this recipe

Bundt Cakes, Tube Pan Cakes, and Other Single Pan Cakes

I love an angel food cake, a good bundt cake, or any other cake that I can make in a single pan. The pans may not be portable like a sheet pan is, but these cakes are still dead simple and incredibly tasty!

Chocolate Stout Cake

My husband owns a beer store, so there’s no shortage of new beers to bake and cook with. A great stout pairs perfectly with deep, rich chocolate in this simple but decadent cake!

Check out this recipe

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake

Pumpkin, again! It’s hard to find a recipe for pumpkin angel food cake from scratch…most of them involve boxed mixes. This one is easy, light, and airy. Pumpkin perfection!

Check out this recipe

Spiced Apple Cake

This easy cake is packed full of apples with lots of warm spices. It’s an amazing cake!

Check out this recipe

French Yogurt Cake

Yogurt cake is often one of the first things that French children learn to bake, and it’s easy to see why. Just a few simple ingredients measured in equal parts, and it yields a yummy, citrusy cake!

Check out this recipe

Bars

They may not be traditional, but who would turn up their nose at a delicious bar cookie? I certainly wouldn’t!

Wedding Cake Bars

These cake mix bars are thickly flavored with almond and frosted with a layer of almond-flavored icing, and I could easily eat them every. single. day.

Check out this recipe

Red Wine Brownies with Cheesecake Swirl

I mean, read the name of the recipe.

Check out this recipe

Mint Cookie Cheesecake Bars

These bars are made with a simple cheesecake batter and mint Oreos, and I wish someone would bring me some right now!

Check out this recipe

Apple-Walnut Blondies

Finished with a salted caramel whiskey sauce, these bars are decadent, delicious, and basically autumn in bar cookie form!

Check out this recipe

Salted Caramel Brownies

A perfect finish…chewy, fudgy brownies topped with smooth salted caramel…perfection!

Check out this recipe

What are your favorite birthday cakes for adults?

The post 16 Delicious Birthday Cakes for Adults appeared first on Chattavore.

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Oh hey, hi.

Did I mention that I am currently obsessed with my grill. Maybe? MAYBE? Yes, yes, I think I did say that somewhere. Perhaps in my grilled naan bread pizza post?
I have an unnatural obsession with avoiding heating up my house in the summer. Because:

1. I live in Tennessee and it isn’t even officially summer here but it has been summer-hot for at least a month now.
2. Electric bill. No explanation needed.

So, starting in May I go on an oven strike that usually doesn’t end until late October. I use my countertop oven whenever possible. I have exactly two baking pans that don’t fit in it so the only time I have to use it is when I am using one of those pans. Needless to say they don’t get a lot of love for the hotter half of the year. I actually wrote a post a while back about my oven strike and how to keep your kitchen cool in the summer.

I’ve been looking for all sorts of things to grill on my new Weber Spirit E-210 grill (and yes, I ordered my grill from Amazon and they sent someone to put it together for me). Of course I’ve done burgers and chicken, but also pork chops, pizza, and nectarines (look for a recipe coming up soon). I have a smoker but I want to try some grill smoking and also grill roasting, which America’s Test Kitchen says is a game-changer in their book Master of the Grill, which I am currently reading like a novel.

I 100% used to think that I hated salmon until I made my friend Becky’s recipe for crispy honey butter salmon, which is pretty much sweet, savory, and crispy heaven on a plate in under 20 minutes. By the way, you don’t need skin-on salmon here but I have found that the easiest way to get wild-caught skin-on salmon here in a land-locked state is frozen. I usually buy Simply Balanced salmon at Target but Becky gets hers from Whole Foods.

So, here we are. I don’t hate salmon. Suddenly I decided that salmon needed to be grilled and put on tacos, and those tacos needed to be topped with the jalapeño-ranch dressing a la Chuy’s that I shared last week. If you have a Chuy’s where you are, please go just to try the jalapeño-ranch dip (they bring a complimentary basket of chips with the dip to your table).

