Super Crispy Skinned Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

This recipe makes a pork shoulder into an Amazing piece of delicious, tender meat, and it is SO EASY!

Buy an 8- 10 pound pork shoulder.
Preheat oven to 250.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack inside of it.
Season the meat with salt and pepper.
Place the pork (skin side up) on the wire rack on the baking sheet.
Roast in the oven for eight hours, or until meat easily separates with a fork.
Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 500.
Remove foil and put pork back in oven.   Cook for an additional 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until skin is blistered and puffy.
Remove from oven, tent again with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

The original recipe is here.

I Highly recommend serving this with chimichurri.   Everyone who tried it LOVED it!

(Will be making this again soon and will post pictures).

Bacon Donuts!!

I think we all know that everything is better with bacon, right? When I saw these on Pinterest, I was like, "What!? Those could not be more awesome! I only wish I'd thought of it!"

Okay, so the only thing "donut-y" about these is their shape.   They have no dough of any kind.   (Which makes them gluten, flour, sugar, egg free - Ha!)

A ring of pineapple, slice of onion, and piece of mozzarella string cheese... wrapped in bacon and sprinkled with a homemade rub (we had it leftover from ribs)

Baked (or grilled) at 400...

...dipped in marinara...

WOW.

Seriously, you should make these - it's like a Hawaiian pizza in your hand.    They do take a little time, but are sooo worth it!

I found the recipe here.    I think some variations of this would also be good - like substituting the ring of pineapple for a ring of apple (and omit the onion), or using cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella... lots of possibilities.

Brie Stuffed Apple Pecan Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

Brie. What a delightful cheese!

I had seen a skillet baked apple crisp with brie in the middle and was inspired to incorporate it into my breakfast oatmeal instead!   It was phenomenal.

I adapted my recipe from here.   Mine is below:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp of vanilla
3/4 tsp of cinnamon
scant 1/4 tsp of salt
1 Tbsp of apple sauce
1/4 cup of mashed banana
1/4 cup of milk
1 Tbsp of butter
1/2 apple, chopped
Handful of pecans
1/4 cup of craisins (I "plumped mine in a bit of boiling water on the stovetop, but that's not absolutely necessary)
1/4 of a brie round

Directions:

(I always assemble mine the night before, so it's ready to go in the morning)

Preheat oven to 375.
Mix everything except the cheese together in a bowl.
Grease a small baking dish with butter.  (If you want it to come out of the dish without sticking, I'd put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom first).
Put just enough of the oatmeal mixture in the dish to cover the bottom.
Place the brie in the middle.
Pack the rest of the oatmeal mixture around and top of the brie.
Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Run a knife around the edge, invert on to a plate and then flip right side up onto another plate.
Dig in!

Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

I like Jambalaya, but rarely have it anywhere that is not too spicy for me!   I adapted this recipe (based on what I knew our family would like) from here. See my recipe below.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
2 bell peppers (not green)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of chicken broth
1 Tbsp of Cajun Seasoning (add more if you like it spicy)
12 oz can of cooked chicken (or any chicken you want)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2-3 cups of kale, torn into small pieces
1 lb. of smoked sausage
1 lb. of shrimp, deveined and tails off

Directions:

Saute onion, garlic and peppers in a little butter or oil until soft.
Add chicken broth, Cajun seasoning, chicken, diced tomatoes, kale and bay leaves.
Simmer for half an hour.   Add sausage and shrimp.
When shrimp turns pink, it is ready.
Enjoy as is or serve over rice.

Easy Pickled Onions

I've had pickled onions at several restaurants and always really liked them.   They add a certain pizzazz and "fancy" to a dish that I really like.   Well, it turns out they're really easy to make!   Here is the (super easy) recipe

I like these in potato salad, on a grilled cheese sandwich with some avocado, in quinoa... the possibilities are endless!

They take a burger to the next level, for sure =)

Homemade BBQ Sauce

In my quest to make more things at home, with fewer ingredients (and things I can actually pronounce and identify), BBQ sauce seemed like an easy one to try.

Here is the recipe I used.   I really like it, but did skip the chipotle chili powder, and scaled back the 1 Tbsp of chili powder to a scant 2 tsps.   I might actually do a little less next time.   Even the kids love this!

