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Need a yummy no-bake dessert for your next family gathering or potluck?  Grab some of your favorite childhood snack items and make this fantastic No-Bake Snickers Cheesecake!  The hardest part will be waiting on it to set in the refrigerator and trying not to eat it too soon. How about that, a cheesecake made easy?  And if you like Snickers, you’ll love the textures and flavors of this one!

Yes, there is some chopping and mixing involved, but don’t worry; it’s nothing overly complicated.  And the closest thing that you’ll have to do to actual baking is warming up some gelatin in a bowl of water for about half a minute. I went a bit heavy with the caramel on top and left out the fudge sauce; if you prefer, you may do exactly the opposite or have an equal helping of both on there.  Whatever your exact preference there, you’ll have a lovely crunchy, sweet, and creamy dessert.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Lil’ Luna

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Quick tip: Use your favorite cookies for the crust!

The great thing about making use of a side that isn’t commonly used in everyday cooking and that has a distinct appearance and flavor is that you can cook it very simply and still have a tasty dish that really stands out.  This Simply Roasted Butternut Squash is great as a low-hassle option for an autumn dinner – or anytime that you want something with a nice sweet and slightly savory flavor blend.

It really is a shame that butternut squash isn’t better known and utilized by the general public.  It not only tastes great but also is extremely good for you, as it’s loaded with Vitamin A and Vitamin C and also contains generous helpings of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin B-6, and dietary fiber, without being overloaded with simple sugars.  So how does it taste, exactly?  Well, “sweet and somewhat nutty” is the usual way of describing the flavor, I prefer to describe it this way:  It’s basically what you would get if a sweet potato and a pumpkin fell in love and had a baby.  The flavor and texture are pretty much right in the middle between those two food items.  And though there are plenty of fancy ways to make use of it, the simplest way (not to mention a very tasty and versatile way) to cook butternut squash is to half it and roast it with some spices and a few other basic items.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Oh Snap Let’s Eat

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Quick tip: If you want to go dairy free, use coconut oil instead of butter.

If you like cheese and bacon, you’ll love this Chicken Monterey recipe!  Have restaurant-caliber flavor in about 45 minutes–quick and easy enough for even a hectic midweek night. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I suppose that the Chili’s recipe developers ought to feel very flattered right about now.  I wouldn’t call this any ordinary imitation, though.  You had me at cheese and bacon–yum!

Some may say that this would be better cooked on the grill, but I thought that it turned out very nicely this way.  Baking it in the oven made it very low-hassle, too.  I served it with some green beans and macaroni and cheese (can you tell that we love cheese around here?), but I am sure that it would go with plenty of other things: wild rice, baked beans, cole slaw, maybe even a simple rice casserole would work.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Aunt Bee’s Recipes

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Quick tip: Instead of Monterey Jack, you could use your favorite cheese for this recipe.

If you want an easy, no-bake dessert and like the flavor of cherry and chocolate, this Chocolate Cherry Dream may well be just what you’re dreaming of!  Just about 20 minutes of prep, two hours to chill, and you’re done. I recently shared a rather elaborate cake recipe with that winning cherry and chocolate combination.  Though I assure you that it is heavenly, if you need something more low-hassle, this “chocolate cherry dream” is a great go-to option.  Creamy, chocolate-filled goodness, with cherries on top–how about that!

Yes, there are a few steps involved, but they can generally be summarized as follows: Crumble, pour, stir, mix, top, refrigerate. Just give the freezer or refrigerator a little time to make everything set, and then you will have a simple, rich, and creamy dessert with a nice blend of textures.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Center Cut Cook

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Quick tip: Use your favorite pie filling for this recipe!

Wow, The Crust On This Is Divine!

When I was a kid, my mother used to make the most delicious pork chops! I don’t know why, but somehow I thought they were really difficult to prepare so I never tried to make them when I grew up and moved into my own house. Of course, I was totally wrong – cooking pork chops isn’t difficult at all. Later on I started experimenting with different recipes – I was never quite happy with the result as I thought they definitely didn’t look or taste as perfect as the ones my mother made. But then I came across this recipe!

Would you believe that you can have six pork chops that look that beautiful in just half an hour?  And, being crunchy and savory on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside, these Double Crunch Pork Chops taste wonderful, too.

The Homemade Honey Garlic Sauce makes for a nice finishing touch and likely would go well on a number of other meat dishes. I have to say, it had been a while since I had pork chops with a crust anywhere close to this good, especially from a recipe that called for the pork chops to be pan-fried.  I believe that this is what we Southerners call “chicken-fried”:  get a good, solid crust on the outside that seals all the moisture and flavor inside it.  Boy, is it tasty!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Rock Recipes

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Quick tip: Adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to your liking.

This Layered Banana Split is a great, low-hassle, family-friendly dessert that also would be well received at a potluck (or even a tailgate, if you have a way of keeping it relatively chilled).  You’ll love the stacks of sweet, creamy flavor, and you can keep it simple or “fancy it up” as much as you like!

I love making an elaborate dessert, now and then, but sometimes, it is those simple ones that keep me coming back for more.  This layered banana split doesn’t even require any baking, and yet it has piles of sweet flavor that will win over people of all ages. I’ve served this a couple of times at family gatherings and it has been a huge success among the young and the old. Make sure you’ll get a portion of your own, before it’s gone!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Recipe Chatter

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Quick tip: Make a double batch – you won’t regret it!

Well, I Haven’t Had These Quite Like This Before – WOW!

Forget making them the plain way – kick the appetizer tray up a notch and make some Breaded Deep-Fried Deviled Eggs.  Sure to wow your palate, neither you nor anyone else will be bored by these yummy treats.

These will be the center of attention at the dinner table, but not for long. They will be gone in a heartbeat! You could say that deviled eggs are victims of their own success in a way.  Though they look just lovely on a plate and could hardly be said to taste bad as-is (if you like egg and a touch of spicy flavor, that is), they’ve become such a commonly seen and eaten item at parties and tailgates that they’re kind of a yawner.  “Oh, okay, great.  Now what’s next?”

Well, it turns out, with just a little twist (an extra step or two, basically), you can make this classic but a bit clichéd party food item into something extra-savory and exciting. I’ve made these for a few parties already, and they were a great success!

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Temptations

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Quick tip: If chili powder isn’t your favorite, use pepper instead.