One Pan Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Rice with Black Beans

I came across this recipe on Pinterest & it immediately piqued my interest because it's a one-pot meal and simple. I've since made it a couple times & I love it. I used chicken the first time and while it was good, I prefer using ground meat, which is what I've done since. I usually use 6 oz of whatever ground meat I have on hand. It just blends better with the rice & beans. And while this recipe states that's necessary to use minute white rice, which would probably make it have less liquid, I really don't like the way minute rice taste. So I've always used my rice cooker & altered how much liquid I put into the dish. Your choice in how you make the dish-I'll let you decide. I'll put the ingredients for the minute rice. This dish is just really easy to make & it's perfect the next day for lunches.

To find the recipe, click here



Ready to be simmered down...

Enjoy!...

Slow Cooker Bratwurst

I was craving bratwursts one day but I live in an apartment so I can't grill them like I normally like them. So I found a slow cooker recipe. My old boss made them in the slow cooker for a pot luck & they turned out really good so I thought mine would turn out just as good. They did turn out with lots of flavor but I wasn't a big fan of the color. And I think I was afraid to really brown them the way they weren't to brown...as you can see in the first picture. They barely look like they received any color at all. When they were done cooking in the slow cooker they were clearly done but I thought they weren't cooked through so I put them in the microwave for longer and I think I overcooked some of them. I ate most of them but I was uneasy eating them thinking I was eating them not fully cooked-I just wasn't used to the color of them. I'm using to eating grilled bratwurst that are charred & have grill marks. Not too sure I'll be making them in the slow cooker again, regardless of how they taste!

Find the recipe here



Browned sausages...

Ready to cook...

Ready to eat...Enjoy!...

Chicken Salad

I saw this recipe being made on the Food Network by Jamie Deen, one of Paula Deen's sons. I grew up eating chicken salad and this recipe looked really good so I decided to try to find it to make it myself. It was really easy to make & it was really good. You are supposed to serve it in toast cups but I didn't do that-I just ate like regular chicken salad. The addition of the grapes makes it have a sweet flavor, which is nice. I'll definitely keep making this!

To find the recipe click here




Enjoy!...

Slow Cooker Cuban Pork

I made this a while ago. I had bought a pork roast from Trader Joe's and then I came across this recipe on Pinterest. The roast came out juicy but not as much flavor as I thought it would be considering all the juices that went into making it. It was definitely good & I made use of it. Just not sure I'd make it again.

Find the recipe here




Ready to cook...

Ready to eat...enjoy!

Salted Caramel Butter Bars

We needed to make some desserts for a work meeting so I scoured Pinterest for some kind of bars to make up and I ran across these. They sounded good and simple to make. They were definitely good & really really rich! Almost too rich! If I make these again, I think I'd add more coarse salt on the top to take out some of the richness of it.

Find the recipe here



Ready to be baked again...

Enjoy!..

One Pot White Chicken Lasagna Soup

I love this soup. This is another soup that I ran across when I was looking for soups that didn't contain any tomatoes. I had made a lasagna soup before but it contained tomatoes & that one was really good too. This made a lot of soup & I was concerned about freezing it since it contained heavy cream and half & half. And while it did separate a little once it did thaw, once I mixed it up, it was good to eat again. It's just a really filling soup, since it contains white beans and chicken and noodles, which I love. I can't say once bad thing about this soup. So go make it right now!!

Find the recipe here




Noodles added...

Ready to be served...

Ready to eat...enjoy!

Tomatillo Salsa

I've been craving salsa lately but since I can't eat tomatoes I've been out of luck. I researched tomatillos and discovered that they aren't in the tomato family..score! I had bought some tomatillo salsa from Trader Joe's and I tried a tiny bit & waited to see if would have a reaction and when I didn't I devoured it. It was so good & definitely curbed my craving for salsa. In fact, it's still my favorite for salsa if I'm buying. And it tastes good on everything.

We have a fruit/veggie truck that comes to our work a couple times a month from CA and they sell things for really cheap. I bought some tomatillos from them & I thought I would find a recipe for tomatillo salsa. My coworker sent me a pretty basic recipe her mom uses & between her mom's recipe & the one I found on Pinterest, they were pretty similar.

I roasted my jalapeno instead of boiling it with the jalapenos. I think it brought out more of the flavor of the jalapeno that way. It wasn't as good as the one at Trader Joe's but it was pretty decent. I think when I make it next time, I'd make more and freeze them in mason jars.

Tomatillo Salsa (2 cups) (Pinterest):

10 tomatillos
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and ribs removed (keep ribs & seeds if you want it hotter)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove husks from the tomatillos and rinse. Place tomatillos & jalapeno (if boiling-or roast jalapeno) in pan and cover with water. Place over med-high heat and boil until tomatillos are fully cooked and a dull olive green color, about 10 min.

Strain mixture, then place tomatillos and jalapenos in a food processor. Add garlic and cilantro and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Enjoy!




Ready to eat...

Enjoy!...