One Pot Chicken and Rice Chili

I was looking on Pinterest for something new and easy to make for dinner and came across this recipe, which I adapted (based on what I had on hand) to make the dish you see. We were all very pleased with how it turned out! My recipe is below:

(I am not impressed with what Blogger is doing with the color of my photos)

One Pot Chicken Rice Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 12 oz can of chunk chicken (or the same amount of your own cooked chicken, beef or sausage)

5 cups of chicken broth

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

3/4 c of red kidney beans

3/4 c. of garbanzo beans (or any white bean)

1/5 cups of kale, torn into small pieces

1 tsp of chili powder

1 tsp of cumin

salt and pepper to taste

10 oz of brown rice (I used parboiled)

3/4 cup of shredded cheese

Instructions:

Heat oil in large skillet or pot.  Add onions and cook until soft, about five minutes.   Add chicken.

Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, kale and spices.  Bring to a simmer.  Stir in rice.    Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked through.

Remove from heat.  Top with cheese and cover until melted, about 2 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, avocado or salsa if you wish.

Pretty Berry Birthday Angel Food Cake

This cake was the inspiration for a birthday brunch (because I would need a lot of people to eat it!)  

Topped and filled with cool whip/pudding and strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and cherries, it is the perfect light birthday dessert that you won't feel bad eating for brunch!

The powdered sugar sifted over top gives it a little extra pizzazz

There really aren't many instructions for this:

Buy and bake an angel food cake according to the directions.
When cool, slice the cake in half.   Brush off any extra crumbs at this point.
Mix together cool whip and vanilla pudding.   2 parts cool whip to 1 part pudding.
Put a layer of cool whip/pudding on the bottom layer.  
Top with (chopped) strawberries, whole raspberries and blueberries.   (I didn't put the black berries or cherries in the middle because they're so big)
Add a bit more cool whip/pudding on top of the berries to help the top layer stay in place.
Put top layer on.
Spoon cool whip/pudding on top and decorate with all the berries.
Place berries all around the bottom edge (being careful to place them so they won't roll when you move the cake!)
Sift powdered sugar over top of the berries.

Happy Birthday!

Egg and Sweet Potato Hash

I made this recipe up myself.   We were given some Duck eggs and this was the first breakfast I made with them:

Look how cool they are!    Here they are mixed in with fresh chicken eggs to show you the difference in size and color:

I think they taste pretty much the same as a chicken egg.   Their shells are a bit stronger and the whites might be a bit "thicker", but they are Delicious!

This is super easy to make:

Ingredients:

Handful of kale, torn into small pieces
1/3 of a red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 thick slice of onion, diced
1 small sweet potato, chopped
2 tbsp of butter or oil of your choice (I used coconut)

Directions:

Heat oil in pan and throw all ingredients in.
Put lid on and cook, stirring every so often until veggies are tender.
Push vegetables away from the middle, add a bit more oil and break the egg into the center of the pan.
Add a bit of water at the edge of the pan (to create steam) and put the lid back on until the egg yolk is cooked how you like it.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika and enjoy! =)

Baked Apple Stuffed with Quinoa!

Oh, yum.   I admit, I was originally drawn to these because 1) I was looking for new ways to eat quinoa for breakfast and 2) They are pretty!   But, wow.   They are soo delicious!

I cooked the quinoa in milk for a change, then mixed it with yogurt and apple sauce and warmed it up to make it extra creamy.   Throw in some pecans, cranberries and coconut (or whatever you like!) and eat in out of a hot, sweet, soft baked apple and... your day is off to an amazing start =)

These will be happening again tomorrow.  =)

Try it!    I used this recipe.   Happy Breakfast! =)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

I love peanut butter and jelly, and when I can incorporate it into my breakfast in a more healthy way, I'm all about it!

This recipe uses a homemade grape chia jam, but I prefer my strawberry one.   You could also just use whatever jam/jelly you have on hand.

Asian Broccoli Salad with Peanut Sauce

When I'm making a salad for something, I like to mix it up and bring something different. This was different And delicious!

