All Posts By Jennifer

A Sweet Slow Cooker Hug You know what? I can’t look at a bunch of spotty bananas without thinking about my grandma. She’d keep them on the windowsill, waiting for just the right level of “too ripe for anything but baking.” And if you dared to toss one in the trash — oh, mercy, you’d get the look. This Banana Foster Pudding is one of those quiet, simple desserts that feels like a warm hug at the end of a long week. It’s not fancy, but it feels fancy when you spoon it out, all sticky and golden, with that …

You know what? I’ll admit it — there are plenty of evenings when I just don’t feel like cooking. I love food, I love feeding people, but some days? I’d rather curl up on the couch with a book and pretend the stove doesn’t exist. That’s exactly why I keep this Slow Cooker 5-Ingredient Meatball Marinara Pasta in my back pocket. It’s the dish I pull out when I want dinner to feel special without standing at the stove for an hour stirring sauce and boiling water at the same time. It’s the kind of meal that makes my house …

The Easiest, Tastiest Side You’ll Make All Week You know, some days I wonder if my slow cooker knows me better than I know myself. I’ll toss a few things in there in the morning — half awake, hair still wet, coffee cup in hand — and by the time I stumble back in the door after a long day of work and errands and goodness knows what else… dinner’s just done. The house smells warm and inviting, like someone’s been here taking care of things all day. This butter garlic asparagus and mushrooms is exactly that kind of dish. …

Can I tell you something funny? I used to think the slow cooker was just for soups or pot roast — you know, the Sunday stuff. But one rainy Tuesday, when the kids were still young and my husband called to say he’d be late again, I tossed together this little experiment with some orange juice I needed to use up. Let’s just say Spicy Orange General Tso’s Chicken saved my sanity that night — and it’s been rescuing my weeknights ever since. There’s just something about that sticky-sweet sauce, the tender chicken, the bright pop of citrus… and not …

You know, I’ve made meatloaf a hundred ways — in the oven, in a cast iron pan, even once in a Dutch oven on a camping trip (don’t ask — it almost worked). But the first time I tried this Slow Cooker Meatloaf, I was hooked. There’s something about letting that loaf bubble away all afternoon while you get on with your day — errands, laundry, or maybe just putting your feet up with a good book — that feels so downright comforting. My mom used to make a version of this on Sunday afternoons while we all drifted in …

You know, some nights I just don’t want to cook. There, I said it. At 50, I’ve cooked more dinners than I care to count — some fancy, some flops, some that saved my sanity when life got chaotic. This slow cooker ground beef casserole? It’s one of those sanity-savers. I started making it back when my kids were in soccer, piano, and every after-school thing you can imagine. I needed dinner to basically cook itself while I played chauffeur, referee, and snack lady all at once. I still make it today — only now it’s more about warming my …

A Taste of Midwest Comfort If you’ve ever found yourself standing in the middle of your kitchen at 4 PM, wondering what in the world you’re gonna feed everyone — well, friend, you’re not alone. Out here in the Midwest, we’ve made an art out of simple, hearty meals that feel like a hug at the end of a long day. This slow cooker 3-ingredient honey garlic pork chops recipe? It’s my go-to when I want that Sunday dinner feeling without the Sunday fuss. I swear it reminds me of being a kid, running around Grandma’s yard barefoot while she’d …

You ever have one of those days where you just need your kitchen to do the heavy lifting? Not in a big fancy way — just in a quiet, dependable, I’ve got your back sort of way. That’s exactly what these honey butter sweet potatoes are for. I swear, every fall, the first thing I do when the weather turns is dig out my old slow cooker — the one with the faded knob and the little chip in the handle. I plop in these sweet potatoes, drizzle on a bit of honey and butter, and by supper time? The …

There’s just something about Salisbury steak that takes me straight back to those simple weeknight dinners at my mama’s table. You know the ones — everyone shuffling in from school or work, the clink of plates, the smell of rich gravy drifting through the house. Funny enough, I remember my dad pretending it was fancy “restaurant steak” even though it was just humble ground beef — we all knew better, but it made us grin every single time. These days, when life feels a tad too busy, I love letting my slow cooker do the heavy lifting. This version brings …

You know what? Some recipes remind me why I fell in love with cooking in the first place — not the fancy ones with fifteen spices I’ll never use again, but the good old reliable dishes that feel like home. Slow Cooker Pepper Steak is one of those. I’ve made this on frantic Monday mornings when I’ve barely had time to tie my shoes, let alone stand over a stove. I’ve made it on lazy Sundays too, when the house is quiet except for the gentle bubble of the slow cooker. No matter when, it never lets me down — …