Hi Cooking Moms, Dads & Friends,

Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week. I can’t believe it’s August already! It’s my mom’s birthday this weekend. She lives in Arizona and has been visiting us in Wisconsin for the last few weeks. It’s been so fun to have her here. I’m planning a special birthday dinner to celebrate.

I’m excited to go to the farmer’s market this weekend. The cucumbers are finally here. Those little pickling cucumbers are my FAVE! They are so crunchy and full of flavor. I love serving fresh sliced cucumbers, bright colored peppers and sugar snap peas with my homemade Dill Dip. It’s the BEST EVER veggie dip. Super quick and easy too! You just gotta try it! Click Appetizers for more of my favorite summer dips and appetizer recipes.

Speaking of cukes, I’m hoping to buy a bucket this weekend so I can make pickles. I LOVE homemade pickles! But, I’m not a big fan of canning them. It’s a lot of work. I have a short cut! My Quick Fridge Pickles are the way to go. You can have fresh pickles in a couple of hours. These are so crazy easy and so good! Everybody loves them and they stay nice and crisp. LOVE THAT!

I pile the pickles on my Super Easy Pulled Pork Sandwiches! SO YUMMY!

They are great on my Sloppy Joes for a Crowd too. Click Sandwiches and Slow Cooker for more super good sandwich recipes.

Summer is all about a good salad! My Best Ever Layered Salad is my mom's favorite. It was a recipe passed down from my grandmother. It’s always a hit. I love that you can make it ahead. Perfect for potlucks and backyard BBQ’s.

My mom loves chicken. This weekend I’m going to make to my summer go-to. She loves my Chicken and Veggie Kabobs. They are seriously good! Healthy too! Great way to use up all those garden veggies. I load them up with bright colorful chunks of peppers, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. The two-ingredient marinade is the secret that makes these so tasty! I even make extra sauce and heat it for dipping the chicken and veggies. I’m getting excited just thinking about these! They look so pretty piled on a platter. Nobody needs to know how easy they are. I also love that you can make them ahead! They are delicious served over wild rice or my Mushroom Couscous.

Speaking of chicken, I may have to WOW my mom with my Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts. They seem so fancy but they are actually super simple to assemble. So yummy and perfect for an elegant dinner in! On the side, pick up some potatoes and bake up my easy breezy Parmesan Potato Gratin. Now that’s one delicious birthday dinner! Click Dinner, Nice ’n Lite and Casseroles for more super good summer recipes.

For dessert it’s gotta be chocolate for my mom. My Death By Chocolate Cake is loaded with chocolate. It’s so good! I bake it in a bundt pan and when I serve it I fill the center with fresh berries. So pretty! Delicious with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

No time to bake? Pick up brownies from the store or bakery and make my Chocolate Raspberry Trifles. So cute layered in pretty wine glasses! Click Desserts for more delicious summer sweets recipes.

Let’s Travel Together in 2022! Join me for Vacations of a Lifetime!

Have you heard I'm hosting culinary vacations? I’ve got 3 amazing trips planned for 2022! My trips are different from the rest. We’ll stay in the very best hotels and go in search of delicious food. We’ll even take cooking classes! My trips are a stress free fun way to travel! To find out why my trips are so special check out my blog post by clicking on Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom.

Escape Winter and Join me in Puerto Vallarta in January 2022!

Let’s beat the winter blues and spend a week in one of my favorite cities, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! This is gonna be one heck of a trip! We’ve got a SUPER FUN group going. Join us! We’ll stay in a small (just 70 rooms), 4-diamond luxury beach front resort. All of your gourmet food and wine and top shelf cocktails at the resort are included! We’ll also join local foodies in search of Puerto Vallarta’s freshly made warm tortillas, the ultimate street tacos, tamales, amazing fresh seafood, and fabulous cocktails too. It will be whale watching season during this trip. We are currently offering a discount of $140 per person! Call Brittany at Bon Voyage Boutique Travel TODAY to take advantage of this offer 920-725-2880. Click Join The Cooking Mom in Puerto Vallarta to see pictures and get lots more details.

Ireland in April 2022

I’ve always dreamed of going to Ireland! Let’s experience it together! This trip is booking up. From Irish cooking classes, to scone baking, whiskey tasting, a VIP tour of Guinness, and so much more. We’ll do it all. We’ll even stay in a real castle outside of Dublin! I can only take a small group so get your reservation in soon! Click Join The Cooking Mom in Ireland to read more about this trip and find out how to reserve your spot!

Wait List for Italy in September of 2022!

My trip to Tuscany in September of 2022 is sold out. Call Brittany at Bon Voyage Boutique Travel 920-725-2880 or email her at brittany@bonvoyagebt.com if you would like to be on the wait list in case we have any last minute openings.

To find why my trips are so special check out my blog post by clicking on Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom.

We also want to know where you want to go! We are starting to plan now for my culinary vacations in 2023! Would you be interested in joining me on Mackinac Island next summer? What about France? A river cruise through Europe? Greece? Scotland? Closer to home eating our way around New Orleans? Wine Tasting in Napa or Oregon? These are all on my bucket list! What about yours? Email me the trips you’d be interested in at info@thecookingmom.com!

Order Amy's Cookbooks!

If you like my recipes, I think you will love my cookbooks. Both of my cookbooks are full color, and each is filled with nearly 200 unique recipes. Lots of secrets, tips and fun stories, too! Click Amy's Books on Amazon to order.

Please Invite Me!

Now that life is getting back to normal, I’m excited to start doing live cooking demos again! I'd love to come to your town and meet you! Tell your library about me. I’ll come do a cooking demo for your company or event too. Click Hire Amy for more ideas for how we can spend time together!

I hope you have a great weekend. Gotta run! You can always see what I'm up to on Instagram. Follow me! I'm also on Facebook and Twitter. Check out my videos on YouTube, too.

Cook up some memories!

Take care,
Amy, The Cooking Mom