Cilantro-Lime Rice

This recipe is the perfect side dish for Sweet Pork, or any Mexican themed meal. I don't have a picture, but one of these days I'll remember to take one and add it to this post :)

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked rice

1 tsp. butter or margarine

2 cloves garlic, minced

zest from 1 lime

1 (15 oz) can chicken broth

water - add to chicken broth to make 2 cups

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tsp. granulated sugar

3 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

In a saucepan, combine rice, butter, garlic, lime zest, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and 15-20 minutes until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and, using a fork, fluff rice until cilantro is mixed in.

Sweet Pork

Something I really miss about Utah is take out from Costa Vida. Their Sweet Pork is to die for! I'll take it any way I can get it - nachos, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, it doesn't matter. They're all good! I once tried the Sweet Pork recipe with Coke and brown sugar, but I have to be honest - it wasn't good at all. Then, I found this recipe in my Mom's ward cookbook. Soooo yummy! I'm not claiming it's the same as Costa Vida, but it'll do. My favorite is to make nachos with it. I crave it - a lot. So I have to restrain myself from making it too often, because otherwise I'd pack on the pounds faster than you can say, "I love Sweet Pork!"

I wish I had a better picture for you, but this picture is from the first time I made the recipe and when I came up with the idea to make nachos I realized that I couldn't just put a plate in the toaster oven - it would have exploded. Not that I know from personal experience...

So, I rifled through the cupboards and found this leftover tin from Christmas. It was used for making a Rice Krispie gingerbread house and it was just what I needed :) I threw in some tortilla chips, black beans, cilantro lime rice, sweet pork then topped it off with an an insane amount of cheese. And I enjoyed every bite!

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (I think I generally use a 2 lb tenderloin)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can green enchilada sauce

1 can red enchilada sauce

2 c. brown sugar

2 cloves garlic

4 limes

Directions

Place pork in the crock pot (I always use a liner - it keeps clean-up to a minimum and I swear my meals cook better). Microwave limes for 10 seconds, cut into wedges, and squeeze on top of meat. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Cook on high for 3 hours.

Crush garlic cloves and spread on meat. Pour in both cans of enchilada sauce and sprinkle in brown sugar. Cook on high an additional 4 hours or until meat starts to fall apart.

Remove meat and shred on a cutting board using two forks. Place shredded meat back in the crock pot and simmer 15 minutes, or until ready to serve.

Chicken Packets

This is a fabulous recipe for Summer - or even Spring, when you're hoping for Summer to come :) It's super simple and smells great while it's cooking. Plus - it's healthy!

You can use any combination of vegetables that you like. Chris and I like different things, so we each make a packet for ourselves and we throw enough in there so that we'll have leftovers for the next day!

Here is a list of the veggies that Chris puts in his:

Red Potatoes
Baby Carrots
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Green Pepper
Onion

Here's what I use:

Red Potatoes
Baby Carrots
Broccoli
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Cherry or Grape tomatoes
Mushrooms
and sometimes pineapple chunks

I steam the potatoes, carrots, broccoli, squash and zucchini beforehand and then assemble the packets. I usually put the potatoes and carrots in first, followed by the broccoli and squash. After I've added my veggies I add a bit of salt and pepper. Use a good long piece of tinfoil so that you can pack it full of veggies and still close it :)


Here's what it looks like once you've layered all the veggies on the foil:

Next, you're ready to add the chicken. This time I used Chicken Tenders, but Chicken Breasts work great too. Salt and pepper the chicken as well.

Next I add Worchestershire sauce and then drizzle honey over the top. I haven't measured; I just keep adding until I think it's enough.

To roll the foil, I've found it's easiest to bring the two long ends together, roll those down and then roll up the short sides. I place mine on a cookie sheet to keep any juices from spilling into the oven.

After that you're ready to place it under the broiler. If you'd rather not heat up the house, you can also throw it on the grill. Either way works well. I place my rack just under the broiler and set it on high. Cook it on high for 30 minutes. Do you like the toys in the background? This is how I cook - crazy kids!

