Pumpkin Ginger Shandy

This quick and easy two ingredient Pumpkin Ginger Shandy is the perfect cocktail for fall or Thanksgiving entertaining...

This post first appeared over at Real Housemoms where I was a contributor.

When it comes to Thanksgiving entertaining, I am all about keeping things easy. I have hosted dinner for my family almost every year for the past five years, so I definitely have a system down by now that keeps my Thanksgiving morning running smoothly and virtually stress free. 

The house is cleaned top to bottom by the whole family the day or two before Thanksgiving. Pies get baked the day before. I break out both of my slow cookers to prepare side dishes so I can keep the oven free for the real star of the Thanksgiving dinner table. 

The only thing I really have to worry about the day of the big dinner is roasting the turkey. Keeping our annual family Thanksgiving dinners fuss free and simple makes the turkey day more enjoyable for not only the guests, but for the dinner hostess as well. ;) 

Even the cocktail I will be serving to my dinner guests this year will be quick and easy, requiring only two simple ingredients to make!

It's Time for Turkey: My 4 Essentials for Easy Holiday Dinner Prep

Make your family holiday dinner super simple & hassle-free with My 4 Essentials for Easy Holiday Dinner Prep...

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com.

It is t-minus one day until turkey time, folks! If you happen to be scrambling to put the finishing touches on that holiday dinner menu for tomorrow, then you are in luck because I have a few quick & easy ideas to share with you all today. 

Who says that hosting a family holiday dinner has to be crazy time consuming and stressful anyways? ;) You can make it super simple & hassle-free with a few simple ingredients and a little creativity. I am sharing a handful of my favorite products & tips below for making that happen.

Take a Sneak Peek at My Thanksgiving Dinner Spread...

This coming Thanksgiving will be the first one in years in which I will be hosting dinner.  For the past 9 years, I have lived out of state every year except for just one.  My son and I have always came home to my parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner.  But this year we are back living in our hometown, and I eagerly volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner for my parents and my sister.  I love being the hostess.  I love being in charge of the menu, and the decor, and having everyone over at my home.  And, hey... I figured my mother has earned a break by now, right? ;)

Needless to say, I have been planning the menu for Thanksgiving dinner now for weeks...

And now with just a couple of days until the big day, I have our dinner menu finalized.

After much debate, I finally decided that I would just do a compound butter rub under the skin and on top of the skin for the turkey. I had considered doing a brine, but realized I did not have the room in my refrigerator for a 14 pound turkey in a gallon sized bucket...

The "Perfect Turkey" Compound Butter from American Food

I will be making a quick gravy with a butter and flour roux, some of my homemade chicken broth, and drippings from the turkey pan.

My mother is making and bringing a couple of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner favorites- her homemade mashed potatoes and her clover yeast rolls.  I really cannot express how excited I am for those rolls.  She hasn't made them in YEARS, and I have fond memories of them from my childhood.  They are typically pretty time consuming to make, but since I am hosting dinner this year she has the time to make them.  (Yippee!)

We will, of course, have sweet potatoes on the table.  In an effort to free up the oven a bit, I am actually making this year's sweet potato casserole in the Crock Pot.  I am thinking though of foregoing the pecan topping on this one for a marshmallow topping.  I would just transfer the casserole to an oven safe dish, top with mini marshmallows, and set it under the broiler for a few minutes. (Anyone know if the removable dish in the Crock Pot is oven safe? ;) )

Crock Pot Sweet Potato Casserole from I Wash...You Dry

Here are the rest of the sides that made the cut...

Creamy Corn Casserole from The Ease of Freeze

I plan on baking this the night before & heating it in the oven while the turkey is resting.

Parsleyed Green Beans from Better Homes & Gardens

Also making an appearance per the exclusive request of my son, will be Stove Top Turkey stuffing.   He specially requested nothing fancy, just the stuff from the box. ;)

In lieu of the traditional canned cranberry sauce, I will be serving Apple-Cranberry Jam from Food in Jars.  I canned a couple of jars of this yumminess a few weeks back, and it ended up gelling to about the same consistency as a canned cranberry sauce.  

