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This simple balsamic roasted chicken with Brussels sprouts and bacon sheet pan dinner was created because I needed to come up with something easy (every day is busy with four kids on our little homestead) and I had chicken thighs and Brussels sprouts in the freezer.  I pretty much always have bacon and onions on hand.  This is so easy to put together, pop in the oven and enjoy a delicious (low effort) dinner.  (Note: You do need to thaw the chicken in the fridge ahead of time or use fresh chicken.)

This easy sheet pan chicken and Brussels sprouts dinner was so good, there wasn't a bite left.  My husband said the Brussels sprouts were exquisite.  There was a little left after dinner, but the boys finished every last bite before bedtime.  They always raid the kitchen for snacks between dinner and bedtime (growing boys!), but instead of snacks, they wanted more chicken and sprouts!  

This is one of my go-to meals now since it was such a family favorite and so easy to make. 

A few notes:
You could use chicken breasts if you prefer.  I stock chicken thighs in my freezer since they are usually less expensive than breasts at my local stores and I think they are more flavorful.  They have a higher fat content than chicken breasts giving them lots of good flavor and making them less likely to dry out when cooked. 

If you are using fresh Brussels sprouts, you may want to cut them in half depending on size.  I used two 10 oz. bags of frozen Brussels sprouts which were the perfect size for this dish and didn't need any prep work.  

Herbs de Provence seasoning may be a new seasoning for you.  I recently bought my first bottle.  You could roast this chicken and vegetable pan without it, but it adds a wonderful depth of flavors.  I will be using it a lot in the future.  One of the boys even commented on the flavor and how much he loved it.  I bought my Herbs de Provence at my small town Walmart so you can probably find it at your local market.  
​
You might also like:  ​Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Eggs and Balsamic Roasted Beets 

Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon                                  
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
10-12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1-1 1/2 lbs. fresh brussels sprouts, trimmed or frozen brussels sprouts
1 small sweet onion, diced
6 slices bacon, chopped
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Herbs de Provence seasoning (amazon link)
Fresh ground salt and pepper


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2.  Spray or brush a large sided baking pan with olive oil.
3.  Place chicken in baking pan.  Arrange brussels sprouts around chicken. 
4.  Sprinkle diced onion and chopped bacon over the chicken and brussels sprouts.
5.  Drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the chicken and sprouts. 
6.  Shake Herbs de Provence over everything to season then salt and pepper. 
7.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until chicken is cooked through and brussels sprouts are fork tender. Cook longer in 5 minute increments if needed.  Chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F., but cooking thighs a little longer will tenderize the meat even more.  You can cook them up to 185 degrees F., for tender, juicy thighs, so go for somewhere between 165 and 185.  Here is a  fun read all about cooking chicken thighs.  
8.  Then turn the oven up to broil and put under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown chicken and crisp bacon.  Make sure the oven door is cracked open and keep a close eye while broiling. 

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About a month ago, I was making tacos for dinner and we didn't have any fresh tomatoes to serve with them.  We love fresh produce, but don't always have fresh ingredients on hand.  Although, I do always have onions, garlic, and canned tomatoes so I started making fresh salsa and I have been making it a couple of times a week since then.  Everyone in the family loves it, so it goes pretty quickly.  

We will soon have all kinds of fresh ingredients from our garden.  Here's a sneak peek on my instagram.  And if you don't have instagram, here's a peek on facebook.  We have been working really hard in the garden and can't wait until we can harvest our own produce.  

This salsa is so easy to make.  I simply put everything in my food processor (amazon link) and chop into a fine salsa.  You can also use a blender.  

See how easy that is.  I just chunk the onion and garlic.  No need to dice or mince anything.  You can just throw the cilantro in.   The food processor will do all the work.  

The yummiest, easiest homemade salsa!  

