Savory Skillet Lamb Chops and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Savory Skillet Lamb Chops
*From Cooks.com

2 tsp. olive oil
5 lamb loin shanks
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup water

Slowly heat olive oil in skillet with a lid. Add chops and brown for 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Add the rest of the ingredients to 1/3 cup water. Mix well and pour it over the chops. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 40 minutes, or until chops are tender. Remove chops and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Increase heat to thicken the liquid to a make a gravy, which should take 2-3 minutes.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
*From Paula Deen

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup butter
3 tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Add a dash of kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pot. Add butter, salt, cinnamon, and honey. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Spicy Feta and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

This is heavenly. No, really. It's out-of-this-world good. I've made it twice in a week and we've put it on everything. It's great on pitas, with chips or veggies, and in gyros. The whole process takes less than ten minutes as well, so it's the perfect dip for parties. Of course, if you're going to serve it to more than two people, I'd double it. Trust me, you won't be sorry!

Spicy Feta and Roasted Red Pepper Dip
*Very slightly adapted from Channeling Contessa

8 ounces feta cheese (we used reduced fat, which worked just fine)
16 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
Juice of half a lemon (or 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice)
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice, as needed. Refrigerate for one hour before serving. To serve: top with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, and parsley. Enjoy!

Balsamic Roast Beef

I made this a couple days ago and we, very unfortunately, finished off the leftovers today. Hubby is insisting that I make it again this week because it was so insanely, ridiculously delicious. We fought over the leftovers, which I enjoyed on homemade bread and Hubby ate straight out of the container. He's a purist, I suppose. The point is, this is our new favorite beef recipe. It's amazing on a sandwich, by itself, or next to fluffy mashed potatoes. I have a feeling we'll be having this quite often in the future.

Oh, and it's SO easy! Throw it in the CrockPot in the morning and, by dinnertime, you have the most amazing and yummy meal. Okay-ready, set, GO make this!

**Update: We've made it twice now and felt like it needed more of the gravy, so I've edited the ingredients to reflect that change. The original recipe can be found here.

Balsamic Roast Beef
*Adapted from Add A Pinch

1 3-4 pound boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/4 cup beef broth
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, minced

Place the roast in the CrockPot and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Mix all the other ingredients together and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Once the roast is cooked, remove and shred. Pour the gravy into a large saucepan (I just use my dutch oven) and boil on high heat until reduced by half. At this point, you can add the roast to the gravy and serve on sandwiches or you can ladle the the gravy over the meat and some mashed potatoes. Either way, YUM!

Easy, right? Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Hubby started a new shift last week, and we've been struggling. We went from graveyard to swing, so we're missing a lot of our family time in the afternoon. And I'm missing the time I got to plan and cook dinner every day. Now, I have to decide what we're going to eat the day before and have to do prep work before bed so that it is ready in time for him to go to work. I'm not loving it, but that's the life, and we're hoping it's only temporary.

Yay for Instagram! This was after we ate-not enough left over!

This recipe wasn't really an option as is, since we don't have time for slow cooker meals, unless I'm going to get up at 4am to make them. No thanks. But the soup looked so good that I decided to adapt the recipe for my Dutch oven, which just happens to be my favorite kitchen tool ever. Other than cooking the chicken the night before, this came together really quickly and was amazingly delicious. Hubby claims it's his new favorite soup-he liked it even more than my chicken noodle soup-and that's really saying something! The only change I will make next time is doubling the recipe. There just wasn't enough left over!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

*Adapted from Baked by Rachel (see the link for the slow cooker instructions)

3 chicken breasts, cooked with homemade taco seasoning, salt and pepper, and shredded**

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

15oz can sweet corn, drained

15oz can diced tomatoes, drained

5 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced (about half a medium onion)

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 heaping teaspoon chili powder

Kosher salt and pepper

Tiny pinch of sugar

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Seasoned tortilla strips

Sour cream

Cilantro 

Green onions, chopped

Melt butter and olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven on medium heat. Add diced onions and cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened. Add diced bell pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season lightly with salt and pepper. 

