Whether you are planning the whole spread or bringing a dish or two to a gathering, there’s a bit of everything on this list. The best grilled chicken. Festive desserts. Gourmet (but easy!) side dishes.

I hope you have a very fun-filled and safe 4th of July this year! ❤️🤍💙

1

Festive Fruited Cheesecake Flag

This stunning dessert is perfect for 4th of July! The creamy cheesecake filling is topped with fruit to resemble the American flag.

Get the Recipe

2

Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

This lemon garlic grilled chicken is the best grilled chicken ever! The marinade can be used with chicken breasts, thighs or tenderloins. I’ve been making this chicken for over 15 years for summer BBQs and weeknight dinners.

Get the Recipe

3

The Best Saucy Baked Beans

These saucy homemade baked beans are full of flavor and so easy! Someone recently commented these beans are excellent cooked (covered) on a pellet grill smoker – yum!

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4

Lava Flow Hawaiian Tropical Drink {Non-Alcoholic}

In this slushy, fruity lava flow Hawaiian tropical drink, the flavors of pineapple, coconut, and strawberry swirl together creating a delicious icy cold drink. Such a fun one to serve on the 4th!

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5

BBQ Chicken Pineapple Skewers

I love the grilled pineapple on these chicken skewers! These are always a hit with a big BBQ spread.

Get the Recipe

6

Best Veggie Dip on the Planet

Looking for the best veggie dip ever? This is it! Tangy, creamy and flavorful, it’s delicious with veggies or chips!

Get the Recipe

7

The Best Broccoli Salad

Made with fresh broccoli and the most delicious homemade dressing, this is the best broccoli salad recipe. It is always popular at potlucks and BBQs!

Get the Recipe

8

Jalapeno Cheddar Turkey Burgers

Juicy and flavorful, these jalapeño cheddar turkey burgers are incredible! Don’t let the jalapeños scare you. They add tons of flavor (leave out the seeds for less heat!).

Get the Recipe

9

Perfect Potato Salad

Easy and delicious, this is really the best potato salad ever. No complicated or fussy ingredients – it is simple and ALWAYS a crowd-pleaser.

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10

German Potato Salad

German potato salad is simple and so delicious! An egg- and dairy-free dressing is tossed with tender potatoes, simple herbs and bacon.

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11

My Favorite Cherry Pie in the History of Ever

I make this pie every year for the 4th of July! For a fun twist, change up the lattice top with pie crust stars added to horizontal strips of pie crust (like a pie crust flag!).

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12

Tri-Color Pasta Salad

No, really, this is the best cherry pie EVER. Nothing hard or secret about it – it’s a classic! Notes included in the recipe for using sour OR sweet cherries.

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13

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

The best fruit salad ever! This honey lime fruit salad is so easy and delicious with just enough flair to make it feel extra-special.

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14

Swig Sugar Cookies {Copycat Recipe}

For a festive version, use red, blue and white sprinkles on top of these easy sugar cookies!

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15

Avocado Chicken Salad

This avocado chicken salad is irresistible! Perfect for a light, healthy dinner, it’s also delicious for a quick lunch or great for party food. Bonus: it comes together FAST (15 minutes or less)!

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16

Summer Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad with Fresh Basil

This orzo salad is fantastic! Fresh, summer flavors and always popular at potlucks and holidays.

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17

Easy Creamy Watermelon Dip

This high-protein creamy watermelon dip is made with Greek yogurt and fresh limes. It is refreshing and delicious with any variety of melon!

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18

Monterey Chicken with Pico de Gallo {Chili’s Copycat}

The flavors in this Monterey chicken {a Chili’s copycat recipe} are out of this world delicious! Tender grilled chicken, topped with bacon, cheese and a simple homemade pico de gallo. Yum!

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19

Homemade Lemonade

The easiest and best homemade lemonade ever…and it doesn’t require cooking a simple syrup. It is quick, delicious, and perfect!

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20

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Best summer side dish ever! This creamy Mexican street corn salad (aka esquites) is incredibly easy and packed with the most amazing smoky, fresh flavors.

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21

Brownie {& Fruit} Kebabs

These brownie and fruit kebabs are a great change-up to the typical 4th of July dessert fare. They are also really fun to eat!

Get the Recipe

22

S’mores Cookie Bars

These glorious S’mores cookie bars have a buttery, graham cracker base and fissures of gooey marshmallow and decadent chocolate running throughout.

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23

My Mom’s Famous Calico Beans

These beans are incredible and can be made ahead and kept warm in a slow cooker.

Get the Recipe

The post 20 of My Favorite 4th of July Recipes appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

You are going to love this amazing cake! It’s a one-bowl recipe that is so easy to make and makes the most of fresh summer berries. That sweet sugar crust on top is to-die for!

Why You Should Make This Cake

The first thing one of my kids said to me after digging into this cake was “Well, this is amazing…can you make it again tomorrow?” It is such a delightful cake! Here are four other reasons you should make it:

1. It is a one-bowl cake that is mixed by hand. No need for extra bowls or electric mixers!
2. The cake crumb is tender and moist and ultra-fluffy.
3. I could wax poetic about the crackly, sugary top. But it is definitely one of the main selling points of this cake. SO GOOD.
4. This cake holds up well to outdoor summer gatherings and is even delicious the next day.
5. It is other-worldly served with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream (but plenty delicious served on its own, too!).

Important Ingredients Notes

• Butter: I always use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, increase the salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon. The butter is melted, which makes it super easy to mix everything together by hand. You can experiment subbing in neutral-flavored oil for the butter (if doing so, increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon).
• Granulated sugar: You’ll use most of the granulated sugar in the cake batter. The remaining sugar is sprinkled on top of the cake before baking creating that beautiful crust.
• Lemon zest: This ingredient adds a delightful hint of fresh citrus that compliments the berries so well. You can leave it out if you don’t have it, but I encourage you to use it if you can.
• Sour cream: Use full fat sour cream for the best result.
• Eggs: Make sure to use large eggs. Smaller or larger eggs can affect the texture of the cake.
• All-Purpose Flour: If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh the flour, measure it by fluffing the flour really well, scooping in a measuring cup and leveling off with a straight edge utensil.
• Blueberries + Raspberries: Fresh berries work best in this cake since they are more firm than frozen berries and don’t give off as much liquid. (See the note in the recipe below about using frozen berries.) You can experiment with other types of fresh berries, like blackberries or strawberries. Other fruits like peaches and nectarines might work well in this cake also.

A few other every day ingredients like baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract are also used in the recipe, but I’m guessing you don’t need me to give you the ins and outs of those. 😉

Last Thing…

This sugar-topped summer berry cake is perfect when you need just the right dessert to wow family and friends at the next summer get together. It’s easy, it’s stunning, it’s crazy delicious.

And while it is decidedly a cake-cake, this fluffy confection also gives off some serious breakfast-coffee-cake vibes, so if you decide to serve it for the first meal of the morning, who I am to dissuade you?

Take it to the next level with a spoonful of sweetened whipped cream or a bit of vanilla ice cream served on top or alongside. It’s even delicious lightly warmed before serving (especially if serving with ice cream).