The best part is that recipes like this are only guidelines.  You can change it up a bit to your liking.  Make it spicier if you want by adding some fresh jalapeno pepper.  Adjust seasonings until it is exactly as you want it.  

Enjoy this delicious, fresh summer side at your next BBQ or just because.  We have been having taco or fajita night a lot lately because it is so easy.  Here is a link to kid-friendly baked tacos and here is one to our favorite chicken fajitas.  We also love these pork carnitas and fresh guacamole.  I made really simple tacos the other day with ground beef, onion, salt, and pepper.  They were delicious.  The boys had them with soft tortillas and my husband and I had cheese (low carb) tortillas.  We serve with all the fixins...salsa, sour cream, guacamole or sliced avocados, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and limes.  

Easy Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa

Ingredients:
1 onion, chunked (I use a sweet onion)
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chunked
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Big handful of fresh cilantro

You could add a piece of jalapeno pepper to spice it up.  I don't add it and we love the flavor.  

Directions:
Put ingredients in the food processor and blend until desired consistency.  You can see how I do this in the video above.  

Adjust seasonings as needed and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.  

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If you have been following a low carb lifestyle, you have probably found yourself craving breads at some point.  My husband and I started eating low carb foods in January.  When we all started staying home all of the time in March, we eased up a bit and enjoyed more baking with the kids.  Now we are somewhere in between, trying to eat a healthy balanced diet with fewer empty carbs, but also enjoying some treats here and there.  These low carb keto everything bagels are one of my favorite breakfast foods that I enjoy without all of the empty carbs.  

These are not like conventional bagels, but they are really good.  I love them fresh and hot right out of the oven or toasted with a smear of cream cheese.  

These bagels are made with a basic fathead dough of mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, almond flour, baking powder, and eggs making them keto and gluten free.  

Since I have been doing some low carb baking, I have gone through several bags of almond flour.  I have been ordering this brand (amazon link) and think it is the best deal I have seen.  I also ordered this everything bagel seasoning (amazon link), but have since seen it for a better price at Aldi.  

Low Carb Keto Everything Bagels
Makes 6 bagels

2 Cups almond flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 Cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs, beaten
Everything bagel seasoning

Directions:
1.   Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.   In a bowl, mix the almond flower and baking powder.
3.  In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the mozzarella and cream cheese together.  Microwave for one minute, stir and microwave another minute.  
4.    Stir together the flour mixture, cheese and eggs. 
5.    Shape into the form of a bagel and place on baking sheet.  I roll balls of dough into little tubes and shape them into do-nut shapes.  
6.    Sprinkle on everything bagel seasoning.
7.    Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

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You won't believe it, but we are still eating sweet potatoes from last summer's crop.  We have almost finished them, but there are still a few left in the garage.  One of our favorite warm weather ways to eat sweet potatoes is to make sweet potato chips.  They are perfect with summer foods like anything on the grill and of course the best side to go with a juicy hamburger.  

My favorite way to make them is to fry them, but they are also really good made in the air fryer.  Try these air fryer sweet potato chips.  You can also make regular potato chips which are really good too.  

I wash the sweet potatoes then slice them thinly with a sharp knife.  You can also use a mandolin, but I get thinner slices with slicing by hand.  

To fry, simply heat some oil (I use peanut oil) until hot in a heavy pot.  It doesn't take much oil.  

I remove the sweet potatoes from the hot oil and cool on a rack over a paper towel lined jelly roll pan like this.  

These yummy sweet potato chips are really easy to make and go perfectly with all of our favorite summer foods.  Fair warning...if your family is anything like mine, they will be gobbled up in no time.  

