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A simple ingredient that jazzes up this classic picnic side dish like nobody’s business.

Most of us love potato salad. This picnic side dish is about as American as you can get (besides apple pie!) when it comes to good old fashioned BBQ food. Whenever I am at a backyard picnic, I often head right for the potato salad before anything else. I even walk right on by the hot dogs! I was thinking of ways that I could jazz up my potato salad a bit. You, know, add a few ingredients that might put a different spin on the flavor and texture.

That’s when I came across this recipe. Bacon makes a crazy good addition to anything, but especially in potato salad. I enjoy using maple bacon in mine because the smoky-sweet flavor gives my spuds the kick of flavor that they need.

Speaking of maple bacon…I recently placed an order with a friend who sells Tastefully Simple products and they have a phenomenal maple bacon seasoning shaker. So good!

Recipe courtesy of All Recipes.

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Quick Tip: Black peppered bacon works really well in this recipe, also.

I love slow cooker recipes and here’s another great one!  This Crock-Pot Chicken and Black Bean Soup is great for summer eating but sure to warm you up any time of year. I know I will be making this all the time during the cold and windy fall weeks!

Sometimes, a nice bowl of soup with something simple on the side is just what you need. And sometimes, you just want to be able to dump a bunch of ingredients in a pot and do your own thing for a while.  This was a really nice recipe, with a nice splash of festive color, for enjoying the waning days of summer, particularly on a rumbly day such as this one.

Recipe and photo courtesy of  The Idea Room.

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Quick tip: Make a double batch because this soup only gets better the next day!

I love cakes and enjoy my frozen treats, too!  This Frozen Strawberry Crumble Cake recipe offers the best of both worlds.  It’s easy, too:  Just 20 minutes of prep, then let the freezer work its magic, and voila!  My favorite kind of recipe – super delicious and doesn’t take much effort to put together.

Unless you were totally sugar-restricted as a child, you probably have some fond memories of eating a fruity popsicle or two.  I know I do, and those strawberry ones were one of my favorites.  I also developed a love for cheesecake at a very early age…something about that crumbly crust and smooth, creamy inside just really did it for me.  This recipe deliciously combines the greatness of both these delicious sweets, and it is so refreshing to eat on a hot summer day.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Tablespoon

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Quick tip: Make this ahead and leave it in the freezer until you have guests coming over!

Fried food really doesn’t have to be unhealthy.  These Pan-Fried Zucchini Fritters are cooked in olive oil, giving you great flavor with low carbs, a good helping of the “good fat,” and little or none of the bad.  You can make a nice batch in about 20 minutes.  It’s great for a family snack and a tasty choice for your next picnic or tailgate party.

Once the rain finally ended and the sun showed itself today, I felt inspired and wanted to find a nice, summery snack to enjoy and share with all of you.  I remembered reading about a lot of culinary enthusiasts looking for different things to do with all of the zucchini that their home-garden “Beasts” were producing this time of year, and this recipe just seemed perfect.  Oh, and remember that Wild Southwest Dip that I told you about recently?  It turns out that it and these zucchini fritters go wonderfully well together.

Recipe adapted by 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: If you’re not a big fan of dill, use your favorite fresh herbs instead!

Want a filling meal for summer but don’t want to spend loads of time by a running stove after you have spent all day dodging the summer heat?  Consider making this Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad.  Put it together in under half an hour, with little stove heat required (just enough to cook a pound of cut-up skinless boneless chicken).  It makes a bunch and is great for a summer picnic or for those early football tailgates, when it is still rather warm outside.

There is plenty to love about good summer cooking.  After a while, though, you can get a little tired of standing by a hot oven or stove (or by a grill in the summer heat).  If you need something to cool you off a bit, a good cold salad does the job well.  (If you are looking for a main course, that is.  I love a bit of ice cream now and then, as I am sure y’all do.)  This recipe takes the basic pasta salad idea and kicks it up a notch, Southwestern-style.  It makes a bunch and is addictively tasty, so be warned!

Original recipe courtesy of Six Sisters’ Stuff

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Quick tip: This dish will taste even better the next day, so make sure you’ll have enough for leftovers!