∗ Raise your hand if you’re hungry! ∗

Chopped Taco Salad with Peppers, Beef & Sweet Corn

The salad is a hearty blend of fresh peppers, tomatoes, and corn plus seasoned ground beef and shredded cheese. Catalina dressing may sound like an unlikely sauce for this salad, but trust me – it is so delicious in combination with the taco-spiced meat and the crisp veggies. This dish has been a favorite of ours for a long time… a favorite of mine and my husband’s that is. For some reason our kids don’t like it, but that’s fine by us. they can just have a bowl of cereal or something while we dig into this amazing taco salad. We first discovered it many, many years ago at a party where it was set out as a dip. After a few bites we pretty much spent the rest of the party parked at that bowl! We dashed home to recreate it for ourselves, leaving out a few things we didn’t want in there and adding others.

∗ Still hungry? Here are 6 delicious recipe ideas for you! ∗

: OCRACOKE ISLAND FIG CAKE. We <3 the Outer Banks, North Carolina and it was such a pleasure to learn about their beloved fig cake!

: FRESH TOMATO BASIL SALSA. This salsa came about a few years back when my daughter and I spent most of the summer eating Margherita Pizza:.

: SAVORY SHREDDED PORK SLIDERS. This sliders recipe is based on a church supper style pan of sandwiches, meant to feed a crowd.

: SO SWEET: BLUEBERRY FRITTERS. Imagine if you will a cross between fluffy, blueberry-studded pancakes and the county fair favorite snack, fried dough. Whoa!

: CORN ON THE COB DRENCHED IN BUTTER. My favorite part of the fair is the ridiculously indulgent food. But some years we save a few bucks and skip the fair, so I decided to make some of my favorite fair food at home.

: THE FLAVOR OF FALL: PUMPKIN SPICE SYRUP. If you are dreaming about autumn, and anticipating all the tastes of that season then this syrup is an easy way to add tantalizing fall flavor to your drinks.