We would mix and match crusts and cookies, creams and yogurts, and have so much fun seeing what new creation we would enjoy for dessert!

The main thing she taught me is that icebox cakes are nearly impossible to mess up. If you have the ingredients for a crust, and then layer in some whipped cream for the filling, the sky’s the limit with anything else you want to throw in!

So I decided to throw in three favorites with this cake – some peanut butter squares, chocolate whipped cream, and some salted caramel. De-ca-DENT. And surprisingly easy.

Here’s the how-to!

Begin with these Nature Valley Peanut Butter Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares for the cake “crust”.

In a bread pan or small baking dish, place a layer of peanut butter squares so that they are touching side-to-side.

Then make your chocolate whipped cream by gently stirring together a tub of whipped cream and a tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Spoon about half of the chocolate whipped cream on top of the peanut butter squares layer.

Then drizzle about half a jar of caramel sauce on top of the whipped cream layer, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Repeat with another layer of peanut butter squares and whipped cream. Then freeze until frozen though, at least two hours. Remove from freezer and cut into squares to serve. Then drizzle with remaining caramel sauce, a little chocolate sauce, then sprinkle with sea salt.

Look at all of those beautiful layers!

Even as it starts to melt, it still tastes PB-caramel-chocolate-tastic.

Enjoy!

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What these waffle breakfast rolls lack in culinary accuracy, they totally make up in pure fun!

When I set out to make some sort of sushi-shaped thing with waffles, I expected it to be this daunting task that took me hours in the kitchen and would have to be propped up or faked to look good. It turned out totally opposite! These Waffle Breakfast Sushi Rolls were shockingly easy to make, and very sturdy – in fact, they were much less fragile than some sushi rolls I’ve made in the past.

The key to the recipe was using pizzelles (instead of full-blown waffles) as the shell to hold everything together. Pizzelles are sturdy, easy to make, and even firm up after a few minutes to really keep everything together nicely.

Just a few ingredients and you have your pizzelle batter in no time.

Prep your ingredients real quick (which really means to simply slice up some fruit and get the cream cheese out of the fridge).

Overload your pizzelle maker so it comes out as one whole rectangle.

Top with the cream cheese, then the fruit. I first made one with strawberry and banana…

Followed by one with pineapple. Really though, just like sushi, the possibilities are endless.

Then just chop it into bite-sized pieces.

Make sure you line them up to make it look like sushi.

And don’t forget the syrup for dipping!

[recipe]

Dan Whalen can already feel the backlash. He has been blogging for over 4 years at The Food in My Beard; check Dan’s Tablespoon profile often to try his recipes with creative international spins!

A day relaxing, maybe a round of golf…and delicious treats infused with the oaky, smoky hint of bourbon. So Dad, here are some of the tastiest bourbon treats we could find just for you!

1. Bourbon Bacon Brownies

Only the manliest of brownies will do for such a manly man, and these brownies with smoky bourbon and savory bacon are perfect.

2. Bourbon Chili

Spicy, bold chili is warm and hearty (like you, Dad)!

3. Bourbon Cocktail Meatballs

Cucumber sandwiches and dainty canapés are so not your style. The best dads eat appetizers like these spicy, sweet cocktail meatballs.

4. Slow Cooker Bourbon Banana Bread

Dad, you’re as comforting as warm banana bread, but not just any banana bread. You’re like bomb banana bread mixed with bourbon and chocolate chips!

5. Grilled Bourbon Bacon Burgers

As master of the grill, you should enjoy a kick-butt grilled burger! Lean ground beef mixed with chiles, bourbon, and bacon, then topped with even MORE BACON!

6. Bourbon Chicken with Corn Relish

A little spice and a little booze transforms this dish, because boring chicken just won’t cut it for such a cool dude.

7. Bourbon Glazed Ham

Juicy bourbon glazed ham makes a great meal and dad-approved sandwiches too!

8. Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes

As a no frills kind of guy, don’t worry Dad, these boozy cupcakes cut out the cute and pack in the bold flavors of chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and of course bourbon!

9. Kentucky Bourbon Bacon Chex Mix

Hard working guys like you need tasty snacks to keep you going throughout the day, like sweet and salty bourbon-bacon Chex mix.

10. Chocolate Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

Celebrate the special day with creamy, dense cheesecake infused with bourbon and aromatic bitters.

11. Bourbon Pecan Pie with Pecan Crust

The ultimate rich, nutty, gooey pie for a stellar guy!