Print

Crackly Sugar-Topped Summer Berry Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Method Bake

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12 to 15 servings

Calories 306kcal

Author Mel Gunnell

Equipment

• 9X13-inch Metal Baking Pan
• Silicone Spatula
• Measuring Cups
• Wire Whisk

Ingredients

Cake:

• ¾ cup salted butter (12 tablespoons), melted
• 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest (see note)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
• 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries

For Serving (Optional):

• Vanilla ice cream
• Whipped cream
• Additional fresh berries

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a light-colored metal 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray (can line with parchment and grease parchment, if desired). If using a glass pan, preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, add the melted butter, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, sour cream, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Whisk together until well-combined.
• Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir with a spatula until the dry ingredients are mostly combined but a few dry streaks still remain (don't over mix in this step).
• Add the fresh berries. Gently fold and mix until the berries are evenly combined and no dry streaks remain. It's ok if the berries break apart a little bit, but try to mix slowly and carefully to keep the berries from disintegrating into the batter.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 (to 1/3) cup granulated sugar evenly over the top of the batter.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the cake is lightly golden and puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Add additional time, if needed (may need extra time for a glass pan).
• Let the cake cool in the pan. Serve squares of cake at room temperature with fresh berries, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Notes

Butter/Oil: The melted butter can be replaced with a neutral-flavored oil. If doing so, increase the salt in the recipe to 3/4 teaspoon.

Lemon Zest: This ingredient adds a delightful hint of fresh citrus that compliments the berries so well. You can leave it out if you don’t have it, but I encourage you to use it if you can.

Berries: Fresh berries work best in this cake since they are more firm than frozen berries and don’t give off as much liquid. However, you can experiment with frozen berries. I would recommend adding them frozen, but you could also try thawing and patting dry before using. You can experiment with other types of berries, like blackberries or strawberries. Other fruits like peaches and nectarines might work well in this cake also.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving (1/15th of the cake) | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 244mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Triple Berry Cobbler {Positively the Best Cobbler Topping Ever}

Fresh Strawberry Cream Pie

Amazing Lemon Blueberry Scones

Triple Berry Pie

The post Crackly Sugar-Topped Summer Berry Cake appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

I include lots of tips below on how to prep the food in advance, as well as bonus ideas for other easy, delicious things to serve at parties like this.

What to Serve at a Bridal Shower

I wanted to keep the food simple and delicious for my friend’s bridal shower. The party was held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., so I tailored the food to be more on the snacky/brunchy side of things. It went over so well, and I would absolutely do this same food spread again!

Yogurt Parfait Bar

This build-your-own yogurt parfait bar was so easy to put together, and a great way for guests to customize their own portion.

Below is what I served. As you can see, this entire spread is easily customizable to different flavors of yogurt and toppings.

Yogurt:

• Vanilla yogurt
• Peach yogurt
• Strawberry yogurt

The vanilla yogurt was by far the most popular, but I still recommend having a few additional flavors for options.

Granola:

For this yogurt bar, I had four varieties of granola. I think all were equally popular!

• Honey oat yogurt from my cookbook (but any basic granola would work great).
• Chocolate love crunch knockoff granola (didn’t add the yogurt bites or strawberries)
• Love Crunch dark chocolate coconut granola
• Trader Joe’s passion fruit granola

Toppings:

• Chopped strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Diced mangos
• Chopped pineapple
• Lemon curd (this was so popular!)
• Chia seeds
• Toasted coconut
• Chopped pecans
• Dried cranberries
• Mini chocolate chips
• Toasted pumpkin seeds

MAKE AHEAD TIPS: I chopped the fruit the night before, and put the toppings that didn’t need to be refrigerated in serving bowls on the counter and covered with saran wrap. Everything else was super easy to scoop/place into bowls before the shower started.

Supplies for Yogurt Bar:

• These 10-ounce cups (aff. link) are a perfect size/width for yogurt plus toppings. The rounded design is a bit elevated and cute.
• Every day disposable spoons work great, but I love these slightly fancier ones (aff. link) for bridal showers and parties. I put the spoons in this wicker silverware caddy (I have the brown one).
• I use these white serving bowls (aff. link) for yogurt.
• These shallow white bowls (aff. link) work great for toppings (and on a sidenote, I use them almost daily for dinners), and these slightly larger textured bowls (aff. link) are just right for the granola.
• These reuseable chalkboard signs (aff. link) are perfect for labeling food (with these chalkboard markers – easily wipe off with a damp paper towel).

Mini Charcuterie Cups

I opted for mini charcuterie cups rather than larger cups (that are popular when you search for ideas) or big charcuterie platters.

This size ended up being perfect! Just like the yogurt bar, all of the ingredients in these charcuterie cups can be adapted or varied based on your own creative inspiration or what you can easily find.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS: The night before, I placed the nuts and pirouline sticks in the cups and placed all the cups on a large baking sheet and covered the cups with saran wrap.

I also assembled the cheese skewers the night before, as well as rolled the salami slices and placed them close together in a baking dish so they didn’t unravel. The morning of, it was easy to finish off the cups with the assembled cheese skewers, salami, fruit and cracker.

The fully assembled cups can be refrigerated for an hour or two (any longer and the crackers can soften or stale).

How to assemble the mini charcuterie cups:

• Fill the bottom of each cup with mixed nuts (or nuts of choice).
• Add a pirouline stick to one back corner and a cheese skewer (a long bamboo toothpick with three cheese cubes) to the other corner.
• Drop in a cherry tomato and several grapes of any variety.
• Place a large cracker diagonally across the tomato and grapes.
• Tuck a blackberry or other berrie(s) in one of the front corners.
• Roll two slices of salami into a rose shape and tuck into the other front corner.
• Optional: Place a sprig of rosemary in front of the cracker.

Supplies I Used:

• 5-ounce square cups (aff. link) for the mini charcuterie cups
• Bamboo skewers (aff. link) for the cheese

Assorted Variety of Mini Muffins

I chose mini muffins over regular-size muffins for several reasons:

• The bridal shower was in the morning in between meals, and I figured guests might be eating lighter/smaller portions. Mini muffins are perfect for that.
• Mini muffins give people the chance to try more than one flavor, since the muffins are small.
• Mini muffins are just cute.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS: I made the following recipes several weeks in advance. I made the muffins, let them cool on a cooling rack, and then placed them in these containers to freeze. I took them out of the freezer the morning of and put them on the serving trays frozen (they defrosted within an hour).

• Lemon Poppyseed Muffins (this recipe is for regular-size muffins; for mini muffins, portion the batter into mini muffin tins, filling about 1/2 to 2/3 full, and bake for 9 to 11 minutes)
• Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (these were the most popular of the three recipes! Everyone raved about them)
• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (this recipe is also for regular-size muffins; for mini muffins, use mini chocolate chips, portion the batter into mini muffin tins filling about 1/2 to 2/3 full, and bake for 9 to 11 minutes). Here is a non-zucchini chocolate muffin recipe that is delicious as mini muffins.

