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...

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)... ;)

Family Dinner-In with HERDEZ® Frozen Bowls & Mockagaritas

Thank you to the makers of HERDEZ® Cocina Mexicana Frozen Bowls for sponsoring and providing the tasty inspiration for today's post.  All opinions expressed below are my own.

You all know by now that most evenings of the week I cook for my family.

But let's keep it real- there are definitely nights when I don't feel like cooking.

Or nights when the day has been so trying and busy that I am tempted to pick up a pizza or take-out.  Not the healthiest or most budget friendly choice though.

I mean, what I really want to do on most evenings like those is take off for the local Mexican restaurant for dinner and margaritas, but that just isn't always in the budget for us.

That is why I am so glad that I recently discovered HERDEZ® Cocina Mexicana Frozen Bowls in the freezer section at my local grocery store.  

I will admit it- I am always skeptical of frozen meals. Often times, they are just okay or downright blech. But other times, you hit a tasty frozen food jackpot.

And these Herdez Frozen Bowls are one of those rare jackpots, folks. ;)

I was really impressed with the Beef Barbacoa Bowl- tasty, perfectly seasoned tender chunks of beef served alongside Spanish style rice. 

To make family dinner-in with HERDEZ® Cocina Mexicana Frozen Bowls a little more fun, I came up with a kid friendly Mockagarita recipe to share with you all...

Lessons Learned From Hosting My First Holiday Family Dinner

I hosted my family's Thanksgiving dinner this year.  I didn't host an entire crowd for dinner. Just my parents, my sister, and my family.  I had planned out the menu and table setting for weeks.  I was pretty excited to be the Thanksgiving hostess for the first time in years.  My mother always hosts Thanksgiving dinner, and it has always been a pretty small affair for us- just our immediate family.  Not that there isn't a ton of family near us, but we have made Thanksgiving dinner something more intimate for our family over the years.  I learned a few things from this year's hosting experience...

Keep it simple.  My table setting was beautiful, but practically effortless.  A Mason jar filled with popping corn and branches of leaves (these ones are actually fake!) and real branches cut from a tree on my in-laws' farm.  Autumn inspired tin votives I have had for years- I didn't even put candles in them.  Maybe if we would have had an evening dinner, I would have.  But we had an early afternoon dinner, as is our tradition.  I didn't have a fancy table runner- just a large cloth napkin I picked up at Jo-Ann's for 60% off after Halloween.

Get creative and resourceful.  Not stressed out! I fretted for a bit about the size of our dining room table.  We would just be able to fit the 6 dinner guests at the table.  But turkey and all the sides??  No way!   At first, I thought everyone would have to load up their plates in the kitchen and then sit back down in the dining room.  But then I remembered we have a coffee cart!  I cleared everything off the cart and set it up as a mini buffet table in our dining room.  People didn't have to go far to get seconds! 

What I learned about the menu...

Next year, just get a large turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.  None of my family even ate the dark meat at dinner.  Well, except for my son who ate one of the giant drumsticks, but that was more for effect. ;)  Another bonus of just doing a breast?  I can brine it next year no matter what kind of refrigerator space I have then.

You have can never really have too many sides... or pies for that matter. ;)  Oh, and a green side is NOT mandatory like I thought.  I did make some green beans sauteed in garlic and olive oil and butter, but they went mostly untouched.  And I only made them because I realized I had nothing green on the menu plan.  (Want to take a peek at what we had for Thanksgiving dinner?  CLICK HERE to see my entire menu plan, complete with links to the recipes.)

It is okay to make something from a box.  Like the Stove Top stuffing.  Yes, the foodie in me wanted to cut up onions, and celery, and cube cornbread, but my son and husband begged me to just make some good old-fashioned Stove Top from the box.  I conceded, and you know what?  It was great.  My son was so thrilled.  Stove Top is his absolute favorite Thanksgiving side dish.  :)

Let the guests bring a couple of dishes.  My Mom made her mashed potatoes and I specially requested her to make these clover yeast rolls I hadn't had in years.  She was more than happy to make the extra effort to make the rolls because she didn't have to cook the entire Thanksgiving dinner this year.  My sister made a pecan pie as well.  That came in VERY handy later that afternoon as a stream of our nephews and our niece and their significant others came knocking on our door.

