Mix and Match Mama is the "foodie blog" of Shay Shull. Shay is the sister of Sean Lowe {as in Sean from the Bachelor}. I pretty regularly read both of her blogs, and recently Mix and Match Mama has become my favorite spot to go to for recipes, especially crock pot recipes! They're sort of her thing. Ant and I discovered the joys of crock pot cooking when we lived in our apartment but horribly underutilized it. Since moving into our home, we have learned just how incredibly valuable it is! There is NOTHING better than crock pot meals - especially in winter, which also happens to be one of my busiest times at work! Crock pot meals are almost always comfort food...warm, and delicious and EASY. Ahhh the easiness is unreal. Even when I feel like I have zero minutes in my life, I can still find the 10 minutes it takes to prep the food for the crock pot, throw it in and hit start! By the time we get home after a long day, dinner is ready.
She changed my life with this particular recipe for Sweet Corn Chili. {click the link for the full recipe!} The shopping list was this:
Shopping List
1 pound of ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can of creamed corn
1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt and Pepper
Sour cream and/or shredded cheese to garnish, optional
The first thing that stood out to me was that it was SIMPLE. None of those ingredients looked at all complicated. Ground turkey was a win for my *trying to eat healthy* husband. I then decided to use her slogan "it's more about the method than the recipe" and ad lib it a bit. I don't love onions, and I HATE jalapeños, so I skipped them entirely! I stuck to ground turkey, chili powder, frozen corn and all of the canned goods! Talk about an insanely simple shopping list! {and if you know me and my grown woman grocery store temper tantrums, the more simple the list, the better}....I brought it all home, cooked it up....and had dinner waiting to surprise the hubs when he got home! and guess what?
It was amazing. By far one of the best crock pot recipes we've made to date! We eat it as chili...we eat it as tacos with sour cream and cheese added....we eat it as a nacho dip with tortilla chips...you name it, we've tried it! It's good as dinner, it reheats well for lunch at work. It's a win/win/win.
Yup. That's right. #SuperWifey speaking.
The same can be said about many of her other recipes as well - if I'm looking for something simple and delicious, 100% of the time I search her site first. We had dinner with two other couples the other night, and I was bringing a side dish. Something simple and delicious AND easy to transport? Mix and Match Mama to the rescue! I tried out her Mashed Potato Casserole. I was able to do all the pre work at home, and when we got to our friends house I just threw it in the oven for 20 minutes and it was done!
The thing I love about Shay is that she doesn't pretend to be too fancy or over the top. Her recipes don't make me nervous about whether I'm going to screw them up or present them properly! She uses disposable baking dishes for parties so clean up is easy, her dessert recipes often include boxed mixes as a starting point...she isn't worried about anything other than a delicious end result! I may not have 3 kids, but my life is still pretty busy and it's nice to know that I can still feel like a wonderful hostess and wife without losing my mind in the kitchen! {besides, the reality of the situation is Ant is still a better cook than me....Shay just helps me hold my own!}
There are so many delicious recipes on her site, I occasionally browse to get an idea of what I might try next...I think this one is at the top of my list for next summer!
What sites are your go-to for recipes?? I'm always looking for new ones! Do you have a favorite crock pot recipe? Share, please!! This girl will take all the help she can get :)
xoxo
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