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Shortcut, No-Fuss Cooking

Shell pasta in a cheesy tomatoey sauce being scooped up into a serving spoon out of a large pot of pasta.

shortcut, no-fuss cooking

Welcome to my kitchen.

Enjoy comfort food in your comfort zone with easy recipes that use time-saving shortcuts. No long ingredient lists, just simple, hassle-free meals.

Explore recipes

trending now

  • Ground beef egg noodles topped with parsley served in a bowl with a fork lifting cooked noodles and saucy beef.
    One Pot Ground Beef Egg Noodles
  • Lemon chicken orzo with diced chicken thighs and baby spinach in a large skillet.
    One Pan Lemon Chicken Orzo
  • Avocado lime ranch dressing in a small mason jar.
    Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
  • Slice of strawberry jello pie with a dollop of whipped topping
    Easy Strawberry Jello Pie

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Dinner
Desserts
One-Pot
Casseroles

Top 10 Recipes

Why don't you take a look around? Here are a few all-time favorites that my readers love.

  • A generous slice of apple cake made with cake mix with visible apple chunks, topped with glaze and caramel.
    Apple Cake with Cake Mix and Pie Filling
  • Fudgy brownie squares with melted chocolate chips visible from the sides.
    Sweetened Condensed Milk Brownies with Box Mix
  • Tortilla chip scooping up hot chili cheese dip, revealing melted cheese, beans, and cream cheese.
    Cream Cheese Chili Cheese Dip
  • Four boneless pork chops in a skillet covered with creamy garlic sauce and fresh parsley.
    One Pan Creamy Garlic Pork Chops
  • A plate of peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream on top.
    Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix and Canned Peaches
  • Ground Beef Jiffy Cornbread Casserole
    Ground Beef Jiffy Cornbread Casserole
  • Cool Whip Cream Cheese Frosting on red velvet cupcakes
    Cool Whip Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 4-Ingredient Chocolate Dump Cake
    4-Ingredient Chocolate Dump Cake
  • Rotel chicken spaghetti being scooped out of a baking dish by a wooden spoon.
    Rotel Chicken Spaghetti with Velveeta
  • Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni.
    Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
Kelsey Smith holding a plate of macaroni and cheese.

Hi, I'm Kelsey!

I’m Kelsey, a recipe developer and shortcut cook who believes dinner doesn’t need to be complicated. I focus on semi-homemade, pantry-based dinners and desserts that actually fit real life.

More About Me

Read All About Shortcut Cooking

  • Ground beef noodle casserole with mozzarella cheese.
    Semi-Homemade Pantry: What to Keep on Hand for Quick Dinners
  • Chili cornbread casserole.
    Why Meal Planning Feels Hard (and How Shortcut Cooking Helps)
  • Oven baked BBQ boneless chicken thighs plated with green beans.
    15 Shortcut Dinners: Semi-Homemade Meals That Save Time

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Browse by Category

  • 30-Minute Meals
  • Appetizers & Dips
  • Breakfast
  • Casseroles
  • Dessert
  • Drinks
  • Main Dish
  • One-Pot Recipes
  • Pasta
  • Sides Dishes

Recent Recipes

  • Cherry dump cake on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
    3-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
  • Close up of dill pickle egg salad in a serving bowl topped with sliced hard boiled eggs and sprinkled with fresh dill.
    Dill Pickle Egg Salad
  • Serving spoon scooping baked hash brown casserole from a baking dish, showing the creamy interior, shredded potatoes, and crisp golden corn flake topping.
    Cheesy Potatoes with Corn Flakes (Funeral Potatoes)
  • Close up of carrot cake mix cookies with thick cream cheese frosting, colorful sprinkles, and carrot shaped candy decorations on top.
    Carrot Cake Mix Cookies

See more recipes →

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Casseroles

  • Philly cheesesteak casserole
    Philly Cheesesteak Casserole with Ground Beef
  • Green Chile Corn Casserole
    Green Chile Corn Casserole
  • Instant Pot Chicken Stuffing Casserole
    Instant Pot Chicken Casserole with Stuffing
  • A serving of baked pork chops with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans on a white plate with a gold fork.
    Baked Pork Chops with Stuffing
See more Casseroles →

One Pot Recipes

  • Close up of a spoonful of crockpot Velveeta mac and cheese with tender elbow macaroni covered in thick melted cheese sauce. The glossy texture shows how rich and creamy the dish is.
    Crockpot Velveeta Mac and Cheese
  • Skillet with four creamy garlic chicken breasts coated in sauce and topped with chopped fresh parsley.
    One Pan Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts
  • Easy One Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta.
    One Pot Ground Beef Rotel Pasta
  • Small white bowl filled with taco mac and cheese, garnished with sour cream, salsa, chopped cilantro, and a lime slice.
    One Pot Taco Mac and Cheese
See more One-Pot Recipes →

