soups and stews

Tomato Basil Soup

November 7, 2018

This tomato basil soup recipe, homemade with fresh tomatoes roasted in the oven, adds a healthy and deliciously creamy flavor you won’t find in any old can.

If I think back to my childhood, tomato soup is at the top of the list of my all-time favorite comfort foods. But unlike my ultra creamy macaroni and cheese or my mom’s spaghetti recipe, tomato basil soup is on the lighter side of the comfort food scale.

Even better, when you have a stash of roasted tomatoes in the fridge, it’s an easy recipe to whip up for an easy dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day.

I’ve seen some recipes for this soup that call for canned tomatoes, but I use fresh tomatoes roasted with garlic and herbs in my tomato soup. Earlier this week I shared my recipe for roasting the tomatoes here, and since I had a jar left over, I decided to update the photos and post for this recipe too.

Soup at our house is a regular menu item, in fact, my husband has gone on an all-soup diet more than once. It’s also likely that our early marriage was built on tomato soup with grilled cheese. Because can one even eat tomato soup without a grilled cheese sandwich for dunking?continue to the recipe… about Tomato Basil Soup

30 Days of Soups, Stews, and Chilis Made to Keep Winter Warm

November 1, 2018

Sign me up for this list of 30 days of soups, stews, and chilis on repeat to warm up this body of mine and soothe my ever-loving seasonal soul all month long.

I know, I know–wintery weather blows in just about every 365 days from right about today, yet I’m never quite ready to give up on the gorgeous warmth of Indian summers and the fall leaves a-falling. I love me a snowy white winter, but fall has my heart.

While winter doesn’t officially begin until Christmas is nearly here, the change in weather and my freezing cold feet—now clad in fuzzy socks and boots— is the sure-fire signal for me to start craving the heartiest of rib-sticking comfort food.

This list of 30 soups, stews, and chilis are sure to warm us up and fill us up, but not fill us OUT, because each of these recipes are made with healthy, real good, real foods.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a spoon and dig in!continue to the recipe… about 30 Days of Soups, Stews, and Chilis Made to Keep Winter Warm

Curry Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash and Greens

October 15, 2018

Simple vegetarian soups are easy to come by, but this healthy curried lentil soup recipe serves a purpose, too.

This recipe is brought to you by Kroger

My best friend is one of the most enthusiastic people I know. She is a PhD. She is a dreamer. She is a CEO. She is an avid, and I mean AVID animal rescuer. She travels, she mentors, she’s curious, she’s beautiful, she loves mimosas, and in business and in life, she is the ultimate planner.

And my best friend has Stage 4 Metastatic HER2 Positive Breast Cancer.

Wait. Hold up. This is not part of Kim’s plan.

Stage 4. Cancer. Those words…they’re so scary to hear. I have no idea what it’s like to live with them banging about in your brain, rattling your heart, day in and day out.

Ironically, I received her call about the cancer diagnosis on a Saturday morning while at a Kroger retreat in Detroit. She had been to the doctor the day before. She told me the cancer was back. She told me she wished that five years ago her insurance would have allowed her to have the double mastectomy she wanted, instead of just the one she did have. I’ll never forget that phone call as I paced the floor, talking to Kim, my head spinning out and my heart breaking for my friend.

And now, here I am, sharing our story and a very special recipe in a post sponsored by Kroger’s Sharing Courage breast cancer awareness program for women, their families, and their support systems. And each and every one of them are very important stories to tell.continue to the recipe… about Curry Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash and Greens

31 Days of Comfort Food Favorites to Make Now

September 30, 2018

Comfort food cures all our cooking cravings, and there’s no better time to cozy up to hearty soups, easy slow cooker meals, and comforting pastas, than the 31 days of October.

It feels good to fall into fall, don’t you agree?

While I fiercely LOVE the summer months, there is a totally cozy nostalgia that comes with changing leaves, a chill in the morning, and the don’t-want-to-admit-but-I’m-getting-excited-thrill of the holidays peeking just around the corner.

Whether you’re looking for a new killer chili recipe to bust out at your next tailgate party, a simple throw-together weeknight meal, or a healthy-fill-you-up breakfast, these 31 tasty recipes are what you should be making this month.

And since we are in the 31 days of October, don’t you dare forget the pumpkin recipes!continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Comfort Food Favorites to Make Now

17 Recipes to Make with Leftover Ham

March 28, 2018

From ham and bean soup to ham fried rice, these 17 irresistible leftover ham recipes are the perfect way to put those smoky Easter leftovers to good use.

