A 15 minute soup with classic Chinese flavors, Wonton Soup is meant to be simmered quick and easy on some chilly winter night, or whenever those Chinese cravings hit hard. No need to go to the nearest Chinese joint or order take out. All you need is a bag of frozen wontons, and you can make this easy wonton soup in minutes. This bowl is full of tender, pillowy, plump wontons floating along with bok choy and mushrooms in warm broth....
No-Cook Meals Having a list of go-to meals that don’t require any cooking can be a key for serving up healthy family dinners even when you’re busy. I find myself needing to draw on this list when we have a lot of evening activities or on the weekend when I’m tired from cooking (and life!) all week. There’s a variety of levels of effort in these ideas, so see what you think will work in your house the next time you don’t want to cook—but still want to use up the food you may have at home....
Baby Feeding Schedules Having a loose feeding schedule can help your days run more smoothly simply because they give us a framework to start with and build on as baby grows. And while flexibility is key for any parent, I’ve found that knowing what to expect and when to expect it can help my state of mind…even when I’m tired from being up with the little one. Below you’ll find sample infant feeding schedules to start the process of solids with baby....
I love introducing my kids to my favorite foods, and all things pumpkin rank right up there. These healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts are so easy to make and they have subtle pumpkin flavor, which is perfect for the kids who might not have had much pumpkin spice yet in their young lives. (I have a non-chocolate Pumpkin Baked Donut, too.) These donuts have both pumpkin spice and cocoa powder for a super yummy flavor combo....
If you like this beef steak pie, I’m sure you will also love my Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Recipe, Beef Wellington, or Roast Beef Sliders! This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through some of the links included in this post, I will earn a small profit at no extra cost to you. For my full privacy policy, click here. This Beef Steak Pie was inspired by an old recipe published in a cookbook from 1747 and is a dish that, near as I can tell, would likely have been served by the townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials a half a century earlier....
It’s back-to-school time and I’m thinking a parenting best practice and back-to-school tradition is to have milk & cookies ready and waiting when my 1st grader walks in the door at the end of her first day. Particularly these big, soft baked peanut butter M&M cookies that are one of her all-time favorites. These really are the best peanut butter cookies ever! There are so many traditions surrounding the start of a new school year that I love....
If you love boston cream pie, you’re sure to also go crazy for my Boston Cream Pie Cookies or No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake. Or try making Classic Homemade Eclairs, which have all the same flavors of pastry cream and chocolate in a choux shell. Massachusetts-born Boston Cream Pie isn’t a pie at all, but actually a cake! When it was created in the late 1800’s, the layers were actually baked in pie plates, hence the pie moniker....
Meet British import Bubble and Squeak, the cheeky hero of the leftover world, about to surprise you with one delicious breakfast. British cuisine, known for its comforting and hearty meals, has dishes with names that are sure to bring a smile to your face. These whimsically named dishes often have histories as rich and intriguing as their flavors. We truly enjoyed cooking Toad in the Hole, Welsh Rarebit and Lancashire Hotpot in our GypsyPlate Kitchen, bringing back memories of our England Travels....
Can you freeze sandwiches? One of my favorite meal prep ideas is to freeze a batch of simple sandwiches for the kids so they’re ready to grab and go on busy mornings. They thaw really quickly in a lunch box and just reduce the number of things to do when mealtime is busy. This method works really well for peanut butter and jelly, sunflower seed butter and jam, Homemade Uncrustables, turkey and cheese, hummus sandwiches, and more....
Carbohydrates for Kids Carbohydrates come in many forms, from bread, crackers, and cookies, to fruit, veggies, and milk. Carbs contain nutrients (like vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in whole-grain breads and pastas, peas, sweet potatoes, and beans)and are wonderful foods to eat at each meal. They are the preferred source of energy in the bloodstream for brain development and growth, so our kids really do need to eat them. Just to make sure this is clear: Kids need carbs....
