When my sister and I were younger, we used to play outside for hours! We always knew that there would be a giant Kool-Aid man pitcher filled with lemonade waiting for us when we came inside. As much as I loved the powdered lemonade mix, I wanted to find something that had less preservatives and artificial sweeteners/flavors. This recipe for freshly squeezed lemonade is to die for.

If you have leftover strawberries from my Strawberry Chicken Salad, pulverize in a blender until smooth, and add about a Tablespoon of strawberry puree to a glass of lemonade. If that doesn't scream summer, I don't know what does!

Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours

Yield: about 2 quarts

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 8 cups water, divided
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Set aside to cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge until cold.
2. In a pitcher, combine lemon juice and chilled syrup. Stir in remaining 7 cups water. Chill in fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

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I love summer. First of all, school is out! Yay!!

Second of all, it's strawberry season, and third of all, it's almost peach season!

But let's not skip through the delicious strawberry season. My father-in-law came over for dinner one night and I just happened to be making this for the first time this season. I was thinking he was going to roll his eyes until I remembered how much he likes Panera's "froo froo" salads, as he calls them. Apparently, this is even better than a Panera salad :) 

I modified this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything to include some of my favorite salad ingredients: strawberry jam dressing, strawberries, chow mein noodles, honey roasted spinach, and grilled chicken atop a bed of romaine and spinach. Feel free to experiment with your own salad combinations and share your favorite ideas!

Total Time: 30 minutes

​Ingredients:

• Romaine hearts
• Baby spinach
• Chow mein noodles
• Honey roasted peanuts
• 1 pound strawberries, sliced
• 1 pound chicken tenders

• Dressing:
  • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam, regular or seedless

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth and well combined. You may refrigerate if made ahead (it will get a little stiff in the fridge, so you may want to set it out about 10 minutes early to come to room temp.)
2. You may prepare your chicken however you'd like but I have two ways that I like to prepare the chicken for this salad:
   1. Option 1: Marinate the chicken in Italian dressing for about 30 minutes and grill over medium heat. Turn chicken over to the other side and continue grilling until cooked through.
   2. Option 2: Sprinkle chicken tenders with salt and pepper and place in a skillet with a Tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cook over medium-low heat and turn halfway through. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.
3. When ready to serve, toss together the strawberries, romaine and spinach, peanuts, and noodles. Slice the chicken into thin strips and place on top. Drizzle with the delicious strawberry jam dressing and enjoy!

​
Source: Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

I found it. The perfect dessert that will make my husband happy since he loves brownies and make me happy because I get to make something more than just brownies :)

I was so privileged to present a session at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association's annual in-service conference in Hershey this year, with one of my biggest role models from college! My professor and I presented a session called What to Expect as a First-Year Teacher, and we had over 60 attendees! I couldn't have asked for a better first presentation as a teacher and professional speaker.

Since I was going to be away from my husband for 4 days and eating as much Hershey's chocolate as I possibly could, I thought that I would make him a special Hershey's treat. Mike is obsessed with all things chocolate and peanut butter, so this definitely hit his sweet tooth!

The best part is that these are amazingly simple. I always have these ingredients on hand - just in case I need to suck up for any reason ;)

Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes

Yield: about 30 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 box brownie mix (I love the Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 30 Reese's peanut butter cup miniatures, unwrapped
• 30 cupcake wrappers with foil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare brownie mix as directed on box. On a large baking sheet, place cupcake wrappers.
3. Fill wrappers about 2/3 full with brownie mix. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.
4. Place a peanut butter cup in the middle of each brownie. Bake for another 9 minutes, or until the brownies are set.
5. Enjoy!

Sometimes I get home from work and think...well...what do I make for dinner?
So I searched my pantry the other day, and let's just say I have a lot of random stuff in there; and lots of doubles! I don't always know if I have an ingredient at home, so I just get another one...thus resulting in 3 salsas and 4 peanut butters. I wish I were kidding.

But don't worry! This recipe does not include salsa and peanut butter. That would be terrifying. Unless you actually have a recipe that uses both ingredients.
In that case, please send it to me :)

However, I felt like playing Chopped the other day by searching my pantry and making myself prepare a meal with whatever I had on hand. I had canned pineapple chunks, lots of teriyaki sauce, chicken tenders, and panko. Sounds pretty good right? This turned out to be one of my new favorite meals, and it can be made in under 30 minutes! Even my husband requested it again ;)

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, in juice
• 2 Tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 pound chicken tenders
• 1 cup plain panko crumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. To make the sauce, combine pineapple chunks and juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, and garlic powder in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Cook to thicken the sauce as you prepare the chicken.
2. In a shallow bowl, combine panko and salt. In another shallow bowl, add the egg and whisk gently. Pour 2 Tablespoons olive oil into a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat.
3. To bread, dip the chicken tenders in egg and then panko. You may have to press the chicken into the panko to get it to stick. Add the coated chicken to the pan and cook about 5 minutes per side, until golden brown. (If the breading starts to get a little too dark, turn the heat down to medium-low. My nonstick pan has a lower heat level than my All-Clad.)
4. As the chicken is cooking, stir the water into the sauce and allow to thicken.
5. When the chicken is finished cooking, you are ready to eat! I love to serve the chicken with a side of white or brown rice and broccoli. Pour the sauce over your chicken and rice and you have a delicious meal!! Enjoy!

Source: All Recipes