And now the best part!  Dessert, right??  :)  We will have three pies on the menu.  My sister is making and bringing a pecan pie.  I will be making a homemade apple pie.  I made and froze apple pie filling a few weeks ago, so all I need to do is defrost a bag of it and make my from scratch pie crust (get my absolute favorite pie crust recipe below).  This pie will also be sitting pretty on my dessert table...

Apple-Butter Pumpkin Pie from Recipes.com

For both of my homemade pies, I will be using the recipe below for my pie crust.  This recipe makes enough for two double crust pies, and it is delicious and flaky- the perfect pie crust.

Never Fail Pie Crust from made

I am going to whip up a homemade cinnamon vanilla whipped cream to top our slices of pie with.  Just heavy cream, sugar, a few drops of vanilla, and a couple of dashes of cinnamon all whipped up until thick and creamy. 

Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year?  What will be on your Thanksgiving Dinner Spread? :)

Want to see all the recipes I pinned while I was planning my Thanksgiving spread? Come check out my Planning the Thanksgiving Spread Board on Pinterest. 

Hosting a Tuscan Inspired Sunday Dinner

Host a simple & fuss free Tuscan Inspired Sunday Dinner at home with my quick and easy tips.

Post Sponsored by Lunchbox. All opinions are 100% my own.

Growing up, I fondly remember big family dinners at my grandparents' on a Sunday afternoon. Aunts, uncles, and cousins would fill their plates with my grandma's homemade lasagna or slices of her ham, and then clamor to the various tables, chairs, and couches around her house to sit down and enjoy a meal with the family. It wasn't fancy, and it wasn't perfect. But it was a fun family dinner that I always looked forward to. :)

The years have passed and now big family dinners only happen at my grandparents' home for special occasions and holidays. Sunday family dinners have become a fond memory of my childhood. But this past Sunday I decided to change that. This past Sunday I hosted a traditional Italian dinner for some of family at my home.  I wanted to channel the laid back, casual Sunday dinners I remembered from my childhood and keep things as fuss free and simple as possible. But I also wanted to channel a little modern Italian elegance as well...

Sweet Bourbon Salmon with Caramelized Onion & Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

This flavorful & easy to make Sweet Bourbon Salmon with Caramelized Onion & Parmesan Mashed Potatoes makes the perfect dinner for two any night of the week...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.

My 5 year old daughter and I are the only seafood lovers in the house. Which sadly means that I don't get to make seafood for dinner as often as I would like since half of my household won't eat it. However on evenings when my husband is working late & my son is over at his dad's, I like to treat my daughter & I to a special seafood dinner just for the two of us without a lot of prep and fuss. That is why I am loving the new Easy for You! Oven-Ready Seafood options at the seafood counter at my local Kroger! :)

Choose from seafood options such as shrimp, tilapia, & salmon, and choose your favorite seasoning and garnishes like Lemon Pepper, Asian BBQ, Nashville Hot, & more. Then watch as they prep, garnish, and then seal your seasoned seafood into an oven-ready bag right at the counter at no extra charge! The flavor possibilities are pretty much endless. My daughter & I opted for the wild caught sockeye salmon with Sweet Bourbon seasoning and a couple of pats of butter. I whipped up a side dish of homemade Caramelized Onion & Parmesan Mashed Potatoes to go with our super easy & flavorful salmon, and we were ready to dig into our seafood dinner for two in no time at all...

Cranberry White Wine Sauce

Forget the canned stuff for your holiday dinner! This classy Cranberry White Wine Sauce takes just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make...

In case you all have been too busy to notice, Christmas is just two days away.

Two days, folks. Who all is ready? ;)

I can honestly sit here and say for once that I am ready. I did just finish wrapping up the last of the gifts last night, but I am done. Everything is ready to be placed under the tree and then ripped open in less than 48 hours. 

I believe this may be a first for me, friends. 

