Autumn Pork Tenderloin

This was a great way to cook pork tenderloin! It had great flavor without taking too much away from the actual tenderloin, it had a bit of a kick so beware but it was great! I found the recipe on the Tasty Kitchen.

½ cups Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
3 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
3 Tablespoons Garlic Salt, Divided
1 pound Lean Cut Pork Tenderloin
⅓ cups Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Ground Mustard
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Mix together the first three ingredients and 1 tablespoon of garlic salt. Marinate the pork tenderloin for 24 hours. If this isn't possible try to marinate it for at least 3 hours. Mix together brown sugar, ground mustard, garlic salt, paprika, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Rub on the pork tenderloin and grill over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes on each side.

Sausage Balls

My mom has made these for as long as I can remember! They are so easy and filling, perfect for a party or breakfast!

1 lb mild sausage

2 cups bisquick

10 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together with hands until well combined. Form small balls out of the mixture. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 for 20 minutes.

Garlic Cheese Bread

Really, what's not to love about this? This was a lot of bread for two people, don't worry we didn't eat it all. But it would be perfect if we had company. Recipes is from food.com.

1 loaf Italian bread (halved lengthwise)
1/4 cup butter (melted)
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (grated)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Mix together the butter, parmesan cheese, garlic and pepper. Spread on the bread. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake at 350 until the cheese is good and melted.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

This was such an easy recipe. I love what I like to call "dump and go" crockpot recipes. I put everything in the crockpot before I left for work and when I got home dinner was done. Very little clean up and the house smelled awesome. This recipes is from The Sisters Cafe.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
2 15-oz cans black beans, drained
2 15-oz cans Mexican stewed tomatoes (I couldn't find these so I just mixed in a teaspoon of chili powder with each can)
1 cup MEDIUM salsa (not mild)
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies
1 14 ½-oz can tomato sauce
Tortilla chips
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Place the chicken breast in the bottom of the crockpot then add the black beans, stewed tomatoes, salsa, green chilies and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Before serving remove the chicken breast and shred then add it back to the pot. Serve over tortilla chips and top with cheese.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Gray and I both love sweet potatoes and I am always looking for fun new ways to eat them. This was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be and they were awesome. They weren't overly sweet but perfectly creamy. It's also a super easy recipe to double or triple if you have a big family or are having company over. The recipe is from Lucy's Kitchen.

2 large sweet potatoes (baked)***
1/4 cup light cream cheese
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

*** I bake my potatoes in the microwave, it's hard to bake potatoes when you are at work all day so this is my solution. You stab them with a fork usually about 5 different times in different spots on the potato then microwave for 6 minutes then flip and microwave for 6 more. If they are really large sometimes you have to do it a bit longer.

Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the inside, keeping the skin intact. Add the cream cheese, milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mash well to combine. Put the filling back into the potatoes, top with nuts if you so desire and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Apple Crumb Bars

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen, I started to make it and half way through I got a little bit nervous that it might be really dry. Thankfully I was wrong, they were really good and tasted a lot like apple pie but so much easier to eat!

3 cups All-purpose Flour
¾ cups Packed Brown Sugar
¼ cups White Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
¼ teaspoons Of Salt
1 cup (2 Sticks) Cold Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces
1 whole Egg

Filling:

½ cups Granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons Cornstarch
4 whole Medium-sized Apples Peeled, Cored, And Grated (I used granny smith)

Heat oven to 375. Grease a 9x13 pan.
In a mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix together well. Work in the butter and egg with your hands or a pastry blender until it forms small clumps and no flour is remaining. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.

For the filling combine the grated apple, first squeeze out the extra liquid from the apples. Then combine the sugar and cornstarch then add to the apples and combine well. Spread this mixture out evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining flour mixture on top of the filling. Bake for 30 minutes of until the tops are golden brown. Cool before cutting.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

This is yet another winner from Cassie Craves. It was so easy to put together and the great thing is you can just use whatever veggies you have left over or whatever appeals to you, it reminded me a lot of the Summer Garden Vegetable soup just with different veggies.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups sliced zucchini
1 red onion, halved lengthwise and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced (except I totally forgot this, sadly. it was still great though)
1 can vegetable broth or chicken broth (I used chicken)
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used dry)

Heat oven to 475 degrees. In a bowl, combine oil, rosemary, salt and pepper, and set aside. In large bowl, combine all vegetables. Add oil mixture to vegetables and mix to coat. Place vegetables in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until vegetables are golden brown and tender, flip and stir after 15 minutes. In large saucepan, combine roasted vegetables, cream, broth and parsley. Cook and stir over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until heated and slightly thickened.

Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

We ate this all the time growing up, it's one of my Dad's favorite meals! I don't make it that often because we still have it often when we are at their house. Mom has had the recipe forever so I have no idea where it came from.

6 Chicken Pieces (you can use any thing that is skinless and boneless)
1 Large Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Fresh Mushrooms, Sliced

Heat oven to 350. Lay the pieces of chicken in a baking dish. In a separate bowl mix together cream of mushroom, sour cream and fresh mushrooms. Spoon the mixture over the chicken. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour depending on how thick your chicken is. Serve over rice.

Honey Glazed Carrots

This is an easy and great way to fix carrots. I adapted it from Le Petit Pierogi.

1 pound carrots
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
pinch of ground ginger
freshly ground pepper
salt

Boil the carrots with salt, cook until fork tender. Drain and add the carrots back with butter, honey, and lemon juice. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes then add the spices and cook for 3 or 4 more minutes. Serve warm.

Cheese Biscuits

These little guys were sooo easy and delicious. I love cheese biscuits and they just warmed my heart. Plus they are small and the recipe only made a dozen which is perfect, we had them with two meals and the reheated well too. The recipe is from Finding Joy in My Kitchen.

1 Cup Flour
2 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar
1/4 + 1/8 Cup Milk
1/6 Cup Olive Oil (just do half of a 1/3 cup)

Heat oven to 400. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the cheese and stir well to coat with the flour mixture. Add in the oil and milk until the batter is moist then drop small spoonfuls of the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

This is a super easy crockpot recipe, it was so good. I was sick the night that I made this and it was the perfect comfort food along with some biscuits. I found the recipe on The Southern Plate! The great thing is you can cook the rice ahead of time and just toss it in right before you serve it!

1 box Yellow Rice
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken
1 Onion, diced
3 or 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 15oz can of corn (I didn't use this, it kinda freaked me out to be honest but I might try it next time)

Put your chicken in the bottom of the crockpot, toss your onion on top then spoon the cream of chicken over it. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Add your cooked rice, corn and cheese, stir together and serve.

Lemon Garlic Broccolini

This is a great side to make. It was quick and very tasty! The recipe is from Ezra Pound Cake.

1 bunch broccolini
salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 lemon, zested
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the broccolini in boiling salt water for two minutes then remove (the original recipe says to soak it in ice water but I didn't do this step because I am lazy). While blanching the broccolini melt the butter in a saute pan, add lemon zest and garlic and stir. Then add the broccolini and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, black pepper and salt, remove from heat and serve.

Creamy Tortellini with Spinach and Tomatoes

I found this awesome and easy recipe on Cassie Craves. It took almost no time and had great flavor. I love tortellini so I knew this was a good choice!

1 19-oz package frozen cheese tortellini
1 cup milk
5 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 oz baby spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

Heat together milk and cream cheese over medium heat until smooth. Meanwhile be cooking the tortellini. Add the parmesan cheese and black pepper and melt. Add the spinach and mix well. Drain pasta and add to the mixture then add the tomatoes and remaining parmesan and stir. Serve warm.

Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Cookies

I made these cookies for one of Gray and I's DVR and Dessert Date Nights and they are awesome! I cut the recipe in half because it makes 60 cookies and we did not need that many, I am going to post the full recipe though. The cookies are a bit cakey which totally works for this recipe. The icing is amazing, don't try to skimp and use a different icing because it won't be the same. Recipe is from Sweet Treats and More.


2 cups butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3/4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat together 2 cups of butter with mixer for 30 seconds on medium. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as you go. Add the eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla, beat until combined. Beat in the pumpkin. Beat in as much of the flour as you can then use a wooden spoon to mix in the rest (I used a spatula because that's what I had available). Drop the batter with a teaspoon 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool. In a small saucepan melt 1/2 cup of butter and brown sugar until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over the cookies and enjoy!

Broccoli and Swiss Stuffed Chicken

As usual I had to chance up this recipe a little bit. It was great though and pretty easy! The original came from Tasty Kitchen and called for American Cheese as well but I don't normally have American so I didn't want to buy it just for this recipe.

