This homemade ranch dressing recipe is based on one originally from my childhood best friend's family. I have tried lots of recipes for ranch over the years, but this remains my very favorite, hands down. The flavors are complex and lively, but don't overpower the taste of the fresh salad ingredients. It includes all of my favorite aspects of various recipes, combined into one.
Spaghetti is my absolute go-to meal. It's easy, inexpensive, and you can make a huge batch and freeze it in single-meal servings in ziploc bags, saving even more via bulk purchasing, and allowing for super simple meal preparation later.
Because of this, the measurements I will be giving are relative, easily adjusted to the size batch you are making. Just be aware so that you scale them appropriately. I usually use a 3-lb container of ground beef, 6 jars of sauce, and about 4 large onions, for example.
For parents with vegetable-averse kids, it's easy to sneak in some extra veggies in this, too. Just finely mince whatever veggies you like – carrots and bell peppers are great choices, for example, thanks to their nutrient contents – and add them midway through the browning of the onions. By the time it's done cooking, they should be unidentifiable.
This has been one of my favorite soup recipes for most of my life, slightly modified to be gluten free since we recently found out my spouse has Celiac's. (I used to thicken it with a roux, instead of cooking down some of the potatoes first.) It is always one of the first things my mind goes to when the weather starts to cool in the fall.
If you aren't as fond of garlic as we are, you can reduce it as desired – I think the original recipe called for about ¼ as much.
I have recently ventured into the world of home canning. I am already in love! I made a huge batch of my Vegetable Beef Soup, substituting frozen vegetable for the canned vegetables so they wouldn't turn to mush in the canning process; and, of course, only heated it up rather than completely cooking it, allowing it to finish cooking during the processing. Being able to just pop the lid off, stick it in the microwave for a minute and eat it is just amazing. Totally worth the extra time in the cooking/prep phase.
For my next adventure, I decided to do something with butter beans, since I've been told by my doctor to eat more high-potassium foods thanks to one of my medications. Some poking around online and recipe browsing, and the basis for this soup was born. It's rich and hearty, without being overly complicated. The 15 pints I made won't last long! This is definitely going to be a regular addition to our menu.
I used speckled butter beans for this first batch; regular green butter beans (aka baby lima beans) should work just as well – and possibly be more visually appealing. Some hot sauce, like Cholula, would be a great addition/substitution for the vinegar, but unfortunately I can't use it (allergies). Celery or bell peppers, if you have some on hand, would likely also be good additions.
Back when I was first learning to cook on my own, I conflated two recipes my grandmother made when trying to replicate her goulash. It wasn't "right", but as often happens, I decided I actually liked this new hybrid recipe even better, and so it is how I have made it ever since. It has the basis of goulash - a sauce primarily made of cooked down onion and paprika with beef - but then has the addition of some tomato, mushrooms, and peas, making it a bit more interesting to eat.
This recipe is for a large batch; we usually get several 'fresh' meals, as well as several portions to freeze, which it holds up to quite well.
This is another of those fabulous super-simple crockpot recipes that will have you going back for seconds. Rich and flavorful, this Mexican fajita inspired dish pairs beautifully with saffron rice and a little sour cream. I served it with garlic-buttered Italian green beans, whose calm flavor went quite well with the more lively dish.
(I used a bit too much salsa, and have already adjusted the recipe accordingly; you may prefer more or less than I do.)
Let's face it, most people love tacos. I know my honey certainly does – tacos, fajitas, anything remotely Mexican. But one of the things I hate most about making them is reading the ingredients list of the taco seasoning packets. Ugh!
Luckily, I found several recipes that sounded good, and cobbled them together into a delightful recipe for home made taco seasoning. And not only does it not have all the icky chemicals, it is by far the very best taco seasoning I have ever had! It totally leaves the pre-made stuff in the dust.
This was quite tasty with a very different flavor than most of the crockpot recipes we've tried. It was right on the edge of the level of sweetness I like meat to have, which was surprising since there was nothing particularly sweet involved except a little honey. It combined marvelously with mashed potatoes with sour cream, and brussels sprouts with butter, salt and garlic powder.
This sounds a little scary for beginner cooks, but trust me, it's not hard! The key is patience; two of the steps take longer than you expect. But the result is so very worth it; a delightful dessert either hot or cold, that is not overpowering in either banana flavor or sweetness.
This is a slow-cooker version of one of my favorite meals as a child, my grandmother's Ham and Potato Casserole. It's an exceedingly simple meal, more so even than the original already simple recipe, but the taste is wonderful. Just perfect for a cold winter day!
I have a new passion – or perhaps it would be more accurate to say addiction – for single serve, microwave desserts in a cup. This is absolutely the most brilliant invention ever. It's quick - from the decision to make it, to eating is less than five minutes. It's easy - all you need is a measuring spoon and a mug, really; and it leaves no more mess behind than that, either, and no extras to store. And it's delicious! It is easily as good as most storebought cookies, and better than many homemade ones I've tried.
This particular recipe is the first one I tried, and while it is not perfect, it is easy to try, and quite good enough to hook me!
This was incredibly delicious! It was a bit on the salty side, though. I found a recipe for making your own ranch dressing mix, and I am planning to make my own, with much less salt. In the meantime, I just added more sour cream and that improved the overly saltiness.
Second only to the Slow Cooker Honey-Butter Chicken Bake, I think this is my favorite of the freezer-to-crockpot recipes I've tried so far. There was a lot of liquid, though; next time I may try reducing the soup and ranch mix to one each, at least for 4 pork chops.
The first few bites I took of these ribs did not really impress me, as they have a very tangy, slightly bitter taste, but as I ate them, the taste really grew on me, and I decided I really enjoyed them by the end.
I served them with spaghetti squash with tomato sauce.
This is a simple, tasty, and extremely healthy side dish that goes well with almost anything.
As usual with the spicier/Southwestern recipes, I was not a huge fan, but Jess adored it.
I served it over rice, with baked veggies – rough cut zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, and thinly sliced mini red and orange sweet peppers, tossed with olive oil and thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil and dill and baked at 350 F for about half an hour. I think it might have been better as the original recipe's alternate suggestion: with cheese as quesadillas.
This is probably my favorite of the slow cooker meals we've done so far. The seasoning is amazing – I was afraid I wouldn't like it because of the honey, but it isn't overpowering at all.
For a freezer-to-crockpot version, I would probably use small new potatoes whole (potatoes can go icky in the freezer if cut and not covered with sauce), and would package the chicken and veggies separately, since they are seasoned differently.
This was yet another success for the crockpot. Delightfully tangy, yet creamy, and the pork chops were falling apart – literally. It actually wasn't in the plan for this week, but when I went to put it together, I opened up to the wrong recipe, and didn't realize it till I went to put it here! Luckily it was a huge hit, and will definitely be staying in the repertoire.
I served it with brussel sprouts covered in butter and garlic powder. It was an amazingly good combination.
The original recipe this delectable crockpot meal was based on, called it Jamaican Jerk Pork. It's just... not. The flavor has much more in common with Indian style curry than Jamaican jerk. However, it is absolutely delicious! And the flavor is very strong, so a little goes a long way.
I served it over rice, and it went quite well, though you could also serve it on noodles or potatoes, or go in a very different direction and put it on bread as a sort of curry barbecue.
As seems to be somewhat the theme of these freezer-to-crockpot meals, this one was a bit bland as I found it; I had to work with it to make it my own and suited to our tastes. However, it's delightfully simple yet healthy, hearty, and delicious. It would be easy to add in any additional vegetables that your family prefers or which are in season.
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