Four 3 Ingredient Comfort-Food Recipes 🤤

Plus the complete recipe / assembly meal list from The Simplified Cookbook!

If you’re short on time, low on sleep, and big on hunger (and maybe the need for a little comfort in your belly), look no further. Here are four of my favorite 3 ingredient recipes from The Simplified Cookbook.

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Pumpkin Muffins (p. 47)

The nostalgia of pumpkin muffins is very real for me. I can smell these, warm and straight from the oven, just writing this! Because this recipe calls for a box of cake mix, these are a little more of a dessert-type breakfast. But who doesn’t love a treat every now and then, especially on a cool fall morning?

Ingredients:

• 1 box spiced cake mix

• 1 can pure pumpkin

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 12-cup muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Mix the cake mix and pumpkin together. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins.

3. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of each muffin.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

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Double Decker Grilled Cheeses (p. 96)

Double Decker Grilled Cheese, because why stop at one layer when you can have two? I know this because we ate these every day from the little beach shack on the shore in Jamaica during our honeymoon in 2008. Try it and you’ll agree with me. Also mayonnaise is the trick to any grilled cheese.

Ingredients:

• 3 slices white bread

• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise

• 2 to 4 slices of American cheese (preferably Kraft)

Directions:

1. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat.

3. Assemble the sandwich by placing one bread slice, mayo side down, in the skillet, then layer with two cheese slices. Add another bread slice on top, mayo side up. Repeat with more cheese and the final bread slice, mayo side up.

4. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Ensure the sandwich is flipped carefully to toast all sides evenly and melt the cheese thoroughly.

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Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs (p. 153)

I’ll never forget my grandpa sitting in his chair at the end of the table, a paper napkin tucked securely into his button-down shirt, with a barbecued rib in hand. No one cleaned a rib bone quite like my grandpa. These ribs always bring that memory to life. They are tender, delicious, and so simple that you could make them on a weeknight or for a weekend barbecue. Serve with potato salad and fruit salad for a perfect meal.

Ingredients:

• 3 lb pork spareribs

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 1 (18 oz) bottle barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. Season the ribs generously with salt and pepper, rubbing the seasoning in for extra flavor.

2. Place the ribs in the slow cooker.

3. Add the chopped onion on top of the ribs.

4. Pour the barbecue sauce over the ribs and onions.

5. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours.

6. For extra crispiness, after slow cooking, place the ribs on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes.

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Warm Cookie Skillet (p. 201)

After a long day, nothing beats seeing the sound of the kids upstairs when they start to smell the chocolate chip cookie skillet they didn’t know was in the oven. It's our go-to treat that transforms any hectic day into a delightful dessert moment. Just a scoop of ice cream melting over a warm, gooey cookie—pure joy in a pan!

Ingredients:

• 1 (30 oz) roll refrigerated cookie dough

• Vanilla ice cream (for serving)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Prepare the skillet: Press the cookie dough into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, covering the entire bottom of the skillet.

3. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center has set.

4. Cool and serve: Allow the cookie to cool for 10 minutes, then slice into wedges and top with vanilla ice cream.

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The Complete Recipe / Assembly Meal List

Welcome to the entire recipe / assembly meal list from The Simplified Cookbook, a collection that is anything but revolutionary—and that's precisely the point. As you flip through these pages, filled with recipes and assembly meals, my greatest hope isn't to dazzle you with culinary complexity or novelty. Instead, it's to provide a dependable resource for those Tuesday evenings sandwiched between soccer practice, ballet classes, and homework marathons.

These recipes are your go-tos, the ones you can count on when the weeks are easy and when the weeks are tough. They're the tried and true favorites gathered from friends, family, and my own quest for simplicity. As you use this cookbook, I hope it becomes a fixture in your kitchen—tattered, worn, and splattered with sauces, a testament to its utility and role in your family’s daily life. Some of these names below may job a memory for you. I hope you think, “Oh! I forgot how much my family loves BLTs… let’s do that.” More than anything, I hope this book makes you feel capable in the kitchen. Just a few days ‘til release day!!!