It's Not About Nutrition

So cozy, so creamy, so good—it feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Every family’s got that dish. You know the one—no fancy name, no perfectly styled photo, but it shows up at every gathering and disappears before you’ve even made it halfway down the buffet line. For us, this casserole is that dish. It started as a little side we threw together one winter when we were snowed in with nothing but a sack of potatoes, a half-empty bottle of ranch, and some bacon bits. We didn’t expect much. But one bite in, and someone at the table …

Every year, without fail, I end up making these candied walnuts. It started as a last-minute idea one chilly December afternoon—I’d needed a quick homemade gift and happened to have a big bag of walnuts sitting in the pantry. I threw together a batch on the stove, wrapped them in little cellophane bags tied with twine, and sent them off with holiday cards. Well. The response was something else. By New Year’s, I’d already gotten three texts and a handwritten thank-you note asking for the recipe. And when the next holiday season rolled around? More requests. These sweet, crunchy little …

Okay, so here’s the honest truth — I did not expect this one to be such a hit. I mean, I liked the idea of it: baked sweet and sour chicken, kind of like takeout but with less grease and guilt. I figured it would be… fine. But somewhere between tossing the chicken in that sweet-tangy sauce and watching everyone sneak seconds before I’d even sat down, I realized — oh. This is a thing. This is our new thing. Even my friend Denise, who usually picks at her food and pretends she’s “just here for the salad,” asked for …

There’s something so comforting about a dish that just shows up for you. No drama, no fuss — just layers of cozy flavors baked until bubbly and golden, and maybe a little messy in that wonderful way casseroles are. And this Broccoli Chicken Divan? Oh honey, it’s been with me through potlucks, sick days, busy weeknights, and yes — those moments where you open the fridge, stare at some cooked chicken and a sad head of broccoli, and think, “What now?” I’ve probably made this more than any other baked dish in my life. My kids grew up on it. …

There’s nothing quite like a hot, all comforting bowl of chicken and dumplings. This crockpot chicken and dumplings recipe will give you all the great flavors from the real dish but in a nice and easy, slow-cooker twist. This is a recipe that has tender chunks of chicken, fluffy dumplings, and a creamy rich broth – great for hectic weeknight chores, or when you want good warm comfort food that’s no trouble at all. So without getting too deep, here is a simple, wonderfully tasty recipe that will definitely become a favorite for your family! Ingredients For the Chicken and …

You know, some days just call for easy. Not fancy, not fussy — just the kind of meal that makes the whole house smell like somebody’s been cooking for hours (because, well, technically you have — but the slow cooker did all the work). When my kids were little, this BBQ pulled pork was my secret weapon. School drop-offs, dance lessons, baseball practice — I’d throw everything in the pot by 8 a.m., and by suppertime we’d sit around the table with plates piled high, sticky fingers, and nowhere else to be. It’s the kind of meal that turns an …

Now look, I love a good sausage on the grill. But sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate. Or I’m feeding a crowd and I need something easy, something cheap, and — most importantly — something that makes folks ask for seconds before they even finish the first round. That’s where these hot dog burnt ends come in. I first made these for a tailgate when I didn’t have the time (or frankly, the budget) to smoke pork belly burnt ends. And I figured… well, let’s see what we can do with a few packs of hot dogs, some BBQ sauce, and …

Dinner that basically makes itself — while you do literally anything else. There’s a good chance I owe my sanity to this recipe. Some folks swear by yoga or those fancy weighted blankets — me? I trust a pound of shrimp, half a stick of butter, and my old slow cooker humming along while I catch up on life. Years ago, I threw this together on a whim — the fridge was bare except for a bag of shrimp I’d meant to use for a “special dinner” (ha!), and a stick of butter that I always, always have on hand. …

Creamy, cozy, and basically vegetable comfort food at its finest. I’ll be honest: this isn’t the kind of broccoli dish that gets a nutritionist’s stamp of approval… but it is the one that’ll have the kids asking for seconds and your cousin asking for the recipe. And isn’t that its own kind of magic? I first threw this together during a hectic week before Christmas. The fridge was half-empty, the kids were hangry, and I had exactly zero patience left. I pulled out a bag of frozen broccoli, a can of corn, and some Velveeta I’d been meaning to use …

The recipe that saves dinner when you’ve got zero energy left but still want something that tastes like a hug. Alright. So here’s what happened—one evening, I had a fridge full of nothing, a freezer full of meatballs I forgot I bought, and exactly no desire to turn on the oven or wash another pan. You ever have one of those days? The kind where the idea of “making dinner” feels like someone asked you to run a marathon in house slippers? Anyway, I started throwing things into the slow cooker. A can of mushroom soup. Some leftover Velveeta. Half …