Sometimes, you just feel like a little cake. Especially chocolate cake. (Am I right or am I right?!?) And that’s when mug cakes come in so handy. They are fast, easy and tasty — and they totally take care of the cake craving.

To make a mug cake, you stir together a few ingredients in a mug until it’s nice and smooth. Then you pop it in the microwave for a minute or so. Wait for it to sit for a short couple minutes and you have something incredible.

What’s better is that with a little tweaking of the ingredients, you can add nuanced flavors that make the mug cake really special. That’s exactly what I did with this mug cake. I took my favorite mug cake recipe and traded the normal milk added for International Delight York® Peppermint Pattie Creamer, giving it an amazing peppermint flavor. And then I stirred in some white chocolate chips, which created a fudgy double chocolate bottom to the cake.

It’s super easy. It’s delicious. And it’s ready in under five minutes … does it get any better?

Also, International Delight — the sponsor of this post — wants to know “What’s Your Id?” Head over to that link to see the huge variety of flavors available from International Delight. Seriously — the selection is impressive.

What’s Your ID? International Delight is looking for their most passionate flavor fans. Put your ID on the map to enter to win a Magical Trip, play games and discover more unexpected delight. Share your ID flavor at http://whatsyourid.com.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

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When the weather warms up, I start thinking about lighter foods. The soups and roasts that hit the spot on frigid New England winter days are forgotten in favor of lighter summer fare like fruit, everything grilled and salads. Dinner becomes an art of combining no-cook dishes (can’t heat up the kitchen!) combined with whatever is coming off the grill.

Honestly, I love our foods of summer — the creative salads, smoky grilled meats and tasty seafood. I think it might be my favorite eating season (you can have a favorite eating season, right?).

What I also love is the contrasts of foods in summertime — the sweet fruits served alongside savory dishes. The cool veggies with warm grilled whatever. You get it.

And this Warm Salad with Grilled New Potatoes is all about the contrasts. There’s the crisp veggies and lettuce with the creamy grilled potatoes. There’s the hot potatoes and cool dressing and salad. And of course, the sweet tomatoes and sharp blue cheese. It’s divine.

Making the potatoes is so simple. This is ideally made with new potatoes — little red potatoes that are about one-inch in diameter. But larger red potatoes can be used too (just cut them into a 1-inch dice). You simply combine the potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a foil packet. And then you grill them until they are all soft and tender.

Once that’s done, you assemble your salad on plates. Because of the potatoes, this is a pretty filling salad. But if your family has a big appetite, you could also serve it with grilled chicken.

Drizzle it with your favorite vinaigrette … and it’s ready to be enjoyed.

 Have you had potatoes on a salad like this?

PS – Did you know that Betty Crocker (who sponsored this post) now sells fresh potatoes in the produce section? Betty Crocker Fresh Potatoes come in red, yellow, white and russet varieties. The red potatoes would be perfect in this dish.

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by Betty Crocker for creating this recipe. All opinions are my own.

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New England summers have always meant copious amounts of seafood for me. And this year is no different — so as soon as the temperatures hit that comfortable level where grilling outside can be accompanied with eating outside, we picked up some littleneck clams to grill.

Our local butcher shop, which also features a nice selection of fresh fish, had piles of clams in the display case when the kids and I stopped in after soccer practice on a recent Saturday. We were buying burgers for dinner, and house-made hot dogs for lunch. But when the kids said, “Mommy, can’t we get some clams too?” I didn’t hesitate for a second. It’s seafood time!

I love making clams on the grill. You heat the grill up, and put the scrubbed-clean clams directly on the grates (always remember to wash your clams to remove sand and grit from the shells!). Sometimes, I will also put a pan of beer to infuse them with a little steamy ale, but you don’t have to. Then you wait for them to cook. It’s so incredibly simple and when the clams open, they are ready to be removed to a serving plate.

As they near completion, you can also whip up a quick garlic butter sauce that’s amazing with the salty, meaty littleneck clams we prefer. It’s magical.

