Spicy sausage and tender shrimp make this Jambalaya Pasta a dinner that’ll leave everyone asking for seconds. This saucy one-pot pasta is a weeknight dinner you are going to love.

This dish is loaded with fantastic flavor from Cajun spices. Both the kids and the adults in this house agree it’s a hit!

Jambalaya Pasta

The components of jambalaya are so well suited to serving with pasta. We love all kinds of noodle-based dishes, from simple Italian-inspired classics like Spaghetti and Marinara to Mongolian Beef with Noodles, and our beloved Stir-Fry Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables.

I’m always looking for interesting takes on pasta, since I know everyone in my family likes it. Recently, I posted this Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake and Mexican Baked Pasta.

When I saw this recipe for Jambalaya Pasta in my friend Valerie’s new cookbook, The Foolproof Family Slow Cooker, I marked it to try first. This cookbook is full of both slow-cooker and one-pot recipes that are sure to make your meal planning easier.

And I’m happy to report that this first recipe I tried did not disappoint. I’ve already made it again, just to have more leftovers for my lunches!

What is Jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a classic Cajun dish that consists of chicken, shrimp, and sausage all cooked together in one pot, usually with rice. It’s a little like a stew, thick and completely satisfying with every bite.

Instead of rice, this Jambalaya recipe uses pasta. The version I’m sharing today has been a hit with everyone who’s tried it.

I’ve made it a couple of times now and I’m super happy to tell you it actually tastes even better the next day. I made it the second time, just to have it in the fridge for a few easy reheatable lunches.

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This Southwest Ranch fills my family’s need for a little bit of heat. This quick dipping sauce is fantastic with chicken or fresh vegetables.

Southwest Ranch

Homemade Ranch Dressing is a weekly meal prep staple at my house. Followed very closely by this Southwest Ranch. It’s a fun variation on classic ranch dressing.

Having fresh dressings and sauces on hand makes dinner planning easy. It makes healthy snacking easier too. Check out these tips for keeping your refrigerator stocked with fresh produce boxes for your family.

If you’ve been reading this blog for very long at all, you know that I have a thing for homemade condiments. With a stocked pantry, you can make homemade versions of your favorite salad dressings, dips, and marinades.

Even better than them being a fraction of the cost is how much better they taste. I have yet to find a store-bought salad dressing or dip that can compare with what can be made at home in just minutes.

Southwest Ranch Dipping Sauce

I made this sauce to serve with our Southwest Chicken Bites and it was a huge hit. My family liked it so much that they also dipped their vegetables in it and requested more of it the next day. This dip is going to be a regular condiment in our refrigerator for a while.

While the dipping sauce is so good you could put it on anything. It works nicely as a salad dressing too.

To thin the dressing, add a tablespoon of milk or cream at a time until the mixture reaches the consistency you want.

You can also use an oil to thin the dressing (such as vegetable, avocado, or canola) an oil that is neutral in flavor works best. Just remember a little bit of oil will go a long way.

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Chocolate and peanut butter are mixed with crunchy cereal to make these super easy No Bake Chocolate Crunch Bars. 

When I was very young, I went camping with the Girl Scouts and our counselor taught us to make what she called “Babe Ruth Bars.” (More on that name in a minute.)

These are so easy to make. Our counselor helped me make these bars by stirring the ingredients together over the campfire, rolling them into a log, chilling and slicing them.

I wasn’t a girl scout for very long so I couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8 years old. We ate these gathered around the fire and I absolutely loved them.

My counselor wrote out the recipe for me and I took it home.

Chocolate Cereal Bars

My grandmother was sweet enough to save that recipe for me and over the following years, we would make those bars on special occasions. I remembered the recipe a while back and I dug it out of my old cookbook.

I read it several times and then made a trip to the store, just to look at the ingredients in an actual Babe Ruth bar. Uhm, there is no similarity at all.

I have no idea why these were called Babe Ruth Bars and the name now makes me laugh.

I’ve since swapped out half the ingredients, so they are likely to be even farther from the original. Corn flakes, chocolate chips, honey, and peanut butter get melted together and then chilled to create a perfect no-bake dessert bar.

Whatever you decide to call them–I typically go with Chocolate Cereal Bars or Chocolate Crunch Bars–these treats are sure to be loved!

Chocolate Crunch Bars

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White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

Giant chewy white chocolate raspberry cookies that melt in your mouth and are so indulgent, you’ll feel like you’re cheating on your boyfriend, the giant chocolate chip cookie.

Ok, so our daughter is crazy obsessed with the raspberry white chocolate cookies at Goodly here in Utah, but each location is just far enough away from us that we don’t get them very often. So, for over two years I’ve been bouncing around different versions of the cookie but they never hit the mark. Too fat, too thin, too wet, etc. and then I tried freeze dried raspberries. It was allllll over! They pack so much raspberry flavor, and I mean like fresh-off-the-bush raspberry, but without the added moisture.

Trick number two? I subbed a little cream cheese in there and oh man, they were so good!

Final tip? Chop up white chocolate bars vs chips, they melt down all creamy and wonderful while the chips tend to dry out and brown anywhere that’s exposed to the oven heat.

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

I’m going to say it…the “M” word…this chocolate mayonnaise cake is moist, decadent, and so delicious! And it is topped with the most creamy chocolate cream cheese frosting! You’re going to fall in love with it!

What was the “M” word? Mayo or moist? Hahaha…originally I was thinking “moist” because it’s so taboo, but then I realized that some of you might have thought I meant “mayonnaise”. Mayonnaise in a cake? Heck yes!

Ok so this is typical me, but I heard about mayo cake as a kid and swore it off. First of all, I grew up on Miracle Whip. Say whatever you want, it happened. And I loved it on a grilled cheese Anyway!!!

As an adult everyone was swearing by it and I’ll be honest, mom’s chocolate zucchini cake is more moist and delicious (thank you zucchini!) in my humble opinion, but I have worked out the kinks and practiced and perfected and finally humbly bow to the Southerners that swore I just HAD TO TRY IT. It is moist and delicious and you were all right!

Ingredients for Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Something so delicious shouldn’t be so easy! The list of ingredients is brief and just the basics. You might just have everything already in the pantry and fridge. Cha-ching!