Chinese Pork Ribs

Here's another recipe I made especially for my meat loving husband. It's also a crock pot meal (from one of my new cookbooks) and was SUPER which always makes it even better :) I didn't end up being able to share these goodies with my family because I went to a RS BBQ. I did try a little bit when I got home though and they were really yummy. My kids told me they thought they were really good which is always an added bonus. I REALLY do LOVE crock pot meals, especially on a day like today when I wasn't at home all day.
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. orange marmalade
3 T. ketchup
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 lbs. country style pork ribs

In a bowl combine the soy sauce, marmalade, ketchup and garlic. Pour half into the bottom of the crock pot. Place ribs over sauce and then poor the remaining sauce over the ribs. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until tender and ENJOY :)

S'mores Cookies

A couple of months ago life kind of took a crazy shift and my life kind of turned up side down. After being a bit of a wreck I've finally started to get my life back in order. When I started this blog I was always checking other food blogs to give me ideas but due to my crazy life I stopped checking blogs altogether. When I started to check blogs again I saw this recipe and knew I had to try it. I've been waiting for the right time to try it and tonight was that night. I had all the ingredients which was step one and the next step was going to our RS BBQ where I could take this delicious goodness. I just started another biggest loser contest so I'm trying to eat really well but I couldn't resist these yummies. I had half a piece and quite honestly could have eaten the whole tray. I really love the blog I got this recipe from, I use it a lot, she has TONS of super good recipes so check her out :)11 T. butter, softened (I used margarine)
1 c. brown sugar, packed
½ c. sugar
2 lg. eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 ½ c. flour
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. mini marshmallows
3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces (I used about 4 1/2 bars)
1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and set aside. Cream butter, brown sugar and sugar in mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed. Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line baking pans with parchment paper. I used one 11x16 pan and one 9x13 pan. Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching). I used 24 graham cracker squares on one pan and 12 squares on another but it all depends how much dough you use. Place a scoop of dough in the center of each graham cracker. Press down slightly with fingertips. Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven. Press a chocolate piece on top of each piece of cookie dough. Bake for another 5–7 minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool and then ENJOY :)

Shredded Pork Burritos

Well before I say anything else I just want to let you know that this recipe was DELICIOUS :) This is another recipe from one of my new cookbooks, it's actually one I haven't looked all the way through yet but I was flicking through and saw the picture for this recipe and had to try it. My husband LOVES meat! He especially loves the pork burritos at Cafe Rio so I knew he would want to try this. I've done copy cat recipes for the Cafe Rio pork before which were super yummy but this one seemed different (it's NOT trying to be a copy cat) because of the flavours. Anyway I got a couple of new spices and this morning after working out I got everything out, put it all together in about 15-20 minutes, put it in the crock pot and let it cook all day, easy :) I knew I would have way too much because I ended up getting a bigger piece of pork than the recipe called for because they didn't have any smaller ones. We decided to have my mother in law and 2 sister in laws, plus kids over for dinner so we wouldn't have tons of left overs. It's always scary to invite people over when you've never tried a recipe before but thankfully it was a HUGE hit and everyone LOVED it :) The dressing that goes with it is REALLY good as well. This is another recipe we'll be for sure adding to our regular list, YUMMY :)
1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (5lbs but I used about 7lbs)
2 T. plus 1/2 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. paprika, divided
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 can (12 oz.) cola
1 c. chicken broth
1 lg. sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves. minced

DRESSING
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. milk
2 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
3/4 c. fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut into coarse chunks
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 T. lime juice
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Flour tortillas

Cut roast in half. Combine 2 T. brown sugar, 2 tsp. paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin and salt; rub over meat. Place meat in slow cooker. Add cola, broth, onion and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Take meat out and shred, removing meat from bones (discard bones). Return meat to crock pot along with remaining brown sugar and paprika. Cover and cook on low for another hour or until heated through. Meanwhile, in a blender combine mayonnaise, milk, tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, salad dressing, lime juice, garlic and cayenne. Cover and mix until well blended. Pour into a bowl and chill until meat is ready. Serve sauce over meat and ENJOY :)

Pork Chili Verde

This meal ended up being a rushed meal eaten on the fly. We were trying to get out family garden ready so I had to run back home to finish it off, eat my share and get the kids ready and take it to them. Everyone seemed to enjoy it though which was good. I love rice but some of my kids aren't the biggest fans, oh well I'm mean and make them eat it anyway ;) One thing I would try next time is to try and make the sauce thicker, well if I wanted to use it in a tortilla like the recipe said to do. It was a yummy recipe though and yet again another crock pot recipe which I love :)
1 boneless pork sirloin roast (3 lbs.), cut into 1-inch cubes
4 med. carrots, sliced
1 med. onion, thinly sliced
1 c. minced fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. canola oil
1 can (28 oz.) green enchilada sauce
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. cold water
Rice
Flour tortillas