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself with leftover ham this Easter (this is one of my favorite recipes), that means spring pastas, soups, fried rice, and more are just a bite away. Of course it takes a whole lot of restraint not to just channel our inner caveman and snack on the remaining ham straight off the bone — the porky goodness is just way too tempting.

Baked hams are a celebratory food. Since we tend to make them for holidays and special occasions, they’re typically not something we have on a regular basis, so when we do, we know there’s a wealth of yummy ideas for repurposing that ham are at our disposal.

From classic split pea soup made in the pressure cooker, to gussied up grilled cheese, these round-two leftover ideas are so good, they’ll give your holiday ham dinner a run for its money .

So let’s carve in, shall we?

Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham from Skinnytastecontinue to the recipe… about 17 Recipes to Make with Leftover Ham

Irish Pork Stew with Stout and Caraway Seeds

March 5, 2018

The traditional Irish Stew gets an infusion of flavor with this recipe using tender pork, earthy caraway seeds, and Irish stout in a simmering broth that thickens as it cooks thanks to a surprising method: cooking with the pork bones!

this recipe is brought to you by McCormick®

When McCormick asked me to create a recipe that celebrates the luck o’ the Irish and can be served for a crowd tinged in shamrock green, I knew there were a few essential elements to be addressed.

First, the recipe should be easy and flexible enough to be doubled or even tripled for a celebratory crowd. #checkthat

Second, while some of us are thinking of bikini season and lighter fare, comfort food and stewy goodness is what holidays like this really call for. #checkthat

Because…

To really celebrate in Irish fashion the recipe should definitely include Irish stout as one of the ingredients. #checkthat

So, that’s why this year’s St. Patrick’s Day recipe is an incredibly easy-to-make pork stew loaded with veggies and tinged with the nothing-says-Irish-like-flavors of Irish Stout and earthy caraway seeds. #cheersallaroundandcheckthattoo!

continue to the recipe… about Irish Pork Stew with Stout and Caraway Seeds

How to Make an Easy Asian Hot Pot

February 13, 2018

If there’s one simple cooking method that crosses over nearly every Asian cuisine, the hot pot may be it. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Mongolian and more. And with cooks of every level still making it every single day, that’s proof in the pot that it is indeed totally easy to crave, and to make.

This post is brought to you by McCormick

I like to think of hot pot cooking like the Asian fondue. It’s communal. It’s active. It’s social. And that’s what makes the hot pot just as perfect for entertaining as it is for a simple but fun dinner at home with the family where everyone gathers around the simmering brothy pot and jockeys for position and that perfectly cooked shrimp. Everyone gets to eat exactly what and how much of whatever they want, so long as it fits in the pot :).

Our family has a serious affair with Asian cooking and after our recent travels to Vietnam, Cambodia and Korea, we returned with even MORE passion for Southeast Asian food than before. If that’s even possible. So it’s no surprise to me then that when I checked out this year’s McCormick Spices Flavor Forecast report that identifies the top upcoming trends in food I wasn’t too surprised to see what topped the forecast for 2018: a love affair of worldwide flavors of Hot Pot cooking.

Back home here in Salt Lake City, we have a favorite hot pot restaurant where every customer heads to the back of the restaurant to a wall of self-serve refrigerated coolers stacked with racks of color coded plates to choose from nearly every hot pot ingredient you can imagine. It’s like a frigging hot pot gold mine.

To say I have some serious hot pot inspiration and aspiration is an understatement. But as usual, my cravings have set me to the task!

What Is an Asian Hot Pot?

Since this is a communal cooking affair like the classic fondue, there are a few essentials you’ll need to acquire to get your hot pot on.continue to the recipe… about How to Make an Easy Asian Hot Pot

28 Healthy Slow Cooker Soups & Stews to Make in February

February 4, 2018

What’s the difference between the a slow cooker and a crock pot? Nothing except for a brand name. That’s why this list of slow cooker and crockpot meals prove they can be healthy and comfort food at the same time.

Cozy in with these easy slow cooker soups and stews you can make any night of the week. Because these 28 recipes will warm your soul and fill your belly on the chilliest of nights.

Bitter cold temps never fail to spur serious cravings for comfort food, be it chicken pot pie, the silkiest carbonara, or a soul-soothing, cure-all soup.

But every winter, we’re not just searching for cozy eats, we’re searching for cozy eats we can feel good about, as part of our resolve to eat healthier in the new year.

That’s because nutritious and comforting don’t have to contradict one another. You can still have that broccoli and cheese soup you love, without falling off the healthy eating bandwagon, or costing yourself a day’s worth of calories.