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 Cup Shredded Swiss or 4 slices of Swiss
3/4 Cup of Chopped Broccoli (I used fresh)
1/2 Cup of All Purpose Flour
1 Egg
1/2 Cup of Breadcrumbs or Panko

Heat oven to 350. If chicken breast are not thin enough you can either butterfly them or flatten them, I butterflied them! Then add broccoli and 1/4 cup of cheese to each chicken breast and secure with toothpicks. In three separate bowls put the AP Flour, Egg (beaten) and Breadcrumbs. First dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg then the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all the chicken is done. Bake on a greased cookie sheet in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until done.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I love cinnamon muffins, bread, anything with cinnamon is great with me this bread was no different. It was easy to make and delicious to eat. In fact my Dad had a piece and told me to please never make it again because it was too good and must be evil. The recipe is from What Megan's Making.

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted (i didn't toast them because I forgot, it was fine without toasting them)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil

Heat oven to 350. Mix together the pecans, cinnamon and sugar, set to the side. In another bowl mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the egg, milk and oil. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix together. Spray and 9x5x3 pan and add half of the batter to the pan then add half of the cinnamon mixture, add the remaining batter then the remaining cinnamon mixture. Swirl with a knife and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove and let cool on a wire rack.

BBQ Meatballs

This is a pioneer woman recipe. They were really good and warm on a rainy night!

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
3 tbps finely minced onion
1 1/2 tsps salt
pepper to taste
1 cup all purpose flour
canola oil

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
4 to 5 tbsp onion
1 dash tabasco (or 3 if you are me)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients for the meatballs and mix well then form into medium size balls and place onto a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 minutes. After five minutes remove from freezer and coat all the meatballs in flour. Brown the meatballs in canola oil just until brown on the outside. Place meatballs in baking dish. Combine all ingredients for the sauce then pour over the meatballs. Bake for 45 minutes.

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

This is a play off of the regular crash hot potatoes which I have never made before but I am hoping to make soon. It was on the Tasty Kitchen site but I changed it up a bit according to the kinds of spices we had already.

2 Medium to Large Sweet Potatoes
1/2 tbsp Kosher Salt
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Melted Butter
1 1/2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Peel sweet potatoes and slice about 1/3 inch thick. Boil potatoes for about 12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Slightly mash each slice but make sure the slice remains intact. Mix together the seasonings and in a separate bowl mix together the olive oil and butter. Coat each potato slice with the olive oil mixture then sprinkle generously with seasoning on both sides. Repeat until all slices are done. Roast at 450 for 20 minutes then carefully flip and roast for 10 more minutes.

Spicy Sausage Dip

This is my friend Leslie's recipe. It's so easy and I love easy (if you couldn't tell already). It's a great dip to take in the fall and winter!

1 lb hot sausage
3 8oz blocks cream cheese
2 cans rotel tomatoes

Brown the sausage and drain. Add the cream cheese and tomatoes and melt until everything is combined and warm. Either serve in a bowl and reheat in the microwave as needed or serve in a crock pot on the keep warm cycle.

Menu Plan Week 41

Sunday - Dinner for my sister in law's birthday!
Monday - Garlic and Herb London Broil with Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus with a Balsamic Brown Butter
Tuesday - Roasted Vegetable Soup with Cheesy Biscuits
Wednesday - Poppyseed Chicken Casserole with Broccoli
Thursday - GOING TO THE FAIR! (yes that deserves all caps! I will take pictures of the delicious heart attack food we eat!)
Friday - Plans with my parents!
Saturday - All depends on the football game and where we watch it. I am hoping to make these guys though Chicken Salad Stuff'ems

Pumpkin Waffles

I was going to use one recipe the decided it was too complicated and I was too tired to do it so I googled pumpkin waffles and ended up with an easy and amazing recipe from epicurious.com, these are perfect for a cold fall night or morning. I love breakfast for dinner so these were a huge hit for me!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, milk, buttermilk, pumpkin and butter. Add the dry ingredients until everything is incorporated. Brush oil or spray the waffle iron. Spoon batter into the waffle iron and cook accordingly.

Bistro Chicken

When I saw this recipe I knew it would be good but I didn't expect it to be as delicious and wonderful as it was. It was really good and so easy. It felt much fancier than it actually is. I already want it again and I just had it. I found the recipe on Tasty Kitchen and did make few changes so here is my version.

