Kids are almost done with school, Father’s Day is this weekend and it’s finally starting to feel like summertime in NY. I thought it would be a good time to share one of our favorite summer drinks – courtesy of Ina Garten and my husband Brad - Jalapeño Margaritas. Brad loves spicy food. Loves it. So years ago, when I first got my hands on Ina’s Make It Ahead cookbook, I was thrilled to find her Jalapeño Margaritas recipe...

We’ve had a really great response to our Weck Jars. They have so many awesome uses (dry goods, storing asparagus, Ina’s Herbed Goat Cheese), but I decided to try my hand at canning and use them as initially intended. So I decided to make jam. It’s strawberry season. Strawberry jam is one of my favorites. I see posts and recipes for jam all over the place. My mom used to make jam - I never helped, but how hard could it be?

It’s been over a year since we added our chickens to the family! This year, we’ve added a few more chicks and a bunny to our growing brood. While there have been ups and downs (such is life – even the lives of chickens), I’m so happy with our current situation. I’ve learned a ton and eating fresh eggs has been amazing. The icing on the cake is that the kiddos just adore their outdoor ‘pets’ and (hopefully) I won’t have to worry about adding an inside animal for a while.

Mother’s Day. Being a mom myself, it’s one of my favorite days. Although I rarely get to actually relax on Mother’s Day, I love seeing motherhood celebrated and I feel very fortunate to have so many wonderful moms in my life – my own family, my friends and of course, Cassandra’s Kitchen.

One of my favorite traditions in our house is the Birthday Meal. The birthday gal (or guy) gets to pick what they want to eat for dinner on their birthday. And, of course, they get the cake of their choice. For the past few years, my daughters have been really into Trifle cake. Thankfully, this year my daughter Lexi wanted a change so, together, we invented Melted Chocolate Ice Cream Cake. I promise, it’s better than the name suggests and you’ve probably had it before – just never gave it a name!

If you happen to follow us on Instagram, you know we love @StoreBoughtIsFine. Trent Pheifer, the man behind this beautiful and witty feed, has challenged himself to cook through all of Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa recipes. And he does it with style! Cassandra's Kitchen is proud to have this passionate Ina Garten fan as our brand ambassador, so we invited him to share a bit about his clever nick name and his cooking journey on the blog. Enjoy!

I love tomatoes. They are by far my favorite vegetable (or are they a fruit?). In the summer it’s a no brainer - the tomatoes are bursting with flavor and I can literally cut them up, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper and eat them right up. In the winter, it’s a different story. Thank you, Ina for your Roasted Tomato Basil Soup – the perfect way to enjoy tomatoes in February!

Since leaving for college, I’ve moved a lot. And along the way, I’m lucky to have collected a ton of recipes from friends and family, neighbors, and acquaintances. Looking through those recipes brings back memories and I always find something delicious that I had forgotten about. The problem? My recipes are a disorganized, cluttered, messy mess and when I want to find something specific, I can’t! Sound familiar to anyone else?