Case in point? Last year’s 31 Days of Healthy Comfort Food Recipes to Make in January, and of course this month’s series edition, which is all about healthy weeknight-friendly soups and stews you can make in the slow cooker, because who doesn’t love a nutritious, filling meal that practically makes itself?

And so here are 28 healthy, easy soup and stew recipes you can make in the slow cooker and hunker down with all February-long!

continue to the recipe… about 28 Healthy Slow Cooker Soups & Stews to Make in February

How to Make the Best Minestrone Soup

January 18, 2018

My Grandma’s easy minestrone soup recipe is one of the healthiest vegetable-loaded soups you’ll make, and it tastes far better than any of those Olive Garden copycat recipes thanks to the secret ingredient in the savory broth.

“It is well worth the time and effort.”

But then, isn’t most anything when it’s done with love?

My sweet Grandma Frieda passed away when I was a senior in college and while there are many things that remind me of her, as a recipe maker it’s the cookbooks I inherited from her that I see most often.

One of my favorite things about her copies of The Joy of Cooking (pub. 1953) and Epicure’s Delight (pub. 1944) are the pages and margins filled with recipes written in her elegant handwriting that as a German-immigrant shows off the hard work it took to become a part of her new country. Like the quote says above, it is well worth the time and effort.

Nestled within those cookbook pages are recipe cards for recipes from friends like Edith’s Coffee Cake and Loretta’s Zucchini Soufflé which have both moved to my must-make list.

But the recipe that shows up time and time again is this Minestrone recipe from San Francisco’s Petrini Gourmet Grocery Stores, likely cut from the San Mateo Times’ newspaper recipe section to promote more soup bone sales for the homemade beef broth.

And because it’s #soupweek (did you see the Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup?) we’re keeping the slurps going by presenting The Gourmet by Petrini’s Minestrone Soup where either the newspaper editors or Petrini himself lured readers with the headnote mentioned above and can describe any meal when it’s made with love: It is well worth the time and effort, and even more so because this recipe is actually really easy to make.

How to Make a Traditional Minestrone

Whether you say minestrone soup like the Italians aka “min eh stron ee” or “min eh stron eh”, this soup is the perfect gateway to woo non-veggie lovers into getting a head start on their five a day. It’s brothy and flavorful with potatoes, pasta, and cheese that makes the veggies more than palatable. Use a small macaroni or pasta that matches the diced size of your veggies for equal tastes in every bite.

Because this soup has the simplest of ingredients and can be made with ease, the key is starting with the best quality you can find or afford.

Let’s start with the the broth.

Grandma’s newspaper recipe calls for a super simple stock of bones and water slow-simmered for flavor. But I like a richer, heartier stock so my homemade beef stock fit the bill here. Or if you prefer, use chicken broth (this is my favorite homemade) or a veggie stock instead. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make your stock from scratch, always choose a grocery store version that’s high quality with ingredients you can actually read.

To the stock you’ll be adding diced tomatoes, adding more richness and a bit of acid to balance the flavors.

The other source for this soup’s distinctive minestrone flavor comes from the spunk of Parmesan cheese and while grandma’s recipe doesn’t call for it, I have a secret that learned of long ago: to cook the broth with a few leftover rinds of Parmesan cheese. This step really imparts that cheesy flavor and takes your broth from a tepid vegetable flavor to minestrone all the way.

What Vegetables Go In Minestrone Soup?

One of the best things about Minestrone Soup is it can truly be a clean-out-the-fridge recipe you can fiddle with based on what you have on hand or what’s in season. Traditionally, the are the vegetables that most often show up:

Tomatoes
Onion
Carrots
Celery
Potatoes
Beans (kidney and Great Northern beans are my favorites)
Peas
Zucchini
Cabbage (shred it thin)
Spinach
Kale
Leeks (use the white parts only)
Green beans (canned works wonders)

While most people think of minestrone as a vegetarian soup, Petrini’s recipe begins with salt pork. Yep, this recipe is from days gone by. I used bacon instead. To make this minestrone soup vegetarian, skip the bacon and use a rich vegetable stock in lieu of the beef stock instead.

More Recipe Ideas to Make With this Soup and Make a Meal

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

4.75 from 4 votes

My Grandma's Minestrone Soup

Because this soup gets a salty bite from the bacon and a generous helping of Parmesan cheese (plus Parmesan cheese rinds cooked with the broth) go light on the salt at the beginning of the cooking time and adjust the seasoning by adding more if needed just before serving.

