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Simple Slow Cooker Party Potatoes

June 14, 2018 by Laura 11 Comments

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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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Author: Laura

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

Mix all ingredients together and spread evening in a slow cooker or 9x13 inch baking dish.
Slow Cooker Instructions: Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
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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How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot

June 5, 2018 by Laura 4 Comments

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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

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Author: Laura

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

Scrub, but don't peel the potatoes.
Put them (whole) into an Instant Pot on the metal trivet, along with 1 cup of water.
Seal and cook at hi pressure, manual setting, for 10 minutes.
Release the pressure and open the Instant pot.
Mash soft potatoes directly in the crock with a potato masher.
While mashing, dump in the milk, sour cream, butter, and salt.
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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Simple Oatmeal Cookies (5-Ingredients!)

May 20, 2018 by Laura 15 Comments

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Just when you thought cookie baking couldn’t get any easier, these Simple Oatmeal Cookies came along and rocked your world.

Have you tried making the Simple Butter Cookie recipe I shared a few weeks ago? If so, you’ll realize that these Simple Oatmeal Cookies look a bit familiar.

Here’s the thing about Simple Recipes: They all use similar, simple ingredients. Mix and match a few of the most basic, real food ingredients and you’ve got yourself a vast array of delicious meals and snacks to enjoy. (Download a free Simple Ingredients list here. We love this list!)

Real food cooking truly isn’t difficult! This new cookie recipe I’m sharing with you includes only 5 ingredients. So simple!

Did you get your High Five Recipes eBook yet? 111 Recipes all with 5 or fewer ingredients. It’s a must have!

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Spoiler: All I did to create this cookie recipe was add oats to the Simple Butter Cookies. It’s too easy. And super delicious.

Simple Oatmeal Cookies

Simple Oatmeal Cookies (5-Ingredients!)

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Author: Laura

Serves: 15-18

Ingredients

1½ cups melted butter
⅓-1/2 cup sugar (raw, white, brown, or sucanat)
1 tablespoons vanilla extract
1½ cups whole rolled oats
3 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground soft white wheat)

Instructions

Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl.
Stir in vanilla.
Mix in flour and oats until well combined.
Scoop Tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto cookie sheets.
Press the dough down with your fingers or a fork.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

So what’s the difference in this recipe compared to the Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe I shared a couple weeks ago? You mean besides the chocolate chips?

Well, this recipe is much lower in sugar. This one is great for a snack or on-the-go breakfast, whereas the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are definitely a dessert. I make this Simple Oatmeal Cookie recipe as a low sugar treat for myself and my family. I make the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies to serve guests.

So let’s hear it for Low Sugar Treats! And High Five Recipes! And Healthy Snacks! All with simple ingredients and easy recipes.

Making your real food kitchen simpler, one recipe at a time. :)

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Last Day! $10 off Simple Meals Subscription!

May 4, 2018 by Laura 2 Comments

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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!

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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How to Make Roast Gravy

May 3, 2018 by Laura 2 Comments

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If you saw my recent “Easiest Way to Make Beef Roast in the Instant Pot” post, you saw that I promised to share How to Make Roast Gravy. Where there is roast, there must be gravy. There is no other way.

While I shared that I struggled with making a good roast for over 20 years before figuring it out, I perfected my gravy-making skills long ago. I guess that’s a good thing, seeing as my roasts weren’t great. At least we drown the dry meat in gravy.

Making gravy truly isn’t difficult, though in my case, it took some practice. Did I ever tell you about the first time I made gravy for Matt? He had to spread it onto his potatoes with a knife. Good times. (That was in our dating days. Praise God he saw gravy-making potential and still chose to marry me. It was probably because of how I rocked the big hair. Or the high waist pants, which are somehow now back in style. Why, girls? Why?)

How to Make Roast Gravy

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Author: Laura

Ingredients

1-2 cups beef broth/drippings from a roast
¼ cup cold water
2 Tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot powder
Sea salt to taste

Instructions

Pour the drippings from a cooked roast into a small sauce pan.
Heat to boiling.
Meanwhile, whisk together water and cornstarch in a small glass or jar.
Slowly pour water/cornstarch mixture into the boiling beef broth, stirring/whisking constantly.
Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture has thickened into gravy.
Salt liberally as desired.

Need to thicken your gravy? Make another mixture of water/cornstarch and whisk it in to the boiling broth little by little until you’ve reached the desired gravy consistency you want.

It is important that you mix the water and cornstarch together before stirring it into your drippings/broth! Sprinkling cornstarch directly into the hot drippings will only give you lumpy gravy. Ask me how I know.

