Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Simple Slow Cooker Party Potatoes

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Twas the day before Easter and my friend Chandra and I were discussing our Easter Dinner menus. She mentioned that she was making Party Potatoes, which we all know is a delicious, creamy, and cheesy potato dish.

While I knew exactly what Chandra was talking about, it occurred to me that when I was growing up, my family always called this dish “Funeral Potatoes.” Same recipe, same deliciousness, but incredibly different label. Party Potatoes and Funeral Potatoes are one in the same? Yes, indeed.

Chandra and I decided that people in the north (where her family is from) must like parties better. And that people in the south (where my family is from) need to let go and live a little. Bless our hearts.

Indeed, my family had Funeral Potatoes on all the most exciting celebration days: Easter, Christmas, and Birthdays. “Happy Easter, He is Risen!!!! Please pass the Funeral Potatoes.” What is wrong with me that I never realized what we were saying?

It is worth noting that Death By Chocolate was also a family favorite. I requested it at one of my Bridal Parties before Matt and I got married. “I’m going to marry the man of my dreams! I want Death by Chocolate please!”

Well, now you know the truth about my family history. We really knew how to party.

I have decided that it’s time to break the cycle. No more Funeral Potatoes. From now on, we will eat Party Potatoes!! Woohoooo, I LOVE PARTY POTATOES!!!!!”

Though what will I do the next time I’m at a funeral and they serve Party Potatoes? This is a conundrum.

Simple Slow Cooker Party Potatoes

You’ll notice that I’ve taken this popular potato dish recipe and tweaked it to include all real food ingredients (so we can avoid the MSG in canned soup). You’ll also notice that I found a way to make this dish in a slow cooker. I found this to be a helpful trick for the times I’m out of the house and need the potatoes to be ready to eat when we get home. It’s also nice to use the slow cooker method as it frees up oven space.

Not to worry though. I’ve included instructions for oven baking as well. As you can see, I’ve done all that I can to meet all of your funeral and party planning needs.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Simple Slow Cooker Party Potatoes
 
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Serves: 6-10
Ingredients
  • 24 ounces frozen hashbrowns or cut potatoes
  • 3 Tablespoons dry minced onion
  • 1-2 teaspoons sea salt, to taste
  • 16 ounces sour cream
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 16 ounces shredded Colby jack or cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together and spread evening in a slow cooker or 9x13 inch baking dish.
  2. Slow Cooker Instructions: Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
  3. Oven Instructions: Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour.

 

Survey time: What did you call this potato recipe when you were growing up?

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The Easiest Burrito Recipe to Make for the Freezer

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I remember the first time I made these burritos for the freezer. My oldest was a tiny baby and it was my first attempt at freezer cooking as a new mom. My friend had promised this was the easiest burrito recipe a person could make, but somehow I still felt I needed to make a big event out of the ordeal.

I blocked out the entire day. I had determined that I would start the intense burrito-making-process as soon as my baby had his first feeding of the morning. That way, if I needed to work on them slowly all day between taking care of his needs, I could be flexible and available.

Imagine my surprise when I had the entire batch of burritos ready for the freezer before Asa even woke up from his morning snooze! (Imagine my other surprise 21 years later when that tiny baby grew to be an incredible 6’4″ adult person. How did I get here?)

These burritos are so easy it’s almost ridiculous. Now that my first baby and all my other babies are all grown up and eating adult/teenage boy portions, I can’t tell you how glad I am to know how to make the easiest burritos on the planet! These are filling for the boys, easy for them to warm up, and I think we’ve already established that they are incredibly easy to make!

It’s ironic that I’m associating these burritos with having a newborn (pauses to sigh as she thinks back to the day her boys were tiny babies). Now, any time a friend has a baby, I almost always make a batch of these burritos to put in their freezer. It takes very little time for me to make, and it saves a new mom from having to cook for her family!

The most recent new mommy I delivered burritos to told me later that her husband was (kindly) demanding the recipe. “You must have made that sauce from scratch with fresh tomatoes!” she declared. I hated to burst her bubble, but I had to humbly admit, “Nope, that was store-bought salsa stirred into regular ol’ cooked meat and shredded cheese.” Shucks, and here she thought I’d labored on those burritos as long as she’d labored in the hospital having her sweet baby.

Ready to learn the secret of this fabulous freezer food?