Ingredients

4-5 slices bacon roughly sliced into bite size pieces
1 small onion chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
2/3 cup chopped leeks white part only
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 quarts beef stock 12 cups
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-3 chunks of Parmesan cheese rind
1 1/2 cups potatoes
1 cup small macaroni
1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15- ounce can red kidney beans rinsed and drained
2/3 cup frozen peas thawed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Add the bacon to a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat and cook until browned but not crispy. Add the onion, carrots, leeks and celery then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beef stock, kosher salt, pepper, and cheese rinds. Bring to a boil then reduce to a gently rolling simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, partially covered with a lid. Add the potatoes, macaroni, and tomatoes, then partially cover with the lid, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes more. Add the kidney beans and peas, and simmer until warmed through. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste. Just before serving, add the grated Parmesan cheese and serve sprinkled with more Parmesan if you’d like.

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Easy Homemade Beef Broth Stock

January 17, 2018

A rich and flavorful homemade beef broth stock is one of the essential recipes every home cook should have in their array of kitchen cooking basics.

Back in the day there were recipes home cooks didn’t even have to think twice about how to make because they made the same dishes so often no recipe was needed. Cooking was done by touch, intuition, and repetition.

Remember when you’d ask grandma how she knew when the pie dough had enough moisture or how she could tell the chicken was cooked through? The answer was annoyingly cryptic and didn’t really help things when she replied, “You just know.”

But now, with pre-made ingredients and an avalanche of recipe options at our fingertips, we can make just about any style of cuisine without batting an eye. But as a byproduct of creating these dazzling Pinterest friendly meals, making some of the good-old, most commonly used basics, like homemade broths and stocks, has fallen out of favor.

It’s time to get back to the basics friends. Back to real good real food.

A few months ago I shared my recipe for the very best chicken stock because it seems that homemade broths and stocks are rarely on the must-make radar of today’s home cook. The reasons vary from assuming it takes way too much time to make them from scratch to being unsure what ingredients go in the dang recipe (and fyi it isn’t just the meat that matters, its the bones!)

That’s why I’m waving my foodie recipe wand and pulling the beefy secrets out of my hat so that….TADAAAA!!!! Your bone stock broth cure is here.

This post breaks it all down, with simple steps and fool-proof instructions that’ll put you on your way to making homemade beef stock with confidence. Let’s go.continue to the recipe… about Easy Homemade Beef Broth Stock

Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

January 16, 2018

Thanks to the Instant Pot pressure cooker, this easy chicken with wild rice soup is rich, creamy (without any added cream), and fast to make, and it tastes even better the next day, making it a great addition to your meal prep plans. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, not to worry, I’m sharing my stove top directions as well.

It’s soup week!

This week I’m sharing a few of my favorite soups, old and new. And a good thing too, because when my daughter came home from school and looked at me with a red-ringed nose and her eyes at half-staff and announced her “throat was sooooooo sore”, as she breezed past me and coughed, wheezed, and hacked her way down the hall and into her room to flop onto her bed like a left-behind Raggedy Ann doll, I knew we were in for the night.

Good thing I had this soup prepped and ready for cookin’.

Creamy chicken and rice soup. Pure comfort and totally right for all that feels wrong.continue to the recipe… about Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

20 Healthy Dinners to Make In the Instant Pot

January 8, 2018

The Instant Pot is the hot, do-it-all appliance on every foodie’s radar right now. It makes cooking fast or slow, but always easy. Today we’re sharing more weekly meal prep inspiration, with this list of healthy dinners you can make in an instant.

Happy New Year, friends! Did Santa baby bring you everything you wanted, including a shiny new Instant Pot? These puppies have been selling in droves, especially over the holidays. And since IP recipes have been flooding the Internet lately, we couldn’t help but wrangle up some of our favorite looking dishes at the moment.continue to the recipe… about 20 Healthy Dinners to Make In the Instant Pot

The 20 Most Popular FoodieCrush Recipes of 2017

December 27, 2017

I published many recipes on FoodieCrush this year, and while I thought they were all good, this is YOUR list of readers’ top 20 favorites.

The best recipes are the ones we come back to time and time again — the ones that are the heart of of our ever-expanding repertoire and the ones that keep them asking for seconds.

This last year I tinkered and tested, made a lot of messes, and whipped up tons of winners along with a fair share of losers that you never even got to see. Hopefully I’ve inspired you to make memories in the kitchen and to make something good, because honestly, what’s better than enjoying a stellar meal with the ones you love?

I’m happy to bring you YOUR list of the 20 most popular recipes chosen by readers as your favorites. These are the recipes that were most clicked on/bookmarked/and hopefully cooked with by FoodieCrush readers in 2017. Some are new, some are favorites you obviously keep coming back to for more, but all of them were FoodieCrush favorites.

