Blueberry Lime Soda

This blueberry lime soda syrup is so easy to make. It is perfect for a refreshing drink that you will want to sip all summer long!

We have a drink machine in the kitchen, and it is pretty great. I love making caffeine free soda to serve the family. It is fun to mix up a batch of syrup drawing inspiration from seasonal produce. This recipe came together with only 3 ingredients to create something sweet, tart and completely delicious!

After you make this, you might never buy a prepacked syrup for your soda stream machine again. This is so easy to make and tastes totally amazing! With only 3 ingredients and a few moments of time, this might be your new favorite.

Ingredients:
One fresh lime
2 cups of blueberries
2 cups of water
2 cups of sugar

Tools:
A mason jar or something similar for storing
A mesh sieve/strainer
A medium size saucepan

Directions:
Combine water, sugar and blueberries in a saucepan.
Over medium heat,  cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Allow the mixture to cool for about 20 minutes.
Place the mesh sieve/strainer over the mason jar.
Pour the liquid into the sieve, allowing it to drip into the jar.
As you go, you will crush the fruit to drain the liquid. I use a small mason jar for this.

Allow to cool completely then store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.


To use, add one to two ounces of syrup to your drink mate or soda stream with 12 ounces of water, then carbonate.

If you do not have a drink machine, no worries! Add this to sprite or carbonated water for a really delightful summer treat!

Don't miss my other homemade soda steam syrup recipes. Reader favorites include:

Cherry Orange Soda

Strawberry Peach Pop

Peach  Soda

Memorial Day Coloring Page

Memorial Day is near, so I have a super cute and easy coloring page to share with you for your little ones. Print off a few and color them to decorate your windows or fridge. These are perfect for adding a little Americana flair to your space, in an easy to decorate manner for the smallest hands.

Since the corona virus pandemic has been keeping us away from our friends and neighbors, we have been finding creative ways to connect and say hi to the people around us. We write greetings on the street in front of our friends homes, telling them we miss them. We have video chats and make time to gather online for games and school. We put teddy bears in our windows in March. 

Now that the weather is getting even warmer, more people are out for walks, so adding some colorful flags to the windows seemed like a great way to pass a few minutes of time, while giving the dog walkers and scavenger hunters in the area something to admire.

Print as many as you like. Feel free to pin this image to your coloring page board, and hopefully in the years to come we can share them at school and with our friends. 

Encourage your kids to decorate the flags in red, white and blue for Memorial Day, or in any pattern they like. I would love it if you take a pic of your finished project and share it on my facebook page.

Print the Happy Memorial Day Flag Coloring Page here

You can find all of my free coloring pages here

Reader favorites include:

C is for Cat

J is for Jam

Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings are the ultimate comfort food. Cracker Barrel is well known for having some of the best dumplings around but this recipe brings all of that famous flavor to your dinner table. If you are craving comfort food, you will want to make this  Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings recipe asap!

Chicken and dumplings are one of my favorites. When I have had a really rough day, a steamy bowl of chicken and dumplings is like a warm hug! I used to think they were super hard to make, and I would have never tried to do it at home. I left my cravings to Cracker Barrel. But then the Coronavirus pandemic happened and all of my favorite places had to close their doors. What was a girl to do? Learn how to make dumplings!

This recipe is so easy! You are going to want to make it for Sunday dinner with the family, you are going to want to make it for cold winter days and anytime you want comfort. It tastes just like Cracker Barrel!

Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken Dumplings

Ingredients

1 Rotisserie chicken 
6-7 cups of Chicken broth 
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp. shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

Remove the meat from the bone of your rotisserie chicken and set to the side in a covered dish. 
In a large crock pot set to high add broth your and pepper. (KitchenAid has a good 6-quart one)
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. 
Cut in the shortening. 
Add the buttermilk, stirring with a fork until moistened.
Knead the dough 4 to 5 times.
Place the dough on a flour covered cutting board. 
Begin to cut your pieces into 1/2 inch pieces. 
Place the pieces into the crock pot. 
Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 4 hours. 
Stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken back and lightly toss to combine
Continue to cook for 1 more hour 
Enjoy

 Find all of my favorite recipes here
Crab Cakes
Carrot Soup 

Play Doh Food Themed Puzzles

Do you need an easy way to keep the kids entertained? This play doh puzzle idea is perfect for challenging them with items you already have on hand!

It is no secret that we LOVE play doh! Homemade versions, ideas to play with it, and just the joy of squishing it in your hands! No matter how you do it, it is fun with play doh.

The kids have been out of school for a long time now; 6 weeks and counting. Keeping them learning, playing and happy has been a challenge. I have had to get creative in my efforts, but some of the best ideas are born out of idle time and basic supplies.

This play doh puzzle can be as challenging or easy you want it to be. We used play food because we have a lot of that.

Affiliate links are used in this post. If you make a purchase, I will earn a small advertising fee at no cost to you.

Supplies:

Play Doh

Several Play Foods

Directions:

Roll a can of play doh out until it covers about a 6 to 8" area

Press assorted play food into the play doh, leaving a little room in between the food to create impressions that you can match up.

After you have filled the play doh with imprints of play food, lay all play food around the play doh and invite your child to match up the play food to the imprint that the food left.

Repeat with more play food, or even other objects from around the house.
Make more imprints for more challenging puzzles, or fewer for an easier play experience.
We loved that we could make this fun for both kids without having to buy anything!

You can find all of my play doh ideas here

Reader favorites include:

Play Doh Flower Counting

Play Doh Multiplication

8 Superb Salsa Recipes

Salsa is super yummy, no matter how you serve it. Let's discover 8 new awesome recipes that are topping my must make list this summer! I am sure you will notice a few you can't wait to try too!

You will want to pin this collection so you can come back to it when your garden is producing tons of fresh tomatoes!


If you like salsa, you are in the perfect place! I have rounded up 8 salsa recipes I am dying to try and I know you are going to like a few of these too! From tropical flavors to simple recipes sourced from the garden, this list contains some amazing options!


Avocado Salsa
Black Bean Salsa
Cranberry Salsa
Mexican Corn Salsa
Slow Cooker Salsa
Pineapple Salsa
Strawberry Salsa
Summer Salsa

Making fresh salsa at home is really easy. I have a few tips for you that will take your homemade salsa to the next level of deliciousness!

1. Raw veggies offer a gorgeous color to your salsa. 
2. Cooked veggies offer deeper flavors.
3. Herbs can be mixed and matched to meet your preferences or come up with interesting new combinations!
4. You can swamp tomatoes for fruits that are in season for decadent results! Think peaches, pineapple, mangoes and so on.
5. You can freeze salsa to enjoy later!
6. Canning homemade salsa is also a great way to savor the flavor of summer for months to come.

Which of these recipes will you try first? If you have a favorite salsa recipe I would love to hear about it in a comment! If you have a tip for making awesome salsa at home, please share it with me!

You might also like this Mango Salsa recipe!