Supplies I Used:

• Highly recommend these mini muffin tins (aff. link). I didn’t use mini muffin liners when baking the muffins for the bridal shower.
• I served the muffins on this tiered tray (aff. link).
• These reuseable chalkboard signs (aff. link) are perfect for labeling food (with these chalkboard markers – easily wipe off with a damp paper towel).
• I had these plates sitting out next to the silverware and they were the perfect size if guests grabbed any or all of the offerings: mini muffins, a charcuterie cup, yogurt parfait.

Other Food Ideas for Bridal Showers and Parties

• Build-Your-Own (or already prepped) acai bowls with a variety of toppings.
• Chicken salad sandwiches. I’ve found when serving these, it’s better to use smaller croissants (from Albertsons or Walmart) vs the gargantuan croissants from Costco (however, if using large croissants, you can cut them in half).
• Mini quiches served on a platter.
• Variety of different baked scones.
• Finger foods, like caprese skewers, sweet berry bruschettta, easy caprese salad served on baquettes, toffee apple dip, candied almonds, and puff pastry brie bites.
• Variety of dips served with crackers, like this sesame Thai dip, 7-layer dip, cowboy caviar dip, 7-layer Greek hummus dip, feta dip, the best veggie dip, peanut butter cookie dough dip, fruit salsa served with cinnamon chips.
• French macarons or mini crème brûlées or other favorite cookies (I like making cookies in smaller sizes for bridal and baby showers).

Leave YOUR favorite ideas for bridal or baby showers below! ⬇️

The post Easy Bridal Shower Food Ideas appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

These recipes save me every summer when the heat threatens to destroy us all (I don’t know how you Arizona peeps do it!). Not only do the recipes utilize cooking methods OTHER than turning on the oven, but the flavors are also light, fresh, and flavorful!

I hope this list helps you discover delicious dinners to serve you and your family as you try to beat the heat and enjoy the summer months! ☀️

1

Loaded Burger Bowls with Special House Sauce

These easy burger bowls are loaded with golden, crispy morsels of ground beef and tons of chopped veggies. The creamy house sauce drizzled on top is incredible!

Get the Recipe

2

Crispy Chicken Enchilada Wraps

These crispy chicken enchilada wraps are a fantastic weeknight dinner (or lunch!) solution – they are fast, easy, customizable and so, so delicious!

Get the Recipe

3

Instant Pot Smoky Honey Cilantro Chicken

This Instant Pot smoky honey chicken is tender, flavorful, and perfect for salads, enchiladas, tacos – you name it! {Slow cooker instructions included as well!}

Get the Recipe

4

Asian Chicken Salad with the Yummiest Dressing

This Asian chicken salad is packed full of crunchy cabbage, fresh veggies, tender chicken and tossed with the yummiest dressing. It keeps well for days!

Get the Recipe

5

Chicken Souvlaki Bowls

These tasty chicken souvlaki bowls are loaded with lemon chicken skewers, roasted veggies, tzatziki, hummus, feta, and garlic rice!

Get the Recipe

6

Skillet Garlic Butter Shrimp and Sausage

This one-pan skillet garlic butter shrimp and sausage meal is brilliantly simple and so delicious. It comes together in less than 20 minutes!

Get the Recipe

7

Thai-Style Ground Turkey and Green Beans {20-Minute Meal}

Flavorful and SO fast, this Thai-style ground turkey with green beans is a super easy and delicious weeknight meal!

Get the Recipe

8

Crispy Beef and Bean Wraps

These crispy beef and bean wraps are one of our go-to weeknight dinners! The crispy tortilla (no frying!) and flavorful filling are delicious.

Get the Recipe

9

Easy Chicken Gyros {New and Improved}

This easy chicken gyro recipe is simple and delicious! The yogurt lemon marinade adds tons of flavor and is perfect with the tzatziki, flatbread and toppings!

Get the Recipe

10

Turkey Avocado Veggie Wraps

These simple turkey avocado veggie wraps are crazy delicious! Shaved turkey, tons of fresh vegetables, and a creamy avocado spread – YUM!

Get the Recipe

11

Skillet Lemon Parmesan Chicken and Zucchini

This quick and light skillet lemon parmesan chicken and zucchini is fantastic! So delicious, the bright lemon and deeper savory flavors are perfect!

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12

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

Easy grilled teriyaki chicken with a super tasty, super simple homemade teriyaki sauce! This chicken is perfect for main dishes, salads and more!

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13

Vineyard Chicken and Pasta Salad

A perfectly light, fresh dinner, this vineyard chicken and pasta salad is crazy delicious! So many tasty ingredients and that dressing…yum!

Get the Recipe

14

The Best Chicken Quesadillas

This really is the best chicken quesadillas recipe! So easy, these fajita-style quesadillas taste just as good, if not better, than any restaurant!

Get the Recipe

15

Kale and Wild Rice Salad

This gorgeous kale and wild rice salad is loaded with so many delicious ingredients: chicken, avocados, feta, almonds, apples, and more! It’s so good!

Get the Recipe

16

One-Pot Easy Chicken Lasagna

This one-pot easy chicken lasagna is bound to become a weeknight favorite. Made with pantry staples, it’s quick, simple and delicious!

Get the Recipe

17

Easy Shrimp Pesto Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This easy shrimp pesto pasta tastes better than a restaurant but is simple enough for a fast, weeknight dinner. It’s fantastic!

Get the Recipe

18

My Go-To Fried Rice Recipe {Easy Ham Fried Rice}

Everyone needs a go-to fried rice recipe! This easy ham fried rice is infinitely customizable and is fantastic for using up leftovers. So simple and so much flavor!

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19

Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini Sandwich

Chicken cordon bleu panini sandwich. All the flavors of chicken cordon bleu wrapped up in bread with a secret (3-ingredient) super simple sauce that’ll make you cry. YUM!

Get the Recipe

20

Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

This skillet vegetable lasagna is packed with summer veggies and is so fast to put together. Made start to finish in one skillet, it is a summer dinner staple…and wow, is it tasty!

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21

Chicken BLT Burritos with Creamy Southwest Dipping Sauce

These amazingly delicious chicken BLT burritos (with avocados, too, if you like!) are so easy to make. Perfect for a busy weeknight or meal on the go!

Get the Recipe

22

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Orzo Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Bursting with flavor…and vegetables, this grilled chicken orzo salad with a quick homemade honey lime dressing is out of this world delicious (not to mention super pretty to look at!).

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23

Instant Pot Spaghetti

Dinner will be on the table in no time with this super easy Instant Pot spaghetti! Everything cooks together for a simple, flavorful, hands-off spaghetti dinner.

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24

Cuban Sandwiches {Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker}

Made in the slow cooker OR pressure cooker, the pork for this Cuban sandwich recipe is out-of-this world tender and so flavorful. Plus, the unique and delicious combo of sandwich ingredients makes this one of my favorite sandwiches ever!

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25

Cheesy Chicken, Kale and Sweet Potato Skillet Meal

A one-skillet wonder, this cheesy chicken, kale and sweet potato skillet meal is nutritious and delicious, just the way a weeknight meal should be!

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26

Cheesy Tex-Mex Zucchini Skillet

This cheesy tex-mex zucchini skillet is a fantastic way to use zucchini! Quick and easy, it’s packed with flavor and hearty ingredients. So yummy!