Happy eating, friends. :)
continue to the recipe… about The 20 Most Popular FoodieCrush Recipes of 2017

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

December 14, 2017

This Mexican-flavored chicken soup is truly chicken soup for the soul, with a warm broth filled with chunky bites of black beans, sweet corn, shredded chicken and tomatoes topped with its namesake tortilla strips and a surprise crispy jalapeño topper.

This recipe is brought to you by French’s

“Honey, what should we have for dinner?”

Gah. The question to end all questions, and the same one that comes up day after day, week after week. But over the years I’ve developed a strategy that serves the family’s cravings and makes dinner prep so much easier, just about every time.

I narrow the choices to get the answer I want.

“Well, I prepped a batch of chicken breasts for the week (even though he prefers steak, we gotta use those chicks up!) and a I have our yummy chicken stock in the freezer (because I’m on a clean-out-the-freezer mission.) So, are you craving comfort food flavors (we all love our Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup) or maybe something with Mexican flavor and spice? You love Mexican…”, I steer him, already knowing that spices and ethnic flavors win at our house every time.continue to the recipe… about Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

31 Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes to Make in December

December 3, 2017

These 31 Instant Pot and slow cooker holiday dishes are perfect for easy meals when company calls, hearty breakfasts when extended family crashes, and fun treats for all of your holiday mingling this month.

Happy December!

Are you scurrying around like little elves, trying to get your holiday shopping done? Is the Instant Pot on your wish list? If not, it should be! It was the most sold item on Amazon last year, and it’s expected to do the same this year. That’s because this appliance is a beast. It functions as a slow cooker or a pressure cooker, slashing most cooking times in half, and leaving you with minimal cleanup.

Isn’t that magic to the ears, especially during the holidays?

That’s why our latest and last installment of the 31 day what to cook series is all about holiday dishes you can whip up effortlessly in your Instant Pot or or slow cooker. From crowd favorite appetizers and hearty breakfasts to soul-warming soups and beverages, we’ve got you covered this holiday season.

continue to the recipe… about 31 Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes to Make in December

21 Easy Recipes for Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey

November 21, 2017

This roundup of 21 easy but creative leftover turkey recipes will help you make the most of the lingering bites of Thanksgiving.

Ahhh, it’s the most wonderful time of year. Thanksgiving is upon us, which means we’ll soon be eating our weight in turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. And even though next day leftover turkey sandwiches with all the fixins’ are a gift from the gods, there’s only so many of them we can manage to shovel down our gullets. That’s why we’re determined to leverage our leftovers as best we can, in as many different ways as we can.

From soups and curries, to pot pies and casseroles, and even pop tarts (yes, pop tarts), we’ve got 21 delicious ways to enjoy your leftover T-Day bird. It’s the stuff tryptophan dreams are made of. Gobble, gobble.

continue to the recipe… about 21 Easy Recipes for Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey

How to Make the Best Chicken Stock

November 13, 2017

This post has everything you-didn’t-even-know-that-you-need-to-know to make homemade chicken stock or broth on the stove, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Follow the same guidelines and steps for making turkey stock, too.

Just about every cook knows to keep at least one can or carton of chicken stock on hand. It’s a reliable pantry staple that many of us use on a weekly basis in everything from soups to gravies and stir-frys too.

While store-bought chicken stock work just fine in recipes that don’t call for much of it (or bouillon cubes when you’re in a real pinch), no one can deny there’s nothing like homemade chicken stock for adding the ultimate flavor.

It’s pure liquid gold.

Homemade chicken stocks and broths (and turkey too) lend a richness and complexity to dishes—particularly risottos, soups, stews—that the store-bought stuff simply can’t match. So if you find yourself with some leftover chicken bones from last night’s dinner and a little hands-off cooking time on your side, make a vat of rich, savory stock to stick in the fridge or freeze for later. Pinky swear, you won’t regret it.

Never made chicken stock before? Fret not, it’s actually incredibly easy. In fact, it’s really hard to mess up.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make the Best Chicken Stock

20 Recipes You Can Make with a Can of Beans

November 12, 2017

Canned beans are one of those pantry staples we always have on hand. They’re cheap, easy, fuss-free, and filling, and their versatility makes them an awesome standby for tacos, salads, soups, enchiladas, and more. To get more Sunday meal prep inspiration, check out this list of favorite dinners made with all different types of beans.

