If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that my daughter-in-law Amanda (a fellow blogger) and son Ryan have been expecting their first baby, my first grandchild. This grandma-to-be has been just a little excited – that’s an understatement if there ever was one! I hate to think how much I have already spent on this little bundle of joy. I just simply can’t resist all those cute little outfits. Well, the big day arrived and Clark Craig Wahlund entered this world on October 9. Isn’t he just adorable?

I adore my crockpot. What could be better than tossing your raw ingredients in the pot and knowing dinner will emerge (mostly hands-free) hours later? I know some people claim to bake cakes or roast whole chickens in them, but I tend to stick to the sure-fire standards like these Shredded Beef Tacos.

Our oldest child is headed off to his second year of college this month. He and several buddies are sharing a house which means most meals are eaten at home rather than in the college cafeteria. Over this past summer, that meant at least one 19-year old guy, my son Tony, needed to learn how to set up a kitchen and gain a few skills.

My husband is a hunter. There, I said it. Although we were both born and raised as suburbs-kids, Ryan loves the great outdoors and spends a great deal of his fall and early winter getting up early, gathering his gear and looking for our “groceries” (that’s how I like to think of it). As a result, we have a lot of meat in our freezer this time of year.

Finding quick weeknight meals continues to challenge me. Why is that? I have all the “make these meals in 20 minutes or less” cookbooks. I just struggle to pair my grocery shopping with easy recipes.