Sweet Potato Chips
Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes (I use 3 large sweet potatoes for our family of 6)
Peanut oil (or another frying oil)
Salt

Instructions:
1.  Slice sweet potatoes into thin rounds.  
2.  Heat oil on medium high heat on stove in large heavy pot or dutch oven.  You could also use a deep iron skillet.  I only use an inch or two of oil.  
3.  When oil has heated, dip a sweet potato slice in to see if the oil is hot enough to fry the potato.  It will sizzle and start to puff up or curl up a little.  
4.  Stir gently with a slotted utensil paying attention to the crispness and color of the sweet potatoes.  They fry pretty quickly.  I have never timed them, but I don't think it takes more than a couple of minutes.  
5.  Using a slotted utensil, lift the sweet potatoes onto a cooling rack that is positioned over a jelly roll pan.  I put paper towels on the jelly roll pan to soak up any dripped grease.  Salt to taste.
6.  Move to a serving dish to serve.  

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This is the perfect pie combination if there ever was one, banana cream pie with a vanilla wafer crust!  Layers of delicious vanilla cream filling with sliced bananas in a crispy vanilla wafer crust topped with homemade whipped cream...all I can say is yes please!  I'll have another slice.  

Pies served cool like banana cream pie are a summertime favorite.  We also love this chocolate cream pie which my students made when I taught FCS.  

Making this pie filling is fairly simple.  Like my chocolate cream pie filling, I don't temper the egg yolks.  I put everything in the saucepan (except for the butter and vanilla) and bring it to a low boil, stirring frequently.  I find a whisk is useful for stirring the filling while cooking.  The ingredients come to a hot temperature at the same same and do not require tempering.  

Enjoy a slice or two! 

Vanilla Wafer Crust
 Ingredients:
 
2 Cups crushed vanilla wafers
2 T. sugar
½ Cup (1 stick) butter, melted
 
1.  Spray a pie pan with cooking spray.
2.  Mix together wafer crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. 
3.  Press into pie pan.
4.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
5.  Cool before filling.
 
Banana Cream Pie 
Ingredients: 
 
¾ Cup sugar
¼ Cup cornstarch
2 ½ Cups milk (whole if available)
½ tsp. salt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 bananas, depending on size
 
1.  Combine dry ingredients in saucepan. 
2.  Add milk, egg yolks and mix well with a whisk. 
3.  Cook, stirring frequently over medium heat until mixture comes to a low boil.  Boil for two minutes, until mixture thickens like pudding.  Remove from heat.
4.  Stir in butter and vanilla. Cool filling.
5.  Pour half of the cooled filling into pie crust. 
6.  Slice bananas and add a layer of sliced bananas over the filling. 
7.  Then layer remaining pie filling over the bananas. 
8.  Top cooled pie with whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to serve. 
 
Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
 
1 ½ Cups whipping cream
3 to 4 T. sugar depending on how sweet you like it
1 tsp. vanilla extract
 
Combine ingredients in mixer using the whisk attachment.  I usually start out slow to let the sugar dissolve, then whip at high speed until cream is whipped. 
 
Use the splash shield on your mixer bowl if you have one or hold a tea towel up to prevent cream from splashing out of the bowl. 
 
 

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My bread machine cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread post was first published back in 2013.  It has always been relatively popular, but it has bumped up to most popular post the last two months since there has been a rise in home baking.  I decided to do some updates with this new popularity so the boys have been enjoying way too much cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread.  

Enjoy the updated recipe with some new photos.  I left the old ones in too so you can see it in different size pans.  Robert, my littlest helper, and I even made an instructional video.  He is such a cute little helper in the kitchen and an eager assistant.  

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase through one of my links, I will make a small commission helping to support this blog.  

My husband has dreamed of putting in a blueberry patch for years.  Since this is our first spring on our little homestead, we planted blueberries and some raspberries too.  We actually planted these about a month ago.  Spring and fall are the best times to plant blueberries.  (The grass in the pasture is really tall because it will be bailed for hay.)

Since this was a dream of his, he wanted really good established blueberry bushes.  He did some research online and called the owner of a family-owned blueberry farm, True Vine Ranch in Kansas.  The owner was really nice and answered his questions so my husband felt confident ordering from them.  This is not a sponsored post, but we are really happy with these blueberry bushes so sharing our experience.  It was a big investment to order a dozen three year old blueberry bushes so he wanted to make sure he ordered good plants and planted them correctly.  

