Foodie for a Year \\ December

 It's time for our very last FFAY link-up!  Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe to share today.  In all honesty, I had so much spare time last week and could have totally whipped up a recipe, but I sort of forget about this post.  And now, with a newborn and family in town, I'm using my free pass.  But I can't wait to see everyone's recipes!  Holiday goodies are some of my favorite!

Thank you to everyone who linked up at some point this year!  We hope you enjoyed the link-up and found a new recipe or two!

An InLinkz Link-up

Foodie for a Year \\ October

Welcome to our fifth edition (of six) of our Foodie for a Year link-up.  Today's theme - a favorite slow cooker meal!  One of my favorite things about fall is busting out the Crockpot once again.  Not that it can't be used in the summer, but fall just screams slow-cooker in our house, am I right?

Anyway, today I am sharing a recipe I was introduced to through HyVee's DISH program.  Not only do I love the ease of HyVee's freezer meals, but I especially love that they share their recipes so I can re-create the meals on my own if I so choose!  This is not only one of the easiest slow-cooker meals, but also one of the best (in my opinion).  Now, it doesn't quite rival my favorite baked potato soup recipe, but considering the convenience of this recipe, it's worth it!!

Slow Cooker Easy Baked Potato Soup

What You Need:
1 26-oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 32-oz can of chicken broth
1 bag frozen shredded hash browns
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
1 package real bacon bits
cheddar cheese
green onion

What You Do:
1. In a larger slow cooker, combine soup, onion, pepper, garlic powder, and broth.

2. Add frozen hash browns and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

3. About one hour before serving, add cream cheese.  Heat until thoroughly melted.

4. Top with bacon bits, cheddar, and green onions.

That's it!  Super easy, which is the whole point of a slow-cooker in my eyes!  I like to pair with a loaf of sourdough (or even better, serve in a bread bowl--store-bought of course!) for an easy and filling meal.

And one of my favorite things about using my Crockpot.  These liners!  If you don't already use them, you must start ASAP!  They make for less of a mess and easy clean-up!!

Now it's your turn!  Don't forget to link up and share your favorite slow-cooker recipe!  I'm hoping to gain a few new recipes for my repertoire and add a few to my upcoming grocery list!  And don't forget to join us in December for our final FFAY link-up...although I make no promises as I should have an itty bitty newborn by then!

An InLinkz Link-up

Foodie for a Year \\ August

Time for another edition of Foodie for a Year and this month's theme is to share a quick and easy weeknight meal - pretty perfect since this time of year means back-to-school and back to the grind for many of us.  I am more excited about this theme than any other because seriously, ain't no one got time to prepare a 2+-hour meal!

I'm sharing a quick and easy "recipe" that I swear anyone can make!  It's become a staple in our house since first hearing about it from a neighbor last winter (thanks, Ali!) and I not only love that it's quick and easy, but it requires minimal groceries.

Easy Oven-Baked Sliders

What You Need:

1 pound of ground beef (you could probably use ground turkey for a healthier alternative)

1 package of King's Hawaiian rolls
Optional: hamburger seasoning(s) of your choice, cheese, condiment(s) of your choice

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Season hamburger (if you wish) and press down/flatten in a 9x13 baking dish.

3. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

4. Drain excess grease and add cheese (if desired).  Bake ~5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

5. Cut into 12 sliders and serve on Hawaiian rolls topped with desired condiment(s).

What I love about this recipe is that you can make it ten times and always create a new version.  We like to top ours with crispy onions and some sweet/spicy relish, but since these are burgers, the possibilities are endless!

Now it's your turn!  Please share a quick and easy weeknight staple from your house!  I look forward to seeing (ahem, stealing) your recipes!!  And don't forget about October's link-up!  We'll be sharing another favorite of mine, slow-cooker meals!

