Today is my middle sister’s birthday, and if there is one thing my sister loves (more than me obviously) it would have to be bananas. Well, fruit in general, but bananas are up there in the top two category. Second to cantaloupe, but I still haven’t figured out a cantaloupe cake and something tells me…maybe I don’t want to? So until then, banana cake it is. I don’t think anyone will complain too much about it, let’s be real. It’s all going to work out though, as one of my sister’s favorite desserts happens to be banana pudding because it has all the things she loves, bananas, whipped cream, and vanilla pudding. She could give or take the wafers, if I’m being honest, but it wouldn’t be a banana pudding without them so I’m keeping them in. Sorry, Nick. This Banana Pudding Cake is classic southern dessert meets birthday layered cake. It’s over the top, it’s completely out of this world, but it’s most definitely necessary. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Whether it just so happens to be your birthday today as well, or you’re wanting to celebrate summer, or want to party along with us in order to celebrate my sister’s birthday, this cake needs to make an appearance in your kitchen as soon as humanly possible. Don’t let summer pass you by without having made this cake, you promise? If this doesn’t convince you, then maybe last year’s Vanilla Birthday Sprinkle Cupcakes will. You can’t go wrong with cupcakes and sprinkles.
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I’ve been contributing to the site, 
Summer means burgers and burgers means you’re the luckiest person alive because you’re about to eat something amazing and delicious. Especially if said burgers are flavored with pesto and topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. You catching what I’m throwing at ya? Classic burger meets everyone’s favorite Italian salad. I’m using the word salad loosely here because there’s no lettuce involved and I’m not complaining about it. Anyhow, where was I? If this burger doesn’t hit you over the head, screaming at you, “THIS IS SUMMER!” Then I don’t know what will. I don’t think I know the answer to that. I don’t think I know you at all. Lucky for us all though, these Caprese Burgers are here to rescue us from the summer heat and cooking conundrum that plagues us all on a week to week basis, “What’s something easy and delicious that I can make for dinner tonight?” I mean, you still have to fire up a grill or heat up a griddle and cook these, but I mean at least you’ll have a burger at the end of it, and isn’t that what we’re all after in the end? A tasty burger that’s out of the box. These are for you. 
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Do you know how sometimes your eyes are bigger than your stomach? You just buy a bunch of stuff at the grocery store because you think to yourself, “Oh I’m totally going to eat all of this. In one sitting no less.” Then when it comes time to show off your all you can eat skills, you don’t even come close? Well that happened to me this week, sort of. My mom and sisters came over for a 4th of July beach picnic and then to my place later on for a 4th of July BBQ. My mamma asked me what she can bring, and so I told her what to get at the store so that we can make s’mores after dinner. The thing is that I told her to get more than we needed, and because I am my mother’s son after all, she brought double that amount and then I was left with an obscene amount of s’mores ingredients without a clue of what to do with it all. I mean other than my new favorite motto of “a s’more a day keeps the doctor away,” I needed a game plan. These Mini S’mores Galettes were born out of that. So in a way I guess we should all be thanking my mother for making this all happen. This is most definitely a Cheers to the Weekend moment, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 
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Yesterday was just the beginning of our big 2017 summer BBQ plans. So if you had an amazing 4th of July feast, then let’s continue this theme throughout the summer and make it a goal to host or attend more barbecues this year. If your feast yesterday wasn’t so much a feast as much as it was a small modest meal, then you’re doing it wrong and we need to do something about it pronto. Don’t get caught off guard the next time you’re invited to a summer bash, not knowing what to make. This Mediterranean Cornbread is a refreshing take on an everyday classic cornbread recipe. Even cheddar jalapeño cornbread is yesterday’s news. (I’m guilty of making that variation all the time). This one, however, is studded with an obscene amount of crumbled feta, sundried tomatoes, olives, scallions, oregano and thyme. There’s no shortage in flavor and I bet you that no matter what occasion, this bread will be a nice addition to the table. I’m sure you’re aware by now that I love a good Mediterranean twist on every day dishes we’re all too familiar with. These 
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So I don’t know if this is weird or gross or if I’m the only one who did this/does this, but when I was a kid, my mom would get us TV dinners (because they were inexpensive and kids love them). I used to get the salisbury steak one with mashed potatoes and corn, but that’s besides the point. Anyhow, what I’m trying to get at is that I would always mix the corn with the mashed potatoes. Always. I still do the same thing whenever I make mashed potatoes and corn and I kid you not, it is one of the best food combinations out there. Like peanut butter and jelly or eggs and bacon or cookies and milk or cake and ice cream, you get the point. Mashed potatoes mixed with corn is where it’s at. If you know exactly what I’m talking about, because you yourself are a closet mashed potato and corn lover, then step right up because we’re now best friends. You might as well get used to it. If you’ve never tried it before and think I’m about the craziest person out there, well you don’t know what you’re missing, and I as your friend cannot let you continue on this path. It’s a good thing I’m here because I’m about to change your life. 