The blueberries arrived in large boxes as shown without containers, but with a lot of moist soil on the roots.  They were packed six to a box.  

We planted the blueberries in peat moss, per the instructions from True Vine Ranch.  We needed to saturate the peat moss before putting it in the planting holes in the ground.  We lined the back of the little truck bed with a tarp and filled it with peat moss.  I then carried 5-gallon buckets of water from the old well in the pasture to the truck and dumped them in for the kids to mix.  I think we used five bales of peat moss and somewhere around 16 or 17 (5-gallon) buckets of water.  My husband dug all of the holes while we were mixing the peat mixture.  My husband has since put a pump on the well and a hose so we don't have to carry buckets of water anymore.  

The boys helping to mix peat moss and water.  

My husband fertilized with Holly-tone (amazon link) an acidic fertilizer for acid loving plants like blueberries while the boys filled the holes with the peat mixture.  

This poor little guy was done with planting blueberries and ready for a warm bath.  

Planting blueberries was a lot of work and a big investment, but also a wonderful family experience.  We hope to enjoy delicious blueberries and many wonderful family memories of picking berries, and preparing yummy berry dishes for many years to come.  

For more info on growing blueberries check out the Blueberry Council.  

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Egg Roll in a Bowl is one of my favorite easy throw together meals that everyone loves.  I have been making this for years (updating an old post) and we still enjoy it every time.  Cabbage and whole carrots keep in the fridge a long time too so this is a great recipe to make now that we are all staying home and visiting the store less frequently.  Whole cabbage will keep in your fridge for one to two months and whole unpeeled carrots can last several weeks even up to three months in a plastic bag or sealed container in the fridge.  And of course ground beef, pork, or venison is easy to store in the freezer.  

I love the flavors that come together in this dish, especially sesame oil which adds so much flavor.  I add more as I am cooking, checking the flavor as I go.  

This will feed 6-8 people, so if you are cooking for 1 or 2 or even 3, I would halve the recipe unless of course you like lots of yummy leftovers.  

Egg Roll in a Bowl (Egg Roll Stir Fry)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, pork or venison
1-2 onions, diced (depending on size, I sometimes use 2)
1 Tbsp. (or more to taste) sesame oil  (I use a lot more for flavor adding it as I cook.)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 
1/4 - 1/2 cup soy sauce (start with 1/4 cup and add more to taste, I use 1/2 cup)
1 head cabbage, finely sliced
4 carrots, shredded*
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Optional additions: 
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 small can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
Pinch or more red pepper flakes to taste, I like to add 1/4 tsp.

Instructions:
1.  Brown ground meat, onion, and sesame oil in a large skillet or wok.  If using mushrooms, add them here.  Salt and pepper to add a layer of seasoning.

2.  Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce and cabbage and cook until the cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally.  If using water chestnuts, add them here.  

3.  Then add carrots and cook for a few more minutes til everything is hot and tender.  

4.  Salt and pepper again to taste.   Add more soy sauce and sesame oil as needed to taste.  I splash sesame oil in several times while cooking, checking the flavor as I go.  

Add any additional flavors or ingredients you like.  My husband always adds extra ginger to his.  

*If you have a food processor, it will make shredding carrots super easy.

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Disclosure: I received free samples of California Walnuts mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Walnuts and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Do you prefer savory or sweet?  Apparently it is wired in our DNA if we will prefer savory or sweet?  I tend to lean toward the sweet side so I created these Apple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies for this California Walnuts challenge. They are the perfect mid-morning snack, and afternoon snack, and midnight snack...I could pretty much eat them all day long.  