So now that the whole gift wrapping business is done and crossed off my holiday to-do list, I am focusing on my Christmas dinner menu. 

I actually wasn't planning on hosting a big family dinner for Christmas this year, but my husband kind of changed all that thinking when he came home from work the other day with a 20 pound ham in a bag.  

This thing is huge. So naturally, I decided that hosting family for a big Christmas dinner would be in order. 

6 Date Night Ideas Under $20 & 2 Hours {With a Little Help From Stouffers Satisfying Skillets}

My husband and I have been struggling lately to find the time and the funds to squeeze in date nights or dinners out... you know, just the two of us.  With my son smack dab in the middle of his cross country season, an almost 20 month old who is still mama's little nursling, and my husband's not always date friendly work schedule (he works almost every weekend), it is difficult to find a day and time during the week that works for both us and for a babysitter (aka, usually my parents).

And then there is the whole single income thing.  Fancy dinners out are now reserved for very special occasions.  Dinners in are now a date night staple for us.

So what is a time crunched, money strapped couple to do to carve a little date time out for themselves?

Maintaining our relationship and the couple part of us is important to us both. 

So we started brainstorming and came up with this list of date ideas that take less than 2 hours and can be done on $20 or less....

1.  Make dinner at home!  This one is a no-brainer, right?  We drop the kiddos off with my parents, and head back home for a dinner for two in.  And Stouffers Skillets make that super easy! Not only are they affordable at less than $6 a bag (try getting greasy fast food for two for cheaper than that!), they are also super quick.  It took us less than 15 minutes to whip this up!  Less time spent cooking means more time spent together. ;) (Psssttt... The Stouffers Satisfying Skillets in Grilled Asiago Chicken & Penne Pasta is delish!)

2.  Head to a local coffee shop for a couple slices of pie or cake and some coffee. This is one of our favorites.  We canoodle at a little table in a corner, get to enjoy some delicious desserts and of course, each other's company.

3.  Weather permitting, stop at a local ice cream shop and pick up a couple of cones or sundaes (or maybe a banana split to share?) and head to a nearby park to walk, eat ice cream, and hold hands. 

4.  Do a quick Google search and see if there are any local festivals happening in your area.  Most festivals are free to get into, and there is so much to see and do at them.  Check out local attractions, artisans, and have a bite of some local favorites.  Become a tourist in your own home town.

5.  Stop at your local movie rental shop or Redbox or queue up your Netflix and choose a movie together that is less than 2 hours long.  Pick up a couple boxes of those movie candies  and microwave a little popcorn at home.  Bonus- you can PDA as much as you want! ;)

6.  Break out the board games! And maybe a glass of wine or two. Sometimes in this day and age of XBox and Playstation, we forget how much fun connecting over actual, tangible board games can be.  Play some Uno.  Get out the Battleship.  Heck, we even like a friendly game of Connect4.  Make some friendly wagers to keep it interesting. 

What are some ways you stay connected to your significant other when time and money are obstacles?

For more budget friendly and tasty dinner options whether for date night or beyond, be sure to visit the Stouffers Facebook page or follow along with Nestle USA on Twitter.

Interested in seeing our shopping trip to Walmart to pick up a bag of Stouffers Satisfying Skillets for our date night?  CLICK HERE to view my Google+ album of the shop! :)

Chicken with Mustard Tarragon Sauce

This flavorful Chicken with Mustard Tarragon Sauce is a single serving take on a classic French dish...

I was provided with a copy of The Ultimate Cooking for One Cookbook for review. I was not compensated for this post in any other way. All opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own. This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

With my son being in college and living on campus most of the year and my daughter being with her dad a least a few days each week now, I find myself needing to only cook for one a little more often these days. I actually don't mind it. Evenings to myself allows me to whip up some of my personal favorite dishes for dinner- you know, the ones that the kids won't touch with a 10 foot pole and crinkle up their noses at in disgust. ;)

I reserve those kid-free evenings to saute a salmon filet or tuna steak for myself. To serve quinoa as a side dish. To roast all the veggies and throw them on my plate. Neither of my kids are big seafood fans. They think quinoa is weird. And they are very specific about the types of vegetables they will allow on their dinner plate. 

