Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Oh, what a GLORIOUS week of weather we have had in Ohio. Temps have been in the 70s for several days now! I’ve done my best to soak up as much of it as possible with long walks every afternoon.
I’ve been told this is a false spring and the temps are about to fall again. So, it’s unlikely to be this warm again for a while. But as long the sun continues to shine, I’ll be grinning up at it and hoping the plants all survive the coming cold days.
IN THE KITCHEN THIS WEEK: Loaded with our favorite Mexican flavors; this Southwest Chicken Soup is slightly spicy with chunks of tomatoes, corn, black beans, and tender chicken. I like to top my bowl with a handful of shredded cheese and some tortilla strips.
Last night’s dinner was this fully loaded Chicken Potato Broccoli Casserole. It starts with fluffy mashed potatoes that are mixed with tender bites of broccoli and chicken, then generously sprinkled with bacon and cheese. The result is an absolutely irresistible dinner.
Oven-roasted Cabbage with Balsamic Glaze is nothing short of a crazy obsession. Try it and you will understand. I’ll be making it again next week.
This Spinach Orzo Salad is filled with cranberries, creamy goat cheese, tender pasta, and plenty of fresh spinach tossed in a tangy sweet dressing. The salad can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days – making this an awesome make-ahead meal for lunch or dinner.
My son requested chili (again), so I’ll be making a big batch of the easiest and tastiest chili for easy dinners this coming week as the weather cools off again.
Skip the traditional fried donuts and make these Apple Cider Donut Muffins! With a sugary coating reminiscent of their namesake, these muffins offer a delightful twist on a beloved classic.
Andes Mint Cookies are a soft-baked chocolate cookie loaded with Andes Mint pieces and spread with an extra layer of mint goodness. They’re amazing straight from the oven.
My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these bath salts. The eucalyptus and spearmint fragrance is lovely and the salts are the perfect way to relax at the end of the day. The muscle and tension relief is like nothing else I’ve tried. In combination with this foaming bath, it feels like a spa experience every night.
Tender, tart chunks of fresh rhubarb hugged by sweet vanilla cake and topped with a crunchy cinnamon sugar layer. This rhubarb cake recipe is a family heirloom!
My dad’s mom, Norma Jean Hunt Feik, made this cake every Fourth of July and Memorial Day because her mother had done the same. It’s the cake everyone expects to hate, but my mom said it was always the first thing gone off of the table no matter what. Everyone was obsessed whether they were new to the party or old friends and family. That’s the power of rhubarb done right!
Recommended Equipment
Before You Begin…
Before you start doing anything, get some water boiling on the stove. While that is heating up, chop your rhubarb. You will pour the boiling water over the rhubarb and let it sit for a minute or so and then drain it and dry the rhubarb a much as you can. This will soften the rhubarb and reduce its bitterness.
Ingredients for Rhubarb Cake
One of the things I love about older, heirloom recipes is that they usually have very simple ingredients. I love the simplicity! Here is what you will need:
For the Cake
- Wet Ingredients: Brown Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Egg, Vanilla, Buttermilk
- Dry Ingredients: Baking Soda, Salt, Flour
- Rhubarb
For the Topping
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Nuts (optional) – walnuts or pecans
Your likely to have most, if not all, of these ingredients in your pantry. That’s always a win! So if you grow rhubarb or if you grab some at the grocery store, you can whip up this cake recipe with little effort! Scroll down to the end of the post to see the measurements needed for each ingredient.
How to Make Rhubarb Cake
I mentioned above about prepping the rhubarb, and you’ll want to do that very first. Here is an overview of the steps:
- Preheat the oven and prep the rhubarb.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir them together until just combined and a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add the softened rhubarb and fold it into the batter.
- Grease a square baking pan and sprinkle the bottom of the pan with cinnamon sugar.
- Add the batter to the pan and sprinkle the top with more cinnamon sugar.
- Bake.
The complete instructions in full detail can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Do You Need to Cook Rhubarb Before Baking?
