Hanky Pankys (Easy Weeknight Meal or Game Day Appetizer!)

October 2, 2017October 6, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

I love an easy meal. More than that, I love an easy meal that my family will actually enjoy! And this one? Boy, it takes the cake on easy-to-make. Five simple ingredients, a few minutes of prep, and some thawed ground meat are all you need for this delicious meal to be dinner-ready. The best part? You can easily serve this on game day for a great tailgating treat! Plus, the name “Hanky Pankys” just cracks me up! This is an old family recipe that my grandfather gave me, and… it’s so good. You won’t even need to write it down on a recipe card to make it because it’s easy to memorize, too.

Sesame Caramel Ribs: Perfect for Easter!

April 3, 2017April 2, 2017 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. We hope you enjoy this recipe for sesame caramel ribs! #GetGrillingAmerica #CollectiveBias

Easter Sunday is now less than two weeks away, and we’re planning out our menu around here. Don’t expect our Easter Sunday menu to have ham or lamb or anything, though… we’ve stepped up our game with something that the whole family is going to love. Ribs. See, I don’t know about you, but I love an extra tender, extra juicy rib dinner. But my favorite Easter treat is those delicious caramel-filled eggs, so I’ve decided to have my caramel… and my ribs… at the same time. It’s not as crazy as it sounds; if you’ve ever had a honey barbecue sauce and liked it, you’re going to love these amazing caramel ribs, too. They’re sweet, they’re savory, and they have a little zap of ginger. Perfect for Easter, or for any spring and summer day…

Spicy-As-Heck Sticky Ribs

March 21, 2017March 17, 2017 - Mama 1 Comment

Some links in this post about sweet and spicy ribs may be affiliate links.

Being from Kansas City, not much beats a good barbecue rib. Burnt ends, sure, but when it comes to ribs, around here, it’s usually barbecue. Now, I love barbecue ribs, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes I really want to take it up a few notches and to do that, I have to get spicy. That’s when these spicy-as-heck sticky ribs come in.

Why spicy-as-heck? Because you’re using a whole heck of a lot of hot sauce on them. And why sticky? Because to offset all of that spice, you have to have a little bit of sweet, and that comes in the form of brown sugar that caramelizes on the ribs and makes these stick to your fingers (in the best way… you’ll be licking them clean, trust me). You can bake these in your oven or toss them on the grill and have these spicy ribs practically falling off of the bone.

Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Olive Garden Copycat!)

February 13, 2017February 14, 2017 - Mama 3 Comments

If you're totally obsessed with Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli soup, but can't make it to Olive Garden every day, you're going to LOVE this option-- homemade pasta e fagioli soup with all the flavor, with just a few minutes of prep time. Simmer and enjoy! Skip going out to eat and have dinner in with this yummy alternative.

I would eat at Olive Garden pretty much every day if I could… from the super soft, delicious warm breadsticks to the salad, to the pasta e Fagioli soup, I just want it non-stop. Downside? My budget kiiiind of laughs at me anytime I say I want to eat at a restaurant every day. The bright side is, pasta e Fagioli soup is so easy to make, and it’s affordable enough that you can feed your whole family for what it would cost to feed, well, pretty much just you at a restaurant.

Personally, I think it would be worth it to not cook and just feed me at a restaurant every day… but my hungry family disagrees, which is where this pasta e Fagioli copycat soup comes in. Luckily, it’s easy and delicious, so everyone’s happy!

Cheese-Stuffed Barbecue Meat Bombs

October 19, 2016December 26, 2016 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AD #Tailgreatness #CollectiveBias

It's tailgating season! Whatever team you're cheering on, you have to try these delicious cheese-stuffed meat bombs. Part sausage, part beef, part gooey melty cheese, all amazing. They're coated in barbecue sauce and cooked in the slow cooker, so they're sure to be a hit for your next tailgating party! Pick up ingredients (and Nexium to prevent heartburn!) at @Walmart. #Tailgreatness [ad]

Tailgating season is now in full swing, and I have to admit, I’m really excited. You see, here in Kansas City tailgating generally means barbecue, and y’all know how much I love barbecue. But one recipe that’s been a recent favorite when I tailgate is this: sausage and beef, blended together and stuffed with cheese, coated in barbecue sauce, and cooked in the slow cooker until they’re ready to enjoy. I can’t imagine a tailgate without them. Made with spicy sausage, they’re even worth the heartburn (which, luckily, I have a solution for).