But I can only make the fish/quinoa/veggies combo or heat up leftovers for dinner so many evenings each week. That is why I was so happy when my food blogger friend, Joanie Zisk of One Dish Kitchen contacted me about checking out her new cookbook, The Ultimate Cooking for One Cookbook.

My $15 Seven Day Grocery Budget Challenge: Wrapping It Up

Overall, I think my $15 Seven Day Grocery Budget Challenge was a success!  It IS possible for a family of 3 to make it on about $15 worth of groceries for an entire week.  Now of course, this is only possible if you already have a decently stocked pantry and freezer.  I think that we could maybe do this once every month to every month and a half.  This is definitely not possible every single week.  So, what did we eat Monday through Friday??  Here is the line-up:


Monday- We had Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips (Click for the recipe here.), celery and ranch dressing, and corn on the cob.  I already had everything on hand to make this except for the celery, ranch, eggs, and corn.

Tuesday- We had breakfast for dinner- pancakes!  I already had everything on hand to make them.  
Wednesday- Well, we had breakfast for dinner yet again. ;)  Breakfast for dinner is a great way to get more bang for your dinner bucks and is fun too!  My son absolutely adores when we have breakfast for dinner, so two nights in a row was a real treat for him.  We had cheddar cheese omelets and homemade home fries.  To make the home fries, just dice 3-4 potatoes and fry them in a combination of olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.  When they start to brown, add about 1/2 of a diced onion and continue to fry.  Season with salt and pepper while still hot and then serve!  I had everything already to make this except for the eggs.

Thursday- I "roasted" to 2 large split chicken breasts in my Crock Pot (Get the recipe here.).  Once roasted, I broke down the chicken breasts and used half of it to make homemade Chicken and Dumplings for dinner (Click here for the recipe.) The other half of the chicken, I put in a quart sized freezer bag & froze to use later.  I had to buy carrots, celery, and milk to make this.  I added chopped celery to the recipe instead of the frozen peas.  

Friday- The Chicken and Dumplings made a large enough pot that we had plenty leftover to eat for dinner this night.  (And I may have also had a bowl of it for lunch that day. ;) )

Now it is confession time.  I didn't exactly make it under the $15 budget.  

As those of you who have been following along with me all week recall, I had $4.01 left after my trip to the grocery store last Sunday.  Andddddd.... I had to stop back at the grocery store the next day for a carton of milk and a loaf of discounted bread from the bakery.  Yep, I went 46 cents over my budget.  So, 3 people ate for $15.46 cents for seven days.  I am not going to exactly call that a failure. ;)

Want to try a grocery budget challenge of your own?  Make sure to take stock of your pantry and freezer first and then start your menu planning from there.  I mostly only had to buy fresh items like vegetables, eggs, and milk.  Utilize your leftovers from each of the meals for lunches the next day instead of eating out.  Be prepared for a few small sacrifices.  My husband went without his cola habit for the week so that we could stay around our $15 grocery budget.  Now, we didn't completely suffer.  I realized a few days into the challenge that I had everything in my kitchen to make these.... ;)

Secret Ingredient Brownies (You know you want to click here for the recipe!)

Clover Yeast Dinner Rolls

These soft, pull apart Clover Yeast Dinner Rolls need to make an appearance on your dinner table asap...

I am partnering today with Fleischmann's Yeast & Karo Syrup to bring you all this recipe for my mama's family favorite Clover Yeast Dinner Rolls.

When it comes to the holidays, I think we all have that one recipe or two that when made always bring back memories of our childhood.  For me, that is my mama's clover yeast dinner rolls.

They were made for almost every special occasion, including holiday dinners like Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

I remember watching her mix the dough, and then kneading it, and punching it down, and then placing it in a well-oiled big green Tupperware mixing bowl to rest and raise.  And when it was ready, she would roll the dough into little balls and then arrange them 3 to a tin in a muffin pan.

