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A classic, summertime favorite full of cheesy goodness! Serves 6 Ingredients 2 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced 2 medium green zucchini squash, thinly sliced 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons oil ¼ cup sour cream ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup half & half 1 large egg, lightly beaten ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon fine sea salt ½ teaspoon chili powder 2 teaspoons dried parsley 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion in oil for approximately 5 minutes or until it becomes fragrant and translucent. Add in minced garlic and sauté for approximately 1-2 minutes. Carefully add sliced squash to pan and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until slices become tender. It may be necessary to work in batches. Turn off heat. Remove squash to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain. Gently use an additional paper towel to remove any excess moisture from the top. In a medium bowl, combine egg, sour cream, mayonnaise, half & half, one cup shredded cheese, and seasonings. Lightly coat a 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Place one layer of squash on the bottom, followed by a layer of cheese mixture. Continue this process until it is complete. Top with the remaining one cup of shredded cheese. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Have you ever been invited to a potluck and had no idea what dish you were going to bring? Do you wait until the night before (or the day of, eek!) to try to throw something tasty together quickly? Friends, that has happened to me more times than I can count and I usually resorted to stopping by a deli or bakery on the way to the event. Sometimes it's hard to think of something that will be different enough from what everyone else is bringing, but not so different that no one eats it. This recipe is one of my favorite go-to’s for potlucks because it is usually the only dish like it and people devour it quickly. I especially like that it takes little effort and planning, which really suits my procrastinating personality. Ingredients: 16 ounces of cheese tortellini 7 ounces sliced pepperoni 6 ounces of smoked Canadian bacon slices 6 ounces of sliced Italian salami 8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, cubed ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 12 ounces artichoke hearts 6 ounces whole, pitted black olives 16 ounces peperoncini peppers, drained 10 ounces grape tomatoes 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 cup Italian dressing, more if desired (I prefer Ken’s Northern Italian) Directions: Boil pasta according to package directions. Allow to cool slightly. If your pepperoni, salami, and Canadian bacon are the larger slices, quarter them into bite-sized pieces. In a large serving dish, combine all ingredients. Gently stir to combine. If you refrigerate the pasta over night, give it a good stir. If it appears or tastes dry, add additional Italian dressing to taste. Serve at room temperature or cold.

I will share a secret with you, my friends. I am not a huge fan of leftovers. There are very few that I absolutely love “as-is”, but most of the time I like to reimagine them into a new and tasty dish whenever I can. Recreating a meal from leftovers doesn’t have to take a lot of time and effort. Leftovers from taco night? Make a fantastic spicy taco soup. Chicken and veggies? Combine them with some rice and cheese for a quick, weeknight casserole. Easy peasy. One of my favorite leftover foods? Baked potatoes. I like to lightly coat big, beautiful Russet potatoes with olive oil and sea salt and bake them in a 400-degree oven for about an hour. So simple and so delicious. Oftentimes, I will turn them into mashed potatoes or potato soup the next day. But this time, I wanted something just a little different than my usual go-to recipes. Bacon and Swiss are one of the tastiest combos I have ever had, no matter what it’s on. I knew they would be the perfect addition to my leftover baked potatoes. Using just a few spices and simple “pantry staples” I was able to throw this together in under 10 minutes. This casserole was everything I wanted it to be. The Swiss cheese provided a sweet nuttiness, while the cheddar added a tangy sharpness. Like icing on a cake, the savory bacon just brought it all together. This casserole is the perfect “company’s coming over” side dish and it is sure to impress! I like to serve this with a traditional homemade meatloaf or crispy fried chicken. Ingredients 8-10 baked Russet potatoes 8 ounces sour cream ¼ cup softened butter ½ cup milk (I used 2%) 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese 10-12 strips cooked & crumbled bacon 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Begin by peeling most of the skin off of the potatoes and placing them into a large mixing bowl. Next, add sour cream, cheeses, and milk. Use a potato masher or mixer to combine ingredients and mash potatoes until slightly creamy while leaving some larger pieces of potato. Add bacon and spices, then gently stir to combine. Scoop the mixture into a 3-quart baking dish and spread evenly. Cover with Swiss cheese if preferred, then bake for 45 minutes or until heated through. Top with additional Swiss cheese and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.