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When summer comes around, we are pretty much always outside, especially on the weekends. Because we live right in the middle of our small little town, that means that everyone that is driving around can see us. Now, that’s kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time. If we want people to come over, they know that we are outside and ready for company. Sometimes we are outside and not necessarily ready for company though. That means that we have a lot of unexpected visitors stop by. Now, they are always welcome, we are just not always ready.

A lot of times the people that will come by without notice are the ones we actually want to see the most. The ones that don’t come over all the time. So, when they do stop, we want to make their visit comfortable and make sure they hang out for a while.

Food is a surefire way to make sure that happens I have discovered. When I found this recipe for a bacon salsa dip done in 10 minutes, I knew it was going in my recipe book for just such occasions.

Recipe courtesy of Group Recipes. Photo credits go to C.Milli.com

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Quick Tip: Use a hot salsa for a spicier dish.

It was the end of the school year, so we were traveling a few hours away to stay with my sister and her family for a few hours. It was the only time that our kids had to be with one another, except for the few moments that they catch here and there during the holidays. I grew up with my cousins living very close to me, so I cherish those moments we had together. I want my kids to experience as close to the same thing as that as possible. So, we make the drive once in a while. When we got there, I knew my kids were going to be starving. I called my sister before arriving and asked her if I should stop and grab them something to eat.

It wasn’t lunch time, and it wasn’t quite dinner time yet either so I knew we would be stuck in the middle. She told me not to worry that she had a snack already going for everyone and that we were all going to love it.

She’s a pretty awesome cook so I trusted her and we pulled in just a few minutes later. After everyone settled down, we went in and saw this bubble pizza ring that she had made. It looked just like this recipe from Group Recipes. I couldn’t wait to dive in!

Recipe courtesy of Group Recipes. Photo credits go to Kitchen Buddies.

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Quick Tip: Stuff full of all your favorite pizza toppings.

What’s more exciting than getting to gobble up a yummy dessert that you made with your own two hands?

Not much! You are going to be head over heels for this delicious Kentucky Butter Crunch Cake. The flavors are a mishmash of excellence and haven. If you ask me, that’s quite the combination! I made this lovely cake the other day for my husband and kids and they devoured it like hungry hippos! I had to hide the over half of the cake so they wouldn’t eat too much.

Seriously, folks, this cake is all that is right with the world. It is creamy, dreamy, and delicious. You will love the crunch on the top as the texture is to die for.

And get this, the cake is EASY to make! There isn’t any fancy footwork going on up in here! No siree! You can start this cake in the mid-morning and have it ready by dinnertime.

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Quick Tip: This cake is excellent for potlucks and group gatherings.

When I was growing up at home, I was always amazed at how my mom could be out of the house for nine or ten hours at her job, and then she would come home and cook for five people just like it was nothing. I kind of chalked it up to experience, but when I got older and started watching her in the kitchen, I realized that a lot of her meals were a lot easier to make than what I thought. They always tasted so great, I just assumed that they were hard to prepare. Her enchilada casserole was a regular on our table. It was just like this recipe from Group Recipes.

Sometimes she would make it even easier and leave out some of the ingredients. There really wasn’t a ton of difference to noticed. Like if she didn’t have a green pepper for instance, she would just make it without.

This is one of those that you can just kind of toss together with what you have and the flavor is still going to be spot on. I love making this for my kids now, and they love eating it!

Recipe courtesy of Group Recipes. Photo credits go to No Ordinary Homestead.

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Quick Tip: Swap out the ground beef for chicken or even steak.

If there’s one food that I could make for every single meal without hearing any complaints it’s mashed potatoes. With or without gravy. Doesn’t matter. Everyone in my house really enjoys them and they always get eaten up, even if it’s a day or so later. I always seem to go a little overboard when I’m peeling potatoes. Mainly because I never know how many everyone is going to want to eat. Sometimes we empty the bowl, other times there is quite a bit leftover. When we have leftovers, I have started making these scrumptious loaded mashed potato cakes that I found on Spend With Pennies. Of course mashed potatoes are good as is, but these are amazing.

There are so many different things that you can do with them, they never taste like the same cakes twice. The first time I made them following the recipe exactly as it was written, and the only thing I would have changed was making more! These went flying off the plate so fast I barely got a chance to eat one.

You don’t have to wait for leftover mashed potatoes either. I will make some just so that we can have these. You can also use those already prepared mashed potatoes in the refrigerator section at the supermarket if you really want to save some time.

Recipe courtesy of Spend With Pennies. Photo credits go to Mom, What’s For Dinner?

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Quick Tip: Try adding in some stuffing… delicious!

We were having some family over for a holiday BBQ. I love those kinds of events. Everyone gets to sit outside, relax, enjoy the sunshine, and forget about other responsibilities for just a few hours. I love to be the hostess too, so I always open up my house to everyone and anyone that wants to come. Whenever I can, I try out new recipes to see if anything can be added to not only the party menus, but also our every day meals that the husband, kids, and I eat. These bacon wrapped green beans quickly got added to both when I made them at that BBQ. They not only looked cool, they were amazing tasting.

Something about that brown sugar glaze just makes these really stand out on the plate. They look kind of like something you would find in a restaurant too, making them irresistible for people when they are filling up their plates.

I whipped together a double batch of these following the ingredients that I found on Spend With Pennies. They were completely gone by the end of the meal. I was hoping for leftovers… but to see them gone was satisfying too!

Recipe courtesy of Spend With Pennies. Photo credits go to Relative Taste.

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Quick Tip: You can also do this with asparagus.

Since the beginning of time, I think it’s safe to say that we have been eating pasta salads at our BBQs, family reunions, weddings, birthday parties, or just about any other sort of gathering where there is a meal being served. Tuna macaroni salad is one of the super easy and really affordable salads that you always find in the buffet line. Some of them are really good, others I could live without. It’s usually a pretty safe bet that it’s a least going to be edible. There have been a few that I’ve had to toss out under my napkin, but that doesn’t happen very often.

Now that I have this recipe from Spend With Pennies, I can guarantee that I won’t be throwing any tuna salad away. This is by far the best that I’ve ever made or tasted. I like the sweet and tangy mixture of the pickles and relish and what it does to boost the flavor of the tuna fish.

Another thing that’s nice about this is that it looks just a touch fancier than traditional tuna salad, making it great for dinner parties and other events where you are trying to impress. It always works for me!

Recipe courtesy of Spend With Pennies. Photo credits go to FoodBlogs beta.

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Quick Tip: Use any pasta shape that you like.