The Pumpkin Sheet Cake We Can’t Stop Making

The most perfect pumpkin cake with a generous swoop of cream cheese frosting…coming right up! ♡

I have made a lot of pumpkin desserts over the years, but this sheet cake has quickly become a family favorite over the past few weeks. We keep making it, loading up plates to share with friends and neighbors, and getting rave reviews back every single time. I’m telling you, it’s such a winner!!

The pumpkin cake itself is wonderfully moist and fluffy, with plenty of pumpkin flavor and the right blend of warming spices. And because it bakes in a half-sheet pan, you get just the right ratio of cake to tangy cream cheese frosting in every bite. (Important!) It’s also very easy to make and great for feeding a crowd. And if you happen to have leftovers, I highly recommend a slice alongside a warm cup of coffee or breakfast. Divine.

Let’s bake some pumpkin cake!

One Trader Joe’s Run For The Week!

5 easy Trader Joe’s dinners, 1 simple shopping list, and dinner for the week is handled! ♡

Our boys’ new school here in California happens to be right next to a Trader Joe’s, so we’ve been shopping there more than ever lately. And as someone who is always looking for new ways to make weeknight dinners easier, I’ve had so much fun experimenting with more of their shortcut ingredients. So I put together a full week of easy Trader Joe’s dinners for you!

Each of these recipes pairs a few of my favorite TJ’s items with fresh ingredients to create a meals that are legit easy to make and full of flavor. We’re talking sheet pan sweet potato gnocchi, crispy fish tacos with mango-pineapple slaw, a fresh lentil halloumi salad, the yummiest Thai peanut beef noodles and a super-simple 5-ingredient white chicken chili.

You’ll find all five recipes below, along with plenty of helpful tips and substitutions. And if you’d like to take the entire plan to the store, you can download my free printable with all five recipes and one consolidated Trader Joe’s shopping list.

So head over to your local TJ’s and let’s make dinner together this week!

My Favorite Mexican Rice Recipe

Fluffy, tomatoey, perfectly seasoned Mexican rice coming right up. ♡

We cook Mexican food A LOT in our house, and a big pot of rice is one of those easy side dishes that goes with just about everything. After trying many different recipes over the years, this is the one I’ve landed on as my forever favorite.

It’s full of flavor, with just the right amount of cumin, garlic and chili powder in every bite. Sweet corn adds a little pop of texture and sweetness, while fresh cilantro and lime brighten everything up at the end. It turns out perfectly fluffy and flavorful each time. And best of all, it’s always a hit with our whole family.

Let’s make some rice!

My Favorite Chicken Quesadillas

Crispy, cheesy, smoky, a little spicy…these chicken bacon quesadillas are packed with flavor and protein and seriously SO GOOD. ♡

I have a bit of a thing against boring quesadillas that rely on salsa or dips for all of their flavor. So these are loaded with tender seasoned chicken, crispy bacon, black beans, corn, peppers and plenty of melty cheese. They’re boldly seasoned all on their own, although they’re still extremely delicious of course dunked in salsa or guacamole.

I highly recommend cooking the chicken and vegetables here in the leftover bacon drippings for an extra layer of smoky flavor. And with around 44 grams of protein per quesadilla, they’re every bit as filling as they are delicious. Let’s make some quesadillas!

My Kind Of Weeknight Dinner

An easy one-pan dinner that my kids genuinely love? SIGN ME UP. ♡

Now that our boys are back in school and we’re entering our era of extracurricular activities, I feel like I have approximately five minutes of energy left by dinnertime. So I’m leaning hard lately into meals like this one: one pan, 35 minutes, minimal chopping and absolutely no complicated steps. Just brown some chicken sausage and tomatoes, simmer the orzo right there in the same skillet, then stir in a big scoop of basil pesto at the end. And if you happen to love cheese as much as we do in our house, I highly recommend tearing some burrata over the top — YUM.

It’s seriously so easy, the perfect mix of cozy and fresh, and exactly the sort of simple weeknight meal I’m into right now. And best of all, just one pan to clean up!

