It's Not About Nutrition

I still remember the first time I had strawberry butter. It was at a little bed-and-breakfast in the Blue Ridge Mountains. You know the kind—homemade quilts, tiny soaps that smell like lavender, and coffee served in mismatched mugs. Breakfast came with the fluffiest biscuits I’ve ever had, and right next to them was this little ramekin of soft, pink butter. I wasn’t expecting much. But oh, honey… one bite and I had to put my fork down. I actually closed my eyes. It was sweet, creamy, and just a little tangy from the fresh strawberries. Like sunshine and comfort and …

Let me tell you a little something about summer desserts — they don’t need to be fancy to be unforgettable. And this one? It’s been in my back pocket for decades. I still remember the first time I had Peach Pretzel Salad. It was at a Fourth of July potluck, and my friend Darlene (who never shows up without a showstopper) plopped down this chilled beauty with a wink and a stack of paper plates. One bite in, and I was hooked — crunchy, creamy, fruity, sweet, salty… it checks every single box. I spent the whole drive home asking …

So here’s the thing. I had a chuck roast in the fridge, a kind of vague dinner plan, and a day ahead of me that felt like a lot. You know that feeling, right? Like, dinner still needs to happen… but so does everything else. So I pulled out the slow cooker — bless that thing — and just started tossing in what felt right. A mess of warm spices, a little citrus, some broth, onions (because onions always go in), and by dinner? Oh my word. The house smelled like I’d been working some serious kitchen magic all day, …

It was 91 degrees outside, the air was thick enough to spoon, and I was hosting bunco night. I had zero interest in baking—but I still wanted to put something sweet on the table. Something cool, creamy, just a little fancy, but not fussy. And then it came to me, like a lightbulb flickering on inside the fridge: Lemon Refrigerator Cake. Y’all, this one’s been in my back pocket for years. My mom used to bring it to church potlucks, and someone always asked for the recipe. It’s one of those desserts that looks like you tried… when you absolutely …

You know those recipes that aren’t showy or complicated, but people always ask for the recipe after one bite? This is one of those. I first made this lemon butter cake on a random Tuesday when the weather couldn’t decide if it was spring or still dragging its winter boots around. I had a couple of lemons on the edge of “use me now” territory, and a box of cake mix that had been loitering in the pantry for… let’s just say, a while. What came out of the oven was this buttery, tangy, creamy thing that somehow tasted like …

You know how some desserts just feel like a hug? That’s this cake. Italian Love Cake has been floating around for decades — I first had it at my neighbor Teresa’s kitchen table back in the early ’90s. She served it with coffee after Sunday dinner, and I swear, nobody talked for a good minute. Just forks clinking and little sighs of joy. It’s got this magical thing going on where the layers flip as it bakes. You pour the chocolate cake batter in, then the ricotta cheese mixture — and somehow, mid-oven, they trade places. Like a little love …

The first time I made this sopapilla pie, I didn’t tell anyone what it was. I just set it on the counter, didn’t label it, didn’t say a word. And you know what happened? That dish was half gone before dinner even hit the table. I heard forks clinking and little murmurs like “What is this?” and “Did she buy this somewhere?” My husband took one bite, raised his eyebrows, and said, “Where’d you get this?” Like I had some secret bakery hookup or something. Nope. Just me, two tubes of crescent rolls, a block of cream cheese, and a …

There’s something about strawberries that takes me back to summers with my grandma, barefoot in her backyard, eating fresh berries out of a chipped enamel bowl. We’d sit on a creaky old porch swing while she told stories and I giggled at the juice running down my chin. So when I say this Easy Strawberry Slab Pie is special, I mean it tugs at the warmest corners of my heart. But here’s the kicker—it’s easy. Like, really easy. We’re talking pantry staples, store-bought pie crust, and no fussy techniques. This is the kind of recipe that shows up for potlucks, …

Okay. So, I wasn’t planning to bake a cake last Tuesday. I’d just finished lunch, the kitchen was still a mess, and there was laundry screaming at me from two rooms over. But I’d been staring at this little bag of shelled pistachios I bought “for snacking” (yeah right), and something in me whispered… cake. Not a frosted, layered, birthday-type cake. No piping bags. No sprinkles. Just something soft and nutty that makes your kitchen smell like you tried—without actually trying that hard. Enter this Pistachio Caprese Cake. I’d seen something like it once in a cookbook I can’t remember …

A little salty, a little tangy, and a whole lot of “pass me the crackers.” Okay, so let me start by saying this: if you’ve never had old-school ham salad, this might sound a little strange at first. Ham… in a salad? With mayo? And eggs?? But trust me—this is one of those retro recipes that should’ve never gone out of style. My grandma used to make a version of this with leftover holiday ham, usually the kind that had a crispy brown sugar crust and still smelled like cloves three days later. She’d just toss the leftover chunks into …