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I think by now you’ve all heard me mention time and time again, maybe even to the point of annoyance, that I wrote a cookbook a while ago. You may or may not know that it’s a book all about sliders. Mini burgers always and forever. Being the self-proclaimed Slider King of the World, I still very much love this book and am very proud of it and the hard work I put into it. Today, June 28th 2017, marks the one year anniversary of the book’s release. It’s crazy to think that it’s been a full year since it was born into this world, and even crazier to know that people not only enjoy it but also enjoy cooking from it. I myself still grab it off the bookshelf, open it up, and make recipes from it often. The book has 75 recipes all dedicated to one of my favorite foods. It features meat, poultry, vegetarian and even seafood sliders, so you know there is something for everyone. There are even homemade buns and homemade sauces to play around with. I often get asked what’s my favorite slider in the book, and that without a doubt is the Fried Zucchini Sliders in the vegetarian chapter. It is one of the easiest recipes in the book, but packed with so much flavor. It’s almost silly how good it tastes. I thought that sharing the recipe on the blog would be a great way to celebrate this great occasion. 
In honor of The Slider Effect’s 1st birthday, I’m giving away a copy of the book to 10 lucky winners! So if you haven’t had a chance to pick one up yet (but have been wanting to) or you just didn’t know about it, now is the time to snag a copy for yourself. All you have to do is leave a comment below letting me know which recipe first drew you to the site originally. I always love reading the comments that say “I found your site while searching for….” or “I came across your recipe for…” It’s interesting to see what drew you guys in, because they’re all so different. If that doesn’t apply to you, you could also leave a comment letting me know what’s your favorite recipe on the site that you’ve tried or have been wanting to try. I’m nosey like that. You have until next Wednesday July 5th to enter and it’s open to anyone and everyone. As always, my mamma will pick the winners at random and they’ll be notified via email. It’s her favorite thing to do. Makes her feels like Oprah. Thank you for keeping the site going. You guys humble me so much. 
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The way I look at it, the sole purpose of making a slab pie is to either A). feed a crowd or B). have an excuse to eat a giant pie all by yourself. Let’s be honest though, If I was given the option, I would definitely choose the latter because when it comes to this S’mores Slab Pie the more for me the merrier. I’m like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, standing over this pie and repeatedly calling it “my precious.” Something tells me you will be too when you make it for yourself. It’s simple, but life changing at the same time. It’s that time again for us to Cheers to the Weekend, and since we’re all friends here, I can’t let you celebrate the weekend without sharing the recipe for this particular slab pie. Since it is officially summer now, and because I’m a sole believer that s’mores is THE quintessential summer dessert and/or treat, I think this is coming at ya at the perfect time. Give it a try this weekend, find some people to share it with, and live your best life. I’m counting on you. The world is counting on you. 
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I’m not saying we needed another corn dog recipe out there in the world, but I’m also not saying we didn’t. Especially when said corn dogs are cooked in a waffle iron, which basically makes them the healthiest corn dogs ever since they’re not deep fried. Corn dogs that are good for you?! Talk about a dream come true. Don’t say I never did anything for you. Okay, so they might not be good for you, necessarily, but they still are golden and crispy and still as irresistible as the classic variety, I promise. They’re easy to make and in no time at all (with basically little to no effort because the waffle iron does all the work for you) you’ll have a big pile of waffled corn dogs just waiting to be dipped in ketchup and mustard or topped with chili and cheese. Let this be a lesson to us all that everything is better when cooked in a waffle iron. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to buy that Belgian waffle iron you’ve been eying, I think it’s safe to say that this is the recipe where you give in and just go for it. Buy that iron, you deserve it. 
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