First recipe below is something we made at home after creating a "vacation day" which included favorite amusement park food. We had so much fun making these fried dough delicacies and ate them crispy hot and chewy sweet standing in the kitchen right as they were being made while happily sharing fun, treasured theme park memories.

Funnel Cakes

Ingredients:
(makes 4-5 eight inch cakes)

1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Vegetable or safflower oil, for frying
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk, butter, vanilla, and egg. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture until the two are completely combined.
2. Fill a Ziplock bag with the batter and close.
3. Heat the oil in a medium pot filled with oil about 2 inches. (if candy thermometer available heat to 375 degrees.) Cover a large dish or baking sheet with paper towels.
4. Once the oil gets hot, cut the tip of one of the corners of the Ziplock bag, hold the bag over the oil and let the batter come out in a steady stream, swirling the bag to create a rough circle, overlapping as necessary. Immediately fold the tip of the bag up to stop the flow of the batter and set it into a glass for the next one.
5. Fry the cake until puffed and golden brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip the cake and cook until the other side is golden, another minute or less. Transfer the cake to the prepared sheet to drain, then repeat with the remaining batter.
6. Transfer the cooked cakes to a serving plate and dust liberally with confectioners’ sugar. Serve hot.

Printable version here:
Funnel Cakes Recipe

Overnight Oats

Ingredients
(makes 1-2 servings)

1/2 cup dry oats
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 medium apple chopped
1 tbsp walnuts
1/2 tsp maple syrup

1. Put first five ingredients in a mason jar or cup and stir. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or leave overnight. Add chopped apple (or any fruit on hand), walnuts, maple syrup before eating.
2. Store any extra for 3-4 days in fridge for healthy snacking.

Printable version here:
Overnight Oats

Stuffed peppers are a part of the traditional Spanish cuisine (pimientos rellenos) and common in many other countries with their own variations but here's a yummy Americanized version dating back to the turn of century which we've made slightly healthier by eliminating cheese - it never goes out of style.

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
(makes 4 servings)

4 red bell peppers
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, cut into pea size
1 zucchini, cut into pea size
1 cup cooked rice
1 lb ground turkey
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt/pepper

1. Start by washing, cleaning out the bell peppers by cutting the tops off and emptying out all the seeds any white flesh. Set aside on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onions for a few minutes. Add the carrots, then the zucchini. Once softened but firm still, push the veggies aside in the pan, add the tomato paste, ground turkey in the middle of the pan until cooked through. Add the cooked rice and mix together everything in the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Take the turkey, veggie, rice mixture and spoon into each empty red bell pepper until filled to top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and place the peppers in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Printable version here:
Stuffed Peppers

Here's a no bake, easy dessert to make which disappeared quickly at a recent family dinner. These upgraded chewy, crispy, creamy treats have a delicious combination of sweet and salty.

Rice Krispies Treats with Chocolate and Pretzel

Ingredients
(makes 12-24 treats)

6 tablespoons salted butter (3/4 stick)
1 (10-ounce) bag marshmallows
3 cups Rice Krispies, or other crisp rice cereal
3 cups mini-pretzels, broken into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces
3 ounces semisweet chips or dark chocolate, chopped

1. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter stick before melting to use in recipe.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir with a spatula (silicone sticks less than wood here) until smooth and melted, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, add the cereal and pretzels, and stir until evenly coated. Immediately scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Using the spatula, press the mixture to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Working quickly (you want the cereal mixture to still be quite warm so the chocolate will melt a bit and stick to the the surface), sprinkle the chopped chocolate on top. Press the mixture with the chocolate into a flat, even layer in the pan.
4. Cool to room temperature in the pan on a rack. Cut into squares. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container.

Printable version here:
Rice Krispies Treats with Chocolate and Pretzel

Pickled Green Beans (pictured above in cover photo)

Ingredients
(makes 2 mason jars)

2 teaspoons red chili flakes
4 large cloves garlic, quartered
1 pound green beans, rinsed and stem ends trimmed
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons salt

1. In the bottom of each of two 16-oz wide mouth jars, sprinkle a teaspoon of chili flakes and 2 quartered cloves of garlic. On top of the chili flakes and garlic, pack as many green beans as you can fit vertically.
2. In a large saucepan combine the white vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and pour over the green beans. You want to completely cover the beans, so you’ll need to fill the jars right to the edge.
3. Put the lids loosely on the jars and leave them on the counter to cool down. Once the jars are cool enough to handle, screw the lids on all the way and put them in the fridge to store overnight. They’re ready to eat in 24 hours and will keep for a month in the fridge! We added a few carrots to our recent jars - any veggie will work here.

Printable version here:
Pickled Green Beans