After publishing my Summer Bucket List on Tuesday, I had a small panic attack that we are halfway through June and I hadn’t checked off a single thing on it. My theory that putting our hopes and goals into the universe is proving true because instead of spending my time on responsible things like work or cooking myself a proper breakfast, I’ve been scanning state park websites for campsite availability, calling locals farms to see when strawberries will be available for picking, and ordering straw hats....

Rich, Parmesan-topped, and peppered with fresh herbs, these luscious, creamy mashed potatoes are the stuff of meal legend. Serve them at a gathering, and prepare to have your family request this exact recipe on repeat! You will be the Mashed Potato Queen/King, an honorable title indeed. Similar to my feelings about Homemade Scalloped Potatoes, until I started making these particular mashed potatoes, they were my least favorite site at a holiday feast (blasphemy, I know!...

This Lemon Poke Cake and I have spent sweet quality time together over the years. Since I was tall enough to hover over the counter, I have the fondest memories of standing in my grandma’s kitchen, using a butter knife to cut sliver after sliver of this lemon burst poke cake right out of the pan. I’d pop each directly into my mouth and go back for another, until she’d finally make me sit down with a proper slice (which she would insist on pairing with Ovaltine, because nutrients!...

If the ingredient combo in this mushroom taco filling sounds odd, that is because the first time I made them, I was in the process of trying to use up every possible odd and end in the refrigerator to clear space for a giant grocery trip I was preparing to make the next day. The refrigerator in our new house is smaller than a standard size, so it happens frequently....

My sisters live in Kansas City, and whenever Ben and I visit, a stop for barbecue isn’t a suggestion. It’s a direct order. The competition is fierce and hotly debated between top-rated spots. Over the course of a few years, I’ve managed to try a pulled pork sandwich at every single one of them (all in the name of research of course). My absolute favorite is made by a spot that operates out of a gas station (really!...

Making the first chili of the season always feels a bit ceremonious to me. I equate chili with, well, chilly. Until the air rouses me to utter at least a mild “brrrrrr,” I feel it is my duty to summer to postpone the chili-making until I am in need of something hearty to fill my tummy and warm my bones. My ideal chili recipe is low on maintenance, high on flavor, and reasonably healthy....

They’ll keep your menu feeling traditional without being stodgy, a balance that can be hard to strike. How ironclad is your family’s Thanksgiving menu? Do you follow the exact same recipes year after year, or do you leave wiggle room for a few creative additions? Our family would mutiny, if my mom replaced her Glazed Sweet Potatoes with any other sweet potato recipe (even if it was this incredible Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole), or dared to vary from our Chestnut Stuffing....

A blend of frozen watermelon cubes, strawberries, and yogurt, with the optional addition of mint or basil if you feel so inclined, this pink drink is the grown-up equivalent of zipping down a Slip-n-Slide or drinking cold water right from the hose on the hottest day as a kid: utter exhilaration. Ever since drinking Deb’s frozen watermelon mojitos last summer, I’ve been utterly enamored with freezing leftover watermelon to make drinks, this strawberry watermelon smoothie included....

Creamy, chunky, wholesome, and bright, this Whole30 Waldorf chicken salad has been a regular in my healthy meal rotation. I originally created this recipe (which is both Paleo and Whole30 friendly) because you all loved my Whole30 Vegetarian Power Bowls (it’s the #1 healthy recipe of 2018!), and these Whole30 Meatballs and this Whole30 Salmon have been crowd favorites too. These days, I make (and remake) this everyday Paleo chicken salad because I love how it tastes, the way I feel after I eat it, and the fact that it proves you don’t need to be a gourmet chef to make nutritious meals that taste fantastic....

With just pasta, butter, a squeeze of lemon, and the vegetables you have on hand (Brussels sprouts are my darling at the moment), you can make this rich, all-in-one recipe for a spectacular meal. If you’d like to make the pasta extra special and harvest-y (because “harvest” anything always makes my heart flutter this time of year), I have easy tips to enhance the fall flavors with herbs, dried fruit, and nuts for you too....