An InLinkz Link-up

Foodie for a Year | June

It's summer and that means one thing - some of my all-time favorite meals!  Ribs, steak, kabobs, burgers...I'm a fan of pretty much anything on the grill!  I mean, summer just tastes so good, am I right?!  So to say I was excited for this month's link-up would be quite the understatement.

My initial plans were to share a summery salad we make often...or a corn-on-the-cob side dish...or my strawberry pie recipe.  But then we made this a week ago and I decided it was the perfect recipe for this link-up.  I love it for a few reasons--it's a main dish + side all in one, it goes on the grill, and it's super easy!  There's really no name for this meal.  And no recipe, per say, either.  Like I said, it's simple.

Summer Sauerkraut + Sausage Combo

What You Need:

Sausage of your liking (we always buy some form of ring sausage)

Fresh mushrooms

Onion

Potatoes

Sauerkraut

Garlic

Salt & pepper

Olive oil/stick butter

Non-stick spray

Aluminum foil

What You Do:

1. Slice mushrooms and onion; peel and chop potatoes into small chunks.

2. Spray aluminum foil with non-stick spray; then start piling in everything.

3. Season with garlic, salt, and pepper.

4. Drizzle with olive oil or place a few slices of stick butter into the mixture.

5. Grill until potatoes are done.

Note: Oftentimes, we will put potatoes in a different foil packet since they take longer.  We may also put the sausage directly onto the grill if it doesn't fit with the veggie packet.  However, we mix everything together to serve.

It's that easy.  And that good, especially if you're a sauerkraut lover like myself!

And I've got you covered for dessert, as well!  Here's one of my favorite summer dessert recipes ever!  It would make for the perfect ending to this already-summery meal!

Now it's your turn!  Link up below and share a favorite summer recipe!  And don't forget about August's link-up when we'll be sharing a quick and easy weeknight meal - perfect for back-to-school time......but let's not even think about that quite yet!

An InLinkz Link-up

Foodie for a Year | April

You guys.  This post almost didn't happen.  Even though I've had brunch ideas in my mind for nearly two months, I almost dropped the ball on this link up.  Yes, this link-up that I'm hosting!!  You see, breakfasts are hard to blog about.  Because my kids always want fed the instant they wake up, breakfast photo ops are not ideal.  It's dark and the photos just aren't pretty.  On top of that, last weekend was Easter and we were out of town = no breakfast prep.  That left this weekend to make and photograph something.  Perfect because Craig's family was in town.  I could kill two birds with one stone - make something to feed the fam, which would double as something to blog about.  Except that Saturday morning, I had a previous commitment and needed to leave the house too early to also make breakfast.  No biggie, I would make breakfast on Sunday.  However, the recipe I choose required prepping the night before and I also had a commitment on Saturday night.  When I finally started making the breakfast rolls at 10:45pm on Saturday night, I realized I was completed out of butter and the recipe called for an entire stick.  The closest grocery store is ten minutes away and I was not about to make that trip at 11pm.  I frantically texted a few neighbors (four to be exact) and thankfully, Mr. Sunflower State of Mind, came to my rescue!  So to Vanessa's house I headed, barefoot and laughing, at 11pm to borrow a stick of butter.  I mean, everyone always hopes for those neighbors you can borrow butter from, right?!  Especially at 11pm.  If that doesn't win the award for the best neighbor ever, I'm not sure what does.  Vanessa, thanks for having sticks of butter on hand and consider it your payback from that egg you once borrowed. ;)

Anyway, this recipe is one my mom always made growing up.  It's quick, it's easy, and it's super delicious.  (In case you hadn't noticed, that is a common theme among most of my recipes!)

Gooey Caramel Breakfast Rolls

What You Need:

24 frozen dinner rolls (Rhodes brand is what I always use)

1 package 'Cook & Serve' butterscotch pudding (NOT instant)

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar

What You Do:

1. Place 24 frozen dinner rolls in greased 9x13 pan.

2. Sprinkle with package of butterscotch pudding.

3. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil; then drizzle over frozen rolls.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight.

