Category: gatherings

Easy Pork Loin Crockpot Recipe

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What You Need:

  • 3-4 Pounds boneless pork loin
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 2 cups broth – I prefer chicken broth
  • cooking spray or unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Spray the bottom and sides of your crock pot with cooking spray or you can substitute with butter.

2. Slice your onion into round circle slices.

3. Lay your pork loin on top of the onions, fat side up.

4. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the pork loin.

5. Sprinkle garlic, onion powder, black pepper, salt and paprika over pork loin. Give it a quick rub to ensure that the spices are distributed evenly.

6. Add two cups of broth to the bottom of the crock pot.

7. Close and cook the pork loin in your crock pot on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for four hours. Your meat should register at an internal temperature of 145 with a meat thermometer.

Enjoy!

Cheesy, Saucy, Baked Pasta

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What You Need:

Between 1 1/2 lbs and 2 1/2 lbs of ground beef or sweet ground up sausage or you could do a lb of each of meat

2 jars of your favorite marinara pasta sauce we like ragu

1 lb of your favorite pasta noodle (ziti, rigatoni, macaroni, or spiral pasta are all good ones)

3 zucchini’s chopped green and yellow

3/4 of a sweet onion finely chopped

4 – 5 tablespoons of Olive oil

1 heaping tablespoon of jarred minced garlic

2 cups of Mozzarella cheese or extra depending on your cheesy level

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

Steps:

1. Heat up a large skillet while you chop your onion, and zucchini. Once skillet is heated through add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion, zucchini, and garlic until soft. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Then set aside.

2. Cook pasta as directed in a large pot. (Tip: once the water begins to boil, add a few dashes of salt. THEN add your pasta. That will flavor your pasta) Once cooked, drain your water, and add the pasta to a 9 x 13 baking dish.

2. In the same skillet you cooked your veggies, add your meat. If using ground beef season as you normally would (I like to use salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, a little turmeric, and maybe a little oregano.) If you’re using the sausage you don’t need to season, should already be seasoned. Once cooked, drain fat if needed.

3. Add the veggies to the meat and mix well. Add both jars of pasta to the meat and veggie sauce, reserving about 1/2 cup of sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the sauce and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning mix. Allow the sauce to cook for just of minutes or until heated through.

4. Add the reserved pasta sauce to the naked pasta in the baking dish and mix well. Along with a tablespoon of olive oil.

5. Next add the meaty and veggie sauce to the pasta and mix well. Then add in 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, give or take and mix well.

6. Once fully mixed, top with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375 for 25 mins covered with foil. Once the 25 minutes is completed, removed foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

7. Allow to sit for a few minutes, garnish with fresh parsley (optional ) and serve with your favorite crusty bread with unsalted butter.

Enjoy!!!

Quick Tostadas

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When you need a delicious quick dinner this is a great go-to! Now, I am not going to get specific with measurements of ingredients. Chop as much as you want, use as much as you want, just enjoy it!

What You Need:

Tostadas (Guerrero)

2 premade bags of beans (La Sierra Refried Beans)

Chopped up lettuce

Chopped up fresh cilantro

Chopped up fresh roma tomatoes

Queso fresco crumbled (Ranchero)

A couple of Avocados sliced up

A yummy salsa (your favorite)

Rotisserie chicken shredded

Lime sliced and ready for a good squeeze

How To Layer Your Tostada

1. Start with your tostada, then spread your refried beans. It works like glue.

2. Next add your shredded chicken or beef.

3. Then add your lettuce, tomato, cilantro, and cheese.

4. Top your tostada with an avocado slice and drizzle your favorite salsa. Squeeze lime juice all over and ENJOY!

Mexican Street Corn Side Dish Or Chip Dip

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What You Need For The Corn:

4 cups of frozen corn

1-2 tablespoon of olive oil

1 bell pepper any color you like, probably not yellow though

1 bunch of fresh cilantro chopped finely with a few leaves left out for garnish

1 jalapeño or Serrano pepper finely chopped

1/2 red or white onion chopped

2/3 cup of Mexican cheese (look for cotija or queso fresco) crumbled up

What You Need For The Dressing

3 tablespoons of sour cream

2 tablespoons of miracle whip (I prefer miracle whip over Mayo. It just has a different flavor to me)

2-3 limes for squeezing

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of chili powder

Steps:

1. Start by heating the olive oil on medium high in a skillet. Add the corn and cook until lightly charred. 7 to 10 minutes, once charred add to a large bowl.