Buffalo chicken pizza is everything that makes Buffalo chicken wings epically awesome—the juicy meat, the signature spicy sauce, the tangy blue cheese—fused with another epically awesome food: pizza. Buffalo Chicken Pizza Video If you enjoy this Buffalo chicken pizza video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Be sure to click the BELL icon so you can be the first to know when we post a new video (and thank you for subscribing!...

Traditional chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish that has numerous iterations throughout Italy and the U.S. It consists of juicy seared chicken breasts in a creamy Marsala wine sauce made with garlic, shallots, and mushrooms. As that ingredient line up might lead you to suspect, it tastes heavenly. {FYI: Marsala is a fortified wine made in Sicily, often used for cooking. It’s rich and nutty, and you can find it at almost any grocery store that sells alcohol or at liquor stores....

You can use this easy, healthy crock pot pinto beans recipe for burritos, nachos, as a healthy side dish, or anytime a recipe calls for canned pinto beans. BONUS: You can mash them to create easy slow cooker refried beans too. One recipe, so many tasty possibilities. Let’s get to it! How to Cook the Best Crock Pot Pinto Beans To give these healthy crock pot pinto beans mega flavor, this recipe begins with sautéed onion and jalapeno....

When the weather gets chilly, I turn to my plethora of healthy soup and stew recipes for inspiration. While I’ll never turn down a heaping bowl of Potato Leek Soup, 15 Bean Soup, Crock Pot Hamburger Soup, or Shrimp Corn Chowder, this healthy slow cooker potato soup is a tried-and-true classic. This recipe only takes 15 minutes to prep (!!), and then it lets the slow cooker do the work....

These squeezable pillows of honey dough are a mash-up between an ultra fluffy cinnamon bun and a New York-style crumb cake. (It’s reminiscent of my favorite Cinnamon Swirl Bread too.) Double Stuffed Cinnamon Crumb Buns are for the part of you that wants to eat the top layer off of the entire Cinnamon Swirl Yeasted Coffee Cake, then leave the sad bottom half for your kid brother. No judgment—you beat him to the pan!...

As my pantry, grocery cart for the last two weeks, and holiday baking list will attest, gingerbread is my absolute favorite holiday flavor. From these Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookies to these Gingerbread Apple Muffins, I’m a sucker for its warm spiciness and rich molasses notes. Plus, since its sweetness is well balanced, I feel completely justified having it for breakfast, particularly in the form of these healthy chocolate gingerbread muffins....

A lemon rosemary rub, picking the right kind of chop, and grilling to the correct temperature are the secrets to perfect grilled pork chops that taste nothing like the dry, hockey puck-esque chops that I dreaded as a kid (I had to do a lot of bartering for dessert on pork chop night). Due to said dry pork chop trauma, I shied away from cooking pork chops for most of my adult life....

I cannot relate to the idea of being so busy you forget to eat. Even on my most crazed days, my stomach checks in at regular intervals, and I can’t focus until I’ve met my body’s need for nourishment. The quality of the snacks is where I need to pay attention. Having healthy snacks like these homemade granola bars (or Energy Balls) on hand for immediate consumption satisfies my hunger for hours....

From thawing to oven temperature, figuring out how to best tackle your Thanksgiving turkey is quite a feat. That’s why I’ve broken every step down for you, meaning you can now begin your turkey takedown with confidence! Whether you’re preparing a modest 4-pound turkey breast or a whopping 24-pound full bird, I have tips to help you figure out when to thaw, brine, and bake your turkey. Plus, I’ve included some of my best tips and tricks for knowing when your turkey is done (spoiler alert: you’re definitely going to want one of these bad boys)....

I’ve been cooking with my Instant Pot for over a year now (this is the model I have), and while I originally embraced it a little reluctantly (really, another gadget?), now I can’t imagine my kitchen without it. I love the hands-free aspect of the Instant Pot (close the lid, walk away, then come back and the meal is cooked) and the fact that I can sauté directly in it instead of in a separate skillet, and it does an especially knockout job of cooking certain ingredients, particularly rice-based dishes like this Instant Pot Mexican Casserole....