No matter how depressingly barren our pantries may get, we can always find at least one can of beans lurking in there somewhere. They’re inexpensive and efficient, and they give us protein and fiber. Plus, you can get a lot of mileage out of beans, whether incorporating them into soups and chilis, enchiladas and burritos, stuffed peppers, casseroles, salads, and more. Canned beans have saved our lives on a number of occasions when we’ve lapsed on the grocery shopping, meal planning, and budgeting. We know how busy things get and how daunting meal planning can be, which is why we’re swooping in with our free meal plans to make your life and schedule a little more organized and a lot more simplified. More time for relaxing with the new revamp of Will and Grace and a glass of wine? Yes, please!

We’re excited to bring you our 2nd installment of our new Sunday Meal Prep Series where we’ll be sharing 20 recipes you can plan and prep ahead of time for a head start on your week—and show Monday-Friday who’s boss. If you missed the first one, you can check it out here: 20 Recipes You Can Make with a Pound of Ground Beef (It’s What’s for Dinner).

continue to the recipe… about 20 Recipes You Can Make with a Can of Beans

Slow Cooker Healthy Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa

October 25, 2017

Comfort food chili cravings never tasted so healthy, until now. This easy slow cooker chili is protein-packed with lean ground turkey, light and dark kidney beans, plus quinoa for an extra safety-net protein source that will keep you filled and full all day long and into the night.

It’s 5:30 p.m. and the sun has set behind the mountains and the sky has already settled into dark. There’s a chill is in the air and comfort food is what we’re all craving now. Turkey Pot Pie? Mac and Cheese? Sausage Lasagna? All delicious in their own right, but not exactly the lightest of fare.

And now that the fall season is here, the wrangling and jostling for the T.V. remote has begun. The World Series? (go Dodgers!). The Voice? (I’m with J-Hud Productions). More tears and tissues while crying with This Is Us? (I mean, seriously!) Or finally, a new Walking Dead? (My Smudge and I are convinced our Big Daddy should be Negan for Halloween.)

Our television viewing habits are as hotly debated as what sounds best for dinner.

But tonight, there’s one less argument to make because Big Mama (that’s me) thought ahead (for once) and put dinner in the slow cooker. And just like that, a healthy dinner is served. And surprise, AliSmudge and Big Daddy don’t even complain that it’s oh-so good for them. But why would they? This homemade turkey chili is delish! And better yet, it’s so simple to make.continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Healthy Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa

31 Pumpkin Recipes to Carve Into This Fall

October 15, 2017

This round up of 31 favorite sweet and savory pumpkin breakfast, pasta soup, and dessert recipes will get you in the fall spirit.

What ingredient is a better beacon of fall than the pumpkin? The seasonal return of this dimply, round squash is marked by PSL’s on coffee shop menus, and neat rows of Libby’s, prominently displayed on endcaps in groceries everywhere. It’s a sure sign that autumn is here, which means full-fledged pumpkin mania can now ensue.

Like stores racing to put out Valentine’s Day paraphernalia as soon as Christmas ends, hardcore pumpkin fanatics start tinkering with recipes in August, if not sooner. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls on a 90-degree day? That’s love. The general consensus seems to be that late September is when it’s socially acceptable to open up that can of pumpkin (in case you were asking for a friend).

While our Thanksgiving tables would be pretty lackluster without the appearance of that classic slice of whipped-cream dolloped pumpkin pie, there are so many more ways to enjoy pumpkin. We love roasting it for salads, puréeing it into soups, and baking it up into sweet morning treats.

Here are 31 sweet and savory ways to enjoy it this fall.

continue to the recipe… about 31 Pumpkin Recipes to Carve Into This Fall

20 Recipes You Can Make with A Pound of Ground Beef (It’s What’s for Dinner)

October 8, 2017

Chances are you almost always have a pound of ground beef socked away in the freezer for a rainy day. It’s a good standby for making tacos, soups, spaghetti, burrito bowls, and more. To get more Sunday meal prep inspiration, check out this list of favorite dinners made with basic hamburger meat, because these are where beef is definitely what’s for dinner.

You know how it goes. Weekends are over in the blink of an eye and suddenly you find yourself on a Monday evening with no idea what’s for lunch or dinner in the week ahead. You check your pantry and survey your fridge for inventory, but figuring out what to cook can sometimes be just as time consuming or stressful as the cooking itself.

Fret not. You can still have Sunday Funday while doing some simple planning and cooking for the coming week so that come Monday, your future self will thank you when you already have the answer to that nagging question of, “What’s for dinner?” That’s why it’s helpful to have an arsenal of easy, organized recipes at your fingertips—recipes you can make on a Sunday to prep for the coming week.