2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Chicken Breast (skinless, boneless)
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ cups Chopped Onion
1 can (14 1/2 Oz. Can) Diced Tomatoes, Undrained
1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves
1 can (10.5 Oz. Can) Condensed French Onion Soup
1 cup Shredded Swiss Cheese

Heat oven to 375. In a nonstick skillet melt the butter and olive oil. Cook the chicken just until it has browned on either side then remove, it does not need to be cooked all the way through. Place the chicken in a baking dish. Add the onion and saute until it is soft and translucent, do not caramelize. Add the tomatoes, thyme, salt and pepper, cook until sauce has reduced a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the french onion soup and let the sauce cook for another 5 or so minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and sprinkle cheese over the chicken then place back in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Parmesan Crusted Asparagus

Gray and I both love asparagus but I am always looking for a new way to cook it. This was so easy after a long day and tasted far better than the little amount of time it took to make. The recipe, if you can even call it that, is from Eat at Allie's.

Asparagus
Butter
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 350. Break the ends off the asparagus and lay in a single file line on a foil lined baking pan. Salt and pepper the asparagus. Top with little pats of butter across the top of the asparagus row then top with parmesan cheese. Bake for 10 minutes and then broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cheesy Zucchini Muffins

These were a great addition to dinner for a few nights! I was really excited about them then right before making them I got nervous. They ended up being very good and I'm glad I made them! The recipe is from Lucy's Kitchen.

2 cups flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix together flour, cheeses, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sage, salt and garlic powder. In a separate bowl mix together the zucchini, buttermilk, eggs, oil and worchestershire. Add the zucchini mixture to the flour mixture and combine. Fill muffin cups and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes then remove to cool. To reheat I would just put them in the oven for a few minutes with whatever else was cooking.

Bacon and Tomato Sandwich with Bacon Basil Mayo

This recipe is from Framed Cooks. When I saw it I knew it was something that my mom would love, so when Gray was going to be one night I decide to go to her house and make these sandwiches for dinner. My dad was home too and just made a regular BLT but then decided he wanted to try the "fancy mayo" as he called it, he proceeded to dip bacon into it over and over and over until I finally made him stop because there is just something wrong with dipping bacon into mayonnaise. Anyways final verdict = awesome. Great twist on an already great sandwich.

Bacon already fried
Tomatoes sliced
Bread toasted
Bacon Basil Mayo (recipe below)

Spread the bacon basil mayo on toasted bread, layer tomatoes and bacon on top then add mayo to the other slice of toasted bread and top the sandwich.

Bacon Basil Mayo

1/2 cup of mayo
1 slice of bacon crumbled
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.

White Chicken Chili

This recipe is from The Girl Who Ate Everything, it is amazing. We had this the other night while watching a football game with friends and it was perfect, everyone loved it! I am already craving it again!

1 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup butter
4 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
4 cans white beans
2-3 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and sliced into small pieces
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1-2 tsp. hot sauce
1-2 tsp. of chili powder (depending how spicy you want it)
1 tsp. cumin

Cook onion and garlic in a few tablespoons of butter until translucent (I used 2 tablespoons). Remove the garlic and onions and add half a cup of butter and melt then add the half a cup of flour to make your roux. Stir constantly until it starts to bubble then stir for 3 more minutes. Add back the onion and garlic, also add the chicken broth and half and half. Simmer for 3 minutes or until it gets thick.

Pour mixture into a crockpot and add remain ingredients. The recipe says simmer for 20 minutes but I'm not sure how warm it would be after only 20 minutes. I put mine in the crockpot 2 hours before we were going to eat it and after 40 minutes I turned the crockpot to keep warm.

Ginger Chewies for National Homemade Cookie Day

Ginger cookies and snickerdoodle cookies are my favorites, I know I inherited this from my mom. Growing up we went skiing every winter, my dad and brother would ski every single day but mom and I would only ski 2 or 3 days the other days we would spend shopping and looking for a cookie store with these cookies so that we could sit and have hot chocolate and cookies out in the snow. Maybe I love these cookies so much because I relate them to that memory or maybe I love them so much because they are simply the best. I got the recipes off of What Megan's Making, they are wonderful and chewy and flavorful and my favorite cookies ever.


2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
about 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. In a separate bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter until smooth then add the egg and molasses. Beat for about a minute until everything is incorporated and the color is even. Slowly add the flour mixture and slowly mix as you add it.

Make small balls out of the dough (you make them as small or large as you would like depending on the size of the cookie you want) and roll the balls in granulated sugar. Space them out giving them plenty of room to spread. Bake cookies until the tops are firm but the centers are still soft, they take about 14 minutes. (When they come out of the oven I like to sprinkle them with a little more sugar.) Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer the cookies to a wire rack.