Get the Recipe

The post 30 Easy Summer Meals That Won’t Heat Up the House appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Get ready for the best fry bread ever! Soft, fluffy, and so fun to make! I always have to double the batch, because it’s nearly impossible not to eat them the minute they are made – hot, golden, and slathered with butter and honey.

4 Reasons to Love This Recipe

If you are looking for the perfect fry bread recipe, this is it! I get asked for the recipe every time I serve this fry bread. Multiple friends have said they threw out their old, go-to recipe for fry bread/scones* because these ones are so good.

1. The dough is super easy to mix by hand. No need for a mixer (but you can definitely use one fitted with a dough hook if you’d like). Just make sure not to over work the dough. It doesn’t require any kneading.
2. While fry bread can often be heavy and dense, this recipe produces fluffy and airy fry bread. Make sure to follow the recipe instructions not to over mix to achieve that perfect texture.
3. This is such a fun recipe to make with kids (take care with the hot oil, of course!) – they can help mix the dough and press it into circles (or whatever shape they want!).
4. Serve the fry bread as Navajo-style tacos topped with taco meat (my fave recipe down below) and toppings. Or slather the hot, golden fry bread with honey and butter and call it a day. So good. I dare you to eat just one.

*Sidenote: There’s a good chance many of you might call fry bread like this “scones.” If so, you are welcome here. 😜 I grew up calling them that, too. It wasn’t until I started a food blog that I realized doing so really offended those in staunch defense of the high-brow English baked scones. Personally, I think there is room in the world for both types of scones – the humble, fried, dripping-with-butter-and-honey variety and the upscale, elegant, baked variety.

How to Make Homemade Fry Bread

1. Mix the simple dough until it forms a soft, shaggy-looking ball and let it rest.
2. Divide it into pieces and let it rest again. The resting times help the gluten relax so that the dough holds its shape without springing back.
3. Press each piece of dough into a thick circle or oval.
4. Fry in hot oil until golden and cooked through.
5. Serve warm with butter and honey or made into fry bread tacos.

I place the fry bread on a paper towel-lined baking sheet right after it comes out of the oil. I try to keep it in a single layer or overlapping slightly (but don’t stack it directly on top of each other – it can get oily and soggy). If I’m making a lot at one time, I place the pan of cooked fry bread in a warm oven. I find they stay fresh-tasting for up to an hour kept warm that way.

Taco Meat Recipe for Fry Bread Tacos

This beef and bean taco meat is a variation (and slightly easier version) of the popular taco meat recipe on my website, and it is what I use when serving these as fry bread tacos.

A Few Last Tips

• Flour: You really don’t want to over flour this dough. Measure the flour using a kitchen scale or, if you don’t have a scale, fluff up the flour, scoop in a measuring cup, and level off. 
• Size of Fry Breads: You can easily form the fry breads into smaller or bigger shapes and sizes depending on how big you want them and how you are serving them. I usually make eight 5- to 6-inch fry breads with the recipe.
• Doubling: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled by doubling or tripling all the ingredients straight across.

I’ve been making this fry bread forever and didn’t think I’d ever share it here on my blog, but the last three times I’ve made it, everyone vehemently told me it deserved a chance in the spotlight, so here it is!

It isn’t fancy or trendy, and I’m sure some people will get angry about it because fried food has that effect sometimes, but for the rest of us, it’s a keeper. 😉

It’s perfect to make for a fun family dinner, and I also love making it for groups of teenagers (they go crazy for it, which inevitably makes me feel like a rock star and I innocently avoid telling them how easy it is!). Enjoy!

Print

Easy Homemade Fry Bread

Course Bread, Main Course

Cuisine American

Method Fried, Stovetop

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 fry breads

Calories 269kcal

Author Mel Gunnell

Equipment

• Electric Deep Fryer
• Mixing Bowl
• Rolling Pin
• Kitchen Tongs

Ingredients

• 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (see note)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Vegetable oil, for frying

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a large bowl to mix by hand or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour, baking powder, yeast, and salt and mix to combine.
• Heat the milk until it is warm to the touch but not hot (about 105 degrees F.).
• Add the milk and olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix JUST until the dough comes together and forms a slightly shaggy ball of dough that clears the sides of the bowl. The dough should be sturdy but soft. If the dough seems overly dry, drizzle in warm water a tablespoon at a time. Don't over mix the dough or the fry bread will be tough instead of soft and fluffy.
• Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes. It won't necessarily rise much, but this resting period helps relax the gluten so it's easier to form into rounds.
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces (about 116 grams/4 ounces each). Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Press or roll each piece of dough into a 5- or 6-inch circle or oval. Optional: use a sharp paring knife to cut a tiny slit in the center of each oval if you want them to have a more even thickness while frying rather than forming larger puffy bubbles.
• Line a baking sheet with a layer of paper towels and set aside.
• Heat vegetable oil in an electric deep fryer or in a deep saucepan on the stove to 365 to 370 degrees F.
• Fry the breads for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side until cooked through and no longer doughy in the center.
• Remove the fry bread from the oil with tongs, letting excess oil drip back into the fryer/pot.
• Place the hot fry bread on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer (or overlapping just slightly – but don't stack them). If desired, place the baking sheet in a warm oven for the bread to stay warm. I find they keep well for up to an hour in a warm oven before serving.
• Serve the fry bread warm with honey and butter or make into fry bread tacos with taco meat on top followed by taco toppings of choice.

Notes

Flour: You really don’t want to over flour this dough. Measure the flour using a scale or, if you don’t have a scale, fluff up the flour, scoop in a measuring cup, and level off. 

Size of Fry Breads: You can easily form the fry breads into smaller or bigger shapes and sizes depending on how big you want them and how you are serving them. 

Doubling: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. Just double or triple all the ingredients straight across.

Oil: If cooking the fry bread in a saucepan on the stove, add oil 2 to 3 inches deep. If using an electric deep fryer, follow instructions for the model you have. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 fry bread (does not include frying oil) | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 469mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g

The post Easy Homemade Fry Bread appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Banana pudding is a simple title for a classic dessert that involves layering vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, wafer cookies and topped with whipped cream. This homemade version is fantastic and so easy to make!

Why You’ll Love This Banana Pudding

This is one of Brian’s most-loved desserts of all time. Here are all the reasons you should make it!

• Despite being “from-scratch,” this dessert is super simple to make at home. Once the pudding is made, it comes together fast and just needs a little chilling in the fridge to set up.
• While it is delicious any time of the year, it makes an exceptional dessert during summer time. Bring it to your next BBQ potluck get together and prepare to be the most popular one at the party.
• The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd!
• There is the perfect ratio of pudding to bananas to cookies (with a note in the recipe about how to change that up, if desired!).

Bonus: If you happen to have leftovers of this dessert, try adding a scoop to a blender with vanilla ice cream and a splash of milk for a banana pudding pie milkshake. It’s AMAZING.

