Easy Dinner Recipes Blog
Making dinner every night can be hard and get monotonous. Having Easy Dinner Plans and Recipes can make dinner time more pleasant and less stressful. This blog will keep you up to date on new dinner menus and recipes that have been added to MakeDinnerEasy.com as well as tips to get dinner on the table with ease. Click on the orange button in the bottom left hand corner to subscribe to the blog/RSS feed.
You can also post your Cooking Questions or Cooking Suggestions here. Feel free to post any tips you have that can make dinner time easier!
Cooking for a travel team - it is possilbe!
My definition of extreme cooking is trying to feed a group of hungry athletes out of a hotel room. In addition to feeding my four teenagers at home, I often take my recipes on the road, literally! If you ever are traveling with a group of people and want to avoid eating out, you will be amazed at how a little planning can enable you to prepare nutritious and economical meals in very little space.
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Make an easy Blueberry Crisp for #SundaySupper!
I usually keep a bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer to make this super easy Blueberry Crisp at a moments notice. It's a family favorite, and is always a hit at weekend gatherings or #SundaySupper. I recommend putting it in the oven about 1.5-2 hours before you will be serving dessert. That will allow enough time for the crisp to bake but still be warm enough to melt the vanilla ice cream on top when you serve it.
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Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Legs for #SundaySupper
Spring seems to be coming early this year - time to dust off the grill! If you still want to keep the green theme going this Saint Patty's weekend, these Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Legs are easy enough for a family dinner and tasty enough for company. I like to buy an economical, family style package of chicken legs for this recipe as leftovers would be great for lunch the next day. If you're planning a family dinner, follow #SundaySupper on Twitter today and every Sunday!
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef Brisket
Corned Beef Brisket can take a long time to cook. This recipe uses a slow cooker and the vegetables are cooked seperately so they can be served in a crispier manner
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Oven Braised BBQ Ribs, Great for #SundaySupper
My family loves ribs, but the weather where we live isn't always the most conducive to cooking ribs outside. This recipe uses a three part method on the stove and in the oven that produces tender meat that falls off the bone. Better yet, the oven braising helps the bbq sauce penetrate throughout the meat. These are rib cook-off worthy and you don't even need to step outside to make them!
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A Casserole without Canned Cream Soup!
I'll admit it, I just won't cook with canned cream soup. I'll blame it on my mother who cooked everything from scratch, but in reality I've found it really doesn't take that much more time to make creamy casseroles using whole ingredients. This recipe for Chicken and Stuffing Casserole is a great example of how you can control the sodium and seasonings by making your own cream sauce rather than using the canned variety.
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Fish on Friday is easy with this simple scallop recipe
Scallops are a very easy and fast type of seafood to prepare. If you've never cooked them before I've included some of my tips in this recipe to make sure they turn out great. If the price of jumbo scallops scares you away, frozen bay scallops are often a much less costly option, just make sure you blot them well before cooking!
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An Easy Fisherman's Stew - Great for Lent!
Any easy recipe that my kids will eat, that includes fish, is a winner in my book. This fisherman's stew can be made in less than 30 minutes and is something even my teenage boys will eat. To make the prep easier I often ask someone at the fish counter to cut up the white fish into chunks. Although the recipe calls for cod, I have also used tilapia or any whitefish that is on sale.
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Easy Super Bowl Entree - Roasted Sausage, Potatoes & Peppers
I'm all for easy and this is easy. I like to make this recipe in two pans so that it's easier to blot the fat off of the sausage before mixing it with the potatoes and onions. If you're making this for a party you can even cook it in advanced and keep it warm in the slow cooker.
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A Spinach & Artichoke Dip Recipe with fresh spinach
Thinking of making a spinach and artichoke dip for your Super Bowl party? This recipe scores for several reasons. It is easily made in the slow cooker and it calls for fresh spinach. Most spinach and artichoke dips call for frozen spinach that needs to be well drained. This version calls for baby spinach leaves which makes the recipe fresher and easier to make.
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Glazed Meatballs made easy for Super Bowl Sunday
A party isn't a party at my house unless I make these glazed meatballs. When ever people are coming over my kids always ask "did you make the meatballs" Lucky for me, these are so easy to make. I use frozen meatballs, a slow cooker, and a sauce that can be made in advance and even frozen. Gotta love an easy, no-fuss appetizer recipe, especially one that people keep asking for!
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Spice up Super Bowl with this hot wing recipe - it's baked not fried!