12. Bourbon Spiked Ginger Brownie Truffle Balls

For the man that loves to toss baseballs and footballs around in the yard: Toss back a few of these fudgy, spiced, bourbon truffle balls.

13. Bourbon Street Muffaletta Braid

The Bourbon Street muffaletta, stacked with salty cured meats and briny olives, is perfect with dad’s ice-cold beer.

14. Bourbon Bacon Pancakes

Father’s Day should be an all day event, so start it right with a mountainous stack of fluffy bourbon infused pancakes, dripping with bourbon laced syrup and crispy bits of bacon.

15. Modern Old Fashioned Cocktail

And of course what better way to wash down all these bourbon treats than with a drink! Classy, strong, and sweet, just like you, Dad.

[recipe]

With BACON in it!!!

Sorry to shout at you, but I just had to. Because when you’ve got a salad as delicious as this Strawberry-Avocado Kale Salad with Bacon Poppyseed Dressing to talk about, everyone needs to hear about it.

You see, kale is all the rage right now. It’s the cool kid on the salad block. And everyone loves avocados and bacon. So when I happened across a lovely recipe from the lovely Lauren of Lauren’s Latest that combines ALL THE THINGS into one dish, I knew it had to be in my life, pronto.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “If you put all the things together into one dish, that doesn’t mean it will taste good.” Au contraire, mon ami! This salad works. The sweetness of the strawberries plays very nicely with the saltiness of the bacon, and the creaminess of the Yoplait Greek yogurt pairs well with the creaminess of the sliced avocado. The kale also gives it a good texture and crunch. So, yeah, magical salad, right here.

First, corral all your ingredients, including a bunch of fresh kale, a couple cups of sliced strawberries, an avocado, cooked crispy bacon and plain Yoplait Greek yogurt. Trim the stems from the kale and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces, then toss the leaves in a large bowl with the strawberries.

To make the dressing, stir together the bacon (crumble it first), some of the Greek yogurt, some white wine vinegar and sugar, poppy seeds and salt and pepper. You’ll want to drink this stuff straight, but control yourself. The wait is worth it!

Toss the salad with the dressing, like so.

When you’re ready to serve, top the salad with sliced avocado. YUMMMMM.

Let’s give this one a standing ovation.

[recipe]

Stephanie (aka Girl Versus Dough) apologizes again for shouting. But seriously — bacon. Check out Stephanie’s Tablespoon member profile and keep checking back for her own personal recipes on Tablespoon!

When your dad hears you say bacon and bourbon in one sentence – and then learns it’s in cupcake form – he’ll be quite the proud papa. Besides, making anything instead of buying it usually means that much more…it shows you took the time to show dear old dad just what he means to you.

To make the cupcakes:

Gather the ingredients.

Prepare cake mix according to directions using the eggs, water and oil. Fold in one cup of the bacon crumbles.

Using an ice cream scoop (nice for portioning), fill a prepared muffin pan 2/3 of the way up (prepared with cupcake liners).

Bake at 325F for 18-20 minutes until slightly golden brown on top. When done, remove from oven, place on wire rack and let cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Using a stand mixer (or a bowl and electric mixer) add the cream cheese and butter together and cream until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add bourbon and 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat on low speed. Once powdered sugar is incorporated beat on medium speed. Continue to add powdered sugar one cup at a time until you reach desired frosting consistency.

Pipe frosting onto cupcake (or just use a knife).

Add the remaining 1/2 cup bacon crumbles on top of each cupcake for garnish.

Bourbon. Bacon. Cupcakes. A sure winner for Father’s Day!

[recipe]

Bourbon Recipes1 of 10

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Everything’s better with a splash of bourbon. This booze-infused collection proves it, from glazed beef kabobs to a tart drizzled in sweet cider-bourbon sauce.

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Is it just the time involved? Or is it the mystery of cooking a piece of meat with a bone in the middle?

The good news: Ribs don’t have to be hard at all. The two key things to remember are high flavor and low heat.

You need to pack on the flavor because ribs are a fatty cut of meat that needs a decent amount of seasoning to penetrate the thick flesh, and cook with low heat because they need a decent amount of cooking time to tenderize.

This Taco Seasoned Ribs recipe really brings the flavor with savory taco seasoning, smoky and spicy chipotles and sharp zesty vinegar – and really demystifies the process with a simple low and slow cook time.

Lay the ribs out on a sheet of foil.