5. In the morning, bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.  (I tend to bake closer to 25 minutes because I don't like things still doughy.)

6. Immediately upon removing from oven, flip over onto cookie sheet and serve.  Enjoy!

Don't forget to link up your recipe below and hashtag your photo #foodieforayear.  Can't wait to read (and try) all of your brunch-related recipes! 

Foodie for a Year | February

Welcome to our first of six link-ups!  Courtney, Jamie, Jamie, Liz, Whitney are I are super excited and can't wait to see all of your amazing love-related creations!  The link-up will be open through the month of February, so if you forgot to post today, no big deal; add your link later!  If you join us, we'd also love for you to share a photo on Instagram using the hashtag #foodieforayear.

For some reason, this category was the most difficult for me!  I had an idea from the get-go, but I really wanted to make something with my heart-shaped molds instead.  So I attempted mini heart-shaped red velvet cakes, which actually turned out okay, but then I tried to make them into whoopie pies, which was a big ole mistake.  Pretty?  Yes.  Tasty.  No.  It may have had to do with my 3-year old Crisco...who uses that stuff on the reg anyway??

So back to my first idea.  Red hot jello salad.  A recipe made famous in my world by one of my bestie's mamas.  It's super easy and oh so tasty!

What You'll Need:
1/4 cup of red hots
1 cup water
1 small box of cherry jello
1 cup of applesauce

What You Do:

1 | Boil together red hots and water until dissolved.

2 | Add package of jello and stir until dissolved.

3 | Stir in applesauce.

4 | Pour into a bowl or single serve dishes/cups; chill for 6-8 hours to let set and then enjoy!

That's all there is to it!  I'll be the first to admit, it's a weird{cinnamon/cherry/apple) combo and it may take a time or two to get used to the texture, but it is super delicious if you ask me!

Note: A single batch makes only 4 servings.  You may want to double (or triple) the recipe if for a large group!

An InLinkz Link-up

Announcing...Foodie for a Year {Link Up}!

Two things about me:  I love blogging and I love cooking.  

So I'm extra excited to announce that this year I'm co-hosting a bimonthly recipe link-up with a few of my blogger friends!  The idea is simple.  Join us in sharing a recipe on the first Tuesday of every other month beginning in February.  Each link-up will be centered around a theme appropriate to that time of year.  Our hope is that you gain a few new recipes, we gain a few, and everyone has fun in the process!

If you're a planner like myself, here is the list of the dates!  Put them on your calendar now, start thinking about your recipes, and don't forget to come back and link up with us!

February

Share anything Valentine's related.  It could be something red, something pink, something heart-shaped, or even a homemade Valentine's dinner you and your significant other enjoy in an attempt to avoid the restaurants on what's generally one of the busiest date nights of the year.

April

Tis the season for brunch!  Though Easter will be over and done by then (it's early this year), Mother's Day will be just around the corner!  Share a brunch-related recipe!

June

Got a favorite thing to grill?  How about a summery salad or side dish?  We want to hear it!

August

With August comes the craziness that is back to school and back to the grind for many people.  Share one of your quick and easy weeknight go-tos!

October

Fall and slow-cookers go together like peanut butter and jelly, no?  Share a favorite slow-cooker meal and let's all rejoice in the fact that coming home to a hot meal is basically the next best thing since sliced bread!

December

The holidays aren't the holidays without all those goodies that add an extra ten pounds!  So why not add a few more recipes to your collection?  Share a favorite holiday goodie!

I'm always on the hunt for new recipes, so I especially hope you'll join us in sharing a few of your favorites!

Courtney @ Sweet Turtle Soup

Jamie @ Cocktails & Carseats

Jamie @ The Jamie's + 1

Liz @ Chasin' Mason

Sarah @ Seeing All Sides

Whitney @ Work It Mommy