Asian Pork Meatballs over Coconut Rice

Spice up dinner with these flavorful Asian Pork Meatballs served over creamy coconut rice. This easy and delicious recipe is sure to be a family favorite!

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coconut Rice are not just for Taco Tuesday! This is one of my go-to chicken recipes, because it is super easy to get on the table in under 40 minutes, and it is loaded with fresh ingredients to maximize flavor. 

Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe

Stuffed Butternut Squash is a meatless meal packed full of fresh flavors inspired by Mexican cuisine. This Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe comes in a handy bowl you can eat too!

Burrito Bowl Recipe

Have you ever enjoyed Burrito Bowls out at a popular Mexican Grill? They're good aren't they?! No need to leave the house to enjoy them anymore! Pull on your soft pants and dig into these homemade Burrito Bowls!

Beef Stir Fry with Vegetables

Beef Stir Fry with Vegetables is quick, easy, versatile, and a nice change of pace from our usual fare. I don't know a ton about Asian cuisine, but what I do know is I love the sauce with this recipe! It is super yummy! It has just the right amount of everything that comes together in perfect harmony (very sappy, but true).

Stir fry sauces typically taste too much like soy sauce for my liking, but the soy sauce does not overpower in this recipe! Once the sauce mixes with the ginger and the garlic magic happens! Don agreed! This dish is a winner and the sauce is the star!

I have to fess up about the photos with this post or you'll think you are going crazy when you see the ingredient list, because it is not going to match the pictures.  I'll replace the pics eventually...maybe, or not...who knows, but I wanted to get y'all this recipe because it is soooo good!

Stuffed Tomatoes

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com Stuffed Tomatoes

I have never stuffed a tomato before...well, not like this anyway. I have stuffed those little tomatoes with chicken or tuna salad, but making a stuffed tomato much like you would make a stuffed pepper is new to me, and I LIKE IT!

Here is how I made this recipe:

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 cup rice

3 tbsps butter

2 cups water

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

5 tomatoes

1/2 lb Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

5 slices asiago cheese

Rice: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over mid-high heat. Add 1 cup of rice and saute until lightly toasted. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.  When rice is fully cooked, salt and pepper to taste and add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Set aside.

Filling: While rice is simmering, line an 8-9" baking dish with foil and grease with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut tops off tomatoes and scoop out the pulp to hollow the tomatoes. Chop tomato pulp and reserve. Brown 1/2 lb Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage. When browned add 1/2 chopped yellow onion and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Continue cooking until sausage is fully cooked and no longer pink, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan. When sausage is fully cooked and veges are tender and translucent, add reserved tomato, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, and 2 cups of rice. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.  

Bake: Fill tomatoes and bake for 20 minutes in the pre-heated oven or until tomatoes are soft and heated through. Top each tomato with asiago cheese and cook until melted. Serve with remaining rice and enjoy!

Cilantro and Pork Stir Fry

allrecipes.com Cilantro and Pork Stir Fry

Don, the hubs, loves rice! He would be happy if I served anything with rice every night. Sadly for him, rice is not MY favorite, but I have figured out how to make it where I can enjoy it. He is very happy to enjoy his rice meals more often now.

This month with the allrecipes Allstar Ambassador program we are tackling faceless recipes again! Newly published recipes on the site don't have reviews or pictures. They stay that way until some brave soul gives it a try.  I didn't used to enjoy trying an unproven recipe. Afterall, the reason why I love allrecipes.com so much is for the reviews! It is a handy tool for finding fantastic recipes!

Since being a brand ambassador for allrecipes.com, I have learned to enjoy the challenge of trying recipes that are not rated or photographed. I've found some real winners, too, and this Cilantro Pork Stir Fry is one of them! The first time I made this there were NO leftovers! There were only 2 of us!! I only had one small serving that I enjoyed very much, but Don just kept on going back for more haha  I couldn't believe it when I went to clean up and there was nothing left for me to photograph!! So I had to make it again so I could give it a face on allrecipes.com and for this blog post.

