Smoked Sausage Alfredo

This is a meal that always follows a BBQ. You know when you have several smoked sausages leftover from the grill? My husband begged me to put them over a creamy pasta. I'm glad I did, because the result was outstanding! Next time we grill, I'm making leftovers on purpose. Enjoy!

Husband Rating: 5 stars

3 smoked sausages, grilled

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup red onions, sliced

1 cup chicken broth

8 oz. cream cheese

2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

12 oz. fettuccine or your favorite pasta

Parsley and diced tomatoes to garnish (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Over medium heat saute melted butter, minced garlic and red onions. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Whisk in cream cheese until sauce is smooth and creamy. Stir in parmesan cheese. Pour sauce over noodles, top with sliced smoked sausages. Garnish with diced roma tomatoes and parsley.

By the way, did you notice my gorgeous new pasta bowls? I found them at the junk store for .25 cents each. They are lovely, dishwasher and oven safe and they make my pasta look better. Score!

Salt and Pepper Pork Chops

Sometimes I get all fancy with flavors in the kitchen and forget about the classics, good ole salt and pepper. My husband loves plain old pork chops with just salt and pepper. Can this recipe be any easier? I love the crispy goodness on the pork chops, so we always leave them in a pan a little longer. Throw this with my roasted veggies and here's some simple yumminess!

Husband Rating: 5 stars

4 pork chops

Dash of oil

Salt and Pepper

Heat a pan to medium. Add a dash of oil, or cooking spray, to the bottom of the pan. Line pork chops on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn chops and season the other side. Cook for 5 minutes more. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

3 large potatoes

10 baby carrots, halved

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and chop potatoes into bite-size pieces. Halve baby carrots. In a 9x13 baking dish combine potatoes, carrots and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the onion soup mix and stir until combined. Bake for 35 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Oh beautiful for pulled pork sandwiches! Especially drenched in BBQ sauce right? It seems like summer no matter what month you make these.

For my easy directions on slow-cooked pulled pork click here.

First, let me say that the delicious-ness of your pulled pork sandwich relates directly to the quality of the bread you serve it on. Don't go lame and whip out wonder bread or even hamburger buns. Buy the fanciest rolls your favorite bakery has. I bought some delicious rolls from Albertsons bakery, not the cheapest, but sooo worth it! Walmart even has some yummy looking varieties, so don't be shy. Split the rolls, butter them lightly, then toast them on a skillet.

Husband Rating: 5 stars (and yes, we had them for dinner once and lunch twice this week!)

2 cups shredded pork

1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce

4 bakery rolls

Stir together BBQ sauce and pork in a skillet until warmed. Place a heaping spoonful on toasted buns. Serve with lots of napkins:)

Egg Rolls

Mm, crunchy egg rolls. My husband generally hates egg rolls because of all the slimy vegetables. I promised him I would only use "familiar" vegetables and some tasty pork. You can slice your own veggies for the filling, but I recommend buying a bag of coleslaw from the store near the lettuce and salad bags. I grabbed a brand called "Eat Smart, Sunrise Slaw" in 10 oz. size. They had lots of varieties of cabbage and other veggies, but I grabbed the bag with shredded carrots, broccoli and red cabbage. (Secret bonus, the broccoli is sliced thin, doesn't look like broccoli, I hid the bag in the bottom of the garbage so he wouldn't read it!) My husband is not a picky eater normally, he just has issues with vegetables, lol. It takes some undercover work to feed my family veggies, especially green ones! If you don't have a fryer, you could easily do this in a skillet. Enjoy!

Husband Rating: 3 1/2 stars

1 bag 10 oz. slaw
2 cups shredded pork (Click here for my directions on easy shredded pork)
1/2 of an onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 egg roll wrappers
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. of the Secret Ingredient *see below

*I'm embarrassed to admit the secret ingredient, since it doesn't really fit with chinese cuisine. I mixed everything together and I just knew it needed something else, a little oomph of flavor. I browsed in the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing. I know, right? It was the perfect flavor, loved it! So yeah, use it!

In a saute pan combine secret ingredient dressing, garlic, onion and slaw. Cook and stir over medium heat. Add shredded pork, ginger, sesame seeds and soy sauce. Stir for 4-5 minutes until heated through. Place a spoonful of filling in egg roll wrappers and fold. Use cold water to seal the ends. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side.

Here is what the filling look likes, yummy!

Here is how I folded the egg rolls. Look to the back of your wrapper package for hints.

Shredded Pork Education

I love me some good shredded pork, but it's so time consuming that if you're gonna make it - you better go all out! Follow my directions for some easy meals from your freezer and a happy husband. Bring on the pork!

1. I bought this roast, almost 7 pounds of pork shoulder for under $9. For the amount of dinners and lunches I made, it was well worth it! Don't worry about buying a more tender cut of meat, it's going to slow cook all day, so it will be plenty tender. Place the roast in the crockpot, it was a tight squeeze!

2. To give your pork some oomph I recommend adding some delicious flavors. First, add 1 sliced lemon or 2 sliced limes. Slice 1 jalapeno and toss it in (don't worry, it won't be too spicy, just delicious). Slice half of an onion and toss it over the roast. When you add your garlic cloves, I like to press them down into the meat. Now, fill the crockpot with water until about 3/4 of the roast is covered. This keeps your roast moist and prevents the meat from drying out and getting too crispy.

3. Sprinkle with pepper, put your lid on and set on low for 12 hours. I like to start it at night, then you wake up to a house smelling AMAZING!

4. Pull out roast to a cutting board (I used a slotted spoon since it was sooo fall apart tender) and let it cool. Peel away any fat chunks. Shred it with a fork or your fingers.

