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Apple Cider Pulled Pork
Pulled pork is easily one of my most favorite ways to prepare meat. It is versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes, and if you have the time for it to cook, it is a super easy hands off way to cook a roast or tenderloin. It takes very little prep time. Sometimes I make a big batch of pulled pork and then use it in a variety of ways. Pulled pork tacos are especially a favorite of my kiddos. However, this recipe topped them all in their books. I made sliders out of the pulled pork, but it is just as tasty by itself with some…
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Homemade Pumpkin Puree
I am a lover of all things decorating with pumpkins this time of year. My favorite ones are the ugly ones, the warty, misshapen, weird pumpkins. I just love the perfect imperfectness of them. Each year, I end up purchasing these outcast pumpkins and squash every time I go to the grocery store. In my area, Sprouts has by far the best ugly pumpkin selection. But when Autumn winds down, what do you do with these extra pumpkins and squash? I hate just throwing them away or composting them. I finally decided to try my hand at making pumpkin puree. And guess what? I should’ve done it years ago. It…
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Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
Right now I am spending time in Western Idaho with my parents. Autumn is in full force here, the leaves are changing from greens to beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds. The temperature has fallen and we have the heater on. It has been a decade since I spent quality time in an area where Autumn is a real season. Las Vegas Autumn pretty much just means that you have to begin wearing a sweater in the mornings and swim season is over. I have been enjoying this cooler weather and took full advantage of it with this recipe. My parents’ garden was super productive this year and dad ended up…
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Spicy Tomato Soup
Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are the quintessential cold, rainy day foods. While heating a can of tomato soup or Spaghetti-os is quick and easy, sometimes something a little more elegant is necessary. While this soup can easily be made from scratch with oven roasted tomatoes, garlic, and onion; on busy weeknights, shortcuts are a must. Using canned fire roasted tomatoes, or marinara can give you very similar flavors and quality and a fraction of the time. Additionally, if you need a vegetarian or vegan version omit the sausage and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. I’ve made this with diced portobello mushrooms instead of sausage as a…
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Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Gnocchi Soup
Can I tell you a secret? The day that Olive Garden came out with their soup, salad, and breadsticks combo I just about died and went to heaven. There are very few things that are more comforting and fulfilling during the fall season than a tasty soup, garlicky carbs, and a salad on the side. One of my favorite’s has to be hands down OG’s Chicken Gnocchi soup. The creamy texture combined with fresh vegetables and the pillowy goodness of the gnocchi, just the perfect combination of flavors and textures. I’ve been wanted to create my version if this soup for a long while now, but was stuck on feeling…
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Cran-Apple Harvest Salad
Fall season maybe just around the corner, but here in Las Vegas the 100º+ weather doesn’t agree. Finding recipes that fill my need for harvest season foods while not overheating myself spending too much time in front of a hot stove. This quinoa fruit and vegetable filled salad definitely fits that harvest food spot. Add in some grilled chicken and it goes from being a side salad to a main dish. If you aren’t a fan of some of the fruits or vegetables I have added to my salad, then exchange them for some in-season produce that you love. Orange slices, dried apricots, raisins, pears, carrots…all of these would be…
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Meatloaf Zucchini Melts
As much as I love to create healthy, yet tasty foods, zucchini is definitely not one of my favorite vegetables. Just like Brussels sprouts, I have to force myself to create food with zucchini. While I do love the flavor of zucchini, it is the texture I have a hard time with. However I prepare it, it must always have a crisp bite to it. If it is mushy in any way, I cannot eat it. That being said, I have snuck zucchini in many recipes, grated into the ground meat or into the sauce. For this recipe though, I thought it would be fun to add one of my…
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Summer Lemon Chicken & Asparagus
Asparagus is a vegetable that is easily misunderstood. Just like Brussels sprouts and artichokes, there is a specific way to prepare asparagus. It isn’t like green beans, peas, or corn where you can boil or steam then serve. While some people do love asparagus from a can, I will only eat it if it is roasted or grilled. Additionally, preparing asparagus is important. The thicker the asparagus stock, the more fibrous. It is difficult to figure out what part to trim and what to eat. The way I prepare asparagus is I hold each end of the stock. Then I bend it until it snaps. The stock naturally snaps in…
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Fresh Balsamic Summer Salad
Sometimes preparing dinner is just plain too much, especially during the hot summer months. Who wants to spend time in front of a stove or heat their thoroughly a/c’ed kitchen with their oven? I most definitely don’t. I am always on the hunt for a delicious dinner that doesn’t require a ton of prep or for me to stand in a stifling kitchen while the temperature outside soars to unbearable numbers. This fresh balsamic summer salad is the ticket! It can easily be eaten alone, or paired with some grilled chicken or steak. I also like to eat the leftovers with rotisserie chicken for lunch. The best part about this…
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Huli Huli Ramen Chicken
I have come a long way since the packaged ramen noodles days. At one point, in Junior High, my friends and I would eat ramen raw right out of the bag. I don’t know if that is something y’all have done before, but I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread at the time. I’ve since learned how hillbilly that is. Now though, I only have the prepackaged ramen for when a stomach bug tears through the household and kiddos refuse to eat anything. As soon as I realized I could purchase ramen noodles by itself without the packaging and seasoning, my life was changed. Huli Huli chicken…