And on that note, it is also okay to ask your guests to bring their own containers for taking home leftovers.  I asked my mother to bring some, and it worked out wonderfully.  I could pack up all the sides and turkey in separate containers, and she wouldn't have to worry about returning any containers to me.  

And you can never have too many chairs!  Folding chairs, dining room table chairs, whatever chairs you have.  Bring them all into one room and set them up all around.  We ended up having 14 people between our living room and kitchen at one point during the day on Thanksgiving! 

And no matter how many people you have coming over or how big of a dinner you are making, make sure you set aside time to take a few photos from the day.  This family photo was taken by my sister (with my little point & shoot camera, folks) after we had ate dinner and before more family arrived for pie and coffee.  We took about 20 minutes, and just had her snap pics.  And now this photo will be a part of our Christmas cards this year, and we will always have a family photo from our baby girl's first Thanksgiving.  You don't want to look back on a fabulous holiday and regret not snapping a few pics.

Have you every hosted a family holiday dinner?  What tips do you have to share?  What helped save your sanity? 

12 Saucesome Dinner Recipes

Ragú® sponsored this blog post. The opinions and text are all mine.

I will be the first to admit that my family and I do not always to get sit down around the dinner table every evening and share a meal and the day's happenings. Sometimes we eat at different times. And sometimes in different rooms even. But we do try to make a point to all sit down at the table as a family for dinner at least 2-3 times a week. Quick, tasty, and easy dinner recipes are one way to ensure that those family dinners happen in our home. My go-to dinner recipes for busy weeknights often involve a jar of one of our favorite Ragú sauces... 

Chipotle Sausage Skillet Mac

This creamy, smoky and sweet, and healthier weeknight pasta dinner can be on your table in under 40 minutes...

Do you all ever get stuck in the weeknight dinner rut? You have some good ole stand-by dinner recipes that are perfect for busy weeknights, but you come home and even the usual favorites don't sound good. And then you start to reach for that phone or those car keys to order in or run out to pick up a pizza. Sound familiar? ;) 

If so, then you will love the recipe that I am sharing with you all today!  All you need is around 40 minutes to get this flavorful and creamy Chipotle Sausage Skillet Mac on your dinner table. And the best part? Since it is made with your favorite Hillshire Farms smoked sausage, there is no need to worry about making sure you have chicken defrosting for dinner before you leave the house in the morning.

This Chipotle Sausage Skillet Mac is creamy, hearty, smoky & sweet, and sure to please every member of your family...

Italian Style Buddha Bowl

This easy to make Italian Style Buddha Bowl is a protein packed, family pleasing weeknight dinner idea...

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Birds Eye® through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Birds Eye®, all opinions are my own.

I have to admit it, folks. Sometimes it is a struggle to get more protein and whole grains into my and my family's diet. I try, but sometimes convenience wins out and pizza gets delivered or a trip through the fast food drive-thru happens. 

It's not that I don't want to make sure that my family is eating healthier and getting all the good stuff that they need to grow and power them through their day. But there are days when I just run out of time or energy, and oftentimes both of those things happen at the same time. 

That is why I was so glad to recently discover Birds Eye® Protein Blends at my local grocery store! These quick and easy to make Protein Blends side dishes come in four delicious flavors- Southwest Style, California Style, Italian Style, & Asian Style. 

Since Italian food is a favorite in my home, I grabbed the Birds Eye® Protein Blends Italian Style and started brainstorming a quick and tasty way that I could use it to get more whole grains, protein, and veggies into my family's diet more often. This fresh and healthy Italian Style Buddha Bowl was the family pleasing end result! :)

It starts with the Birds Eye® Protein Blends Italian Style, a delicious side dish packed with a blend of whole grains, lentils, spinach, broccoli, white beans, & a tasty sauce. Then I filled the rest of the bowl with fresh baby arugula, whole wheat penne, ripe grape tomatoes, olives, and crunchy sliced almonds. Finish it off with a drizzle of oil & vinegar or your favorite light Italian dressing, and a healthy dinner is served in minutes... 