Add minced garlic and serrano pepper and cook for 1 minute. Pour in 5 cups of chicken broth. Add cooked shredded chicken, corn, and diced tomatoes. Season again with salt and pepper, then add chili powder and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 20 minutes at medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until ready to serve. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream mixed in, then top with cheese, tortilla strips, cilantro, and chopped green onions. Enjoy!

**How to cook the chicken: I start with frozen chicken breasts. Place each one in a foil packet and top with a small drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of taco seasoning and salt and pepper. Close up the packets and bake at 375º for 45-65 minutes (for frozen chicken), or until the juices run clear. Shred in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.

Cinnamon Churro Chex

Nothing like a cup of Cinnamon Churro Chex in the morning!

I have a small (read: huge!) obsession with cinnamon chips. I'm always looking for new ways to use them because those little chips are so good. My cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies are a family favorite; I make them all the time as my go-to cookie. When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I called Hubby at work to tell him about it, which I never do. In our world, calling Hubby while he's on duty isn't a good idea, unless it's an emergency. I don't want to distract my favorite deputy. However, this was too good to keep to myself and he was ecstatic to try these. They didn't disappoint either! Easy, yummy, and cinnamon-y. Oh yes!

Cinnamon Churro Chex
*Slightly adapted from The Family Kitchen

9 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Microwave cinnamon chips and butter in a small bowl for 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Stir and microwave 30 seconds longer, or until completely melted and smooth. Drizzle mixture over cereal and toss (your hands are the best tools here). In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Toss the coated Chex with the mixture and spread on parchment paper until cooled.

Enjoy!

Asian Chicken Salad

This salad was absolutely delicious! We try a lot of new recipes and some are great, but only a few make it into the regular rotation. This is one of those special dishes that we both love. Full of fresh ingredients, flavorful chicken, and crunchy chow mein noodles, Asian chicken salad is a bright, yummy, and easy dish to throw together any night of the week. While we loved all the flavors, we might try to give it a Thai spin next time by changing up the marinade just a little with the addition of red pepper flakes and peanut butter instead of Chinese 5-Spice seasoning, which has a licorice-y flavor. That's another nice thing about this dish-you can change it up to fit your taste very easily. Again though, we loved this one!

Asian Chicken Salad
*Adapted from Pinch of Yum

For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger (or 1 tablespoon minced ginger)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Chinese 5-Spice seasoning

1/4 cup chopped green onions
2-3 cups coleslaw or shredded lettuce
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1-2 cups shredded carrots
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups cooked, shelled edamame (it's called mukimame when you buy it pre-shelled and is much more convenient in steam bags for easy cooking)
2 cups crunchy chow mein noodles
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Salad dressing of your choice (I used Litehouse toasted sesame ginger)

Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and 5-spice seasoning. Marinate the chicken in the sauce for at least 1 hour. Bake chicken with the sauce at 400º for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Let cool and shred.

Toss chicken, green onions, coleslaw, almonds, carrots, cilantro, edamame, and sesame seeds together.

Serve tossed with salad dressing and top with crunchy chow mein noodles. Enjoy!

Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

I used to hate Nutella. It's a sad, sad fact, but it's true. While we were in France, I had a bite of a particularly delicious crepe smothered in Nutella. Every hotel we stayed at served little cups of Nutella with baguettes and croissants. I became obsessed. Now it goes on everything: waffles, bread, fruit, and now cupcakes. These were very good, but the cupcake itself was just a little dry, so I will probably use all butter next time or make smaller muffins to shorten the cooking time. Smaller muffins would have helped the overflow problem I had as well. Lesson learned: don't overfill your muffin tin!

Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes
*From The Family Kitchen

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk or half and half
1/2-2/3 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350º.

Beat the oil, butter, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the mixture to the batter and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the milk and mix until just combined, then add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups (I will do 15-18 muffins next time). Spoon the Nutella into a dish and microwave for 15-30 seconds, until soft. Drop a spoonful of Nutella into each muffin cup on top of the batter and swirl with a knife.