2. Add the chopped bell pepper, jalapeño or Serrano pepper, cilantro, and onion to the large bowl with the charred corn.

3. In a small bowl add the ingredients for the dressing and mix well.

4. Add the dressing to the large bowl with the corn and mix well. Add 1/2 of the crumbled mexican cheese. Taste, and add additional lime or salt if needed.

5. Garnish with the remaining cheese and cilantro and serve. Or cover and place in the fridge for up to 8 hours.

Enjoy!

Apple Cider Vinegar Marinade For A Pot Roast In The Slow Cooker – So Juicy!

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What You Need:

3-4 lbs of boneless chuck roast

1 sweet onion cut in 4 chunks

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1 tablespoon of rosemary

1 teaspoon of parsley

1 tablespoon of soy sauce or light brown sugar (there was a time I didn’t have soy sauce so I substituted with brown sugar because it just seemed like it would be good and I was pleasantly surprised!)

Steps:

1. Place your meat in the slow cooker, along with the chunks of onion. In a small mixing bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter. Pour marinade mixture over the meat. Top the meat with the butter. Place lid.

2. Cook on low for 8 hours. Once the 8 hours are up shred the meat well and serve immediately.

Serve over white rice or with some corn tortillas. Enjoy!

Note: when putting away the leftovers I did drain a lot of the oil from the meat. We ate it for 3 days and every day was better!

Meat And Cheese Charcuterie Board Inspiration – Visual Layouts And Pairings

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Get started! Charcuterie Boards short cut!

#ad as an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases

Charcuterie boards are so much fun! They are kind of like snowflakes, they are each unique in their own way. And what a way to display your creativity! I love it! This blog is specifically meat and cheese but I see myself sharing a sweets charcuterie board blog too in the future. So many possibilities!

I went to a wine tasting last weekend to celebrate a friends 35th birthday. There was a total of 5 of us and we all met because of our daughters. Our girls all met last year in kindergarten and now our little beauties are in first grade. It’s been so much fun developing these types of friendships and I’m so grateful.

Back to the wine tasting, one of the girls brought a prepared charcuterie board that we all got to enjoy and indulge in. A friends of hers actually creates them as a business!

Just sitting with the girls drinking some wine in the vineyards while snacking was pure bliss. If you’re a mom you know how badly you have to take some time for yourself to recharge your batteries.

The board we snacked on. My favorite is the spicy meat paired with a flavored goat cheese and crispy cracker. So yummy!

We all get excited about having a charcuterie board party. Maybe the wine was kicking in or we were just really hungry which resulted in this charcuterie board being the best thing ever. But this charcuterie board inspired this blog.

I share some layouts to help you with your charcuterie board party that you may be planning and some common pairings. You don’t have to follow it exactly but use this more as a guide and have some fun with it!

Thank you for reading and have fun charcutering! (I just made that up)

Charcuterie Board Visuals

Charcuterie Board Pairings And Tips

Would love to see your board! Share it with us on instagram!

Click here 🙂

For additional pairings with wine specifically check out this blog!

Fall Wines And The Perfect Pairings That Go With Them

Pesto Sliders With Turkey And Salami Brushed With Melted Honey Butter

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Servings: 12 sliders

What You Need:

For the Sliders

1 pack of Kings Hawaiian sweet rolls (12 rolls)

1 jar (8oz) of Classico Basil Pesto

12 slices of Turkey deli meat (I used Hillshire Farm Ultra Thin)

12 slices of salami or 24 pieces of snack sized salami (2 snack size on each slider if you use those)

12 slices of mozzarella cheese or a few handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese

For The Butter Spread

1/4 cup of unsalted butter melted

1/2 – 1 teaspoon of raw honey

A dash of garlic powder

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly butter a 9×13 glass dish.