Rhubarb doesn’t need to be cooked before using it in baking, but I do recommend so
Snack mixes are the easiest way to feed a crowd for any gathering. My kids love this Easter snack mix because of the little bunny snickerdoodle cookies in it and the candy. I love this snack mix because it comes together in 5 minutes and makes everyone happy!
This is a sweet snack mix with loads of spring colors. It is quick and tasty and disappears in our house in no time. Try these salty snacks to balance of the sweetness in this snack mix recipe: rosemary parmesan popcorn, best cheese ball, creamy artichoke dip, or the ranch slow cooker chex mix.
One of my absolute favorite holidays is Easter. I love the decorations, the food, the meaning behind everything, all of it!! As a kid I couldn’t wait to wake up and find Easter eggs hidden all over our house and oh how lucky we were if we got a giant chocolate bunny or those big Cadbury Eggs!
Now I’ll be honest, I feel sick trying to eat those BIG Cadbury eggs, but man, those mini Cadbury eggs that are pure chocolate with a candy shell are irresistible! The best news is, no baking or cooking needed to make this treat!
What Goes into an Easter Snack Mix?
The beauty of a snack mix is that you can add anything that you want! Around the holidays, it is fun to find ingredients that really bring out the color of whatever holiday it is. This is Easter Snack Mix recipe is all about the beautiful bright pastel colors:
- Berry Cherrios
- Easter Pretzels (you could also make your own with the colors you want)
- Speckled Malt Eggs (I know a few people who don’t like malt…they are a wrong…but nonetheless, I saw they have speckled peanut butter m&m’s now which are delicious and will get you the same color)
- Annie’s Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Bunny Cookies
- Pastel Candy Corn
- Easter Caramel M&Ms
- Mini Marshmallows (I did just white because I already had some at home, but doing the multi-colored pack would be so fun)
How to Make this Snack Mix Recipe
There’s not much to make this recipe. You open all the bags of ingredients and pour them all in the large bowl. Stir everything together to combine, and then dig in! I like to serve it with some festive cups so people can snack from their own serving. It also makes a great gift for neighbors and friends or to put in Easter baskets.
Storing Snack Mix
This snack mix recipe can be stored for 4-6 weeks if it is kept in an air tight container. The mini marshmallows and pretzels will get stale first, so we recommend keeping them separa
This Instant Pot Ground Beef Burrito Bowl is the ultimate weeknight dinner—quick, flavorful, and packed with protein! Tender ground beef is seasoned with bold spices, then cooked to perfection with rice and black beans all in just 10 minutes!
Top it off with fresh toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado for a meal that’s satisfying, customizable, and ready in no time. It’s a regular on our dinner menu for busy nights when you want a delicious, one-pot dinner!
Family dinner ideas that are quick and easy are something that I am always on the hunt for! The flavor of this is fantastic but my very favorite part, aside from the fact that you can add in or substitute anything you want, it’s done in 10 minutes! Do you hear that?! DINNER IN TEN MINUTES!
Quick and Easy Dinners
Life is so busy especially with three kids who are all in completely different stages of life. We are constantly on the go. We need meals that are healthy, quick, and kid friendly. Some of our favorites are 20 Minute Cheesy Pesto Pasta, 20 Minute Cherry Tomato Basil Angel Hair Pasta, 15 Minute Chicken Stir Fry, 15 Minute Pesto Pasta, and 15 Minute Beef Stir Fry.
These Instant Pot Quick and Easy Ground Beef Burrito Bowls are being added to that list. They are so flavorful and my kids love them! They can put whatever toppings they want on their own bowl. It not only allows them to be creative in the kitchen, but they are also more likely to eat something they have helped cook.
Ingredients for Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
I always like to include a quick list of ingredients so our readers can get a glimpse of everything they will need ahead of time. For all the details and measurements needed, keep scrolling down to the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Ground Beef: We almost always use 85/15 ground beef when it comes to cooking. It has just enough fat to maintain the flavor without being too greasy.
- Olive Oil: used to sauté the onions
- Onion: adds flavor
- Seasonings: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, Chili Powder, Cumin, Coriander, Oregano and Salt
- NOTE: For an even bigger shortcut, swap these with 2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning.
- Rice: just regular long grain white rice works great
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