When you are bored with banana bread but still love making quick breads, which are basically the easiest of all the breads, it’s a great time to turn to carrot bread! It’s super moist, lightly sweet, and loaded with vegetables, so we can consider it healthy, right? If you enjoy zucchini bread, then I can pretty much guarantee that you are going to love this carrot cake bread. When you grate carrots or zucchini and add it to a simple, spiced quick bread batter, it results in a wonderfully moist, delicious loaf that is just as good for breakfast as it is for an afternoon or late-night snack....
Over the past few years, we’ve been working our way through making soup more regular in our dinner rotation and this Chicken and Stars soup is at the top of our list. With fun star pasta, tender chicken, and a base of veggies, this soup is both yummy and nutritious. I think of this as a variation on my favorite Pastina Soup and my family loves the chicken in this one....
Stuffed peppers are a classic vegetarian entree, maybe a bit less popular these days, but a common dish nonetheless. It’s definitely a dish I’ve been served on more then one occasion, typically filled with 90% rice, 10% cheese. The problem with this is 1) they are so not filling, one pepper and I’m still hungry, 2) they’re boring like that, and 3) of course it’s not vegan friendly–I’m not sure what I would have been served if I had been vegan at the time, a pepper filled with rice only?...
If you love Chinese take-out, be sure to try our Easy Honey Walnut Shrimp, Easy, Classic Chinese Beef with Broccoli, and Easy Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry! Sweet and Sour Pork As much as my family loves going out for Chinese food, we prefer this Sweet and Sour Pork with a homemade sweet and sour sauce and lightly breaded crispy pork. My secret to tasty, crispy pork is to first marinate bite-size chunks of pork tenderloin, allowing it to absorb the flavor of soy sauce, sesame oil, and a few seasonings, before tossing the meat with cornstarch....
Chocolate Walnut Fudge Every summer of my childhood, my family drove from whatever state we were living in at the time to go camping with my grandparents and aunts in Island Park, Idaho. It’s just outside of Yellowstone National Park and one of the most beautiful places in the country. I loved camping, fishing, hiking, and seeing buffalo, bears, moose (mooses?), and other wildlife. But the highlight for me was going to the Playmill Theater in West Yellowstone....
Typically served over spaghetti noodles, it has a lot of flavorings you might not expect, like cinnamon, cloves and even chocolate. How cool! Give your favorite comfort food a new twist with this great regional recipe, which is equally great on stovetop, or in the crockpot… Folks in Cincinnati are very passionate about their chili. The city is dotted with chili houses, most famously Skyline Chili, which has also spread to Indiana, Kentucky and Florida....
If you can’t get enough cinnamon rolls in your life, try our Cinnamon Roll Waffles next! Can we talk about the Crumbl Cookies craze for just a sec? They are taking the country by storm with their oversized cookies and weekly lineup change so there is always something different or new to try there. If you don’t have one near you already, chances are you will get one soon at the rate they have been growing....
The spices add just the right amount of warmth without being too much, and I love how the flavors blend together perfectly after a long simmering. It’s the ultimate, hearty comfort food, especially when served with a thick slice of warm, buttery cornbread. By the way, no cowboys were harmed in the making of this stew, though we sure had some fun tricking our six year old son! As the temperatures start to cool down, I can’t help but get excited for my favorite stews and soups here at the Beiser’s....
Got some pork chops and looking for ways to use them? Perfect Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet BBQ Pork Rub and Classic Southern Smothered Pork Chops are two of our other favorite preparations! Creamy Apricot Pork Chops I fell in love with these creamy apricot pork chops not long after I fell in love with my husband. Possibly before, actually. See, apricot pork chops is another signature recipe from my husband’s Grandma Nash....
I love my Instant Pot for making bulk batches of beans and for transforming plain chicken into a simple family meal that everyone at my table loves. This BBQ chicken recipe uses such an easy method—and you need only two ingredients. This recipe can be scaled up to double or triple the amount of chicken. It can feed a crowd at a potluck or party. And since it’s tender and shreds so easily, it’s easy to chew for toddlers, which makes it a great family meal, too....