My kids are huge clam fans too. They are the first in line to swipe a fried clam from my plate when we head to a favorite seafood shack in the summer. And if you put a plate of clams out, they will both reach for them instantly.

It’s good. I love that they enjoy seafood as much as I do.

Are you a fan of clams?

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Six weeks, four days. That’s a mere 46 days — or 1,104 hours, if you prefer. Though it’s probably slightly less than 1,104 hours.

What’s the countdown? It’s the number of days until the school year ends and the kids and I can officially — really and truly — head off the shoreline for a summer of sand and surf. I can’t wait for every salty, breezy, sunny moment of it.

In the meantime, a few friends and I discovered our official beach cocktail of 2013 (not to be confused with the kid-friendly summer drink of 2013). We were sampling a variety of Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato wines (more on that in a minute) when we decided to muddle a berry into a glass and add ice cold Pink Moscato. It was heavenly — sweet, with a hint of bubbles.

I’ve dubbed it the Strawberry Moscato Sparkler. It’s so, so simple, but also super tasty. Especially when the Moscato is ice cold.

So what is this Moscato? It’s a variety of wine that’s a little different than anything you’ve had before. I think of it as a dessert wine, but it can be enjoyed with spicy food too. Moscato is a sweet, slightly carbonated wine that is best served ultra-chilled (stick it in the freezer to get it as cold as can be). I was introduced to Moscato last year in a project I did with Gallo Family Vineyards so when they asked me to join a similar project this year, I couldn’t say no. I am kind of a Moscato groupie.

I love a project that teaches me new things… And this one did just that. Turns out that there isn’t just one variety of Moscato — there’s three. Gallo was kind enough to send over a bottle of each, so, I gathered a group of friends and had a quickie tasting of Pink, Red and the traditional white Moscato.

We sipped and slurped and compared all three varieties, commenting on them as we passed them around. Moscato has a nuanced sweet flavor. Some varieties, like the Pink Moscato have a hint of berries in the finish. While others, like Moscato (the white variety) have hints of peach and citrus. Gallo Family Vineyards’ Pink Moscato was our absolute favorite. I think it might have bad something to do with the group fantasy of watching the sunset on the beach with a glass of Moscato while writing some new fiction.

Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Celebrate the Second Annual National Moscato Day

Gallo Family Vineyards created the first National Moscato Day last year, and they are ready to celebrate big this year on May 9. As part of that, there’s a fab Twitter party happening.

Gallo Family Vineyards (@GalloFamily) will be hosting a National Moscato Day Twitter party from 9-10pm EST. To join in, use hashtags #MoscatoDay #gno.

Will I tweet you there?

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by Gallo Family Vineyards and Mom It Forward for my participation in this campaign. All opinions are my own.

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When my husband and I bought our house nearly nine years ago, one of the first things we did was to buy a shiny new grill — a good one. We were young and excited and spared no expense on our appliances or grill — and that’s something I am very glad for. We made some really good decisions, even if they weren’t the most sensible ones.

Over the years, our grill has resided on three different sides of our house. It’s been bruised and beaten by weather and seasons, and has had parts replaced — including the hood after the original was crushed. But over the years it has remained as reliable as the day we bought it. Still, when I went to turn it on last fall and couldn’t even get the starter to click, I was concerned that our grill was nearing its end time. I mean how many lives can a grill have?

Thankfully, after a long winter of rest and with a fresh propane tank, it’s back to fabulous grilling. Heating it up and tossing dinner on the grates is like a rite of passage in the springtime — a symbolic gesture that formally says goodbye to winter and hello to the warmth and joy of spring and summer. I am so happy to be grilling again.

And these days, I am grilling something super fun. Like “hey, kids, mama’s the coolest” fun.

Grilled Raspberry Cheesecake Turnovers.

Seriously. Dessert on the grill is the best. And in this case, it’s also wildly craveworthy. These tender, flaky turnovers grill up with a note of smokiness. And they are literally stuffed with creamy vanilla-tinged cheesecake and sweet raspberry filling.

