Loaded Italian Fries

Think disco fries…but give it Italian vibes! They look like an app but eat like a meal! I added chicken, mozzarella, pesto, tomatoes, and balsamic glaze on seasoned fries.

Loaded Italian Fries
Ingredients: (serves ~2-3 as an app or 1 as a meal)
1 1/2 cups frozen fries
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning + salt + chili flakes
2 teaspoons pesto
2/3 cup roasted chicken
2/3 cup mozzarella
2 small tomatoes
balsamic glaze to drizzle

Directions:
Air-fry or bake the fries according to the package.
While the fries crisp, chop the tomatoes, shred the chicken, and mix up the seasoning.
Right when the fries come out, toss in the dried seasoning.
Layer some of the fries, cheese, chicken, pesto, and tomatoes then broil for a minute to melt.

Then top with remaining and melt again!
Out of the oven, drizzle with balsamic.
Enjoy!

This was so good. It’s a perfect way to use some small amounts and end up with a satisfying meal that feels festive. Melting the base layer is critical to having consistency throughout…like nachos, you don’t want only the first few to have stuff on them!

July 2025 Recap

July forever has me settled into summer but also feeling like there’s so much I want to do before it is over! We have been swimming, attending lots more parties than usual, and trying to stay cool. Meals feel more about speed and ease than being well thought out or unique.

I re-made Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza from 2012 and it was as delightful now as it was then.

This Pickle Lemonade was really fun and works well spiked or plain!

Mojito Slaw on Fish tacos feels restaurant-ish at home

Peach Crumble Parfaits were a cool breakfast when it has been too hot to function!

August is already upon us. I have such a pull to do all the things before summer is over! Meals have taken a backseat to anything else we might want to do. Also, our fridge kicked it so we have to be a bit creative. We have vacation, a 7th birthday to celebrate, and several parties and adventures ahead this month!

The Big Kid:
He has had some fun camps – and one “not favorite” but he made the best of. He’s all sports all the time – maybe with an exception for a new Star Wars obsession. He quietly hates the heat but doesn’t let it slow him down until it knocks him out. He did the biggest and most intense ride at the theme park and I was so proud that he really decided for himself if he was ready for it.

The Littler One:
Her swimming has advanced to include more underwater and more strokes. She is blowing through chapter books and can’t stop – which we love to see. She cannot wait for her birthday. This summer we have seen her build more friendships. Summer dance class has been fun!

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I upgraded 2 new workout tops and let one favorite go
Restaurant Recreations – nope
Special ingredient focus – not really
More fish – fish tacos!
What I’m reading – I read Project Hail Mary which I liked, but could have been 150 pages shorter…then I read The Nature of Fragile Things and was obsessed with the twists and San Fran quake. I just finished the Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard and was very into it…60s Hollywood vs grandmother’s past life.

Pickle Lemonade

I love pickle flavored anything and am very into all the pickle snacks around lately! This drink was inspired by Popeye’s pickle extravaganza (possibly named something different) with so many pickle flavored foods and a frozen pickle lemonade. This drink has lemon and pickles plus some cucumber and sugar to cut the extreme sour. Spike it with some lemon vodka if desired!

The rest of my fam isn’t as into pickles so making a single serve option was my method. I’ve confirmed my preferred chips (Utz pickle ones are best, Aunt Vicky’s are spicy pickle and in 2nd but hard to find, Doritos pickle ones are 3rd, Pringles pickle chips are 4th).

Pickle Lemonade
Ingredients: (for 1)
8 oz lemonade
2 slices lemon
3 slices cucumber
1 teaspoon white sugar
4 pickle chips or 1 spear, chopped
2 tablespoons pickle juice

Directions:
Add lemon, cucumber, and sugar to a glass or shaker and muddle it to get it crushed, mixed, and all the flavors out.

Add in the lemonade, pickle juice, pickle slices, and vodka – if using. Shake or stir well.
Add ice and a pickle garnish. Enjoy!

I loved it. The cucumber adds some nice freshness against the strong pickle and lemon. This would be great to offer as an option to spike or not per drink. It wouldn’t be everyone’s pick(le) but I loved it and will totally repeat as a fun treat…a drink with a pickle garnish to snack on is the best!

Peach Crumble Parfait

This feels like you should eat by a pool at a fancy hotel one morning. I don’t gravitate toward sweet breakfast but this was perfect – so peachy with only a little sweet from the chia pudding, and granola and tart with the yogurt.

Peach Crumble Parfait
Ingredients:
(for 2 as breakfast meals, 4 as breakfast sides)
chia seeds + vanilla almond milk
2 peaches/nectarines
1/2 cup granola
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
optional: whipped cream

Directions:
Prepare the chia pudding as desired (I did 3 tablespoons chia seeds + 3/4 vanilla almond milk) and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight.
Chop the nectarines.
Layer the bowls or glasses with chia pudding, granola, yogurt, and peaches.

Continue layering and top with whipped cream.
Enjoy!

It has such a balance of textures. I love the fruit serving, the protein and dairy of the yogurt, the granola is necessary for the crunch. When it is hot, this hits the spot.

Mojito Slaw on Fish Tacos

Mint, lime, sugar, and cucumbers nod to mojitos…minus the rum. Our mint grows with abandon and this was a fresh and beautiful way to use it over some crispy fish tacos!

Mojito Slaw
Ingredients:

1, 14 oz cabbage slaw mix
1/4 cup mayo
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cucumber
~10 mint leaves
(optional: tortillas & fish as tacos)

Directions:
Dice the cucumber, chiffonade the mint, and zest the lime. Add to the cabbage.

Stir in the mayo, sugar, vinegar, and lime juice.

Refrigerate 20 minutes – an hour, but not overnight.
Taste and adjust as needed.

Optional – air fry breaded fish and serve on tortillas with slaw.

It’s fresh and bright with perfect creaminess. This goes well as a side with anything on the grill too. The mint gets wilty so it doesn’t keep as well!