Author name: Karen Gifford

BBQ Chicken Bowls

BBQ Chicken Bowls are my new favorite summer meal! We’re taking all the flavors or your favorite backyard cookout and putting them together in a delicious and healthy bowl. BBQ grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, baked beans, corn, coleslaw, and cornbread. All topped with the best BBQ sauce and ranch dressing! I love to make this…

Easy Coleslaw Recipe

I grew up HATING coleslaw, but I’m convinced that I had just never had a decent batch. This easy Coleslaw recipe is creamy, crunchy, and ZIPPY from the lemon! A tasty side dish that you can make in 10 minutes on a weeknight. It calls for bagged angel hair cabbage (read: minimal chopping). Perfect side…

Philly Cheesesteak Recipe

A Philly Cheesesteak recipe is one that people love to argue about. Provolone vs. Cheese Whiz? Bell pepper and mushrooms or not? Guys, we got this. I’m going to show you how to make an amazing sandwich with melt-in-your-mouth, perfectly seasoned ribeye beef, lots of melty cheese, and a buttery-toasty bun. And then you can…

Egg Roll in a Bowl

Egg roll in a bowl is the BEST high protein, low carb dinner! I love me a classic egg roll (in all its fried glory), but don’t sleep on what’s inside. Beef and finely shredded carrots and cabbage meld together with the perfect sauce, all cooked in a skillet in 30 minutes. Then top it…

Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet

Kielbasa and cabbage go together like salt and pepper! My whole family loves this quick and EASY 30 minute Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet! Sear the sausage until it’s blackened, then saute cabbage in enough butter that you are not sure it’s healthy anymore (it is! it is!) Season with whole grain mustard and apple cider…

Easy Hummus Recipe

This 15-minute Hummus recipe has knock-your-socks-off flavor! Nutty, garlicky, lemony bliss. I have discovered the secret for hummus with the perfect creamy texture that does NOT require the annoying step of picking out chickpea skins. It’s a miracle! Make this as an appetizer or as a staple condiment, you will find yourself putting it on…

Basil Chicken Arugula Salad

Basil Chicken Arugula Salad is SO easy and perfect for summer! Chicken marinated with pesto, on a bed of peppery arugula, topped with white beans and a tangy lemon vinaigrette! I am not a salad person but this meal is literally my new obsession. Perfect for a light summer dinner or lunch, or to bring…

Homemade Pesto Chicken

Sometimes you just need EASY. This Homemade Pesto Chicken is exactly that! You need this recipe up your sleeve, just waiting to save your dinner situation on a busy weeknight. Pesto chicken has exactly 3 ingredients and comes together in a flash, but does not skimp on flavor! Pair it with pasta or with a…

Basil Pesto Sauce

Pesto is the EASIEST way to make a dish instantly more classy, and it’s SO easy to make homemade. It’s basically cheese and nuts crushed up with olive oil, with some intense fresh basil action going on. What’s not to love here? It’s the perfect sauce for pasta, chicken, beef, in salads or on sandwiches,…

Orange Rolls Recipe

Orange rolls: not as good as cinnamon rolls, right? WRONG. I’m absolutely obsessed with these zingy orange sweet rolls. The filling is basically orange candy that melts into the rolls as they bake. I’ve never seen another recipe like it. Usually orange rolls are all like “hint of orange.” Not these bad boys. They will…

French Carrot Salad

French Carrot Salad is a humble little side dish that will absolutely steal the show. I fell in love with it in Paris 10 years ago, where the French serve it with just about everything. I don’t know why this isn’t a thing in America: crisp, sweet, freshly grated carrots tossed with a super easy…

Classic Cheese Ball

Allow me to introduce you to my cheddar half: the beloved Classic Cheese Ball! I ALWAYS dive into the cheese ball first when I’m at a party. Filled with three cheeses, herbs, seasonings, a secret ingredient, and covered in buttery salted pecans. PLUS it’s such an easy make ahead recipe! This is my new go-to…

Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs

I have given Mr. Reese a lot of money over the years as a result of my Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs addiction. Every dollar spent was well worth it to enjoy that salty-sweet, creamy-yet-crumbly, peanut butter-and-chocolate perfection. But now? I have figured out how to make them at home! The homemade version is even better,…

Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

BEHOLD: the day has come. The day that I’ve finally mastered Peanut Butter Fudge. Readers have been asking for this recipe for 10 years. It has the EXACT same fudgy, rich, moist texture as classic chocolate fudge made with marshmallow fluff, but has intense peanut butter flavor. It’s decadent and you can’t stop at one…

Butternut Squash Tortellini

I love Butternut Squash Tortellini! There is something so fall and homey about it. This recipe has a simple browned butter sauce, toasty pecans, crispy sage leaves, and Parmesan cheese. Did I mention all the action happens in ONE pan in about 30 minutes? This easy weeknight dinner will be your new fall favorite! How…

Creamed Spinach Recipe

Creamed Spinach is your new favorite side dish. What it lacks in looks, it makes up for in dreamy, creamy, bright flavor. It is the perfect plate unifier; it brings together all the other elements of your meal, especially between your mashed potatoes and perfectly seared steak. But it also ties together your Thanksgiving plate…

My 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

What should I get everybody for Christmas?? Here’s your answer, from me, The Gift Charlatan, a big fan of next-day delivery and getting ideas for presents from the internet. It’s the moooost wonderful tiiiime, of the year!! Shopping season is upon us my friends. To be perfectly honest, this IS my favorite time of year,…

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Sheet Cake is perfectly moist, spicy, and dare I say, PUMPKIN-Y. The pumpkin flavor really shines through! Bake in a half sheet pan for a thin (but still fluffy) cake that results in the exact cake-to-frosting ratio that I always aim for when I take a bite of cake. Top it with Maple Cream…

Butternut Squash Lasagna

This Butternut Squash Lasagna is the vegetarian main dish of my dreams! Layers of noodles, roasted squash, buttery spinach, a rich and savory cream sauce, and of course lots of Parmesan cheese make this the fall casserole that will steal the show this Thanksgiving. Delicious and hearty, it’s the perfect comfort food on a chilly…

Step by Step Guide to Cutting a Butternut Squash (Safely)

I think half the reason people don’t eat butternut squash is fear of cutting it. (It me) Well, fear be gone! Cutting a squash is simpler than it looks. I’m going to show you how a real deal (charlatan) chef does it, with all the best tricks to make it as easy as possible. The next time…

20 Recipes for a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving makes even the most confident cook start second-guessing everything. It’s ok guys, you don’t need to secretly Google “is crying into gravy considered seasoning” while pretending everything’s fine 😂 I’ve rounded up 20 classic Thanksgiving recipes that taste just like Grandma’s, minus the mystery instructions written in cursive on a butter-stained index card. We’re…

Make the Apple Pie (and Apple Crisp) of Your Dreams

Apples. Apples everywhere. The moment fall hits, I suddenly become that person. It’s all about apple picking, homemade applesauce, and “just whipping up a quick pie.” I’m over here in my gingham apron, with flour on my nose, dreamily rolling out crust, remembering the tragic past: a past in which I used to HATE apple…

Sheet Pan Quesadillas with Chicken

The only thing easier than Sheet Pan Chicken Quesadillas…is making a regular quesadilla. But with this easy oven recipe, you can feed the whole family and not have to stand at the stove making a bunch in a row! These quesadillas are stuffed with chicken, pinto beans, tomatoes, green onions, and of course plenty of…

15 Game Day Recipes Worth Cheering For (No Team Required)

“Defense! Defense!“ *cue me looking around to the chanting people in the room, trying to figure out what exactly is going on.* Guys, I’m just here for the snacks. I’m the stepsister on Ever After whose mother claims she only goes to parties for the food. Still, if you have any sports fans in your…

Moist Red Velvet Cake with Incredible Flavor

I used to think Red Velvet Cake was superfluous. Why would I want a dyed-red less-than-chocolate cake? But oh, my friends. I have been converted. When done right, Red Velvet is incredibly unique and indulgent. It’s not just a treat for the eyes! There is a reason this recipe has become a classic. The velvety…

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