My Favorite Fourth of July Recipes

June 29, 2026June 29, 2026 RefreshHer2 Comments

Recently while I was having coffee with a friend, she asked if I had any recipes that I could suggest for her Fourth of July celebration. My mind went zooming to my blog recipes and came up with a list that I thought I’d share with you, too, just in case you need some ideas of what to serve at your barbecue this weekend! Loosen your belt and let’s go!!

If you need a little appetizer before the meal, these Cheese Straws are a good southern favorite! This Tex-Mex Black Bean Dip is a light appetizer that you can serve with whatever kind of tortilla chip you enjoy.

This S’mores Dip is so easy and delicious. It would make a great appetizer, but also a fantastic, quick dessert.

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Side dish

Roasted Frozen Broccoli

June 8, 2026June 5, 2026 RefreshHer1 Comment

When I’m making a “normal” dinner meal, I always feel stumped about what sides to add. I feel like I often get into the boring routine of green beans, peas and corn. So I love it when I find a new way to make a vegetable like broccoli the star side dish without turning it into a heavy casserole (which I also love!).

This method of cooking frozen broccoli is absolutely brilliant. It turns it into a delicious side dish that you’ll be craving. No kidding!

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Bread · cakes · Easter · Make-Ahead · Pie · Side dish

Celebrate Easter with Family Favorites and Recipes

March 30, 2026March 30, 2026 RefreshHer4 Comments

My favorite holiday of the year is this week! It’s both surprising and exciting! I’m surprised because, well, where did March go?! It flew by for me! However, I’m not sad about that! Why? The last week of March took us to New York and Pennsylvania. The last leg of the trip in PA hit me between the eyes when I came down with Flu A. It caused me to miss out on most of a marriage retreat my husband was leading, as well as Sunday services. Those days are kind of a blur, but I remember enough to grimace at the thought. Thank the Lord for healing, home, and chicken noodle soup!

A few weeks ago, my daughter asked if I minded if she hosted Easter this year. Her family moved into a lovely country home this year, and she felt excited about having everyone there to celebrate the resurrection. Of course I agreed, and now I see the Lord was going before me, knowing I would just be recovering. So this year, I’m simply making a couple sides to take to the meal. That means I can focus on what I really think everyone would enjoy.

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Potatoes · Side dish

Roasted English Potatoes

January 12, 2026January 9, 2026 RefreshHerLeave a comment

The five main food groups include everything for a healthy life, but in my opinion, potatoes should perhaps be in a group all their own. Consider that they are served baked, French fried, scalloped, twice-baked, mashed, roasted, grated, as a salad, on top of casseroles, as the base of casseroles, and can appropriately served at all three meals. I’m pretty sure that no other vegetable can do all that!

Over the Christmas season, I was introduced to a new potato side dish via a couple of British people I follow on social media. Enter the Roasted English Potato. They require quite a bit of hands-on, but it is worth every minute! They are par-boiled, then roasted in the oven in a bit of oil for close to an hour, turning them every 15 minutes. The result is a crispy outside and a fluffy, tender potato on the inside. Potato Heaven!

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Pie · Side dish · Sunday Dinner

Easter Dinner Recap

April 21, 2025March 28, 2026 RefreshHerLeave a comment

What a wonderful Easter weekend we had! The services at church were so special. As we sang some favorite songs, my heart swelled with thankfulness as we worshiped the Lord. We do serve a risen Savior, and because He lives, we can face tomorrow! We saw the Lord in His Word, as we read in Luke that He cares enough to clothe the lilies of the field and He cares even more for the needs of His children. I can trust Him today – the day after Easter, for every need of my life, and so can you!

After church I hosted just my family for dinner. It seems that our travels keep us so busy that we don’t get together nearly as often as we’d like. So it was special for it to be just us so we could chat and get caught up.

But now of course, we must talk about the food…Oh yes!

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