Make Your Holiday Dinner Simple & Easy with the Bob Evans Premium Farmhouse Feast

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bob Evans Restaurants for IZEA Worldwide. All opinions are 100% mine.

The holiday season was meant for spending quality time with your family and loved ones. Make your holiday dinner simple & easy this year with the Bob Evans Premium Farmhouse Feast...

I love sharing a special meal with my family during the holidays. In fact, it is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Coming together, gathering around a table to enjoy a family-style meal, sharing stories, and just enjoying a little time together.

What I don't sometimes like about family holiday dinners is that someone (usually me) gets stuck in the kitchen cooking and baking up a storm while everyone else gets to come together, share stories, and enjoy a little time together. 

But I have a little secret to share with you all that I just discovered for myself... you can let Bob Evans do all the preparation for that family feast for you this holiday season by ordering their Premium Farmhouse Feast either online, in store, or over the phone. That's right! Your next holiday dinner can be made simple with Farmhouse Feast.

Bob Evans Premium Farmhouse Feast provides a complete "home-cooked" meal for 8-10 dinner guests without all of the hassle.

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.

4 Reasons to Attend a Local Farm to Table Dinner

If you have never attended a farm to table dinner before or have been on the fence about whether or not you should attend one, then be sure to check out these 4 Reasons to Attend a Local Farm to Table Dinner...

This post was created in partnership with Taste of Blue Ridge. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

Through my work as a food & travel blogger and my involvement with the local food & culinary scene in my area, I have been fortunate to have been able to attend a handful of farm to table dinners over the past few years. 

Although each featured a different venue & highlighted different local chefs & farms, one theme remained the same- a love for & focus on locally sourced, grown, & raised ingredients. 





If you have never attended a farm to table dinner before or have been on the fence about whether or not you should snag a ticket to your next local food event, then today's post is for you! :) Below I am sharing my 4 top reasons why a local farm to table dinner is well worth your time & the price of admission...

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...

Crock Pot Corn Pudding

This creamy, savory Crock Pot Corn Pudding saves oven space during your holiday dinner prep & will soon become a family favorite...

Last year I made the oven-baked version of this corn pudding side dish for the family.  It turned out delicious, but occupied precious oven space for FAR too long & it seemed to take forever to bake completely.  

Dinner was literally stalled by almost 20 minutes because this darn corn pudding refused to set in the middle! 

Even though it was a royal pain, it was agreed by all that this needed to become an essential side dish for every Thanksgiving dinner from that day forward.

So a couple of weeks ago, I started researching online some alternative ways to make this family fave.  

My first search was for slow cooker versions- shocking, right? ;) 

Easy Chicken Puttanesca Penne

You only need 30 minutes & 5 simple ingredients to whip up this family-pleasing Easy Chicken Puttanesca Sauce on a busy weeknight...

This recipe was created in partnership with Barilla, Walmart, & No Kid Hungry. All opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

Is anyone else's head spinning from the fact that back to school is just a few short weeks away? And for some of you all, the first day of school has already come and gone! (<<My mind is still blown over that one.) 

While I am definitely looking forward to reclaiming my 6 hours of kid-free time on the weekdays, I am also a little sad that summer break is almost over. We had all these grand plans for this summer, but a few things (like that promised weekend camping trip in a tent) didn't get crossed off the family checklist this time around. That seems to happen just about every summer, right?

But now I am getting ready to switch gears from a summer break bucket list to all of those checklists that come with the beginning of a new school year. The school supply list, checking off all that required paperwork that has been signed in and turned in for kindergarten registration, shopping for the necessary back to school clothes, dorm room essentials, and last but certainly not least- weeknight meal planning. 

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...

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.