It's Not About Nutrition

The Kind of Dinner That Feels Like a Hug You ever come home after a day that just plain wore you out — the kind where your shoulders ache, the kids are bickering about nothing, and you’d sell your left shoe for five minutes of quiet? Well, this slow cooker ham and potatoes stew with bacon won’t fix everything (I wish!), but it sure does help. I’ve been making some version of this since my kids were in grade school — back then, we’d stagger in after soccer practice or a choir concert, and the second that front door swung …

Years ago, I brought a tray of these to a holiday party at my friend Susan’s house. You know the kind — twinkle lights everywhere, kids running wild, adults huddled near the snacks trying to pretend they weren’t going back for thirds. I set the warm tray down, turned around to hang up my coat… and when I came back? Gone. Not one left. Someone even asked if I had another batch in the car. That’s when I knew I had something special. There’s just something about that combination — smoky sausage, salty bacon, that caramelized brown sugar crust — …

I wasn’t planning to share this one. Not because it’s a secret or anything—heaven knows I don’t keep recipes to myself—but because it almost feels too simple. Like, embarrassingly simple. But here we are, a few weeks from Christmas, and I’m staring down a fridge that’s already working overtime and a calendar that looks like it’s lost its mind. So I’m breaking my silence. Every December, without fail, I make this cranberry chicken casserole. Just three ingredients. No chopping, no whisking, no standing over the stove muttering, “Why did I decide to host again?” It’s warm and festive and somehow …

Let me tell you something — there’s just something about apples and cinnamon that pulls me right back to Saturday mornings at my grandma’s house. You know the kind — where the windows fog up from the oven, the dog’s underfoot hoping for scraps, and the whole place smells like a Yankee Candle (but the real version). Now, I love a good apple fritter. Who doesn’t? But standing over the fryer at 8 a.m. isn’t quite my idea of a relaxing weekend anymore. These days, I’m more about big-batch comfort that feeds a crowd and lets me sit down with …

Bold, beefy, just a little spicy — and the kind of meal that makes everyone around the table happy to be home. Let me tell y’all a little something. This soup? It’s not just dinner. It’s what you make when you need dinner to do the most — warm everyone up, stretch a pound of ground beef, and make the whole house smell like comfort. I threw this together on a chilly afternoon, with laundry in the dryer and not a single clue what we were gonna eat that night. And I swear, by the time my husband walked through …

Some secrets are meant to stay hidden — like the time I accidentally switched sugar for salt in my Thanksgiving pie and smiled through it like a champ. Others, though? They’re too good to keep. This cake? Oh honey, this is that kind of secret. Deep, dark, rich, and mysterious in all the best ways — and yes, it involves boxed cake mix, a splash of dark rum, and an unapologetic drizzle of ganache. It’s the kind of cake you bring to a potluck and walk out 30 minutes later with zero leftovers and three recipe requests tucked in your …

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 …

Cooked low and slow, like my Aunt Helen taught me—bacon, butter, and no rush. I know green beans aren’t exactly the flashiest thing on the dinner table. Nobody ever says, “Ooooh, did you try the green beans?!” But these? These are different. These are Sunday dinner beans. These are “I’ll just have a little more” beans. The kind that simmer for an hour, get all cozy with bacon and onion and chicken broth, and come out tasting like somebody loves you. I’ve been making these for years now. I didn’t invent ’em—Lord knows women smarter than me were cooking this …

Okay, so let me be honest with you… fried chicken is one of those things that always intimidated me when I was younger. My mom made it look so easy — she’d be standing over the stove, chatting away on the phone, flipping chicken like it was no big deal. Meanwhile, I was the one burning grilled cheese on a regular basis. But here’s the thing — once I finally tried making it myself, I realized it’s not scary at all. Messy? Sure. But scary? Nope. And when you toss that crispy chicken in a sticky honey garlic glaze? Oh …

The dessert that perfectly matches the vibe of December 23rd at 6:42 p.m. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but not every holiday dessert needs to be a Pinterest masterpiece. Sometimes you just need a cake that’s fast, a little messy, and full of the kind of sweet, nutty, tart chaos that feels right for Christmas week. That’s exactly what this cake is. It’s got cranberry sauce. It’s got pecans. It’s got a surprise cream cheese swirl situation that bakes into the middle like a little present. And the best part? You throw it all into a 9×13 …