Favorite Recipes for Every Meal and Occasion

Is there anything better than the smell of homemade bread baking? I don't think so! 🍞 I really enjoy making bread—from traditional homemade loaves and sourdough to rolls, specialty breads and new recipes I decide I simply HAVE to try. These are bread recipes I've enjoyed, want to make again or have found especially helpful, along wit... Warm homemade bread, a little butter and that wonderful smell filling the house—THAT'S hard to beat!❤️

THIS is the kind of bread that makes the whole house smell wonderful! 🍞❤️ I love a good crusty artisan bread baked in a Dutch oven—that beautiful golden, crisp crust on the outside with soft, delicious bread inside. And there's something very satisfying about pulling that gorgeous loaf out of the oven and thinking, “Yep...... It's wonderful served warm with butter, alongside soup or a meal, or—let's face it—torn off and eaten while it's still warm because waiting apparently isn't one of my talents! Simple ingredients, beautiful bread and that homemade-bread smell filling the kitchen—definitely a favorite!

Crusty Artisan Bread Baked in a Dutch Oven

You KNOW I enjoy making bread—and sourdough gives me another excuse to play in the kitchen! 😂🍞❤️ I especially like sourdough recipes that explain the process without making bread baking feel like a chemistry exam. This one walks you through everything from getting your starter ready to the stretch-and-folds, shaping, cold fermenting, scoring an... I also like that there are options for working the dough around your schedule—including daytime or overnight fermentation—because sometimes I have time to fuss with my bread...and sometimes LIFE has other plans! 😂 And once I get comfortable with a recipe? You know me—THEN I start wondering what else I can do with it! Different flours, flavors, scoring designs...that's half the fun of baking. 🍞❤️

Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe that is foolproof

Popovers come with some wonderful—and FUNNY—memories for me! ❤️ Mom used to make these for us, so I've loved them since I was a kid. Then one day a neighbor girl and I were experimenting in the kitchen and accidentally made POPOVERS! 😂 We didn't even know that's what we were making until we saw what came out of ... They're also just plain FUN to make. They puff up beautifully in the oven and are practically hollow inside, which makes them especially fun to serve to kids. Don't tell them what's coming—just let them tear one open and discover the big empty center... Easy ingredients + a little kitchen magic + wonderful memories = a recipe I'll always have a soft spot for. ❤️

Popovers

OH YES—zucchini bread is a FAVORITE! ❤️🍞 This is one of my favorite things to make when zucchini is plentiful. It's moist, nicely spiced and delicious as-is—but my favorite way to eat it is still warm with BUTTER melting into it. YUM! And technically there's zucchini in there, so we're eati... Fresh zucchini + warm homemade bread + melting butter = one VERY good reason to grow zucchini! ❤️🍞

Mom’s Zucchini Bread

Gluten-free doesn't have to mean flavor-free! These are gluten-free recipes I've enjoyed, tried or found interesting enough to save—from everyday foods to recipes that give me a different way to make an old favorite. I especially enjoy finding recipes that make me think, “I'd make this whether I... Different ingredients, new ideas and—most importantly—food that still tastes GOOD!

Sourdough AND gluten-free? YES, you can have both! 🍞 I love finding recipes that let you enjoy a familiar favorite while using different ingredients, and this gluten-free sourdough bread caught my attention immediately. You still get what I want from homemade bread—a lovely crust, a soft inside and tha... And since I enjoy experimenting with bread recipes anyway, this gives me another kind of loaf to play with in the kitchen! Gluten-free or not, I still want my bread to look, smell and—most importantly—TASTE good!

Gluten Free Sourdough Bread – Easy Homemade Guide 2026

Chocolate cake AND gluten-free? What's not to like?! 😂🍫🎂 I enjoy finding gluten-free versions of familiar favorites that don't make you feel like you're giving up the GOOD STUFF—and chocolate cake definitely qualifies! This one is also simple and versatile. Make a regular cake, layers or cupcakes dependin... And since I enjoy baking and experimenting in the kitchen, recipes like this give me another option when I'm cooking for someone who eats gluten-free. Because gluten-free or not—sometimes you just need CHOCOLATE CAKE! 😂🍫❤️

Gluten-Free Simple Chocolate Cake

Breakfast can be simple—or it can be the best meal of the day! 🍳🥞❤️ These are breakfast recipes I've enjoyed, growing up with or found interesting enough to try and keep. Some bring back family memories, some are perfect for a relaxed weekend breakfast, and others are simply too good to save only for morning. You'll find everything from eggs and pancakes to hearty comfort-food breakfasts and a few fun twists on familiar favorites. And around here, breakfast food does NOT have a curfew—if it sounds good for supper, we're eating it!