The Easiest Burrito Recipe to Make for the Freezer

5.0 from 1 reviews
The Easiest Burrito Recipe to Make for the Freezer
 
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 3-pounds ground beef
  • 32-ounces salsa (any kind)
  • 3 cups shredded cheese
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 12-18 burrito-sized tortillas
  • Any add-ins you like to help stretch the mixture: Cooked rice, black beans, olives, additional spices
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, brown and drain meat.
  2. Stir in salsa and cheese.
  3. Scoop mixture into tortillas and fold.
  4. Freeze burritos on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag once frozen.
  5. Heat in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until burrito is hot through and through. (You can microwave them for a couple minutes if you like. Our family no longer has a microwave.)

With just five simple ingredients, you can make these wonderful burritos. Or, you can stir in cooked rice or a can of black beans to help the mixture stretch so you can make even more burritos!

Want more great 5-Ingredient recipes? You’ll definitely want to check out our newest High Five Recipes eBook!

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Oh! And also, I’d love to point you to The Prayer Mugs Prayer Journal. I wrote it in honor of my firstborn turning 20 last year. Believe it or not, an entire year has gone by and that boy turns 21 today! The Prayer Mugs concept has been life changing for me as I turn from worry to faith in trusting God with my growing kids. For one week only, use the code TWENTYONE to get an $8 discount in honor of his birthday!!

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Care to share a favorite homemaking memory from the days your kids were babies? Or maybe they’re babies right now. I’d love to hear the latest going on at your house!

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How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot

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If you have an Instant Pot and you have ten minutes, you can make mashed potatoes. I suppose it is also important that you have some potatoes available to work with. Butter is a must. Sea salt is a game changer. Wait until you see how simple it is to make these mashed potatoes!

Remember a few months ago when I figured out how to make Mashed Potatoes in my crock pot? That amazing trick took my family from the depths of mashed potato despair into the peak of mashed potato heaven. As it was, I had stopped making mashed potatoes altogether. After all, who had time for the effort? Who could afford the energy? Why must mashed potatoes make such a mess of pots and beaters and countertops and walls? (Confession: I am a messy cook. Mashed potatoes were the worst for me.)

So I stopped. We never ate mashed potatoes. There simply was no time.

Then I learned to make them in the most simple way possible, which meant that not only could we make mashed potatoes again, we could make them every week without trouble. And then, just when I thought I’d discovered the easiest way to make mashed potatoes…

I learned to make them in my Instant Pot (my affiliate link). In ten minutes.

You know how people always say, “Oh, life was so much better back in the pioneer days. Certainly life was much simpler then.” I agree to a certain extent but alas, the pioneers did not have Instant Pots. So let’s here it for the 21st century and its wonderful technology!

So would you believe you can wash potatoes, throw them into your Instant Pot with some water, let them cook for 10 minutes, then mash them and serve them and make everyone very happy? You, of course, will be the happiest of all because you didn’t have to slave over your potatoes. And if your children happen to be of age, you can ask them to scrub your potatoes, making your work load is even lighter!

How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot

How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 5 pounds gold or red potatoes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup whole milk, half-and-half, or cream
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • ¼-1/2 cup butter
  • sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Scrub, but don't peel the potatoes.
  2. Put them (whole) into an Instant Pot on the metal trivet, along with 1 cup of water.
  3. Seal and cook at hi pressure, manual setting, for 10 minutes.
  4. Release the pressure and open the Instant pot.
  5. Mash soft potatoes directly in the crock with a potato masher.
  6. While mashing, dump in the milk, sour cream, butter, and salt.
  7. Continue mashing until potatoes have reached desired consistency.

Truly these are the most delicious!

Can you use russet potatoes to make these mashed potatoes? I don’t recommend it. They take a longer cooking time, they aren’t as nourishing, and they don’t taste as good. Gold or red potatoes are much preferred!

I like to also add shredded cheese to our potatoes to make them tastier and more substantial.

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Last Day! $10 off Simple Meals Subscription!

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Did you do it? Have you signed up? Time’s running out, but if you hurry, you can still get $10 off Simple Meals through midnight tonight!

Ready to get $10 off your first year’s Simple Meals subscription?

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(Need to eat Gluten Free? The packets include adaptations needed to accommodate you.)

Hurry to take advantage of this discount offer!

