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There’s a reason we call this Friendship Spaghetti Pie. It’s not fancy. It’s not trendy. And it sure as heck won’t win any minimalist plating awards. But you know what? It shows up. For new babies, for hard weeks, for potlucks and porch dinners, and sometimes—just because someone needed to feel remembered. This pie is the kind of recipe you double by default, because you already know you’ll be bringing the second one to someone you love (or freezing it for Future You). It’s a little cheesy, a little nostalgic, and completely impossible to mess up. My friend Patty first …

You ever have one of those days where you open the fridge, stare into the abyss, and think… “Okay, what on earth am I gonna throw together now?” That was me last Tuesday. I had leftover rotisserie chicken, a half-used jar of pepperoncini from who-knows-when, and some salami I’d bought on sale because it “felt like a good idea.” My original plan was to make a sandwich — but then I remembered: soggy bread is a crime. So I tossed it all into a bowl instead. Chicken. Salami. Some chopped up peppers. Bit of mayo. A splash of that pepperoncini …

A saucy, meaty, peppery classic straight from the heart of the Midwest You know those recipes that just stick with you? Not the flashy, Pinterest-perfect ones—but the real, dependable dishes. The ones that show up on your table on a random Tuesday night, or during a snowstorm, or when your cousin unexpectedly brings her new boyfriend to dinner. The ones that feel like a hug without making a big fuss about it. This is one of those recipes. Chicago Spaghetti isn’t fancy. It doesn’t come with shaved truffle or 47-minute YouTube instructions. But what it does have is soul. It’s …

Like your favorite pasta… but in a warm, cozy bowl You know those chilly evenings when all you want is something creamy, carby, and downright comforting? Well, this Creamy Chicken Alfredo Soup was born on one of those nights in my kitchen — when I had leftover chicken, a half-box of bowtie pasta, and a craving for something indulgent but still homemade. My husband walked in halfway through cooking and said, “Is that Alfredo… in soup form?”Yes, dear. Yes, it is — and it’s everything. Why You’ll Fall in Love with This Soup Ultra Creamy, Ultra Cozy – It tastes …

Alright, let me just say it — I used to hate wasting food. But crusts? Oh, they were my weakness. Every time I made sandwiches for the grandkids, those little trimmed edges would pile up on the counter like breadcrumbs from a fairy tale. I’d try to save them, maybe feed the birds or toss them into a meatloaf. But more often than not? Into the trash they went. Ugh, the guilt. One day I got tired of feeling bad about it and decided to experiment. I was already melting butter for garlic bread — and I thought, well shoot, …

You ever have one of those nights where you’re just done? Like, the kind of tired where even ordering takeout feels like too much effort? Well, a few weeks ago, I had one of those nights. I opened the fridge, stared into the cold abyss of mismatched leftovers and condiments, and thought, Lord, I need a hug in casserole form. So I made this.A warm, creamy, cheesy Swedish Meatball Noodle Bake.And let me tell you—it saved the evening. It’s one of those dishes that feels like comfort food royalty but doesn’t take a whole production to pull off. It’s got …

You ever take a bite of something and immediately think, “Now that’s a sandwich”? That’s exactly what happened the first time I made these Muffuletta Sliders for our neighborhood block party. It was a late summer afternoon — the kind where everyone brings a folding chair and a covered dish — and I was determined not to show up with another pasta salad. I wanted something bold. Something a little different. Something that said “I put some love into this, y’all.” Well let me tell you — by the time I went to grab one for myself, they were gone. …

There are days when nothing — and I mean nothing — hits quite like a big bowl of old-school comfort food. You know what I’m talking about… those hearty, homey dishes that smell like your mom’s kitchen and taste like a warm hug after a long day. Well, this Beefy Tomato Macaroni Soup? It’s that kind of meal. I first made this on a chilly Wednesday night last October when the fridge was nearly bare and I needed dinner in a hurry. I had a pound of ground beef, a can of tomato sauce, and half a box of elbows …

I don’t know what it is about this dish, but it always brings me back to the screen door slamming behind me and the smell of bacon drifting out of the kitchen before I even hit the porch steps. My mom only made warm German potato salad a few times a year — always when we had family visiting, always in her biggest enamel pan, and always always with a wooden spoon (never metal, she swore it made the potatoes taste tinny). It wasn’t picnic food. It was real food. You served it warm, straight out of the skillet, and …