How many times do you sit down to decide what is dinner...and...you sit there? Nothing coming to mind. You pencil in a few ideas, get excited and then go to the pantry and fridge and realize you don't have ANY of the ingredients needed.
This happens to (almost) everyone at one point or another. It happens in my house at least once every couple of weeks. So if a major (2 hour, multiple cart) grocery store trip is not in the plans within the days to come, what is a person to do? Well let what you have on hand be the driver of what is for supper.
I intentionally approached a couple of meals in the past week this way and using what I had already at home, along with a couple of Tastefully Simple products which impart great flavor (sometimes allowing you to sub out multiple ingredients) it all worked.
Pork, Veggies and Rice
Ah, the infamous one-pan wonder of a meal! I found some ground pork in the freezer (but can be any ground meat) and browned that using Tastefully Simple's Seasoned Salt. While the meat was browning, I cooked up the rice. When both were done, I combined them into the same pan and poured in Sweet Mesquite Slow Cooker Sauce. While the all of this was simmering on low to allow flavors to come together, I prepared broccoli (again, any veggie would work). Upon the broccoli being ready, I added this to the dish, allowed for 15 minutes more to come together and it was ready to serve.
This dish takes very little time, as you can see involved 5 items I had in the house and took very few steps. When it was done, the ultimate compliment is of course those eating it wanting another serving and it was unanimous there, too.
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Soup is the classic go-to if you have a handful of ingredients that might not seem to go together at first, but can be pulled together to make work. And this is what happened the other night.
I found the following in the fridge: leftover green onions, leftover cilantro, leftover enchilada sauce
I found the following in the pantry: stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, canned chicken
I had the following Tastefully Simple products on hand: Wahoo Chili Seasoning Blend, Corn and Black Bean Salsa
I took the following steps to turn this into a meal: combined it all in a crock pot, let it roll on low for 2 to 3 hours.
If desired, this can be served with tortilla chips, topped with shredded cheese and/or sour cream.
Seriously, this was a soup I started building in my head after scanning my resources. And this dish especially is what I love about cooking.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Slammin' Sammies
Individual EVERYTHING is all of the rage for food right now. Everywhere you look - mini desserts for one; multi-dish sampler platters to start a meal; main course classics taken from a single big serving to numerous smaller servings. And so it goes with our next success in the kitchen of my household with Chipotle Bacon Chili Slammers. Just the name makes one hungry, even if you have just finished a meal.
These small sandwiches feature big taste and 3 Tastefully Simple products - Perfect Parmesan Biscuits, Wahoo Chili Seasoning and the all new Chipotle Bacon Dip Starter. And the even better part, they were almost just as easy to prepare as listing off those few ingredients.
I started with 1 pound of lean ground beef, added 2 Tbsp. Wahoo Chili Seasoning while it started to brown. During the time of the meat cooking, I mixed up the Perfect Parmesan Biscuits (the biscuit mix, water, shredded cheddar cheese), placed them on a baking sheet and popped them into the oven.
The biscuits finished about the time the meat was also getting done cooking. After the biscuits had cooled just enough so they could be sliced in half, I placed a good sized serving of meat on the bottom half, topped with Chipotle Bacon Dip Starter right from the jar to taste and then the top half of the biscuit.
The outcome? Well, the boys had their sandwiches gone almost in the amount of time it took me to make mine and sit down to enjoy with them. So seconds were had!
One of the many things I love about a meal like this is the variations are only limited by your imagination. Jayce chose to have cheese on his; Kayden wanted the full flavor of the dip starter so opted out. You certainly could do these as patties instead of loose meat. Speaking of the meat, obviously ground beef was what we did, but any meat (or non-meat, I am sure just as good with a portabella mushroom) works here.
The main function of meal-time for us is to make it fun, keep it interesting and demonstrating that it might be the same "type" of meal, but there can be variation. Quick, easy, delicious.