Pancakes OR cinnamon rolls? Why should I have to choose?! 😂🥞 This recipe gives me a little of both—the soft, fluffy pancake with that wonderful cinnamon-brown sugar swirl and glaze that makes me think cinnamon roll. I also like that it's baked in one skillet and sliced to serve, making it fun for a weekend br... Warm cinnamon, pancakes, and glaze on the same plate? That's a pretty convincing reason to get out of bed!

Cinnamon Roll Pancake Skillet

Mom used to make these for me—and that alone makes them special. ❤️ I love spinach and eggs together anyway, but some recipes are about more than what's on the plate. They're tied to a person, a memory, and a time in your life, and this is one of those for me. These little spinach-and-egg nests make a tasty breakfast or brunch that's a little different from ordinary eggs—and every time I see them, I think of Mom making them for me. Good food is wonderful. Good food with a memory attached is even better.

Spinach and Egg Nests

ONE OF MY FAVORITES Mom used to make for me—and OH, how I miss it! ❤️ Eggs à la Goldenrod is such a simple comfort food: hard-boiled egg whites in a creamy white sauce served over toast, with the golden yolks crumbled over the top. Nothing fancy, but to me it was SO good. Mom would make this for me, and now it's one of those foods that can instantly take me back to her kitchen. I can make it myself, of course—but somehow the things Mom made for you never taste quite the same when Mom isn't the one making them. ❤️ Some favorite recipes feed you. Others feed you AND bring someone you love back to the table for a little while. This one does that for me. 🥹❤️🍳

Eggs à la Goldenrod Recipe

Growing up, Mom made Dutch Baby pancakes for us for SUPPER—and I loved them! ❤️🥞 The big, puffy oven-baked pancake was only the beginning because then came the FRUIT! Sometimes we'd have one kind of fruit piled on top, and other times we'd mix several fruits together depending on what we had and what sounded good. To this day, Dutch Babies make me think of those suppers growing up. They're simple, fun to serve, and can be changed completely just by switching up the fruit and toppings. Breakfast food for supper, covered with fruit, and made by Mom—what wasn't there to love? ❤️🍓🫐🍑

How to Make a Dutch Baby Pancake

If you've eaten at Bob's Steak & Chop House, you probably remember THE CARROT! 🥕 Their big glazed carrot is one of the signature sides served with the entrées—and it is DELICIOUS! I was very happy to find a copycat recipe so I could make it at home. I make mine a little differently: instead of leaving the carrot whole like Bob's does, I chop the carrots into pieces. Same idea and that wonderful sweet, buttery glaze, but easie... *RECOMMEND looking under Restaurants Worth Visiting Wherever the Road Takes You for Bobs Steak & Chop House.

Bob's Steak and Chop House Carrot Recipe

THIS COUNTS AS A VEGETABLE—look what's in it! 😂🧀🥦🥕 I love mac & cheese, and I especially like finding different versions instead of making the exact same recipe every time. This one adds broccoli, peas AND grated carrots to all that creamy, cheesy goodness. So we're getting our comfort-food mac ... It also makes a nice big casserole and can be prepared ahead of time, which is always a plus when I'm cooking for several people. Mac & cheese + THREE vegetables = practically health food. Okay...maybe I won't let me go THAT far—but I'm still counting the vegetables! 😂🥦🥕🧀

Creamy Baked Veggie Mac and Cheese

Sweet potatoes with marshmallows are NOT just for Thanksgiving at our house! 🍠 We eat these all year long. I like a nice baked sweet potato with plenty of butter and marshmallows piled on top, then heated until they're soft, gooey and lightly browned. Sometimes I'll add the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sometimes I skip the ex... Easy, warm, sweet and delicious—and absolutely no reason to wait until November to eat them! 🍠❤️

