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A Go-To Resource for Fast and Easy Recipes: The Simple & Delicious Cookbook

September 19, 2016 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by Taste of Home in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own.

When it comes to weeknight dinners, the saying, “If you fail to plan then you plan to fail” is absolutely spot-on. Raise your hand if you’ve found yourself in a fast food drive-thru on a Wednesday night because you started thinking about dinner at 5:30 and all the meat in your home was frozen solid and/or you were missing one key ingredient for pretty much everything you could think of that would come together quickly.

My hand is high in the air, friends. I’m guessing yours is, too.

We all know that creating a menu for the week is smart, but even that task can take quite a while to accomplish (I usually head to Pinterest looking for recipes and then get totally lost in DIY ideas and other life hacks and run out of time before I’ve found what I was originally looking for!). I’ve also found that I often will put together menu ideas that sound fantastic, only to realize when it’s time to start cooking that the recipes are much more complicated than I thought (I can’t even count the number of times I have been working through a recipe that I expect to be feeding my family 30 minutes later, only to find, “marinade the meat overnight” in the directions. UGH!!!!).

And this is why I’m really enjoying a brand new cookbook put out by Taste of Home called The Simple & Delicious Cookbook. It contains a whopping 1,347 different recipes that perfectly fit the needs of my busy schedule as a working mom who is also the head chef at home.  simple and delicious cookbook cover

This full color binder has categories that make my heart sing, because they are exactly what I’m looking for, especially for weeknight options. Check out the categories:

  • Snacks, Apps & Beverages
  • Finished in 15
  • 30 Dinners in 30
  • On the Stovetop
  • Slow Cooking
  • Oven Entrees
  • Quick Casseroles
  • Fast Comfort Food
  • Sides & Salads
  • Breads Made Easy
  • Good Morning
  • Lunch on the Go
  • Buy This, Make That
  • Cook Once, Eat Twice
  • Make-Ahead Magic
  • Potluck Perfect
  • Sweet Treats
  • Desserts in a Dish
  • Party Time!
  • Holiday Highlights

Within the book, many of the recipes have large, color images next to them. But what I LOVED seeing was that at the very front of each section, every single recipe has a small color photo shown, which means you get to see everything in this book! That’s a rare thing to find in a cookbook, and especially at this price point.

peach-and-bacon-spinach-salad

I’ve been using this cookbook quite a bit since school started back as I have to really stay on top of the dinner plan in order to ensure that the kids’ homework gets finished and we eat something that is nutritious and that everyone will enjoy. The Simple & Delicious Cookbook is full of exactly what I’m looking for and since it’s all in one place, it keeps me from getting distracted online or from selecting recipes that are too complicated. The spinach & bacon salad with peaches (found on p. 259) was absolutely beautiful and easy! I cooked and crumbled the bacon in the morning and that helped this recipe come together lightning fast at dinner time!

simple-and-delicious-meal-2

Another big hit was the maple sausage skillet (p. 92). The onions, peppers and mushrooms became completely irresistible once I added a small amount of maple syrup. I have made similar meals to this, ingredient-wise, but it’s never occurred to me to add maple syrup. It tasted fantastic!!!

thai-chicken-tacos

And for Taco Tuesday last week, we went in a new direction and had Thai Chicken Tacos (p. 59). I loved having a brand new idea for taco night and being able to introduce a different flavor profile. I also love that this recipe called for a rotisserie chicken, as taking a cooking shortcut like that can save you a ton of time (and I also think rotisserie chickens are a bargain…they usually don’t cost much more than an uncooked whole chicken!).

simple-and-delicious-recipe-3

I’ve even been able to find some fun special treats for after school (my kids come home positively ravenous most days so I’ve got to be ready for them!). I made caramel heavenlies (p. 467) and we all immensely enjoyed them! They came together really fast and just needed time to cool down before being served. It’s even one your kids would love to help make!

If you are struggling with weeknight dinners or with avoiding the drive-thru, I highly recommend checking out The Simple & Delicious Cookbook. With so many recipes being offered, you could reject 2/3 of them and still have enough recipes ideas to provide a recipe each day for 1 year and 3 months with no repeats. And if you try them all? Well then you’ve got enough recipes in here to try one new thing each day for 3 years and 9 months. All for less than $20. That’s a no-brainer, if you ask me!

 

 

Filed Under: The Kitchen · Tagged: cookbook review, dinner ideas, easy recipes, fast recipes, quick recipes, recipes

For Your Next Party: Sweet and Spicy Barbeque Meatballs

December 4, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

I wrote this post as a Reynolds Real Mom. For more fantastic recipes with effortless clean-up, be sure to check out the Reynolds recipe page! 

For your next potluck gathering, I’ve got a very easy recipe that will be the first dish to get polished off on the buffet line! Two very surprising ingredients form the perfect sauce for these oven-baked meatballs.

sweet and spicy barbecue meatballs

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Meatballs

Ingredients:
2.5 lbs ground chuck
2 lbs ground pork
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tsp steak seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs

for sauce:
1 32 oz container barbecue sauce
1 32 oz container grape jelly
hot sauce (optional)

cocktail meatballs

Preheat the oven to 375 and line 4 baking sheets with Reynolds non-stick aluminum foil. Combine the meat with all other ingredients except for the sauce and form into bite-size meatballs. Place 20 meatballs on each pan, and bake for 35 minutes or until browned all the way through.

While the meatballs are baking, pour the barbecue sauce and the grape jelly into a sauce pan and heat over medium until they are well combined. If you want your meatballs to have a little extra kick, add some hot sauce to the mix.

Once the meatballs are finished, you can slide them right off the pan an into your serving dish. Pour your sauce on top and serve immediately. The finished dish does well in the microwave if you are taking it to a party and need to reheat it.

Yield: 80 meatballs (sounds like a lot, until you see how quickly folks inhale them!)

Filed Under: The Kitchen · Tagged: baked meatballs, easy recipes, oven baked meatballs, recipe, recipes, reynolds, reynolds real moms, sweet and spicy barbecue meatballs, sweet and spicy meatballs

Fourth of July Recipe Round Up: Simple Breakfasts

June 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

We’re just a few weeks away from the Fourth of July. Based on the Pinterest influx of all things red, white and blue, I’m guessing that many of you are already starting to make plans for Independence Day, especially as it relates to what you’ll be eating that day.

I’ve been doing exactly the same thing, only I’ve been focused on the most important meal of the day: breakfast!

And ok, let’s be real: I may run out of steam by about 10am on the Fourth of July (much like any other day), so breakfast is really the only meal I can guarantee to put some effort into. Ha!

I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite SIMPLE Fourth of July recipes for breakfast. I hope you find a few you love!

fourth of july recipes: breakfast ideas

1. Red, white and blue parfait. I made this last week and it was a hit all around. Everyone loved how it tasted, and I loved how effortless it was. Simply layer sliced strawberries, vanilla yogurt, blueberries, and a dollop of whipped topping. Done!

fourth of july recipes: breakfast parfait

2. Watermelon star platter

3. Patriotic oatmeal

4. Red, white and blueberry muffins

5. Strawberry-blueberry tapioca parfaits

What are you going to cook up this Fourth of July? Please share your ideas!

 

Filed Under: The Kitchen · Tagged: 4th of july breakfast ideas, breakfast recipes, easy recipes, fourth of july breakfast, fourth of july breakfast recipes, pinterest, recipe

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Grab your beverage of choice (mine is iced coffee) and let's hang out for a spell! I'm Tiffany, and I've rambunctious little girls and a fierce desire to share any tip and trick I can find to make lives with little ones a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. [Read more...]

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