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I Never Knew It Could Be This Delicious To Shed A Few Pounds!

I enjoy spending time at church events; especially if it’s a potluck-type of thing, haha! Not that I wouldn’t enjoy going to church events, anyway, but every time there is food involved, I’m definitely there. The holiday cookie exchange is always a massive success, but I’m looking forward to our annual winter soup potluck. You wouldn’t believe how many great recipes I’ve gathered from there, over the years.

This cabbage soup is one of them, and it fits my post-Christmas mood perfectly. Sometimes I wonder why it is so hard for me to try and resist all the incredible desserts (and chocolate!) over the holidays. It’s virtually impossible – but at least I have this recipe to turn to, when the chocolate season is over!

I have worked my way back to my old jeans with the help of this soup, more often than I would like to admit. But it’s not just for those of us who like to watch our figure – by adding some chicken or ham I’ve served this as a hearty dinner for my family, and they all love it!

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Quick Tip: Omit the tomato paste, if you’d like.

This Goulash Is Pure Perfection On A Plate!

My parents live next to a wonderful old man called Hans; or Grandpa Hans, as we have called him ever since I was just a little girl. He is one of the kindest, most fun people I’ve ever known and we spent so many afternoons at his house when my parents were still at work. Hans’ wife had passed away before we moved to the neighborhood and he never remarried, so he always said he really enjoyed our company.

Hans is an awesome cook – I’m not sure if he had had to learn since his wife died or if he was always the main chef in the family. He often invited my parents, sister and I for dinner, and we made so many memories listening to his stories about Germany, and also the various places he had traveled over the years.

Hans often made his stupendous German goulash that isn’t at all like the American version. German goulash is made of beef chuck, instead of ground beef like we’re used to. It is super flavorful and I honestly think it’s the perfect meal for any occasion. I like serving it over mashed potatoes but you could serve it with rice or noodles, if preferred.

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Quick Tip: This recipe makes 6 servings.

You Won’t Believe You Hadn’t Tried This Before!

Don’t you just love the colder months of the year, when you can sit back by the fireplace and have a glass of wine, while a hearty soup is simmering in the kitchen? Ok, ok – it may not always be this way… Especially here up North, where we are getting freezing cold temperatures and you can’t light a fire because you’re too cold to get out of bed! But no matter how chilly it gets, I would still make this lovely winter minestrone soup.

I used to hate minestrone soup. I’m just being honest here! They were serving it in our high school cafeteria and it was such an ugly mess that I couldn’t make myself eat it. Well, something must have changed – maybe I grew up or maybe this recipe from my sister is just so much better. Whatever the case, I am totally in love with this recipe!

I’ve made this twice already since I found this a couple of weeks ago. This recipe makes a huge batch so it’s even better – just one pot, and two days worth of dinner all in one go!

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Quick Tip: Want to make this even easier? Use leftover or rotisserie chicken!

Must-Have Baked Beans For Your Next Family Gathering

At all of our family gatherings throughout the year it has always been Grandpa who would request that we have these Pennsylvania Dutch baked beans. At first, we weren’t very excited – he was the only one who had tried baked beans this way before, so of course he knew they were going to be delicious. But the rest of us didn’t, and we thought it wouldn’t be anything too spectacular.

But Grandpa had made up his mind – so, baked beans it was. And we were all thrilled to find out these tasted so good! I don’t think we’ve had any leftovers – and I think this tradition has been going on for at least 15 years now. I think it’s safe to say we have a winner here. And that’s coming from someone who usually just skips the baked beans!

Whenever we bring these out at the family gatherings, the pan is emptied right out! We’ve learned to make a huge batch since we know now that people are going to want to have seconds (and thirds). Funny how even the picky eaters have always been crazy about these!

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Quick Tip: You could also make this with lima beans.

Are You Struggling With Your Grocery Bill?

We all know how expensive food can be these days, and I doubt it’s going to get any cheaper. When you’re cooking for five people (or even more) you will quickly notice how things add up. I am always on the lookout for recipes that will help me save a few bucks each day. I have plenty of use for an extra hundred dollars, instead of spending it all on food!

Don’t get me wrong; when it’s a special occasion I like to pamper myself and my whole family with meals that are out of the ordinary and may even cost a little more than usual. But I just don’t want to spend a lot of money on weekday meals, especially if I can make something totally mouth-watering with a fraction of the cost!

Most stews are like that and this time of year I make them very often. This outstanding beef bourguignon is a meal I would be happy to serve to even the finest dinner guests. The flavor is mindblowing and by tasting it, you wouldn’t believe how little it costs to make this!

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Quick Tip: How to make this dish even more inexpensive; use less meat and add more vegetables, omit the wine and add more beef stock instead, serve over rice to get more servings out of one batch.

A Meal Doesn’t Get Any Tastier Than This!

It’s amazing how the most delicious meals are always made with the simplest of ingredients. Nothing fancy, no complicated cooking instructions, no exotic spices – just the most incredible flavors ever! This unstuffed cabbage casserole from Coppertop Kitchen is exactly like that. You don’t need to slave away in the kitchen for hours; instead, you’ll get a hearty meal for your whole family with very little effort!

Grandma’s cabbage rolls were always my favorite, but I just don’t have the time to make those very often these days. It’s not difficult to make them, it’s just a little time-consuming and that’s something I try to avoid on weekdays.

With this recipe you’ll get the same, mouthwatering flavors and you can whip this up in no time! You can also double the ingredients for a large crowd, or if you’d like some leftovers. This is one of those meals that only gets better when all the aromas have come together for a day!

My youngest always wants to eat this with ketchup (anyone else think that’s a little weird?) but I prefer having this with a dollop of sour cream and some cranberry jam.

Recipe and image courtesy of Coppertop Kitchen.

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Quick Tip: Use ground turkey for a leaner option.

How To Get Dinner On The Table In 45 Minutes

Raise your hand if you’ve struggled trying to get back to the usual school day routine again! I sure have, and I don’t even know what it’s about. You’d think when you finally get your kids to school, you’ve got the whole day to prepare a meal and then you can just sit back and relax. NOT! At least that’s not what it’s like for me, at all! When dinnertime finally comes, I couldn’t care less what’s on the table, as long as IT IS THERE.

But that’s exactly why this wonder meal makes me feel so happy. My kids are crazy about this 3 cheese baked rigatoni (and so is my husband), it’s super easy and quick to make, and on top of it all it makes me feel like a better Mom. You know, when you can provide such a tasty meal in the middle of all that chaos.

The recipe also leaves plenty of room for changes, in case you didn’t have time to stop by the grocery store. Because that happens to me a lot.

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Quick Tip: Use any kind of pasta noodles for this recipe.