In a large skillet, saute pork, carrots, onion, cilantro and garlic in oil in batches until pork is browned. Transfer to a crock pot, add enchilada sauce and jalapenos. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is tender. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pork mixture. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened. I may have not cooked it long enough afterwards thicken it, I would suggest doing that if you want to eat it with tortillas. Yummy Scrummy, ENJOY :)

Asian Chicken Thighs

Once again another recipe from one of my new cookbooks and this one is DEFINITELY a BIG KEEPER!!! As soon as my husband tried it he said that it needed to go on our regular rotation and I totally agree. There are only a few things I would change about the recipe, one being I would use boneless thighs and the other is I would double the recipe so we could have more chicken for each of us and for leftovers :)
5 boneless chicken thighs, skinned (I'm going to use boneless next time)
5 tsp. olive oil
1/3 c. warm water
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. orange juice
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. ketchup
1 T. white vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

In a large skillet over med. heat, cook chicken in oil for 8-10 minutes on each side until cooked. In a small bowl, whisk warm water, brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, red pepper and five-spice powder. Pour sauce over chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is tender, turning occasionally. The recipe said to mix 2 T. of cold water and 2 tsp. of cornstarch together and then add it to the sauce to thicken it but my sauce was already thick enough so I skipped that step. I served this with white rice which was yummy, especially with the sauce drizzled on top.

Eggplant Sausage Casserole

As I quickly looked through one my new cookbooks this meal caught my eye because I'm a HUGE pasta fan, especially things like this. The name of the recipe threw me off a little though because I wasn't seeing any eggplant, plus I had never had any before but I thought it was worth a try because it looked so good. I thought it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and so did most of my family. I could barely taste the eggplant, I couldn't really even tell you still what eggplant tastes like. My husband said he could taste it and my picky Maddie didn't really like the eggplant (I don't think she could even taste it, I think it was just her knowing it was something different) or the ricotta cheese. This will for sure be something that I make again though, I will probably not add the eggplant, only to please my crazy family because I thought it was YUMMY :) It did make quite a lot though so I think next time I may split it half and freeze one of them.
1 pkg. (16 0z.) penne pasta
2 lbs. Italian sausage
1 med. eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. paprika
1 carton (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
4 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over med. heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the eggplant and onion in olive oil. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, basil and paprika; simmer partially covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add strained pasta and sausage and mix well. Spread half pasta mixture into a 9x13 greased baking dish. Spread with ricotta cheese and then top with half of mozzarella cheese. Add remaining pasta mixture and cover. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving and then ENJOY :)

Chicken 'n Stuffing Pot Pie

I grew up having a big Sunday dinner every week and I LOVED it. Now when I go home to England I can't wait for Sundays so I can enjoy the DELICIOUSNESS of my Mom's Sunday dinner. This recipe reminded me of all those yummy things that make Sunday dinner so I had to try it. This was another recipe from one my new cookbooks and it's a crock pot recipe which is always GREAT in my book. Having 5 kids is WONDERFUL but life gets crazy sometimes so it's nice to have meals I can prepare earlier in the day. This meal turned out REALLY good and we all really liked it. It's definitely something I will be making again. Some of my family weren't a fan of the green beans but you don't have to add those, you could leave them out or add a vegetable that your family like better.
8 boneless chicken thighs
6 slices precooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 bag (1 lb. size) baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise (about 2 c.)
4 medium red potatoes, cut into 4th or 8th
1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
1 jar (12 oz.) chicken gravy
1 bag (12 oz.) frozen green beans, thawed
6 T. butter or margarine, melted
7 oz. herb-seasoned stuffing cubes (about 4 2/3 c.)

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Place chicken in crock pot and top with bacon, carrots, potatoes, marjoram and gravy. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Gently stir in thawed green beans to cooked chicken mixture. In a medium bowl mix melted butter and stuffing. Spoon stuffing over chicken mixture. Increase heat setting to high; cover and cook for 15 more minutes and ENJOY :) If you don't have any stuffing cubes you could always make regular stuffing and just add it afterwards or to the crock pot.

