Traditional Coq au Vin is a centuries old dish and a staple in French cuisine. It's an incredibly hearty and comforting dish built with a bit of time and layer upon layer of flavor.

The foundational ingredients are all browned in batches first, then red wine and seasoned broth are added while scraping up that flavorful fond (the browned bits at the bottom of the pan), then it's all slowly braised over a low heat until everything is tender and infused with rich flavor. From there the sauce is thickened with a roux (flour and butter mixture), and the bacon is added back at the end to maintain its crispness.

It's such a memorable dish with full bodied flavor. There's a reason it's become a world renowned dish!

Serve it with one of the many options listed below. I would say you can never go wrong with mashed potatoes to complement its rustic, homestyle goodness.

What is Beef Bourguignon?

Beef Bourguignon (which is pronounced beef boar-gin-yaan) is a signature French stew made up chunks of rich beef braised in a deeply flavored red wine based sauce, along with aromatic vegetables such as pearl onions and browned mushrooms. Often times it includes another rich meat such as pork (bacon!), and it also includes plenty of herbs for complementary fresh flavor.

It is a humble, rustic style dish yet somehow at the same time if seems luxurious with such sophisticated flavor. It's creates a main dish worthy of a holiday celebration!

Wondering what to serve with Beef Bourguignon? It's best paired with mashed potatoes or a hearty artisan bread because there's so much of that complex gravy-like sauce to be soaked up by pairing with something so appropriately fitting.

What is Spatchcock Chicken?

Spatchcock chicken is a whole chicken that has had the backbone removed and it's butterflied, then it is turned to the opposite side and breastbone is cracked to flatten the chicken. Then benefit of spatchcock chicken is that since it's splayed flat it cooks quicker and more evenly than a chicken left whole in its more natural rounded form.

Another great thing about this method is that no special ingredients are needed and no roasting pan is required. Just a simple ingredients and a standard baking sheet are used. You could even swap out the fresh herbs for dried if that's what you have on hand (just use 1/3 the amounts).

When roasting a whole chicken I've found I prefer to include vegetables alongside it for two reasons. An obvious reason is that you get a side dish cooked at the same time, and the other benefit is there's far less smoking in the oven. Win win.

This recipe yields tender juicy chicken with highlighting complementary flavors of lemon and herbs. And paired alongside are those golden brown, garlicky roasted vegetables to round it out. It's such a cozy meal in one, and if you want an extra upgrade pair it with simple 1-Hour Dinner Rolls.

Recipe also includes stovetop and Instant Pot cooking methods.

Want to take these to the next level? Serve them over homemade corn tortillas or flour tortillas.

Shredded Beef Tacos

This is truly a family favorite recipe! I first shared it way back in 2012 it was one of my original go-to recipes and still is! I make it all the time for parties, family get togethers, weeknight meals and for freeze ahead meal prep.

It's one of the easiest things you can make, the beef is so tender and brimming with flavor, and people of all ages enjoy these tacos.

Personally I'm a total food snob and will only make this using the method of browning before slow-cooking, but for really busy people you can skip the browning method and you'll still have a tasty dinner.

The other great thing about this shredded beef taco recipe is that you can use leftover beef for so many other dishes such as enchiladas, taquitos, nachos, quesadillas, tamales or burritos. And if you are in a hurry you can just serve these street taco style with simply the beef, cilantro, onion and lime.

I've also updated this recipe with notes including a stove-top cooking option for those of you who don't have a slow cooker or just prefer it to be ready faster. And I've also included and option for cooking it in a pressure cooker. Of the three I like slow cooking the best but use what works for you and your schedule and the equipment you have.

Love these types of easy dinners? Also try my one pan Ground Beef Stroganoff and American style Goulash.

This hearty, cheesy taco pasta is two homestyle dishes combined into one and people of all ages love it! It's a simple one pan dinner that you can have ready in just over 30 minutes.

If you aren't familiar with this dish it may sound strange but trust me it's actually such a super satisfying, completely enjoyable dinner. It's like those pasta dishes from the 90's that maybe started with a box, but this is 100 times better!