Foolproof Juicy Skillet Chicken Breasts

Cooking school time! Today we’re going back to the basics with an essential chicken recipe I think everyone should know by heart. ♡

Searing chicken breasts in a skillet seems about as straightforward as it gets, but if you’ve tried it before, you probably know it’s easy for the chicken to accidentally stick, cook unevenly, or never develop that really flavorful golden crust. So this recipe walks through the simple technique I use to get perfectly juicy chicken with a gorgeous sear every time.

Once you’ve got the basic method down, you can honestly take it in any direction you like with various seasonings. Though I’ll admit my favorite way to eat it is still the simplest — just really well seasoned with salt and pepper!

If you have an extra 15 minutes, I highly recommend doing a quick brine before cooking the chicken to keep things extra juicy. But if dinner needs to happen now, just skip it! Good seasoning, a properly heated skillet, and knowing when to flip and pull the chicken from the heat are really the keys here. Let’s get to it!

My Favorite Blueberry Muffins

This is the blueberry muffin recipe I’ve been tweaking for years, and I think I’ve finally got it exactly where I want it. ♡

They’re soft and buttery, absolutely packed with blueberries, and brightened up with lemon zest plus just a hint of almond extract. The crumb is tender, the tops bake up beautifully golden, and they genuinely taste like something you’d pick up from a great little bakery.

And most importantly, these blueberry muffins have gotten RAVE reviews from everyone we’ve shared them with. Our kids absolutely devour them, friends have asked for the recipe, and a full dozen never lasts long around here. I highly recommend finishing them with a sprinkle of coarse sparkling sugar too. It adds the prettiest sparkle and that irresistible little crunch on top!

A Bright, Cozy One-Pan Dinner

I’ve been looking for more easy ways to work zucchini into our weeknight dinner rotation lately, and this one-pan orzo has been such a hit! ♡

It’s loaded with golden browned chicken sausage, tender zucchini, big handfuls of spinach, and creamy orzo, all finished with plenty of fresh lemon and dill and a generous crumble of feta. Somehow it manages to taste bright and fresh while still feeling like comfort food. My kind of meal!

The best part is how completely un-fussy it is. One pan, about 30 minutes start to finish, and that final squeeze of lemon wakes the whole thing up right before it hits the table. It’s exactly the kind of dinner I’m happy to put on repeat right now while zucchini is at its best. Let’s make some!!

The Cornmeal I Keep Coming Back To

Crispy edges, melty cheddar, a little jalapeño heat, and brown butter…totally my kind of cornbread. ♡

This recipe is a cheesy, slightly spicy riff on my favorite cornbread recipe that so many of you have made and loved over the years. It has that same soft, moist crumb, but this time with plenty of sharp cheddar and fresh jalapeño folded in. The heat is pretty gentle, especially if you seed the peppers, so it’s still very crowd-friendly. Of course, if you like things spicy, feel free to toss in an extra chile or two.

Also, the browned butter is absolutely worth the extra few minutes here. It adds this nutty, toasty flavor that makes the whole thing taste even richer, while the hot skillet gives you those fantastic golden, crisp edges. Serve it warm alongside a big bowl of chili and, omg, ENJOY.

A Simple, Cozy Bowl Of Fideo

Toasty noodles, a simple tomato broth, and about 30 minutes are all you need. ♡

Fideo has been a nostalgic favorite of mine ever since high school, when a few of my friends first introduced me to the soup they’d grown up eating. If it’s new to you, sopa de fideo is a classic Mexican noodle soup made with short, thin noodles (“fideos“) that are toasted in oil before simmering in a tomato-based broth. It’s such a simple step, but browning the noodles first gives them this wonderfully nutty flavor and makes the whole soup taste so much richer.

I like my fideo nice and brothy, with the noodles toasted until deeply golden and a quick blended tomato sauce that keeps prep to a minimum. I also like to stir the cilantro directly into the soup as it simmers to give the broth an extra layer of flavor. It’s absolutely delicious exactly as written, but also totally easy to customize with shredded chicken, ground beef, beans, or whatever extra veggies you’d like to toss in. Our whole family adores this soup, and I’m sure you will too!