Key Ingredients

• Granulated Sugar: This adds sweetness to the homemade pudding.
• Cornstarch: The cornstarch is whisked together with the sugar and egg yolks and is the thickener for the pudding.
• Egg Yolks: Using just the egg yolks adds extra richness (and yellow color) to the homemade pudding.
• Milk: It’s best to use 2% or whole milk for a pudding that is creamy and thick.
• Heavy Cream: This ingredient is used in the pudding and in the sweetened whipped cream (for the top of the banana pudding).
• Butter: A small amount of butter is stirred into the pudding after it cooks for a glossy smooth consistency and texture.
• Vanilla Extract: This is used in both the pudding and the whipped cream.
• Bananas: Choose bananas that are ripe and firm without any brown spots. You’ll need 3 to 4 bananas for this recipe.
• Wafer Cookies: I use the Nabisco brand of Nilla wafers. You’ll need about half of an 11-ounce box for this recipe (about 35 cookies total).

How to Assemble Banana Pudding

1. Spread about 1 cup pudding across the bottom of an 8X8-inch baking dish.
2. Cover with a single layer of sliced bananas.
3. Add wafer cookies across the top in a mostly single layer.
4. Cover with pudding and another layer of bananas.
5. Spread the remaining pudding over the top.
6. Sprinkle cookie crumbs over the top.

Alternate option: I assemble the banana pudding as detailed above and dollop individual servings with sweetened whipped cream. However, you can spread the whipped cream on top of the final pudding layer and then sprinkle with the cookie crumbs for a slightly different assembly method.

Additional Notes

This banana pudding dessert is such a classic. It’s simple. It’s straightforward. And mostly: it’s crazy, crazy good.

Add this to your make-soon list! It’s a keeper of a recipe (and much simpler than this older trifle-style version I have on my site). I hope you love it!

Print

My Favorite Banana Pudding {From-Scratch}

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Method No-Bake

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 to 8 servings

Calories 442kcal

Author Mel Gunnell

Equipment

• Wire Whisk
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• Cookware

Ingredients

Pudding:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¾ cups 2% or whole milk
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bananas + Wafers:

• 3 to 4 bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 35 to 37 vanilla wafer cookies, like Nilla wafers (about half of an 11-ounce box)

Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• For the pudding, in a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt until well combined.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and cream until steaming and small bubbles form around the edges.
• Slowly ladle the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. This tempers the egg yolks so they don't scramble.
• After all the hot milk has been whisked into the egg yolks, pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
• Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly as the pudding comes to a simmer. Cook until large bubbles pop on the surface and the pudding has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Immediately remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl. This helps remove any small lumps from the pudding.
• Add the butter and vanilla and stir into the pudding until evenly combined.
• To assemble, spread 1 cup pudding in the bottom of an 8X8-inch square or circle baking dish.
• Add a single layer of sliced bananas.
• Add a layer of wafer cookies (about 25) on top of the bananas.
• Dollop half of the remaining pudding (about 1 1/3 cups) in spoonfuls across the wafer cookies and spread to cover.
• Add a single layer of sliced bananas.
• OPTIONAL: You can add another layer of cookies here if you like. We are a house divided. My husband likes the extra cookies in this layer, but I prefer a more creamy pudding without them.
• Spread the remaining pudding (about 1 1/3 cups) over the top. See note below about assembling the rest of the dessert.
• Crush 10 to 12 wafer cookies into coarse pieces/crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the pudding layer.
• Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to set up (or up to 8 hours – it can be refrigerated longer, but the bananas may darken a bit in color).
• For the whipped cream, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract together until medium peaks form.
• Serve scoops of chilled banana pudding with a dollop of whipped cream on top and additional crushed wafer cookies, if desired.

Notes

Whipped Cream/Assembling: For an alternate way to assemble, after spreading the last layer of pudding on the dessert, cover and refrigerate until the pudding is fully cooled (don’t sprinkle on the wafer cookie crumbs). When cooled, spread the sweetened whipped cream on top of the pudding followed by the crushed wafer cookies. (I personally like dolloping whipped cream on top of individual servings, but either method works fine, depending on your preference. Keep in mind that the whipped cream can get a bit liquidy if spread on top of the banana pudding and refrigerated for too long).

Pan Size: It helps if the 8X8-inch pan you are using has 2-inch sides. All of the layers make a pretty full pan.

Pan Variations: You can assemble this dessert in a bowl, small trifle dish, 8- or 9-inch circle cake pan or any other dish with a 2-quart capacity.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 242mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

The post My Favorite Banana Pudding {From-Scratch} appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

I made sure to include lots of variety on this list so that you’ll be able to find The Perfect Recipe to make for Father’s Day this year! It’s going to be hard for me to narrow it down, because Brian absolutely loves each and every one of these recipes.

Many of these recipes can be prepped in advance so you can spend the day WITH the dad you are celebrating rather than spending all day in the kitchen. And if you need more recipe inspiration, the recipe index has hundreds more ideas!

1

Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

This might be the most perfect Father's Day meal ever – and way better than restaurant birria tacos (says I and tons of other reviewers!).

Get the Recipe

2

Best Baked Salmon

This really is the best baked salmon ever! A quick marinade ensures the flaky, tender salmon is super flavorful.

Get the Recipe

3

Hawaiian Chicken and Veggie Teriyaki Bowls

If you are celebrating a dad who loves fresh, flavorful, healthy meals, these Hawaiian teriyaki bowls are a must-make!

Get the Recipe

4

The Best Oven-Baked Ribs

You don't have to be intimidated to make fall-apart tender ribs with this recipe! I make this all the time for either Brian's birthday or Father's Day or just to surprise him. This recipe makes the best ribs ever!

Get the Recipe

5

Mississippi Pot Roast {From-Scratch/Packet-Free}

I hardly ever make classic pot roast anymore because Brian and the kids love this zesty (much easier!) version so much! It's delicious with the Instant Pot mashed potatoes below.

Get the Recipe

6

Slow Cooker Smothered Beef Tips

This slow cooker smothered beef tips recipe is so delicious, so elegant, and so easy. Tender pieces of beef + a flavorful gravy – yum!

Get the Recipe

7

Loaded BBQ Chicken Totchos

These cheesy loaded BBQ chicken totchos (tater tot “nachos”) are so yummy and perfect for a laid back Father's Day meal. Plus, the meat and toppings can be customized in so many different ways!

Get the Recipe

8

The Best Glazed Meatloaf

Does anything say Father's Day quite like meatloaf?!? 🙂 This is literally the best meatloaf you'll ever have (no soggy breadcrumbs or weird textures!)

Get the Recipe

9

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

This sweet and sour chicken has to be included in this list, because it is one of Brian's all.time.favorites and has been for over 20 years!

Get the Recipe

10

Honey Lime Chicken {or Pork} Enchiladas

Ok, so basically this list should just have been titled “Brian's Favorite Meals in the History of Ever.” Yep. These enchiladas are a longstanding favorite. Like, he talks about them all the time to random people!

Get the Recipe

11

Skillet Swedish Meatballs

These skillet Swedish meatballs are amazing! Delicious served over mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles. That gravy? Delish!