It's a very adaptable recipe too. You can add different mix-ins to use up ingredients you may already have, or try swapping out the protein or pasta. Just stick with the base and seasonings used, and always add cheese because it's truly a main highlight of the dish.

Looking for a good side to pair with this soup? Try my homemade breadsticks, buttery garlic bread, or arugula salad.

Homemade Mini Meatball Soup

This meatball soup is a comforting soup reminiscent of spaghetti and meatballs but in homestyle, sip-able soup form! It's an excellent thing to prepare to warm up with after a long chilly day and it pairs beautifully with salad or bread.

For a meatball vegetable soup it can be modified to reduce the carbs and replace the pasta with more vegetables. There are also options to replace the ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken, or use other various types of pasta (all these ideas addressed in the variations and questions below).

Just keep in mind if you plan on having extra servings you may want to consider cooking the pasta separately if you are like me and hate soggy pasta (just reduce the broth by 1 cup if doing so).

Happy fall and welcome to sweater weather and soup season!

So Much to Love About Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Veggies

Welcome to your new go-to weeknight dinner staple recipe! This simple recipe is made with shelf stable gnocchi yet it doesn't even need to be cooked beforehand.

Everything is just tossed together with olive oil on one big baking sheet, then oven roasted and finished with parmesan. Dinner really doesn't get any easier than this!

It's such a fresh tasting, flavorful dinner highlighted with herby, garlicky, parmesan goodness. It's a very hands off meal with such a simple prep and you can have it ready in under 30 minutes. It's adaptable too and you can use up other vegetables you have on hand (ideas listed below).

Plus it's a dish everyone can agree on. There are just so many things to love about this gnocchi, zucchini and tomato sheet pan dinner!

Pair it with chicken, steak or salmon to round out the meal, or just keep it vegetarian and serve it with a side salad.

What are Huevos Rancheros?

Huevos Rancheros is a traditional Mexican dish made up of warmed corn tortillas, a cooked salsa (red tomato salsa or green tomatillo salsa), and fried eggs. It is pronounced way-vows-rhan-che-rohs and translates meaning rancher's eggs.

They are frequently served with refried beans or black beans on top or as a side, and you can garnish them with various toppings.

This version is easy to prepare and is fairly quick compared to other versions. That is thanks to a food processor, because we skip the option of roasting the tomatoes and veggies for speed (though there's no lack in fresh flavor), and here  the recipe calls for ground chili powder rather than managing the steps of whole dried peppers.

This Huevos Rancheros is practically perfect and such a welcome comforting way to start the day. You may even likely find you are craving it for not only breakfast but lunch or dinner too!

Make it a complete meal served with chorizo or sausage, and don't forget that side of beans.

Want to make the best fajitas ever? Then be sure to serve with my homemade flour tortillas if time allows (prep while the chicken marinates). Easily worth the extra bit of effort!

Easy Homemade Chicken Fajitas

Chicken fajitas are most commonly made with chicken breasts but chicken thighs are the best, and this is my tested and perfected recipe I'm so happy to share with you!

Chicken is soaked in a seasoned, lime and oil based marinade then pan seared in a hot cast iron skillet to achieve a flavorful charred exterior with crisped edges, and juicy, tender interior.

After which fresh multi-color bell peppers, and boldly flavored onions and garlic are sautéed to a perfect tender crisp texture in the same piping hot skillet.

Then to assemble fajitas chicken is sliced, and mounded over flour tortillas along with those flavorful veggies.

It's a restaurant favorite, classic Tex-Mex recipe you'll never want to lose!

Can’t get enough of these flavors? Try my creamy spinach artichoke tortellini and this spinach artichoke pizza. You might also love this grilled cheese!

Creamy spinach artichoke chicken has all the flavors of spinach artichoke dip, wrapped up in a delicious and easy chicken dinner. Juicy pan-seared chicken breasts are nestled in a mouthwatering cream sauce with heaps of cheese, briny artichokes, and savory spinach. It’s a quick comfort food dinner that you’ll be craving until the next time you make it. The cherry on top? Everything cooks in the same pan, so clean-up is extra easy. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!