Peach Dump Cake

This is one of the easiest and most delicious dessert recipes ever- seriously this is an amazing recipe to hang on to! It's only three ingredients but it tastes heavenly. It's kind of like a lazy man's peach cobbler. It uses canned peaches so it can be made any time of the year, unlike peach cobbler which is a special treat for those late summer days. You can also make it in the microwave. Baking it is of course much better, and the only option if you're serving it to guests, but if you just want a quick treat to cure your sweet tooth you can whip this up in thirty seconds.

Peach Dump Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix 
• 1 big can of peaches in syrup (29 oz about)
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Pour peaches with juice into a 9x13 pan. 
3. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the peaches. 
4. Slice butter into thin squares over the cake and peaches in an even pattern. 
5. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and bubbly. The texture gets better as it cools, but you can eat it hot with ice cream if you're impatient. 

Chicken Salad

This is a really easy solid recipe for chicken salad- really good with croissants, on sandwiches, or mixed with pasta for a pasta salad. It's really similar to tuna salad, just with different meat and mix ins but pretty much the same sauce. I usually eyeball it and just do it to taste, but I put measurements as guidelines on the recipe.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 5ish oz chicken (ya know just a small bowlful if it's for one person) 
• little less than 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt 
• 1/2 Tbsp ish of miracle whip (taste and see if you want more sweet tang then add more)
• 1 celery stalk diced 
• 1 tsp dried onion powder (or real diced onion)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• sprinkle of lemon juice (really not much, just a few drops) 
• 1/2 cup grapes, halved 
• 2 Tbsp cashews

Directions:

1. Combine tuna greek yogurt and miracle whip to taste. Add in everything else. Serve with croissants, bread, or combine with 1 cup pasta (and more greek yogurt/miracle whip) for a pasta salad. 

Tuna Salad

This is my go-to recipe for tuna salad (ya know the kind perfect on sandwiches or to dip veggies like celery in). I like it with less mayo than most recipes and sub in some greek yogurt so it still is moist without having a weird sweetness. For add ins with tuna I like pickles and celery, I keep fruit and nuts for chicken salad, tuna salad is strictly savory. I like how you can make this super fast, it's really good for lunches. I never measure anything, I just spoon in greek yogurt and miracle whip to taste, but I put them there as guidelines.

Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 5oz can tuna, drained
• little less than 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt 
• 1/2 Tbsp ish of miracle whip (taste and see if you want more sweet tang then add more)
• 1 celery stalk diced 
• 1 tsp dried onion powder (or real diced onion)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• sprinkle of lemon juice (really not much, just a few drops) 
• diced pickles (like half a big one or six baby dills)

Directions:

1. Combine tuna greek yogurt and miracle whip to taste. Add in everything else.

Taco Soup

This is a dinner staple at our house. Mom actually gets sick of it because we have it so often. The reason it's always on repeat is because it's super easy and can be done in 5 minutes. It's super healthy, and SO delicious.

This is a classic comfort food for me. In middle school I remember coming home and reading the Goose Girl series by Shannon Hale in the winter and eating taco soup (and sometimes wheat rolls and melted honey butter). It was warm and comforting during the chilly winter.

This is easily doubled.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 can diced tomatoes (10ish oz)
• 1 can corn
• 1 can tomato sauce (small, like 3 ish oz)
• 1 cup cooked black/pinto beans
• 1/2 lb ground beef (like a cup or more)
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning, other seasonings like garlic/onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• water if you want it like soup, no water if you like it like chili

Directions:

1. Put everything in a large pot, don't drain the cans of their juice. 
2. Stir it until combined, simmer as long as you like. You can eat as soon as it's warm, but the longer it cooks the better it gets. 
3. Serve with cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.

Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

Beef and cheese enchiladas are a popular meal at our house. Everyone (including picky kids) loves them, they're healthy, and are incredibly fast. They can be done within fifteen minutes. They're super easy, just throw everything in a pot, wrap in tortillas, and sprinkle on cheese. They hold up well in the fridge, so leftovers can be for lunch the next day.

The recipe is easily customisable, the ingredients are just tortillas, beef, tomato sauce, beans, cheese, taco seasoning, spinach. Add more or less beef, more or less tortillas, cheese, beans, spinach, based on what you want and how many people you want to feed.

Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cooked ground beef (like a cup or two, less meat = cheaper)
• 8 soft tortillas (more tortillas = more servings)
• 3 cups grated cheese (less cheese = healthier)
• 1 small can tomato sauce (like 1 oz?)
• 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, plus any other spices like garlic, onion, etc.
• 1 cup black beans (beans are cheap)
• 2 cups raw spinach (about 3 leaves per tortilla)

Directions:

1. Over high heat (high heat = faster) combine tomato sauce, taco seasoning, 1 cup of cheese (or less), beef, and beans, until combined and warm. 
2. Scoop mixture into cooked tortillas, place in some spinach, roll up, place in 9x13 pan. Repeat until the filling is gone. Sprinkle on cheese over the top. 
3. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until the tops are crunchy and toasty brown. (you can pull them out sooner if you're in a hurry)

Sausuage Gravy & Biscuits

I made these in my Teen Living class. They're super easy, and so delicious!

These are perfect for when you need dinner done in ten minutes. It's really fast, and tastes amazing.

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits 1 (9.6 ounce) package Jimmy Dean® Original Hearty Pork Sausage Crumbles

1/4 cup flour 2 1/2 cups milk Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Bake biscuits according to package directions.
2.	Meanwhile, cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat 5-6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk; cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3.	Split biscuits in half. Place 2 halves on each of 8 plates; top with about 1/3 cup gravy.