Do you have a recipe in you arsenal that you can pull out and use as bait or a reward?  I've been making these homemade Maple Caramel Pecan Rolls for years now, and I swear, people will do tricks for them!  And for a special birthday breakfast or brunch, these are perfection!

Ooey, gooey, maple-infused caramel loaded with a boatload of chopped pecans, drizzling down over the sides of warm and fluffy cinnamon rolls.  What could be better? 

Mama's feeling a little saucy today!  And one of our family favorites that I want to share with you today is Honey Sriracha Orange Barbecue Marinade, Glaze & Sauce. 

​As a fair and blonde Norwegian growing up in Minnesota, I don't think we even knew what "Sriracha" was when I was growing up, but man-oh-man, it is one of our absolute favorites!  And this thick and sticky Honey Sriracha Orange Barbeque Marinade, Glaze & Sauce is MAGIC!  The perfect blend of sweet and spicy!

And for today's viewing and eating pleasure, let me introduce you to Blackberry Jamberry Banana Cream Cheesecake...anything this special deserves an extra special name, don't you think?

​If you love creamy, silky and fluffy banana cream pie, you are gonna fall in love with this!  And if you caught my recipe for homemade Blackberry Jam yesterday, you may have an inkling of how this is going to turn out!  Sky-high non-bake banana cream cheesecake on top of a buttery golden cookie crust...drizzled with our wonderful homemade Blackberry Jam, and then garnished with fresh banana slices and fresh blackberries.  This just screams summer! 

I'm not sure what it is about Blackberry Jam that reminds me of childhood...it just makes me happy! And now that the blackberry bushes are full of ripe fruit, and buckets of fresh blackberries are sweet, ripe and plentiful, now is the perfect time to cook some up!​

Is there ever something new that you try that becomes a family favorite, like immediately?  The first time we made this, I expected that my pineapple lovers would go crazy for it, but I think we've been making it non-stop this summer!  Never have we gone thru so many fresh pineapples before!  And my little ones keep trying to plant the pineapple "tops", hoping that they can grow their own pineapples...summer dreams!

​And to officially kick off the first day of summer, what could be better than Caramelized Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Chili Glaze?  To get started, grab a fresh ripe pineapple and your machete...

If ever there was a perfect way to start the morning, it's with some golden waffles.  And these traditional waffles are everything you love in a waffle - light, buttery and crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside!

​The secret is the cornstarch and buttermilk, with just a kiss of pure vanilla.  Perfect with whipped butter, and served with warm maple syrup, or our favorite homemade Raspberry Rhubarb Syrup in the summertime!

Father's Day is ALWAYS about a big, juicy steak for my guy.  And each year it's pretty simple - pick up some fresh Ribeye or Porterhouse steaks, thick and beautifully marbled.  Easy, right?

So I arrived at Costco five minutes before they opened today, and there were a hundred people waiting in line for the doors to open.  I kid you not!  You would have thought it was the day before Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter!  Little did I know what was waiting for me!

If you love Panera's Strawberry Poppyseed Salad, you are going to LOVE this pasta salad as well!  I have to confess, the first time I heard about mixing chopped lettuce with pasta in a salad I was a little skeptical, but man-oh-man, this fresh salad is just BURSTING with texture and flavor!

All the best flavors, loaded up with juicy fresh summer strawberries and blueberries, salty pistachios or almonds, and chunks of creamy avocado, with some flavorful feta cheese crumbled on top just because - and drizzled with a sweet and tangy poppyseed dressing.  The flavor just explodes in your mouth!

Welcome to our hot and sunny summer!  Are you as ready for these lazy days of summer as I am?  Before it gets too hot and tropical, I wanted to whip up a batch of these family-favorites - Fresh Berry Pavlovas!  With the red, white and blue, these are just perfect for all of our patriotic summer holidays - Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day! 

These are so pretty that you'd think they are hard to prepare - but you can do everything ahead of time, on your own lazy schedule, and then just pull it all together for a fabulous surprise!  Fresh, fancy and fun! 

I just love the Mexican Fiesta theme for our surprise party...and it is so much making easy and delicious recipes that I know that EVERYONE will love!  Chipotle Chicken has always been a favorite - perfectly seared and moist chicken, full of flavor and spice! 

​Perfect for tacos, burritos, enchiladas and even on salads!  (And truth be told, we even had some stuffed in breakfast burritos the day after the big event.)

Super chunky, super sweet, perfectly spicy, and served with blue corn chips?  Perfectly pretty!  When we're having a party with LOTS of people, I like to serve up a variety of salsas - this Mama is just trying to keep everyone happy!  And while a lot of fruit salsas tend to be on the sweeter side, this little number packs a little spicy punch of unexpected OHMYGOSHTHATISSOGOOD!

​We love our Mango Salsa with tortilla chips, on top of salads, fish or chicken.  It's also wickedly good on top of a fresh Hawaiian burger!

It's not just for Taco Tuesdays!  This is our favorite homemade taco seasoning - fresh from scratch!  So much more flavor than pre-packaged mixes and with no preservatives!  I usually make up double batches of this just to have on hand for last minute taco or burrito dinners.

Is there anything out there that is better than a bowl of fresh guacamole with a side of tortilla chips & salsa, alongside a cold beer or icy margarita?  I think not!

​Always a crowd favorite - and whether you like it with or without tomatoes, sweetened up with some fresh mango, or perhaps jazzed up with some crispy-bacon tossed in, one of our favorite ways to enjoy this is just plain and simple!  All you need are some fresh tortilla chips (or even some toast) and you're ready to roll!

Shhhhhhh!  I can finally let you in on our little surprise!  We've been planning a surprise 16th Birthday Party for my sweet son, so it's been a couple of weeks of hushed secrets and planning - and it was a great success!  We've all been running around like crazy for a week getting things ready, and Skipper took him on a road trip for the day so that we could get everything decorated and the food prepared.   I couldn't have done it without Katie, Kelsey, Cole and Denise - the best of the best high energy planners and secret keepers!

​What do you do with a big group of teenagers?  It's gotta be a FIESTA and a roaring campfire!  We lucked out with a picture-perfect night, and the menu was a huge hit with this group of teens.  For everyone that asked, I'll be sharing and re-posting their favorite recipes tomorrow:

​Traditional Beef Tacos & Burritos
Chipotle Chicken Tacos & Burritos
Chipotle Grilled Peppers & Onions
Mexican Rice
​Chipotle Cilantro-Lime Rice
Creamy Mexican Street Corn
​Guacamole
​Fire Roasted Salsa with Tortilla Chips
​Mango Salsa with Blue Corn Chips
​Campfire Birthday Cake
​Campfire S'Mores