What's with the crazy half-fluffed photo, Erin? I know that's what your thinking. I haven't lost my mind. Well...since this cooking method is probably a new concept for many of you, I decided to just fluff half of the dish before snapping the photo so that you can see what it will look like when it comes out of the oven. And what it will look like once it's … [Read more...]
Chorizo Rice Skillet Dinner
One of the beautiful things about a pantry challenge (from 2 weeks ago!) is that you unearth treasures from the depths of your freezer. And one of those treasures for me was a 20 oz. package of chorizo links. (Score!) I knew right away that I could pull off another 'pantry challenge meal' with the chorizo, along with some rice and other goodies in the pantry. Plus a lone … [Read more...]
Tex Mex Restaurant Style Rice
Last weekend we had our final church group meeting before summer and the dinner theme was 'taco night.' Upon seeing the signup list, I quickly chose rice and beans...because I love cooking rice and beans. :) They're cheap, healthy and are easy to 'doctor up.' I made 2 lbs. of these Dominican style beans. And then made a giant pot of Tex Mex restaurant style rice (2 lbs. of … [Read more...]
Chicken Pineapple Stir-fry with Coconut Rice
Sometimes the ingredient stars just align and the meal that I was thinking about, turns out even better than I imagined. I wanted to make something that I knew the boys would love, using a can of coconut milk I've had in the pantry for a few weeks. (I purchased it with this recipe in mind, but just haven't made it yet.) I also picked up a can of pineapple recently with a coupon … [Read more...]
Chunky Guacamole with Mango & Red Onion
This one surprised me. I'm a huge fan of homemade guacamole, definitely prefer it over store bought. (I usually doctor up the store bought with lime juice, cumin, cilantro and possibly other mixins.) About homemade guacamole...it's really a highly personal thing. It's almost like you shouldn't mess with a good and simple homemade guacamole. But I promise adding sweet mango … [Read more...]
Herbed Goat Cheese Chicken
Y'all. This is divine. Seriously...we all polished our plates. And I had to hide the extra piece I made so we could have it for lunch. Except Steve found it and took it for his lunch...knowing full well I wanted some for leftovers too. I teased him about it...and decided that this might become a weekly 'chicken and rice' meal for us. This one is definite a 'budget gourmet' … [Read more...]
Citrus-Rosemary Roasted Chicken
I've had this on my "to make list" for a while now...I wanted to get it made while the prices on citrus were still rock bottom and have been waiting for a great sale on whole chickens. The grocery sale stars aligned and I scored a great price on a whole chicken earlier this week, so I grabbed 2 oranges (only ended up using 1 because it was so huge!) and 2 lemons and a small … [Read more...]
Orange Glazed Pork Chops
This recipe did end up making it onto the 21 Gluten Free Meals from Costco Plan...so please note the following: Because there are many potatoes in the plan, feel free to substitute mashed potatoes for sweet potatoes. Also, if you don't have orange juice on hand, you could make these Brown Sugar Balsamic pork chops in place of these Orange Glazed Pork Chops. Make whatever you … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Mushrooms & Carrots
This recipe is part of our 6th Costco Meal Plan: 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150! You want your house to smell like a gourmet restaurant...make this! There's something about the way the beef and mushrooms cook together...mmmmmmmmm... This is a fantastically delicious recipe for beef roast that has just a few ingredients and can be made with quite a few … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Honey Ham and Bean Soup
Seriously, dinner doesn't get any easier than this. This is what I call a "Chop, Dump and Run" kind of dinner. (And if you added carrots, it would be a one dish slow cooker dinner...my absolute favorite kind.) This soup is sweet from the honey, with a touch of smoke, and a slight bite from the chili powder and cracked pepper. You're sure to love the soup, the flavor, the ease … [Read more...]