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The Easiest Way to Make Beef Roast in the Instant Pot

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My mom used to be the queen of perfect Sunday roasts. But for some reason, it’s taken me over 20 years to figure out how to get my roast to fall apart and taste delicious. Today I’ll share what I’ve learned about making beef roast in the Instant Pot. Aha! Now we’re on to something.

After years of trial and error, I finally learned to make a Melt–in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast in the Crock Pot. This is all well and good except for the days I don’t have 12 hours to wait for my beef roast to cook to perfection. A recent Sunday morning, “What can I make for lunch before we leave for church in ten minutes?!” panic led me to investigate how to make a beef roast in my Instant Pot.

Wait. You don’t have an Instant Pot? Trust me. I understand. It took me years of hearing about them to get on the Insta-Train. Now that I’m on board, I’m declaring it to be one of my favorite appliances. Is an Instant Pot worth your investment? I give an emphatic, “Absolutely!” (I have this one.)

So anyway, back to my pot roast. I discovered that there are many Instant Pot roast-making instructions out there. But I have to admit what you already know about me: I really do not like recipes that instruct me to take several steps before walking away from my food to let it cook. After all, what good is using a Crock Pot or Instant Pot if I have to spend 30 or more minutes prepping the food?

Therefore, while most recipes I found instructed that I sear both sides of the roast and sing it a lullaby before allowing the Instant Pot to work its magic, I decided to do what I do best: Throw the food into the pot, turn it on, and walk away. After all, I don’t have time to sear meat on a Sunday morning, nor am I interested in going to church smelling like caramelized onion. And all my fellow worshipers said amen.

I figured the worst that might happen if I took a few shortcuts is that my roast would be mediocre, something my family has dealt with for most of my roast-making life. This is why God invented gravy.

So into the Instant Pot went the roast. I dumped on some sea salt, worchestershire sauce, water, onion, and carrots. We went to church and came home to this:

The meat fell apart. The flavor was incredible. Continue to sear your roast if you must, but as for me and my house, I will continue to throw in the food and let the appliances do the work.

The Easiest Way to Make Beef Roast in the Instant Pot

The Easiest Way to Make Beef Roast in the Instant Pot
 
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Author:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 3 pound beef roast
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 medium-sized onion
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 5-8 medium-sized carrots
  • 1 cup water
Instructions
  1. Place roast on the metal trivet in your Instant Pot.
  2. Pour 1 cup water into the bottom of the pot.
  3. Cut onion into fourths and place in the pot.
  4. Peel carrots, cut them in half, then place them on the roast.
  5. Salt liberally, pepper as you like.
  6. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal it.
  7. Cook it at High Pressure, Manual Setting, for 70 minutes.
  8. I do natural release as I'm usually still at church during this time.
  9. Shred meat and serve!

 

Add 3ish pounds of scrubbed and cut potatoes to the pot if you like. :)

Be on the lookout for a tutorial on making Roast Gravy.

Am I the only one who has struggled to make a good pot roast? Here’s hoping this recipe solves all your roast-making issues!

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Simple Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups (or Casserole)

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Sometimes I experiment with recipe ideas and they turn out to be big flops. You don’t know about these because they don’t get shared here, for all the obvious, not-so-tasty reasons. This Simple Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cup or Casserole recipe got rave reviews at our house, making it definitely blog worthy. How can cooking real food continue to get easier??!

Have I mentioned that I discovered Mr. Dells Frozen Hashbrowns at the grocery store and declare them to be a fabulous option? They contain one ingredient: Potatoes. Other frozen hashbrowns at the store have a slew of ingredients listed that I can’t pronounce. So either make your own frozen hashbrowns or see if you can find a brand like Mr. Dells that includes plain ol’ potatoes. I try to have big bags of these on hand at all times now as they are super convenient!

To make this recipe, simply brown meat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Spread mixture into a casserole dish (easy!!) or scoop the mixture into muffin tins (still easy but one more step). Bake and serve. Enjoy the deliciousness!

Simple Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups or Casserole

Simple Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups or Casserole
 
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Author:
Serves: 24 cups or 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef, lamb, or turkey
  • 15-ounces frozen shredded hashbrowns
  • ½ - 1 cup ketchup (depending on how much your family likes ketchup)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (we like Colby jack or pepper jack best, but any variety will work!)
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Brown meat in a skillet until no longer pink.
  2. Mix cooked meat and remaining ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
  3. For Cups: Scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins (I find that it works best to melt a bit of oil in each tin so that the baked nests pop right out!) Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  4. For Casserole: Spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Freezer Friendly!