Generally, I clean up my dishes as I go along - it's a little trick my mom taught me. That way you aren't left with a messy kitchen after dinner ;) If I do have dishes left, I clean those up and then sit back to relax until dinner's ready!

And...Voila! Here are your finished Chicken Packets. I made mine with extra this time and it was enough to feed me and my two little boys, plus leftovers. Enjoy!

Salisbury Steak

I'm a sucker for comfort food - most especially meat and potatoes! I throw some vegetables on the side to ease the guilt and then sit back and enjoy my piece of heaven on earth. Mmmmm....

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 t. minced garlic

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 lb lean ground beef

1-2 cans Campbell's Mushroom gravy or 1 packet McCormick Mushroom gravy mix

Fresh sliced Mushrooms (optional)

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 4 patties. In a non-stick skillet brown patties on each side, then drain the grease. Add the gravy and mushrooms to the patties, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until mushrooms are done.

4 servings

*If I'm feeling especially guilty about the yumminess I'm about to consume, I transfer the patties to a clean pan before adding the gravy. It cuts out at little more of the grease right?

*If you're using the powdered gravy, mix it with the water before adding it to the pan. Surprisingly, we prefer the canned gravy, but it just depends on what I have on hand and what was on sale at the time :) If I want extra gravy for the potatoes then I use two cans.

I'm sure that a true Salisbury Steak actually uses brown gravy instead of mushroom gravy, but the truth is, Chris and I are die hard fans of mushrooms. I add them to everything - hence the change from the original recipe!

Tomato 'n Cheese Pasta

This is one dish that my sweet hubby never gets tired of. It's super easy to put together, even on a busy night!

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked small tube pasta (I love to use mini penne)

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cans Italian Diced Tomatoes

1 t. dried basil

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. black pepper

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 mins. Drain pasta; stir into sauce pan. Transfer to a greased 1 qt. baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 10-15 mins or until cheese is melted.

4 servings

Cheesy Potato and Broccoli Soup

I got this recipe from a friend at work probably 4 or 5 years ago. It's one of my favorite soups to make - so much in fact, that I have to be careful how much I make it. My poor husband asked me to stop making it for awhile because I was making it so often - oops! I never get tired of food - what's his deal? :)

I've changed the original recipe; the major change being that I added broccoli. You can make it with or without the broccoli. My 5 year old prefers it without. The other day he asked what was for dinner and when I told him I was making this soup he said, "Sounds good. But I don't need the broccoli. You and Dad can have broccoli though." Hmm...didn't expect that response. Although, I can't really blame him. I hated broccoli as a kid :)

Ingredients

3 cups water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

5 cups diced potatotes

1/2 medium onion chopped

1 t. salt

3/4 t. pepper

8 0z broccoli (I prefer to use fresh, but frozen will work)

1/2 cup margarine

3/4 cup flour

1 quart fat-free half and half

16 oz light Cheese Whiz

Directions

In a large pot, dissolve the bouillon in water. Add potates, onion, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are mostly done, then add broccoli. (Be careful not to stir too much while cooking or the broccoli will break up and become mushy.) In a saucepan, melt margarine, then remove from heat and add flour a little at a time until a thick, smooth paste is formed. Stir in the half and half a little at a time; heat through. While that (the white sauce) is heating, add the Cheese Whiz to the potato and broccoli mixture - but allow it to melt before stirring. After stirring in the cheese, add the white sauce to the soup and stir carefully until mixed.

My favorite way to serve this is in bread bowls, but sometimes those can be hard to find. Either way, it's delicious!

8-10 servings

*This makes a ton of soup, but it freezes well so you can always save some for next week :)

Lemon Coffee Cake

I discovered this recipe last summer and I think I made it 3 times in 2 weeks! In my defense though, I had to make some to take to the neighbors - is it really my fault that there were some leftovers? A girl can't let such yummy goodness go to waste!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

3/4 cup canola oil

4 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 can lemon pie filling

1 t. ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl, beat 1 cup sugar, oil and eggs until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into egg mixture until blended. Pour half of the batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Spread the pie filling over batter then top with the remaining batter. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

*If it seems like that's a lot of cinnamon and sugar to put on the top, it is. But I like it that way! If you want to cut back, be my guest :)