Sweet’n’Tangy Barbecue Ribs

October 13, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GameTimeClean #CollectiveBias

I love a good tailgating party. There’s just nothing like getting together with friends and enjoying good food before the big game each weekend! It doesn’t even matter which sport you support, because when you live in Kansas City, you have big dreams for post-season in baseball and soccer, just as the football season is hitting it’s stride, too. You know what Kansas Citians also love? Barbecue. Delicious, sweet, tangy barbecue. That means things like pulled pork and ribs are totally a staple in our area. I’ve shared my pulled pork recipe recently, but today, it is all about the ribs.

Pulled Pork Bacon Bombs with Farmland

September 21, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 23 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Farmland. All opinions are mine alone. Go Chiefs!

Can you believe it’s football season already? Now, I’ve been sharing some of my favorite tailgating recipes this fall, and trust me, this one is one you’ll want to add to the line up. When you’re cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs (or any of the other teams out there, but who’s paying attention to those, anyway? Ha!), you’ll love these Sweet Stuffed Pepper Bacon Bombs, but I also want to share a few of my favorite tailgating recipes from the Farmland Bacon Club, and tell you all about a really awesome sweepstakes from Farmland and the KC Chiefs that I know you’ll want to enter!

Pulled Pork Pasta Salad

September 14, 2015January 13, 2017 - Mama 1 Comment

Tailgating season is upon us. Here in Kansas City, that means barbecue season. I mean, a Chiefs game, a Sporting KC game, they’re just not the same without some delicious shredded pork, drizzled with Kansas City style barbecue sauce, and slapped on a bun… thinking about the fall, tailgating season, pulled pork… it makes my mouth water! So when it comes to making the perfect side dish in KC, well, it needs to pair well with barbecue. This pasta salad works because not only does it pair well with barbecue, but it contains delicious, slow cooked pulled pork right there in the recipe. Now, I can’t tell you that this pulled pork pasta salad is a miracle or a lifesaver, but I can tell you that every member of my family went back for a 4th helping, so… well, you do the math.

Applewood-Style Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork with Homemade Apple Cider Barbecue Sauce

October 6, 2014January 13, 2017 - Mama Leave a comment

I have to say, I’m a Kansas City girl at heart. So if there’s one thing that gets my heart beating a little bit faster, it’s good quality barbecue. You see, barbecue is such a part of my city that our soccer team even has a chant that revolves around barbecue. It’s a staple here in KC. You know what else is a staple? Louisburg Apple Cider. Ask anyone who knows what they’re talking about, and they’ll say that, when it comes time for cooler weather, you can’t beat hot apple cider doughnuts and a cup of warm Louisburg apple cider. I had to combine the best of both worlds and create a delicious applewood-style slow cooked pulled pork. And what does that need? Apple Cider Barbecue Sauce.

Meat Lovers Pasta Bake

August 26, 2014January 21, 2017 - Mama 1 Comment

Do you like meat? And easy recipes? And recipes that can be made with leftovers and ingredients you have on hand?

If you answered yes, then you’re going to absolutely love this meat lovers pasta bake. If you answered no to the meat question, stick around… you can make this dish with veggies instead. But the meat part? Oh-so-good.

If you have pasta, cheese, diced tomatoes, and some leftover meat (pretty much any kind will work), then you’ve got dinner. Bonus points if you have pasta-friendly veggies like mushrooms and onions.

Mama Plus One

Making Life Easy So You Can Get Back to What Matters Most

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