Fast and Easy Blackened Chicken

Smoky, spicy, highly flavorful seasoned chicken kissed with a blackened exterior that envelops a juicy tender interior. It's a tastebud tantalizing recipe to make any day of the year!

It's so simple to make and cooks quickly. It's just a brisk mixing of spices, then generously seasoning the chicken and from there cooking in a super hot skillet for that beautiful finish.

There's a plethora of delicious sides to pair with it (lots of ideas below), and there's also so much you can do with this chicken. My personal favorites for serving are pairing with coconut rice, corn, and mango avocado salsa (for a bit of that sweet + heat) but there's endless options.

And it doesn't just need to be served solo. Try it in tacos, add it to pasta (like creamy alfredo), or toss into a salad.

What You'll Love About Blackened Shrimp

• This shrimp dish is incredibly easy to make.
• It cooks super fast, in about 2 minutes!
• It's bursting with well seasoned, crave-worthy flavor.
• The shrimp are delicious on their own or you can chop them up and use as a taco filling.
• They pair well with fast and simple side dishes like baked potatoes, rice, grits, pasta, fresh bread, a simple side salad, coleslaw and so much more.

An Easy Tofu Scramble Recipe

I never used to be a fan of tofu but that was likely because it was under-seasoned or just not cooked right. Tofu tastes incredibly plain and mild on it's own as is but when seasoned right and sautéed it can transform into something that's actually super tasty.

Tofu is very absorbent to flavors so it makes it highly adaptable which is great for these "scrambled eggs" using tofu. They're flavorfully seasoned with southwestern spices that soak right in, and it's cooked in a hot skillet until golden brown to take on more flavor. And I think you'll enjoy that the texture is very similar to scrambled eggs.

It's a quick to make vegan breakfast and it pairs beautifully with whole grain toast and sliced avocado. This has been a go-to breakfast for me lately and it actually re-heats really well so I can get a few breakfast meals out of it.

Feel free to add in other vegetables (things like mushrooms, zucchini, or tomatoes) and you could even splurge a little and add some cheese (vegan or regular) at the end.

These ham and Swiss slider sandwiches are crowd pleasing party favorite, a weeknight dinner the family can agree on, or even a helpful leftover holiday ham recipe.

They can be made with store-bought bakery rolls for a quick option, or for fresh homestyle goodness try them try them on homemade dinner rolls.

Their ham, cheese, creamy honey mustard combo is a flavor trio everyone will love! Plus there's a bonus of everything bagel style seasoning atop as a finishing touch, paired with a generous dose of butter of course.

You'll love these because they are a classic that's easy to make, clean up is simple, and it's a recipe both young and old alike will thoroughly enjoy. You get so much flavor and cheesy goodness in every bite!

Chilled and Refreshing Cold Pea Salad

Who doesn't love that bacon, cheddar, ranch combo? Even here in this pea salad it works wonders and really builds a basic salad into a memorable side dish.

It's an excellent option for an Easter dinner to serve with a honey baked ham, mashed potatoes, and the best homemade dinner rolls. Then for dessert carrot cake of course!

This pea salad is a much tastier option than serving those frozen peas plain, it's worth the bit of extra effort especially for a holiday celebration or weekend dinner.

It has a tempting blend of textures and well rounded flavor with it's sweet pea freshness, salty bacon, toasty almonds, the depth from the cheese, and a rich creamy dressing to polish it off. It's a salad fit for a feast!

Crispy Baked Chicken Strips with the Best Sauce

Sweet and sticky, peppery and bold, this hot honey chicken will be an absolute hit for spicy food loving fans.

To make it it's a simple process of dredging chicken pieces through a trio of coatings then baking them all at once. And the final finish of tempting hot honey sauce couldn't be easier to make. It only requires 3 ingredients that together create the most crave-able sauce. Honey, Sriracha, and butter.

The honey of course brings the sweetness, the hot sauce perfectly enhances it with striking brightness, and the butter balances and tones it out as well as bringing in a layer of richness. You'll want to add this sauce to everything!

