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.
These crispy honey chipotle chicken tacos are the perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and spicy — with a crunch that makes every single bite absolutely irresistible. Panko-breaded chicken strips get pan-fried until shatteringly crispy, then drizzled with a sticky honey chipotle sauce that’ll have you licking your fingers. I started making these on Taco Tuesdays … Read more
If you haven’t cooked with gochujang yet, these sticky chicken thighs are about to change your entire dinner routine. The Korean chili paste brings this incredible sweet-smoky-spicy flavor that caramelizes into the crispiest glaze you’ve ever seen on chicken. I make these at least twice a month because they’re embarrassingly easy for how impressive they … Read more
The first time I bit into a homemade jalapeño popper — that snap of crispy bacon, the rush of warm cream cheese, and just enough heat from the pepper to make my lips tingle — I genuinely could not believe I’d been buying the frozen ones from the store for years. Those sad, breadcrumb-covered freezer … Read more
This is the pumpkin bread that ends all pumpkin bread debates. It’s deeply spiced, unbelievably moist, and topped with a brown butter glaze that takes it from great to absolutely extraordinary. One slice and you’ll understand why I make this every single week from September through December. The brown butter glaze is the game-changer that … Read more
These little rice krispie nests are the cutest Easter treat you’ll ever make, and kids absolutely lose their minds over them. They’re basically classic rice krispie treats shaped into bird nests and filled with pastel candy — jelly beans, candy-coated chocolate pieces, and whatever other Easter candy you have lying around. The best part is … Read more
Air fryer chicken wings changed everything I thought I knew about making wings at home. They come out ridiculously crispy — like deep-fried crispy — but without a single drop of oil. The hot air circulates around every wing, rendering the fat out of the skin until it’s paper-thin and shatteringly crunchy. I used to … Read more
These pineapple teriyaki chicken meatballs are sweet, savory, sticky, and completely addictive. Tender ground chicken meatballs get baked until golden, then smothered in a homemade pineapple teriyaki sauce that’s so good you’ll want to drink it with a straw. Chunks of caramelized pineapple throughout add juicy bursts of tropical sweetness. This recipe started as an … Read more
The first time I pulled a rack of these off the grill, my husband actually went quiet mid-sentence. That’s the reaction you want. The bones slide out clean, the bark is dark and sticky, and there’s that beautiful pink smoke ring running through every slice — the kind of ribs that make people stop talking … Read more
These little chia seed energy balls are the ultimate grab-and-go snack — chewy, slightly sweet, packed with protein and fiber, and they take about 10 minutes to make with zero baking required. Just mix, roll, and refrigerate. The chia seeds give these a really satisfying slight crunch and a massive nutrition boost — we’re talking … Read more
Take everything you love about a slice of strawberry cheesecake — the creamy filling, the sweet berry swirl, the buttery graham cracker crust — and blend it into the most luxurious milkshake you’ve ever tasted. This is not your average strawberry shake. This is a full cheesecake experience in a glass. The cream cheese is … Read more
