Highly influenced by our years living in the Phoenix East Valley, our Christmas Eve dinner tradition leans heavily into hispanic cuisine, starting with tamales. This year, we are finishing off the meal with a variation on the classic tres leches cake.

Yet another item for the Christmas Eve feast. Originally we bought horchata from a local Mexican grocery store, and we’ve occasionally made it with store-bought rice milk, but this year I’m trying a recipe from scratch. Much cheaper (and arguably more authentic) this way.

Rachel and I both love deviled eggs, but I find the effort of making them to not be worth the end result. This dip version is a great compromise that captures all the flavors of deviled eggs without the hassle; no boiling, no peeling, no filling. Just mix everything together and enjoy with crackers or veggies.

Yet another sickly sweet breakfast casserole that we make during the holidays. This one is sure to add a few pounds, but it might just be worth it.

I have another, fancier version of French Toast Casserole that I make occasionally, but this is a simpler, cheaper version that we also like.

This is another recipe that I make every few months, but I wanted to record it here for future reference. I’ve used a number of methods over time, but this is my current favorite.

One of the simplest and easiest desserts that can be made in an Instant Pot. The baking soda helps deepen the color.

I’ve taught most of my kids to make this soup, but I’ve never really written down the recipe. This corrects that problem.

I got tired of having to buy a boxed yellow cake mix to make my Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake, so I came up with something I can mix from scratch. And it gets rid of that weird smell that boxed cake mixes have.

Adapted to a portion of two, for when I want a quick treat.

This is my attempt to track my yearly experiments at making our Thanksgiving turkey as something less traditional. It largely worked out well, but it needs further refinement.

This is yet another try at an easy pizza dough that gives me the texture and flavor I’m after. I want the sour taste of sourdough, but I want it to be quick and easy to make.

When I want candy but I don’t want to go to the store.

Long ago we used to bake stuffed bell peppers, but the kids didn’t like them, and they were a hassle to make. But this casserole version is much easier, and if the kids don’t like it, it goes into the fridge as leftoversn for me and Rachel to enjoy later.

I needed something simpler than my other pita recipe (so I would actually make it). This is that.

When I want something different on pizza night, I whip this up for myself while my kids eat their weekly crap I get from Little Caesars. I usually buy pre-made pizza dough, but when I forget, I sometimes even make my own.

I love banh mi sandwiches, but they can be can be a pain to make. This version is my cheap and lazy take on the classic, using store-bought ingredients and minimal prep.

I’ve been seeing bang bang chicken recipes all over the place, but breading and frying chicken in oil isn’t going to happen. So I adapted this recipe to use an air fryer and store-bought chicken nuggets. It works.

On the day of this writing, I paid $2.89 for a 1 pound chub of (terribly fatty) breakfast sausage (which we already use in spaghetti sauce), while the price of bulk Italian sausage was nearly $6 per pound. This isn’t as good quality as the Italian sausage, but it’s a lot cheaper and is a reasonable substitute in my Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana.

I used to frequently order a Greek salad topped with gyro meat or shawarma at a hole-in-the wall restaurant in the Phoenix East Valley, but there are no Greek restaurants within an hour of where we live now. So, I have to make my own. The only thing I actually had to figure out was the dressing, which is a simple vinaigrette. Also, bumping into the idea of pita croutons was a happy accident. Everything else is just assembly.