Get the Recipe

12

Delicious Braised Brisket with Mushrooms

The rich, flavorful mushroom gravy combined with the tender, juicy meat will make this braised brisket with mushrooms a slam dunk hit on Father's Day or any other day!

Get the Recipe

13

The Best Broccoli Salad

Hear me out: This broccoli salad should be served at every holiday – Father's Day and more – forever more.

Get the Recipe

14

Life-Changing Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

These Instant Pot mashed potatoes are the best potatoes on the planet! The most amazing part: the mashed potatoes can stay warm for HOURS before serving.

Get the Recipe

15

The Best Saucy Baked Beans

These saucy homemade baked beans are full of flavor and so easy! This is my favorite baked beans recipe (oven and slow cooker directions included!).

Get the Recipe

16

Cheesy Garlic Smashed Potatoes

These delicious cheesy garlic smashed potatoes go with everything and would be perfect for Father's Day!

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17

The Best Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This best baked macaroni and cheese recipe is the creamiest, cheesiest, homemade mac and cheese ever. No processed cheese! It is so good!

Get the Recipe

18

Tri-Color Pasta Salad

Simple to prepare, this tri-color pasta salad is the best. The creamy dressing, with a hint of pesto, is so flavorful and delicious!

Get the Recipe

19

Delicious Parmesan Cream Corn

Yes, I am telling you to make this Parmesan cream corn for Father's Day. It might just steal the entire show – so good!

Get the Recipe

20

Creamy Confetti Corn with Bacon

Another corn side dish that'll knock your socks off! This creamy corn is loaded with so many delicious flavors. Dad'll love it!

Get the Recipe

21

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Fluffy and buttery soft, these copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls are delicious and so easy to make. Serve with cinnamon butter for a divine combo!

Get the Recipe

22

The Best Cheesy Garlic Drop Biscuits

No seriously, these really are the best cheesy garlic drop biscuits (think: Red Lobster knockoff but a million times better). And they are SO easy!

Get the Recipe

23

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

This chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake is a cookie dough lover’s dream. And it is best made ahead of time which is perfect for holidays like Father's Day.

Get the Recipe

24

The Best No-Bake Cheesecake

Thick and creamy, this is the best no-bake cheesecake. It sets up perfectly and can be made in advance. Brian grew up eating cheesecake on birthdays…spoiler alert: he loves it on Father's Day, too!

Get the Recipe

25

My Favorite Banana Pudding {From-Scratch}

This is a recent add to this Father's Day list – it's a new recipe and so, so good!

Get the Recipe

26

Easy Oreo Ice Cream Dessert

This easy Oreo ice cream dessert is phenomenal. It can easily be changed up with different ice cream flavors and cookies depending on what dad likes!

Get the Recipe

27

Rocky Road Chocolate Cookie Bars

Simple and so fun, these chocolatey, marshamllowy cookie bars are fantastic and feed a crowd!

Get the Recipe

28

The Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

You just can't go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate – and cookies are such a delicious Father's Day dessert. Serve them slightly warm with a bit of ice cream. YUM!

Get the Recipe

29

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake {9X13-inch Pan}

This recipe for hot fudge pudding cake is so fun and easy to make! In the oven, the layers of pudding and cake magically separate. Warm, ooey, gooey, and delicious!

Get the Recipe

30

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

This is one of Brian's favorite desserts, so of course I had to make sure it made the list!

Get the Recipe

31

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Pie

This combines all the best things: Oreos + cheesecake + chocolate mousse. It's incredible and can be made ahead of time!

Get the Recipe

The post 30 Recipes Perfect for Father’s Day appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Not only does this recipe produce some of the most delicious chicken ever, but because the chicken doesn’t need to be brined or marinated, it can be made quickly with no advance planning.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken

I love this recipe because you can have fantastic juicy, cooked chicken in less than 30 minutes (even if you didn’t plan ahead of time!).

The air fryer circulates the air during cooking creating the most delicious seasoning crust on the outside of the chicken. It is outrageously flavorful and yummy! And the chicken is ultra-juicy and moist. SO GOOD.

Ingredients Notes

• Olive oil: Extra-virgin olive oil.
• Salt: I use coarse, kosher salt. If using table salt, reduce the amount to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon.
• Garlic: You can use fresh garlic, finely minced, or you can use garlic powder. I often use the cubes of frozen garlic (from Trader Joe’s).
• Paprika: Sweet or smoked paprika can be used (highly recommend smoked paprika for elevated flavor!).
• Onion Powder: This is sometimes labeled as “granulated onion powder.”
• Dried Oregano: Turkish or Mexican dried oregano will work fine.
• Dried Basil: If the dried basil is in large, leafy pieces, lightly crumble it between your fingers before using.
• Black Pepper: I use coarsely ground black pepper. If using finely ground black pepper, reduce the amount to 1/8 teaspoon.
• Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs or tenders. The recipe gives cooking time recommendations for the different cuts of chicken.

How to Serve Air Fryer Chicken

Serve this chicken with any number of sides, like cheesy smashed potatoes, rice pilaf, au gratin potatoes, pasta salads and more.

The leftovers are delicious added to recipes that call for cooked or grilled chicken:

• Crispy Chicken Enchilada Wraps
• Avocado Chicken Salad
• Quick Fajita Nachos
• Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Chicken Salad
• Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

I’ve been making this chicken nonstop because it is so easy, bonkers good, and everyone in my family raves about it. Serve it a million different ways for a super versatile meal!

It has become a go-to recipe for us, and it definitely makes keeping an air fryer around worth it!

Print

Perfect Air Fryer Chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Method Air Fryer

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6 to 6 servings

Calories 174kcal

Author Mel Gunnell

Equipment

• Air Fryer
• Bamboo Cutting Board
• Wire Whisk

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ¼ teaspoons coarse salt (or 3/4 to 1 teaspoon table salt)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken (breasts, thighs or tenders)

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, garlic, paprika, onion powder, oregano, basil, and black pepper.
• Rub the mixture over all sides of the chicken. Set aside while preheating the air fryer.
• Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F. for five minutes.
• Add the chicken in a single layer to the air fryer basket (cook in separate batches, if needed).
• Cook thick chicken breasts for 13 to 15 minutes, chicken thighs for 16 to 17 minutes, and chicken tenders or thin-cut chicken for 10 to 12 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the chicken should register 165 degrees F.
• Let the chicken rest for 4 to 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Cooking Options: If you don’t have an air fryer, the chicken can be baked on a greased and foil-lined baking sheet in a 375 degree F. oven. Follow the cooking times in the recipe and watch closely to add time (or take out of the oven early), if needed. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (4 ounces) | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 617mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.1g

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Easy Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin

Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken

Grilled Rosemary Ranch Chicken

Sticky Coconut Chicken

The post Perfect Air Fryer Chicken appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Get ready for the best homemade caramel sauce ever! It is creamy, velvety, golden, delightfully sweet with a hint of saltiness, and so incredibly delicious. This new and improved version is straightforward and foolproof, which means you won’t end up with crystallized or separated caramel sauce.