The sauce comes together in the blender in no time. Just some taco seasoning, chipotles, and the juice from a jar of banana peppers.

Slather it on the ribs…

…and then wrap the whole thing in foil. Into the oven it goes!

After about two hours, unwrap it and put it back in to brown a bit.

I like to let the ribs cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting them up and devouring them. I paired them with a couscous side dish; check out some recipes in Tired of the Same Ol’ Side Dish? Try Couscous.

Enjoy!

[recipe]

Dan Whalen thinks those 15 minutes feel like a half hour. He has been blogging for over 4 years at The Food in My Beard; check Dan’s Tablespoon profile often to try his recipes with creative international spins!

I feel like chicken and asparagus and tangerine and quinoa tonight.
Like chicken and asparagus and tangerine and quinoa tonight.
Like chicken and asparagus and tangerine and quinoa TONIGHT!

I’m also incredibly sorry to put you through that just now.

So this salad is prooooteeeeeeeinnnnnyyyy. Which is awesome. It’s like, coming at you from all angles. The chicken, the quinoa, the Greek yogurt, the asparagus.

I’m just kidding on the asparagus part. Just had to make sure you were still with me.

Let’s get proteined!

Grab some leftover shredded chicken, some quinoa, a tangerine (or orange if you can’t find a tange! I call it a tange), some Yoplait Greek yogurt, asparagus and some garlic. Oh! And lettuce greens. I went with red leaf lettuce this time.

Cook your quinoa until it’s all spirally.

Sauté your asparagus with some garlic in a little oil for a few minutes. Yum.

Then you just combine the quinoa, chicken, asparagus and sliced tangerine in a big bowl and toss it all together!

And in the meantime, whisk together some of the tangerine juice with the yogurt and olive oil. Easy dressing, baby.

Doesn’t get any better. And proteiny. And better. And proteiny. And bet… – I’m just joking.

Done!

[recipe]

Holy Whole Grains1 of 10

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Count on whole grains for winter nutrition that doesn’t skimp on flavor. These 10 suppers and sides are loaded with both, from Quinoa Salad to Wild Rice Soup.

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Bev made this for lunch one day, and has since grown three capes. For more musings, visit her blog Bev Cooks and her Tablespoon profile.

My love affair with radicchio (pronounced “ra-dee-key-o”) wasn’t always sunshine and roses – but it wasn’t radicchio’s fault. I just didn’t know how to prepare it. But with a little research and taste-testing, I’ve discovered there are so many ways to use this versatile veg.

One of my favorite ways? This bomb Radicchio, Watercress and Fennel Salad. It’s a tossed salad of sorts with salty feta cheese, crunchy walnut pieces and a tart balsamic-red wine vinaigrette. Ladies and gentlefolk, you will LOVE it. Yes, even with all that radicchio in there. If you and radicchio haven’t come to good terms yet, this salad is a game-changer.

First, make the vinaigrette. You can toss all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk it together, but I’ve found the jar method to be the best way. I can just seal up the jar, give it a good shake, drizzle the amount I want on my salad and store the extras in the fridge for tomorrow’s lunch. Or dinner. Or both. Because when you’ve got a vinaigrette and a salad that are this tasty, they’re hard to resist.

Gather your remaining ingredients, including fresh fennel (or anise, as some stores like to label it), watercress and of course, radicchio. Choose a small to medium sized head of radicchio that feels heavier than lettuce but lighter than cabbage. As for the fennel, use the bulb only for this recipe and save the fronds for a soup stock.

Prep your ingredients and toss them in a large bowl so they can mingle and be friends.

Add the feta, walnuts and dried cranberries, then drizzle with the vinaigrette. We’re on our way to magic saladtown!

Lightly toss everything together, then serve! It’s super easy and super delish.

What I love about this salad is how well the radicchio pairs with the vinaigrette. Serving the vegetable with sour flavors found in citrus, vinegar or even meats like salami help to tame its bitterness. Salty foods like capers or feta cheese also work wonders on the vegetable, as do fatty foods including butter and bacon. Serving radicchio with sweet fruits or jams or strong-flavored ingredients like blue cheese and mustard also helps to highlight its unique flavor.

If you just can’t get over that slightly bitter taste, though, you can cook up a small head of it chopped up in a skillet until sautéed or place a head of it, cut in half or into quarters, right on the grill, making it a perfect summer side.

