Busy Day Ground Beef and Potatoes

This simple and delicious one pot recipe features ground beef and potatoes cooked together with flavorful seasonings for an easy and hearty meal. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!

This is a recipe Cade and I would make when we first got married and lately I’ve been in the biggest cooking rut. It’s not even that I don’t want to cook, it’s just that nothing feels inspiring and nothing sounds good. So, I’ve been going back to my roots and making some simple comfort foods that everyone will eat and take no brain cells from me.

Ingredients for Ground Beef and Potatoes

Onion and peppers taste good when you pair them with classic ground beef and potatoes! We add a few seasonings and you have an easy ground beef dinner recipe they whole family will love. Here are all the ingredients you need:

• Canola Oil: helps cook the potatoes until golden and crispy
• Yukon Gold Potatoes: you can peel them or not and dice them into 1/4-inch cubes
• Ground Beef: I usually go with 85/15 for good flavor. You can use more lean ground beef if desired, or substitute it with ground turkey or ground chicken.
• Onion: just a yellow onion works great
• Red Bell Pepper: you could also grab a yellow or orange bell pepper
• Worcestershire Sauce: adds rich umami flavor
• Ketchup: adds flavor and a touch of sweetness
• Liquid Smoke: adds smokiness
• Dijon Mustard: adds flavor
• Seasonings: Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Dried Oregano, Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Parsley: adds a fresh pop of flavor

How to Make Skillet Ground Beef and Potatoes

You only need one pan to make this family-friendly meal! Grab your cast iron skillet and let’s get cookin’!

1. Brown the Potatoes: Add oil to a large cast iron skillet and heat over high heat. when the oil is shimmering, reduce the heat to medium high and add the potatoes. Season them with salt and stir to coat. Let them cook until browned, stir often until the potatoes are tender.
2. Cook the Ground Beef: Remove the potatoes from the skillet and add the ground beef and break it up to cook.
3. Sauté the Onions and Peppers: Push the meat to the sides of the pan and add the onions. Stir until they soften and then add the bell peppers and cook until soft. Drain any grease if needed.
4. Combine: Add all the rest of the ingredients (including the potatoes) to the large skillet and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender.
5. Season: Give the dish one last hit of salt and pepper until you get the flavor you want. Serve it hot and top it with some fresh parsley.

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Crispy Cheese and Herb Roasted Acorn Squash

Try this delicious and easy recipe for crispy cheese and herb roasted acorn squash. Perfect for a tasty side dish or a vegetarian main course. 

Our crispy cheese and herb roasted Parmesan acorn squash is our new favorite way to serve up the old classic. It’s the perfect side dish for any occasion, and kids love it. The savory squash’s delicious flavor is taken out of this world with it’s crunchy exterior. It’s like you’re eating french fries!

Ingredients To Make Savory Acorn Squash

One of the things I love about this recipe is that most of the ingredients are items we already have at home. If I grab an acorn squash at the store or from the farm stand, I know I have the rest at home ready to go. Here is what you will need:

• Acorn Squash: a small or medium size squash
• Parmesan Cheese: freshly grated from a blog will work the best
• Garlic Salt: adds flavor and saltiness
• Chili Powder: adds a little heat and bold flavor
• Dried Thyme: adds herbaceous flavor
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: helps brown and caramelize the squash
• Parsley: adds a pop of freshness

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Herb Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe

Roasting vegetables is my favorite way to cook veggies! It’s so easy and adds so much flavor. Here are the steps for making this squash recipe:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice: Half and remove the seeds from the acorn squash with a spoon and cut into 1″ slices.
3. Combine: Add the parmesan cheese and seasonings to a small bowl and stir to combine.
4. Coat: Place the squash slices on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with the cheese mixture. Lay the squash in a single layer.
5. Roast: Stick the tray in the oven and roast for 20 minutes until fork tender.
6. Serve: Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot!

Keep scrolling to the end of the post for the recipe with all the complete instructions.

Watch How This Video is Made…

Easy Garlic Butter Steak at Home

If you’re looking for the ultimate date-night dinner at home, this garlic butter steak recipe is a showstopper. The steak is first seared on the stove to lock in a rich, golden crust, then finished in the oven for a tender, juicy center. What makes it unforgettable is the homemade garlic herb butter that melts over the top, adding layers of flavor with every bite.

Whether you’re planning a fancy dinner at home, treating yourself to a restaurant-style meal, or searching for the best garlic butter steak recipe to impress guests, this dish delivers on flavor, texture, and simplicity.

Easy Garlic Butter Steak Recipe

Have you ever had a steak so perfectly cooked and seasoned it melts in your mouth? That rich steakhouse flavor feels impossible to recreate at home, but this garlic butter steak recipe makes it easy. Juicy, tender steak topped with sizzling garlic herb butter can be yours right from your own kitchen.