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

YUM! This is one of my favorite ways to use summer squash! 💛🥒 The original recipe calls for yellow squash, but I make mine with half yellow squash and half zucchini. I like the combination of the two—and it's especially handy when BOTH are coming from the garden at the same time! 😂 Add the onion, cheese and th... Half zucchini + half yellow squash = my version—and definitely a keeper! ❤️

Unbelievable Squash Casserole

Another FAVORITE at our house—creamy, cheesy potatoes are pretty hard to resist! 🥔🧀❤️ This recipe makes more than we need for an everyday meal, so I cut the recipe in half for us. We still get plenty to enjoy without having scalloped potatoes staring at us from the refrigerator for the next four days! 😂 They're creamy, cheesy and de... Simple ingredients + lots of creamy, cheesy goodness = one potato recipe I'll happily make again! ❤️🥔🧀

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

One of Dad's FAVORITES—and for a very good reason: Grandma used to make creamed onions! ❤️🧅 These tender little pearl onions in a creamy sauce are one of those old-fashioned side dishes that brings back family memories along with the meal. I still make them for Dad because he enjoys them, but I think part of what makes them taste so good to him is remembering Grandma making them years ago. ❤️ Simple, creamy, comforting—and one of those family favorites worth keeping around for another generation. 🧅❤️

Creamed Pearl Onions

French onion soup is one of my FAVORITES—and this one is easy, simple and TASTY! 🧅🥣❤️ I love all those caramelized onions in that rich broth topped with melted cheese, but I make one little change: instead of slices of French bread, I use flavored croutons. They're already seasoned, there's no bread to slice or toast, and they give m... Easy shortcut + extra flavor = works for me! 😂 This is especially good when the weather turns cool, but I'm certainly not waiting for a particular season if I'm craving French onion soup! 🧅🧀❤️

Rich and Simple French Onion Soup

If you love mushrooms, this is a GOOD one! 🍄🥣❤️ This creamy mushroom soup is rich, flavorful and definitely one I'll make again—but, as usual, I don't follow everything exactly! 😂 Thyme isn't particularly popular in our house, so I simply leave it out. And I'm flexible with the cream depending o... That's one reason I like recipes like this: a good basic recipe that I can adjust to what we like and what I already have on hand. 🍄❤️

Chef John's Creamy Mushroom Soup

I am VERY picky about my chili—but I DO like Wendy's chili, so when I found this copycat recipe, it became a KEEPER! 🌶️❤️ I like mine topped with chopped onions and cheese, with crackers on the side. But there's another way I'll eat it that comes with some wonderful childhood memories. At school, we were served chili with a slice of bread spread with peanut butter and ... It's GOOD! Even now, that combination takes me straight back to those school lunches. Good chili + onions and cheese + peanut-butter bread for dipping = comfort food AND memories in one bowl. ❤️

Just Like Wendy's Chili

Cold winter day + a warm bowl of creamy broccoli cheddar soup = YES PLEASE! 🥦🧀❤️ This copycat Panera recipe is exactly the kind of soup I want when it's cold outside—warm, thick, creamy and cheesy, with broccoli and carrots tucked in there so we can still say we're eating our vegetables. 😂 Add some warm bread or a roll for dippi... Creamy soup + cheddar + broccoli + a cold winter day = comfort food in a bowl! ❄️🥣❤️

Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Good food doesn't have to be complicated! 🍽️❤️ These are the main dishes I turn to when I want a good home-cooked meal without spending hours in the kitchen. Some are old family favorites, some are recipes I've discovered along the way, and—as usual—I may make a few changes to suit what we like o... You'll find easy casseroles, meat dishes, one-pot meals, comfort foods and other simple recipes that can get a satisfying meal on the table without a lot of fuss. Simple to make + good to eat + family-approved = my kind of everyday cooking! ❤️🍽️

This is one of those simple comfort-food meals that comes with memories! ❤️🥣 Mom used to make chicken and dumplings, and Dad still likes me to make it, so this is one that has stayed in our family meal rotation. It's easy to throw together but still tasty and filling—perfect when I want a good home-cooked meal without spendi... Simple ingredients + easy preparation + a meal Dad still enjoys = definitely a keeper at our house! ❤️

Quick and Super Easy Chicken and Dumplings

Easy, tasty and on the table without a lot of fuss—that's my kind of main dish! 😂🍽️ Beef Stroganoff is one of those good, comforting meals that's simple enough for a regular weeknight but still feels like you've made a real dinner. We like it served over egg noodles OR rice, depending on what sounds good—or what's already in the cup... Easy to make + delicious + two different ways to serve it = definitely a recipe worth keeping! ❤️🥩🍄

Simple Beef Stroganoff (quick and easy!)