How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

Making caramel sauce is really, really easy. Follow these simple steps:

1. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Stir to combine carefully so it doesn’t splash up the sides of the pan.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush any sugar crystals off the side of the pan, if needed.
4. Simmer until the mixture turns a dark golden amber color. 
5. Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
6. Add the cream, butter, vanilla and salt (do so carefully as the mixture will bubble and steam) and stir until the sauce is smooth and silky.
7. Pour the sauce into a jar or other container.

Important note: When boiling the sugar mixture, the color matters more than the exact time. It can go from golden to burned quickly, so keep a close eye on it. A candy thermometer will register anywhere from 350 to 370 degrees F.

Ingredients Notes

• Granulated Sugar: When adding the sugar with the water and corn syrup, stir carefully to prevent the mixture from splashing onto the sides of the pan.
• Water: Use room temperature water.
• Light Corn Syrup: This ingredient is important. Adding two tablespoons corn syrup helps ensure a more foolproof caramel sauce (less crystallization).
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is preferred over regular whipping cream for a thicker, more velvety caramel sauce.
• Butter: Just a few tablespoons butter added with the cream boost the silkiness of the caramel sauce. I always use salted butter.
• Kosher Salt: I use 1/4 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand) for this sauce. You can dial that amount up or down, to taste.

How to Store Caramel Sauce: After the sauce has been made, immediately pour it into a container (so it doesn’t continue to cook in the hot pan). Let it cool completely before refrigerating. This helps prevent separation or grainy texture. Rewarm lightly in the microwave for a few seconds at a time before using.

How to Use This Caramel Sauce

I mean, is this really a question?? 😜

This easy homemade caramel sauce is delicious on EVERYTHING. Serve it:

• Over ice cream
• With apples, for dipping
• Drizzled over cakes, cupcakes, muffins, or cookies
• In recipes like these caramel apple cheesecake bars, caramel apple crisp, samoas chocolate pudding dessert

I set out to perfect this older recipe after readers reported that it was a bit finicky and sometimes separated or turned grainy. Just like you, I wanted a homemade caramel sauce recipe that worked out every single time without fail.

This new version is absolutely amazing. The caramel sauce is thick and creamy, smooth and silky, buttery and delicious. Make it today!

Print

The Best Homemade Caramel Sauce

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Method Stovetop

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1.25 cups caramel sauce

Author Mel Gunnell

Equipment

• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Silicone Spatula
• Measuring Cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Stir to combine carefully so it doesn't splash up the sides of the pan.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. During this step, use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush any sugar crystals off the side of the pan, if needed.
• Increase the heat to just above medium and boil for 7 to 8 minutes until the mixture turns a dark golden amber color. The color of the mixture matters more than the exact time. It can go from golden to burned quickly, so keep a close eye on it. A candy thermometer will register anywhere from 350 to 370 degrees F.
• Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Add the cream, butter, vanilla and salt (do so carefully as the mixture will bubble and steam).
• Stir slowly until the ingredients are well combined and the sauce is smooth. If you feel any hard sugar crystals on the bottom or sides of the pan, don't aggressively scrape them up – just leave them be and stir around them.
• Pour the sauce into a jar or other container. Let cool until room temperature. Refrigerate for up to several weeks and reheat on low heat to warm for serving, if desired.

Notes

Double Batch: This sauce can easily be doubled. Use a larger pan and keep an eye on the timing; it will take a few minutes longer for the sugar/water mixture to get to the golden brown stage. 

How to Store Caramel Sauce: After the sauce has been made, immediately pour it into a container (so it doesn’t continue to cook in the hot pan). Let it cool completely before refrigerating. This helps prevent separation or grainy texture. Rewarm lightly in the microwave for a few seconds at a time before using.

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (a new and improved version of this caramel sauce)

Caramel Apple Crisp

Peanut Butter Pretzel Caramel Chocolate Bars

Brown Butter Caramel Snickerdoodles

Caramel Peanut Butter Almost S’mores Cookie Bars

The post The Best Homemade Caramel Sauce {New and Improved} appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Whether you’re firing up the grill, heading to a potluck, or just soaking up the sun in your own backyard, this roundup of tried-and-true summer recipes has everything you need for the months ahead.

From fresh salads and juicy burgers (those jalapeño cheddar turkey burgers are SOMETHING ELSE) to refreshing desserts and icy drinks (make sure to scroll all the way to see the sweets and drinks!), these are the recipes that make summer holidays and BBQs extra delicious. Plus, it’s so much fun to share really good food with others!

1

Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

This has been my go-to grilled chicken for over 15 years! Easy, DELICIOUS, and so versatile (goes with just about anything!).

Get the Recipe

2

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken

This is absolutely tremendous served with cilantro lime rice and fresh pineapple. YUM!

Get the Recipe

3

Jalapeno Cheddar Turkey Burgers

One of my most favorite recipes on my site! We make these all the time and pile on guac, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Get the Recipe

4

Grilled Honey and Ginger Marinated Flank Steak

This is such a great marinade for flank steak – but it also works well for any other type of steak, too!

Get the Recipe

5

Tender Grilled Pork Chops

The comment section of this recipe is FILLED with people exclaiming they've never had pork chops as delicious as these. They really are amazing!

Get the Recipe

6

Grilled Lime Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice

The flavors in this grilled chicken are so, so good! It's another one we love to serve with cilantro lime rice (or garlic butter rice or coconut rice!).

Get the Recipe

7

BBQ Chicken Pineapple Skewers

These skewers are stunning and so flavorful. The grilled pineapple is next level good.

Get the Recipe

8

Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs with Simple Tzatziki Sauce

A Greek-style chicken skewer recipe, which is also next level if you serve it with tzatziki sauce. WOW!

Get the Recipe

9

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers with Grilled Pineapple

I have a thing for grilled pineapple if you can't tell, and it is other-worldly delish on these teriyaki burgers.

Get the Recipe

10

Monterey Chicken with Pico de Gallo {Chili’s Copycat}

Many in my family have been requesting this chicken for their birthday dinner, it's that good! Use thin-cut chicken breasts – they work the best.

Get the Recipe

11

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

So simple and so easy, this is some of the best grilled chicken ever. The flavors are so good! You can skip the rice and pineapple and throw this chicken into a BBQ lineup with lots of different sides.

Get the Recipe

12

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

People go crazy for this grilled chicken! The ranch and rosemary flavors are incredible, and it can be marinated a day ahead of time.

Get the Recipe

13

Classic Grilled Burgers

Can't go wrong with just a good old-fashioned grilled hamburger! This recipe isn't rocket science, but it does make the best grilled burgers ever.

Get the Recipe

14

Grilled Lemon Chicken Wraps with Spicy Garlic Sauce

I know I wax poetic about this recipe all the time, but these lemon wraps (and that sauce!!) are just too good. One of my favorite meals ever.

Get the Recipe

15

Balsamic Beef Kebabs

The meat on these kebabs is so tender, so juicy, and packed with so much flavor! I often add slices of red onion in between the beef pieces.

Get the Recipe

16

The Best Saucy Baked Beans

Seriously the very best baked beans in the whole world! And so, so easy to make.

Get the Recipe

17

Italian Pasta Salad

Classic and delicious, this Italian pasta salad is always a hit! The homemade Italian dressing is incredibly good.

