This chicken and apple skillet recipe is an ideal dinner to welcome the season.

In this delicious fall dish tender chicken thighs are seasoned and browned in a hot cast iron skillet, then thin apple slices are sautéed in rich butter, and for more apple flavor they are drenched in a reduced pan sauce of fruity apple juice, bright spices and fresh herbs.

To finish it's all layered together for the ultimate cozy chicken dinner. The apple + chicken combination was a duo meant to be. Apples aren't just for snacking and desserts anymore.

Yes that's right a crockpot chicken tikka masala that doesn't require any browning meat, sautéing aromatics, or the extra step of pureeing sauce. Everything is simply added right into a slow cooker, tossed together, cooked through, then finished off with a fair amount of cream.

It is the simplest way to cook this savory Indian-British dish and the final result is a full flavored, perfectly impressive curry style dinner. Who doesn't love a dinner recipe that takes minimal effort but yields maximum flavor!

This near effortless dish simmers low and slow allowing all the flavors to meld and soak into the chicken, and its generous allotment of cooking time allows for all those spices to marry together in a overall unified flavor.

The key to a good slow cooker curry style dish like this is just to use plenty of spices, fresh aromatics (garlic, ginger and onion), and never forget the cream (it compliments the tomato beautifully). Serve it with basmati rice cooked in a rice cooker for continued ease, and pair with a side of steamed peas or green beans to include a veggie.

These are easily just as good as what you'd find in any Mexican restaurant but you get to enjoy them at a fraction of the price in the comfort of your own home.

What are Carnitas Anyway?

If you haven't had Carnitas you are probably trying to figure out exactly what "Carnitas" means. It's a spanish word meaning "little meats."  It's a Mexican dish and generally it's made by braising or roasting pork then shredding it and simmering in lard or vegetable oil until crispy.

But here we switch that up and use the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours or use a pressure cooker and cook for 1 hour. And the pork carnitas are broiled it instead of sautéing it in oil to get that same crispy effect. Broiling it takes less time, creates less mess, and requires less oil.

And I go for semi-crispy. I like the ends of the meat to be nice and crispy but I recommend that you don't overdue it. You don't want to dry the meat.

With this simple recipe you end with tempting, crispy little pieces of pork that you won't be able to stop "taste testing."

Throw the finished carnitas into warmed corn or flour tortillas, add some cilantro and diced onion and voila. Such a simple, satisfying dinner that everyone will love!

Burger bowls may seem all wrong at first glance because many of us grew up eating a classic burger not long after we could chew. So to take that special something that's American tradition that we've eaten for decades and modifying it to something that looks like a salad can just seem so strange. But to that I'd say, wait to give it your final opinion until you've tried them yourself and tasted of their exceptional flavor!

Burger bowls are simply a deconstructed burger made with the best things you get in a diner style burger and then some. The typical bun is traded for golden brown oven fries and it's polished off with a generous drizzle of savory burger sauce. A sauce that's similar to the spread at In-n-Out or Smash Burger sauce - being lightly sweet, slightly tangy, and extra creamy.

It's an exciting new way to switch up the typical piled high burger on a bun, into a piled high bowl spread out into an appetizing blend of colors and a satisfying variety of textures. It's a must try recipe for all burger lovers!

Who doesn't love a abundantly cheesy tortellini dish drenched in a rich, creamy tomato sauce or smothered with fresh pesto? Those are family favorites but during these really hot months it's so nice to have something like this that's served at room temperature not steaming hot.

This tortellini pasta salad doubles as a weeknight dinner or a summer lunch for a picnic at the park or a barbecue cook out.

Its blend of flavors pair so harmoniously together with it's cheesy, bacon, tomato combo and the arugula, bell pepper and lemon for added flavor enhancement. Plus the chewy, crisp, and soft textures of each layered bite compliment each other beautifully.

Then to highlight it all let's not forget the final finish of parmesan. And please not the shelf stable kind, if you really want to elevate the dish use high quality fresh ingredients.

Lately I've been loving wraps more than ever! They are such a welcome change to the same old sandwiches or salads we've had far too often.

Here you take a basic caesar salad, add in upgrades of avocados, chicken and tomatoes, along with a cool caesar dressing (and nix the croutons because the carbs on carbs seems overkill). Then wrap it all up in a jumbo tortilla and you've got a colorful, loaded wrap everyone will be envious of at your lunch hour (plus they are perfect for dinner too).

Yes, you could go the cheater route and use a store-bought caesar dressing to save time, but really this homemade caesar dressing makes the recipe what it is. Plus is easy to prep and most definitely worth the extra bit of effort and ingredients (many of which are kitchen staples).

And if you are wanting to live on the edge and splurge you could even take these chicken caesar wraps one step further and add cooked crumbled bacon. No one will complain!

Need a quick dinner or wondering what to make with that package of shelf stable gnocchi that needs to be used up that's sitting in the pantry? This mouthwatering simple sheet pan gnocchi dinner has got you covered.

Busy people, meat lovers, cozy meal cravers, kids and adults alike - everyone loves this simple dish for so many reasons!

It's prepped in a flash, you don't need to pre-boil the gnocchi, and it doesn't need any close tending to. Truly the oven really does most of the work.

If you're looking to serve it with an extra side it would pair well with a side salad and a balsamic vinaigrette, or for even more heartiness you can't go wrong with garlic butter slathered sourdough bread (I've been loving this recipe).

This skillet seared chicken with creamy dijon sauce is richly flavorful, with a touch of gourmet. It's indeed an upgrade on otherwise bland and boring chicken breast. And the best part is it's made with a handful of staple ingredients you likely already have on hand.

Its simple dijon mustard infused sauce is something that you can use on other proteins like ham, pork or salmon, side vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli and potatoes, and breakfast dishes like eggs benedict and stratas. Basically you'll want to add to just about everything else in your fridge so you may as well double it up so you have extra.

Impress everyone with this creamy mustard sauce chicken, it may likely even become one of your favorite chicken dinners!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This healthy crockpot chicken tortilla soup is a perfectly hearty, feel good soup. After a tiring, busy day it's just what you'll look forward to coming home to!

The recipe has been revisited and improved recently for increased flavor. I also personally prefer it with chicken thighs now for the better texture (and also more flavor).

The prep for this crockpot soup couldn't be easier, you simply layer and pour everything into a slow cooker without pre-cooking required. No chopping or searing meat first, or sautéing vegetables beforehand. It's one of those lazy, throw it together and turn on the power dinner meals.

I love to load it up with toppings but even without them you'd still have a completely satisfying soup. Tasty toppings additions include all those classics - tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, and some hot sauce if you want it spicy.

It's also a highly adaptable soup. For recipe variations you can trade out vegetables for others, increase spices, try other chilies, and even use other types of protein (such as cooked ground beef or seared pieces of stew meat).

Start with this base recipe the first time around then after that change it up to your hearts content or using up what you have on hand.

Shrimp recipes are perfect for weeknight meals because not only are shrimp a good source of lean protein and so tasty, but they also cook super fast. This makes them the perfect addition to weeknight fajitas!

Chicken fajitas are a staple in our home but it's fun to switch things up with a new flavor and texture by using shrimp. And shrimp fajitas are great for the days you don't plan ahead because they don't require marinating hours in advance like chicken or beef fajitas.

Here you simply toss the shrimp with zesty lime and Mexican spices and pan sear for a few minutes. And serve paired with those quick sautéed peppers and onions and toppings of your choosing. And if you happen to have any leftover save for meal prep and serve over cilantro lime rice!