Hi Cooking Moms, Dads & Friends,

Happy Labor Day weekend! WOW! Summer sure flew by. This week we’re in beautiful San Diego for a few days, but when we get home Sunday I can’t wait to do some end-of-summer grilling!

My Bacon Wrapped Shrimp always get the party started! It’s great as an appetizer or dinner. Who doesn’t love shrimp on the barbie? Super easy too! Just 4 ingredients. Great with a steak for a surf and turf dinner. My fave!

Don’t let summer slip by without grilling up BBQ ribs. My Ribs ’n Beer is the ONLY way to do them! You can bake them up to a few days ahead and throw them on the grill to finish them off right before your BBQ. LOVE THAT!

No time to grill? Get out your slow cooker and make my Sloppy Joes for a Crowd. So easy and so good. Click Dinner, Sandwiches and Slow Cooker for more great recipes.

On the side, it’s gotta be my jazzed up Baked Beans and for Labor Day my Red, White and Bleu Potato Salad all the way. Now those are tastes of summer!

Gotta bring a dish to the back yard BBQ or potluck? I got ya. My Broccoli Bacon Salad is always a WINNER!

Speaking of bacon, if you like a good Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich, you’ll love my super quick and easy layered BLT Dip! It’s the perfect summer appetizer!

Got tomatoes and cukes? My Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad is so delicious, bright and colorful. The leftovers make a great light lunch.

A big beautiful fruit salad is a MUST at Sunday brunch and your summer get together. Use those beautiful berries to toss together this gorgeous Fresh Berry Salad with Lime and Mint. It’s so cool and refreshing!

It’s Back to School time! I know some kids went back this week and some go back after Labor Day. I have so many recipes and ideas to make lunch bags fun. And meals get eaten!

You know what they say, everything tastes better on a stick. Looks cooler too. I couldn’t agree more! My Peanut Butter Sandwich Kabobs are always a hit! Click Sandwiches for more fun sandwich recipes.

Here’s another fun idea for this weekend. If the kids are complaining they are bored, get them in the kitchen! Have them get a jump start on packing their own school lunches. Pick up some clothes pins (yes, they still sell them) and a few other things and make my Butterfly Snack Bags. How fun are these? I fill them with Gold Fish Crackers and grapes but you can fill them up with fresh veggies and other fruits too. They are sure to be a hit in the lunch room. Talk about making some memories together in the kitchen!

Same goes for my Dirt Cupcakes. The kids will have a blast decorating them. What a fun treat to make back to school extra special!

If you are doing S’more’s this weekend, why not change it up with Texas S’mores? I like them even better than the regular ones! They are so yummy - and fun! Click Desserts and Drinks for more sweet treats.

Order Amy's Cookbooks!

If you like my recipes, I think you will love my cookbooks. Both of my cookbooks are full color, and each is filled with nearly 200 unique recipes. Lots of secrets, tips and fun stories, too! Click Amy's Books on Amazon to order.

The Cooking Mom Vacations! Join Amy Summer 2023 on Mackinac Island for Lilac Fest!

I’m so excited to be hosting group culinary vacations! I just announced my next trip last week and its filling up FAST! We’re going back to Mackinac Island, Michigan in the summer of 2023. It’s one of my favorite places! There are no cars on the island, just bikes and horses and carriages. It’s so charming. It’s like you’ve stepped back in time. We’re staying at my favorite resort, Mission Point Resort, voted one of the BEST on the island and in the Midwest. It’s AMAZING! We’ll be there for 4 magical nights June 12-16, 2023 during Lilac Festival. The whole Island is covered in lilacs. It’s so gorgeous! It smells beautiful too! Click Join The Cooking Mom on Mackinac Island to get pricing and see lots of pictures. Read all about the fun we’re going to have and the delicious food we are going to eat.

Hotel rates on the island have sky rocketed but my trips are group trips and because of that we can negotiate the best deals. We worked hard to get the absolute BEST rates possible for lots of included things, like your ferry ride to the island, gourmet cooked-to-order breakfasts every morning at the resort, a wine tasting and lunch on our drive to get to the island, a big wine and cheese party, a delicious welcome dinner and more! It’s going to be a blast! Call Sara from Rose Travel at 720-884-7913 or email her at [email protected] if you’re interested! We ONLY have a limited number of rooms and they are filling up so call TODAY. I hope you’ll join me!

TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Join The Cooking Mom in Puerto Vallarta in January 2023!

Now is the time to plan your escape from the cold and snow! I’ve planned the ULTIMATE winter getaway. Beat the winter blues and join me in beautiful Puerto Vallarta! It’s one of my favorite cities in Mexico. It’s got history, charm, beautiful beaches, and an incredible food scene. I took a group there last winter and it was over the top FANTASTIC! We had perfect weather with sunshine every day. Great news. We were even able to negotiate a better rate on this trip than last year.

We’ll fly out January 15 and stay 7 nights at the most beautiful small boutique 4-diamond luxury resort right on the beach. This trip is also a really great value because ALL of your meals at the resort, fine wines, beer and even top shelf cocktails will be included. You’ll have the options to join me for an authentic Mexican cooking class, personalized food tours, tequila tastings and even whale watching! Or, you can just sit on the beach and relax. Either way it’s going to be fabulous! We can only take a limited number of people. Time is running out to book this trip! Click The Cooking Mom’s Culinary Trip to Puerto Vallarta to read all about this amazing fun trip!

Join Amy on a River Cruise in France in April 2023! SALE EXTENDED!

Bring on lots of wine tasting, gourmet meals, fresh croissants and pastries and so much more! Join me on a river cruise through Southern France from Burgundy to Provence. In April of 2023, we’ll cruise the Rhone river on a gorgeous new boutique ship with only 150 passengers! It’s first class all the way and it’s a true ALL-INCLUSIVE river cruise, meaning all your food, drinks, and excursions are included. Gratuity too!

Plus, you’ll have the option to stay a couple days after the cruise to experience Paris. It will be spring and the blossoms will be in full bloom. It’s going to be stunning!

Great news! You can still save BIG on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. The pay-in-full sale has just been extended through September! Click Join The Cooking Mom on a French River Cruise to get all the dates and details. This trip is going to be so wonderful. Join me!

My trips are so special and different from the rest! To find out more about my trips and what makes them so unique click Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom. I’m planning AMAZING trips for 2023 and 2024 right now! Hoyt and I just got back from Europe. That’s where we got engaged! We took our very first river cruise! It really is THE ULTIMATE way to see Europe! It was so amazing to just sit on the top deck and look out at all that gorgeous scenery, and castles as the ship when down the Danube River. We visited Budapest, Austria, Germany and Slovakia. Email me at info@thecookingmom and let me know if you want to get on my list for exclusive early trip announcements!

Gotta run! I’m in search of some great fish tacos in San Diego. Let let me know if you have any favorite spots there. You can always see what I'm up to on Facebook and Instagram. Check out my food videos on YouTube, too.

I hope you all have a great holiday weekend. Cook up some memories!

Take care,
Amy, The Cooking Mom