Chipotle Bacon Chili Slammers
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. Wahoo Chili Seasoning
Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix
2/3 cup cold water
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chipotle Bacon Dip Starter, to taste
Brown ground beef with Wahoo Chili Seasoning; prepare Perfect Parmesan Biscuits as directed; once biscuits are cool enough to slice, place ground beef on bottom half, top with Chipotle Bacon Dip Starter and top half of biscuit.
These small sandwiches feature big taste and 3 Tastefully Simple products - Perfect Parmesan Biscuits, Wahoo Chili Seasoning and the all new Chipotle Bacon Dip Starter. And the even better part, they were almost just as easy to prepare as listing off those few ingredients.
I started with 1 pound of lean ground beef, added 2 Tbsp. Wahoo Chili Seasoning while it started to brown. During the time of the meat cooking, I mixed up the Perfect Parmesan Biscuits (the biscuit mix, water, shredded cheddar cheese), placed them on a baking sheet and popped them into the oven.
The biscuits finished about the time the meat was also getting done cooking. After the biscuits had cooled just enough so they could be sliced in half, I placed a good sized serving of meat on the bottom half, topped with Chipotle Bacon Dip Starter right from the jar to taste and then the top half of the biscuit.
The outcome? Well, the boys had their sandwiches gone almost in the amount of time it took me to make mine and sit down to enjoy with them. So seconds were had!
One of the many things I love about a meal like this is the variations are only limited by your imagination. Jayce chose to have cheese on his; Kayden wanted the full flavor of the dip starter so opted out. You certainly could do these as patties instead of loose meat. Speaking of the meat, obviously ground beef was what we did, but any meat (or non-meat, I am sure just as good with a portabella mushroom) works here.
The main function of meal-time for us is to make it fun, keep it interesting and demonstrating that it might be the same "type" of meal, but there can be variation. Quick, easy, delicious.
Chipotle Bacon Chili Slammers
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. Wahoo Chili Seasoning
Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix
2/3 cup cold water
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chipotle Bacon Dip Starter, to taste
Brown ground beef with Wahoo Chili Seasoning; prepare Perfect Parmesan Biscuits as directed; once biscuits are cool enough to slice, place ground beef on bottom half, top with Chipotle Bacon Dip Starter and top half of biscuit.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Slow cooker for a fast life
It truly has been 2 weeks since I last shared a kitchen success - although I promise, it has NOT been that long since the last kitchen victory. It has simply been that long since I have been able to get back with everyone - which is the point of this entry.
We all are busy. Everyone handles busy differently. Some embrace it, others get overwhelmed. No matter how you feel when you are in your world of maximum busy - you still have to eat. And the slow cooker (or crock pot, choose your lingo) can play a big role in allowing you and your family to still get a home-cooked and hearty meal in the midst of it all.
I know I have sung the praises of how the slow cooker is effective for my family before, and it came into play again last night. Jayce and Kayden each had sports activities soon after work, leaving time to prepare supper down to minimal, if we wanted to eat before 9 p.m. Enter, the slow cooker, a rump roast, carrots and one of the new Tastefully Simple slow cooker sauces for fall - Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce.
With a few easy steps and 9 hours of simply filling the house with a wonderful smell, dinner was available when we were. Check out the steps below, followed by the recipe.
The end result was a tender and easily sliceable cut of meat to enjoy as the center of the meal. We paired it with a lettuce salad for an easy, comfort-food meal on a fall evening.
Irish Stout Pot Roast
3 to 4 lb. beef rump roast
Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce
Carrots, potatoes, other vegetables (all are optional)
Place roast in slow cooker, pour Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce over top ensuring roast is covered (I used about half of the bottle), add vegetables of your choosing. Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, depending upon size of roast. Slice and enjoy with more Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce, if desired.
We all are busy. Everyone handles busy differently. Some embrace it, others get overwhelmed. No matter how you feel when you are in your world of maximum busy - you still have to eat. And the slow cooker (or crock pot, choose your lingo) can play a big role in allowing you and your family to still get a home-cooked and hearty meal in the midst of it all.