This is VERY close to one of Mom's recipes that I still make—and we all LOVE it! ❤️🥗 Mom's version was simpler (that's why it is under the simple meals) than the linked recipe. She made a bed of lettuce, topped it with bite-size pieces of chicken coated in cornstarch and fried until crisp, then poured that wonderful sweet-and-sour re... When I want to make it easier, I'll use chicken tenders cut into bite-size pieces instead of frying the chicken from scratch. Crispy chicken + lettuce + sweet-and-sour sauce + mandarin oranges sometimes + crunchy nuts = one of those Mom recipes we still make and enjoy! ❤️🍊🥜

Oriental Chicken Salad Recipe

There's ALWAYS room for dessert—or at least there should be! 😂🍰❤️ This is where I keep all kinds of sweet favorites—pies, cakes, cookies, puddings, cobblers, bars and whatever other delicious dessert catches my attention. Some are family recipes filled with memories, some are old-fashioned favorites, and others are... And, of course, I may change an ingredient or two along the way because that's how I cook! 😂 Easy or fancy, old favorite or new discovery—if it's delicious and worth making again, it belongs here! 🥧🍪

An Amish woman ~ a good freind ~ gave this recipe to Dad as an easy custard-style pie—and that alone makes it one worth keeping! ❤️🥧 Bob Andy Pie is one of those simple, old-fashioned desserts made from basic ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen. It's sweet, creamy and custard-like, with cinnamon adding a little extra flavor. I especially like recipes like this because they don't require anything fancy—and this one comes with the added memory of Dad getting the recipe directly from an Amish friend. Simple ingredients + an easy pie+ a family story attached = definitely one for my recipe collection! ❤️🥧

Bob Andy Pie, an Amish Favorite!

Sometimes I'm in the mood for Mexican food—but I'm NOT in the mood to go out! (RARELY BUT HEY!) 😂🌮❤️ These are my favorite recipes for bringing those Mexican-inspired flavors right into my own kitchen—tacos, enchiladas, casseroles, salads, dips, salsas and whatever else looks too good not to try. Some are quick and easy, some are family favorites, a... Lots of flavor + plenty of variety + Mexican food without leaving home = works for me! 🌮🧀🥑❤️

This was one of Mom's recipes—and it's still one WE LIKE! ❤️🌮 These seafood enchiladas are a little different from the usual beef or chicken version, with crabmeat, Monterey Jack cheese and onions wrapped in tortillas and covered with a creamy sauce. But for me, the best part isn't really what's in them—it's that Mom made them. It's one of those recipes that brings back memories along with dinner, and I'm very glad it's one we've continued to enjoy. Creamy, cheesy, a little different—and most importantly, one of Mom's recipes. That makes it a keeper! ❤️🦀🌮

Seafood Enchiladas

Salad can mean a WHOLE lot more than lettuce and dressing! 😂🥗❤️ This is my collection of salads of every kind—green salads, pasta salads, fruit salads, potato salads, chicken and seafood salads, hearty main-dish salads, old-fashioned favorites and probably a few that barely qualify as salad at all! 😂 Some are f... I especially like salads that can work as a side dish, light meal, potluck dish or something made ahead and waiting in the refrigerator. Fresh, creamy, crunchy, sweet, savory, healthy-ish or just plain GOOD—if we call it a salad, it can live here! 🥗...

Cranberry sauce is an ALL-YEAR food at our house—not just for Thanksgiving! ❤️ I buy extra cranberries when they're on sale in the fall and freeze them, so I can make homemade cranberry sauce whenever we want it. When I use the frozen cranberries, I thaw them first and save every bit of the juice that comes from them. I measur... Easy, delicious and another reason my freezer stays well stocked when cranberries go on sale! ❤️😂

5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Favorite Recipes for Every Meal and Occasion

HOMEMADE BREAD

GLUTEN FREE

BREAKFAST FAVORITES

VEGETABLES

SOUPS

SIMPLE MAIN DISHES

DESSERTS OF ALL TYPES

MEXICAN AT HOME

SALADS