I'm all for a good make ahead recipe, especially when I'm having people over. If you feel the same, you'll love this oven baked hot wing recipe. You can make it in advance and then either warm it up in the oven or crisp it up on the grill. Add some blue cheese salad dressing for dipping and game time will be delicious!
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Can you say Kung Pao Chicken? It's easy with this recipe!
If you want to celebrate Chinese New Year tonight or this week,this quick and easy recipe for Kung Pao Chicken is a great option. Most take out versions of this dish feature small pieces of fried chicken coated in an flavorful sauce, I've made this recipe a little more healthy by using sauteed chicken. The best part is that this recipe can be made in less than 30 minutes, which might be quicker than take-out!
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Easy Dinner Plans, Recipes and Shopping List for Next Week
It's hard enough to get everything done for the holidays let alone thinking about what to cook for dinner. Let me do the thinking for you! I just posted my dinner ideas, recipes and a printable grocery shopping list for next week. You can Make Dinner Easy!
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Christmas Traditions & Gifts From The Kitchen
Christmas is a great time to build family memories and honor family traditions. I have teamed up with two other mom bloggers to share our own Christmas traditions as well as provide you with ideas of gifts you can cook up from your kitchen, centerpieces you can make, and even creative ways to wrap presents. It's my gift to you!
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Roast Beef on a Weeknight? You Bet With This Recipe!
Winter is here and so is my kids crazy sports schedules. I rarely have time to cook dinner at night and even then everyone eats in shifts. This Slow Cooker Roast Beef recipe really saves me. The best part is it cooks in a nice thick gravy. No processed ingredients or packaged mixes here, just the basics. Go Team!
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Do Teenagers Ever Get Full?
 I have four teenagers who are really active in sports. Needless to say they are always hungry, no actually they tell me all the time that they are "starving"! I usually end up making several different dinners each night, one before practice and one after practice. Today I made a double batch of this pasta salad. Hoping that some paninis and this pasta salad will keep the natives quiet for awhile, or at least until I have time to make dinner!
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Who's Making Turkey Soup?
My turkey carcass only spent five days in the freezer before I had the urge to make turkey soup. If you are thinking of doing the same, this is an Asian inspired turkey soup recipe. My favorite part is the julienned strips of pea pods sprinkled on top just before serving!
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Add Some Crunch to Your Cranberry Sauce!
Do you serve a cranberry sauce that goes untouched, that just gets passed from person to person around the table? If so, I have a challenge for you. If you serve cranberry sauce out of a can, consider making it yourself this year. If you normally make a cooked cranberry sauce, consider this raw, uncooked version. I have been making this for years and it is really delicious. Go ahead, break the rules. and serve something with a little crunch this year!
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Sweet Potatoes Can Be Made without Marshmallows!
Thanksgiving is usually the season to make a sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and marshmallows. There is another option if you don't want to eat that much sugar. This recipe for roasted sweet potatoes is easy, healthy, and you might even get a non-sweet potato eater to not only try it but to even like it!
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Buying a Frozen Turkey? Defrosting Takes Longer Then You Think!
If you are buying a frozen turkey to cook on Thanksgiving, try to plan in advance the day you need to start defrosting it in the refrigerator. Plan on one day for every 4-5 pounds of turkey. So that 15 pound hen in your freezer will take 3-4 days to defrost in your fridge. Defrosting your bird in the refrigerator is the safest and easiest way, as long as plan far enough in advance!
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Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes Can Make Thanksgiving Easy!
No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without mashed potatoes but they can be tricky to make just before you serve dinner. This recipe can be made up to several days in advance and warmed in the oven. If you're afraid that you won't have room in the oven to cook this, remember that most people let their turkeys rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. Between the resting time and the carving time, your potatoes should be nice and hot!
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Baked Turkey Burgers - No Grill Required!
Burgers taste great when they're cooked on the grill. But sometimes you just can't use a grill, or you may not want to if the weather isn't nice. You can still make a moist and juicy burger in the oven using this recipe. I usually use ground turkey to make these, but you could certainly use lean ground beef.
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Easy Dinner Ideas for This Week
If you are wondering what to make for dinner tonight, you can follow this easy plan which includes dinner ideas, easy dinner recipes, and a printable grocery shopping list for the week. Featured is a great recipe for Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Legs!
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Pumpkin Bread - Great for Breakfast, Snack, or Dessert!
If you have a can of pumpkin in the house, you probably have the rest of the ingredients for this recipe. Pumpkin bread is a perennial favorite in our house, and it's always a favorite to make in the fall. This recipe makes two loaves, one to eat now and one that you can freeze!
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