Homemade Ranch Dressing

I had some leftover rolls to use and decided to toast them with some leftover chicken and cheese. To add a little twist, I added some ranch dressing to the sandwiches. Since I didn’t have any ranch on hand, I made this Homemade Ranch Dressing.

I add all of the ingredients into a large measuring cup. Once everything is added, I whisk them together with a mini whisk. Once it’s ready, it’s easy to pour out of the measuring cup. Any leftovers go right into a mason jar to keep in the fridge.

BBQ Chicken Tacos

BBQ and tacos are two words that I wouldn’t necessarily think went together but after making these BBQ Chicken Tacos, I know that they BELONG together! These tacos were amazing!

I couldn’t get enough of these…they were that good! Instead of having a third taco 😬, I added some lettuce to a bowl and topped it with the chicken, veggie, and cream. It was a delicious BBQ chicken salad. A little bit healthier without the added tortilla but still all the same flavors.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

I had some extra quinoa from earlier in the week so I decided to make this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad to use it up. Great decision…it was a delicious salad that the whole family enjoyed.

The sauce was easy to throw together using my Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus. Gather all the ingredients and throw them in together. A few minutes later, tadah! Beautifully blended sauce with very little clean up. So handy and perfect for smaller jobs when a full sized food processor isn’t needed.

Pesto Shrimp Salad

My kids were seriously licking their plates to devour the last bits of their dinner. This Pesto Shrimp Salad was ridiculously delicious. Needless to say, we didn’t have any leftovers tonight.

Lexie was in love with this sauce immediately. My kids are usually not huge fans of quinoa but it worked so well with this dish. The original recipe is meant to be a quinoa bowl but since I love extra veggies and salads, I used quite a bit more lettuce and served this as a salad instead. Good choice because it was amazing!

Sausage and Mushroom Pasta

The kids were asking for pasta so I found this Sausage and Mushroom Pasta and thought we’d give it a try. It was pretty easy to throw together on a busy weeknight when time is of the essence.

This Sausage and Mushroom Pasta looked delicious but when I really read through the recipe, I realized I was going to need to make quite a few substitutions. I tried to lighten it up a bit with turkey sausage instead of pork. If I make it again, I may eliminate the heavy cream and use pasta water instead. I liked it with the cream but not sure I needed to cream in order to like it.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

It’s safe to say that I am a fan of stir fry…quick, healthy, easy to throw together with whatever leftover veggies you may happen to have on hand. This Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry offers a little variation with the some added ginger. Quite tasty…we like it 🙂

"Leftovers" Biscuit Cups

These “Leftovers” Biscuit Cups can be made with a variety of…leftovers! I made them using sloppy joe meat today.

You could also fill these biscuit cups with leftover taco meat, chili, baked beans, casseroles (bacon cheeseburger casserole, broccoli and chicken alfredo casserole, etc), even beef stew. You could really fill a biscuit cup with just about anything. Turn your leftovers into a new dish!

Fish Tacos with Avocado Crema

These Fish Tacos are one of our favorites! They are so easy to make and this healthy meal is ready to serve in less than 20 minutes. The crema sauce will last for several days in the fridge so you can enjoy it with any leftovers you may have. We typically eat these tacos in corn tortillas but you could also serve them in a lettuce wrap. So yummy!

Sourdough Cinnamon Muffins

These Sourdough Cinnamon Muffins are going to be a great addition to our sourdough rotation. They are quick and easy to make for a grab and go breakfast or a snack. They aren’t overly sweet which makes them a keeper for our family.

In the future, I may play around with this recipe a bit. I think these muffins would taste wonderful with some added apples, possibly some nuts as well to give it them little crunch. After we make them a few times, I’m sure we’ll come up with some new ways to mix them up a bit. It’s great as it but a little variety is always fun too!

30 Minute Taco Soup

I’ve been on a taco kick lately. We eat tacos A LOT at our house so when I saw this Taco Soup recipe, it seemed like something I just HAD to try. I’m sure glad I did…it was delicious!

I really liked the soup with a little plain greek yogurt mixed in…gave it a nice creamy flavor. The kids liked it loaded with cheddar cheese 🙂 I didn’t add any cheese on my soup and didn’t feel like it was missing anything.

Avocado Salmon Salad

This Avocado Salmon Salad is light and fresh and full of flavor. It would be a lovely salad to serve in the summer when fresh dill can be added to the top. I am typically not a huge lemon fan but this salad was a definite keeper for our family.

To slice the veggies, I used my mandoline for a quick and uniform slice in no time at all. I have the older model of this de Buyer mandoline which I love. The blades are SUPER sharp so beware. It comes with interchangeable blades to slice, crinkle, julienne 4mm and 10mm, and waffle cut. It also has an integrated cube system. One side of the blade is serrated for waffle cuts; the other side has a micro-serrated edge for cutting fruits and vegetables. The newer model pusher is a nice upgrade to protect your fingers.

Just be careful when washing it! I’ve had other mandolines in the past that I always had to replace because they didn’t work well. This mandoline does everything you need and more!

Substitutions/Additions made by Cooking After Class for Avocado Salmon Salad:

• used dried dill instead of fresh
• used a regular cucumber instead of an English cucumber

Tips from Cooking After Class for making Avocado Salmon Salad:

• bake salmon in an air fryer instead of pan frying to avoid the extra oil
• be sure to slice the radishes as thin as possible so they do not overpower the salad

RECIPE: Avocado Salmon Salad Recipe

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5

Effort: Quick & Easy

Time: 30 minutes

Kids Comments: Surprisingly good 🙂

Make it Again: Yes…nice fresh, salad…salmon is a great addition

all ingredients ready to go

salmon is seasoned

baked in air fryer

veggies are all chopped

Kenxie was excited for the avocado

Spicy Shrimp Tacos

These Spicy Shrimp Tacos have a little kick to them with a bit of lime to balance the flavor nicely. They are easy to throw together with just a few ingredients. They were tasty in a corn tortilla but just as yummy in a lettuce wrap.

Spicy Turkey Stir Fry

I find myself making stir fry frequently. There are so many variations that you can make that are all full of new flavors. Most are also fairly healthy which make them a go to for me. This Spicy Turkey Stir Fry does not disappoint.

I have made this recipe several times in the past. I have used ground turkey, as the recipe calls for, but this time, I used ground venison instead. The flavors are wonderful with both meat choices.

Bacon and Egg Spaghetti

In our house, this Bacon and Egg Spaghetti is also known as Magazine Pasta. This meal was pictured on the cover of a Food Network magazine I received. Kenxie saw the picture and begged me to make it. Since then, it has been a regularly requested meal in our house. Easy and delicious…can’t beat that!

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.