Because No-One Likes To Clean Up After Dinner

I’m having a super tight schedule today! I won’t bore you with the details but let’s just say I got up at 5am and I probably won’t be going to bed until midnight, so yeah, busy is the word. Somewhere in between all the craziness I’m supposed to cook dinner for my family – I could just go for takeout but it always makes me feel so guilty!

Instead, I’m going to make one of my favorite, super quick, one pan meals. What I dislike even more than really complicated and time consuming recipes, is the massive clean-up after dinner. So I’ve collected quite an impressive amount of simple recipes that don’t make a mess.

This roasted chicken and vegetables recipe is also a pretty inexpensive one! I often buy a huge batch of chicken thighs when they’re on sale, and then freeze them for later. Then just thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and they are ready to be cooked for dinner the next day.

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Quick Tip: Use any kind of vegetables you prefer!

Nothing beats a piping hot bowl of soup on a wintery day.

when it comes to soups I am all in, especially when the weather gets weathery. LOL! You know what I mean by that…snow, wind, sleet, cold. That’s a Pennsylvania winter for you. However, I do have to remind myself that I am a Michigan native and mitten winters are far worse. PA winters, in my opinion, are quite mild.

Anyway, enough about the weather and more about this delicious butternut squash, pork, and black bean soup. So, it’s pretty darn good, to say the least. I had fun making this recipe as I employed my youngest son as head chef. He thought pretty highly of himself and couldn’t wait to serve his dad and siblings this soup.

Are you ready to get the details on this recipe? I bet you are! Well, wait no longer, friend! Simply hop on over to the next page for a complete list of ingredients and instructions. Enjoy!

Recipe and image courtesy of Me Lady Cooks.

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Quick Tip: This soup freezes well. I made a double batch and froze half for later without any issues.

Love, Love, LOVE This Soup!

Here up North we are starting to feel the weather change for the colder. Most people say they wouldn’t want the summer to end, but this is my favorite time of year. I love the colder months – the weather gives me a great excuse to cook all of my favorite soups and stews. Not that I can’t make them year round, but I do think fall and winter make these particular meals taste extra delicious!

I’m glad that my whole family enjoys these kind of recipes; we’re having soup about three times a week now! I’ve collected a bunch of super delicious recipes over the years and this vegetable soup is one of them. I like to make a double batch of this – it keeps well in the fridge for a few days (in my opinion, it only gets better) and everyone is going for seconds, anyway!

I’ve tried several veggie soup recipes in the past but the combination of these vegetables is just perfect, if you ask me. The soup is flavorful without any meat at all, but of course you could add some if you’d like. I bet this would taste amazing with some chicken in it, too.

Recipe and image courtesy of The Washington Post.

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Quick Tip: This recipe makes 6 servings. Maybe less, if you love it as much as I do!

So Easy, You Just Can’t Go Wrong

I have a small vegetable garden in the backyard. It’s nothing fancy, and it isn’t anything like my mother and my grandmother used to have when I was a child. But every year it gets a little bit bigger when I add another interesting veggie I’d like to try growing. Sometimes they turn up fine, sometimes they really don’t – even if I try my best to take care of everything. Watering, weeding, sheltering from the burning sun – sometimes I even talk to my baby veggies…

I guess a great veggie garden is a sum of many things. But I have noticed that there is one vegetable that I couldn’t stop growing, even if I tried! Butternut squash. I have a bunch of these guys just ready and waiting to be picked and turned into something delicious.

Over the years I’ve tried everything made of butternut squash; bread, pizza sauce, pickled, spread… you name it, I’ve tried it. But my favorite stays the same. It’s the butternut squash soup. It is so simple, so quick to prepare, the flavor is amazing and reminds you of all those sunny summer days!

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Quick Tip: Replace the butternut squash with pumpkin, zucchini or acorn squash, or use a mixture of these.

What? No Beans??

Are you a chili fan? I know that my family and I certainly are. We can eat chili any time of the year and by that, I mean during the Dog Days of summer. Chili is just one of those go-to foods that you make when you don’t know what else to make. I typically have all of the ingredients for chili in my freezer and pantry, at all times. I love making meals that do not require me to go to the grocery store. This chili is a different kind of chili in that it is Texas-themed.

For those of you who do not quite understand what a Texas bowl of chili looks like well, it does not contain any beans. I know, I know, I was shocked and amazed myself. I thought, “Now, how on earth can a beanless chili taste good?!”

Well, folks, it does taste good. With all of the other yummy ingredients mixed into this chili, you don’t even notice the absence of the beans. So, make this chili and enjoy!

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Quick Tip: If you find that you made the chili a tad too spicy simply add a few tablespoons of honey to the mix to balance the bite a bit.

I Wouldn’t Mind Having This Soup 3 Times A Week

When I was little, I remember my parents teaching us that it’s the simple things in life that really matter.

Whether it was about a day trip in the summer, or an ordinary meal at home, they wanted us to be grateful for what we had instead of wanting to have something bigger, better or more expensive. Come to think of it, everyone in our large family were the same way. No matter what kind of jobs they had, or if they were able to live in a big house, or were driving a high-end car, everyone always remembered where they came from and what it took for them to get where they were now.

Whenever we had a get-together with all the aunts, uncles and cousins, it would be a potluck type of thing. And there were no fancy meals! It was all home-cooked, plain and simple ingredients, and absolutely delicious. We were all genuinely excited about all the familiar dishes that our grandmother used to make for us. Really, just the simple things and all the memories that came along with them.

For some reason, the pure simplicity of this butternut squash soup made me think of all that again.

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Quick Tip: Use low-sodium chicken stock for a healthier option.

It really doesn’t matter what time of year it is; I always enjoy a steaming hot bowl of souped simmered in the slow cooker all day. Seriously, it could be 90 degrees outside, and I can be found sipping on soup. I’m weird. But hey, at least I’m fed well and so is my family 🙂

You’re going to want to give this butternut squash soup a shot. It’s like sipping on the essence of Thanksgiving dinner. I think this soup tastes a lot like warm, sweet potato casserole. There are hints of nutmeg in this soup that give it a nostalgic flair. You’re going to want to try this the next time you get your Crock Pot out.

Recipe courtesy of Skinny Taste.

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Quick Tip: Top individual bowls with a sprinkle of cinnamon for an additional kick of flavor.