A Family Friendly Travel Guide to Butler County, Ohio

Spanning five different cities across the county, this a family friendly travel guide of where to go, what to see, and where to eat while visiting Butler County, Ohio with your family...

This post was created in partnership with the Butler County Visitors Bureau. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

If you have been searching for the perfect unexpected family destination in Ohio, your quest is over! Butler County, located just to the north of Cincinnati & about 2 hours southwest of Columbus, may just be the place you have been looking for. With a famed donut trail, a thriving hands-on art scene, and plenty of quirky & family friendly attractions, Butler County has a little something to satisfy and thrill every member of your family. 

If you and your family haven't visited the Butler County, Ohio area before, let this travel guide serve as a little taste of what all you have been missing. Spanning five different cities across the county, this is where to go, what to see, and where to eat while visiting Butler County with your family...

Roasted Beet & Strawberry Buttermilk Skillet Cake

This Roasted Beet & Strawberry Buttermilk Skillet Cake combines sweet, roasted beets with locally grown strawberries in a moist & buttery buttermilk cake...

This recipe first appeared on the Bridgeport Farmers Market Let's Get Fresh site.

I am on a mission once again this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing mostly locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market. I started this locally inspired recipe series last summer, and I am thrilled to be continuing the series this year as well. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of June, I am sharing a delicious summer dessert recipe with an unexpected ingredient- roasted beets! This Roasted Beet & Strawberry Buttermilk Skillet Cake combines sweet, roasted beets with locally grown strawberries in a moist & buttery buttermilk cake. Top with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream or some homemade whipped cream, and you have an impressive dessert to serve at your next summertime get-together...

Pesto & White Wine Chicken & Veggies

This flavorful & easy to make Pesto & White Wine Chicken & Veggies will quickly become your new go-to sheet pan dinner recipe...

I have no clue why it has taken me so long to jump on the sheet pan dinner bandwagon. I mean, you just need one pan, some meat & veggies, & a little seasoning, and voila! Add a loaf of crusty bread or a salad (or both), and dinner is served. :)

But perhaps the best thing about sheet pan dinners is that they require only one baking sheet. Line it right, and you don't even have to worry about washing the pan once dinner is over. Just take the foil or parchment paper off & put that sheet pan right back on the shelf.

For my first ever sheet pan dinner recipe on the blog, I decided to keep it super simple with a 2 ingredient sauce for the chicken & veggies. You just need a jar of prepared basil pesto (homemade pesto will also work for my over-achievers out there ;) ) and your favorite white wine.

Banana Split Ice Cream Pops

These cool & creamy Banana Split Ice Cream Pops are made with just 3 simple ingredients- vanilla ice cream, cold milk, & fresh fruit. A perfect frosty treat for summertime!

This dairy packed recipe was created in partnership with the ADA Mideast. As always, all thoughts & opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

The countdown to summer break is on in this house! My youngest has less than a month left of school & then the summer fun will officially begin. We have road trips, lazy days at the local pool, tennis camp, and nights by the fire pit making s'mores already on our summer break agenda. I also see lots of fun homemade popsicle making in our summertime plans starting with this recipe for these layered Banana Split Ice Cream Pops. 

This cool & creamy frozen treat is made with just 3 simple ingredients: vanilla ice cream, cold milk, & fresh fruit. And they come together in no time at all with a little help from your blender. 

Not only are these ice cream pops fun & 100% kid approved, but I can also feel good about treating my kiddo to these thanks to the high standards of safety & quality being enforced by our local dairy farmers. In a world where we seem to be constantly hearing about contaminated foods & recalls, it is reassuring to know that dairy foods are the among the safest & most highly regulated foods out there.

Spring Cleaning Made Quick & Easy With Maytag Washer & Dryer Set

Spring cleaning was quick & easy for once – thanks to my new washer & dryer from Maytag! 

This post was created in partnership with Maytag. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

It's that time of the year again, folks! Time to clean the house from top to bottom. Time to clear the clutter, reorganize, and refresh. And May happens to be one of the best time of the year to update your laundry room with a brand new washer & dryer set!

May is Maytag Month! From May 3 to June 6, you can snag some pretty powerful deals including up to a $700 rebate with the purchase of select Maytag kitchen & laundry appliances! With spring cleaning in full swing, the timing couldn't be more perfect to take advantage of these deals.

If you need a little help determining which washer and dryer set you should choose that makes the most sense for your space, check out this handy guide. 

I started to tackle my spring cleaning list this past week with a little (strike that- a lot!) of help from my washer & dryer...

The Ultimate How-To Guide to the Butler County Donut Trail

Located just north of Cincinnati, the Butler County Donut Trail is a donut lover's dream come true! This is the ultimate how-to guide to conquering this countywide culinary trail...

This post was created in partnership with the Butler County Visitors Bureau. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

Located just north of Cincinnati, Butler County, Ohio probably isn't the first destination that you think of when looking for a foodie-centric getaway. But a unique culinary trail that the county started in 2016 is quickly putting them on the map & on the radar of foodie travelers everywhere- their Donut Trail that spans 80 miles in over 6 different cities of the county. Butler County lays claim to one of the highest number of donut shops per capita in the Midwest. 

Yes, folks. Dreams do come true. A trail filled with homemade donuts from 12 different local donut shops does exist. Now this isn't exactly a hiking trail (although you can bike it on September 1st of this year if you would like). This is a load the family in the car and cart yourselves from donut shop to donut shop until you pop kind of a trail. 

When the Butler County Visitors Bureau reached out to me inviting my family & I to take on their Donut Trail, I knew we were more than up for the challenge. Plus, donuts! Hello, people. How could I possibly say no? ;)

Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd Buttercream

Super moist layers of lemony cake are frosted in an amazing homemade buttercream flavored with lemon curd & fresh lemon zest in this Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd Buttercream...

Who else seems to be stuck in spring limbo (aka, what I am deeming as sprinter) where you live?? It is almost mid-April, & we have had snow flurries off & on over the past few days. Tomorrow it will finally feel like spring here in West Virginia with some sunshine and temps in the 60's. The weather man is predicting a high of 79 for both Saturday & Sunday (sprummer, anyone?), and then we are headed right back into the 40's with possible snow by the beginning of next week. I really wish Mother Nature would get it together already! 

In the meantime, I am just going to go ahead and create a little sunshine of my own with this luscious and bright Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd Buttercream. ;) I actually made this cake for Easter dessert this year, and it was a huge hit with my family. You just can't go wrong with these super moist layers of cake bursting with lemony goodness, all frosted in an amazing buttercream flavored with homemade lemon curd & fresh lemon zest...