A few tips to get the best grilled salmon tacos possible:

1. If you are using frozen salmon, make sure it is completely thawed before you grill it.
2. Brush the salmon with oil before seasoning. You can use a simple salt and pepper seasoning if you want or you can go a little bolder with the Tajin seasoning I’ve used for my grilled salmon tacos. You can order Tajin from the Amazon link above or you can find it in the Hispanic foods section of your grocery store (I have seen it at Walmart and Publix).
3. Even though you brushed the salmon with oil, you are still going to need a little non-stick insurance. I accomplish this by cleaning the grill once it is hot, oiling the grill, and using a piece of foil under each piece of salmon.
4. Let the flavors of your grilled fish tacos shine by not adding too many toppings. The fish has plenty of flavor and the jalapeño-ranch will take it over the top. I kept the rest of the toppings to a minimum – just enough for a little color and flavor!

I first wrote about fish tacos years ago, early in my blogging life. I got weird looks when I talked about fish tacos back then and still get them now (my dad looked at me like I had three heads when I mentioned grilled salmon tacos a few weeks ago) but I promise these are delicious and totally worth your time!

Click here to save this recipe to your Pinterest grilling or seafood boards!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase from Amazon, I will make a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Mary

Yield: 4-6 servings

2 tacos

1873

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Jalapeño-Ranch

15 minPrep Time:

12 minCook Time:

27 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

• Vegetable or canola oil, for the grill
• 1 pound skinless salmon fillets (I use frozen)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Tajin seasoning, or salt and pepper
• 4-8 corn tortillas (I like to use two tortillas per taco to make them more sturdy)
• Pre-made slaw mix (I used broccoli slaw here)
• Jalapeño-Ranch Dressing
• Garnishes: chopped tomatoes, cilantro, lime wedges, cotija cheese or queso fresco

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill to medium high. While the grill is heating, pat the salmon dry. Brush both sides of each piece with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with Tajin seasoning or salt and pepper (season to taste; you may not use the whole tablespoon).
2. When the grill is preheated, clean the grill with a brush. Hold a wad of paper towels using long tongs made for grilling. Dip the paper towels into the canola or vegetable oil and oil the grill grates.
3. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the grill. Place the pieces of fish on the grill. Grill for four minutes, flip, and grill for another four minutes. Remove the fish from the grill.
4. Lay the tortillas on the grill and grill for about 30 seconds per side. Remove from the grill and wrap in foil.
5. Shred the salmon. Assemble tacos using tortillas, salmon, slaw mix, jalapeño-ranch dressing, and desired garnishes.

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I’m not even embarrassed to admit that I am one of those people who can eat ranch dressing on just about everything. Salad, pizza, breadsticks, chips, vegetables…I could keep going. I love to make my own ranch dressing, and this jalapeño ranch dressing is a shout out to the amazing dip that they bring you at Chuy’s with tortilla chips. I don’t claim that it’s a replica, but when I’m craving some jalapeño ranch, this is what I make.

It’s made with just a few simple ingredients, and aside from the fresh jalapeños, I keep all of them in my house. I whiz it up in my blender, but you could make this in a food processor or, if you chop your jalapeños finely enough, you could whisk it together in a bowl. Try this! You won’t regret it. I’ll be sharing a fish taco recipe next week topped with this. It’s not all that pretty (it’s a little brown) but it’s seriously a delicious addition to just about anything I can think of!

What You Need:

1. Buttermilk
2. Mayonnaise
3. Sour Cream
4. Fresh Jalapeños
5. Dry Parsley
6. Dry Dill
7. Onion Powder
8. Garlic Powder
9. Paprika
10. Salt

How to Make It:

1. Place the ingredients in the food processor.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Refrigerate. That’s it! Seriously, that’s all!

Yield: 3/4 cup

2 tablespoons

Jalapeño Ranch Dressing (Chuy’s Tribute)

10 minPrep Time:

10 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup buttermilk (can sub in regular milk and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar if you don't have buttermilk)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1-2 fresh jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed
• 1 teaspoon dry parsley
• 1 teaspoon dry dill
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• pinch salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use or up to one week.

Notes

If you don't have a food processor or blender, you can finely chop the jalapeños and whisk the ingredients together. The dressing will be slightly chunky. Variations: If you don't have fresh jalapeños, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of pickled jalapeños. You could also add the juice of one lime or the flesh of one avocado to the dressing.