Lime Chicken Tacos

Here's another recipe from one of my new cookbooks. I really do LOVE all my new cookbooks, plus they all have pictures which is WONDERFUL. I think I got 6-7 of them and have only really looked through 3 properly. Then the other day I saw another good sale on cookbooks so of course I couldn't pass it up so I ended up buying 4 more cookbooks, I'm terrible, hahaha! Anyway I thought this recipe looked yummy and super easy, plus it's made in a crock pot which is great for me on days when I'm out and about all day. My only issue with cooking chicken in a crock pot is that the chicken always seems to have a funny texture so if you have any good suggestions on how to stop this please let me know :)1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T. chili powder
3 T. lime juice
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. chunky salsa
Flour tortillas (6-inch)

Place chicken in crock pot. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and let cool for a few minutes. Shred chicken and return to crock pot. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas and any topping you like. We used sour cream, lettuce, cheese and tomato's. Using the 6-inch tortillas is great for my kids because they're the perfect size :)

Fudgy Oat Brownies

I saw this dessert while trying to find a dessert to make this Memorial day and thought it looked delicious. I didn't have any unsweetened chocolate though so I had to wait until I went to the store to get some. I was excited to make this and I did NOT resist trying a piece but I was good and only had one piece and it was indeed YUMMY! I love anything with oatmeal so this was a perfect combination, chocolate and oatmeal :) I also really liked the frosting on this as I'm not a fan of store bought frosting. It was super easy to make too so it will definitely be something I use again in the future. I probably could have waited for this dessert to cool down a little more but I'm not a very patient person so that didn't happen. The only benefit from that would have been that the frosting would have set a little more but I didn't mind the gooeyness :)
1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
3/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter, melted
1 pkg. fudge brownie mix (13x9 pan size)

Frosting
3 T. butter
1 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 1/4 c powdered sugar
3-4 T. hot water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl combine oats flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in butter until combined. Press mixture into ungreased 13x9 in. baking pan/dish. Bake at 350F for 10-11 minutes or until puffed and edges are slightly brown. While the oatmeal mixture is cooking prepare brownie mix according to cake-like directions on box. Spread brownie batter over crust. Bake for another 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. To make the frosting put butter and chocolate into a microwave safe bowl for around 2 minutes or until melted. Stir until smooth and immediately add powdered sugar, 2 T. hot water and vanilla. Add remaining hot water and stir until smooth (I found that adding 2 more T. of water made the frosting runnier. It wasn't super runny or anything but I think if you just added 1 T. it would have been a little thicker. It really depends how you like it). Immediately spread frosting over brownies. Cool on wire rack until frosting is firm.

I found this recipe in one of my new cookbooks I got for $5, what a great deal they were, I LOVE THESE COOKBOOKS. The only problem is that there's too many things I want to make :)

Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

MI've always loved pasta, it's one of my favourite things to eat which is not very good when you're trying to lose weight but oh well, I would NEVER not eat it, I love it too much. Anyway as I was looking through one of my new cookbooks I found this yummy recipe and had to try it. This was a hit with everyone, my only problem was that I think I should have cooked the meatballs a little longer in the oven and in the pan afterwards but we were in a rush and the pasta was cooked. They were fully cooked but I think they could have been more firm, maybe adding more bread crumbs would have helped with that too, I'll try that next time.
4 sticks mozzarella string cheese, cut into 18 cubes
1/2 c. Italian style bread crumbs
1 jar (48 oz.) tomato pasta sauce
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 T. finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 egg
Pasta (how ever much feeds your family normally and whatever type you like)
2/3 shredded parmesan cheese (or whatever cheese you like)

***Place cheese cubes in a baggie and freeze for at least 1 hour before making this recipe***
Heat oven to 375F. Line a 10x15x1 baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix bread crumbs and 3 T. of the pasta sauce. Next stir in beef, onions, salt, oregano and egg. I used my hands for this, it just made it a lot easier. Shape mixture into 18 (2-inch) balls. Press 1 cheese cube into each ball, sealing it inside. Place each meatball into baking dish carefully. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile pour remaining pasta sauce into a large pot (it said to use a dutch oven but I don't have one) and simmer over med-high heat, stirring frequently. Once meatballs are cooked, add them to the pasta sauce in the pot and reduce heat to med-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until meatballs are thoroughly cooked and no longer pink. Serve with any kind of pasta you like. Serve with cheese if you like and ENJOY :) Anything with cheese is great with me and my family, I think that's why I wanted to try this recipe.

Salsa Chicken Fiesta

When I saw this recipe in one of my new cookbooks I thought it looked delicious and super easy so I had to try it. It was super easy but it wasn't as delicious as I thought it was going to be :( It wasn't bad though, I just need to figure out a way for the crust to not be as dry and a way to give more flavour to the chicken part.
1 1/3 c. bisquick mix
1/4 c. water
2 eggs
2 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
6 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 jar (16 oz.) thick & chunky salsa

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. In a med. bowl stir bisquick mix, water and eggs. Spread mixture into pan and then sprinkle with 2 c. of cheese. In a skillet cook chicken over med-high heat until no longer pink. Drain juices and add salsa. Heat until hot. Spoon chicken mixture over bisquick mixture within 1/2-inch of edges. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges are dark golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for another 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. This can be served with sour cream and ground red pepper if you like.

Deep-dish Taco Squares

Here's another recipe from one of my new cookbooks. I LOVED this recipe and so did most of my family. Only one of my kids wasn't a fan but I think that was because of the sour cream, she's not really a sour cream fan. Anyway this was super easy to put together and REALLY yummy.
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 T. taco seasoning mix
1 c. bisquick mix
1/4 c. cold water
1/2 c. sour cream
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 med. tomato, chopped
1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chiles

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Over med-high heat cook ground beef and onions until thoroughly cooked. Drain and then stir taco seasoning into beef mixture until blended. In a med. bowl stir bisquick and water together until it forms a soft dough. Put dough mixture into the square dish and pat down so it's evenly spread and about 1/2 inch up the sides. In a med. bowl mix sour cream, mayonnaise and cheese until blended. Layer beef mixture, tomato and chiles over dough. Spoon sour cream mixture over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges of dough are light golden brown.

Monster Cupcakes

My daughter turned 8 in April and she wanted to have a monster themed party. Due to family craziness we opted for an easy party going bowling but we still tried to make it monster themed as much as we could. I made monster feet for the kids to wear and I made these cute monster cupcakes. To make them even more fun I used a recipe for rainbow cupcakes that I found here. I love this blog, I've used TONS of her recipes but all before I started this blog so one day I will blog more about them and try and get pictures when I try them again. These cupcakes were a HUGE hit and were sooo easy to put together. I think the rainbow cupcake idea is FANTASTIC and it can be used for any design you want to use.
1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
Food colouring

Mix ingredients together for about 30 seconds. Scrape around the sides of the bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes. Divide batter into small bowls (the amount of bowls you need depends on how many colours you choose to use, I used 5). Add desired food coloring to each bowl of batter. Once you have all your batter ready spoon around 1 T. of the first colour into each of your cupcake papers. The batter is thick so to spread it out I used this great tip that I got from here again. You get a little bowl of water and each time you need to spread out the batter you dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. After you have done the first colour of batter, repeat this step with each colour you have chosen. Bake according to packaged cake directions or until toothpick comes out clean. This recipe makes around 15-16 cupcakes. These cupcakes are nice and moist to which is always nice :)

Taco Casserole

I made this a while ago but I'm still trying to catch up. This recipe is from our school cookbook but is also one of my really good friends recipe, thanks Susan :) My family really enjoyed this dinner, I especially did. I really love Mexican food, I never thought I would say that but that's due to really never trying any when I was younger. This picture doesn't actually give this meal justice because it was super good and really easy to make aswell.
2 lbs. hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup
10-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/2 can diced green chilies
1/2 pkg. taco mix
grated cheese (about 2 c.)

Brown hamburger with chopped onions. Drain grease and add chilies, soup and taco mix. Layer in a casserole dish, start with quartered tortillas, then hamburger mixture, then cheese and repeat. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Serve with grated cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream (whatever you like).

Southwest Crockpot Burritos

This recipe is from our school cookbook and because I've been loving Mexican food lately I wanted to try this one. I was a little disappointed only because in my mind I thought it was going to be this fantastic recipe. It was still really good but I think it needed something a little extra. I did like the refried beans with it though, that was yummy :)
2 lbs. boneless chuck roast
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 1/2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. water
8 large tortillas
Refried beans
Shredded cheese

Place roast, pepper, garlic, beef bouillon, onion, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, salt and water into a crockpot. Cook on low for 8-9 hours until tender. Remove meat and shred, then place in a bowl. Combine meat with 1 c. of cooking juices. Spread tortillas with cooked refried beans, add beef and sprinkle with cheese. You could really serve this however you like so enjoy :)

Cream Filled Cupcakes

These cupcakes were great because there was NO frosting needed. Not that I don't like frosting, I'm just really picky about it. I'm not the biggest fan of store bought frosting so I don't really eat cake all that often. This recipe was pretty easy, the only problem I had was that the filling kind of went to the bottom of the paper so they weren't that easy to get out. That didn't stop any of us from enjoying them though. My husbands co-workers all really likes these too. After I make goodies I normally send the left overs to work with my husband, they love it :)
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. chocolate chips
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (at room temp.)
1 egg
dash of salt

Mix cake mixture as directed on the package. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Blend sugar, cream cheese, egg and salt together. Add chocolate chips to cream cheese mixture. Drop by teaspoonful into center of each cupcake (batter). Bake at 350F for 20 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean). Remember no need for frosting :)