Weeknight-friendly recipes from Sarah Mitchell — a home cook in Austin, Texas, who’s been feeding a family of five on a weekly meal plan since 2018. Every recipe has been cooked in her own kitchen, usually more than once, and tested on a picky audience that includes three kids with strong opinions about dinner. You’ll find 30-minute dinners, sheet-pan meals, Instant Pot shortcuts, Texas-style BBQ recipes, family-friendly chicken and seafood mains, easy desserts, and the kind of straightforward cooking that works on a Tuesday. Short ingredient lists, everyday pantry staples, clear instructions — no culinary-school jargon. Browse the latest easy recipes below.
I’ve been perfecting mac and cheese for years, and this recipe is the result of all that testing. It’s not the kind from a box — it’s the real deal with a homemade cheese sauce that uses three different cheeses for the most complex, rich flavor. Sharp cheddar for tang, Gruyère for nuttiness, and a … Read more
Nothing fills a house with warmth quite like the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. These are soft, pillowy, and absolutely drenched in the most decadent cream cheese frosting that melts right into all those swirly layers of cinnamon sugar. I used to be intimidated by yeast doughs, but this recipe changed everything … Read more
These black bean tacos are the meal I make when I open the fridge and think there’s nothing to eat. A can of black beans, some spices, a few toppings, and dinner is on the table in 20 minutes. They’re vegetarian, but even the biggest meat lovers in my family don’t complain because the beans … Read more
This broccoli cheddar soup is pure comfort in a bowl. It’s thick, creamy, and loaded with sharp cheddar cheese that melts into the most velvety soup you’ve ever tasted. I’ve been making this recipe for years, and it’s the one my family requests the most when the weather gets chilly. What I love about this … Read more
I’ve tested dozens of chocolate chip cookie recipes over the years, and this is the one that finally made me stop looking. These cookies are soft in the middle, chewy around the edges, and loaded with pools of melted chocolate in every single bite. The trick is using more brown sugar than white, which adds … Read more
Salmon used to intimidate me. I was always worried about overcooking it or not seasoning it right. Then I discovered this garlic butter method, and now I make salmon at least once a week. It’s foolproof — the butter bastes the fish as it cooks, keeping it incredibly moist, and the garlic gets golden and … Read more
These brownies are everything a brownie should be — dense, fudgy, crackly on top, and so intensely chocolatey that one square is never enough. I’ve been making this recipe for years, and it’s the one I always come back to when I need a dessert that impresses without any fuss. The secret is using melted … Read more
I’ll never understand why people buy pancake mix when pancakes from scratch take exactly the same amount of time and taste a thousand times better. These buttermilk pancakes are thick, fluffy, and have that perfect tang from the buttermilk that balances out the sweetness of the maple syrup. The secret to truly fluffy pancakes is … Read more
These energy bites are the snack I always have in my fridge. They taste like a peanut butter cup had a baby with an oatmeal cookie, but they’re actually packed with good stuff — oats, flaxseed, and honey. No baking, no cooking, just mix, roll, and chill. I started making them for my kids’ lunchboxes, … Read more
Once you learn how to make fried rice at home, you’ll never order it from a takeout menu again. The secret that most recipes don’t tell you is that you need cold, day-old rice. Fresh rice is too wet and steamy to fry properly — it just turns into a mushy mess. But leftover rice … Read more
