I am a lucky girl that my grill master husband is willing to brave all kinds of nasty weather in order to sear our meat for us. Nothing, however, is quite like grilling in the summertime! The balmy weather, the casual atmosphere as you chat with friends on the patio, the smell of your dinner cooking—mmm! It all comes together to make some of our best meal experiences.

Our lives are very full right now—in a good way! Our son, Clark, was born last fall, I went back to work full time, we decided to get a Lab puppy, (whose bright idea was that?!) and Ryan started a new job.

There’s just nothing better than cozying up with a hearty meal on a cool fall night. So, when Ryan suggested we invite some friends over for the first football game of the season, I readily agreed. He was delighted to have pals to discuss the plays with, and I was glad for an excuse to make a kickin’ new dinner – Gametime Mexican Chicken Soup!

As our family has grown, so are the families of lots of our friends – it seems to be the year of babies! With this transition comes some adjustment in our meal planning: namely, that we need to start planning ahead! Lately we have been on the hunt for easy-to-prepare meals for ourselves, but also meals that can be prepared in advance and brought over to our friends’ homes when their new baby arrives.

Ryan and I are constantly looking for easy weeknight meals, but we want to use ingredients that are fresh and full of flavor – none of this boxed business for us! A challenge for expanding my fast-meal repertoire, though, is that Ryan claims that he isn’t a big pasta fan.

I love Margherita pizza – the gooey cheese, chunks of yummy tomato and most important - the fabulous flavor of fresh basil. On the other hand, pasta has been a big winner for me since becoming pregnant. I don’t know if it’s the heartiness of pasta that the baby loves or what, but even early on when I didn’t feel well, carbs settled my stomach.

With a baby on the way, Ryan and I decided to rent out our townhouse on the other side of the city and made an offer on a home closer to our parents and siblings. The catch was, between the renters moving in and our close date on the new house, we would have a month of no house at all!

We love to entertain any time of year, but the summer is especially fun for seeing our friends with kids. The days are longer, grilling is easier and if the weather cooperates, we can walk to our local park for some kid-friendly fun.