Ground beef is seasoned generously with Mexican spices and tossed with black beans and corn to create what we at our house consider “The Best Taco Meat”. It’s perfect for tacos, salads, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, you name it. Or, just served hot from the pan with plenty of shredded cheese (if you’re my nieces).

This recipe is so simple that I initially almost didn’t post it. But, I’ve come to realize that simple recipes are what most of us need as we try to balance all of our responsibilities while feeding our families. What could be better than the super easy recipes I turn to on my busiest days? Plus, if you keep some homemade taco seasoning on hand, this meal can literally be on the table in minutes.

Taco Meat

This taco meat recipe was my saving grace year after year when we got back into the routine of school and other activities. My boys declared that it was “The Best Taco Meat, Ever!” and so it was likely to be our lunch and/or part of our dinner at least once a week.

There are so many ways to serve it that my family never gets bored of having the same core ingredients over and over again. It’s an easy recipe that you can enjoy in tons of different ways. And, it portions and freezes beautifully, making it even easier for the kids to grab and go now that they’re older.

For years now, these tender, juicy Broiled Chicken Thighs have been one of my go-to meals on my busiest evenings. With just a few ingredients, and even fewer steps, I can prep a meal that my whole family loves in about fifteen minutes from start to finish.

Chicken thighs are one of my family’s go-to protein choices when we need a dinner that’s satisfying and low-effort. I’ve been making these Oven Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs about as long as I can remember for that very reason! And while that recipe is still a fixture in our house, sometimes you need to get something on the table a little faster. That’s where these thighs come in.

Broiled Chicken Thighs

I have to confess something. I wasn’t a really great cook from the start. My husband can tell you that I started at whatever is below level zero in the kitchen skills department (seriously, I once boiled chicken before baking it–oof).

The broiler can be a little intimidating, but I promise you that it isn’t as hard as you think it might be. Everything in this recipe can be done even by a first-time cook, from preparing to cooking to serving, and it takes just 15 minutes.

Almost more of a method than recipe, this is something I make at least once or twice a month. Change up the spices however you like once you have the broiler method down and you’ll have a whole new way to cook chicken at your fingertips!

Read more

With a buttery, crispy flour tortilla wrapped around melty Pepper Jack cheese and incredible pork carnitas along with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, this Carnitas Quesadilla is the best lunch I’ve had all week. If you’re making carnitas, add this one to your meal plan. You can thank me later.

Friends, this recipe for carnitas quesadillas is exactly what happens at my house in the days after I make a batch of my slow cooker pork carnitas or pork carnitas in the oven. Leftover carnitas are absolutely perfect for adding to salads, rice bowls, and more.

But, this quesadilla that makes me actively happy about those leftovers. As in, I wake up grinning thinking about lunch. Don’t judge me for that, okay?

Crisp buttery edges. A gooey tangle of cheese and shredded pork in the middle. A little cilantro, because it needs that fresh green pop. That’s the whole thing. And, since the meat freezes like a dream, once you start making carnitas, you’ll always have it on hand.

Carnitas Quesadilla

There are only a handful of foods I could genuinely eat every single week, and carnitas are darn near the top of that list. A batch usually goes pretty fast around here, but whenever there’s a cup or two lingering in my fridge and I’m feeling like treating myself, rest assured that I’m going to use it in this carnitas quesadilla recipe.

And, while I love cheesy quesadillas, I do not actually like my quesadillas overloaded with cheese. I know, I know. Hot take. But, it just makes me feel so lethargic. So, I err on the side of using just enough cheese to hold everything in place. But, if YOU want to add more? I’m on board. Follow your heart.

Read more

Piled high with crispy pork, rice, black beans, corn, crunchy cabbage, and a generous squeeze of lime, this Carnitas Bowl is everything I want in one simple package. Twenty minutes. That’s all it takes. How can I say no?

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you already know how I feel about carnitas. I have been making them on repeat for well over a decade, and that shows no signs of slowing down. My slow cooker carnitas are the set-it-and-forget-it version for busy days, and these traditional Dutch oven pork carnitas are what I make when I want to go all out. Both are fantastic. And, both leave me with a fridge full of pork that I’m happy to use in new in delicious ways each time we have leftovers.

Carnitas Bowl

Growing up in the Southwest, I’ve eaten my fair share of burritos and tacos. And, I will never turn them down. But, every now and then I crave something a little different. And a bowl satisfies that craving perfectly by letting each ingredient shine on its own.

This carnitas bowl recipe is what happens when leftover pork carnitas meet a really good bowl. Rice on the bottom, all the good stuff piled on top, lime squeezed over everything. It just works.

Wait, you didn’t make carnitas yesterday, or last week, or pull them out of the freezer this morning? That’s ok. Don’t sweat it. Just make them now!

Read more

A shockingly simple list of ingredients is transformed with slow heat into the incredibly flavorful Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast. I don’t know why it took me so long to finally give this very popular recipe a try, but my boys went wild for it.

I have made a lot of roasts over the past 15 years. And, I love the way that a day in the slow cooker transforms pot roast into incredibly tender, flavorful meat that just falls apart at the slightest touch. For years, this traditional Dutch oven pot roast has been a family favorite, but this roast is giving it competition now.

Mississippi Pot Roast

I wish I could convey to you how glorious this smelled all day while it was cooking. Growing up, we did not eat a lot of beef. So, let me just be up front that all of my proficiency in this area came as an adult, at the cost of some truly spectacular early failures.

I am living proof that you can grow into the kind of cook that you want to be. It just takes time and practice. And, this recipe is exactly the kind that you should start with. A simple ingredients list and hardly any prep? Absolutely. That’s why I am convinced that anyone can make this slow cooker Mississippi pot roast.

Notes on Equipment

It will come as no surprise, but the only piece of equipment I need to make this recipe is a slow cooker. Crock-pots have been a game changer when it comes to being able to host a crowd witho