This hot honey chicken can be served as a party appetizer, a game day favorite, or as a main dish entree paired with the classic sides (see ideas below).

My few tips with this recipe are to generously coat the chicken with the finely crushed up corn flakes, which will offer plenty of crunch. And wait to add the sauce until immediately before serving or even use it as a dip to keep the chicken strips extra crisp.

A Fun Christmas Appetizer Recipe

This eye catching Christmas tree cheese ball is decorated with plenty of earthy green minced fresh parsley, dotted with tiny red tomatoes and yellow bell pepper pieces, its swirled with a ribbon of pine nuts, then finished with a vibrant golden bell pepper star practically shining atop.

It's a holiday classic with a sophisticated upgrade thanks to its enhancements of herby flavors and fresh vegetables (or technically fruits), the welcomed bold white cheddar goodness, a pine nut finish, and its impressive unique appearance. No boring typical rounded shape plus pecan coating here.

And even though it's quite large this savory treat will be devoured in no time. This charming centerpiece will be a highlight of your gathering and a new striking way you'll want to make the holiday cheese ball every year!

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Here's a simplified version of holiday turkey, no oven required. You just need a decent size slow cooker (6 to 7 quart) and to plan a bit of extra time for that low and slow cooking.

It's a no fuss method that yields a deliciously seasoned, butter infused turkey breast, plus plenty of drippings for turkey gravy to pour atop. It's final result of tender juicy turkey made with less hassle may have you turning to this method year over year.

This is also a great option if your family only likes the white meat of turkey, no need to even start with and waste the dark meat. No turkey thighs here.

Pair this turkey breast with some other simple sides to round out the holiday meal such as buttery slow cooker mashed potatoes, quick sauteed green beans, tender 1-hour dinner rolls, and finish with the easiest 5-ingredient pumpkin pie.

A simplified feast with classic, comforting, homestyle flavor.

From there you can serve it with simply fresh herbs and tart lemon wedges for spritzing, or your favorite dipping sauce (honey mustard, bbq sauce, ranch etc), chicken gravy or other creamy pan sauce.

What is Chicken Schnitzel?

Schnitzel is a German and Austrian dish made with meat that is pounded very thin then it's coated in a standard three layer breading including flour, eggs and some type of bread crumb (such as bread crumbs, matzo meal or in this case panko), after that it's fried in a bit of oil until browned and cooked through.

To me chicken schnitzel is like a grown up, fancier version of chicken nuggets with a similar taste and texture. Just simple but delicious, with an excellent texture.

It's a straightforward process to follow and easier to make than you'd think. And I'd say yes it is definitely worth the extra dishes it takes to bread the chicken.

It is a dinner item my family has requested be added to a regular rotation, and I have the feeling yours may agree with that too!

Wondering what to serve with chicken schnitzel?

I recommend serving with:

• Mashed potatoes and gravy, or garlic mashed potatoes
• German potato salad
• Side salad such as apple salad
• Roasted vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, or steamed veggies like asparagus
• Cucumber salad
• Rustic no knead bread with whipped butter

Crispy Onion Rings

When the craving for onion rings strikes sometimes you just don't want to leave the comfort of home to get them. Or perhaps you have a hungry crowd to feed and want to impress with this crave-worthy appetizer or side dish.

Luckily making onion rings at home is easier than you may think and once you learn the method it's a breeze from then on out.

You follow a simple breading process to coat the onion rings, then deep fry in hot oil in batches until beautifully golden brown and crisp. You'll just need a little patience to work in batches.

From there serve with your favorite sauces. Excellent choices are fry sauce, ketchup, ranch dressing, or bbq sauce. Then just prepare for them to disappear as quickly as you put them out!

Note that I've shared other options to cook them if you'd prefer not to deep fry. You can bake in the oven or cook in an air fryer as well.

With any of the three options though you'll end with something completely delicious!