I know I have sung the praises of how the slow cooker is effective for my family before, and it came into play again last night. Jayce and Kayden each had sports activities soon after work, leaving time to prepare supper down to minimal, if we wanted to eat before 9 p.m. Enter, the slow cooker, a rump roast, carrots and one of the new Tastefully Simple slow cooker sauces for fall - Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce.
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| I placed a 3 to 4 lb. beef rump roast in the slow cooker. |
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| I poured about half the bottle of Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce over the top. |
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| I made sure the roast had a good cover of the sauce. |
The end result was a tender and easily sliceable cut of meat to enjoy as the center of the meal. We paired it with a lettuce salad for an easy, comfort-food meal on a fall evening.
Irish Stout Pot Roast
3 to 4 lb. beef rump roast
Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce
Carrots, potatoes, other vegetables (all are optional)
Place roast in slow cooker, pour Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce over top ensuring roast is covered (I used about half of the bottle), add vegetables of your choosing. Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, depending upon size of roast. Slice and enjoy with more Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce, if desired.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Supper prep = family time
Kari and I are big believers in having our boys "own" as much as they can as early as they can in life. This includes the kitchen and meal/food prep. One of the reasons I started as a Tastefully Simple consultant over 6 years ago - when the boys were 5 and 2 - was to have multiple ways to model what a man/husband/father can do to contribute to the household, both as a business owner and contributing in the kitchen.
Food has long been a passion of mine, and the time spent in the kitchen to me is enjoyable. However, family is a bigger passion for me. So, we very intentionally encourage the boys to be involved in whatever areas of the kitchen they feel most comfortable.
I have said before Kayden is for sure a foodie, enjoy the art of coming up new flavors and always willing to try anything put in front of him. Jayce also enjoys helping but more from an angle of just that, helping. I honestly think I have a chef and sous chef on my hands some days.
We recently did taco salads for supper. And when we do taco salads, you can immediately wipe the taco shell bowl from your mind - as we sub in nacho flavored tortilla chips for ease and on some level, maybe not as deliciously greasy and guilty of a pleasure. Notice I did not necessarily say healthier, but it might be. :)
The boys each assisted with the prep of the ground beef - one putting in a healthy dose of Wahoo Chili Seasoning and the other helping getting it stirred in while the meat cooked. Once done, it was time to get the hands dirty as we each went about building our own salad.
Mine started with a bed of torn up lettuce, followed by crunching up some of the nacho flavored tortilla chips, as much meat as you desire, topped by shredded cheese, some garden fresh tomatoes and finally some salsa.
While Kari's resembled mine, the boys each have different ingredients they like to emphasize more than others - and it usually involves less if any tomatoes and sometimes a little more cheese than is needed. In the end though, they eat this meal really well because they had a hand in not only preparing their plate, but also the meal for the family. I have some video clips from this meal prep I hope to post soon as well. For your own taco salad night, the recipe is below.
Taco Salads at Home
2 lbs. ground beef
3 to 4 Tbsp. Wahoo Chili Seasoning Blend
Romaine Lettuce
Nacho flavored tortilla chips
Tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, etc. - personal preference for taco toppings
Brown ground beef with Wahoo Chili Seasoning, drain; layer plate with lettuce, chips, meat, the rest of your taco toppings. Enjoy!
Food has long been a passion of mine, and the time spent in the kitchen to me is enjoyable. However, family is a bigger passion for me. So, we very intentionally encourage the boys to be involved in whatever areas of the kitchen they feel most comfortable.
I have said before Kayden is for sure a foodie, enjoy the art of coming up new flavors and always willing to try anything put in front of him. Jayce also enjoys helping but more from an angle of just that, helping. I honestly think I have a chef and sous chef on my hands some days.
We recently did taco salads for supper. And when we do taco salads, you can immediately wipe the taco shell bowl from your mind - as we sub in nacho flavored tortilla chips for ease and on some level, maybe not as deliciously greasy and guilty of a pleasure. Notice I did not necessarily say healthier, but it might be. :)
The boys each assisted with the prep of the ground beef - one putting in a healthy dose of Wahoo Chili Seasoning and the other helping getting it stirred in while the meat cooked. Once done, it was time to get the hands dirty as we each went about building our own salad.
