Dinner · Easy recipe

Quick and Easy Foil Packet Dinners

On busy days when you don’t even have time to throw something in the crock pot in the morning, there is a way to a enjoy a delicious dinner within an hour and with minimal effort. Have you ever made a Foil Packet Dinner? The varieties are endless – ground beef, turkey or chicken, kielbasa or fish and the veggies of your liking.

Last week Dale and I went away for some study/prep time and I needed a supper meal that would come together without much fuss. That’s when I decided on a Foil Packet Dinner. It took me about 10 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to bake. There was lots of pay-off for such minimal effort! This was delicious!

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Easy recipe · Lunch · Pasta · salad

A “Good” Pasta Salad

Recently I was trying to think of what to fix for lunch and I opened one of my treasured Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks and found a recipe for a cold pasta salad. It combines some of my favorite flavors – sun-dried tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese. Though I didn’t have every ingredient that was listed, I knew I could improvise and make something very similar to the recipe on the page. I love her recipes and knew it would be delicious.

The results were so good!

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Beef · Crock Pot · Easy recipe · Sunday Dinner

Steak with Mushrooms in the Crock Pot

My memories of Sundays when I was growing up are of dinner at home for the most part. It was a special meal after church. Though it was noon-ish, we didn’t come home to sandwiches, like all the other noonday meals, but usually to a roast, or chicken. When I got married, I continued that tradition. To me it helps make Sunday stand out, and I think it also makes the family and guests feel special. It slows the day down after a busy morning serving at church, and I love that!

That being said, the meal doesn’t have to be something difficult. Thank the Lord for the crock pot! I love being able to toss the meal inside, set it on low, and head out the door, confident that when we walk back into the house, the delicious smells of supper will greet us and draw us in like my Grandma Ray’s arms used to do.

Last Saturday when I was contemplating what to make for Sunday dinner, a recipe popped into my head that I had not made in years. It’s a Baked Steak with Mushrooms. Don’t worry, if you don’t like mushrooms, you don’t have to add them. Also, rather than baking this, I put it into the crock pot. I was worried that the piece of steak I had would be a little tough, and the slow cooker would help to make it tender…oh my, did it ever!!

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Easy recipe · Lunch

What’s for Lunch? Chicken Tostadas

Coming up with what to have for lunch is the most difficult meal decision I make! I need protein, but don’t want to fix something huge for the noon meal, nor do I want to prepare something that’s going to take much time. I try to keep it simple, but filling.

For that reason I try to always have cooked chicken breasts in the freezer. I put the prepared meat in small ziplock bags so I can thaw it quickly in the microwave. One day recently I pulled a bag of chicken out and said, “Lord, what can I make for lunch with this meat? (How awesome is it that we can pray about everything?) I then remembered that I had tostada shells in my pantry. Bingo! That would make a great, fast meal! Lunch was ready in 15 minutes!

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apples · Easy recipe · Saving money on groceries

Using Seasonal Fruit To Help Your Grocery Budget

One way to reduce your grocery bill is to use fruits that are currently in season. Of course fall brings all the apples! Right now some of my favorite apples are marked to 99 cents in the grocery store, so this is the time for me to cook with apples, and also store some away for the winter.

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite apple recipes with you so you can reduce your grocery bill, and also enjoy this delicious fruit while it’s plentiful and in season!

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