Pork in the Pot

If you're on Pinterest, first, follow me! 

Second, you've probably seen this recipe floating around there. Sho nuf, I had to make it. You can find the original link here, but I'll recap for you.

Cinnamon Apple Honey Crock Pot Pork Loin  <-- How's that for a name?? :)

You'll need:

A pork loin (apparently there's a difference between a tenderloin and a regular loin...just get one that doesn't have a lot of fat on it)

Cinnamon

3-4 apples, cut into thinnish slices

Honey

A crock pot (did you see that coming?)

 

Rinse off the meat! (That's what she said.) Sorry. Then, cut slits into it. Drizzle some honey in the slits, then place a slice of apple into it. I used 4 small apples. Do this in all of the slits, then place the loin on top of a bed of apple slices in the crock pot. I also added a little apple juice (maybe 1/2 cup) in case it wanted to dry out, since there weren't any other liquids preventing that. Then, just sprinkle cinnamon over all of it and set the crock pot to 8 hours. 

I made this and gave some to my parents and Josh ate it for dinner. I actually didn't eat any. Not because it was gross or anything...I just wanted a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats for dinner! :) They all said it was good...so I'm going to believe them. The pork did look good with the cinnamon apples though. So try it! Did I take an "after" photo? Nope! Sorry. :( 

Easy Weeknight Dinners

It's so funny that I have people texting me or messaging me asking, What's for dinner? I never posted these simple recipes with the thought that people would actually make them! Ha! 

A few dinners that I make regularly, that are super easy, are chicken and rice, lasagna, spaghetti, tilapia, pan-seared chicken, and tacos. These are obviously nothing fancy...no fancy names or fancy ingredients, but maybe if you're feeling stuck on what to cook for dinner, you can try one of these! Also, this is just how I do it, so it's probably the simplest way. If you want something fancypants, visit The Pioneer Woman or another yummy website.

Chicken and Rice

a few large boneless skinless chicken breasts (washed and cut into 2" chunks)

a large can of cream of chicken soup

rice

hawaiian rolls (because seriously, it doesn't get better than that)

First, put your rice in your rice cooker. If you time it right, your rice and chicken will probably be done at the same time! Then, cook the chicken in a skillet over medium heat with about a tablespoon of EVOO (or any olive oil that is not canola or vegetable) with salt&pepper. Once the chicken is done, add the cream of chicken soup (if you buy the large can, you may not have to use it all...it just depends on how much soup you want in it). Let that simmer for a little bit. Then, pile it on your plate with a roll or two (for "sopping up of the soups"). Easy and filling!

Lasagna and Spaghetti

Ok, these are very simple...if you don't know how to make either of these, please message me so I can tell you. Also, I want to point out that I have NEVER once in my life purchased a frozen lasagna. I always make mine...I sweat over the stove while I layer the lasagna, meat sauce, and cheese. 

Also, my spaghetti sauce is always the same...ground beef with Hunts sauce (Spaghetti sauce is all the same to me...it's tomatoes and other things, but I would much rather spend $1 on Hunts than $3-$4 on something that's the same!). I also don't like Ragu...my mom used to use Ragu and I just didn't like the chunky tomatoes in it. Blech. I use regular lasagna noodles, not the pre-cooked or whatever kind. And I use a mixture of a few different shredded cheeses. 

Tilapia

Tilapia is super easy to me because you can buy it frozen in little individual packs. All you have to do is run it under some cool water for a few seconds and it's ready!

I wash the Tilapia filets and dry them with a paper towel. Then I rub them with a little olive oil, sprinkle a mixture of seasonings on them (I have a shaker that I use that's premixed by McCormick's, I believe..it has all the spices I ever need. I'll post it here soon.). Sear them in a skillet with another spritz of olive oil for about 3-4 minutes each side. It'll be a little brown and flaky when it's done. Serve with a baked potato, steamed broccoli, and a lemon (for the squeezing) and it's all good! That's a dinner that takes less than 15 minutes, start to finish.

Pan-Seared Chicken

Same thing as the Tilapia, but with chicken (you can actually cut these pieces a little larger). The quickest way to cook chicken, IMO, is to make it thin enough so it'll cook evenly and not too thick that it won't cook too much on the outside and not enough on the inside. Sear in skillet until done. Serve with anything from macaroni and cheese to pasta to whatever! Also, sometimes I make this chicken then add Hunt's spaghetti sauce and serve with whatever pasta noodles are in the pantry. Serve with Texas Toast...because it's delicious.

Tacos

Ground Beef

McCormick's taco seasoning

tortillas

Make as directed on seasoning packet. Ha! How easy! :)

I'll add some more recipes next week once I remember what I cook. I know I have more dinners in my head...I just cook ^^these so much!

King Ranch Chicken

Oh, sweet baby Jesus. If there was ever a meal that I could eat every day, it would be this one.

I love King Ranch Chicken...so much that I call the Brookshire Bros. deli almost daily to see if they have it for lunch. Of course, after I've made it myself, I believe that's the only way I'll eat it anymore. It's sooooo good!!