Make this recipe into a casserole, cover, and freeze. When you’re ready to bake it, take it from the freezer, cover it with foil and slide it into a cold oven. Bake at 250 degrees for 2.5 hours or until bubbly.

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$10 off Simple Meals – One Week Only!

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It is our pleasure to offer Simple Meals planning packets as a wonderful way to help you put great food on your table each day. We save you money, save you time, and free you up to focus on what truly is important!

We’ve done the research and have found that Simple Meals is the least expensive menu planning subscription around. This is not because it isn’t valuable – it’s simply that we want to make it affordable for everyone. The fact that the meal suggestions are all family friendly, made with real food ingredients, and super delicious is a bonus.

And did we mention simple? No complicated recipes here. In fact, we always fill the packet with extra tips to make your cooking time super efficient!

Grab a FREE sample Simple Meals Planning Packet here. This truly will free you to enjoy more family time, ministry time, and spiritual focus while still enabling you to feed your family wonderfully!

While we’ve priced this at just $1/week, right now we’re making the deal even sweeter!

Join Simple Meals and get $10 your first year’s subscription!

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We love how Simple Meals has been saving family time for so many, and helping people put great food on the table each night! For one week only, we’re happy to offer you an awesome $10 discount!

Sign up below – While this shows up at the regular $52 price-tag, once you click to purchase you’ll see that the price you pay for your first year’s subscription is only $42! Enjoy the great discount and the wonderful meal plans this year!!

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This offer ends Friday, May 4, 2018.

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Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef (2 Ingredients!)

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Ready to cook dinner while you’re sleeping? This Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef idea is genius!

My Simple Overnight Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast has become a staple around here. So one night I thought, “Why can’t I try the same idea but use salsa instead of bbq sauce? Then we can have Mexi-Wraps for lunch tomorrow?

I love it when good ideas turn out amazing results! But I love it even more that this recipe is so easy your two year old can make it. My favorite is that this cooks while we’re sleeping so we can wake up and have a good meal ready to serve later in the day. Or if you prefer, start this cooking in your crock pot first thing in the morning and have an awesome meal ready at the end of the day.

Now, some have cautioned against putting frozen meat in a crock pot. I have no hesitation about this, and I think we all know I’m terrible about ever remembering to thaw meat. So if given the chance, I will put frozen meat into my crock pot because this saves brain power. Coffee can only do so much.

The work involved in making this Simple Salsa Shredded Beef includes none other than:

  1. Putting a frozen roast in a crock pot.
  2. Dumping on a jar of salsa.
  3. Letting it cook all night or all day.

Praise God, Glory Hallelujah.

After cooking for 10-12 hours, this meat has become so flavorful and tender it practically falls apart before you even come near it with a fork. Shred it quickly, cry a joyful tear over how marvelous your meal is going to be, and serve this to your family with a smile. After all, you didn’t have to work hard to make this. So you still have energy to smile. What a gift.

Use this Simple Salsa Shredded Beef as Mexi-Wraps in tortillas with taco/burrito fixin’s. Use it to make Simple Spanish Rice Bowls. Toss it into a Taco Salad. Eat it directly out of the crock pot. Who can help it?

Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef

Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef (2 Ingredients!)
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 3-4 pound beef or lamb roast
  • 16-ounces salsa
Instructions
  1. Place frozen or thawed roast into a crock pot.
  2. Pour salsa over the top.
  3. Cook in a crock pot on low for 10-12 hours if frozen. If thawed, cook for 8-10 hours on low.
  4. Shred meat and serve.

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Simple Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip (3 ingredients!)

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You’ll love this Simple Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip. But first, wait until you see what we’ve got in the works!

high five cover

It’s a brand new eBook and we’re going to roll it out very soon! It includes a whopping 111 recipes – all of which only utilize 5 or fewer ingredients. This has been one of our most exciting projects! Sharing ways to put simple food on your table is one of our favorite goals, and if the recipe has only 5 ingredients, you can bet it is simpler than ever!