A handful of California walnuts is a versatile snack and can satisfy any taste preference, from savory to sweet.​ Regardless of your flavor preference, walnuts are the only nut to provide an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3, ALA (2.5g/oz).

These apple walnut oatmeal cookies are easy to make and so yummy.  Apples and California Walnuts just go together...add oats and you have perfectly delicious crispy and chewy cookies.  

You have a couple of sweetener options when making these cookies.  I use coconut sugar instead of granulated white sugar because it is lower on the glycemic index, but granulated sugar works well for making these cookies too. 

If you are running short on butter, you can use less by reducing the butter down to 1/2 cup (1 stick).  They will still be delicious, but they will be more like muffin tops or muffin cookies and won't be as crispy.  (pictured below)  If you want to make them more cookie like and less muffin like, use the full amount of butter (original recipe) and they will spread more and be crispier on the edges.  We prefer the crispier edges of the cookies over the "muffin cookies".  

Another tip, you can store butter in the freezer.  I always keep extra butter in the freezer so I never run out.  You can also store nuts in the freezer to keep them fresh longer.  If your butter was stored in the freezer though, it will need to sit out for a while before making cookies.  

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter softened (I always use real butter)
3/4 cup coconut sugar or granulated white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar 
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup apple, peeled and diced (about 1 medium apple)
1 cup quick or old fashioned oats
1 cup California Walnuts, chopped

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.  

3.  Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.  Beat in egg.  Gradually beat in flour mixture and milk.  Stir in apple, oats, and California Walnuts.   

4.  Refrigerate dough for at least one hour.

5.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto un-greased baking sheets.  (I always line my cookie sheets with parchment paper.)  I also use a cookie scoop which makes perfectly rounded tablespoons.  

6.  Bake for 12-13 minutes or until edges are crisp but centers are still soft.  Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.  

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

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I was inspired to make this potato and onion soup because a neighbor gave us a big bunch of beautiful green onions from her garden.  They aren't like the green onions you get in the store, they are so fresh and so much bigger.  We are putting in a huge garden this year and will plant lots of onions.  Even if all you have is grocery store green onions or even just regular onions, make this soup!   It is both delicious and healthy.  

I recently saw this story on The Healthy Home Economist of a 90 year old corona virus survivor who credited her homemade potato soup as having helped her survive.  It was a really simple recipe with vitamin C rich onion and potatoes.  

My recipe feeds a whole family since there are 6 of us, but you could easily halve it.  You can also buy bone broth at the store or you may have some in your freezer if you want the added health benefits of bone broth.  

I made a big pot of this soup the other night for our family and we finished it off that night.  It was delicious!  It was such a hit, the boys asked for more the next day.  

 Potato and Onion Soup
 
Serves 6 (halve if needed)
 
Ingredients:
3 T. butter
1-2 medium onions, diced (I used sweet)
Big bunch green onions, sliced (tops reserved for garnish)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. flour
8 cups vegetable or chicken broth (or mix them)
1 T. dried parsley
6-8 russet potatoes, peeled
1 cup whole milk or half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
12-16 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
 
Instructions:
 
1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or stock pot.  Saute diced onions, the sliced white part of the green onions, and garlic for several minutes over medium heat until tender. 
2. Add flour to onions and stir for a minute or two.  I add some salt and pepper here to add another layer to the flavor. 
3. Next add broth, parsley, and potatoes.  I peel the potatoes and add them whole.  You could chunk them to cook faster. 
4. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender enough to break up with a potato masher (amazon link). 
5. While soup is cooking, you can prepare the bacon.  I cut it up with kitchen shears (amazon link) and then fry it in an iron skillet.  (amazon link)  Set aside the bacon crumbles to use as a garnish.
6. When potatoes are nice and tender (you can poke them with a fork to test them) mash them into the soup with a potato masher. 
7. Stir in milk or half and half.  Salt and pepper to taste. 
8. Garnish with sliced green onion tops and crumbled bacon.
 
 
 

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