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Okay, if you have read any of my Rice Krispies Treats recipes, you know that I sounds like a broken record because I love to talk about how I never really liked them until I started making them with brown butter and adding salt. Suddenly, I was hooked. The thing is, they are so easy to make and they only take about 15 minutes from start to finish! Once I fell in love, I started experimenting with flavors and found out that these are actually an incredibly versatile snack. Here are the five best recipes for RKTs that I have made!

The Classic RKT

This recipe is the classic, just zhuzzed up a little bit with browned butter and salt. And really, it doesn’t need anything else. These are absolutely perfect!

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Check out this recipe

The Perfect Halloween RKT

Love it or hate it, candy corn is a ubiquitous Halloween candy that is PERFECT melted into a delicious treat! These are perfect year-round, but they are definitely an amazing October treat!

Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats

Check out this recipe

The Fancy RKT

These treats aren’t just gooey and buttery, they are filled with classic almond buttercream icing like you’d expect to find on the most delicious wedding cake!

Wedding Cake Rice Krispies Treats

Check out this recipe

The Chocolate RKT

Do you love a chocolate malt, or tearing into a pack of malted milk balls? Then these malted chocolate treats are the ones for you! Leave out the malt and the malted milk balls if you don’t like the flavor of malt.

Malted Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats

Check out this recipe

The Strawberry RKT

Strawberry cake mix is all you need to add a pretty pink hue and delicious strawberry flavor to these treats! You can use any flavor of cake mix to make whatever variety you want!

Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats

Check out this recipe

Do you have a favorite RKT? I’d love to hear how you make them. Comment below with your favorite recipe!

The post Five Best Rice Krispies Treats Recipes for Lunchboxes appeared first on Chattavore.

Keeping the Kitchen Cool!

Okay, so you can only eat so many salads and sandwiches in the summertime, and (as I mention in #2), I can’t run my ceiling fan while simultaneously cooking on my gas range. Over the years I’ve discovered a lot of tricks to keep the heat factor down, and these are my 9 suggestions for how to keep your kitchen cool during the summer!

By the way, all of these links and photos are Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Keeping the Kitchen Cool!

Okay, so you can only eat so many salads and sandwiches in the summertime, and (as I mention in #2), I can’t run my ceiling fan while simultaneously cooking on my gas range. Over the years I’ve discovered a lot of tricks to keep the heat factor down, and these are my 9 suggestions for how to keep your kitchen cool during the summer!

By the way, most of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

1. Air Fryer

This one honestly surprised me! Several people asked me in classes that I have done for The Chattery if I had ever considered doing an air fryer class. Well, honestly – I had never even considered getting an air fryer! After so many people asked, I asked my Facebook followers about it and a ton of people told me that they were completely in love with their air fryer. I decided to take the plunge. Some of the things that I make in mine include: homemade fries, baked potatoes, fried squash, chicken tenders, frozen spring rolls, and reheated pizza. It’s basically a mini convection oven, and it is so convenient to have around! Since I originally wrote this post a few years back, I have switched from a traditional air fryer to a pressure cooker/air fryer combo, but love both kinds. The one pictured is a Cook’s Essentials 5.3 quart air fryer from QVC.

2. Instant Pot

Did anyone question whether I was going to put this on the list? Doubtful. It’s no secret that I’m pretty much obsessed with this appliance. I use it weekly, year-round. If the Smart Oven was the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten, the Instant Pot was the best Christmas gift (thanks, Mom!). It’s great for roasts, soups, stews, and even one-pot pasta dishes. Really! And yes, I know you can pressure cook on the stovetop, but I use my Instant Pot for a lot of things that I would do on the stovetop because it allows me to keep the ceiling fan in my kitchen running. Ceiling fans are essential in a Tennessee summer, but when you have a gas range, you have to turn them off while you’re cooking on the stovetop. No need with the Instant Pot!

3. Convection Microwave or Toaster Oven

This is probably my number one “keep the kitchen cool” tool. I started with a cheapie toaster oven from Walmart, and it did a pretty good job but my in-laws bought me a Breville Smart Oven (linked above) and it was amazing. When I replaced my microwave a couple of years ago I upgraded to a microwave/convection oven. The Breville Smart Oven and my convection microwave are both large enough to fit my 9×11 USA Pan cake pan, a 12-cup muffin tin, and my 10-inch cast iron skillet. There is virtually no reason for me to turn my oven on from the time the temps outside get into the 80s (which happened in April here) until cooler weather hits in the fall.

