More Taco Tuesday Goodies!

I"m a total sucker for anything taco-related that I haven't tried before so when I saw these Tortilla Boats, I couldn't resist! I filled them up with another new awesome find from Trader Joe's, Korean-Inspired Pork Shoulder. I'm always a lil skeptical about precooked meat but this stuff tastes like it's been marinated and slow-cooked all day. SUPER flavorful and tender! I also added some coleslaw from the deli on top and it was one of the best meals we've ever had! All done in less than 30 minutes too!

Lots of Meaty Dinners!

We're definitely meat lovers at our house and we've been having some yummy meaty dinners! First off some pork chops braised in a sauce made with a combo of Mango Pineapple Salsa and broth. It's so simple yet perfect for summer. Don't you just think of mango and pineapples when the weather gets warm?

We received some Stonewall Kitchen gourmet jams and jellies as a gift and one of the jars was Hot Pepper Jelly which I found is perfect with lamb. So I made some grilled Lamb Loin Chops and served the jelly on top. AMAZING!

We also had some huge chicken legs braised in a Coconut Curry Sauce. The sauce was just curry powder, ginger, garlic and coconut milk with LOTS of red chili peppers! So simple yet so flavorful served over rice noodles, hubby favorite!

Next we have some pork chops simmered in a spicy pickled jalapeno sauce. Our favorite brand is Embasa and it comes in a can with pickled carrots as well. SO perfect to add a Mexican twist to anything!

I found a recipe for Greek Braised Chicken Thighs and thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did! We don't eat a lot of Feta but we're definitely gonna start! I just love the texture and saltiness!

AND last but definitely not least, I made the most amazing Pepper-Stuffed Pork Chops! Yes the filling fell out a bit but who cares? :)

Meaty Dinners

My hubby is definitely a meat and potatoes kinda guy so most of our dinners tend to center around some type of animal. We had these lamb loin chops on a Sunday night and I could not have been happier! I marinated the lamb in a mixture of Greek yogurt, oregano, garlic and rosemary for a couple of hours. Then I grilled them in my grill pan for about 5 minutes on each side and served them over couscous. Simple and quick!

Another meaty dinner we had were pork chops and peppers served over stuffing. I braised the chops in my Dutch oven and added bell peppers and onions along with canned tomatoes. YUM YUM!

A Few Easy Dinners

I don't get crazy with weeknight meals and have a lot of easy recipes saved up. These Cheesy Baked Pork Chops were incredible! The garlic and brown sugar rub was just perfect and it doesn't get any faster than couscous. I think I'm missing some green garnish though...oh well!

Next up, some Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Blue Cheese. I made them even quicker by using precooked chicken and adding the Frank's Buffalo Sauce. My hubby thought the blue cheese was a bit over-powering but what does he know right? I love me some stinky cheese!

Lastly a big bowl of Sausage and Pepper Pasta. I chose Bowtie pasta because they're just so cute! Lots of chili flakes and finally got some garnish!

A LONG Fun Weekend!

I hope everyone enjoyed their long Memorial Day weekend as much as we did! I got out of work early on Friday and we had planned on going somewhere outdoors for happy hour but the weather was just NOT warm enough. Instead, I made us a beautiful cheese and crackers platter at home to enjoy with some drinks. Can't beat that even with happy hour prices!

For dinner I decided to get all fancy with Prosciutto-Wrapped Lobster Tails! Yes, they were as good as they sound! No real recipe here. I just cracked open the lobster tails, wrapped them in a piece of Prosciutto and then poached them in butter. It doesn't get better or easier than that!

For a sweet treat, I made Cookies with PB Oreo's in them inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction. I left out the chocolate chips and sprinkles and doubled up on the Oreo Cookies. The batter ended up being pretty stiff so I didn't even have to chill it. These cookies are amazing and so full of Oreo's!

We ended the weekend with one of my favorite go-to recipes, Campbell's Super Moist Pork Chops. I love how simple these are to make and I always have Cream of Mushroom Soup on hand. I added fresh mushrooms and onions for more flavor and it never fails!

Super Stuffed Pork Chops!

My hubby LOVES pork chops so I'm always looking for new ways to make them. I came across this recipe for Stuffed Pork Chops and just knew it would be awesome! I had picked up a couple of HUGE thick pork chops over the weekend that were just perfect for stuffing. The only thing I changed was leaving out the ham because I thought it was just overkill. I mean...pork inside pork? Anyway, the pork chops came out really yummy! I served them with stuffing and it was a great meal to get over the hump of the week!

Not Ready for Fall to be Over Yet!

We've still got a couple of weeks of fall left and I'm definitely taking advantage! First up, Orange-Glazed Pork Chops. Any recipe that includes stuffing is all good in my book!

Next up, super simple Red Curry Meatballs using store-bought meatballs. You really don't need to make them from scratch when you add amazing flavor with Red Curry Paste and Coconut Milk!

More meatballs went into this yummy sliders! Just heat them up with some Marinara Sauce and add a slice of cheese. PERFECT football-watching dinner!

Finally a sweet treat, M&M Pretzel Cookies using Fall-colored M&Ms. Such a perfect combination of salty and sweet!

Lovin' Me Some Porkchops!

I've been on a porkchop kick lately probably because the weather is getting cooler and I'm craving comfort food and what's more comforting than some big O porkchops right? Braising is definitely the only way to make moist chops and it's the simplest using my Dutch oven. (Thanks mom!) First off it's Giada's Porkchops alla Pizzaiola. The way she describes them is that they taste just like pizza and it's so true! I mean, how can you go wrong combining 2 of our favorites right?

Next up is a meal made for fall, Porkchops with Pear Chutney. OMG SO delicious! The kitchen smelled amazing from the Madras Curry and the sweetness of the cranberries was just the perfect addition! Both of my porkchop dinners were served with stuffing because what's more appropriate for fall right?