Enter our new Sunday Meal Prep Series where we’ll be sharing 20 recipes you can plan and prep ahead of time for a head start on your week—and show Monday-Friday who’s boss.

continue to the recipe… about 20 Recipes You Can Make with A Pound of Ground Beef (It’s What’s for Dinner)

Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup

October 5, 2017

This simple hamburger soup is loaded with vegetables and is an incredibly easy weeknight comfort food dinner because more than likely you’ll have all of the ingredients on hand and ready for soup thanks to your pantry, fridge, and/or freezer.

The first time I had this totally solid, totally comforting, hamburger soup was when my mother-in-law made it for a family gathering of which I was not yet part of the family. My husband and I had just started dating and it was dinner at mom’s house and I was invited to go.

No pressure. Nope. None at all.

One of the things I learned that night—along with the fact that as a teen my husband used to wear a nylon over his head so his wet curly hair would dry straight—is that getting friends and family together to share a meal doesn’t have to be over-thought or overdone.

Good food means good times, and that’s really all you need.continue to the recipe… about Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup

31 Instant Pot Dinner Recipes to Make in October

October 1, 2017

These 31 recipe ideas for the Instant Pot are perfect for whipping up homemade dinners on the fly this month!

Happy October!

For our tenth installment of our 31 Days Series, we’re simplifying with the all-in-one magical unicorn workhorse Instant Pot. If you’re a little late to the party, the Instant Pot is the newfangled version of the pressure cooker, and if you don’t have one yet, you likely have major appliance envy, because this baby is the Beyoncé of kitchen appliances.

I’m telling you now…there isn’t a single appliance I’ve loved more since I got my Instant Pot last year than this and my friends and family can all vouch for this because I think they’re sick of hearing me talk about its virtues. And if you don’t believe me, believe Amazon, where it was the #3 best-selling product on 2017’s Amazon Prime Day.

But really, it does it all. The thing I love about it most is you can actually sear meats, chicken, vegetables in it before using the slow cooker or pressure cooker function so you get all that good flavor and don’t have to dirty any extra pots! It’s the true one and done.

It’s user-friendly, often cuts our average cooking duration in half, makes perfectly peelable hard boiled eggs!!!!, and it is a powerful force when it comes to weekly meal planning. What’s not to be totally smitten with? Things are getting pretty serious and all of our other appliances are getting jealous, but we #cantstopwontstop now.

If you don’t have yours yet, here’s an affiliate link, but seriously…this isn’t a sponsored post, I just love this machine and I don’t know anyone else who’s bought it who doesn’t love it too.

**UPDATED: I JUST received an e-mail that tomorrow, Oct. 2, 2017, you can get the Instant Pot for $30 off — that’s just $69!!!! — at the one day sale on Amazon!

Click here to buy the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart (limit of 5 for the sale price on Oct. 2, 2017)

Instant Pot, we love you. Thank you for making our lives eternally easier and our kitchen sink considerably emptier.

continue to the recipe… about 31 Instant Pot Dinner Recipes to Make in October

My Mom’s Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

September 19, 2017

This easy meat sauce takes just a few minutes of prep and then a low simmer on the stove for a deep, meaty-flavored, classic spaghetti everyone will love.

This post is brought to you by Kroger

Before I even started writing this post I was wrestling with the title.

My Sister’s Favorite Spaghetti Dinner. Because as a kid it was #1 on her request list. And to do this day, all these years later and after eating meals from all over the world, it still is.

My Mom’s Best Spaghetti Recipe Ever! Because it is. And, who doesn’t trust mom to make the best?

The Best Spaghetti and Meat Sauce You’ll Ever Make But Never Guess the Secret Ingredient. Intrigued????

The Dinner to Make When You Want to Perfume Your House With All the Glorious Smells and Then Feed an Army. Perhaps a little lengthy for a title, but still totally appropriate.

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce So Good You’ll Eat the Cold Leftovers Still in the Container Straight from the Fridge. Uh-oh, did I just give myself away????? Busted!

continue to the recipe… about My Mom’s Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

20 Chili Recipes to Cozy Up to This Fall

September 13, 2017

From crockpot to stove-top, there’s no better time to hunker down and cozy up to a bowl of homemade chili than right now.

Picture this: outside the wind is blustery, trees are rustling, and the scent of burning leaves and wood hover in the air. Inside, the football game’s on and a pot of chili is simmering away in the kitchen. Nothing conjures up fall like all of these things—particularly the aroma of home-cooked chili.

Whether you make it meaty and beefy or opt for a vegetarian version, chili really is one of the most flexible dishes you can prepare no matter what your cooking skill level. Throw it together to stew all day in the crockpot or make it quickly on the fly, you can always count on chili to bring on all the comfort food feels.

