Happy Friday Reader!

It's always fun to look back and see what the most popular recipes of the year were. But before I look back, here's a new, easy recipe for 2026 that will have you enjoying classic Italian without fuss and on a tight budget.

​Easy Spaghetti Recipe: One-Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce​

This easy one-pot spaghetti gets a scrumptious Italian dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. Loved by young and old, it's a recipe to reach for on busy weeknights or when you're craving simple comfort to give you a well-deserved break from winter's cold. Simple, affordable pantry ingredients make this a winner anytime you serve it. It's definitely going to be on repeat in our meal plan.

Get the Easy Recipe: Easy Spaghetti Recipe​

Our Top 30 Recipes of 2025

Here are the top 30 recipes from the blog in 2025. These were the most visited and saved recipes of our year. They're already trending in 2026, too, so be sure to add them to your personal collection. Enjoy!

30. Walking Taco Casserole Recipe (Frito Pie)​

29. Best Crock Pot Ham Recipe, 3-Ingredient Simple​

28. Chicken Crunchwrap Supreme​

27. Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust, Easy and Delicious​

​

26. Easy Deviled Eggs Recipe​

25. (Southwest Spice Blend) Southwest Seasoning, Easy Delicious Recipe​

24. Hashbrown Casserole aka Funeral Potatoes, Easy Side Dish Recipe​

23. Ham and Beans Recipe​

22. BBQ Country Style Ribs Recipe in Your Slow Cooker​

21. How to Cook Brown Rice Perfectly​

​

20. Mexican Rice Recipe, 10-Minutes & Easy​

19. Strawberry Cottage Cheese Salad​

18. Homemade Beef Bouillon Powder Recipe (Vegan)​

17. Homemade Chicken Bouillon Powder – Easy Vegan Seasoning Blend​

16. Homemade Beef Summer Sausage​

15. Baked Bean Casserole (Cowboy Beans) or Baked Beans with Hamburger​

​

14. Best Easy Coleslaw with Homemade Coleslaw Dressing​

13. Pepper Steak Recipe | Easy 30 Minute Stir Fry Meal​

12. Lime Jello Salad With Cottage Cheese: Delish Vintage Side Dish​

11. Mandarin Orange Salad | Easy 5-Ingredient Orange Jello Salad​

10. Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts, the Juicy Secret​

​

9. Quick and Easy Roast Beef Gravy​

8. Glenda’s Easy Creamy Chicken and Noodles Recipe​

7. Tuna Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup (Tuna and Noodles​

6. Small-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies​

5. Hamburger Potato Casserole – Easy, Delicious One Pot Meal​

​

4. Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe​

3. Best Easy Chili Recipe, Quick and Easy 30 Minute Meal​

​

2. Peanut Clusters Recipe, Easy, 3-Ingredient & Delicious​

1. Easy Slow Cooker Beef Cube Steak​

​

Whether you’re looking for a cozy casserole, a quick weeknight dinner, or a sweet treat to tuck away for later, this list is packed with tried-and-true favorites you can count on.

These are the recipes you came back to again and again in 2025—and it’s easy to see why. Simple ingredients, straightforward steps, and comforting flavors make every one a keeper.

I hope this collection helps make meal planning easier and inspires you to revisit an old favorite (or discover a new one) in the year ahead.

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend! Share delicious homemade food with the people you love most, and I hope someone else does your dishes, Friend. Hugs!

What's For Dinner?

This is the part of the newsletter where I share recipe ideas from some of my best blogging friends and myself to inspire you with what's for dinner at our houses this week. That gives you seven days' worth of new recipes to encourage you to cook at home this week! You can totally do it! We've got you!

• ​Potato Hamburger Casserole from Laura at Little House Big Alaska
• ​Sausage Spinach Quiche from Gen at Two Cloves Kitchen
• ​Easy Taco Bowls (gluten -free) from Glenda​
• ​Lentil Curry from Rupali at Caramel and Spice
• ​Instant Pot Chicken and Barley Soup from Sue at Sula and Spice
• ​Crockpot Olive Garden Chicken from Lori at A Reinvented Mom
• ​One Pot Rice and Beans from Kristin at Dizzy Busy and Hungry

​

Tools I'm Loving in My Own Kitchen

These are Amazon and Walmart affiliate links to some of my favorite kitchen tools . I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases. You can read my affiliate disclosure here.

• ​Crock Pot - This is one of three slow cookers I use on a regular basis. Yes, three. lol I mean what does a girl do when she is making Crock Pot Potato Soup, delectable Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts and Slow Cooker Beef Stew all at the same time? lol This beauty is an 8-qt. giant that can handle anything I throw at her. And she was cheap, as crock pots go.
• Pyrex ​Mixing Bowls​ I use these daily. Of course, they're great for stirring together the ingredients for a recipe. But they're also perfect for storing leftovers and serving dishes like this scrumptious ​Best Easy Chickpea Salad​. Another great feature is that they come with lids, so leftovers can easily go straight to the fridge. For potlucks, I can toss together a quick salad, snap on the lid and go.
• I pull out this Oven-Sized Air Fryer Basket, several times a week. It holds enough for an entire family, so I don't have to make multiple small batches. It's become my go-to for reheating pizza, making taco fries (taco potatoes) or even roasting chicken and veggies, plus so much more. It's become an essential tool in my get-dinner-on-quick kitchen.
• My ​Deep Dish 9x13 Ceramic Baking Pan​ is perfect for casseroles, ​Tuna Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup​, cakes and more.​
• ​​12 qt. Stainless Steel Stock Pot with Lid​ - This is my ​soup, stew and chili​ go-to pot. And it's the one I reach for when making ​mashed potatoes​ for a big gathering. Plenty of room for making large batches.
• ​​18x13 Half-Sheet Rimmed Baking Sheets​: I have six of these cookie sheets and I bought them 13 years ago. I LOVE them! They are stainless steel professional grade sheets that are warp resistant. I use them for cookies, brownies, sheet pan dinners and baking bacon. They're an essential tool in my kitchen.​
• I absolutely love these ​Oven-Safe Cooling Racks​. Obviously they're great for cooling hot things on the counter. But these also fit inside the baking sheets I listed, above. I love being able to roast things in the oven with that little bit of hot air being able to circulate even to the bottom of what I'm cooking.