Lemon Basil Dipping Sauce

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Perfectly paired with any seafood! I love this copy cat dipping sauce! At our favorite Italian restaurant they pair a similar sauce with their Fried Calamari. We also loved it with fried shrimp.

It brightens up any heavy food with a silky smooth texture that is to die for!

It would be great as a spread on a fish sandwich too! Or drizzled over fish tacos.

Fried Calamari

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No matter the occasion, we just can’t seem to say no to fried food. Even when we hit up our favorite Italian place we are always tempted to grab fried calamari for our appetizer.

I noticed a local restaurant oversupply store we frequent had frozen calamari and I just had to try my hand at it.

And it turned out AMAZING!

I was so surprised! I thought I would have to tinker with the recipe for a while, but I got it right off the bat.

We used our Presto deep fryer to crisp these bad boys up. You can find it here:

I served ours up with a lemon basil dipping sauce that is to die for! I had extra and ate it up with some fried shrimp as well. It is sooo good! You need to check it out!

Sausage and Cheese Baked Ravioli

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I can never have enough Italian food! Its by far my favorite food “genre”. Bright acidic tomatoes paired with cheese and pasta – you can’t go wrong!

These ravioli are the perfect classic. Baked to perfection and smothered in red sauce, you and your family will not be able to resist! Don’t plan on there being any leftovers…

Don’t feel like cutting your own ravioli? We found this nifty ravioli stamp set that we’ve added to our wish list for Christmas!

Ravioli Stamp Set,MASTER FENG Ravioli Maker Cutter Stamp, Mold with Wooden Handle and Fluted Edge

Old Fashioned Spaghetti

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Spaghetti is my favorite food! I ate it by the pound when I was an athlete in high school. I love how versatile it can be. You can go as simple as a jar from the store (not my favorite, but its something) to this recipe here.

Although its hearty and has a variety of textures and tastes, this spaghetti is surprisingly cheap. You can go even cheaper by leaving out the meat!

I recently started making my own pasta, and this recipe includes one for spaghetti noodles! Definitely worth the effort if you have a little extra time!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

In our house we love to cook things low and slow! Nothing tastes better than tender pork cooked to perfection. The only problem is how much effort it can take.
That is unless you use our slow cooker recipe!
Perfect for the summer time, this pork has gotten many the compliment and pat on the back. It’s a go to recipe when I have a potluck. And it’s versatile! Shredded pork tacos? You are set! Barbecue sandwiches? Done!
We prefer to cook for about 14 hours – crazy, I know. But I have never met a more tender pork with such a basic recipe!
Stick it in your favorite slow cooker and let it stew. Here are a few of our favorites:

Corn Bread

Subtly sweet and perfect paired with chilli, we love this new recipe for corn bread we found.

Easy enough to mix up, then just throw it in the oven! I crumble mine up and sprinkle it over my chilli, while Alexis spreads butter on hers and dips it in.

Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steaks

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A healthier spin on an old favorite, get all the comfort with less of the oil!

We keep these frozen steaks on hand for an easy meal when we want some serious comfort food. Pair it with some delicious potatoes made in the Instant Pot and some country gravy!

Chicken Fried Steaks

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Crispy crust around warm meat paired with mashed potatoes and white gravy – what could be better?

This traditionally southern comfort food is part of our family’s regular rotation. Whenever I hit a store I check the meat department for sweet deals, and one of my favorite finds is pork loin! I grab a few when the price is right. I grind some up, and slice the rest extra thin. I bread them and freeze them so we always have these fried steaks on hand!

We usually deep fry ours, but you can fry them up in a skillet if you want. Then we cook up our mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot and grab a packet of white gravy and we’re good to go!

Want a lighter version? Try out this recipe in the air fryer!

Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes

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When my wife was pregnant, all she craved was carbs (she felt it was unfair later that she got gestational diabetes and had to limit them). Popcorn, sugary drinks – her biggest craving, though, was for mashed potatoes. She prepared and ate instant potato flakes by the bagful, and I had to buy her some pounds and pounds of red potatoes – her favorite!

I wish back when she was having these cravings we had an electric pressure cooker! We got our Instant Pot from her parents for Christmas a couple of years ago, and we’ve used it enough that we’ve thought about getting a second one! From beans to meat to easy side dishes, we use our Instant Pot once a week at least!

These potatoes are super easy, and so much faster than the traditionally boiled method. And they are so creamy they can be eaten on their own. Our favorite thing to pair them with is our chicken fried steaks and white gravy!

Obviously you’ll need a 6QT pressure cooker. We absolutely love our Instant Pot!

Air Fried Cheesy Spinach Ravioli

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My family are all big spinach fans! In salad, stewed, mixed with artichokes and cream cheese – you really can’t go wrong with this healthy and versatile veggie!

I recently started making my own ravioli, and wanted to mix it up a bit. I know what you are thinking – Spinach Ravioli has been done before. Not like this though.

I changed it up by keeping the spinach out of the filling – I put it in the dough!

Even our little guy, who is starting to question green foods we put on his plate, scarfed his down and begged for more!

Making them in the air fryer makes them healthier and faster! We love our Crux – we got it as a Christmas present from Lexi’s parents and we’ve used it so much! Here it is, and some other things you’ll need for this recipe.

They are delicious on their own, but you can easily pair them with more garlic butter or an alfredo sauce!