Hi Cooking Moms, Dads & Friends,

I hope you had a great week! I’ve been working on some new recipes for this winter. I’m super excited to share them with you! With everything going on, I’m still trying to go to the grocery store as little as possible. When I go, I try to stock up. Keeping a stocked pantry filled with canned goods, pasta, and spices has been a huge lifesaver. After the holidays, I’m also really trying to cook on a budget too! Having things on hand in the pantry, freezer, and fridge really helps! We all have days when you have absolutely no idea what to make for dinner and you have no energy to run to the store. We’ve all been there! I love it when I turn into a magician and pull one heck of a delicious dinner out of a hat.

Keep a couple cans of crabmeat in your cupboard and you can be a magician too! Read my latest blog post, How to Make Dinner Easy with Crab Melt Sandwiches and see how to make my new weeknight favorite. You can whip these up in under 15 minutes and for next to nothing! In winter who doesn’t crave a toasty cheesy sandwich? These will be a huge hit. Great way to serve seafood on a budget too! Click Sandwiches for more toasty warm sandwich recipes.

January is National Soup Month. Why not make some this weekend? Speaking of keeping things on hand, you’ll always find a few jars of marinara sauce in my pantry. Use a jar to make my Two Ingredient Creamy Tomato Soup. You can’t believe how crazy good this is. It goes perfectly with those Crab Melts, too!

Confession. I’m not a huge fan of broccoli. That is unless it’s covered in cheese. My Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Soup is super easy and cheesy. Just throw it all together in your slow cooker and in a few hours, soup’s on. LOVE IT!

Looking for a quick easy chili recipe? It doesn’t get much easier than my Way Too Easy White Chicken Chili. Click Soups for more delicious chili, soup, and stew recipes.

I serve chili with my Big Batch of Homemade Corn Bread. No more buying those blue boxes of corn bread mix. This is so much better and so easy breezy to make. You gotta try it. Warm out of the oven with my Honey Butter it’s heavenly! Click Sides for more favorite side dishes.

Got chicken in the freezer? Use it to make my Smothered Chicken Casserole. It’s a family favorite. I love to serve it with wild rice, just the boxed stuff and a big beautiful salad. My Spinach Salad with Sweet and Sour Dressing is amazing. I’m pretty sure you’ll have everything you need to make the simple but flavorful dressing. I just shake it up in a jar. Extra dressing keeps in the fridge for a few days or more. Click Salads, Casseroles, and Dinner for more super easy breezy recipes your family will love.

For dessert, I LOVE chocolate. My Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes taste like something you’d get at a fancy pastry shop. I fill the center with fresh whipped cream and berries. So pretty! They seem fancy but just 4 ingredients. Here again, I bet you have everything to whip these up in your kitchen right now. These are also perfect for Valentine’s Day which is right around the corner. Chocolate is for sure the way to my heart!

Click Desserts for more of my favorite dessert recipes.

Order Amy's Cookbooks!

If you like my recipes, I think you will love my cookbooks. Both cookbooks are filled with nearly 200 unique recipes. They're available on Amazon. Click Amy's Books on Amazon to order.

My Culinary Trips Are Booking Up! Join Me!

I so excited to start traveling again when it’s safe! I’m hosting three AMAZING culinary vacations in 2021/2. They are booking up fast! Join me for these trips of a lifetime! In June 2021 join me for a 3 day trip to beautiful Mackinac Island. This trip is really filling up! Call Brittany at Bon Voyage Boutique Travel (920.725.2880) to get more details and reserve your spot. You can also email her at: brittany@bonvoyagebt.com

In September 2021, join me for a river cruise through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I’ve always dreamed of taking a river cruise through Europe. This trip is going to be spectacular! A river cruise is the absolute best and stress-free way to see Europe. It’s a great value too because gourmet meals and wine, beer, and champagne are all included on the cruise!

In April of 2022 join me on an incredible trip to Ireland! This trip is booking up quickly! From Irish cooking classes, to scone baking, whiskey tasting, a VIP tour of Guinness, and so much more. We’ll do it all. We’ll even stay in a real castle outside of Dublin! I can only take a small group so you might want to make your reservation soon. Click Join The Cooking Mom in Ireland to read more about this trip and find out how to reserve your spot. I’ve also got two other trips planned in 2022!

To find out more about my trips and what makes them so unique click Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom.

If you want to get on the list for updates and details on all my trips email me at info@thecookingmom.com!

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I hope you all have wonderful weekend! Stay safe and cook up some memories!

Take care,
Amy, The Cooking Mom