Bake 20-30 minutes or until springy to the touch. Enjoy!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

What do you do when you really want Mexican, but you're out of taco seasoning? You frantically search the internet (seriously, what did we do before the internet?) and find a recipe for homemade taco seasoning that sounds promising. Then you tweak it a little bit and hope for the best. The verdict? It was good! We missed a little bit of salt, which might be a residual effect of our reliance on the standard pre-packaged taco seasoning, but a pinch of salt in the finished product did the trick. This seasoning was spicy, smoky, and delicious! We will be sticking with homemade taco seasoning from now on.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
*Adapted from Annie's Eats

4 tbsp. chili powder
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. smoked paprika
3 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. onion powder
1 heaping tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. To use: Add 2 heaping tablespoons seasoning, a pinch of kosher salt, and 1 cup of water to 1 pound cooked beef, chicken, or pork. Simmer until the liquid is completely gone. You can also use about 1 tablespoon per can of black beans as a side dish as well.

**We did find that a pinch of salt was necessary for flavor in our dish, so add salt to taste!

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

Have you ever had spaghetti squash? If not, you should go to the store right now and get one. Seriously. Spaghetti squash are insanely easy to cook and taste just like shredded potatoes (at least in this dish). You can also substitute spaghetti squash in as pasta because it imitates the texture. The best thing about this squash is that it is low carb, but still delicious. We try to eat relatively healthy in our house, but we enjoy food too much to resort to the rabbit food lifestyle. So anytime I find a recipe that we love, but that is also healthy, it's goes into our permanent recipe file. This is definitely one for the permanent file!

Here's an even better bonus-the baby loved it too! She's not too picky about her food, but she does seem to really enjoy her meats and veggies. It wasn't a big surprise that she loved the squash, but it tickles us every time she gets excited about the food we make. We love her so much!

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin
*Adapted from Dandy Dishes

1 large spaghetti squash
3 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (we grind ours to a powder)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1/2 cup sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Spaghetti squash are a little tough to cut. To do so, place your knife tip into the middle of the squash and press down lengthwise toward your cutting board. Repeat on the other side and split. Once you've cut it, remove the seeds. Place the halves in a dish, fill with about 1/2 inch water, and cover. Microwave for 12-15 minutes or until the squash is soft and the flesh scrapes off easily with a fork. (We did this part in batches because our dish wasn't large enough.)

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes, thyme, and salt and pepper. Cook a few more minutes, until the shallots are slightly brown. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer, until fragrant.

Combine the squash, shallot mixture, sour cream, cream cheese, and half the cheese in a large bowl and mix well. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes at 375º or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

CrockPot Kalua Pork

This is one of the best recipes I've ever tried. Other than a few minutes of prep work and the ten minutes it takes to shred, this pork is easy, flavorful, and makes enough for a crowd. Hubby and I will eat this with BBQ sauce on sandwiches or in tacos with spicy black beans and sour cream. It lasts for days! An added bonus is that our 8-month-old loves it too. The smoke flavor is pretty mild, but so delicious-it's even baby approved!

Kalua Pork

5-8 pound bone-in pork roast
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons liquid smoke

The first thing I learned about the prep work for this recipe is to wear gloves! Liquid smoke smell will stay on your hands all day if you don't wear those gloves. Pierce your pork roast all over with a fork (we use a tenderizing fork so we get some nice big holes). Make sure you get all sides.

Rub in your sea salt.

Pour on the liquid smoke and massage that in as well. 

Place the roast in the CrockPot and cook on low until the meat starts to fall apart, anywhere from 8-12 hours, depending on the size, turning once. Remove the meat from the slow cooker and drain the juice into a bowl. Do NOT throw that out-that's the good stuff!

Shred your pork, removing the fat as you go. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker and add in a few large spoonfuls of that delicious juice you saved. You'll know you have enough when the meat starts to look very moist. Cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes.

Serve in tacos or with BBQ sauce on sandwiches. Or be like my hubby and eat it right out of the CrockPot. Pat yourself on the back because this dish is SO good! And enjoy!