My family loves Hasselback potatoes. They are soooo delicious, but they are also a little tedious to make. Last fall, I decided to come up with a fast and easy method, so I could make them more frequently...and then promptly forgot about my resolution. My idea was finally put into place on Christmas day. My oven was so full of other items that I didn't have room to make … [Read more...]
Alea’s Slow Cooker Honey Glazed Ham
I love being able to serve Sunday dinner shortly after arriving home from church. But I don't like leaving the oven on while we are gone. I do feel comfortable leaving the slow cooker on, so I occasionally use it to make Honey Glazed Ham. I can cook the ham for one hour on high, then turn it to low before we leave and arrive home to a delicious ham. Once home, all I have to … [Read more...]
Alea’s Roast Beef Shepherd’s Pie
This recipe is fast and easy to prepare, especially if you use leftovers from your holiday dinners. Shepherd's Pie is often made using ground beef, but it is an especially delicious way to use up leftover roast. You can also use leftover vegetables and top it with leftover mashed potatoes if you have them on hand. If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes, make mashed … [Read more...]
Alea’s Pizza Quesadillas
My family is pulled in so many directions during December: Church Christmas pageants, caroling, recitals, school finals, parties, and shopping. All of these activities make it harder for us to sit down as a family and enjoy a meal together. My solution? Fast and easy recipes that can be assembled in minutes and made with ingredients that will convince everyone to find room in … [Read more...]
Alea’s Peppermint Bark Chex Party Mix
I wanted to make a treat for my family to snack on while we were decorating the tree, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time making it, so I came up with this fast and easy recipe for Peppermint Bark Chex Party Mix. To crush the candy canes without making a mess, place them in a ZipLoc bag and then roll a rolling pin over them. The Rice Chex added a delightful … [Read more...]
Alea’s Curried Chicken with Acorn Squash
My daughter loves curry, so much so that I decided to use it to get her to eat one of her least favorite foods: squash. When she saw the roasted acorn squash, she thought I was going to use the curried chicken and rice to create a curried version of Stuffed Acorn Squash. And I was tempted to, but I noticed that when I made Stuffed Acorn Squash, one individual left a good … [Read more...]
Alea’s Ginger, Sweet Potato and Bean Soup
I know sweet potatoes and beans combined with Asian seasonings sounds like a crazy combination. You are just going to have to trust me on this. This soup is seriously delicious! It is also fast and easy to make, filling, and frugal. I pulled this soup together in under 20 minutes. I was able to do that because I had cooked rice on hand. If you don't have cooked rice you … [Read more...]
Alea’s Chicken and Summer Squash Skillet
The inspiration for this recipe is extreme fatigue. My family was craving a home-cooked meal and I really wanted to make them one. I went so far as to plan on making garlic chicken and sauteed squash. But as I started cutting up squash in preparation for dinner, I began to wonder if I could get away with combining the ingredients from the two recipes and quickly cooking the … [Read more...]
Alea’s Skillet Lasagna
I have been making different types of vegetable lasagnas all summer. After the last one, my oldest son said, "your veggie lasagnas are awesome, but I'm wondering when you are going to make a standard lasagna". Obviously making a "standard lasagna" shot to the top of my to-do list! But our life has been crazy and every evening when I looked at the clock I realized that I just … [Read more...]
Alea’s 4 Bean Chipotle Chili
It is hard to make chili for my whole family. My daughter likes her chili very mild and my husband likes his eye-watering hot. The only thing they agree on is that the chili looks pretty when I use different types of beans. So I use lots of different types of beans! How much heat I add to this recipe depends on who is going to be home for dinner. If my daughter is working … [Read more...]