Happy Friday, friends! 💚
It’s official. The Christmas season has arrived, and I’m all in. My house has been decorated since before Thanksgiving, and I’ve got no regrets; in fact, it might be a new tradition for me. I feel lighter somehow, if that makes sense. We even snagged our tree on the Monday before the big feast. Yes, I had twinkly lights going while we carved the turkey. And for everyone who asks every single year: the fairy lights are from Amazon, and this little tree is wearing three 66-foot strands. Go big or go home, right?
After a wonderful Thanksgiving and saying goodbye to our son and his sweet fiancée 😢, I’m settling into the part of December where the parties come and go, plans shift by the hour, and nobody feels like cooking anything that takes more than eight minutes. I keep hearing the same thing from you, too: “I just want easy meals.” So that’s a big part of what this post is about: a few of my favorite, go-to, easy-peasy meals.
Well, amen to that. Buckle up, grab a cup of something cozy, like this Christmas Morning Chai and let’s jump in! Use the table of contents below to help you navigate!
Featured Recipe: Mississippi Pot Roast (Real Ingredients, No Packets!)
I’ll shoot you straight – this one is on repeat in my kitchen. It’s hands-down one of the easiest crockpot meals ever, made with simple, real ingredients, and it’s prepped in minutes. No packets. No fuss. Just throw it in, flip the switch, and let it work its magic. And the taste (I hear this from you all too) is out of this world good!
Perfect for those nights when December is doing its December ‘thang.
More easy-peasy recipes we make all the time
- No Rise Pizza Dough — Ready in 10 minutes. Make it in the morning and store it in the fridge, and it will be even more flavorful! Make pizzas, calzones, stromboli!!
- Baked Chicken Tacos — using rotisserie chicken (or turkey if you still have some) these are ready in 30 minutes or less! And so flavorful!
- Jambalaya — Instant pot or stovetop, this is always a winner, my hubby gets so happy when I make this!
- Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe — You can make this on the stovetop or the crockpot, either way it’s delicious and filling and easy and good, and…
- Red Beans and Rice — I add chicken and kielbasa to this tasty, filling, warm-you-from-the-inside crockpot meal!
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I love it when you try my recipes, rate them, and share your thoughts! It really helps others and boosts the recipe’s visibility. I so appreciate you!
Let’s Talk About Mise en Place (Your New Best Friend)
This keeps popping up in your emails to me:
“I want easy meals… but I never feel prepared, and everything takes longer than I planned.“
Enter Mise en Place — that fancy French term for “everything in its place.” It’s the oldest kitchen wisdom in the book, and it works.
Here’s how to win your evenings back:
- Do it the night before.
- Measure out everything! Put it in little prep containers, cover liquids with plastic wrap, etc.
- Keep cold ingredients in the fridge together, grouped in a bin (with something under your meat so your fridge isn’t graced with meat juice in the morning!)
- Place measured pantry items on a tray right by the stove or crockpot, so you don’t forget a thing. Pop your recipe right next to the tray, get out any measuring implements you need and ta-da!! You are so much more prepared!
- Yes, even measure out the ingredients ahead of time. Your future self will thank you.
Then, either before you walk out the door in the morning or when you walk in the door?
It’s a swift 1-2-3, and dinner is on its way. No scrambling. No digging for spices like you’re on a game show.
Homemade Holiday Gifts (Edible + Easy!)
Food gifts never go out of style. They’re thoughtful, personal, and—best of all—delicious. Here’s what’s ready for you on the blog:
Starting with one I am so proud of and excited to share with you! My easier-than-you-think Danish Kringle recipe, brand new and waiting for you!
More of our favorites, but browse all of my holiday sweets for inspiration! See the pictures below, and the links corresponding to the pictures right below the image.
- Traditional Shortbread
- Muddy Buddy Santa Mix (free printable gift tags!)
- Rosemary Cashews
- Pizzelles (Italian Waffle Cookies)
Whether you’re gifting teachers, neighbors, or your favorite delivery drivers, these will do the job nicely. Print off these fun (free) gifts from the kitchen gift tags.
Don’t forget your delivery drivers, I have this free downloadable and printable Delivery Drivers sign and how to set up your own station!
FREE Printables for Subscribers
Don’t forget, you have access to my entire Printable Library—totally free.
Just head to the Subscribers button on the homepage and enter the super-secret password: Thankyou
From there, you can instantly download anything you want: gift tags, kitchen cheat sheets, holiday printables, all the goodies.
What I’m Reading & Watching
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Just Finishing: Becoming Elisabeth Elliot. An interesting read, it’s her official biography by Ellen Vaughn, taken from Elisabeth’s journals. I’ll admit it’s a bit harder for me to read than a novel, though it’s written in novel form; it has just taken me a little longer than normal, but it’s been so good, interesting to know a little more behind the scenes of this amazing woman’s life. 📚 Check it out here
Up Next: Karen Kingsbury’s The Christmas Ring – I love reading a Christmas-themed book at this time of year, so I’m excited to start this one! It’s also a major motion picture, available for rent. Definitely a movie I’m going to watch!
Speaking of movies, we rewatch this movie every year, and it never ceases to move us both. The true story behind the beloved Christmas song, “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, other than his “wig” (you’ll get it), this is a very, very well done movie!
I’m a total Christmas movie fanatic. What are your favorites? Comment below or email me! I’d love to hear!
Soul Food 💚
A sweet reader shared something with me this week when I asked her, “What’s your biggest challenge with holiday meals?”
She said:
“I have a hard time not comparing myself to my mother-in-law and others.”
If I had a nickel. Truly. I’ve been cooking and hosting for 60 years (okay, maybe 50, I was in the kitchen young, but not at infancy 😜), and I still have to swat away that comparison bug. It sneaks up on all of us.
But here’s the truth:
We are created equal, but we are not created the same. And thank goodness. Your gifts are yours for a reason. Your home, your meals, your traditions—they don’t need to look like anyone else’s to be meaningful.
As Teddy Roosevelt said,
“Comparison is the thief of joy.“
Let’s hang onto this instead:
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms…If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.“
1 Peter 4:10–11
Serve with the gifts you have. Let the rest go.
Just a quick reminder that I read and respond to every email, and I’m truly thankful for every one of you who comes back week after week! Your support means the world to me. Thank you for taking the time to read and click through to a few recipes—I’m incredibly grateful!
Please come back and rate and comment on a post if you try it.
Coming soon…Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Pecan Pie Bars, Mexican Street Corn Dip, Peppermint Ice Cream…and more!
Check out my favorite things and more HERE! Plus, previous week’s finds!
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