I love this meal. Seriously. And so does everyone else in my family. 

When Mike and I started dating, my mom would make dinner and invite him over. I actually think this is the first thing she ever made for him! As soon as he tried it, he was hooked. He even asked for the recipe to give to his Gram, so of course I've made it several times since we've been married.

There's something about peanut butter and crisp veggies that is amazingly delicious! And to have this made in only 30 minutes?? Awesome.

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

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
• vegetable oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into small pieces
• 6 green onions, washed and sliced
• 1 medium red pepper, cut into strips
• 1/4 pound snow peas, washed, ends cut off and cut in half
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

Directions:

1. Prepare spaghetti as directed on the box. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Stir-fry the chicken and green onion for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Remove the chicken and onions from the pan, leaving the oil.
3. In the same pan, heat additional oil if necessary, and stir-fry the red pepper and snow peas until tender-crisp. Remove to the bowl with the chicken.
4. In a measuring cup, combine the water, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. In the same pan over medium heat, stir together the peanut butter and soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring until smooth and well-combined. 
5. Add the drained spaghetti to the pan and stir to coat. Add the chicken and vegetables, tossing lightly until heated through. Enjoy!!

When I look for new recipes to try, I usually go with ones that have lots and lots of reviews with at least a 4 star rating. A little while back, Mike asked me to find a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. I tried the standard recipe on the oats box, and found them to be a bit dry and a little too crunchy for my taste. So, I set out to find a moist and chewy cookie! When I found this one online, the near 5-star rating with over 1,000 reviews sold me. After making this recipe about 5 times already, I know I have found the winner!

The cookie is chewy with a bit of a crunch on the outside. It's loaded with raisins and a ton of great vanilla flavor. Man, are these good!!

The day before we left for the beach, my bridesmaid, Courtney came over for a baking day! We made 1 1/2 times the recipe below so that she could have some and I could take a bunch to the beach for my family! About 4 dozen cookies later, they were gone in a few short days :) Definitely a hit!

Total Time: 45 minutes (+1 hour for chilling)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 1 hour
Baking Time: 13 minutes (about 30 minutes total)

Yield: approx. 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups oats
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions:

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. (I used my stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer.)
3. Once the wet ingredients are combined, increase the speed to high and mix for a few minutes until light in color and fluffy.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, small amounts at a time, until just combined. Don't overmix!
5. Add the oats and raisins by hand until the raisins look evenly distributed.
6. *One thing I changed from the original recipe*  Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour, until chilled. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Using 2 spoons, shape about 2 Tablespoons of dough into a slightly compact, rounded dough ball. Place 12 cookies on each sheet, about 2 inches apart. 
8. Bake 13-15 minutes, until the cookies are slightly browned but still a little bit moist on top of the cookie. (This helps them to turn out chewy!)
9. Remove from oven; allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes and then place on a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!

Source:  Food.com

I haven't posted in a while!! :( My family and I are just finishing up our lovely week at the beach! It made me think about which good seafood recipe I should post next!

I have tried salmon many times, and my mom has experimented with several salmon recipes. The problem with all of them? They were dry, dry, dry! That is definitely not the case with this amazing recipe!

Once we discovered this, we stopped our salmon search and haven't tried another one! This is definitely our go-to recipe for salmon, and everyone who has tried it loves it. It is super easy to make for a large crowd or a small dinner to impress!

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (if the sauce is made in advance, it will only take about 40 minutes!)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (45 mins. for sauce & 30 mins. for salmon--the sauce can be made a few days in advance)

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 t. minced garlic (about 1 small clove)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup white grape juice
• 1/2 c. Jack Daniel's whiskey
• 1/2 t. hot sauce
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound salmon (I like the skinless salmon--much easier for preparation!)

Directions:

1. Place the first 9 ingredients (through the hot sauce) in a medium saucepan. Stir to mix well and dissolve the sugar. Place on medium heat and stir until it boils. Turn down the until for a slow simmer.
2. Cook the sauce for 45 minutes; remove and refrigerate or use immediately.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a glass 9x13 baking dish with foil. Pour some EVOO into the dish and spread it around with your fingers, to cover the entire bottom and some of the sides.
4. Lay the salmon in the dish and pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the salmon from the oven. Flip the salmon over and spoon the sauce over the top. (I sometimes pour a little extra sauce over top if needed.) Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

If you are looking for that perfect, quick and delicious dessert to make for a party, housewarming, friend or midnight craving, then you have found it!

There's nothing like that great combination of chocolate and raspberry! Drizzle on a bit of white chocolate and you're in heaven!

Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 16 bars

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam (or go crazy and try strawberry!)
• 1 box brownie mix (I love to use the Betty Crocker 9x13 pan-sized box)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan; set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the jam over low heat, stirring occasionally until the jam is pourable.
3. Meanwhile, mix the brownie mix as directed on the box. Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared pan. Spoon the jam over the brownie, making sure to spread out the jam across the whole pan. Using a spatula, swirl the jam into the brownie batter.
4. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. (This will need slightly longer than a regular batch of brownies because of the jam.)
5. Allow to cool slightly, then drizzle the white chocolate over the brownies. Cut into 16 bars and enjoy!

Source: Giada De Laurentiis