Hi Cooking Moms, Dads & Friends,

I hope you had a great week! It’s been gorgeous here in Wisconsin this week. I sure hope this nice weather hangs on for a bit. I know it’s hard when summer is coming to an end and the kids are back to school. But hey, that means it’s time for football season. YIPPEE! My Green Bay Packers take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. It should be a great game!

We're not going to the game but that’s okay. My daughter, Ireland will be home this weekend to watch the game with Hoyt and me! Hoyt’s two sons, Spencer and Pierce, may come join us to watch too! No matter how many we have over it’s time for a game day party. I’m a pro at entertaining the easy way. I’ve been hosting game day get togethers and tailgate parties for decades. If you're hosting, you got this! I can help! Click Are You Ready for Some Football? and read my blog for my secrets, tips and lots of my favorite game day recipes!

I’m so excited to kick off the season. As you can see our dog Arlo is excited too. GO PACK GO! Sorry Vikings fans, I still love you but I’m a cheesehead and I gotta cheer for my Packers. By the way, I’ll be in Minnesota next week. I’m cooking up some of my fall favorites next Thursday, September 15th on The Jason Show and Twin Cities Live! If you live in the Minneapolis area, I hope you’ll watch.

Okay, back to game day! You gotta have a few good dips when you're watching football. My 8 Layer Mexican Bean Dip is ALWAYS a WINNER! The cream cheese green chili layer makes this dip extra special and a cut above the rest. I think it’s the best ever. Hope your gang agrees! Just try it!

Want to make something a little lighter? My Texas Caviar filled with corn, beans, peppers and tomatoes is a great way to use up those garden veggies. It makes a big batch and is perfect for game day parties. It’s so yummy! Plus, you can make it ahead. Dip away because it’s healthy too!

My homemade Lemon Garlic Hummus is fresh and easy, or in a pinch just pick some hummus up from the store. Spoon it into small jars or even plastic cups with fresh veggies standing up inside. How cute are these? Plus, everybody gets their own dip. So go ahead. Double dip all you want! Click Appetizers for more delicious dip and appetizer recipes.

You can't go wrong with brats on game day. I have a secret way to make brats even better in my Brat Tub with beer, butter and kraut. BEST BRATS EVER!

If you are thinking of making brats this weekend, you could change things up a bit. Turn ordinary brats into something a little fancy. My Brat Kabobs with onions and peppers are a game day FAVE! The apple juice and soy sauce marinade makes them extra special.

On the side, got tomatoes? Use them to make my Layered BLT Salad. Super easy too and you can make it ahead. LOVE THAT - and the bacon too!

It’s slow cooker season. What not make my Baked Beans in the Slow Cooker this weekend? They are DELISH! You can easily cut the recipe in half or freeze the leftovers.

Did you know you can do Mac ’n Cheese in your slow cooker? You don’t even have to boil the macaroni. Click Slow Cooker Mac ’n Cheese for the recipe. Who knew it could be that easy and cheesy? Here’s an idea. For game day why not set up a mac ’n cheese bar? Put out fun fixin's like bacon, sliced smoked sausage, green onions, hot sauce and of course extra shredded cheese. Everybody can pile on toppings to create their own mac ’n cheese masterpiece. Now that's fun! Click Slow Cooker and Sides for more ideas and recipes.

For dessert, help kick off the season with my Cookies and Cream Cheese Ball. How cute is this? It’s so easy to shape it into a football. Have the kids help decorate it! Not only is it an easy no-bake dessert but it serves as a centerpiece for your game day spread too. Gotta love it! Click Desserts for more decadent but easy breezy desserts.

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.

Join Amy Summer 2023 on Mackinac Island for Lilac Fest! JUST A FEW ROOMS LEFT!

I’m so excited to be hosting group culinary vacations! 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! You can get pricing and book directly by clicking on this link Book Your Spot!. Or call Sara from Rose Travel at 720-884-7913 or email her at [email protected] if you’re interested! We ONLY have a handful of rooms and they are filling up so call TODAY. I hope you’ll join me!

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

Winter will be here before you know it! 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’ll be on Fox 6 Wakeup LIVE in Milwaukee at around 7:45 am this morning cooking up another one of my favorite game day recipes! Don’t forget to watch me on TV in Minneapolis next week too! Next Thursday I’ll be on The Jason Show and Twin Cities Live! I can’t wait! 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 weekend. Cook up some memories!

Take care,
Amy, The Cooking Mom