Jolene's Recipe Journal

Meal planning used to be a no brainer for me.   Lately, changes to our schedules, weather, and general lack of inspiration have all been affecting my ability to plan.   My usual MO is to check out what I've got pinned or in my "On-Deck" folder, then I think about what I've got on hand, or if a trip to the store is needed.    Sometimes, I get my kick in the pants based on the "Food Holidays" calendar.

About halfway through summer, and the guys have been getting bored with my usual hotdog/brat/kielbasa presentations.    I've had some Jack Daniels in the fridge for a while, so I decided to give Taste of Home's Bourbon Brat Skewers recipe a try.   

My husband doesn't like zucchini.  He tells me so all the time.   My son at one time also did not like zucchini.   Did I let this stop me from trying a variety of amazing zucchini recipes? Nope.   I just got sneaky with it.  

It's blueberry time here in New Hampshire, one of my favorite times of the year.   It's also one of the hottest times of the year!  We've been on either side of 90 degrees for what seems like weeks now.   Usually I don't run the oven in the summer, but I had a large pile of zucchini and this recipe printed and calling to me.   I cranked the AC and got to work.

My cake mix and Jello addictions are well documented.   I just can't resist a new fun flavor.   As a result, my pantry runneth over and I've been trying to clear them out.   I normally don't bake much when it's hot, but today I decided to crank the AC and churn out some goodies.

  Ah, summer.   Trips to the farm and long days by the pool.   Temps have been hovering around the 90s here in New England for a few days.  I went searching for side dishes that could be prepared ahead and wouldn't heat up the house a ton.  I found this recipe in Taste of Home's 2016 Grilling magazine.   So many great recipes to try! 

When life hands you melons, make salsa!  Wait, that's not how it goes.  We love watermelon.  I buy it, cut it up in chunks. stick it in the fridge and we snack on it.   I found this recipe on the Taste of Home site, and it sounded perfect for some holiday weekend snacking.