4. Grill

Maybe this is the most obvious one on the list? I mean, who doesn’t love grilling in the summer? There is just something about that slightly charred taste of a freshly grilled chicken leg or burger that you can’t get from even the best pan-fried burger (and pan-fried burgers are my favorite, but when you want a grilled burger, you need a grilled burger). Plus, you get to cook outside. All you need is a beer and maybe a picnic table? We use propane, but my dad swears by his Weber charcoal grill (there have been many iterations of this exact grill at my parents’ house since my childhood).

5. Slow Cooker

The next best thing to an Instant Pot! Honestly, I don’t own a slow cooker anymore…I gave mine away when I realized that I had only used it once after a year of having the Instant Pot! But…the Instant Pot has a slow cooker function and I do use that, so it counts. I probably don’t have to try to sell you on the usefulness of an appliance that (a) doesn’t heat up the kitchen; (b) does the work of cooking for you while you’re out for the day; and (c) is super-affordable.

6. Vitamix or Another High Quality Blender

Another great gift, this time from my husband. The Vitamix is a thing of beauty. Not only can you mix up the obvious cooling summer treats (smoothies, milkshakes, etc.), it’s also powerful enough to whip up creamy hummus, smooth as silk salad dressings, and perfect salsa that just requires dumping in all of your ingredients (I never chop anything beforehand). And – get this – you can even make soup in it. I don’t mean that you can puree soup in it. I mean the motor is so powerful that if you let it run long enough it will heat your soup. That’s for real, people.

7. Food Processor

Obviously, this is along the same lines as the Vitamix. I usually use my food processor instead of the blender to make hummus, pesto, etc., just because it’s easier to scrape stuff out of the blades (since they’re removable and all). I love cold dips for lunch and snacks, and the food processor is my go-to for making them. This particular model is the one recommended by America’s Test Kitchen.

8. Smoker

So…this is hotly contested – should smokers be powered by gas or charcoal? How about electricity??? That’s totally my cop-out. We like smoked meat but we do not want to babysit our smoker. I mean, we’re stuck at home (which is great for an introvert like me) but I don’t want to have to watch my smoker to make sure it doesn’t catch anything on fire. With my electric smoker, I load it up with chips and let it go, just watching to see if smoke stops pouring out of it, then I add more chips. Smoked meat = happy Mary. I mean, even just the smell of the smoker makes me happy. And, like the grill, you can totally hang out outside if you’re watching it.

9. Waffle Iron

What are your favorite tools for keeping the kitchen cool?

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I teach a ton of Instant Pot classes at The Chattery…I couldn’t even tell you how many I have taught. The most popular one is Instant Pot 101, where I teach the basics of using an Instant Pot. One of the most frequently asked questions that I get is, “Have you made a cheesecake in the Instant Pot?” Y’all, my husband doesn’t like cheesecake. So I basically never make them because then I’m stuck eating it by myself. However, when my brother told me that he wanted a lemon cheesecake for his birthday, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a test Instant Pot lemon cheesecake for myself. In a 7-inch pan, it seems justifiable, right? I sub in animal crackers for the usual graham cracker crust, but you can totally go with graham crackers if you prefer. Whatever your preference, please just make this!

What You Need:

1. Animal crackers
2. Unsalted butter
3. Cream cheese
4. Sugar
5. Sour cream
6. Eggs
7. Lemons (juice and zest)
8. Vanilla extract

How to Make Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake:

1. Process the animal crackers into crumbs in the food processor. Add melted butter and process to combine. Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the animal crackers in a bag and combine with the butter in a bowl.
2. Wrap a 7-inch springform pan with aluminum foil. 
3. Press the cracker crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
4. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
5. Add the eggs, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly combined.
6. Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top. Pour water into the Instant Pot, place the rack in the Instant Pot, and cook the cheesecake for 25 minutes using the manual/pressure setting. Allow to release naturally for 15 minutes then manually release any remaining pressure.
7. Thoroughly chill the cheesecake before removing the ring and slicing.

Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake With Animal Cracker Crust

20 minPrep Time:

40 minCook Time:

1 hrTotal Time:

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Ingredients

For the Crust
• 6 ounces/180 grams animal crackers
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick/2 ounces/60 g), melted
For the Filling
• 16 ounces (2 bars or 800 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces/180 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces/60 g) sour cream
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, process the animal crackers until finely ground into crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until the crumbs stick together when pressed between your fingers. If you do not have a food processor, place the animal crackers in a gallon-sized storage bag and crush with a rolling pin, meat mallet, or heavy skillet, then combine with the butter in a bowl.
2. Wrap the outside of a 7-inch springform pan with aluminum foil.
3. Press the butter and animal cracker crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
4. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream in a large bowl on medium speed until thoroughly combined and smooth.
5. Add the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
6. Pour the filling into the prepared pan. Smooth the top. Pour 2 cups of water into the inner pot of a 6 or 8-quart Instant Pot. Place the steamer rack into the pot. Fold two long pieces of foil several times lengthwise and place them crosswise across the bottom of the pan to form a sling. Lower into the Instant Pot and make sure that the foil sling is sticking out over the top of the pan. This will make the cheesecake easy to get out of the Instant Pot. Press the manual or pressure button, make sure the pot is set to high pressure, and set the time to 25 minutes.
7. Once the cook time is finished, press the "keep warm/cancel" button to turn off the Instant Pot. Set a timer for 15 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Once the natural release has finished, manually release any remaining pressure. Remove the cheesecake from the Instant Pot using the sling and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, until completely chilled and set.
8. Before serving, run a spatula or thin knife around the inside edge of the pan. Remove the foil from the outside of the pan, then remove the springform ring, slice the cheesecake, and serve.

Notes

*The cook time includes 15 minutes natural release but does not include the time that it takes to come to pressure. This will vary based on your Instant Pot but averages around 15 minutes. *This recipe is adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe.

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There are not many times of the year that I think are better than July, August, and early September, because tomatoes. I think we are all pretty much in agreement about the fact that a tomato outside of these three months is pretty much just a vaguely tomato-flavored orb. A summer tomato, though…well, there just really isn’t much that I love more. I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite recipes to make with summer tomatoes!

Green Tomatoes

Your tomatoes don’t have to be ripe to be a perfect specimen. In fact, I love a green tomato almost as much as I love a perfectly ripe red tomato that requires three napkins (and probably a sink to lean over) to eat. Green tomatoes aren’t always easy to find, but this is one iteration of tomato that I am happy to buy at the supermarket, and they are usually available at Publix. I haven’t tried it, but I have read that if you can’t find a green tomato, an unripe supermarket red tomato can actually make a decent substitute.

Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

Everyone automatically thinks of fried green tomatoes, and there’s a reason for that. I am not a huge fan of frying, though, so I dip the tomatoes in the coating, give them a spritz of oil, and bake them in the oven. You could totally do these in the air fryer as well!

Check out this recipe

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich With Bacon

I realize that it’s barely a variation of the last recipe, but how can you go wrong when you put oven-fried green tomatoes on a chewy hoagie roll with bacon and remoulade? That’s right. You can’t.

Check out this recipe

Beefsteak Tomatoes

The classics, beefsteak tomatoes are what you see on just about every produce stand’s tables this time of year. When they are perfectly ripe, they are impossibly red and juicy and I couldn’t possibly hate on them. Feel free to sub in any red, yellow, orange, or even purple tomato in these recipes!

Pimento Cheese Tomato Pie

Tomato pie is a classic. Usually, the filling is made with onions, cheese, and mayonnaise, so pimento cheese is just a little bit of a variation. Feel free to make your own or use your favorite store-bought brand. I used Palmetto Cheese for the pie pictured here. However you make it, it will be perfect.

Check out this recipe

Tomato Cobbler With Biscuit Topping

Fresh summer tomatoes and onions topped with homemade garlic cheddar biscuits? Yes please!

Check out this recipe

Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Tiny tomatoes can be a little harder to find at the farmers market or produce stand, but you can find them if you look hard enough. Or grow your own! But seriously, even if you make these recipes with grocery store tomatoes, you won’t regret it.

BLT Pasta Salad

This BLT pasta salad has rotini pasta, bacon, grape tomatoes, and romaine lettuce tossed in a buttermilk-mayo dressing. It’s a BLT in a bowl!