Get the Recipe

18

Greek Pasta Salad

Love, love, love this colorful salad packed with so many amazing ingredients! One of my favorite things to bring to summer potlucks.

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19

Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas and Parmesan

Pesto is one of the tastiest flavors of summer, and this pasta salad is loaded with pesto and Parmesan. So yummy! Add halved cherry tomatoes for a delicious pop of color and juiciness.

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20

Tri-Color Pasta Salad

One of the longest standing pasta salad recipes on my site and probably the one I make the most! I love the colorful presentation, but it is the flavors that really shine in this one.

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21

Mexican Street Corn Salad

This is such an easy summer salad to make, and people always go crazy for it! Serve it warm, room temp, or chilled. Really delicious!

Get the Recipe

22

Summer Corn Salad

This unassuming salad makes the best use of fresh summer corn. I love the light, fresh flavors in this one!

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23

Easy Cowboy Caviar

Not to play favorites, but if there is an iconic salad/appetizer to serve during the warm summer months, I think it would be this cowboy caviar. It's literally so easy (dump everything in a bowl), and absolutely tasty with tortilla chips.

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24

Best Veggie Dip on the Planet

Everyone needs a go-to ranch-y, zesty veggie dip, and this is mine! It's so good on fresh vegetables…and tasty on those thick, ridged potato chips, too.

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25

Loaded Fresh Basil and Sweet Corn Couscous Green Salad

You have to make this salad. Promise me, okay? It is absolutely incredible. Definitely one of the tastiest salads I've ever had and an absolute must-make with summer's fresh corn.

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26

Avocado Chicken Salad

I love this easy salad to throw together for a simple summer dinner or lunch. And it makes a great addition to a get-together outdoor cookout. It is fantastic served with tortilla chips or baguette slices.

Get the Recipe

27

Amazing Romaine Salad with Light Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

This is the green salad I turn to most when I need an easy salad offering that is a showstopper in deliciousness!

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28

The Best Broccoli Salad

Moment of silence for this best-ever broccoli salad. It is INCREDIBLE. I love making it in the summer, but it also appears at a lot of holiday meals, too!

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29

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

This recipe has a very strong, avid following for a reason. A few simple ingredients transform fruit salad into something really special.

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30

Easy 7-Layer Greek Hummus Dip

This layered hummus dip is so fun to make, serve, and eat! We love serving it with thick, crispy (or soft) pita chips.

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31

Easy Creamy Watermelon Dip

Creamy and zesty, this dip is so good with watermelon…but it makes a fantastic dip for other fruits too, like strawberries, grapes and melons.

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32

Hot Bean Dip

This bean dip is so, so yummy, and a delicious addition to any summer menu lineup.

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33

Bacon Jalapeño Popper Dip

Ok, playing favorites again. This creamy, cheesy dip is so good I could cry. It's one of my sons absolute favorite recipes from my whole site! Delicious served with bread, chips or veggies.

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34

Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

This fresh fruit salsa is so pretty and so tasty! I love serving it with cinnamon-baked tortilla pieces. Such a fun dish to serve in the summer!

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35

Divine One-Minute Salsa

Whip up this easy salsa in no time! It has restaurant-salsa vibes and has such great flavor.

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36

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip

Creamy sweet peanut buttery dip? I'm totally down for that! This PB cookie dough dip is really good with pretzels, graham crackers or other little cookie, crackery type dippables.

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37

Easy Oreo Ice Cream Dessert

This brilliant dessert is crazy delicious and can be changed up a million ways with different types of ice cream and cookies!

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38

Perfect Oreo Rice Krispie Treats

I love a good no-bake dessert in the summer and these Oreo rice krispie treats are so easy to make and so, so yummy!

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39

Browned Butter Vanilla Rice Krispie Treats

This is my go-to for classic rice krispie treats. The brown butter is such an easy addition and makes all the difference. SO GOOD!

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40

Butterscotch Rice Krispie Treats

If you haven't made these butterscotch rice krispie treats, you are missing out. They are next-level delicious!

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41

Swig Sugar Cookies {Copycat Recipe}

These cookies are iconic for the summer and can be changed up with different colors of frosting and sprinkles depending on your mood or the holiday!

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42

Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies

If you are looking for a fantastic lemon sugar cookie, this one is crazy popular and so, so delicious. They freeze great, too!

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43

S’Mores Blossom Cookies

Have you made these s'mores blossom cookies? So incredibly cute and WOW, they are so, so delicious.

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44

No-Bake Peaches and Cream Sensation

I know many of you wait for peach season just to make this dessert! It has a viral following (including myself!). One of the most incredible desserts you'll make this summer.

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45

Key Lime White Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

Ooooh, yum. Delicious lime flavors in a creamy cheesecake pie. This dessert is so light and fresh and yummy!

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46

Key Lime Bars

These little key lime bars are one of the oldest recipes on my site, and I still make them after all this time! They are bite-size and so, so delicious.

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47

Magnolia Lemon Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

This simple lemon pie will blow you away with how delicious it is! I love serving it with a bit of whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

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48

Lemon White Chocolate Cream Bars

A fun take on lemon bars, this version is ultra-creamy with the brightest pop of lemon flavor on top. Plus, you just can't go wrong with a buttery graham crust.

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49

Heavenly Blueberries and Cream Angel Dessert

This epic creamy summer dessert is one of the most popular dessert recipes on my website and has been for years. It is PERFECT for summer months and backyard BBQs.

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50

Heavenly Raspberry Cream Angel Food Cake Dessert

Yes! A raspberry version of the famous blueberry dessert. This one is so good with the addition of lemon curd dolloped in with the raspberry filling.

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51

Pink Tropical Raspberry Sorbet

How fun is this icy, creamy dessert? It is really easy to make and is delicious served in small bowls…and ultra-fun served in glasses topped off with fizzy ginger ale.

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52

Easy Homemade Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

You won't believe how easy this frozen yogurt is to make with so few ingredients. It's one of our favorite things to whip up during the summer!

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53

Chocolate-Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

You just can't go wrong with ice cream sandwiches, and this mint chip version is so yummy!

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54

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie

Creamy, bright, and lemony, this frozen lemonade pie is so great for warm months and can be made days ahead of time!

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55

Homemade Lemonade

So simple and delicious! If serving this with fresh lemon slices, add them right before serving (if they are added too far in advance, it can make the lemonade bitter-tasting).

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56

The Best Party Punch

This lovely and delish party punch is so perfect to serve for summer get-togethers and backyard BBQs. Fresh fruit optional but really pretty!

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57

Frozen Mint Lemonade Slush

Ah, we love this gingery, fizzy, frozen slushie. So easy and fun to make in the summer!

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58

Lava Flow Hawaiian Tropical Drink {Non-Alcoholic}

I've been making this pretty, fun drink for my kids for almost 20 years! It's a favorite in the summer and such a hit with just my family or if we have friends over.

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59

Whipped Frosted Lemonade

You can have this whipped frosted lemonade ready to enjoy in just a few quick minutes. It's a fun one to make any time of the year, but especially in the summer!

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The post 50+ Best Recipes For Summer Holidays and BBQs appeared first on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.