In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

I made Chicken Pasta Salad for the first time this year. It’s a family favorite. It’s perfect for a hot summer day.

Actually, salad of any kind is good during the summer. I usually use cheese, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, for protein. This night, we had chicken on our salads, too.

Our oldest son had a birthday last week. He turned 30! When did I get old enough to be the mother of a 30 year old?!! We had cake. Cake makes everything better.

Then 5 days later, my mother had her 80th birthday. I made cupcakes first thing in the morning, before she woke up. I also made a triple batch of blueberry pancakes since I had some blueberries from our bushes waiting to be used. I finished 2 dozen cupcakes, and 19 pancakes by 8 am!

Don’t these Blueberry Pancakes looks so very yummy? I made these to use for breakfasts on the weekend. I was so tempted to eat them!

Ok, I did eat one defective blueberry pancake. And one pancake from the scraping of the bowl. It didn’t have any blueberries in it, so it doesn’t count. lol

Since I started cooking so early in the morning, I needed an easy dinner that night. Venison roast and potatoes in the slow cooker fit the bill. I served them with green beans.

Then on to my mother’s 80th birthday the next day. We are originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She loves seafood. Actually, loves in an understatement. lol

Her favorite gift from us, whether it be for her birthday, Mother’s Day, or Christmas, is a seafood feast. Seafood is not cheap when you live in a land locked state like we do. I always manage to put together a great seafood feast for her, though.

This time, we had lobster tails, crab legs & claws, shrimp, fish filets, boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, and garlic bread. She always gets a whole lobster tail to eat by herself, and every one else shares a lobster tail. She loved it all, and really enjoyed her birthday dinner.

That is what cooking is all about. Making people happy while feeding them. That and the whole nutrition thing.

After dinner, it was on to the cupcakes! Yum!

Last week, I shared my recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars. If you missed the recipe, stop by and get it now. They are so easy to make, and are perfect for busy mornings. Great for kids, and adults!

Before I go, I wanted to be sure to share this. There is a nationwide recall on frozen vegetables from National Frozen Foods Corporation that includes some Great Value, Live Smart, Market Pantry, First Green and Bountiful Harvest Green products sold between Sept. 2, 2015 and June 2, 2016.

Visit the FDA website for a complete listing of the recalled frozen vegetables.