Rich and decadent meets quick, cheap, and easy in this classic creamy Spaghetti Carbonara.  I have a controversial opinion, I think spaghetti carbonara is like the fried rice of Italian food. It’s cheap and filling. It’s super quick and easy. And it just takes a handful of ingredients to make it amazing. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite versions of this classic pasta dish. What does carbonara even mean? The word carbonara is used to describe a sauce made…

Soft and fluffy banana cupcakes capture everything you love about banana bread and then take it over the top with the addition of creamy and smooth peanut butter frosting. Peanut butter plus banana is one of my favorite peanut butter combinations!  You wanna know the problem with bananas and food blogging? It’s a vicious circle. You use the ripe bananas in your recipes, but then need to buy a few more bananas that are pretty for the pictures which then…

Italian Pinwheels have all the big bold flavors of a BMT sub sandwich in an easy to make, fun to eat roll-up! These addictive little appetizers have all the ingredients and flavor of my favorite sub sandwich, the BMT. Fun fact: Did you know that BMT stands for the biggest, meatiest, tastiest? These easy to make roll-ups are loaded with hard salami, pepperoni, ham, and Italian cheeses. A cheesy spread with cream cheese and mayo is the glue that holds…

Take leftovers to the next level with these BBQ Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. Hearty baked sweet potatoes are stuffed with shredded bbq and topped with coleslaw for an easy, healthy and filling main dish that comes together in less than 15 minutes! My father in law loves to smoke meat and we love being the recipient of his efforts. The only problem we run into is not being able to eat all of it! Unfortunately my kids are super picky about…

Fresh blackberries are the star player in this sweet, tangy and smoky homemade blackberry bbq sauce! Slather this barbecue sauce on smoked ribs, pork chops, or chicken for a simple and flavorful combination that screams country summer days. One thing you might not know about me is that I’m a pretty outdoorsy kind of gal. I love hiking and foraging for morel mushrooms, wild black raspberries, blackberries or any other fruit that you can find in the rural Midwest. I…

Creamy dreamy Lemon Feta Dip is bright and lemony, cheesy and zippy with a hint of red pepper spice. It’s perfect for dipping pita chips and crudites. This recipe truly was a happy accident. I have a habit of buying in bulk when fresh fruits and vegetables are on sale and this creamy dip was the result of a bowl full of lemons and avocados that I experimented with. Cheese lovers, this is not your typical cheese dip. Feta cheese…