Hi Cooking Moms, Dads & Friends,

I hope you had a great week and a wonderful 4th of July! We’ve had a house full! My mom is here visiting from Arizona. Both my kiddos came home too. I’ve been doing all I can do make their visit extra delicious but easy breezy at the same time. My mom loves shrimp salad. She also loves lemon and dill. I wanted to treat her so I got busy and created my Shrimp Salad with Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing. It’s so good! Makes a nice, light dinner or lunch. We serve it on a bed of lettuce with buttery crackers. It’s wonderful on fresh croissants too. It feels kind of fancy, like something you’d get at a little bistro. Sometimes you just gotta treat yourself! I hope you like it.

Speaking of salads, I love a good spinach salad. My Spinach Salad with Sweet and Sour Dressing is always a HUGE hit. Click Salads for some of my favorite summer salad recipes.

For dinner, we’re grilling steaks this weekend. Saturday night is steak night in our house. I make them extra yummy with a quick easy marinade. My Ginger Soy Flank Steak is so good! We love flank steak but you can use any cut of steak.

On the side, with steak it’s gotta be potatoes. My Loaded Potato Casserole is fully loaded with bacon, sour cream and cheese. I never met a potato I didn’t want loaded. LOL! I love this recipe because you can put it together a few days ahead and bake it when you’re ready. LOVE THAT! I’m all about make-aheads.

Sometimes when I’m grilling steaks I like to keep it all outside. My Cheesy Bacon Potato Packets are a WINNER! They go with whatever you are grilling’ plus no heating up the kitchen. It's the way to go, especially on a hot summer day! You can even eat them right out of the foil. No dishes to wash. REALLY LOVE THAT! Click Dinner, Casseroles and Side Dishes for more fun summer recipes your family will love.

This weekend I thought I’d make a special brunch. My Bundt Streusel Coffee Cake is a family favorite. Everybody enjoys it. Crazy easy too because it starts with a boxed yellow cake mix. Added bonus is that it makes the house smell amazing while it’s baking. What a treat to wake up to!

My Absolute Favorite Brunch Bake really is THE BEST! Have you made it? If not, you need to. Eggs, sausage, potatoes, and cheese! It’s all in there! Plus, it’s got a secret ingredient that makes it over-the-top delicious!

I toss together my fresh Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing and it’s brunch time! Maybe I’ll even make mimosas this weekend! Now, more than ever I think it’s so important to make meals feel memorable, especially on the weekends. Click Breakfast and Brunch for more great recipes.

For dessert, the berries are just beautiful right now. My Layered Blueberry Dessert is to die for. The perfect dessert to bring for potlucks!

Use those seasonal strawberries to make my no-bake Strawberry Cheesecake Trifles. So pretty, don’t you think? Super easy, too.

Click Desserts for more delicious summer recipes that will really WOW your gang.

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!

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.

The Cooking Mom Vacations!

Join The Cooking Mom in Puerto Vallarta in January 2023!

With summer in full swing, I’m sure you don’t even want to think about winter. But, now is the time to plan your escape from the cold and snow! I’ve planned the ULTIMATE winter getaway. Beat the winter blues and join me in beautiful Puerto Vallarta! It’s one of my favorite cities in Mexico. It’s got history, charm, beautiful beaches, and an incredible food scene. I took a group there last winter and it was over the top FANTASTIC! We had perfect weather with sunshine every day. Great news. We were even able to negotiate a better rate on this trip than last year. YIPPEE!

We’ll fly out January 15 and stay 7 nights at the most beautiful small boutique 4-diamond luxury resort right on the beach. This trip is also a really great value because ALL of your meals at the resort, fine wines, beer and even top shelf cocktails will be included. You’ll have the options to join me for an authentic Mexican cooking class, personalized food tours, tequila tastings and even whale watching! Or, you can just sit on the beach and relax. Either way it’s going to be fabulous! We can only take a limited number of people. Time is running out to book this trip! Click The Cooking Mom’s Culinary Trip to Puerto Vallarta to get the full itinerary and pricing information. You can also call Brittany at Bon Voyage Boutique Travel (920)725-2880 for more details or email her at brittany@bonvoyagebt.com for more details.

Join Amy on a River Cruise in France in April 2023!

Have you ever dreamed of going on a river cruise? It’s the ULTIMATE way to see Europe! Bring on lots of wine tasting, gourmet meals, fresh croissants and pastries and so much more! Join me on a river cruise through Southern France from Burgundy to Provence. In April of 2023, we’ll cruise the Rhone river on a gorgeous new boutique ship with only 150 passengers! It’s first class all the way and it’s a true ALL-INCLUSIVE river cruise, meaning all your food, drinks, and excursions are included. Gratuity too!

Plus, you’ll have the option to stay a couple days after the cruise to experience Paris. It will be spring and the blossoms will be in full bloom. It’s going to be stunning!

Great news! You can still save BIG on this one in a lifetime trip. The pay-in-full sale has just been extended through September! Click Join The Cooking Mom on a French River Cruise to get all the dates and details. This trip is going to be so wonderful. Join me! Call Brittany at Bon Voyage Boutique Travel at (920)725-2880 for more!

Planning New Trips for 2023 and 2024!

I’m so excited to be hosting AMAZING group culinary vacations! In June, I hosted a wonderful trip to gorgeous Mackinac Island for the Lilac Festival. Have you ever been? If not you need to go! Let me know if you are interested in going with me back to the island next summer. Email me at info@thecookingmom.com. In April, I hosted an incredible group trip to Ireland! Would you be interested in joining me on another trip to Ireland in the future? I’m definitely going back. Maybe to Scotland too! I’m planning my trips for 2023 and 2024 right now. Stay tuned!

I LOVE Nashville! I know all the secret spots. Let me know if you’d be interested in a trip to Nashville next spring. Email me the trips you’d be interested in at info@thecookingmom.com!

To find out more about my trips and what makes them so unique click Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom.

Gotta run. I’m cooking up another one of my favorite summer recipe on TV in Milwaukee this morning. If you live in the area, I hope you’ll watch! You can always see what I'm up to on Facebook and Instagram. Check out my food videos on YouTube, too.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Cook up some memories!

Take care,
Amy, The Cooking Mom