National Chocolate Chip Day – as you can tell by the name – celebrates sweet, tasty chocolate chips. This is one of our favorite days at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen! Chocolate chips deserve a little recognition. Where would yummy, delicious, gooey treats like cookies, cakes, and muffins be without their presence? You’ll find a wide variety of recipes involving them. The favorite way to enjoy them is in cookie format, but today, I’m also going to be making chocolate chip pancakes, simply because I can. What are your favorite ways to enjoy chocolate chips? Let me, Kathleen Raskin, know!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 C coconut, almond, OR dairy milk, whatever your preference
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• ¼ tsp ...

National Bike to Work Day is a great opportunity to get some exercise, plus save on gas and emissions. It’s tough to bike to work in some places, but if you can, Kathey Jo’s Kitchen recommends trying it out. National Bike Month was started by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956. May was chosen to coincide with the arrival of warmer weather. It’s inspired bike rides, commuter challenges, safety inspections, and other varied displays of bicycling over the years. Hopefully your community participates. If not, consider starting a campaign where you live. Today’s recipes are commuter friendly, ideal to snack on during your rides. Let your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen know if you are!

Veggies and Hummus

Ingredients

• Raw vegetables, such as carrots, celery, sugar snap peas, bell...

I am Kathey Raskin, and welcome to my kitchen! Who loves of caramel popcorn? I know I do! There’s nothing you can do to caramel popcorn to ruin it. No matter what happens, you have caramel popcorn to enjoy. Have you ever thought about how popcorn is made? There’s water inside the corn kernel. The heat warms it up, and as the water becomes gaseous, it causes incredible pressure in the kernel that causes it to explode into the yummy snack that we all enjoy during movie nights. Do you do anything extra to your caramel popcorn before you enjoy it? Share your favorite toppings with your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen!

The Best Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• ½ cup corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extra...

I am Kathleen Raskin, and I’d like to welcome you to my Las Vegas kitchen! It’s time to enjoy zucchini bread like there’s no tomorrow at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen. There’s a reason why this day is held in the spring, and not summer. If you’re not aware, zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in a garden. Blink, and you’ll be drowning in them, if you’re not careful! So, why not make its official day in the off-season? Makes perfect sense to us. You can enjoy it before the onslaught begins in the summer. How do you like to enjoy your zucchini? Let your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen know in the comments below.

Classic Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 medium zucchinis (2 cups shredded)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flo...

May the Fourth Be with You: It’s Star Wars Day!

I am Kathey Raskin, and I’d like to welcome you to my Las Vegas kitchen! I’ll be honest: we’re not the target audience for Star Wars at all at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have people in my life that don’t enjoy the movies. I couldn’t tell you what a Yoda is from an Ewok, but when everyone started greeting me last year, I had to find out what the hubbub was. So, this year, in preparation, I went hunting for themed goodies to bring smiles to everyone in Kathey Jo’s Kitchen. I encourage you to share your favorite Star Wars-themed treat in the comments below. Let’s all enjoy the day, and may the Force be with you.

Bantha Milk Cocktail

Ingredients

• 3 oz. of milk
• 1 oz. of cream
• 1 oz. of coconut rum
• 1 o...

Hello from the Las Vegas kitchen of Kathleen Raskin! National Shrimp Scampi Day may be over now, but there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy it today. Sometimes, I just want to make something simple at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen. Thankfully, shrimp scampi fits the bill. It’s tasty, simple, and easy to make. All you need to do is cook the shrimp, along with butter, and chopped garlic in a skillet. You can pair it with almost anything – crusty bread, or pasta – and have an even more filling meal. How do you like to eat your shrimp scampi? Share your favorite method with your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen in the comments below.

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, 2 grated, 2 thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1-pound large shrimp, peeled, dev...

Hello from Kathey Raskin of Las Vegas, and welcome to Kathey Jo’s Kitchen! Pi Day is coming up in a couple of days. Don’t get caught off guard. Have a few pies on hand to enjoy for the day. In Kathey Jo’s Kitchen, we don’t need an excuse to enjoy pie. What is it exactly? National Pi Day celebrates Pi, a mathematical concept of a number that never ends. It was created by physicist Larry Shaw in 1989, celebrated at the San Francisco Exploratorium. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution (HRES 224), officially recognizing March 14, 2009 as the start of the National Pi Day movement. How’s this for another fun fact? The birthday of physicist Albert Einstein is March 14, 1879. Share your favorite pie recipes with Kathey Jo’s Kitchen below!

Chocolate Chess ...

Crown of Pork Day is on March 7^th, but there’s no reason why you can’t be a couple of days ahead. In Kathey Jo’s Kitchen, fortune favors the prepared. Or – in this case – full bellies favor the prepared! You can’t cut corners and simply eat pork chops for today, it must absolutely be crown roast of pork. Go with your mother or grandmother’s favorite recipe, or prepare it in a style that you’ve never had before. Tell your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen what is your favorite way to prepare your crown roast of pork. I’ve shared a couple ways below, but I know there’s so many ways out there.

Crown Roast of Pork with Lady Apples and Shallots

Ingredients

• 2 8-bone racks of pork (about 4 pounds each), chine bone removed, fat trimmed to ¼-inch thick, rib bones frenched
• 1½ ...

With all the food allergies in the world, here at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen, I’m glad peanut is not one of them. They’re my go-to snack, and I could eat them all day. Nothing beats a good ol’ fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I was thrilled to find out that March is National Peanut Month. The month had its beginnings as National Peanut Week in 1941, but later morphed into a month-long celebration in 1974. I’m going to incorporate more peanut recipes in this month to celebrate. I’ve included a couple of them below, and as always, I encourage you to share your favorite way of enjoying peanuts with your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen.

Strawberry Honey-Peanut Salad

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup strawberries, chopped
• 1 ½ cup broccoli, cut
• ½ cup honey-roasted peanuts, lightly chopped

If you’ve noticed your energy levels depleting significantly after lunch, it’s probably because of what you’re putting into your body. At Kathey Jo’s Kitchen, we understand you’re crunched for time, no matter how long your lunch is. So, consider meal planning. It’s something I’ve mentioned before, and it’s been such a boon for my health this year. You’ll see how much energy you have once you start incorporating reliable, consistent food into your diet. Plus, you’ll have more time to truly unwind and enjoy your lunch break. How could that be wrong? Do you already have a meal plan? Do you have any favorite recipes to share? Let your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen know in the comments!

Southwest Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) package lentil & quinoa pasta
• 1 (15 oz...