We can’t think of anything cozier than curling up under a blanket on the couch with a hearty bowl of any flavor, and that’s why we’re bringing you 20 chili recipes to make while you hibernate and warm up this fall and winter.

Grab your spoon and belly up to one of these pots of stick-to-your-ribs deliciousness. And remember to never forget the fixin’s.continue to the recipe… about 20 Chili Recipes to Cozy Up to This Fall

30 Dinners to Make When There’s No Time to Cook in September

August 31, 2017

These 30 quick and easy, healthy dinner ideas are perfect for even the busiest of weeknights.

All good summer things have come to an end my friends. We’ve had a big summer full of sun, fun and ticking things off the summer bucket list, but once again, it’s that time of year where we trade in pool time for school time.

As we gear up for shorter yet somehow fuller days that seem to slip right through our busy little fingers, we need quick and easy dinners we can throw together on the fly. So for our ninth installment of our 31 Days Series, we’re bringing you easy recipes that won’t cramp your chaotic week or make you a takeout slave or victim of cereal for dinner. Confession: Sometimes we love cereal for dinner. #yougottadowhatyougottado P.S. we’ve also got you covered on the breakfast front, because we know those mornings are just as crazy!

Luckily, these dinners swoop in and save the day. Some only require three steps, some are made in the slow cooker or in one pan, and pretty much all of them need 10 minutes of prep or less (yay less dishes)! So let’s slay these busy weeknights and show them who’s boss, eh?

continue to the recipe… about 30 Dinners to Make When There’s No Time to Cook in September

31 Days of Summer Produce Recipes to Make in August

August 1, 2017

These 31 easy, healthy recipe ideas for summer produce are what make the living easy this month!

There’s nothing quite like biting into that first peach with juice dribbling steadily down your chin. Or the taste of summer’s first BLT stacked high with tomatoes still warm from the garden—you know, the one that requires at least five napkins.

Ah summer, there are so many reasons why we love you but your fresh fruits and veg are at the tops of our list.

With a jam-packed calendar of fitting in each and every summer picnic, take-it-to-the-beach day, and potluck soirée, summer’s favorite, fresh seasonal eats are more in demand this month than ever. Thankfully, there’s produce aplenty come each and every August so that seasonal farmers market gems are easily making their way into all of our meals.

For our eighth installment of our 31 Days Series, we’re going seasonal, baby, so it’s all about tender squash, juicy tomatoes, and corn so sweet you could get a toothache. We’re frequenting the farmers market and stocking up like its our job, because this summer bounty won’t be around for too much longer. So grab your best market tote and let’s hit the stalls!continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Summer Produce Recipes to Make in August

Chicken, Crab and Andouille Sausage Gumbo Recipe

February 21, 2017

Chicken and andouille sausage are traditional ingredients in every good gumbo recipe but when you add crab, this gumbo goes from good to grand.

There are many stand-ins out there that simply don’t make the authentic cut. Cubic zirconium will never take the place of real diamonds and saccharin will never, ever, ever edge out the sweetness of real sugar.

But this gumbo recipe…now THIS gumbo recipe has no comparison. Gumbo may originally hail from Louisiana, but this recipe is the real-Southern-Delta-blues-gumbo-deal.continue to the recipe… about Chicken, Crab and Andouille Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

February 13, 2017

Still dreamy but lightened up in the load, this cheesy potato and broccoli soup leaves the cream right out of it.

I was a bit of an an0maly as a kid.

I didn’t care for peanut butter, opting for liverwurst instead. I loved oatmeal for breakfast and salad was one of my favorite snacks. And what was my pre-dinner ritual? Two tall glasses of milk before the food ever even hit the table.

Who was this kid?continue to the recipe… about Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup

Butternut Squash Beef Stew (Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker)

January 23, 2017

Tender chuck roast pairs with classic stew veggies and butternut squash in this healthy fall stew made easy in the Instant Pot, pressure cooker or slow cooker.

If there’s one addition to my kitchen that I can’t quit raving about, it’s my Instant Pot, the slow cooker/pressure cooker/steamer and more 7-in-one cooker I’ve become a die hard fan of. I think it’s probably been my favorite topic of conversation since the first snowflake fell this winer and it was tops on my list for holiday gift giving.

So what is it that I love about the Instant Pot? It saves me valuable time in the kitchen, helped minimize my collection of duplicate appliances, and has made meal planning a habit I’m actually becoming a fan of.

If you haven’t become an Insta Pot loyalist yet, join the bunch of us that are. Isn’t it time to save yourself some time in the kitchen, too?continue to the recipe… about Butternut Squash Beef Stew (Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker)