Pork Loin & Leeks

Now THIS meal has been a family tradition Christmas dinner for the past 5 or more years. Leeks, if you don't know are kind of like onions. They are my favorite thing about this meal, the more leeks the better! Just keep piling them on. Trust me, you want a lot! It's basically more important than the pork. Ok I hope you get the point now. LEEKS ARE AMAZING!  😄

Ingredients:

1-2 lb pork loin

5-6 or more leeks

1 stick of butter

1-2 cups dry white cooking wine 

S&P 

Thinly slice up with white part of each leek. 

Soak in cold water to clean off.

Sauté in butter till slightly golden and fragrant.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Rub S&P on pork loin and brown all sides in the sauté pan used for leeks. 

Pour about 1/2 cup cooking white wine in pan while browning. 

Slice pork loin to if ish cooking. 

Add sautéed leeks and about 3/4-1 cup more cooking wine.

Once meat is done cooking. No pink!

Serve with a huge heaping mond of leeks on top!

Cheesy Sour Cream Hash-brown Casserole

I think I have found a new holiday tradition meal! I made this Christmas morning and we ate it for breakfast with our coffee, for lunch and as a savory side with dinner. It is that yummy! It's a simple dish, which I love because once you know it you can whip it together without measuring anything and you can change it up as much as you would like by adding veggies and trying it with different cheeses. So make it your own recipe! But here's a start:

Ingredients:

28oz bag of frozen hash browns

1/2 diced onion

1 stick of butter 

1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 - 2 cups of sour cream 

2 cups of cheese (I used Cheddar Jack) 

S&P 

Preheat oven to 350

Spray 9 x 13 baking dish 

Cream together butter, cream of chicken, sour cream, onion and cheese.

Heat hash browns a couple minutes in the microwave then add to the mix. 

Scoop into baking dish and sprinkle with S&P.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. 

It should be golden and creamy. 

Banana Peanut Butter Dog cookies

Sometimes it makes me happy to bake treats for my doggies. And since its Christmas time, I think they deserve something special too. I wanted to make something soft for them because Tucker is getting a tooth pulled soon. Dog treats are so easy to make because they involve a very minimal amount of ingredients. Plus the dogs will love them no matter what they look like. 

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 banana 

2 T honey

1/3 cup peanut butter 

1 cup oats 

1/2 flour 

Preheat oven to 350

Mash banana and beat in egg, honey and peanut butter

Mix in oats and flour

Scoop with cookie scoop or spoon onto cookie sheet

Bake 15 minutes. 

Makes about 12 dog treats 

To make it easier for the dogs to eat, press down the tops of the cookies with a spoon or spatula as soon as they come out of the oven. 

Wait for them to cool off before letting them eat

Have fun! This will make your puppy so happy :) 

Chicken Sausage, Lentil & Leek Soup

Another winter recipe at your service! Lets talk about lentils for a second. It's considered to be one of the worlds healthiest foods. It's rich in fiber, great for your heart, stabilizes blood sugar, and provides iron for energy. You get the point... It's good for you, so eat more lentils!! Another reason why I love this recipe is because chicken sausage comes in different flavors so you can tweak it to your liking. I used Hot Italian Sausage which made my version spicy. You can always use Sweet Italian, Apple, Garlic, ect. And like usual I serve my soup with crusty bread for dipping. This time I made a Pilsbury French loaf. Yummmm!

Ingredients:

2 leeks (finely diced, only the white part)

1 medium onion diced

3 carrots 

1 T minced garlic

4 T olive oil

3 sausages 

1 1/2 cups cooked lentils 

1 small can of tomato paste

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

1 bay leaf

S&P to taste 

Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Dice all veggies and sauté in large stock pot with 2 T olive oil. About 10 minutes till softens

Brown sausages in remaining 2 T olive oil. Cut into pieces and cook until no more pink. 

Add tomato paste, sausages + juices from cooking sausages, coriander and S&P. Mix.

Prepare lintels according to bag.

Finally add broth, water, lentils and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then serve sprinkled with cheese. 

NOTE: you can freeze this soup and reheat it for left overs if you need to. 

 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Soup is so much better made from scratch isn't it? Soup is one of my favorite things to make in fall and winter because it warms you up, it's easy and there's always left overs. I cut this recipe in half and it serves about 4 people. 

Ingredients: 

2-3 broccoli florets 

1/2 diced onion

1/4 butter (1/2 a stick)

1/6 flour

2 cups almond milk or milk

1 cup half and half 

1 cup chicken broth 

2 cups cheddar cheese 

S&P to taste

Dash of garlic salt 

Dash of nutmeg (optional)

Melt butter in large pot

Sauté onion till golden brown. About 5 minutes

Whisk in flour and cook for another minute

Whisk in milk and half and half thoroughly 

Add broccoli and simmer for 20 minutes till broccoli is soft

Purée soup in blender

Transfer back to pot and add cheese and chicken broth

Sprinkle in seasonings and taste to see if you like it

Serve with a little extra cheese and pepper on top

Goes great with bread sticks or a crusty baguette for dipping. 

I hope you love it! 

Baked Chicken Fajitas

This is easy, easy, EASY! Probably the easiest thing I've made in a long time. Faijitas speak for themselves, so I'll just get to the recipe now. 

Ingredients: 

1 onion

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper 

1 orange bell pepper 

3 chicken breasts 

3T olive oil

1 packet of fajita seasoning 

Tortillas 

Garnishes:

Limes

Sour cream 

Cilantro 

Guacamole 

Preheat oven to 400

Slice all ingredients and place in baking dish 

Mix in olive oil and seasoning

Bake for 25 minutes 

Note: I added a little extra chili powder and cumin to make mine extra spicy. :) 

Meatball Subs

People love meatball subs and this an easy meal for a week night or weekend lunch. You can eat these meatballs over quinoa or pasta too. Or all alone! They are healthiest severed that way too. Goes great with a nice, crispy side salad with lite italian dressing. 

 

Meatball ingredients:

1 lb ground lean turkey 

1/2 cup bread crumbs 

1 egg 

1 cup Parmesan cheese 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon onion powder 

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

3 T fresh oregano 

1 T diced basil 

15 oz tomato sauce 

1/2 cup chicken broth 

Toasted sub rolls

Shredded mozzarella cheese or Monterey Jack cheese 

Preheat oven to 400

Mix with hands all the meatball ingredients 

Scoop and round balls on cookie sheet

Bake for 16 minutes 

In sauce pot mix tomato sauce and chicken broth

Optional: add a dash if crushed red pepper and friend basil 

When meatballs are done add them to the sauce

Toast sub rolls and place 3-4 meatballs on bread (toasting is important, it WILL make a difference) 

Scoop extra sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese

ENJOY!!! Yummm!!!

Baked Chicken & Green Chili pasta with sour cream sauce

This is a great pasta dish that can be made much lighter than most pasta dishes and is still SO delicious. It MAYBE has become one of my favorites! I cooked my chicken in the crock pot on high with some chicken broth (about 3 hours) before I cut it and shred it or the recipe. You can cook your chicken anyway you would like, but I think this is the easiest and tastiest. You can use whole what pasta or quinoa pasta, and you can even use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. You can add veggies (onion, bell peppers, broccoli) Make it your own recipe! Your friends and family will love it! Here is how I made mine...

3 chicken breasts

1 lb penne pasta 

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

3 T butter

2 T flour

2 cups chicken broth 

1 cup sour cream 

4 oz green chilies 

Preheat oven to 350

Spray your baking dish with cooking spray 

In bowl mix chicken and cheese

Place a layer of pasta in dish first and then on top of pasta place chicken/cheese mix

In a sauce pot melt butter and mix in flour 

Whisk in broth, green chilies and sour cream 

Pour over pasta mix. Do not stir

Bake 20-30 minutes 

NOTE: this recipe is made for a 9x13 baking dish. I used a 8x8 so I modified the recipe to fit my pan. 

Brownie Cookies

Super chocolatey, soft cookies are here! These are flour less cookies which means Gluten Free. I think a lot of people associate "gluten free" with "not tasty"... So NOT true! These cookies taste just like brownies. Here ya go!!!!

1/2 cup soften butter 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup of chocolate chip

1/2 cup of white chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350

Mix butter and sugars till creamed

Add egg and vanilla

Add all dry ingredients

Add chocolate chips 

Scoop onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes

Note: this batch makes about 18 cookies

Mexican Casserole

If you are looking for a simple crowd pleaser, look no further! I have a super EASY dish that you can make your family or friends in 30 minutes. It's also fairly cheap if you are on a budget. I made mine pretty spicy but you can always tame it down by using regular tortilla chips and mild salsa. 

Ingredients:

1lb ground lean turkey 

1 taco seasoning packet 

2 cups crushed nacho cheese Doritos 

8 oz cream cheese

1/2-1 cup salsa (I used 1 cup) 

Cheddar cheese 

Shredded lettuce 

Diced tomatoes (I used a can with that had diced green chilies) 

Cook turkey on stove top with taco seasoning. 

Spray 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with crushed chips. 

Scoop turkey over chips.

In a mixer, beat together salsa and cream cheese then spread over turkey.

Sprinkle with cheese

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. 

Scoop lots of lettuce on top and sprinkle on tomatoes. 

Olives are optional. 

Homemade Dog Food

My dogs are so spoiled and they are lucky I like to cook because that means they get healthy homemade meals occasionally. This is a good thing to make if you need to get rid of some produce you don't plan on eating or if your dog might be feeling a little under the weather. I made it because Tucker, my Vizsla hasn't been interested in his dog food for the past several days. He hasn't been throwing up or having #3. (Sorry about the TMI there) So, I know he's going to be ok...I just want him to get some food in him.  After a few meals of this recipe alone, I'll start to mix in his dry dog food. You can always make it just as a special treat too! 

2 lbs ground lean turkey. Cooked and drained. 

1 chopped bell pepper 

3 shredded large carrots

3-5 chopped celery

5-6 chopped apples 

2-3 cups dry oats 

Diced potato (optional) 

Mix together and serve the same size portion you normally would serve.

Keep in an air tight container in the fridge. 

NOTES: 

I added a Dailey dog vitamin to his breakfast for the extra vitamins and minerals. 

DO NOT feed your dog onions, garlic, grapes/raisins and chocolate. They are poisonous to your pooch! 

For Sick Pups:

Try not to feed them for 24 hours until their upset stomach settles.

Feed dogs a few tablespoons of canned pumpkin if constipated or having #3

If really sick try boiled chicken and rice. Maybe a scrambled egg. 

If you see blood in their vomit or stool see a vet ASAP! 

Apple Snicker Salad

I first had apple Snicker salad at a Labor Day party a few years ago. I thought it sounded strange but got a helping of it anyway because everyone else was raving about it. So if you too are skeptical, I don't blame you. But once you try it and realize how incredibly easy it is to make, you will be a believer in apple Snicker Salad! All you need is green apples, Snickers and Cool-Whip. 

I buy the fun sized Snickers and usually use 2 apples to one Snicker. 

I chop my candy up in a food processor, but if you don't have one you can use bigger chunks cut up by hand. My last tip is to not use all of the cool-whip, mix some in and stir. Once everything is coated you are good to go.