The Best Places to Eat & Drink in Delaware County, Ohio

From locally owned restaurants, to breweries, & everything in between, here are my top 7 recommendations for the best places to eat & drink in Delaware County, Ohio...

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

If someone would have asked me at the beginning of May what my recommendation would be for a good travel destination in Ohio for foodies, Delaware probably would have not been the first Ohio city that would have come to mind for me. Having lived in the Columbus area for over 8 years, I was familiar with the Delaware area but didn't venture that way much when I was resident of Franklin County. I knew Alum Creek State Park was up that way, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Delaware County.

That all changed when the kiddos & I visited the Delaware, Ohio area at the end of May earlier this summer. Over the past 10 years, the historic downtown area of Delaware has grown by leaps & bounds. And with this growth has also come the birth of a vibrant local restaurant & brewery scene. 

While we definitely didn't get to experience all of the deliciousness that Delaware County has to offer during our stay, we did get a good enough taste of the area. From locally owned restaurants, to breweries, & everything in between, here are my top 7 recommendations for the best places to eat & drink in the county... 

Caprese Tomato Bread Pudding

This creamy & savory Caprese Tomato Bread Pudding is a delicious & easy way to enjoy the fresh flavors of the summer season...

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 in the summer of 2017, 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. 

Both of my kiddos are back in school now & the summer is winding down, but the heirloom tomato game is still going strong at my local farmers market each weekend. Sweet & juicy garden fresh tomatoes really are one of the best things about the end of the summer growing season. Usually I am drawn to big, fat heirloom tomatoes that are bigger than the size of my palm, but I spied some gorgeous heirloom cherry tomatoes a couple of weeks ago at the market & I just knew that I had to use them in a recipe.

Strawberry Papaya Tofu Smoothie

This Strawberry Papaya Tofu Smoothie is a thick & creamy blend of tofu, sweet strawberries, fresh papaya, frozen mango, & banana- a perfect quick & easy after school snack!

Thank you House Foods for sponsoring this post.

My daughter is enjoying her last few days of summer break, and I am thinking ahead to next week when school starts back up for the year. Even though we do not know quite yet what her second grade year will bring, one thing is for certain- she will come through the door just about every afternoon after school proclaiming how hungry she is. So I am making a mental list now of fun & easy snacks that she can help me make when her after school munchies hit.

Inspired by her recent reading of The Tales of Tofu from House Foods ebook, my daughter asked if we could try one of the recipes from the ebook. My daughter loves any & all smoothies, so she of course requested that we whip up the Strawberry Papaya Tofu Smoothie in preparation for all that upcoming back to school snacking. 

Double Blueberry Greek Yogurt Waffles

These fluffy & protein-packed Double Blueberry Greek Yogurt Waffles are a tasty & filling way to start your day...

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

Back to school is just around the corner, & I am sure that most of you all are in full-on prep for the new school year. I know that we are. We have been picking up school supplies at the store, doing a little clothes shopping, & making sure all the paperwork is in order for my daughter to start second grade. We have been checking off our back to school to-do list & then checking it twice. 

But did you know that one of the single most important things that we, as parents, can do to make sure our kiddos are ready for school each morning is to ensure that they are eating a healthy, filling breakfast? And one of the best (& easiest!) ways to do that is to make sure to include dairy in their daily breakfast.

In fact, dairy foods happen to be one of the most budget friendly ways to add more protein to your kiddo's breakfast. And more protein means your child will stay feeling fuller longer, which in turn improves their concentration during class. Just one serving of milk, yogurt, or cheese includes 8 grams of high quality protein & 9 essential nutrients.

One of my daughter's favorite breakfast foods happens to waffles. This girl would eat waffles every single morning if she could. So, I decided to take her most requested breakfast dish & give it a dairy & protein boost by using Greek yogurt instead of oil in the waffle batter. The results? Perfectly fluffy waffles bursting with fresh blueberry flavor! (And also a very happy & full second grader... )

5 Fun & Family Friendly Things to do in & Around Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey is so much more than just roller coasters & chocolate bars! Check out my top recommendations for 5 Fun & Family Friendly Things to do in & Around Hershey, Pennsylvania...

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

I don't think that it is any big secret that the Hershey, Pennsylvania area is a go-to destination in the east for fun family getaways. With Hersheypark & Hershey's Chocolate World just a short walk apart from each other, it is easy to see why the area has been a favorite among families for decades now. I mean, who doesn't love a good amusement park and lots & lots of chocolate? ;)

Plus, Hershey is quite literally the city that was built on chocolate. Or at the very least, it is a city that was built upon Milton Hershey's chocolate empire and his vision of a town & a community that he could give back to. You can experience his legacy at every turn within the historic downtown area of Hershey & the surrounding areas.

That being said, Hershey is so much more than just roller coasters & chocolate bars! Within a 30 minute drive of the city, you can also explore hiking trails that lead to incredible views, create your very own ice cream flavor, & challenge your family members to a friendly game of nighttime mini golf. 

Last month, my kiddos & I got to spend four fun-packed days in the Hershey, Pennsylvania area. While four days is definitely not quite long enough to experience everything this area of Pennsylvania has to offer, we did get to enjoy five of the area's top family-friendly attractions...

15 Creative Zucchini Recipes That are NOT Bread

From moist muffins to flavorful & fresh dinner ideas to pies & tarts, put that overabundance of garden zucchini to good use with these 15 Creative Zucchini Recipes That are NOT Bread...

I don't know about you all, but my Facebook feed has been filled with friends & family posting pics of their very generous bounties from their home gardens lately. And these homegrown bounties almost always include a ridiculous amount of zucchini with an offer that they also happen to be free to good homes. ;) Now I like a good, garden grown zucchini as much as the next girl, but you can only bake so many loaves of zucchini bread in a month- am I right?

That is why I made it my mission to go out & search for some of the most creative zucchini recipes out there from a few of my favorite food bloggers. My only requirement? No bread recipes. In fact, I went looking for zucchini recipes that were anything but bread recipes.

I gathered up 15 of the most unique & creative zucchini recipes I could find. Everything from moist muffins to flavorful & fresh dinner ideas to pies & tarts. 

So forget the zucchini bread this week, and try one of these tasty zucchini recipes instead...

Coffee Rubbed Venison Bacon Burger

This juicy & flavorful Coffee Rubbed Venison Bacon Burger is sure to quickly become your new go-to burger recipe this summer...

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 in the summer of 2017, 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 July, I am sharing the recipe for this juicy & flavorful Coffee Rubbed Venison Bacon Burger. For those who are not familiar with cooking with venison, it is deer meat. And deer meat tends to be on the leaner side with very little fat & with a slightly gamey flavor. My remedy for both of these predicaments? Thick cut local bacon, of course! ;)