What are you better at making: Roast or Gravy? Maybe now we can all be good at both!

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The Easiest Way to Make Beef Roast in the Instant Pot

May 1, 2018 by Laura 9 Comments

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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

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Author: Laura

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

Place roast on the metal trivet in your Instant Pot.
Pour 1 cup water into the bottom of the pot.
Cut onion into fourths and place in the pot.
Peel carrots, cut them in half, then place them on the roast.
Salt liberally, pepper as you like.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal it.
Cook it at High Pressure, Manual Setting, for 70 minutes.
I do natural release as I'm usually still at church during this time.
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 Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef (2 Ingredients!)

April 26, 2018 by Laura 1 Comment

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

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:

Putting a frozen roast in a crock pot.
Dumping on a jar of salsa.
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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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

3-4 pound beef or lamb roast
16-ounces salsa

Instructions

Place frozen or thawed roast into a crock pot.
Pour salsa over the top.
Cook in a crock pot on low for 10-12 hours if frozen. If thawed, cook for 8-10 hours on low.
Shred meat and serve.

Want even more Simple Recipes?

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Simple Ingredients for Simple Meals Printable! Gift for You!

April 5, 2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

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After many a request, we’ve finally created a Simple Ingredients for Simple Meals printable list for you to work with. Just when you thought it wasn’t possible, simple cooking just got even easier!

Over the past several months, many of you have requested that I create a list of all the ingredients I like to keep on hand to make real food cooking easier. It’s taken a while, but I called in for back up and had one of my assistants help create what I declare to be beautiful, practical, and of course, simple!

Simple Ingredients List to the Rescue

The timing is perfect for this fun Simple Ingredients list to become available for you. Why? Because we just kicked out our High Five Recipes eBook, which shares 111 recipes that all include 5 or fewer simple ingredients. Wondering which ingredients can be mixed and matched to make all 111 of these recipes? This list pretty much covers it! And then some.

Don’t you love how easy this printable breaks down that basics of ingredient needs? All the ingredients listed are real food, nourishing, and un-complicated. Simple, simple, simple! Yes, real food cooking is SIMPLE!!! And it tastes great. This, of course, is a must.

Obviously we’re all going to have favorite items not listed here. But this is our go-to list for all Simple Ingredient needs for Simple Meal preparation. Add to it as needed for your family!

It’s our pleasure to give you this Simple Ingredients for Simple Meals printable list as a gift.

We hope it is a huge help in simplifying your real food cooking lifestyle. Use it as a guide so that grocery shopping will be simpler, so you can save money, and so you’ll be able to have basic ingredients on hand for creating Simple Meals.

Sign up here so we can send you this wonderful freebie. (As an added bonus, we’re including several surprise freebies too. Wait till you see!)

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High Five Recipes: 111 Recipes That Use 5 or Fewer Ingredients!

March 26, 2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

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Get ready to be amazed! High Five Recipes is going to make your real food kitchen life so much simpler!

Introducing our fabulous new real food eCookbook full of 111 time, money, and energy saving recipes…

Yum

Feeding your family doesn’t have to be hard!

Or expensive. Or time consuming. Or expensive. Oh wait. I already said that. I guess I felt it was worth a repeat, as none of the recipes in this eBook call for expensive ingredients.

Get ready to simplify your kitchen life, put easy meals on the table, fill your family with tasty snacks – all while staying true to your desire to feed your family wholesome, real food!

We know what “family friendly” means. We know what “easy” is. We definitely like nourishment. And the fact that every recipe turns out delicious and fun is basically icing on the cake. (Wait, a five ingredient cake? Can it be true? I guess you’ll have to get the book and see!)

This High Five Recipes eBook includes 111 wonderful recipes all of which:

Call for 5 or fewer ingredients
Are all made from real food ingredients
Taste incredible
Take very little time and effort to make

You probably already have all or most of the needed ingredients in your kitchen. Don’t you love it when food becomes un-complicated!?

What will you do with all your extra time??

High Five Recipes offers:

14 Bread and Breakfast recipes
35 Main Dish recipes
13 Side Dish recipes
29 Dessert and Snack recipes
16 Drink recipes
4 Extra recipes

Get it here!

Our Heavenly Homemaker’s Club Members have access to this amazing resource plus ALL of our eBooks, eCurriculum, printables, and so much more – for one very low price! Join us here!

Or purchase separately below:

Everyone bring it in. High fives all around…

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Simple Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip (3 ingredients!)

March 25, 2018 by Laura 3 Comments

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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.