5. Separate your pork into meal portion sizes, I do 2 cups. Put in bags, label and freeze. Use within 2 months.

So, what can you do with shredded pork? I'll post my favorite recipes soon, leave a comment with your ideas.

We made: Tacos, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, pork and rice burritos, egg rolls and enchiladas

One Pan Pork Chop Skillet

I so very much love a dinner where I can dump it all in one skillet. This meal has it all, the tender pork chops, potatoes, carrots, onions and I even threw in some asparagus for good luck! If nothing else, this meal made my house smell delicious. There will be plenty of yummy drippings in the bottom of the pan. I just drizzled them over the plate, but you could easily add a little flour and end up with a nice gravy. Perfect for a cold, snowy day!

Husband Rating: 5 stars

4 pork chops
1/2 cup beef broth
3 potatoes
10 baby carrots (or 2 regular, cut into 3 inch pieces)
1/2 onion
8 asparagus spears
1 tsp. Ranch Seasoning Mix
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. parsley flakes

Spray cooking spray in a skillet heated over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, set in pork chops. Brown for 3 minutes on each side. Add beef broth, diced potatoes, carrots, diced onion and asparagus. Sprinkle with Ranch seasoning. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley and serve.

And don't forget to stop by Tempt My Tummy Tuesday for a yummy blog party!

Baby Back Ribs

It happened. The stars aligned and it finally happened. I saw the baby back ribs on sale, husband started to say, "wouldn't it be good if . . ." and I picked them up and put them in my cart. See, truth is I've been a ribs fan for a long time. They are so sticky and lick-your-lips delicious. I've always thought they were beyond my chef capabilities and never attempted. Only occasionally do I order them at restaurants even, I mean ribs are impossible to eat gracefully. But, it happened, they were in my cart and there was NO turning back!

And don't worry, because this story has a happy ending thanks to my dear Kristin. Kristin of Make Your Cake and Eat It Too has an easy to follow picture recipe, you can't go wrong. Click here for Kristin's Succulent Baby Back Ribs recipe.

Here's how Kristin's finished ribs look:



And here's how mine turned out: (Don't you just LOVE it when your food actually resembles the recipe photo?)



So, now there should be no more fear. They take a while in the oven, it's true, but it doesn't actually require that much effort. Husband was delighted and reminded again how glad he is he married me:)

Gourmet Hot Dogs

It's time to spoil yourself a little and throw some gourmet dogs on the grill. Buy the best kosher beef dogs you can find, or use spicy smoked sausage. Slice them in half and grill until perfect. Get the fancy rolls (or make your own) and toast them too on the grill! I didn't take the picture after I loaded it, but cram as many delicious vegetables as you can on there. So messy and so amazing!

Husband Rating: 5 stars

Toppings we used:
Grilled mushrooms
Grilled onions
Ketchup
Mayo
Mustard
Lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Pickle relish
Jalapenos (him, not me)

BBQ Pork Chops

Honestly, it can't get any easier than this meal. I could have gone all fancy and made my own BBQ sauce, but this is just good ole store-brand BBQ sauce. No effort involved, your husband could even handle this meal:) Pork chops are always reasonably priced and I always have some in my freezer. I took them out of the freezer the night before and let them hang out in the fridge. By dinner time they were thawed enough to throw in a pan. So delicious it should take longer-- enjoy!

Husband Rating: 4 stars

4 pork chops
1/2 cup (approx.) BBQ sauce
Dash of pepper

Spray the bottom of a skillet lightly with cooking spray. Over medium heat cook pork chops for 2 minutes on each side. Pour BBQ sauce on top and cook for an additional 5 minutes on each side. If too dry, add more sauce. Sprinkle with a dash of black pepper.

On the side I served cheesy mashed potatoes. I used leftover mashed potatoes from a previous dinner, but potato pearls or dehydrated would work fine here too. Put a handful of cheddar cheese on top of potatoes and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Microwave until melted. Yummy!

Lemon Pork Chops

It's true, I kind of have a thing for lemons. In dinner or dessert I just can't get enough of lemon flavor. I hate how expensive lemons are here in Idaho during the winter, but I always have a stock pile of lemon juice in the fridge. This recipe perfect for a fall day! To get lemon zest I run the peel of a lemon (washed, of course) across the skinniest part of my cheese grater. Buying one lemon will probably get you all the juice you need. If I can't get enough out of the lemon I add a little chicken broth to make up the difference.

Husband Rating: 3 1/2 stars

4 pork chops
2 TB butter
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 TB flour

Sprinkle pork chops with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add chops and cook for about 7 minutes on each side or until done. Remove to a plate. In the same skillet add lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook and stir (scraping the pan to pull up all the drippings from the meat) until the pan is smooth. Whisk in 1 TB flour to lemon sauce. Pour lemon sauce over pork chops.

The tangy lemon sauce is delicious mixed with red potatoes and carrots. Halve baby carrots and chop red potatoes into quarters. Steam until soft, sprinkle with garlic salt and drizzle with lemon sauce. Mmmm.

Pigs in a Blanket

My husband was expected for lunch in 15 minutes and I hadn't prepared anything. What to do?!!? Pigs in a blanket to the rescue! These were so easy, I was just pulling them out of the oven when he walked in. He walked up behind me and said, "Mmm, you went all out for lunch today. Thanks babe." Of course, I took the compliment and let him think he was getting extra special treatment. I have made these before with homemade bread dough, and of course they're delicious that way. For parties as an appetizer buy the little sausages and cut the crescent rolls into 3 pieces each. For an added flair you can wrap cheese around the dog before the dough, mmm. Enjoy!

Husband Rating: 4 stars

8 beef hot dogs
1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (8 count)

Prehead oven to 375. Wrap each dog in a crescent roll. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with ketchup and mustard.