Keeping things simple this weekend felt right. Jordan made some bread, which is always such a treat, so I wanted to make something that would go perfect with his homemade load. Salad it was, & I took some inspo from a BLT salad to make this B.L.A.T Salad + Maple Dijon Dressing.

I LIVE for barbecued ribs. & I have virtually zero part in making them. It’s my husbands domain, so really I was signing him up to bbq for us while I’m there for moral support, supplying the oohs & aaahs everytime we took a peak at the bbq, & to cook up the most perfect sides for us. I’m going to call this the his + hers version of bbq sides at the Zehner house

Literally - one of my FAVORITE summer salads to make. & one that gets thrown into the mix at our house every summer. It’s a Tricolore Salad recipe from Giada that I haven’t edited or deviated from too much (the only thing I do is add in more dates, more proscitutto, & more blue cheese - so just more of my favorite things) & it’s so good every needs to know about it.

Did you know that you can eat raw asparagus? I definitely did not, and when I read this recipe for a shaved asparagus salad in my monthly Food Network magazine, I was pretty skeptical. But I’m a sucker for pretty food, and the asparagus salad they had looked so bright and colorful and just perfect. Fast forward to giving it a try, and it was the a very simple, very quick (total cook time was less than 10 minutes), and super tasty.

Cooking is about creating memories in our home. Whether it’s curating a family dinner, hosting a couple of friends, or enjoying a night at-home with just Jordan & I, using food to fuel quality time with my favorite people is my goal when whipping up something delicious. My favorite person to cook for, and with, is always my husband. Cooking for him, & inevitably us, is when I’m the most comfortable -

When I think of the perfect Summer salad - something light, something crunchy, something refreshing, something appropriate for a little bit of fancier at home dinner - I think of this Sugar Snap Pea & Prosciutto Salad. It has all the things that make a Summer salad perfect - a bunch of crisp greens tossed in a honey mustard vinaigrette & sprinkled with just a bit of cheese.

This Spicy Mexican Slaw is the easiest thing ever & perfect when you’re feeding someone who likes it hot, which I’m always on a mission to do with Jordan. This salad has just enough heat to make things interesting, & it’s the perfect refreshing salad to serve with (or on!) street tacos.

When it comes to seasonal meals, I’m such a basic bitch. During Fall & Winter, all i crave is soups, & once the temps hit 70 I’m all about salads. A big, loaded bowl of ice cold crispy greens with a healthy amount of fun add-ins that branch outside the box of tomatoes & croutons. I love this Summer Chef’s Salad because it has all the good add-ins, all sorts of fresh produce, & I like to say it’s almost paleo. It’s refreshing and so satisfying for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

It’s sunny & warm & light out past 10. It’s f*cking summer and I’m committed to making as many meals as I can without turning on the stove in any capacity. The time for summer salads is here, and the winning combo of summer 2019 is becoming summer salads + picnic table dinner + Netflix. It essentially equates to low key dinners in the backyard followed by a Netflix nightcap & snuggle on the couch, which is becoming a favored routing around my house these days.

My kind of meat & potatoes meal - brats & potato salad.  Specifically German Potato Salad, because it is the cream of the crop when it comes to picnic sides.  Potatoes & bacon & chives & nooooo mayo.   It’s everything I could every want in a potato salad.

Sometimes a salad needs to be simple to be delicious. & that’s exactly why I love this Chickpea, Sundried Tomato, & Mozz Salad. It’s a salad that you can kind of throw together with very little prep, and it’s absolutely perfect. Chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, and mozzarella are tossed together and piled on top of undressed lettuce of any kind. Whether it be kale, or spinach, and an assorted mix - you just can’t go wrong!

Cinco de Mayo has been a big event for us in the years passed. It’s a holiday that has usually involved waking up early to start cooking all sorts of Mexican goodies in preparation for our favorite humans to join us for bottomless margaritas & street tacos. & also way too much nacho cheese as it’s the one day a year we allow ourselves to purchase queso bueno.

Five things I’m currently very happy about:

1. Mid-afternoon coffee dates with new friends to drink matcha lattes and eat fancy quiches.

2. Celebrating my own little shelter pup, Walt, on #NationalAdoptaShelterPet Day with just a little extra love and reminiscing on our love at first sight moment.

3. Clearing out like a third of the weeds currently plaguing my front yard, which is a big accomplishment considering I hate yardwork. Literally hate it.