If you can only make a few simple dishes, this classic homemade guacamole needs to be one to keep in your back pocket.
Having guests over or going to a friend’s house? Making your own tacos for Taco Tuesday? Have old avocados laying around? Boom, guacamole. This pairs with any kind of margarita or my enchilada casserole.
This is the most simple and basic of guacamole recipes, no spice but a lot of flavor, all with simple ingredients.
I am all for big flavored guacamoles- poblano pineapple is one of my favorites, thank you, Aldi. But there’s always something to be said for the classics, and this is no exception.
Simple is sometimes best, and this classic homemade guacamole is no exception
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: classic guacamole, guacamole, homemade
Ingredients
4avocados
2roma tomatoes
1/2 red onionchopped
1/4ccilantro chopped
1/4clime juiceabout 2 limes worth
1/2 tbspgarlic powder
Instructions
Scrape out the avocados into a large bowl. Add in the onions, tomatoes, garlic, lime juice, and cilantro
Mix everything together, mashing the avocados as you go. Continue to mix until the avocados are to the chunkiness of your liking
Serve with your favorite chips or on top of tacos or meal of choice
Notes
I slice the tomatoes in half and scrape out the seeds and extra juice before slicing them so that they are not as juicy and wet in the guacamole
Serve this classic homemade guacamole fresh and cold. It’s best the day it’s made before the avocados start to brown. Serve any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator, and stir before serving again.
I am on SUCH a soup kick this winter and am so here for my new healthy chicken tortilla soup. In this house, we love all things tacos, quesadillas, guac, and burritos. Those things don’t heat up so well throughout the week, but soup does! And crockpot meals are also the goldmine of weekday cooking.
I always sauté my onions before I put them in the crockpot, I think it adds a lot more flavor when you cook down onions and garlic in seasoning. I also quick seared my chicken in the spices just to add a little flavor as well. You’re supposed to with roasts so I don’t see why you can’t with chicken as well?
I bought a giant block of Tillamook cheddar cheese last week and shredded it to put on top of this soup and it was sooo good. It’s so much better to shred your own cheese, goodbye waxy taste from pre shredded cheese!
Also, USE CROCKPOT LINERS. I mean seriously, you should never have to scrub a crockpot again. They even sell them at Aldi now.
On the stove, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil on medium heat. Add half of the paprika, cumin, and chili powder and cook until the onions become translucent. Add these to the bottom of the crockpot
In the same skillet used for the onions, add the chicken and drizzle with olive oil and the rest of the paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side, just enough to form a golden crust. Add this on top of the onions in the crockpot
Add the drained cans of black beans, red beans, corn, tomatoes, and jalapeños. Add 3 cups of chicken stock and mix it all together slightly
Cook on high heat for 4 hours
Once the soup is cooked, remove the chicken and shred it with two forks in a separate bowl
Remove about 1/4 c of stock from the soup and add it to a small bowl to mix with the flour to create a roux. Once the flour is dissolved, stir this mixture back into the soup to thicken it
Add the chicken back into the soup and mix
Serve hot with shredded cheese if desired
This chicken tortilla soup should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze it for up to 5 months in freezer bags or glass jars. Be sure to remove the lids of the jars until the soup is completely frozen so the expansion does not make the glass shatter.
Yet another classic warm and hearty one-pot wonder by my Grams- Polish sausage and green beans. We’ve been eating this dish for as long as I can remember, and my mom always makes it when the whole fam is all together.
This is the dream weeknight dinner, cooked up in a single pot and requires only a few minutes of actual work. Somehow this potato, green bean, and Polish sausage bowl of goodness is so simple but so right. To make it even easier, all of these ingredients can be found at any local store, including my favorite, Aldi.
Start out by browning Polish sausage and onions, and then add cubed potatoes and green beans on top. Pop a lid on the pot and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Adding some vegetable broth mixes with the traces of fat to help create a thick broth to serve this in. It really is so simple to make.
A one pot wonder that creates a hearty meal full of Polish sausage, crisp tender green beans, and rich potatoes
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Main Course
Keyword: comfort food, easy weeknight dinner, one pot meal, polish sausage
Equipment
One large pot
Ingredients
1lb fresh green beans
1.5 lbsPolish sausage
5-6large potatoes peeled and cubed.
1tbspolive oil
1 onionchopped
1-2cvegetable broth
1 tbspflour
Instructions
In a large pot, add the olive oil, onion, and chopped sausage and sauté on medium heat until the sausages get a little bit of a crispy edge
Add potatoes and then green beans on top of the pot and add enough vegetable broth to just cover the potatoes
Let the pot simmer on medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and green beans are cooked crisp tender
Remove about 1/2 c of broth from the pot and mix it with the tbsp of flour in a small separate bowl. Add this roux back into the pot and mix it in well to thicken the broth
Simmer on low heat until ready to serve
definitely a cousin. You serve it in a big bowl and it’s got a broth, so I think it’s close enough. If you are in the mood for a full-on soup, check out my creamy tortellini soup too.
