Kelly’s Monthly Edit: May 2025

Welcome to Kelly’s Monthly Edit!
Join me every month as I round up the little joys that sparked inspiration, from must-make recipes and Mom-approved grocery finds to favorite products in kitchenware, skincare, fashion and beyond. Consider this your behind-the-scenes bite of life at Just a Taste—no gatekeeping, just good taste.

It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the end of another school year. Now we can officially signal for endless summer nights at the beach, as we’ve started soaking up warmer weather here in San Diego. Beachside s’mores, family barbecues and all the refreshing bubbles (of the beverage kind) await.

And now, for the Monthly Edit…

The Just a Taste Monthly Recipe Challenge

Important announcement! I am thrilled to share the launch of the brand-new Just a Taste Monthly Recipe Challenge. And the setup couldn’t be simpler:

• Make the designated recipe
• Snap a photo
• Submit your photo

One lucky winner will receive a $250 Amazon gift card. Head on over to the Recipe Challenge for more info!

Favorite Finds

I am a professional grocery shopper, and I have come to adhere strictly to my mom Noni’s guidance of buying one new (to me, at least) item every time I shop. Here’s what I’ve discovered in May…

1. Tangy Barbecue Rice Chips from Quaker: Pop open a Diet Coke and that bag will be gone in seconds.
2. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Caramel Candy: If you follow along on Instagram, you’ll know that s’mores are a summer staple. I added this to the lineup and the crowds went wild.
3. Bunch O Balloons: And on the non-food front, we have my favorite kid-friendly activity of the summer, which involves this amazing contraption that allows you to fill and tie (I REPEAT: TIE!) dozens of water balloons at once. It works shockingly well and is a consistent repeat Amazon order at our house.

Skincare Products I’m Loving

As I inch closer to the big 4-0, skincare has become a top priority. Two of my fellow mom friends gifted me a facial at Cleo Skincare in La Jolla and I’ve got one word: dermaplaning. I was terrified to try this skincare technique, during which a surgical-grade scalpel is used to shave your entire face to remove dead skin cells and, wait for it… peach fuzz.

I was 99.9% convinced that dermaplaning just one time would land me the role of The Bearded Lady in The Greatest Showman 2, but here we are a few weeks later and my face is feeling like a dolphin’s backside. Best of all, you really don’t have to do it as frequently as people say. I’m aiming to go every 3 months. Peach fuzz, be gone!

I’ve also been using the Skinceuticals P-TIOX and CE Ferulic serums for 6+ months. Safe to say, I’m hooked on both. They’re great, less invasive ways to mitigate fine lines and wrinkles. Similarly, I can’t leave the house without a healthy slathering of the EltaMD Sunscreen. Regardless of where you live, what you’re wearing or where you’re going, here’s your reminder to always, always wear sunscreen. (Coming from a girl with a few too close calls on the sun-damaged skin front.)

Recipes I’m Cooking on Repeat

Even though I’m developing dozens of new recipes every month, I still have my trusty favorites that are on the regular lineup at our house. These beloved favorites are a hit with my husband and all four kids alike, which means they’ll forever have a spot at our table. The May favorites included:

• Mini Greek Yogurt Banana Muffins
• Easy Bolognese Sauce
• Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
• Monster Cookies

Restaurants I Visited

Every Friday night my husband and I have date night, and we try our best to really canvas the San Diego food scene for the latest and greatest restaurants. A friend snagged a much-coveted reservation at Leila in North Park and it was mind-blowing.

The near-perfect Persian cuisine was matched only by the incredible ambiance and stellar service. We pretty much sampled the whole menu, snacking on every dip, sauce, bread and kabob we could get our hands on. My personal favorites were the koobideh (grilled ground beef on a skewer) and the roasted red pepper sauce. The tahdig (crispy pan-fried rice pictured above, topped with pomegranate seeds) was another menu must.

A few other favorite San Diego spots at the moment, include:

• Callie
• The Fishery
• Paradisaea
• Mister A’s

Recipes for You to Try

Protein is certainly having its moment in the spotlight. I swear it wasn’t until recently that I had gone months (dare I say years?) without such an influx of protein this and protein that. I am all for packing as much muscle as possible into every single meal, snack, beverage and dessert. (Yes, dessert.)

Even my dips are getting makeovers, including this herby, garlicky Whipped Cottage Cheese. (Think Ranch, but with 14g of protein per serving.) Black beans are also a leading attraction around here, and many of you quickly took to the Black Bean and Corn Salad as your side dish of the season.

But curds and beans aren’t having all the fun. Pork tenderloin is a weekday staple at our house, finding its way into Quick Black Pepper Pork and Easy Pork Fried Rice. The kids go crazy for both options, with the latter landing as dream lunch box filler on days when DIY Uncrustables just aren’t cutting it.

What Recipes Do You Want to See Next on Just a Taste?

Salads? Make-ahead meals? Frozen treats? What recipes are you most in need of during the months ahead?

Leave your comments below and I’ll see you the last Friday of next month for another edit of all that inspires!

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