I googled recipes and found this one. There were a few that included too many ingredients, which equals more time than I have at the end of the work day, and you know I love an easy recipe.

Here's the link: http://www.texmex.net/Rotel/kingckic.htm

Here's what I did:

I used 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts. I always wash the meat before I start seasoning it. I don't know what it is, but chicken, or even pork, definitely steak, always feels slimy...I like to just rinse it off with cold water before starting. I also cut off any fat pieces. Then I sprayed them with spray butter (so easy!), seasoned them with salt and pepper, and baked them in a glass dish for about 30 minutes. I never know exactly how long it'll take for them to be done so I just keep checking them. This time was perfect! They were so juicy and yummy. 

When they were almost ready, I started the mixing of the ingredients! I omitted the green pepper (we don't really care for the little bits in our food), and I should've omitted the onion for the same reason. It got in the way of yummy goodness.  Mix the butter, soups, and Rotel together (don't drain...I think it's better with all of the juices). Shred the chicken and add it to the soup...let it cook for just a couple minutes while you tear some small corn tortilla triangles.

Then, you're just going to "lasagna" it. Yes, "lasagna" as a verb. Layer the tortilla pieces, chicken/soup mixture, and cheese (oh, pile it on!), and bake for about 25 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbly and a little brown (I like the cheese crust to be very toasty). Then you just put about 17 heaping spoonfuls on your plate and go to town! :) It's even better the next day...believe me!

 

Hope you enjoy this recipe! 

The French do it right.

The day before Thanksgiving....is everyone ready??

I'm still on this *new food* kick and want to cook everything I've never made. Today, it's French Onion soup. Ok, it's nothing fancy, but I know I like easy recipes, so I'm sure someone else reading this blog (hello? anyone there?) might like it, too.

What you need:

3 tbsp butter

Umm, onions, duh. (about 3-4 small/medium, depending on how many people..probably 1 onion per person)

2 cans beef broth

french bread or croutons (extra cool points for cheese croutons!)

gruyere cheese  

Brown yo butta. I did all of this in a large pot. Throw in slivers of onions. 

Brown those, but not too brown. 

Then, pour the broth in and bring it all to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

I was looking to do a simple recipe because (a) I don't always have a lot of time to cook, and (b) because I was STARVING this day. So, what I did was put a handful of croutons on a cookie sheet, warm the oven to 350 degrees, sprinkle on some parmesan cheese, and place a slice of provolone on top. I went to our little town's grocery store and they didn't have Gruyere, so I substituted provolone. Also, it's round so it's perfect to fit in a bowl. :) 

I ovened (that should be a word!) that for about 5 minutes til the cheese was melted and yummy. Then I got a few ladles of soup in my bowl and just slid the whole crouton concoction onto the top. It was glorious.

I ate mine with a grilled cheese sandwich (give me more bread and cheese!!). The flavor was great and this recipe was a keeper!!

Let me know if you try it!

Also, I'd like to point out that I've never been a huge onion soup fan, but one time, my Nicaraguan friend (she was American at the time), Carrie, made a delicious onion soup. That's when I started loving it. Then, on our honeymoon, we ate at this little cafe on the beach and I had some there. It was divine. The end.

Beef Chunk, Roasted.

The title is *kinda* like "Tin Roof, Rusted!"....right??? Right.

I guess marriage makes me more domesticated...like, all I wanna do is cook! Yesterday, I made pot roast for the first time. It all started when my mom and I were at HEB and they were on sale. For $5! Ok, maybe not exactly, but it was close.

Here's what went down: (sorry, no pics...whoopsie!)

What's needed:

3.5 lb. pot roast

spices

crock pot

beef broth

onion (that accidentally got in my mom's grocery bag, so it actually missed out on all the action)

I started before I left for work that morning. I washed the big chunk of meat, then I seasoned it with my favorite seasonings and lightly floured it. (This is the part where you would throw some chopped onion slivers in a skillet with some EVOO). Then, put that big chunk in the skillet and brown both sides for a few minutes each. (You want the flavor to start sizzling in it before it hits the crock pot). Add it to the crock pot with the onions, throw in 1/2 of beef broth...I added about 1/2 cup of water, too, for good measure, and set it to the 10-hour setting. I would cook for about 8-9 hours, depending on your crock pot. I was so afraid of the meat drying out OR it catching the whole house on fire, then I remembered that millions of people a day use their crock pots and leave them at home to cook delicious meals while they're at work, so I felt better. Even though, I did go home at around 3:30 (this would be about 6 hours of cooking at this point) and check on it. It was doing perfectly fine just cooking away. I then had to run out to do a shoot then came back at about 6:30. It was DELICIOUS at that time....it probably could've stopped crocking (potting?) at about 5 or 5:30, but it was still GOOD! We joined it with some baked potatoes, green beans, and a salad. I will definitely make it again now that I know it won't burn the house down. 

Let me know if you have any pot roast ideas or if you decide to try this yourself!