The whole process fascinated me and intimidated me all at the same time.  But there was nothing like pulling apart one of her warm clover yeast dinner rolls and smearing some butter on it, and popping each third in my mouth as the butter melted...

10 Family Approved Dinner Recipes

These tried and true 10 Family Approved Dinner Recipes are meals that my family asks for time and time again...

I know some of you all have to wonder every once in a while if food bloggers actually end up making and serving the recipes that they share on their blogs often or just a few times for recent development and testing and then we post it and are done with it. Well, I am here to tell you all that the answer is BOTH. 

There are definitely recipes- delicious recipes- that I have shared on here that I have only made a handful of times. It isn't that myself and my family didn't like them or that we wouldn't want to eat them again, but for some reason or another those particular recipes just didn't become family favorites. 

But then there are recipes, like these 10 Family Approved Dinner Recipes I am sharing with you all today, that my family asks for over and over again and that appear on my weekly plan more than once a month. Not only are these dinner recipes tried and true, but I know these will be the meals that my children will remember years later and ask for when they come home to visit from college (and probably beyond that)... ;)

Pass the Pork- From the Farm to Your Table

From the farm to your dinner table, here is a peek into what goes into real pig farming in the United States...

A big thank you to the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council, & the Minnesota Pork Board for hosting me for Pass the Pork 2016. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

I have to admit that sometimes being a food & travel blogger is a pretty cool gig to have. Every so often I get an invite to travel to a different state, eat some amazing food, learn a little about a city or certain area of food production, and all while getting to hang out with a fabulous group of fellow bloggers. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel to Minneapolis as part of the Pass the Pork blogger tour with the National Pork Board. While I am no stranger to buying, cooking up, & enjoying pork (have you guys seen all my recipes using bacon yet?? ;) ), I didn't know much about the actual production side of the pork industry, aka pig farming. I have always been one who has jumped at the chance to see firsthand just exactly where my food comes from, so I was excited that a visit to an actual Minnesota pig farm was on the trip's agenda.

The folks at Wakefield Pork graciously extended a full tour of their pig farming facility to the bloggers attending the Pass the Pork tour, and no question was off limits. I was really impressed with how transparent and gracious they were in explaining everything that goes into their pig farming process from breeding to market... 

Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup with Spiced Walnuts

This Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup with Spiced Walnuts would be the perfect start to your Thanksgiving dinner or a tasty way to warm up on a chilly fall day...

Is anyone else a little floored that Thanksgiving is just two weeks away?  I do have to admit though that I have been planning my Thanksgiving dinner menu now for the past couple of weeks. 

A couple of years ago, I took over the hosting of the annual Thanksgiving dinner to give my mother a break from the yearly undertaking of roasting a turkey. 

At first it was just going to be every other year, but I realized how much I loved hosting it and my mama realized just how much she loved being able to sleep in on Thanksgiving morning. ;) So, this will be my third year in a row preparing and hosting the annual family Thanksgiving dinner.

Over the past two years, I have learned a few things about how to host a holiday dinner for family and keep it as stress free as possible.  

Like keeping the dinner menu itself simple and delicious. For instance, never try out a new recipe for a side dish or dessert the day of Thanksgiving.  You may end up a side dish short or without a dessert to serve. ;) Give new recipes a test run at least a few days before the big dinner.

Also, have an appetizer recipe planned that you can get out on the table and in guests' hands fairly quickly just in case the turkey is taking a little longer to roast than you had anticipated.

Like this Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup with Spiced Walnuts.  From the chopping of the onion to the ladling into bowls, this perfect for fall comforting soup is ready in just 45 minutes...

Coffee Tenderloin Steaks with Scallop Tarragon Sauce

Juicy tenderloin steaks are marinated in a flavorful coffee marinade and then topped with a simple yet elegant scallop tarragon cream sauce...

This content was created in partnership with Kroger Family Stores using free products provided by Kroger.

