If you’ve ever wondered how restaurants get their roast chicken so juicy and full of flavor, the secret is simple — it’s all in the brine! This brined Roasted Chicken and Potatoes is one of those meals that makes you slow down and savor every bite.

The kids voted this was the best chicken and potatoes I’ve ever made and it was one pan and so dang easy.

The overnight brine infuses the meat with moisture and a subtle, herby flavor, while the garlic butter under the skin keeps every bite tender and golden. Add in roasted Yukon Gold potatoes that crisp up in the chicken drippings, and you’ve got a family dinner that is pure comfort food — with hardly any effort.

Why Brining Makes the Juiciest Chicken

The short answer is science! First, the salt in the brine breaks down the tight protein strands in chicken (or any poultry) which makes the structure more open to holding liquid molecules so it can retain more moisture.

When the chicken is submerged in the brine, the chicken soaks up the brine making it more juicy and more flavorful. The additional flavor in the brine like the lemon, fresh herbs and garlic all soak into the chicken so it’s flavored from the inside out!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Brine

• Water: The base that helps distribute the salt and flavors evenly.
• Kosher Salt: Draws moisture in and out of the chicken, resulting in juicy, seasoned meat.
• Honey: Adds a subtle sweetness and helps with browning during roasting.
• Peppercorns: Infuse mild spice and depth into the brine.
• Lemons: Brighten the flavor and help tenderize the meat.
• Bay Leaves: Add an earthy, aromatic note.
• Parsley & Thyme: Fresh herbs that lend light, savory flavor.
• Garlic: Deepens the flavor and complements the herbs beautifully.

For the Chicken

• Whole Chicken: The star of the recipe — roasting the entire bird keeps it juicy, flavorful, and beautifully golden while naturally basting the potatoes as it roasts.
• Kosher Salt: Enhances flavor, draws out moisture for crisp skin, and seasons both the chicken and potatoes evenly.
• Butter: Adds richness and helps the skin turn golden and crispy while keeping the meat tender and moist.
• Garlic: Brings depth and savory aroma to the butter mixture and infuses flavor into the chicken and potatoes.
• Fresh Thyme: Adds bright, earthy notes that complement the chicken’s richness and balance the buttery flavor.
• Lemon: Infuses the meat with a fresh citrus aroma, helps tenderize the chicken, and

Get into the holiday spirit with these delicious cranberry crumb bars. It is my favorite way to use up leftover cranberry sauce. Follow our step-by-step instructions and video to create a festive and tasty dessert that is perfect for any holiday gathering.

I got fed up last year with leftover cranberry sauce so for months after Thanksgiving I was testing it in all sorts of recipes to find ways to use it. This is how our cranberry sauce muffins came to be! And it’s the same story for this cranberry crumble bars recipe. I’ve been experimenting with this one and this is finally the winning recipe. They are to die for!

They are the most wonderful combination of creamy cranberry sauce and a chewy sugar cookie, tart shortbread crust!

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce Bars

We will actually make one crust recipe and we will use it for both the base of the bars and the crumble on top! Then we will make a filling to go in the middle. I’ll include the ingredients for an optional glaze too. Here is everything you will need for each component:

Crust and Topping

• Wet Ingredients: Butter (softened), Cream Cheese (softened), Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Egg, Vanilla and Almond Extract
• Dry Ingredients: All Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt

Filling

• Sour Cream: full fat cream cheese
• Eggs: binds the filling together
• Cornstarch: helps thicken the filling
• Vanilla and Ground Cinnamon: add flavor
• Cranberry Sauce: homemade is preferred, but store-bought would work fine too, just don’t use the canned cranberry jelly
• Whole Fresh Cranberries: adds more flavor and texture

Glaze

• Powdered Sugar: acts as the base of the glaze and adds all the sweetness
• Milk: adds richness and creates the glaze
• Vanilla: adds flavor

The measurements for each ingredient can be found down below in the recipe card. This is meant to just be an overview of the ingredients you will need.

How to Make Cranberry Crumb Bars

Let me walk you through each step of this recipe! It might seem like a lot of steps, but it’s super easy.

Crust

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with a piece of parchment. Spray everything with cooking

If you’ve been searching for the very best banana bundt cake, your hunt ends here. This banana cake is impossibly moist and tender. It’s the kind of dessert that tastes like it came straight from mom’s kitchen but looks bakery-worthy.

With a soft crumb, golden edges, and a sweet frosting, this banana bundt cake is my favorite way to use up ripe bananas, and it never lasts long!

When I was in high school, My Big Fat Greek Wedding came out, and there’s this hilarious scene where someone brings a Bundt cake to a family party and no one knows what it is. Every time I hear the word “bundt,” I think of that movie and can’t help but smile.

This banana Bundt cake is incredibly moist, rich with banana flavor, the perfect amount of sweetness, and honestly, one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. It will be love at first bite! You can add cream cheese frosting if you’d like, but it’s just as delicious served plain.

Ingredients for Banana Bundt Cake

This banana Bundt cake starts with a simple cake mix, and there’s absolutely no shame in that. Sometimes the easiest recipes turn out to be the best, and this one proves it! With just a few simple ingredients, you’ll have an ultra-moist, flavorful banana Bundt cake that no one will guess came from a mix. Here’s what you’ll need:

For The Cake

• Mashed Ripe Bananas: the key to that sweet, rich banana flavor and extra moisture
• Boxed Yellow Cake Mix: keeps things simple while giving the cake a soft, tender crumb
• Instant Banana Pudding Mix: enhances the banana flavor and adds even more moisture
• Eggs: help bind the ingredients and give the cake structure
• Water: keeps the batter smooth and light
• Sour Cream: adds tang and makes the cake super moist
• Vanilla Extract: a teaspoon or two adds warmth and depth to both the cake and frosting
• Canola Oil: ensures the cake stays soft and rich (You can swap for Butter, but note it will give the cake a slightly denser and richer crumb, while oil keeps it lighter and more moist for longer.)