Picture the best steakhouse you’ve ever been to: the sizzling hot plate, the aroma of garlic butter dripping down the sides, the kind of steak that makes every bite unforgettable. With a few simple techniques, you can create that same experience at home. I’ll show you how to sear steak on the stove, finish it in the oven, and top it with the most incredible homemade steak butter.

Garlic Butter Steak Ingredients

If you’ve been lucky enough to enjoy garlic butter steak at a fancy steakhouse, you may mistakenly think the cooking process is complicated. In reality, cooking steak with butter couldn’t be simpler!

Here’s what you’ll need to prep the steak and make the steak butter:

• Steak of Choice: The star of the dish! Pick a well-marbled cut like ribeye or filet mignon for the juiciest, most flavorful results.
• Olive Oil: Helps create a beautiful golden sear while keeping the steak from sticking to the pan.
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: Essential seasonings that bring out the natural flavor of the steak and build a savory crust.
• Unsalted Butter: Melts into a rich, velvety topping that enhances the steak with indulgent flavor.
• Minced Garlic: Infuses the butter with bold, aromatic depth that makes every bite irresistible.

How to Cook Steak in the Oven

In my opinion, the best way to cook steak is to first sear it on the stovetop, then transfer it to the oven to finish cooking. This cooking method delivers perfect results every time!

Here’s how we make garlic butter steak at home:

1. Prepare: Pat the steak dry and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper to enhance 

Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich (Honey Avocado Sauce)

This Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich stacks the flavor in a whole new way! First, make a creamy honey avocado spread. Next, pile turkey, avocado, crispy bacon and tomato on your favorite bread. Finally, dig into the best sandwich you’ve ever eaten!

Make it on 7 Grain Bread or Scroll down to watch on Focaccia!

Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich Ingredients

• Favorite bread: Go for a good sturdy 7 grain or focaccia– trust me.
• Havarti cheese: Mild and creamy; a great complement, but not necessary.
• Bacon: Make it on a sheet pan, starting in a cold oven or pan for ultimate fat-rendering-crispness.
• Deli turkey: Choose fresh deli slices or use leftover Thanksgiving turkey if you’ve got some!
• Avocado: Use a perfectly ripe avocado for a creamier texture; slice thinly.
• Tomato: Always sprinkle a little salt and pepper on tomatoes in a sandwich!
• Greens: I love to used mixed greens or peppery arugula, but anything will do! Romaine or green leaf lettuce would be great!
• Honey Avocado sauce: Blend together the ingredients in a small bowl for the ultimate sandwich spread!

How to Make Turkey Avocado Sandwiches with Honey Avocado Dressing

1. Make sauce: Blend together the sauce ingre

One Pan Mexican Chicken Skillet with Zucchini

This One Pan Mexican Chicken Skillet with Zucchini is an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! It’s made with simple ingredients: chicken, seasonings from the pantry, beans, zucchini, yellow squash, cheese and all the Mexican toppings! Easy weeknight chicken dinner, here I come!

If you’re looking for more tried and true Mexican recipes with chicken you’ll love this 10 Minute Sticky Mexican Chicken,  Mexican Chicken Burrito Bowl, or this Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Why You’ll Love this Mexican Chicken Skillet

Even though this recipe is super simple, Mexican chicken skillet with zucchini is still a recipe you’ll be throwing into your regular dinner rotation because it’s:

• Easy. Can you chop and sit? You can make this chicken skillet! (And you can also handle this tasty Ground Beef Enchilada Skillet.)
• Healthy. Veggies, lean protein, whole grains…the gang is all here.
• Tex-Mex Inspired.  Like Cafe Rio Chicken and Chopped Tex Mex Salad, these flavors are easy to love, especially for kids!
• Adaptable. This recipe is a cinch to make your own. Try different veggies, beans, no beans, meats etc and make it the way your family likes it! 

Basically, if you want a simple, healthy, delicious meal that’s ready ASAP, Mexican chicken skillet is for you! 

One Pan Mexican Chicken Skillet with Zucchini

I have “skeeter syndrome”. I know, it 100% sounds made up. Basically everyone gets mosquito bites and hates the itch, but I have the blessing of being extra, EXTRA allergic.

We sat outside talking to some friends for a quick 15 minutes and I came in with 9 mosquito bites that by the next day were each the size of a tennis ball.

Taco Tuesday Idea

We love Taco Tuesday as a family, so the last time I sprung this chicken recipe on my family for a new Taco Tuesday idea you’d think I broke hearts across the table! Even with baseball arms I needed to get something quick and easy and Mexican inspired on the table.

And guess what, even without the tortillas, they loved it!! Like, asked-for-seconds, loved it! And we’ve been making it again, and again, and again ever since. Hello, Read more