Check out this recipe

Grilled Naan Bread Pizza With Grape Tomatoes and Basil

When you want a grilled pizza but don’t want to fool with homemade dough, naan bread is there for you. Grape tomatoes pair perfectly with fresh mozzarella and basil atop the charred bread!

Check out this recipe

I hope these recipes get you excited about summer tomatoes! I know that I am personally excited to still have a couple of months to look forward to them. If writing this post has shown me anything, though, it’s that I need to get on creating more tomato recipes for you!

The post 6 Awesome Recipes to Make With Summer Tomatoes appeared first on Chattavore.

Summer fruit desserts are one of my favorite things! Summer produce is one of the best parts of summer, in my opinion. And while there is really nothing better than a perfectly ripe fresh peach that doesn’t need a single grain of sugar added to it, summer fruits are amazing to bake with. Pies, cakes, tarts, cobblers…there’s really no limit to the desserts that you can make with your farmer’s market haul. Here are 9 of my favorites!

Strawberries

The first sign of summer is fresh strawberries. They don’t stick around for long, but a beautiful fresh strawberry is like nothing that you’ll find in the grocery store in the middle of winter. I’ve got quite a few strawberry desserts to share with you!

Strawberry Pie

This is a slight adaptation of my grandmother’s recipe. She was an amazing cook, but of all the things that she made, this was one of the things that got me most excited. No red Jell-o in sight!

Check out this recipe

Strawberry Cream Pie With Pretzel Crust

If you mash together my strawberry pie recipe and that strawberry pretzel salad that you will find at every southern potluck, you’ll get this pie. With a salty pretzel crust, a tangy cream cheese layer, and luscious strawberries, this pie has it all!

Check out this recipe

Strawberry Fluff

I’m not going to try to sell fluff to you as a “salad”, but as a dessert, this fluff is easy and just so good! Whipped cream, cream cheese, strawberries, and marshmallows…I mean, how can you go wrong?

Check out this recipe

Blueberries

As I type this, I just picked a pint jar full of blueberries from the bushes in my front yard, and that makes me so happy. I probably won’t get enough to make any of these delicious desserts, but supermarket blueberries (even frozen!) are amazing here!

Blueberry Dump Cake From Scratch

I’m guessing that we can all agree that “dump cake” really needs a new name…but I already made over the recipe. Usually made with cake mix, this dump cake is made from scratch with pantry ingredients and it is perfect with a scoop of ice cream on top!

Check out this recipe

Blueberry Creme Brûlée

Creme brûlée is my husband’s favorite dessert. It seems intimidating, but really, it’s so easy! I love to put a blueberry compote in the bottom of the ramekin before I bake the brûlées. So delish!

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Blueberry Pineapple Pie

After watching a documentary about pies and learning about a pie called the “Blue Hawaiian” I had to figure out how to make it myself. This pie pairs blueberry and pineapple with a streusel topping. Unexpected and amazing!

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The Best Blueberry Pie

The name says it all. This pie is loaded with blueberries with a beautiful golden crust. Serve it with ice cream or whipped cream. Either way, it lives up to its name!

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Peaches

I think peaches may be my favorite fruit, so its odd that I really don’t have that many peach recipes on my blog. But the two that I have are pretty great, if I do say so myself.

Peach Breakfast Crisp

A summery dessert that doubles as breakfast? Yes, please! This peach crisp is perfect for dessert with ice cream or with yogurt for breakfast.

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Peach Fried Pies With Raspberry Sauce

A callback to peach melba, these fried pies are full of peachy flavor with perfectly golden crust and a delicious raspberry dipping sauce.

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I am a lover of all things wedding cake flavored. It’s no secret that my favorite bakery is Federal Bake Shop in Hixson, Tennessee, and I try to replicate their almond-flavored confections in as many of the dessert recipes that I share here as possible. I already have wedding cake cookies and wedding cake bites…so why not wedding cake bars? They’re basically just cake mix cookies turned into bar cookies by baking them spread in a pan instead of scooping out individual cookies. Easy-peasy. Add a simple frosting flavored with almond extract and you’re in business!