For The Frosting

• Cream Cheese: the base for the luscious frosting
• Powdered Sugar: sweetens the frosting to perfection
• Vanilla Extract: gives flavor to the frosting
• Heavy Cream: makes the frosting extra smooth and creamy

Sweet, gooey pumpkin marshmallow popcorn is the ultimate fall snack! Easy to make with pumpkin-flavored marshmallows, it’s perfect for movie night, parties, or Halloween.

Grayson saw fun marshmallows and asked if we could make something for snack Friday and knowing it was a mere bag of popcorn, butter and brown sugar I was all in! The kids and their friends polished off the entire bowl in about 5 minutes which proves— this is a recipe worth keeping!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe is a fun way to use pumpkin marshmallows and enjoy those tasty seasonal flavors.

It is so easy to make that I let my 9 year old make it for the family. It is such a great recipe to get the kids in the kitchen.

This is an easy Halloween treat that is simple to scale up for bigger crowds.

Pumpkin spice popcorn is kid friendly and disappears right before your eyes.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Marshmallow Popcorn

• Microwave Popcorn: Provides the crunchy, salty base that balances the sweetness and carries all the gooey coating.
• Pumpkin Marshmallows: Melt into the sticky, sweet binder that holds the popcorn together while adding pumpkin flavor.
• Brown Sugar: Deepens the sweetness, adds a hint of molasses flavor, and helps create a caramel-like richness in the coating.
• Butter: Adds richness and flavor while keeping the marshmallow mixture smooth, gooey, and easy to coat the popcorn.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Marshmallow Popcorn

1. Make the Popcorn: Pop the popcorn according to the package instructions. Pour the popcorn into a large bowl.
2. Melt the Marshmallows: Add the marshmallows, brown sugar and butter to a microwave-safe bowl and melt the marshmallows in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.
3. Combine: Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and stir together to combine.

Variations and Add-Ins

If you can’t find pumpkin marshmallows, use regular marshmallows and add 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Looking to jazz this pumpkin popcorn recipe up even more? Stir in candy corns, cinnamon chips or crushed graham cracker pieces! A white chocolate drizzle would also be a tasty addition!

Do I Have to Use Microwave Popcorn?

In one bag of microwave popcorn, there are about 5 tablespoons of popcorn kernels which makes 10 – 11 cups of popped popcorn. You can pop your own popcorn using 5 tablespoons of kernels or buy pre-popped popcorn and use 10 – 11 cups for this recipe.

Storage Tips

Store leftover marshmallow popcorn balls in an airtight container at room temperature, it will keep for 2-3 days. The popcorn will definitely lose its crunch the longer it sits.

Pumpkin Marshmallow Popcorn is the kind of recipe that makes fall feel extra special. It’s simp

This easy 7 Ingredient Cheese Sauce for Broccoli recipe is the recipe that will help picky eaters like vegetables! It is so simple to make and one secret tip keeps the cheese sauce smooth and never clumpy! It goes wonderfully with freshly steamed broccoli for that classic side dish everyone loves.

Broccoli Recipes for Picky Eaters

Do you remember years and years ago on that Broccoli Salad post where I chatted about Cade surprising me by cooking a delicious steak dinner and how that was the first time I ate and enjoyed broccoli? Ever since posting about that broccoli he made me, I have received a crazy amount of emails asking for the recipe for his broccoli cheese sauce.

I feel really guilty about taking so long to write about it but Cade never measures so it took some time to figure out exactly what the recipe was. So, without any further babbling, here it is. From the man who didn’t even eat it that first night because it wasn’t healthy and he didn’t eat junk. (I’ve since cured him of that. You’re welcome.)

Ingredients for Cheese Sauce with Broccoli

This is a no roux cheese sauce meaning we aren’t using flour or butter. Here is everything you’ll need:

• Sharp Cheddar Cheese: The star of the sauce! Sharp cheddar will give the most bold cheesy flavor. Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself for the best meltiness.
• Cornstarch: Toss the grated cheese in cornstarch to help thicken the cheese sauce as the cheese melts. Cornstarch also helps with the emulsion of the cheese and milk. Flour can also be used, but by using cornstarch, you keep the sauce gluten free.
• Evaporated Milk: Acts as the base for the creamy cheese sauce and doesn’t have the heaviness or high fat of cream. It has less water than regular milk which helps the sauce be extra creamy.
• Salt and Black Pepper: Adds flavor and hint of warmth.
• Ground Mustard: Adds flavor that enhances the flavor the cheese. Mustard is also a great emulsifier which helps keep the sauce smooth.
• Broccoli: Using fresh broccoli florets is preferred. Frozen broccoli ends up soggy and don’t hold up to the cheese sauce very well.

How to Make Homemade Cheese Sauce

1. Toss: Add the grated cheese and cornstarch to a large bowl and toss together. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
2. Combine: Add all the ingredients for the sauce over medium-low heat and stir to combine. Whisk until the cheese is melting and it comes to a soft boil. Then whisk constantly for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
3. Serve: Pour over cooked broccoli with fresh cracked pepper.

The secret for smooth chees