This recipe post first appeared on the Kroger Inspired Gathering site.

Newsflash, folks- My husband and I are self-proclaimed homebodies when it comes to Valentine's Day. (I know, I know... I may have mentioned this little fact to you all about 100 times by now. ;) ) While I do love getting all dolled up for a fancy dinner out every once in while, I would much rather avoid the chaos and crowds on Valentine's Day and stay home with my sweetie. We always pick up a good bottle of wine, a movie and maybe some chocolates, and then together we whip up a splurge-worthy romantic dinner for two.

This Valentine's Day, we've made plans for a surf & turf dinner-in. I know most people think of steak and a lobster tail or steak topped with a crab béarnaise sauce when they hear the words "surf & turf," but when I spied these perfectly bite-sized scallops at the seafood counter at my local Kroger, I knew I had to make them into the "surf" in our surf & turf dinner. We marinated these juicy tenderloin steaks in a flavorful coffee marinade and then topped them with a simple yet elegant Scallop Tarragon Cream Sauce. My husband grills the steaks while I whip up the sauce, and voila! — Valentine's Day dinner is served in no time at all.

Parmesan Chicken Corn Chowder

This creamy Parmesan Chicken Corn Chowder with its hearty potatoes, roasted chicken, and the addition of Parmesan cheese takes the traditional corn chowder to a whole other level of deliciousness...

I was provided a copy of 100 Creative Ways to Use Rotisserie Chicken to review. I was not compensated for this post in any other way. All opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

One of my goals in 2016 is to get my family around the dinner table more often. Last year that rarely happened unless it happened to be a special event- like a holiday dinner. So, yeah. It was a pretty rare occasion. 

Often times, my husband and daughter eat dinner in the living room. Sometimes I join them, but more often than not I find myself having a working dinner at my laptop. My teenage son makes a beeline for his bedroom where he hides away with his dinner plate watching Netflix. So this year I have decided that I am taking back our family dinners around the kitchen table! 

And just how I am going to do that? For one, the kitchen table is no longer permitted to be everyone's dumping ground when they walk through the door after coming home from school and work. If the table is clear, then we are more likely to use it.

Another way I am working to achieve this goal is by finding more and more home cooked meals that I can make easily and more quickly. If I can get dinner on the table a little faster, then that means more time around the table as a family. That is why I am so glad that I was asked to check out & review my friend Trish's (from Mom On Timeout) new cookbook, 100 Creative Ways to Use Rotisserie Chicken. :) Her cookbook is packed with no fuss, delicious chicken dinner recipes- from casseroles to 20-minute dinners to slurpable soups. Since we are full swing into soup season, I chose to whip up a pot of her Parmesan Chicken Corn Chowder (on page 217). This creamy chowder with its hearty potatoes, roasted chicken, and the addition of Parmesan cheese takes the traditional corn chowder to a whole other level of deliciousness...

Jelly Bean Rice Krispies Treats

These easy to make and colorful Jelly Bean Rice Krispies Treats combine two family loved classics into one perfect sweet treat for Easter or spring...

KELLOGG COMPANY sponsored this blog post. The opinions and text are all mine.

Easter and springtime both evoke a lot of feel good family memories for me. From my sister and I dressing in matching frilly dresses complete with bonnets, to Easter egg hunts, to a big family dinner with a pineapple rings and cherries studded ham, Easter has always been a time for family and for creating lasting memories. 

Another classic from my childhood Easters has to be jelly beans. I mean, who can think of Easter and not also think of those colorful candies? Granted, some people love them and some people could leave them (or could just ditch certain flavors of jelly beans- like those black licorice ones ;) ), but jelly beans have always been and always will be associated with Easter fun.

Now that I have children of my own, I am all about creating our own Easter memories and traditions. I love sharing my love of food and creating in the kitchen with my children, so it only seems natural that we should start a tradition of making something fun and tasty together for Easter this year. In these easy to make and colorful Jelly Bean Rice Krispies Treats, I have combined two family loved classics into one perfect for Easter sweet treat... :)