It's not really a surprise we enjoyed this dish - Pork is my favorite protein. I love it!! And Pork Tenderloin is my absolute favorite cut - it is the Prime Rib of Pork (imo)!  Tenderloin is an expensive cut, but I purchase it when it goes on sale for $4.99/lb or less, making it a very affordable treat. 

A couple important tips when cooking with Pork: 

• DO NOT overcook it!!  Pork should be a little pink in the center. It is okay. I promise! I know your meat thermometer might suggest otherwise, but many meat thermometers are incorrect since the USDA adjusted the safe cooking temperature for pork in 2011. Pork is safe to eat at 145 degrees internally. If you cook it to 140 degrees F. and let it rest for about 10 minutes, you'll be golden. 
• DO NOT freeze it. Buy your pork fresh and cook it up from fresh. Freezing pork changes the texture and the flavor...not in a good way.

Cilantro Pork Stir Fry

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Directions

• Whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tablespoon garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add sliced pork and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. 
• Remove pork from marinade and discard unused marinade. 
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wok or skillet over mid-high heat. Add pork and let it sear for 2-3 minutes and then turn over and sear other side for 2-3 minutes. Pork will be slightly pink in middle. Remove from pan and cover with foil.  NOTE: You might have to sear the meat in 2 batches if you don't have enough room in the skillet to add it all in a single layer. Also, the cooking time will vary depending on how the pork was cut. Thicker cuts will take longer.
• Add 1 tablespoon lime juice to the pan to deglaze. Scrape up those yummy brown bits from the bottom of the skillet and then add the onions and peppers and cook until desired tenderness. Once the peppers and onions are to your liking, add the pork and cilantro and cook for about 1 minute - until the cilantro is wilted. Give it a taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed to your liking.

I serve this over white rice. To make the rice to my liking, I melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over mid-high heat. I add 1 cup of rice and brown it slightly. Then I add 2 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of chicken base. Bring it to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 mins. The rice should be a little moist at this point, but not standing in water. Uncover and give it a stir. Remove from heat until ready to serve. NOTE: If it is still too watery after 15 mins - recover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Spicy Ginger Chicken & Vegetables over Rice

Spicy Ginger Chicken and Vegetables over Rice

This is a healthy and delicious recipe created by my awesome kid, Madison! She lives in Savannah most of the year going to college at an amazing art school! She really loves her school, and I do too. It's in Savannah - what's not to love?? Plus, they are on the quarter system which means she attends school for 10 weeks at a time, and then over winter break she is home for 7 weeks!  We love having her at home, but it does make it hard to see her go back. She hits the road tomorrow to head back for another 10 weeks of school :o(.  

This year she lives in apartment style housing, which is a huge improvement over the one room dorm she shared with 2 friends last year. She loves having such a big space with a kitchen. She created this dish this past quarter at school. She says she makes this and eats on it for a few days. She loves it! Madison made this for us last night, and  now we love it too!

Ingredients

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons water

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 serrano chile peppers, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 lb of chicken cut into bite size pieces

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups rice, uncooked

1 10 oz bag of frozen mixed veges (remember this is from a busy college student, so use fresh if you prefer and choose your fave!)

4 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon garlic powder with parsley

1 tablespoon butter

Sauce

In a small saucepan, gently boil the cider vinegar, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, salt, serrano chile peppers, and ginger in a saucepan over medium heat until thickened, about 15 minutes. Reduce it down until thickened and the sauce tastes amazing! adjust the seasonings for your tastes. You might like more ginger for sweetness or more peppers for spicy - it's up to you!

Chicken

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over mid-high heat. Salt and pepper chicken pieces and place in pan.  Let sit 3-4 minutes to get a good color on them, then flip and cook until no longer pink inside. About 5-7 minutes more (cook time will depend on how thick your bite size pieces are). Remove cooked chicken from pan and cover with foil to keep warm while you cook the rice.

Rice

In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over mid high heat. Add the rice and veges and saute until rice is a little browned. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir to combine. Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Continue to cook until all water is absorbed - about 20 minutes.

I like to plate the rice and veges first and then top with chicken and then the sauce. That way you can adjust the amount of sauce you like, but you can also just combine everything and serve! Enjoy!

