12/12/17

Easy Holiday Recipes

Food, food, food-my life seems to revolve around it, it seems, especially at this time of year.  Here are some simple recipes that make my life easier this holiday season.

If I need to bring an appetizer to a party, my feta dip is super easy and I know it will be gone in seconds.  (It is my most viewed post, no kidding.)  No oven, no bowls, no mixer, no stove top.  Here is the easy step by step recipe.

If I need to bring a dessert, I know Kitty's Brownies will be a huge hit.  I am telling you, these things are divine-and it's just brownie mix and 3 candy bars.  They are ooey and gooey and chocolately and taste like you slaved over them for hours.

Caramel corn or shortbread cookies are usually my old standbys if I want to bake a gift.


These pretzels are fun to make with kids and make a great snack.  My blog friend Sarah made them with her kids and they turned out prettier than mine ever do.  You can check them out here.

My favorite cut out cookies are from an old-fashioned recipe my mom used every Christmas when we were kids.  The recipe uses granulated brown sugar-they are sweet, but not too sweet, look like gingerbread, but not too gingery.  My kids love them. Here is the recipe for Butterscotch Rolled Cookies.
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I have talked about meal planning and how it really saves me time and money and my sanity also-more than ever this season.  Sometimes I just about hate doing it, but if I don't we will end up eating take out pizza every night.  Here is an example of my menu for the week-I just want to prove that it does NOT have to be fancy-I always think "meal planning" just sounds overwhelming. I use notebook paper and tape it up where I can see it every morning. Grilled cheese and soup one night-or pizza night on Saturday-no gourmet dinners or five course meals here.  (Lots of my recipes are here and I've been adding new ones every week.)

11 comments:

  1. Those shortbread cookies are amazing!

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  2. I make and take the feta dip and it is always a hit and beautifully presented (I assemble at the party usually!). The caramel corn recipe is fantastic and pretty easy and the brownies get rave reviews for something so simple. I will have to try the shortbread cookie! Thanks for tried and true hits..and yes meal planning saves me - even if it is super basic it beats takeout over and over!

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  3. Are you still eating paleo/whole30? Thanks for the recipes!

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  4. Sarah, I love this post! Every recipe of yours that I've tried has been a HIT at my house. I'm not surprised that the feta dip is your most-viewed post. . . it really is sensational!

    Recently I've started making your new crock-pot chili recipe. I've just made it on the stovetop, and I have to say it is the BEST chili recipe I've ever tried. It's brilliant to use the Prego sauce--all those wonderful flavors with no slicing and dicing!

    Thank you so much for all you do to inspire and equip moms!

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  5. Thanks for sharing! These look amazing. Can't wait to try them. I always meal plan and post it on a chalkboard in my kitchen. So when my everyone ask, "what's for dinner?" I can just point to the board! Mine are pretty simple, too. When I go out to book club, they are on their own and that's just what I write (but I always stock the freezer with easy remade meals -- chicken pot pies or Trader Joe's burritos)! I also can erase and move things around, which is why I like using the chalkboard, too.

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  6. I love your simple approach to meal planning and cooking. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.

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  7. I was thinking today about how busy my January is going to be, and I was thinking about how you have mentioned making dinner in the morning. I think that will be my sanity saver for January.

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  8. That feta dip! I've made that recipe of yours so many times. Always a hit!

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  9. P.S. Sorry, just realized the link was for your dedicated cooking blog but I couldn't get the "Search" bar to work.

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  10. I just made the feta dip for lunch (as well as a second bowl without feta for the two kids that don't like feta) and it was a hit. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. I made the shortbread cookies on Christmas Eve. They were very easy and had great flavor. Thanks for sharing your recipe and happy holidays!

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