Be on the look out for brand new High Five Recipes I’ll be sharing during the next few weeks, as well as the reveal of our brand new eBook in just a few hours! As for today, you’ll need three simple ingredients and a bag of chips. What used to be a snack can now become a meal!


A few weeks ago when I posted my Cream Cheese Salsa Dip recipe, Kayla left a comment to share that she used the same idea to make Bean Dip. Say no more, Kayla. We got out our cream cheese, salsa, and a can of refried beans and we suddenly had a new favorite!

Do you see how easy real food cooking can be? I had a teen at my house last week devouring my food saying, “I guess I never knew healthy food actually tasted good.” Boom. That is my goal. Healthy food that tastes good. And if it can also be simple to make, then my entire food mission has been accomplished.

If you have time, soak and cook pinto beans for this recipe. But for all who are in a hurry, simply get out a jar of salsa, a package of cream cheese, and a can of beans. Blend it together and your main dish is ready. Eat it hot. Eat it cold. And of course, eat it with fruits and vegetables on the side because this is the 11th commandment. “Thou shalt eat fruits and veggies with every meal.” Amen.

Simple Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip

Simple Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip (3 ingredients!)
 
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Author:
Serves: 5 cups
Ingredients
  • 16-ounces salsa (any variety)
  • 8-ounces softened cream cheese
  • 15-ounce can refried beans or pinto beans
Instructions
  1. Blend ingredients together until smooth.
  2. Serve hot or cold with corn tortilla chips.

**UPDATE**

It’s here! Learn all about our High Five Recipes eBook and grab yours here!

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The Easiest Meal to Make for Easter

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As with any holiday, I like to actually enjoy myself and my guests instead of spending hours in the kitchen. Thus, today I will share the easiest meal to make for Easter.

The Easiest Meal to Make for Easter

It has become our tradition to invite a houseful of college students over to enjoy our Easter dinner with us. It is worth noting that young adults are most certainly not too old to enjoy plastic eggs filled with bunny-shaped sugar. We fill eggs with candy, then half of our guests hide the eggs all over our yard, hoping to challenge their fellow college students to climb into precarious places to find said eggs. We dig out plastic grocery sacks for everyone to use as Easter baskets because at our house, we like to be fancy.

easter 20168

The meal I serve? Well, college kids love any form of home-cooking, thus they tend to not care what I make, as long as I’ve made it.

It is a good thing that simple food just so happens to also be delicious. Love makes food taste better. Praying over my guests while I’m preparing the food has become my favorite hospitality practice. This takes away all the stress over the meal as I know God is the One who makes the food and the fellowship sweet and memorable.

easter 20162

I’ve found that the easiest meal to make for Easter includes ham, potato casserole, veggies, rolls, and a simple dessert. Nothing fancy necessary, except for the above mentioned plastic grocery bags we use as Easter Baskets. Those always wow our guests.

The Easiest Meal to Make for Easter

ham

1. I buy a Spiral Sliced Ham.

These taste incredible and are super simple to make. I plop it in a pan, throw away the packet of glaze, cover the ham, and bake it while we are at church. Just before serving we cut it off the bone and put it on our buffet. It is a hit every time and it takes no work to prepare. Spiral sliced ham for the win!

Bacon Hashbrown Casserole

2. I make a Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole ahead of time.

Then I slide it into the oven along with the ham to bake while we are at church. This is multi-tasking at its finest.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

3. I quickly make some veggies and/or a salad.

Steamed green beans, Honey Glazed Carrots, a tray of raw veggies – none of these takes much time or effort to prepare. If I have time, I might put together a “fancy” salad like this Strawberry Spinach Salad.

rolls1sm

4. I buy rolls.

I never thought I’d see the day, but I’ve learned that relationships and hospitality can look like homemade rolls AND store-bought rolls. For this season in my life, I have decided to buy rolls, plop them in a basket, and go love on the people. Maybe eventually I’ll get back to making homemade rolls, seeing as they are hard to beat!

Build-a-Brownie

5. Dessert isn’t fancy.

Sometimes I skip making dessert altogether and simply sprinkle Easter candy across the middles of the tables. If I have time to do more, I bake brownies, buy ice cream, and set up a Brownie Sundae Bar.

easter 20163

This Easter meal is simple but fabulous, our tables are filled with people we love, and I guess it goes without saying that hiding/hunting Easter eggs with college students who are walking around holding fancy grocery bags provides enough fun to last us all year round.

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