Make-Ahead Recipes
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
This meaty sauce is easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser. The yield is a generous 3+ quarts, so there’s plenty to freeze or to share! This meaty sauce is the ideal foundation for a winning spaghetti dinner. It’s also perfect for sharing with a friend (or two) while having enough for your family as…
Quickie Cookie Baked Oatmeal
When I have the pleasure of some one-on-one time with my 3-year-old niece, I like to think of a project or activity she will really enjoy. Whether it’s making homemade play dough (has to be blue!) or a simple walk to the playground, I have at least as much fun as she does. After making…
April Fool’s Meatloaf Cake
A family favorite meatloaf recipe masquerades as a cake in this tricky dinner that delights kids and adults alike! My dad’s favorite April Fool’s joke wouldn’t play very well this year. When I was a girl, he’d celebrate this mischievous holiday by waking me up with the proclamation that a foot of snow had…
Butterscotch Bread Pudding
Crispy edges, tender insides, and notes of caramel and butter take the classic bread pudding to new heights. Easy and irresistible! Last fall, I mentioned that I was all set to share a recipe for butterscotch bread pudding when a thoughtful reader emailed me the recipe for her prized beet cake. Like my chicken in…
Brown Soda Bread with Steel Cut Oats
Hearty, wholesome bread has never been so easy, thanks to this yeast-free, no-knead recipe. The finished loaf slices beautifully and tastes great! When I experiment with recipes, I am never 100% sure how they will turn out. Sometimes, a new recipe takes repeated tries, especially in the baking department. I aim to limit white flour…
O’Brien Irish Stew
This classic Irish stew was passed down from the decades old recipe box of an Irish friend. The tried-and-true recipe offers oven and slow cooker options, and the flavor improves over time, making it a great make-ahead meal. Most Americans think of stew as having a thick gravy base. But traditional Irish stew is…
Make-Ahead Granola Parfaits
This slightly different preparation yields surprisingly delicious results. Consider preparing several at one time, as the parfaits will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. Preferring my granola crunchy, I was skeptical the first time I tried this. After resting in the fridge overnight, I was pretty sure the granola…
Chunky Homemade Granola Snack Mix
Mixing Chunky Homemade Granola with dried cranberries, cashews, and white chocolate chips makes a snack mix so incredibly delicious with the added benefits of being mostly healthy and portable. It’s a welcome lunchbox addition and a convenient on-the-go snack. My husband, a frequent flyer, thinks this mix is the perfect snack to take while traveling…no need to…
Chunky Homemade Granola
This big batch recipe makes two full baking sheets of classic, crunchy, lightly sweet granola that is delicious with yogurt, milk, fruit – or by the handful. You may cut the recipe in half, but it will keep for weeks and freezes well, too. Perfectly crunchy, not overly sweet, and loaded with chunks, this granola…
Yogurt Almond Flour Dutch Baby
Almond flour, Greek yogurt, and eggs form the base of this wholesome, filling, grain-free twist on the traditional Dutch baby. Did you know that February is National Pancake Month? I recently discovered this when Stonyfield Organic issued a friendly challenge to create a pancake recipe using yogurt. One of the early recipes on…
Classic Chocolate Cake
Light, moist, and perfect for any celebration, this classic chocolate cake mixes up quickly in a single bowl with ingredients you likely have on hand. (And the gluten-free adaptation fools even the gluten-eaters!) When it comes to chocolate cake, this tried-and-true recipe is, without a doubt, the best that I have found. It has been…
Cuban Black Bean Soup
Hearty and wholesome, this soup is a favorite in my family for its incredible flavor. Delightful on its own, although the optional toppings add to the soup’s broad appeal. For years I, like many cooks, rarely measured ingredients. We eat a lot of hearty soups, salads, and one-pot meals in our house, and this sort of cooking…