This Polish sausage and green beans dish should be served hot and then stored in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Has anyone recently eaten Taco Bell during the light of day? I frequented Taco Bell in college during the late night hours and my go to was ALWAYS a crunch wrap supreme. So in this adult life of trying to not eat things that will wreck my stomach (props to you if you can eat it without problem), we created our own homemade Crunchwrap supreme! Overall, time and effort was minimal for a very successful DIY TBell.
The best part of any dish made at home, and especially a taco style meal, is that it’s completely customizable. Vegetarian? Don’t add the taco meat or use a meat substitute- like Impossible or Beyond meat. If you don’t like black beans? Don’t add them. More of a meat and cheese fan? Stick to just those!
The best advice I have for this recipe, though, is to not let your stomach rule your brain when filling up these Crunchwraps. It fills up quicker than you might think, and the more full the tortilla is, the harder this is to create an enclosed and easily hand held meal.
A homemede version of a classic Taco Bell dish- the crunchwrap supreme! Easy to make at home and completely customizable, but totally delicious.
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: crunchwrap, crunchwrap supreme, homemade, taco bell
Equipment
large skillet
small sauce pan (for weight)
Ingredients
tortillas large or "burrito style". about 1 1/2 for each crunchwrap
tostadas
1 lb ground beef
quesoheated up
shredded lettuce
sour cream
1bell pepper, dicedany color works
1/2 jalapeno, mincedoptional
1 tsp olive oil
sour cream
avocado slices
salsa
black beans
1tbspcuminor a packet of taco seasoning
1 tbsppaprika
2 tspgarlic powder
1tsponion
1tspchili powder
1 tsppepper
Instructions
Cook ground beef and drain fat off. Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, and onion powder (or a taco seasoning packet). Set aside
Sautee peppers and jalapeno in olive oil and season with pinches of cumin, paprika, and garlic powder until they are cooked down and starting to brown
In a clean skillet, heat olive oil or nonstick spray on medium heat for 2-3 minutes
Lay a large tortilla down and layer ground beef, black beans, peppers, queso, and shredded lettuce in the center of the tortilla. Remember that the larger it is filled the more difficult to fold up later
Apply a layer of sour cream to a tostada and lay that side down up on the fillings. Apply half a tortilla to the top of the tostada to ensure the whole thing is covered in a soft tortilla. Now fold the bottom tortilla up over the top layer and hold in place with a saucepan until the bottom is golden
Carefully flip the crunchwrap and cook for a few minutes on the second side until it is golden
Top with salsa, avocado, more queso, or sour cream
Repeat for each crunchwrap
Notes
When wrapping the tortillas, it may help to put sour cream on the edges of the tortillas to act as a “glue” to help hold all the seams together. Also, I did not try it, but buying a second package of smaller tortillas to top the tostada may help rather than using half of a larger tortilla, since it is not round.
Who else has had soups on repeat this winter? I’ve enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen with my mom and have stumbled upon a new favorite- a creamy tortellini soup! While I love chili and could eat it all year round, this creamy, hearty, Italian style, and veggie packed soup is a nice change. Its pretty much the most satisfying for both your heart and body.
I find that not only do soups make up enough to eat for several days or for a crowd, they also reheat so well that they’re ideal for meal prep. I can eat the same thing about 3 days in a row before I’m totally over it, so soup is easy to save half for now, and put the other half in the freezer- or double the recipe and put a whole batch in the freezer for a rainy day. Or if you find that you don’t enjoy or have the freezer space to make ahead, you can always make a half batch!
I’m pretty sure this creamy tortellini soup will be in my rotation from now on out. If you’re interested in making it vegetarian, just use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, sub the dairy half n half for a dairy free Silk half n half (they make that now!!), and either completely leave out the Italian sausage, or use a meat substitute sausage!
1lbitalian sausageget from a local butcher or meat department if possible
14ozcheese tortellini
2 large whole carrotsshredded
2 stalks celerydiced
1oniondiced
1 tbspminced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsprosemary
1 tbsppepper
4cchicken stocklow sodium is preferable
1 c half n half
2-3ckalechopped
1 tbspflour
Instructions
Cook italian sausage and drain excess fat. Set aside
In a large pot, sauté onion in olive oil with garlic, pepper, and rosemary for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add shredded carrots and diced celery and cook down on medium heat for another 5-10 minutes, or until all the vegetables have started to soften.
