Easiest Way To Cook Chicken Breasts

The air fryer is probably the easiest, fastest way I know to cook chicken breasts. And on a busy night, I’m all for making dinner a little easier! ♡

A quick brush of olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic and smoked paprika, and into the air fryer they go. The seasonings are simple, so the chicken can fit right in with whatever you’re making, whether that’s a big salad, a grain bowl, wraps or a simple chicken dinner with your favorite sides.

If you have an extra 15 minutes, I’ve also included the optional saltwater brine from my baked chicken breasts recipe, which so many of you have loved over the years. It’s an easy little step that can making a big difference in keeping the chicken juicy! Just be sure to pound the breasts to an even thickness so that they cook evenly, keep your thermometer handy, and give the chicken a few minutes to rest before slicing. Yet again, the air fryer is making our lives easier.

A Little Something Sweet This Fall

Warm apple crisp, soft spiced cookies, pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting…fall dessert season is here! ♡

I’ve rounded up 25 of my favorite fall dessert recipes that I’ve shared over the years, with plenty of pumpkin and apple classics plus chai cookies (pictured above), cranberry crisp, homemade caramel corn and more. There are cakes and pies for a dinner with friends, cookies and bars to share, and a few sweet snacks and coffee cakes for those days when you just feel like making a little something sweet and cozy.

So give this list a scroll, and I hope you’ll find a few new favorites to add to your fall baking list!

My Favorite Huevos Rancheros Recipe

Lightly crisped tortillas, creamy black beans and fried eggs with smoky tomato sauce coming right up! ♡

I absolutely love ordering huevos rancheros whenever I see them on a menu. And after years of tinkering with my homemade version, this is the one I keep coming back to. The ranchero sauce starts with broiled tomatoes, onion, chiles and garlic, plus a little chipotle powder for extra smoky flavor and a squeeze of lime to brighten everything up. Spoon it over corn tortillas spread with warm refried beans, add your eggs, then pile on whichever toppings you love best. So much to love in every bite! (Plus plenty of protein and fiber too!!)

There are a few components here to make, but each one is simple. You can get the beans going while the vegetables broil, then crisp the tortillas and cook the eggs just before serving. Set out some crumbled cheese, avocado and cilantro, let everyone load up their plate, and ENJOY. So good!

A Quick Fish Dinner Our Family LOVES!

Smoky, spicy, lemony fish in a matter of minutes? Count me in. ♡

Tilapia has long been one of my favorite back-pocket dinner options because it’s easy to keep a bag in the freezer and cooks SO quickly with whatever seasonings you throw its way. This blackened version gets a little brush of butter and a generous coating of smoky paprika, garlic, dried herbs and cayenne, then a quick sizzle in a hot skillet. And the result is the most tender, flaky fish with a bold, beautifully seasoned crust. Bonus, my kids love this one too!

I usually serve it up simply with rice and air fryer veggies (also ready in a flash!). But you could easily tuck it into tortillas with crunchy slaw to make blackened fish tacos, layer it into a big green salad, or build rice bowls with avocado and your favorite veggies. However you serve this blackened tilapia, I promise it’s such a winner!

Smoky Lentil Andouille Soup

This smoky andouille lentil soup is exactly what I want simmering on the stove this time of year. ♡

It has that mix I’m always looking for: plenty of protein, fiber and veggies, with lots of bold, zesty flavor in every spoonful. It’s one of those soups that’s nice and filling without feeling too heavy, and most of the cooking time is just the lentils doing their thing on the stove. My kind of dinner!

The broth is filled with layers of savory flavors, thanks to the smoky andouille, fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic and smoked paprika. Then everything is finished with lots of fresh kale and a squeeze of lemon to brighten everything up. Ladle it into bowls, grab some crusty bread if you’d like for dipping, and dive on in!

My Favorite Easy Fall Dinner Recipes

Looking for some cozy fall dinner ideas to work into your weeknight rotation? Here are more than 40 of my favorites! ♡

Fall cooking is hands-down my favorite kind of cooking. It’s soup season, stew season and big-pan-of-pasta season, and it’s when so many of my favorite ingredients show up at once: butternut squash, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, apples, cabbage and of course, pumpkin. Most of these dinners come together in one pot or one pan, and plenty of them take care of themselves once everything’s in.

So whether you’re after something slow and cozy for a Sunday or something you can get on the table in 30 minutes on a Tuesday, I’ve rounded up my favorite fall dinners below. There are soups and chilis, cheesy pastas and casseroles, sheet pan and slow cooker options, and lots of vegetarian picks too. And if you need the perfect fall dessert recipe to wrap up your meal, I highly recommend trying my new pumpkin sheet cake (with the dreamiest cream cheese frosting). Divine!

Let’s make some dinner!

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!