Broccoli, edamame, green onions and peanuts in a delicious peanut sauce

Easy Egg Souffle for Two (or One!)

I have very fond memories of eating egg souffle at my Grandma's house as a child. I had never made one myself, but when I came across this recipe not too long ago, I Had to give it a try! It. Was. Amazing. It is now one of my favorite lunch foods.

The recipe is actually for a single, one egg souffle.  I like to double it though and eat it as my meal.

This one has some spinach added in, you could add whatever you like, or just eat it's cheesy goodness as is

So beautiful

I actually discovered that making it in a small dish isn't the best idea.  The top gets golden and puffy, but then the middle and bottom are still not baked.   Next time I'll make it in a round casserole dish, so it will only be an inch or two deep all over and will bake more evenly.

Got some eggs and cheese?  Go make this!

Cauliflower "Rice"

This recipe is for "Riced Cauliflower Pilaf", instead of just straight up cauliflower and I found it really flavorful.  Spices, nuts, bacon.... =)

Who knew cauliflower was so versatile??

This goes really well in place of the quinoa in the roasted veggie quinoa protein bowl as well.

Qunioa Roasted Veggie Protein Bowl

Oh, Yum.

I like this so much I seriously made a big batch of it on Sunday and I'm eating it EVERY SINGLE DAY this week for lunch.    Everything is ready, I just need to dice an avocado, fry the egg, plop it on and I'm good to go!

Do you have any idea how many things are better with an egg on top?

The recipe is here, but you don't even really need a recipe (except for the dressing).   You just layer quinoa, your favorite roasted veggies, fresh kale, avocado, cashew dressing, nuts and seeds, and then (and this is my spin), top with a fried, runny yolk egg!   Awe.some.

Whole Wheat Crusty Bread

I am not a bread baker. I'm not one of those super moms who bakes all her own bread all the time. I was, however, in a rare, bread making mood and wanted to make something that was more healthy than what we get at the store.

This recipe used whole wheat flour, only has five ingredients, and didn't require any kneading, which really appealed to me.   I made a half recipe, which yielded two small round loaves about 6 inches across.   Instead of dusting mine with flour, I opted for an egg wash, to give them a nice golden crust.

Hot out of the oven

Mmmm...

This was a perfect, fun size for us.   We ate one at home (everyone Really liked it!) and I took one to house church (along with a spinach artichoke quinoa bake that I forgot to take pictures of, but will have to make again and post on here).

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

So... this has been a thing for a while. I actually first heard about it from Barb, when she and Carol visited last summer! I was intrigued, but it sounded really labor intensive, and seriously, how good could a crust be that's made from cauliflower?? =)

Well, I finally decided to try it.    It seemed like an adventure, and healthier than traditional pizza crust, so it was worth a go...

I used this recipe and highly recommend it!

There are a few steps, but all very easy and no special skills are required =)

Here is my baked crust, ready for toppings!

One cauliflower makes one medium sized crust and I split it in half to use separately (since I wasn't sure if anyone else in my house was going to like it).

The first one had red onion, red peppers, sausage, spinach and mozzarella

...and the second one I made for breakfast and had peppers, zucchini, onions, mushrooms and an egg baked on top!

I think this is pretty amazing stuff and I only wish it had been my idea.  The crust holds together surprisingly well and has a fairly mild flavor.   Caleb tried some of mine and loved it and Philip had a piece and gave it a thumbs up.   Next time I'll make enough for the whole family.

Try. It!

I have since tried making this into a square and cutting it into four pieces of "bread" to be used for sandwiches and it is the Bomb!!

 Fancy grilled cheese with spinach, tomato, avocado and pickled onions

...or you can use one of the squares to make a little pizza

(This one has zucchini, goat cheese, pickled onions, yellow peppers, and mozzarella

Garlic Parmesan Biscuit Pull Apart Bread

Yes, this recipe uses Grands biscuits as well. I'm in a bit of a "bread phase" right now. =)

Garlic parmesan, roasty toasty, soft pull apart bread....

Perfect to share with your family around a big pot of soup, chili, or...anything really

Here is the recipe.  (It says to Not use the flaky layer biscuits, but I did and they were amazing!)