My goodness, they’re good.

Not a speck was left from these babies when I handed them over to the kids and Shawn. Not a single speck.

Dessert on the grill?!? Come on, that’s a smart summer grilling move. And just think how awesome everyone will think you are if you make these while dinner’s cooking.

What are you grilling these days?

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Disclosure: I was compensated by Pillsbury for creating this recipe. All opinions are my own.

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Once when I was a tween living in Poughkeepsie, New York, my family took a bike ride around our neighborhood with another family we were friends with. It was a cool spring day, and the blossoms were on the trees. Our friends had recently moved into the neighborhood, and — for me — it was thrilling to learn how close by they’d be living.

Anyway, while we were on this fun bike ride, I got a little nervous. See, I was convinced that my tire was leaking since it was making this scary swissshhhhhhhhh whenever I would pedal. So, I became insistent that something was very, very wrong and we headed for the air pump at a nearby gas station.

As it turns out, the tire was fine. It was just rubbing against one of those blue plastic coated chain locks that I had so smartly attached to my bike. You know, so that no one would steal it from the inner basement of my house. Or something like that. Really, I just thought it looked cool. (Lesson: “because it looked cool” is never a good reason to have something attached to your bike.)

Anyway, although I am still occasionally reminded of my little error, I will say that the stop at that gas station was fortuitous — because the attached convenience store was a 7-Eleven. The kids among the group managed to convince the parents among the group that since we were there, we might as well get Slurpies (right?!?). So, all’s well that ends well.

Gosh, I love Slurpies. Even if I rarely buy them anymore.

My kids have tried Slurpies too and love them. And recently Cheryl Budge from Middlesex County Parent and I got on the topic of the sweet-tart slushie-esk Frozen Strawberry Lemonades at a certain fast food joint, and the idea of making my own slushie kind of got stuck in my head. Because while I don’t often go to that fast food joint, I do love me a good sweet-tart slushie drink.

So I had to. And it had to be Strawberry Lemonade Slushies. Seriously. My kids now think I am totally awesome because I surprised them with these this weekend. But my husband is a little jealous that we didn’t save any for him. Next time.

Making these is easy but I will warn you that you need to plan ahead — the strawberry puree needs to sit overnight to be perfect for this. Trust me, it’s worth it.

When you are ready for your heavenly slushie, you whip up an easy, homemade sweet-tart lemonade. Sometimes I like lemonade to be sweet-sweet, but for this a more tart version is perfect. Once that’s made, you whirl together a little lemonade and ice in the blender until the ice is totally pulverized. To serve, spoon your slushie into a glass and top with a good dose of the strawberry puree.

OMG. It’s so good.

And A Quick Video Tip …

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Is this breakfast? Or dessert?

Well, honestly, it could be either. An absolutely decadent breakfast, or a little more healthy (not not quite healthy healthy) dessert.

Either way, it’s just really, really good. So good that I am packing some of this granola for a business trip this weekend and hoping I can find just the right yogurt in the town I will be in.

It’s all about the perfect pairing here, I tell you. Liberté Yogurt, which is incredible, asked me to create a “perfect pairings” recipe to go with this thick, creamy, sweet, perfectly flavored yogurt, I practically ran barefoot to the grocery store for supplies. Okay, maybe not really. But you get the idea. I was psyched.

I was already in love this the yogurt.

When my husband first tried Liberté Yogurt a month or two ago, he went on and on about how creamy and decadent it was. His vivid descriptions and incessant praise influenced me to give in and try a cup of it myself. I tried the Liberté Mediterranee Coconut and instantly fell smitten with it.

And what’s better to go with an ultimately decadent yogurt than an equally decadent granola? I mean, hello!

This granola, which combines oats with sweetened coconut, pecans and a sweet dark muscovado sugar mixture that is baked to toasty perfection and then bathed in chocolate, is decadent heaven. And on the Liberté Mediterranee Coconut? It’s just mind-blowingly good.