Mine started with a bed of torn up lettuce, followed by crunching up some of the nacho flavored tortilla chips, as much meat as you desire, topped by shredded cheese, some garden fresh tomatoes and finally some salsa.
 |
| My finished product, ready to eat! |
While Kari's resembled mine, the boys each have different ingredients they like to emphasize more than others - and it usually involves less if any tomatoes and sometimes a little more cheese than is needed. In the end though, they eat this meal really well because they had a hand in not only preparing their plate, but also the meal for the family. I have some video clips from this meal prep I hope to post soon as well. For your own taco salad night, the recipe is below.
Taco Salads at Home
2 lbs. ground beef
3 to 4 Tbsp. Wahoo Chili Seasoning Blend
Romaine Lettuce
Nacho flavored tortilla chips
Tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, etc. - personal preference for taco toppings
Brown ground beef with Wahoo Chili Seasoning, drain; layer plate with lettuce, chips, meat, the rest of your taco toppings. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Getting saucy for sure
One thing we never get tired of is trying the different combinations of sauces and flavors, and how they work with different types of meat. Generally, what I will do is put a cut of meat in the crock pot or on the grill with some good seasoning. Then, pick out a few sauces to get some opinions and see what is generally enjoyed by most in our "test kitchen". I decided this morning that tonight was going to be one of those nights. After putting pork shoulder into the crock pot, the sauce selection for the night was as follows:
Once the pork was fully cooked, had sufficiently rested to ensure it was as juicy as possible, it was pulled apart for serving. My personal choice was to try the new for fall Plum Teriyaki Sauce first. The balance of subtle sweet and a little tang of teriyaki was a great addition to the meat. Since the meat was being paired with a rice/veggie combo anyway, it was perfect. And yes, some of the Plum Teriyaki did eventually make its way to impart further flavor with the rice and veggies for the last few bites.
I did have a few bites with the other sauces too because, well, I felt I owed it to both the meat and the sauces. All were good. As a general review, the Bayou Bourbon is usually tops in the house no matter what is being served. Tonight the Plum Teriyaki was number two and Pomegranate Chipotle a close third. The complete details on meal prep are below.
Saucy Pulled Pork
4 to 5 lb. pork shoulder
Seasoned Salt to taste (2 to 3 Tbsp.)
Onion Onion to taste (2 to 3 Tbsp.)
Tastefully Simple sauce of choice
Place pork shoulder in crock pot, season well with both seasonings on all sides. With fat cap on top, place lid on crock pot and turn on low for 8 hours. When done, place on cutting board and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove fat cap, pull apart and then, with Tastefully Sauce of choice, pour sauce over meat to serve.
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| Would it be the new Plum Teriyaki Sauce or standard go-to's Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce or Bayou Bourbon Glaze? |
Once the pork was fully cooked, had sufficiently rested to ensure it was as juicy as possible, it was pulled apart for serving. My personal choice was to try the new for fall Plum Teriyaki Sauce first. The balance of subtle sweet and a little tang of teriyaki was a great addition to the meat. Since the meat was being paired with a rice/veggie combo anyway, it was perfect. And yes, some of the Plum Teriyaki did eventually make its way to impart further flavor with the rice and veggies for the last few bites.
I did have a few bites with the other sauces too because, well, I felt I owed it to both the meat and the sauces. All were good. As a general review, the Bayou Bourbon is usually tops in the house no matter what is being served. Tonight the Plum Teriyaki was number two and Pomegranate Chipotle a close third. The complete details on meal prep are below.
Saucy Pulled Pork
4 to 5 lb. pork shoulder
Seasoned Salt to taste (2 to 3 Tbsp.)
Onion Onion to taste (2 to 3 Tbsp.)