There you have it, folks! Radicchio isn’t so ridiculous, after all… unless you mean ridiculously awesome! (Sorry, had to go there.)

What’s your favorite way to use radicchio?

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Summertime Salads1 of 10

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For a refreshing (and refreshingly easy) dinner, think big, beautiful salads. These summer specialties blend fresh veggies and chicken with couscous and other fave flavors.

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Stephanie (aka Girl Versus Dough) is eating this salad for breakfast, too. Fo’ realz. Check out Stephanie’s Tablespoon member profile and keep checking back for her own personal recipes on Tablespoon!

Sweet & sour pulled pork is a tangy crockpot version of the classic barbecue pulled pork. Rather than a rich, sweet barbecue sauce, this tender pork is cooked in a traditional sweet and sour sauce – with the addition of green peppers and pineapple for flavor and a kick of color. Served on sweet Hawaiian rolls, this is one recipe you’re gonna want to eat every day of the summer!

Lineup! Here’s what you need to get this recipe rockin’ in your crockin’.

Pop everything into a crockpot. Seriously. Just stick it all in. You can whisk all the wet ingredients together first, or just stir them with a fork around the sides of the pork. Either way, this recipe is sooo easy to prep and put together. Let it slow cook during the day….

Then get your party on all night long! The pulled pork will look like this once it’s all done.

But you’re not done yet, because the other best part of this recipe is a super simple side dish, courtesy of these Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers. Simply microwave until cooked through, then serve it up alongside the sliders for a perfect flavor pairing.

May your summer be all sweet, no sour, and lots of delicious!

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Slow Cooker Faves1 of 5

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Don't let your slow cooker collect dust in your cabinet, take it out and use it! Recipes using the slow cooker are easy to throw together, and clean up is a breeze.

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Brooke blogs at Cheeky Kitchen, where she shares crazy simple, healthy family recipes. She joined Tablespoon to share some of her best, so keep an eye on Brooke’s profile to see what she cooks up next!

The teriyaki sauce that you might find in a bottle at your store will be thick and very sweet. That stuff is loaded with sugar and is cooked down. The teriyaki sauce I like to make is quite different – it’s lighter, has more aromatics like ginger and garlic, and can be used as both a marinade and as a sauce.

Let’s walk through one version of the classic teriyaki sauce and then put it on some beautiful teriyaki shrimp kabobs!

In my opinion, don’t even bother making this sauce if you aren’t a fan of garlic and ginger. It should be heavy on both of them.

You want to really pulverize these things, so either mash them up really good or give them a pulse in a food processor. You don’t want any huge chunks of garlic and ginger.

Other than those ingredients, one of my favorite versions of this sauce is a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and plain old water.

Honey thickens the sauce a bit and also adds some sweetness. If you are grilling with the sauce, it will caramelize really nicely because of the honey.

I decided to use most of the sauce as a marinade for my shrimp, but I did want some as a sauce, so I just poured off a few servings of it before mixing it with the shrimp.

If you wanted to thicken the sauce a bit, you could just add it to a small saucepan over medium heat and it would thicken perfectly in a few minutes.

I found some nice large shrimp, peeled them and added them to the teriyaki marinade. For tips on shrimp prep, check out my article on how to prepare shrimp!

Let these sit in the marinade for at least ten minutes so they absorb a lot of the flavor. Since shrimp have a pretty mild flavor, I wouldn’t marinate them for longer than an hour or so.

Then add 6-7 shrimp onto a skewer. When you are skewering these for kabobs, do just shrimp. Don’t mix in vegetables at all – the shrimp cook so fast that they will be overcooked if you cook them with vegetables.

Also, be sure to skewer them so they lay flat on the grill. You don’t want them packed really closely together.

Then preheat your grill and get it nice and hot.

Add the shrimp and grill them for about 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second side. Brush on some of the teriyaki marinade as they cook to keep them moist and flavorful.

I like to serve these kabobs with extra sauce on the side, brown rice, and steamed veggies. Green Giant veggie steamers are easy to use. If you steam them in the microwave I recommend tossing the veggies with a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil to give them the same flavor profile as the shrimp.

This meal looks fancy, but it’s simple to make. Not only is homemade teriyaki sauce more flavorful and healthier than the store-bought stuff, it’s also loads cheaper.

Embrace the teriyaki!

[recipe]

Nick thinks you could teriyaki a shoe and it would probably taste just fine. Be sure to check out his blog, Macheesmo, and follow him on his Tablespoon Profile.