When it was time to have my bridal shower a few years ago, I was overwhelmed with all there was to do.

Thankfully, I have a very organized and detailed sister that was playing the role of maid of honor, and she took on a lot of the planning for me. One idea that she had that I just loved was having the party in the morning, instead of waiting around all day for it. At first, I was worried that people weren’t going to come, but everyone told me how they thought it was such a good idea.

Showers are fun, but you don’t always want it to take up your entire day… and I get that. We had the party start at 11 in the morning, so it opened up a whole new list of options as far as food that could be served too. We decided to go with brunch items instead of a luncheon.

One of the dishes that my sister made were these sausage and cheese breakfast squares that she had found on JFacebook. They were so tasty! As soon as she brought them out to the shed where we were having the party, I asked if I could have one. “Go ahead, it’s your party!” They were so good, I had to walk away before I ate the whole pan!

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Quick Tip: Use whatever type of sausage you like.

Growing up, at least two or three nights a week my mom would prepare us mac and cheese.

What I am talking about is the Kraft kind with the powder cheese.  We absolutely loved it and devoured it.  We would eat the family size box between two or three of us.  We would slice bananas over the top and were good to go (it is a Cuban thing, really).

After a long time of enjoying boxed mac and cheese, my sisters and I knew we wanted to try something new.  We wanted to actually cook the pasta and grate the cheese ourselves.  Not necessarily because we wanted it to be natural, but because we wanted it to be ooey and gooey like all homemade mac and cheese dishes look.

We found a basic recipe for it that we enjoy and now what we do is tweak it every time we make it to accommodate new and more exciting ingredients.  This recipe, for example, adds bacon and broccoli and boy is it good.  Knowing my husband, he would add corn too, but shhh, let’s pretend we do not have any left in the pantry.  This dish is simply perfect just as it is!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Made In A Day.

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Quick Tip: Use frozen or fresh broccoli interchangeably.

I am always in the mood for some comfort food.

And for me, that includes a nice warm, creamy casserole. I made this as a play on my mom’s tuna noodle casserole.

My husband and kids really enjoyed it. It’s one of those easy-to-make casseroles when you are faced with a busy schedule. You know, the days when you have one child going to soccer practice and another meeting with the chess team or whatever it is that your kids do.

You find yourself running all over the place and by the time you get home, it’s time for dinner and you haven’t anything out or ready to make. Bummer!

Cheer up buttercup! This bacon, mushroom, and noodle casserole is the answer to your prayers! It’s very easy to make and guess what?

Bacon only takes about 20 to 30 minutes to thaw on the kitchen counter if you have a package that is frozen.

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Quick Tip: Need a side dish idea to serve with this casserole? Try a simple side salad to keep things easy.

Hello, everybody! Do you know what I love to do?

I love to make copycat recipes from my favorite restaurants. Today, my parents are coming over for dinner and I wanted to make them something special because it is my dad’s birthday. Now, my dad LOVE Cracker Barrel. it is one of his fave places to eat. Some of you might be wondering why I don’t just take him out to eat and the answer is simple: There are no Cracker Barrels where I live. So, I have to improvise.

I found this wonderful recipe for Cracker Barrel cheesy hashbrown casserole on Facebook. It is easy to make and tastes almost just like the real thing. In fact, I can barely tell the difference.

Sometimes, I’ll toss some ham into this recipe to make it a hearty entree. This idea works out perfectly when you have leftover ham from a previous meal. Enjoy!

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Quick Tip: You can purchase pre-shredded potatoes or you can shred them yourself.

My mom used to make spaghetti for us about once a week.

It was affordable, simple, and we could feed the whole family without worrying about running out. For the most part, we usually had leftovers which made a nice lunch for the following day. For all those years, my sister would always take hers plain. Maybe she would toss some butter and parmesan in with her pasta, but she would never, ever put my mom’s spaghetti sauce on her noodles. I never really understood it, and never really thought much of it. When we moved out and into an apartment together, we were often running short on cash.

I would recommend spaghetti for a meal because I knew we could eat it for days. That’s when she finally told me, and I was embarrassed that I hadn’t figured it out yet, she doesn’t like red meat! Oh my gosh, how could I not know that?

So I went on the hunt to make spaghetti with her favorite, chicken. I whipped together something much like this recipe from the web. When she got home from work, she couldn’t get over the taste that was surrounding our entire living quarters.

She was so grateful that I took the time to make something that she approved of. This recipe still gets used at my house today. It’s too good to get rid of!

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Quick Tip: Serve up with your favorite garlic bread or breadsticks.

Cake. It’s a versatile dessert that we often use to celebrate, mourn, wish someone a farewell, and so much more. Cake can be made in literally thousands of different ways sporting an array of flavors, textures, and sizes. If you don’t yet have a favorite cake, this list of five narrows it down to some of the very best. From tropically charged masterpieces to decadent chocolate mounds of happiness, I am 100% sure you will find the cake of your dreams within these next few pages.

You’re just a click away from meeting your cake soulmate.

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Fun Fact: The Clintons put a Twinkie in the Millennium Time Capsule, which is scheduled to be opened in 2100.

I’m a big fan of sour cream. I also love noodles. So, you can guess my amazement when I discovered a casserole that combines the two of them. Baked sour cream and noodle casserole is da bomb! It’s easy to make and even easier to eat. My family comes running to the dinner table when I make this sumptuous due of flavor.

One of the best things about sour cream and noodle casserole, other than it’s bold flavor, is how simple and quick it is to throw together. You use very basic ingredients that you probably have on hand, so there are no impromptu trips to the supermarket. You’re going to love how this casserole smells while it’s baking in your oven, too.

Recipe courtesy of Life in the Lofthouse.

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Quick Tip: Serve this great bake with crusty bread and a side salad.