Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ~ soft, chewy loaded with oats and raisins and just the right about of sweetness. Lightly crisp bottoms perfect for dunking. An easy, classic recipe.
It’s about 17 degrees outside today with 8″ of snow on the ground. Translation: stay inside and bake instead of running the errands on my list.
Days with temps in the teens are meant for indoor activities – especially baking! It warms the house, makes it smell better than any candle and as an added bonus, you’ll end up with a tasty snack.
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for the win.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Homemade Cranberry Sauce ~ quick and easy to make. Loaded with fresh cranberries and citrus flavor. 1000 times better than the canned stuff.
The onset of Thanksgiving brings the ‘discussion’ of cranberry sauce in our house. My husband likes the stuff in the can that comes out jelly-like with the can’s indentations intact.
I prefer what you’re seeing here. Homemade Cranberry Sauce made with fresh cranberries, infused with bright citrus flavor and apples plus pistachios for a little texture.
Tangy-sweet it’s absolutely mouthwatering. The one in the can from my husband’s childhood and the stuff he pledges his allegiance to doesn’t begin to compare.
Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup ~ assembles easily in 5 minutes. Loaded with bold flavor, chunks of chicken and lots of creamy, melted cheese. Better than the restaurant version. Load it up with your favorite toppings!
We love enchiladas and order they pretty routinely in Mexican restaurants, though we’re a house divided on beef vs chicken. Since I’m doing the heavy lifting today, you can see who won. Full blown enchiladas are labor intensive. A good weekend dinner – yes but for quick weeknights, there are better options.
Creamy Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup has all the flavors of Chicken Enchiladas but you can have it prepped and ready for slow cooking in just 5 minutes. When it’s finished cooking, just shred the chicken and blend in the cheeses.
Spicy, creamy, cheesy and as easy to make as any restaurant version, but better. Way, way better.
City Chicken
City Chicken ~ cubes of pork skewered, breaded and baked until tender. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy. This recipe is old fashioned, Midwest comfort at its finest.
We met my brother-in-law and sister-in-law a few weeks ago for dinner at a local Polish restaurant. My brother-in-law ordered City Chicken and gave us each a taste. It was really good: mouth-watering, food envy good.
It dawned on me I hadn’t made it in a long time and with cooler temps here and the holidays coming, it’s the ideal recipe to share with family.
Pepper Jelly Apple Bacon Brie Bites
Pepper Jelly Apple Bacon Brie Bites ~ baked phyllo cups filled with brie cheese, sautéed apples flavored with cranberry-pecan Holiday Pepper Jelly topped with crispy bacon.
There are a few things I keep on hand this time of year to make entertaining snacks that are festive, but quick and easy. I always have a variety of cheeses in the fridge and a supply of pre-made phyllo cups and the latest addition is a few jars of pepper jelly.
Pepper Jelly Apple Bacon Brie Bites contain just 5 ingredients and are so simple to make you can even get the kids involved.
Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts, pan seared, cooked until tender with sweet maple syrup and crispy bacon. Simple, delicious side dish.
Once upon a time brussels sprouts used to be the vegetable people loved to hate. No longer the Most Hated Vegetable in America, they’re enjoying a new-found popularity.
These ;Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts are pan sautéed, infused with the flavor of sweet maple syrup and crispy, salty Applewood smoked bacon and are practically guaranteed to win over even your pickiest eater.
A simple side dish that tastes anything but.
Crockpot Stuffing
Crockpot Stuffing ~ my family’s favorite old fashioned bread stuffing with sausage made entirely in the slow cooker. Frees up oven space for easy holiday entertaining!
Whether you call it a crockpot or a slow cooker, making homemade stuffing this way is a game changer. For everyone who has hosted a big dinner, you know there’s never enough oven space. Enter: Crockpot Stuffing.
This Crockpot Stuffing recipe takes my family’s favorite sausage stuffing recipe easy side dish. It frees up oven space – something we never seem to have enough of.
Old fashioned bread sausage stuffing ~ easily the most popular holiday side dish. Moist inside, crispy bits outside thanks to a simple trick that’ll keep your crockpot stuffing from getting mushy.
Slow Cooker Applesauce
Slow Cooker Applesauce ~ easy homemade 4 ingredient applesauce. Make it just as you like – chunky or smooth. Using a variety of sweet and tart apples, this recipe is the best!
Whether you call it a slow cooker or a crockpot, this is the easiest way to make the BEST homemade applesauce.Not that we’ve transitioned from bathing suits to sweaters and cute boots next up is trips to the cider mill for warm donuts and crisp cool apple cider and fresh apples.
Apples are a good snack by themselves with a dip or even in sangria but this set-it-and-forget-it applesauce may be my favorite way to eat them.
Cucumber Dill Salmon
Cucumber Dill Salmon ~ pan seared salmon topped with a creamy cucumber dill suace. Light, easy, healthy weeknight dinner ready in just 20 minutes.
Repost: recipe remains the same.With the holiday season coming, I really try to eat a little lighter before the onset of all the goodies. Emphasis: try.
That means incorporating recipes like this Cucumber Dill Salmon. Pan seared salmon, topped with a tangy, creamy cucumber dill sauce made all in the same skillet.
Light, easy 20 minute healthy weeknight dinner so elegant you can easily entertain with it.
A few ingredients come together to form the cucumber dill sauce ~ sour cream, heavy cream and mayonnaise are not among them.
Mexicali Dip
Mexicali Dip ~ super easy 4 ingredient warm spicy, creamy cheesy dip. This delicious appetizer whips up in under 5 minutes in the microwave. Serve with tortilla chips and watch it disappear!
This simple, practically addictive cheesy Mexicali Dip recipe has been in our family so long I don’t even remember who first started making it and have no idea where the recipe came from. Now that it’s on the blog there’s a good chance someone will come forward.
It whips up in under 5 minutes, contains just four simple grocery store ingredients and the use of a microwave oven. Grocery stores sell a cold dip they call Mexicali. This is not that dip. This gooey melted cheese Mexicali Dip is best warm and way, way better than the stuff in the stores.
If you’re a football fan (or just a fan of game day food) or already thinking of what you’ll bring to your family’s holiday dinner, give this recipe a try. There won’t be regrets – or dip – left.