Finally the perfect meal for football-watching, leftover shortribs served slider-style on Hawaiian sweet buns. PERFECTION!

And I can't end the week without cookies! These are Heath Toffee Bits Cookies, AMAZING is the only way to describe them!

More Fall Eats and Treats!

First off, some treats! Pumpkin Pie Pudding Cookies! Instead of the Cinnamon Chips, I actually found Pumpkin Pie Chips. (I just LOVE seasonal baking ingredients!) They came out soft and tasted just like Pumpkin Pie but in tiny cookie form.

A perfect weeknight meal of braised porkchops topped with dried fruit and pineapples served over Couscous.

More Crockpot goodness with Martha Stewart's Spiced Chicken Stew. We LOVED the raisins in this dish and perfect over stuffing.

A Sunday night feast of Apple and Sage Porkchops served over, what else, STUFFING! It feels like Thanksgiving already!

Since we had the day off for Veteran's Day, I decided to bake some 7-Layer Magic Bars. These had a combination of chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter chips along with coconut and walnuts. A definite hit at the office and super easy to make too!

It's Finally Fall!

I LOVE everything about Fall! The weather starts getting cooler, the leaves start turning pretty colors and of course, it's the official start of the HOLIDAYS! In our house, it only means one thing...COMFORT FOOD! I just love all the flavors of fall especially pumpkin so I decided to make Pumpkin pasta with sausage. It's just Pasta Roni Shells and White Cheddar with some canned pumpkin and spicy sausage stirred into the sauce. SO EASY and SO YUM!

The cooler whether also means it's time to take out my slow cooker! I remember my mother-in-law gave us a slow cooker at our first apartment. (Thanks mom!) It was HUGE and I'd use it to make a dozen chicken thighs, which my hubby loved! I'd shred the meat and freeze most of it and it would last us months! Then I decided to get a smaller slow cooker for making less food and it worked out great. These are super easy BBQ Short Ribs and they were incredibly good! I just turned the slow cooker on in the morning and it did all the cooking while I ran errands. By the time I got home, our kitchen smelled like the best BBQ restaurant in the world! The meat just fell off of the bones and I served them over stuffing (another Fall Fav!). I cannot WAIT to make more slow cooker meals!

Another cold-weather fav at our house is pork chops! These are Rachael Ray's Pork Chops Smothered with Peppers and Onions. They were featured in an episode titled Man Food, so I KNEW I had to make them for my MAN! LOL. I served the chops over, what else, STUFFING! BEST SUNDAY NIGHT EVER!

Just Ranching It!

If we lived in Hidden Valley, my hubby would still not eat veggies but Hidden Valley Ranch and sausage, now that's a winner! I also added some mushrooms to make it seem a bit healthier. :)

Easiest Dinner from the Fridge!

Some nights I just don't have the time or energy to deal with recipes so I turn to my fridge for ideas. Tonight was one of those nights. I opened my fridge and some spicy sausage stared back at me along with my usual onions and mushrooms. My house is never without canned tomatoes and dried pasta so a very quick and easy dinner was born. Gotta love a stocked kitchen!

Ooey Gooey Baked Pasta with Sausage!

For a quick and comforting weeknight meal, there's nothing better than Baked Pasta with Sausage and Fire-Roasted Tomatoes! Baked with ooey gooey cheese on top! YUM!

Dijon Mustard Sausage and Pasta, YUM!

Another easy and yummy recipe from Aidells. Life is good and saucy!

Tropical Pork Curry

The Title really says it all. Pork with tropical flavors like Garam Masala, ginger, brown sugar and of course, tropical fruit! Sweet and spicy and the best over rice noodles!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 lb pork, cut into cubes
1/4 c onions, diced
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1 4 oz Tropical Fruit cup
1 c tomatoes, diced, undrained
Rice noodles, for serving
Green onions, for garnish

Prep:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown on all sides, 5 minutes. Remove pork and keep warm.

2. Add onions ginger, Garam Masala, curry and brown sugar. Cook for 5 minutes, until onions are softened.

3. Stir in fruit and tomatoes, with juice and bring to a boil. Add pork back, cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until meat in cooked through and sauce is thickened, 10 minutes.

4. Serve over rice noodles and garnish with green onions.

Spicy Sausage and Heavy Cream, What's NOT to LOVE?

I have an obsession with any type of baked pasta dish so when I came across Baked Pasta with Tomato Cream and Spicy Sausage, I just couldn't resist. It was such a quick and easy meal too! Spicy and creamy, a winner all around!

Sausage and Fresh Tomato Sauce, a Perfect Combo!

I've recently been on a Sausage kick and decided to make Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce from Aidell's website. If you're not familiar with the brand, you must be living under a rock. ANYWAY, the fresh tomato really added a nice touch to the regular old marinara sauce we're used to. VERY spring-like and refreshing!

EASIEST Pasta Dinner EVER!

It's Monday and I'm feeling lazy so I decided to make Baked Rigatoni with Sausage. Why? Because it doesn't get easier than boiling some pasta, heating up already-cooked sausage with store-bought sauce and throwing everything in the oven with cheese on top. Seriously, that was the extent of my cooking and it produced an amazing meal!

 

This is Some FINE COOKING Going on!

When I find a recipe from Fine Cooking, I know I can't go wrong. Tonight, I made Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Goat Cheese and it did NOT disappoint. I didn't have any squash so I left them out and the sausage and goat cheese definitely did not miss them!

Sausage and Pasta Dinner

We always have some sausage in the fridge so tonight, I made a quick Sausage Pasta with Herbed Cream Sauce from the Johnsonville website. It was good, not amazing, but good enough on a weeknight!