What You Need to Make Wedding Cake Bars

1. An 8×8 inch square baking pan
2. Non-stick cooking spray or butter to grease pan
3. A box of white cake mix (any brand)
4. 2 large eggs
5. 1/3 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
6. 3 teaspoons almond extract
7. 1 stick butter (softened)
8. 3 cups powdered sugar
9. Enough milk to make the icing a spreadable consistency

How to Make the Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8×8-inch square baking pan or spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place the contents of a box of white cake mix, 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup of canola or vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon of almond extract in a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir the ingredients until well-combined.
4. Spread the ingredients in the greased pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until light golden. Cool completely.
5. Place 1 stick of softened unsalted butter (cut into pieces), 3 cups of powdered sugar, and 2 teaspoons of almond extract in a mixing bowl.
6. Use a hand or stand mixer to mix the frosting ingredients together. Add enough milk to get the frosting to a spreadable consistency (this could be as little as 1-2 teaspoons or as much as 2 tablespoons) and continue to mix until the frosting is completely smooth and spreadable.
7. Scoop the frosting onto the bars in the pan.
8. Spread the frosting onto the bars and cut the bars into pieces before serving.

Wedding Cake Bars

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Ingredients

• A box of white cake mix (any brand)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
• 3 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 stick unsalted butter (softened)
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• Enough milk to make the icing a spreadable consistency (1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8x8-inch square baking pan or spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place the contents of a box of white cake mix, 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup of canola or vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon of almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients until well-combined.
3. Spread the ingredients in the greased pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until light golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Place 1 stick of softened unsalted butter (cut into pieces), 3 cups of powdered sugar, and 2 teaspoons of almond extract in a mixing bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer to mix the frosting ingredients together. Add enough milk to get the frosting to a spreadable consistency (this could be as little as 1-2 teaspoons or as much as 2 tablespoons) and continue to mix until the frosting is completely smooth and spreadable.
5. Scoop the frosting onto the bars in the pan and spread onto the bars. Cut the bars into pieces before serving. I like to let the frosted bars stand for a few minutes before cutting to allow the frosting to develop a "dry" texture on top.

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I never would have considered myself a creator of all things Rice Krispies treats, yet here we are. My salted brown butter Rice Krispies treats were not actually my own creation, instead adapted from a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. From that recipe, though, I learned that I actually loved RKTs, a treat, if you will, that I had been pretty indifferent about up until that point. Since then, I have created several iterations of the ubiquitous Rice Krispies treats, with the most recent being these strawberry Rice Krispies treats.

And guess what? Transforming these from plain to strawberry is as simple as some dry cake mix. Armed with that knowledge, you really could make them whatever flavor you might fancy! These are seriously the easiest snack to make. You can make them, from start to finish, in 15 minutes or less!

What You Need to Make Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats

1. Unsalted butter
2. Mini marshmallows
3. Rice Krispies (duh) or other crisped rice cereal
4. Strawberry cake mix

How to Make Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats

I numbered my photos incorrectly, so steps 9-10 in the directions are steps 10-11 in the photos!

1. Butter an 8×8-inch square pan.
2. Place a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Place the butter in the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted.
3. Add one cup of strawberry cake mix to the melted butter and stir until completely combined.
4. Leave the pan over medium heat and add the marshmallows.
5. Again, cook, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows are melted.
6. Add six ounces (half of a box) of crisped rice cereal to the marshmallow mixture.
7. Stir until the cereal is completely coated.
8. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.
9. Use the butter wrapper to flatten the mixture into the pan.
10. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Mary

Yield: 16 treats

Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats

5 minPrep Time:

10 minCook Time:

15 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter plus more for buttering the pan
• 10 ounces (1 bag) miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup boxed strawberry cake mix
• 6 ounces (1/2 box) Rice Krispies or other crisped rice cereal

Instructions

1. Butter an 8x8-inch square pan and set aside.
2. Place the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Set the butter wrapper aside for later use. Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter has completely melted.
3. Leave the pan on the heat and add the marshmallows. Cook, stirring frequently, until the marshmallows have melted completely.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the strawberry cake mix and stir until well incorporated.
5. Add the cereal to the marshmallow mixture and stir until the cereal is completely coated.
6. Spread the cereal mixture into the prepared pan. Use the butter wrapper to press the mixture into the pan. Allow the Rice Krispies treats to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.

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