Add chicken stock and tortellini to the pot and cook until they are almost cooked through, about 5 minutes, and add kale. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes
In a small bowl, add flour and spoon out about 1/4 cup of broth from the pot and stir together until there are no lumps. Add the roux back to the pot and stir continuously to thicken soup. This can be repeated once or twice more to thicken the soup
Turn the heat to low and add the cooked Italian sausage and half n half to the soup
Serve hot
Notes
Store this in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.This can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing in bags- fill gallon ziplocks and lay flat on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 3-4 hours or until frozen solid to freeze flat so they are easier to store. If freezing in jars, fill far up to neck and place in freezer for 3-4 hours without the lid on, or until completely frozen. Only after the soup is frozen solid should you tightly seal the lid, to prevent the shattering of the glass jar.
If you enjoyed this soup, check out my chili or other hearty recipes here!
How classic is tomato soup and a grilled cheese? What we grew up on as kids has been severely upgraded with this homemade tomato basil soup- you’ll never go back to canned again.
I was just talking with a friend last week about soups (how grown up of us) and she suggested a tomato soup and I was like “wait, that and grilled cheese on homemade bread sounds like the best thing in the entire world”, and so, I went on a hunt to make the perfect soup to go with a grown-up grilled cheese- basically just adding bacon.
This tomato soup is so much easier than you think. Either a dutch oven or some kind of oven-safe baking dish will work perfectly for you to roast tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, and a red bell pepper. Lather these veggies up with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and cover it while it roasts for about an hour.
Peel your garlic bulb and add all the roasted vegetables to a pot with a can of tomatoes and vegetable stock. Puree the mixture with either an immersion blender or a standard blender until it is a creamy consistency. Stir in some more spices to taste and some cream and you’ve got a big pot of tomato goodness.
IF you have to use a standard blender, be careful when blending the tomatoes. The heat from them will make it expand in the blender and if it is over 1/3-1/2 full, it will overflow with a very very hot purée.
I used a bread recipe from a blog named Hunger Thirst Play and made their Roasted Garlic Crusty Soup Bread and it was so incredibly easy, as far as homemade bread go. Then I made up a crispy grilled cheese with Colby jack, Munster, and crunchy bacon to dip in the soup and oooooooh it was SO worth the time I put into making it.
Keyword: tomato soup, homemade, basil, tomato and basil, vegan, vegetarian
Equipment
Large pot
immersion blender, food processor, or blender
Ingredients
9roma tomatoes
1red bell pepperhalved
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 yellow onionquartered
1bulbgarlicwith the top cut off
28oz canned San Marzano tomatoescan be whole or crushed
1 tbspthymeminced fresh or dried
1cfresh basilchopped, or 2-3 tbsp dried
2 c vegetable stock
1cheavy cream can use 2% milk, half-n-half, etc
1 tbspgarlic powderadditional at end for taste
1 tbsponion powderadditional at end for taste
1/2tbspcrushed red pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375
Place the tomatoes, onion, red bell pepper, half of the basil leaves, and garlic bulb on foil in a baking dish. Coat in olive oil and sprinkle with a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 1 hour
When the tomatoes are roasted, add them to a pot on the stove along with the onion, pepper, and peeled garlic. Add a can of tomatos and vegetable stock.
Once the tomatoes and stock have cooked, use an immersion blender to completely puree the soup. If you do not have an immersion blender, a regular blender or food processor will work. Let the soup cool slightly and CAREFULLY pour all of it into a large bowl, and in 2-3 batches, puree in the food processor/blender and return the soup to the pot on the stove
Add in the heavy cream or milk and season to taste with additional salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper, and onion powder
Notes
This soup is not like one you will find out of a can- watery thin and completely smooth. Since it is pureed whole tomatoes and herbs, it will be fine but have a little bit of a texture. If this is not appealing to you- you can most likely use a fine mesh strainer to remove the fibrous remains of the tomatoes. I have not tried this but imagine that it would work, although I’m not sure how much of the soup you would lose
Keep this homemade tomato basil soup refrigerated for up to 5 days or freeze up to 6 months. If freezing in ziplock bags, lay them flat on a cookie sheet while they freeze so they are easily stored. If you are freezing it in a jar, leave the lid off of the jar for 12 hours or until completely frozen before sealing it tightly- putting the soup into a sealed jar and into the freezer will cause the jar to shatter.
Welcome, I’m Libby!
I love to eat GOOD food, and want to help others realize they can make balanced and delicious meals themselves too. From breakfast to dessert, and everything in between, let’s make something delicious together!