Tastefully Simple sauce of choice
Place pork shoulder in crock pot, season well with both seasonings on all sides. With fat cap on top, place lid on crock pot and turn on low for 8 hours. When done, place on cutting board and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove fat cap, pull apart and then, with Tastefully Sauce of choice, pour sauce over meat to serve.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Ballpark treat at home
"Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd..." - who knows where this song belongs? Who knows for which major league baseball team did a certain announcer make the song an event?
If you said the song belongs during the 7th inning stretch at a baseball game, followed by the Chicago Cubs then you are spot on.
We are big fans of baseball at our house. The boys both play it, I have been a fan - probably my favorite sport growing up, and continues to this day as one of my top sports to follow - and Kari enjoys watching the boys play it, although she might not watch as much of the pro game as the boys and I do.
Today, Kayden (my 11 year old and resident 5th grade foodie) wanted to jazz up some popcorn for his afternoon snack. His idea - flavor up the popcorn with Creamy Caramel Sauce. As I watched him put together this delicious treat, my thought was immediately to the line in the song above "...peanuts and Cracker Jack...". And then what happened, well, here we go:
Take regularly popped popcorn in a bowl, heat up the jar of Creamy Caramel Sauce for 15 to 20 seconds, pour over the popcorn and gently stir to coat. You have created caramel corn in a couple of very easy steps. To ramp it up to Cracker Jack level, toss in some peanuts and mix well.
If you said the song belongs during the 7th inning stretch at a baseball game, followed by the Chicago Cubs then you are spot on.
We are big fans of baseball at our house. The boys both play it, I have been a fan - probably my favorite sport growing up, and continues to this day as one of my top sports to follow - and Kari enjoys watching the boys play it, although she might not watch as much of the pro game as the boys and I do.
Today, Kayden (my 11 year old and resident 5th grade foodie) wanted to jazz up some popcorn for his afternoon snack. His idea - flavor up the popcorn with Creamy Caramel Sauce. As I watched him put together this delicious treat, my thought was immediately to the line in the song above "...peanuts and Cracker Jack...". And then what happened, well, here we go:
Take regularly popped popcorn in a bowl, heat up the jar of Creamy Caramel Sauce for 15 to 20 seconds, pour over the popcorn and gently stir to coat. You have created caramel corn in a couple of very easy steps. To ramp it up to Cracker Jack level, toss in some peanuts and mix well.
As you can see above, this delicious bite has peanuts and caramel corn - taking one back to a complete ballpark experience. Enjoy this while you sit down to the next family movie night, sporting event or head to your next get-together.
Monday, September 9, 2013
More than just garlic bread
Putting a personal spin on food is what I love to do in the kitchen and Tastefully Simple makes it so easy to do. Take the Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning as an example. While it makes fantastic garlic bread (it better, since that is the name of the product), it also livens up a tomato sauce, turns shredded mozzarella cheese into an Italian delight and I have a good friend who even puts it on her popcorn.
I enjoy using it to season meat. It can be mixed in with ground beef for burgers, meat loaf or meatballs; on chicken in the oven or on the grill; and last night, it was time to try it on pork chops.
I started the grill (remember, I am a charcoal guy, so this allows a little more time than those using the gas method), liberally seasoned the bone-in pork chops with the Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning and let the magic happen while the grill readied itself.
From there, pretty simple - just don't overcook the meat. :) I am glad to say I did not. And when it was done, I sliced it up, put it over some romaine lettuce with fresh tomatoes and dinner was served.
A few simple ingredients - a meal worth serving again.
I enjoy using it to season meat. It can be mixed in with ground beef for burgers, meat loaf or meatballs; on chicken in the oven or on the grill; and last night, it was time to try it on pork chops.
I started the grill (remember, I am a charcoal guy, so this allows a little more time than those using the gas method), liberally seasoned the bone-in pork chops with the Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning and let the magic happen while the grill readied itself.
From there, pretty simple - just don't overcook the meat. :) I am glad to say I did not. And when it was done, I sliced it up, put it over some romaine lettuce with fresh tomatoes and dinner was served.
A few simple ingredients - a meal worth serving again.
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