2. Place the bottoms of the rolls into the glass dish and layer with 1/2 of the jarred pesto, turkey meat, salami, and cheese. Spread the remaining pesto on the bottoms of the tops of the sweet rolls. Press down rolls to secure.

3. Brush the rolls evenly with the melted honey butter leaving just a little to spare for when the rolls are done.

4. Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 375 for 10 mins. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops are golden.

5. Brush rolls once more lightly with the butter and enjoy!

Easy Pizza Dough Recipe With 5 Ingredients

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servings: 2 pizzas

baking instructions: bake at 500 degrees in a 9×13 glass dish for 10 to 12 mins or until edges are crisp.

What You Need:

1 pack of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon of sugar

3 tablespoons of olive oil plus more for coating

3 3/4 cups of flour plus more for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Steps:

1. Whisk together 1 1/3 cup of warm water (you don’t want the water hot, it will kill the yeast) and the sugar. Then mix in the yeast and allow to sit for 10 mins until mixture is a little foamy and bubbly. Once the ten minutes are up add the tablespoons of olive oil.

2. In another large bowl mix together the flour and salt. Creat a well in the middle and add the water and yeast mixture. Knead dough for a minimum of 5 minutes adding more flour if necessary until dough is smooth and stretchy.

3. Divide dough in half creating 2 dough balls. Brush each dough ball with olive oil, placing each piece of dough in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for an hour and a half.

4. Once dough is done rising freeze one and prepare the other. Rub olive oil all over a 9 x 13 glass dish. Arrange your dough in the glass dish leaving some space in the corners to spread. Add your sauce, seasonings, and toppings.

5. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until nice and crispy on the edges. Remove pizza from glass dish and place on a charcuterie cutting board and serve while hot.

Enjoy!

Chicken And Mushroom Pasta In A Heavy Cream Sauce

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Servings: 6-8

What You Need:

1 12oz bag of wide egg noodles

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped white onion

1-2 teaspoons of garlic (fresh or jar)

1 small package of mushrooms

3/4 cup of chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper for taste

2 cups of sharp white cheddar cheese shredded

2 cups chopped chicken or 1 rotisserie chicken shredded

Chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish (optional)

Steps:

1. Boil a medium to large pot of water. When water is boiling add a few dashes of salt and then cook pasta according to directions. Reserving 3/4 cup of pasta water.Set aside when done.

2. In a large skillet melt butter and sauté onion and garlic until tender.

3. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until cooked and tender.

4. Add chicken stock, heavy cream, cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Mix until smooth and cheese is completely melted.

5. Stir in the chicken and pasta in the sauce and add the pasta water. Turn off heat and mix well, allowing to sit for little for sauce to thicken.

6. Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Enjoy!

**** This taste amazing the next day too! ****

Yellow Chile Poppers With Bacon And Cream Cheese

The Wild Gems1 Comment

Little story behind these. I worked at the bank awhile back (this was maybe almost ten years ago) and we had a pot luck. A guy I worked with at the time, Pablo, brought these in and I thought they were the most delicious thing ever!

Everyone uses jalapeños to make poppers but these were with yellow chilies. They also weren’t fancy like how most wrap the bacon around the pepper. They were simple!

I brought some home to share with my husband and he loved them as well. After we analyzed them we were like, “these are actually really easy to make!” And now we make them all the time for gatherings or cook outs.

Thank you Pablo!

Enjoy!

Servings: 16-20 peppers

Note: you will need a grill and someone who knows how to work the grill.

What You Need:

8 to 10 yellow chiles (each Chile makes two poppers)

8oz of cream cheese

2 cups of shredded cheddar or mixed cheese

1 pack of bacon cooked and cut or broke into 1 inch pieces give or take

Bacon tip: instead of frying, save yourself some time and bake at 400 for 15 to 20 mins and a pan sheet lined with foil. So much better, trust me.

Steps:

1. Cut all the peppers in half removing all seeds. Smooth on cream cheese onto each pepper, add cheese on peppers, then lay a pieces of bacon on each pepper.

2. Grill the peppers on low medium heat for about 15 minutes. When the cheese is melted and the bottoms begin to char they are complete.

These are so good and easy! Enjoy!