It's Not About Nutrition

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 …

A slow cooker dinner that tastes like a hug in a bowl. Listen, I love a good from-scratch meal as much as the next gal, but some nights? I just need dinner to cook itself. That’s how this creamy chicken Alfredo ravioli bake came to be. It’s what I make when I want comfort food with minimal fuss — and maybe a little something cheesy to lift the mood after a long day. You just toss it all in the slow cooker — frozen ravioli and all — and let it bubble away while you live your life. There’s nothing …

this dish is what I call a “quiet winner.” It won’t scream for attention or show off like a fancy casserole at a potluck. But it will absolutely steal hearts once it hits the plate. I first made this slow cooker creamy garlic chicken on a dreary Thursday, when I had about a hundred things to do and zero desire to be standing over the stove. I just needed something comforting — something warm, rich, and simple. And let me tell you, it delivered. The sauce is smooth and garlicky, kissed with herbs that make the whole house smell like …

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 …

I have to be honest with you — I love pie. But what I don’t love is hovering over a bubbling pot of filling on the stove, worrying about whether it’s too runny or if the crust is burning. Been there, done that, got the flour-stained apron. So one year — right around the time I was frantically prepping for a family get-together and short on both time and patience — I threw together this Pecan Cream Pie, kind of on a whim. No baking the filling, no gelatin nonsense, just a chilled, creamy dream packed with pecans and a …