I would recommend using a little less butter in the pan, and instead melting it and mixing it in with the biscuit pieces along with the cheese and spices.

Bubble Up Breakfast Bake

I had some Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk (flaky layer) biscuits on hand, and knew that there were TONS of things you could make with these beauties!   I needed something to take to a lunch on Easter Sunday and when I came across this, it was an easy choice.   The recipe is here.  It's quite basic and Super easy.  I decided to add some extra stuff to mine.

You basically chop up the biscuits, drop them in a baking dish, add whatever toppings you want, pour eggs on top and bake!    When it's done, the biscuits have risen and "bubbled" up everywhere, making it a delicious and flavorful breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) bake that will be a big hit!

On top of my biscuits, I added red pepper, some chopped breakfast sausages, chopped pepperoni and green onions, along with garlic powder, salt and pepper (Oh, I also used cream in my eggs, instead of milk) =)

Fresh out of the oven

YUM.

Vegetable Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

There's something about portobello mushrooms that I just love.   When I saw this dish, I knew I had to make it.   It didn't disappoint. =)

Aren't they so beautiful and colorful?

These are so easy to make...and have so many good things in them!

The recipe is here.    Mushrooms, zucchini, onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, bread crumbs, two kinds of cheese... Mmm....

  

EAT some.

Six Layer Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

If you want something a little different for a birthday, or just for fun, a layer cookie cake is it! =)

If you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, you could just use it, but I like this one.   I found it on my bottle of McCormick Vanilla!

In order to make each layer exactly the same size, I used a small (5 or 6 inch) round cake pan.   I cut a piece of parchment paper for the bottom and buttered the sides.   Then I measure exactly 2/3 of a cup of dough and pressed it into an even layer in the pan.  I baked each layer for 13 minutes at 350.   I wanted to make sure they weren't reaching "crunchy".
 After taking it out of the oven, I would loosen around the edges with a knife, and then invert it onto a potholder on my hand, and then onto a wire rack (by holding the rack up to the bottom of the cookie and gently putting it down).    After each layer had cooled, I put them in air tight containers until I was ready to put them together, to keep them from drying out.

The frosting is my mom's recipe, that you can find in this post.   I made 1.5 recipes of frosting and needed all of it.   After I made the frosting, I divided it into six equal "piles" on a plate, to make sure I'd have enough, and an equal amount for each layer.   (I actually made one pile slightly bigger, so I'd have enough to pipe a border on the top layer).   Put a dab of frosting on the plate, to secure your first layer before starting.   This will keep anything from sliding later!  After finishing the layers of frosting and cookie, I inserted a wooden skewer down the middle to keep the layers from moving at all.
I didn't frost the sides, just because I liked the look of being able to see every layer.  I do NOT recommend that you cover the whole thing in frosting as it will make it Painfully sweet!   As it was, this went down great with a glass of milk =)

Go make one! =)

"Dutch Baby" Apple Pancake

It's funny to me that I posted "single serving" pancakes just yesterday, and today I'm posting a GIANT, family sized pancake! =)

Until yesterday, I had never heard of a dutch baby pancake.   I thought maybe they were tiny, baby sized pancakes... but no, quite the opposite!    It's a huge, puffy pancake, baked in a cast iron skillet in the oven, to share as a family!   (And no, they aren't Dutch, they were invented in Seattle).

Most of the ones I saw, didn't have fruit in them, they were just a plain (but still beautiful) pancake that you would top with fruit or sugar and a squeeze of lemon.  When I came across this one, here, the description (you should read it) reeled me in immediately!   It sounded like the perfect, delicious breakfast to serve to my family on a cozy, snowy Saturday morning.   It was. =)

The best part of all, is how puffy it gets while it's baking!    It makes a grand entrance as you set it on the table in all of it's puffy glory...

Check out that edge!

...add some sifted powdered sugar

Notice the edges have already settled here

Topped with a little whipped cream, cinnamon and pecans

It was soo much fun to photograph! =)

So, when are you coming over for breakfast??

There are a few steps to the recipe, but it's all very easy, and I did some prep (peeled and chopped the apples, and measured out all the dry ingredients) the night before.