And, of course, it’s super easy to make too. Which always makes a good thing even better, right?

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by Liberté for the creation of this perfect pairing recipe. All opinions and ideas are my own.

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“Why do I smell cookies?” Paige asked as she came inside today. She and Will had been playing outside, but weren’t happy to see that the warm temperatures had brought back the bees and other little pests.

“You don’t,” I replied.

“No, but I do … ” she persisted, looking around the kitchen.

She really didn’t though. Sure, there was some very decadent granola cooling on the counter, but no cookies — something I instantly regretted. A nice batch of cookies would have been perfect today. They are so warm, comforting and happy — complete joy and love and sweetness all in one. Cookies are goodness. And it would have been awesome to have a batch coming out of the oven today.

Sometimes you just need a cookie.

Our conversation also got me thinking about a recipe I created awhile back for Sunflower Sesame Sugar Cookies.The contrasts of flavors and textures really make these soft Sunflower Sesame Sugar Cookies, dotted with sunflower seeds and dusted with sesame seeds, stand out. The result is a slightly earthy cookie with a warm richness. It’s not too sweet, but it still hits the spot for kids and adults alike.

There’s something to be said for an unexpected treat that brings such great comfort.

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“You haven’t planned a dinner in a while,” my husband said recently as I stirred a bolognese sauce on the stove. Though I’d planned on making bolognese for dinner that day, I recognized the truth in the statement. Even though I’ve never been big on meal planning, I have always been a plan-ahead girl when it comes to dinner — ready with an answer for the ubiquitous question: “What’s for dinner?” Until I wasn’t.

Suddenly, I never seemed to know what we’d be eating. And it kind of drove me a little batty since every evening I ended up in a mad dash to figure it out at the last minute. Not fun.

Oddly enough, Shawn commented it on that just as I re-found my ability to plan ahead for meals. (I say that with great relief — this was a part of me that I needed to reclaim.)

Moreover, I’ve been making some creative dinners that the kids are really into. Like Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice with Avocado and Tomatoes. The kids loved this — and so did my cousins, who were the happy recipients of a dinner delivery recently.

Cilantro and lime is one of those flavor combination that just works. The combination of the citrus, the fresh cilantro and a little garlic makes an amazing marinade for the chicken here. Then the rice is tossed with lime zest (flavor without the acid!) and more cilantro. Once the chicken is broiled to juicy perfection, it’s all served with creamy avocado slices and sweet tomatoes.

Perfect. Easy. Ready.

 You just have to try this. Trust me.

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Things change. Opinions. Ideas. Directions. Plans. And you kind of just roll with it and see what happens. Still, I am always a little caught off guard by change — especially change that involves my kids taste buds. And boy, have they caught me off guard recently by enjoying some foods with a nip of spiciness.

Not that these Veggie Bean Enchiladas are spicy per se — but they have a little kick to them and the kids love them. Score one for the spicy-loving mama. And for the creamy, cool avocado that offsets the nip of spiciness really nicely.

These Veggie Bean Enchiladas take about 35 minutes to make — but let me warn you: it’s a bit of quick-fire, hands-on cooking, so be prepared for constant motion for the first 10-15 minutes. You start by whipping up a super easy sauce using salsa, vegetable stock and flour — it takes about 30 seconds and is made totally in the blender. Easy as can be.

Then you make part of the veggie filling for the enchiladas while also filling the tortillas with the other part of the filling — refried beans and baby spinach. (Note: I was hired by Old El Paso to create this recipe, so I used their beans in this one.) Once all that is done, you spread sauce in the pan, finish filling the enchiladas and roll them, pour over the rest of the sauce and the cheese. Finally you bake.

It all happens fast.

But, hey, it’s all worth it when you dish out these warm, creamy, cheesy enchiladas with a bite and serve them with cool sliced avocado. Seriously. Worth every single second of work.

Serve these with a big salad.

Disclosure: I am being compensated by Old El Paso for creating this recipe through my partnership with Platefull. All opinions are my own.

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