Tropical Pork Chops

Allrecipes Tropical Pork Chops

I am always on the lookout for great pork recipes, which is surprising to some as I never really liked pork.  However, several years ago I realized I was overcooking pork, and this is why it was always so bad when I made it!  Now it is one of my favorite meats to cook! 

The USDA has always recommended pork be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees - not wanting to kill anyone I, of course, followed the rules! Until i learned that chefs everywhere will tell you that is WAY overdone!  you could break a tooth on pork that is so overcooked! 

Recently the USDA has changed those guidelines and lowered the safe cooking temperature for pork to 145 degrees.  It's true! Check out this article. This is much better! Although with all of those meat thermometers out there that guide you to overcook pork - I'm sure many are still following that practice and eating 'the other white meat' overcooked.  When I cook pork, I take it out around 138-140 degrees and then let it rest for about 5-10 mins. I haven't made anyone sick yet... 

I served Tropical Pork Chops over the weekend, and we really enjoyed them. The sauce is delicious and very easy to make. I made some minor changes to the recipe as follows...

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon onion salt
• dash cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless pork loin chops
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup pineapple tidbits
• Hot cooked rice

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients. Cover and simmer until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. In a skillet, cook pork, onion and garlic in oil until meat is caramelized. Add pineapple juice and reserved sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the meat is 140-145 degrees. Stir in pineapple and heat through. Serve over rice.

note:  Next time I make this I will be sure to use fresh pineapple instead of canned.

April 19th - April 25th

Thursday - Sloppy Joes and Baked Steak Fries use red potatoes for the fries as they are on sale this week

Friday - Spinach Orzo with Parmesan and Basil - While the orzo is cooking as stated in the recipe I saute some fresh baby spinach in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter with a couple cloves of sliced garlic until the spinach is wilted.  When Orzo is done I add the spinach. 

Saturday - Stuffed Peppers (I 1/2 this recipe to make it for 4, and I omit the yogurt)

Sunday - Steak Salad and French Bread  (make the dressing the night before if you can)

Monday - Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs with a garden salad

Tuesday - Tombstone Pizza is BOGO Free this week at Publix

Wednesday - Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken with a garden salad

Bakery

6 buns for Sloppy Joes (8 count French Hamburger Buns on sale for $2.99)

French Baguette (on sale for $1.49)

Produce

Potatoes (5 lb bag of Red Potatoes on sale at Publix for $2.99)

Yellow Onion x2

Green Bell Pepper x6 (on sale at Publix for $1.49/lb)

Fresh Basil

10 oz Bags of Baby Spinach x2

Garlic

Romaine Lettuce

Tomatoes x2 (Vine Ripened Tomatoes on sale at Publix for $.99/lb)

Carrot

Red Onion x1

Avocado x1

Bag of Salad

Dairy

Butter

Shaved Parmesan Cheese (DiGiorno Cheese is BOGO Free)

3/4 cup Crumbled Bleu Cheese (omit it if you don't care for it)

1 cup Cheddar Cheese - shredded

Spices

Garlic Powder

Salt 

Pepper

Dried Oregano

Sugar

Brown Sugar

Chili Powder

Cumin

Cayenne Pepper

Paprika

Onion Powder

Dried Thyme

Dried Parsley

Extras

Extra Virgin Olive Oil first cold pressed

Yellow Mustard

Ketchup (at least 3 cups - Hunts is BOGO Free)

Chili Sauce

14.5 ounce can Chicken Broth x1

Vinegar

Worcestershire Sauce

Hot Sauce

Red Wine Vinegar

Lemon Juice

Lime Juice

16 ounce jar Chunky Salsa (mild or hot)

Pasta/Rice

Orzo Pasta (at least 1 cup uncooked) Mueller's Pasta is BOGO Free

Brown Rice

Frozen

Tombstone Pizza (BOGO Free at Publix)

Meat

1 pound lean ground beef (Ground Round on sale at Publix for $3.99/lb)

• • 4 pounds Pork SpareRibs (on sale at Publix for $2.69/lb)
  • • 1 3/4 pounds Boneless Top Sirloin Steaks (on sale at Publix for $4.99/lb)
    • 16 oz fresh Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing
    • 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (try to get them thin)
    •