Crock Pot Italian Sausage Dinner

My kids are not crazy about crock pot meals but let’s face it, sometimes they are a necessity. This Italian Sausage dinner is an easy option because not only can it be prepared in a matter of minutes in the morning, there is nothing that has to be done in the evening to get it ready to serve. As soon as you’re ready to eat, you spoon out some green beans, grab a sausage link or two, and add a few potatoes to your plate and dinner is served.

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

This recipe was the first soup I made that my kids would actually eat. I kept telling them that it wasn’t soup, it was Beef Stew. They finally gave it a try and LOVED it. For years following that day, whenever I made soup, I referred to it as a stew so they would eat it 🙂 I always serve this Beef Stew with homemade bread. Delicious!

This recipe is one of Kenxie’s favorites so I made it the week of her birthday. I got home later than anticipated the night it was on the menu so I had to figure out how to get this on the table as quickly as possible.

Easy Lasagna Soup

This recipe was recommended by a friend (thanks for sharing Megan). She has made this Easy Lasagna Soup for her family numerous times and always receives rave reviews. Since I’m a big soup lover and my kids love pasta, I thought this recipe would be a great compromise for us 🙂

When it was time to serve, they wondered whether they should eat it with a spoon or fork. They got an eye roll from me and a reminder that it was called lasagna SOUP. Needless to say, once they took their first bite using a SPOON, they were all pleasantly surprised. They really enjoyed this soup…and so did I. It’s a keeper for our family.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

If you haven’t tried Roasted Brussels Sprouts, you are in for a treat! Gone are the days of mushy, smelly, overcooked brussel sprouts. You’ll love the subtle crunch and mild flavor of these veggies when roasted with just a few simple ingredients.

I’ve tried a few recipes where the brussels sprouts are roasted with bacon. I like bacon but love the brussels sprouts on their own so I actually prefer them without the added bacon. I do like to drizzle them with a little balsamic glaze right before I serve them. Not for everyone but I sure like it.

Creamy Italian Chicken

This quick and easy Creamy Italian Chicken Skillet is a great, healthy addition to a busy weeknight menu. It only takes about 20 minutes to make this tasty dish so if you have a half hour, you’ll have time to get this meal made and served with time to spare.

When selecting chicken for this dish, be sure to use cutlets (or trim a larger breast into smaller, thin pieces) so they cook evenly and quickly. Don’t worry about any brown scrapings left in the pan after you remove the chicken. Leave them there! As you add the ingredients for the sauce, the brown pieces will easily come off the pan and add even more flavor to your sauce.

Pesto Ravioli

This Pesto Ravioli is one of those super QUICK recipes that really can be made and served within 15 minutes. It’s a recipe that is easy enough for the kids to make (with a little supervision at the stove) so if you need a day off in the kitchen, add this Pesto Ravioli to your menu.

Cheeseburger Casserole

I was in need of a quick casserole that I could make in advance with zero prep on the day it would be served. This Cheeseburger Casserole fit the bill…the only thing I had to do after baking it was chop the pickles. Pretty easy…I’ll take that!

For how easy it was, this casserole is actually quite delicious. It was a crowd pleaser as well. My picky eater dove in and even went back for seconds…although she didn’t give the pickles a try.

Easy Puppy Chow

This Easy Puppy Chow recipe could not be any easier. All you need is 4 ingredients and you have a tasty snack (or dessert) in a matter of minutes.

There are much more complicated Puppy Chow recipes out there but this one tastes good and the best part is, the kids can make it all by themselves. I’m all for kids taking over the kitchen 🙂

Broccoli & Bean Soup

I’ve been enjoying soups for lunch and when I found this Broccoli & Bean Soup recipe, I wanted to give it a try. The combination sounded interesting…and healthy so I was ready to give it a go.

To make this soup, I used my Tramontina Dutch Oven. For this recipe, I used the smaller size in this set. It was the perfect size for this recipe.

Initially, the soup was really thick. I added quite a bit more water and broth as I blended it into a puree. In the end, it was still quite thick even with all the additional liquid. The taste itself was unique…a good unique. It wasn’t screaming delicious but it was savory and satisfying. It was growing on me.

Microwave Popcorn Popper

Everyone that knows me well knows that I LOVE popcorn. ANY kind of popcorn! When we eat popcorn in our house, everyone gets their own bowl. I’m not talking cereal bowl, I’m talking large mixing bowl. Go big or go home 🙂 To satisfy our popcorn cravings, we searched for the perfect Popcorn Popper, and WE FOUND IT!

Sourdough Pretzel Bites

This week for Sourdough Saturday, we made No Knead Sourdough Bread but had some extra discard leftover. We searched for a new sourdough recipe to try and found these Sourdough Pretzel Bites and decided to give them a try.

Making the dough was not hard. It was as easy as pouring ingredients in the mixer, turning on the mixer, and walking away. About 5 minutes later, the dough was ready to be covered and sit overnight. I should have added more flour to my dough at this point (my discard must have been a little thinner than the original recipe was made with). The dough was pulling away from the side of the bowl but was not quite forming a dough ball.

Turkey Mini Loaves

I’ve been making these Turkey Mini Loaves since my kids were little. They’ve always enjoyed them…especially the cheese on the inside. I personally love swiss cheese so I tend to use that but I’ve made it with mozzarella too and they are delicious as well.

For a lighter meal, serve the turkey loaves with some steamed veggies. If you’re more of a meat and potato family, it pairs well with just about any potato (mashed, baked, scalloped…haven’t tried it with sweet but I’m sure it would be tasty 🙂)

Chicken & Quinoa Bake

I can say that this Chicken & Quinoa Bake recipe surprised me. It was not at all what I expected but the combination of ingredients really proved to be a tasty combo.

Once again I find myself thinking that I should have read through the whole recipe a little more thoroughly before making this “casserole.” I liked the list of ingredients but as began following the directions, I quickly realized that there was no way it would turn out as written.