Summer has officially hit full swing around here. My kids have started their various summer camps, which include a later wake-up time and bedtime, pushing dinner a little later into the evening each day. This transition from our normal school year routine to our summer one is so refreshing after how crazy jam-packed our May calendar was.

This week’s meal plan is all about welcoming summer into our kitchen. Don’t worry — it still includes family friendly fare that’s easy to get on the table and a surprising change to our Pizza Friday ritual.

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As sure as there are seven days in the week, I can count on the fact that at least one of those days, I’ll come home from work feeling totally drained. On these nights, I want nothing more than to plop on the couch with Netlfix and takeout. And, I’ll be honest, sometimes that is exactly what I do. But most of the time, the thing that saves me from blowing my budget on egg rolls and Kung Pao chicken is the one-pot dinner.

When dinner comes together in a single pot, it means a low-fuss meal that’s better for my wallet and probably better for me, too. So, when you just don’t feel like cooking, consider these 18 dinners your lifeline. With options like zoodles and meatballs, burrito bowls, and a savory Dutch baby, they’re delicious and totally doable.

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(Image credit: Budget Bytes)

If you’re attending a BBQ or picnic in the next few months, then you know that pasta salad will be on the menu. In fact, pasta salad is so ubiquitous in summer that it should probably be added to the summer commandments of cooking. It’s the perfect thing to bring to a potluck because it’s heartier than a salad, but less complicated than a main dish for grilling (let someone else make the grilled chicken).

Looking for a pasta recipe that everyone will love? Pinterest has just the thing. I’ve found the most popular pasta salad recipe on the platform and it’s super easy to make.

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(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Sometimes there’s an occasion to make a beautiful, towering strawberry shortcake to grace the dessert table. But more often we’re managing a busy weeknight when the hankering for a slice of soft, spongy cake accompanied by fresh sliced berries and whipped cream hits. Even if you had the time and energy, you don’t need a whole cake, and you definitely don’t want to turn on the oven if it’s high summer. This sweet mug cake is your single-serve solution.

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Asparagus is a vegetable that is transformed by hot-and-fast cooking. It’s why we love roasted and stir-fried asparagus, and why we fall in love each spring with grilled asparagus. Grilling makes asparagus tender while imparting a delightful char and smoky flavor — but to be honest, grilling asparagus can be tricky. Most asparagus is just wide enough to slip between the grill grates and fall into the fire.

Last summer, I learned the super-simple solution for grilling asparagus that makes them easier to flip and keeps them from falling into the grill: skewers. Threaded together, you can cook five to six skewers at once and transform fresh asparagus into a fast and fancy side with just olive oil, salt, and pepper.

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Fruit flies are a fact of life — especially come summer, when fresh produce is abundant and also spoils faster on your countertop. It’s almost inevitable that you’ll find a few buzzing around your kitchen. They’ll eat anything that’s remotely spoiled, can sneak in through open doors or the tiny holes in your window screens, and multiply swiftly.

“Fruit flies have a quick gestation period,” says Scot Hodges, director of professional development for technical services at Arrow Exterminators. “It only takes them 12 to 15 hours to lay eggs, then just a week for those eggs to turn into adults, so you can develop a problem really quickly.” Great.

Don’t panic just yet. Here’s what you need to do.

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(Image credit: @madewithlovevlogs)

Forget lattes and bagels — the newest unicorn trend is so hot it glows. Literally. Disney’s latest treat is a white and color swirled cotton candy on an illuminated wand, as reports Disney Food Blog. The wand appears, from numerous social media posts, to change lights and make the cotton candy glow and change colors.

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The prices for peaches are on the rise after Georgia lost roughly 80 percent of its crop this year due to irregular weather. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a warm winter, coupled with a hard freeze this spring, resulted in a bulk of peach crop dying this year in the South.

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From Apartment Therapy → Better Results, Every Time: 7 Super Common Dishwasher Mistakes You’ll Want to Stop Making

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There’s nothing quite as exciting as scoring a great deal. Maybe seeing your kid walk for the first time hits high on some people’s lists, but grabbing a crystal bowl for a fraction of its retail price or getting an artisanal food product that isn’t usually available is our idea of a great time.

That’s why the news that Southern Living and HomeSense stores are expanding is so exciting.

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