I recently had my son, Kyle, and some of his friends over for dinner. I just couldn’t resist blogging about dessert first given the reaction from my son when he took his first bite of Oatmeal Brownie Bars. He looked at me in disbelief and said, “Why haven’t you ever made these before?  I love them!”  I laughed and promised I would make them again soon (which I have done twice already).  I guess I found a new family favorite. 

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.

Reunions are a pretty amazing concept when you think about it. Bringing together all those old and new folks from all branches of a family. Gathering the brood.

Peanut butter has been a staple in our home since our oldest child, Colton, began toddling around. I still remember the look of sheer delight on his face when he took a bite of his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Here, in the Test Kitchens at Land O’Lakes, there are a handful of recipes that we all seem to go to over and over again. Double Fudge Cream Cheese Brownies is one of those recipes. This recipe was developed back in the 80’s for a cookbook. It was a hit then and its popularity has just continued to grow.

I grew up with a lot of flavorful holiday traditions. But, the treat that I most associate with the Christmas season is gingerbread cookies. My mom made batches of gingerbread dough each year. Cookies need master decorators and my younger sister and I were eager to fill that role.

By the time the middle of August has arrived, my calendar is a jam-packed! I’ve tried to squeeze in all the trips and family visits that haven’t happened yet into a few short weeks before school starts at the end of the month.