Slow Cooker

  • Small bowl of creamy crockpot jalapeño popper dip topped with crispy bacon, sliced jalapeños, and green onions.
    Crockpot Jalapeño Popper Dip with Bacon
  • Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
    Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
  • Crockpot Broccoli Rice Casserole.
    Crockpot Broccoli Rice Casserole
  • Cream cheese sausage dip
    3-Ingredient Sausage Cream Cheese Dip
See more Slow Cooker Recipes →

No-Bake Desserts

  • Layered no bake cheesecake cups with repeating layers of crust, cream cheese mixture, fresh blueberrie and diced strawberries, and whipped cream.
    No Bake Berry Cheesecake Cups
  • A small clear plastic cup filled with a graham cracker layer, a layer of pumpkin pie filling, and topped with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon.
    Easy No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Cups
  • One inch squares of Velveeta fudge stacked into a pyramid.
    Chocolate Velveeta Cheese Fudge with Pecans
  • Peach jello pie with peach chunks set in peach gelatin in a graham cracker pie crust topped with whipped topping.
    Peach Jello Pie with Canned Peaches
See more No-Bake Dessert →

5 Ingredients or Less

  • A glass pie dish filled with cream cheese and salsa dip, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced jalapeños, surrounded by tortilla chips.
    Cream Cheese and Salsa Dip
  • Brown sugar and honey glazed canned carrots, glistening in their syrup and sprinkled with fresh parsley.
    Brown Sugar Glazed Canned Carrots
  • A cinnamon roll on a plate topped with apple pie filling and dripping with icing.
    3-Ingredient Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake
  • Sliced pumpkin bread showing its fluffy interior and pepita crusted top, set against a fall-themed background.
    Pumpkin Bread with Spice Cake Mix
See more 5 Ingredients or Less →

Recipe Roundups

  • 48 Game Day Recipes for the Instant Pot and Slow Cooker
  • Grape Jelly Meatballs in a Bowl
    17 Easy and Tasty Recipes with Frozen Meatballs
  • Four images in a grid: cabbage soup, stuffed peppers, taco pasta, and meatloaf.
    35+ Instant Pot Ground Beef Recipes
  • Sheet Pan Dinner Ideas.
    41 Sheet Pan Dinner Ideas
See more Recipe Roundups →

Recently Updated

  • 3-Ingredient Cherry Dump Cake with vanilla ice cream.
    3-Ingredient Cherry Dump Cake
  • 5-Ingredient Blueberry Dump Cake
    5-Ingredient Blueberry Dump Cake
  • Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad.
    Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
  • Crockpot Hamburger Hashbrown Casserole
    Crockpot Hamburger Hashbrown Casserole

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Kelsey's Favorite Recipes

  • Slice of strawberry jello pie with a dollop of whipped topping
    Easy Strawberry Jello Pie
  • Lemon chicken orzo with diced chicken thighs and baby spinach in a large skillet.
    One Pan Lemon Chicken Orzo
  • Top down view of pizza dip baked in a pie plate. The dip is topped with pepperoni.
    Pepperoni Pizza Dip with Cream Cheese
  • Small bowl of ground beef and sausage chili with shredded cheddar and diced avocado on top.
    Classic Beef and Sausage Chili
  • Avocado lime ranch dressing in a small mason jar.
    Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
  • Chicken Stuffing Casserole
    Easy Chicken Stuffing Casserole
  • Skillet with four creamy garlic chicken breasts coated in sauce and topped with chopped fresh parsley.
    One Pan Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts
  • Plate of marry me chicken orzo with sun-dried tomatoes and sliced chicken breast.
    One Pan Marry Me Chicken Orzo
Kelsey Smith holding a plate of food.

Hi, I'm Kelsey, a recipe developer and shortcut cook who believes dinner doesn’t need to be complicated. I focus on semi-homemade, pantry-based dinners and desserts that actually fit real life. If a recipe calls for more than a dozen ingredients, I’m out of here.

More about me →

Popular

  • A generous slice of apple cake made with cake mix with visible apple chunks, topped with glaze and caramel.
    Apple Cake with Cake Mix and Pie Filling
  • Fudgy brownie squares with melted chocolate chips visible from the sides.
    Sweetened Condensed Milk Brownies with Box Mix
  • Tortilla chip scooping up hot chili cheese dip, revealing melted cheese, beans, and cream cheese.
    Cream Cheese Chili Cheese Dip
  • Four boneless pork chops in a skillet covered with creamy garlic sauce and fresh parsley.
    One Pan Creamy Garlic Pork Chops

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