Crock Pot Pork Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

Every time I make this meal, I go back and forth about whether or not I should post it here. After all, it’s so simple, and I think everyone already has a recipe like this. There’s really nothing special about it, it’s pretty plain and straightforward and I don’t know how blog-worthy it is, etc. etc. etc.

However. Even though it’s plain and simple, it is also one of my very favorite meals, and because of that, it definitely deserves a place here. So the last time I made this for dinner, I snapped a quick picture so I could share it with you.

This is how my mom always made pork roast in the slow cooker, and it’s one of my most frequent cravings. Despite the short list of ingredients, you won’t believe how flavorful the pork and vegetables are after they’ve cooked for hours and hours in the Crock pot. I strongly suggest mashing the potatoes and carrots up together and topping them with butter and salt. Delicious!

Crock Pot Pork Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

1 2- to 3-pound pork roast, trimmed of fat
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
8-10 baby red potatoes, quartered
1 cup baby carrots
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken stock

1. Spray Crock pot with cooking spray. Add potatoes and carrots to Crock pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Rub pork roast all over with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add to Crock pot along with bay leaf. If necessary, cut the roast into chunks to make it fit. Pour chicken stock over meat.

3. Cover and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours or until meat falls apart easily with a fork.

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 11.8.10

Well, the saga of the stomach bug continues around here (it's now spread to my toddler), so I don't have much time to gab about this week's menu. I will say that I had a hard time planning it this week for some reason, but I'm really excited to eat all of these things!

Monday: Savory French toast BLTs, hash browns

Tuesday: Dogs in a blanket, French fries (I seriously cannot wait for this meal!)

Wednesday: Gnocchi and tomato bake, garlic bread

Thursday: Shredded chicken tacos

Friday: Whatever we feel like eating. I don't cook on Fridays -- it's my night off!

Saturday: Italian wedding soup, crusty bread

Sunday: Chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, buttered corn

Ice Cream Brownie Cupcakes

Sorry today's recipe is up so late. I hate to use the "sick baby" excuse two days in a row, but yeah: My baby is still sick. That'll teach me to expect the unexpected and draft my posts ahead of time, right?

I can't think of an occasion for which these ice cream brownie cupcakes wouldn't be appropriate, but I made them for a coworker's birthday celebration at work. He loves the Ohio State Buckeyes (as does pretty much everyone where I live, including myself), so I chose a Buckeye ice cream made by a local ice cream company as my flavor. It's my favorite ice cream, by far -- peanut butter ice cream with a chocolate fudge swirl and tiny little Buckeyes. I'm sure you could use any ice cream flavor for these cupcakes and it would be delicious. If you're feeling extra motivated, you could even make your own.

I used my favorite brownie recipe as the brownie base, but you could use the one in Annie's post that I've linked to, or even a boxed mix. It's all about the method with this recipe, really, and no matter what you do, it's going to taste great. I mean, come on, it's brownies and ice cream. That's pretty much the best combination ever.

Ice Cream Brownie Cupcakes
inspired by Annie's Eats

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ice cream, any flavor, softened

1. To make the brownie bottoms, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with foil liners. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in the butter. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; add to batter and mix well.

2. Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter into cupcake liner. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 6 to 8 minutes. Leaving the brownies in the cupcake pans, cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then freeze for at least 30 minutes.

3. Top with ice cream until the cupcake liner is full. Return the cupcake pans to the freezer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the cupcakes from the freezer 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Chipotle Chicken Alfredo

My youngest son has some kind of virus, and I'm home with him today, so I have to make this post pretty quick since he's bound to get bored with his brother's Matchbox cars at any moment. Babies wait for no one, not even food bloggers.

Anyway, it's a good thing it won't take me long to describe this recipe to you: It's creamy, spicy, different, and delicious. Joe and I loved it, although it was too spicy for Andrew to eat. If you don't like a lot of heat, definitely cut back on the amount of chipotle puree you add to the sauce. The flavors of this are great, though, and I was absolutely blown away by how well the chipotle flavor worked in the alfredo sauce. I love it when I'm surprised by how good a dish tastes, especially when it combines flavors I would never think to put together.

Chipotle Chicken Alfredo
adapted from Not a Real Housewife, who got the recipe from Kraft Foods

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon chipotle in adobo puree
8 ounces linguine or fettuccine, cooked and drained

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in large skillet on medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and add to skillet; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, stir together cream cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the chipotle puree; cook 5 minutes or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Gently stir in chicken. Toss with the hot pasta.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

I think every family has its own version of “cheesy potatoes.” Our family actually has two versions. There’s my dad’s “party potatoes,” which are so freakin’ good, and which he won’t share the recipe for no matter how much I bug him. Then there’s this recipe, which I adapted long ago from my trusty old Better Crocker Cookbook.

Back when my cooking repertoire consisted of six meals made on an endless cycle, Joe and I used to eat this as a main dish. Now we usually eat these potatoes as a side dish for various things (like the ribs in the picture, Joe’s specialty which he won’t share the recipe for; these men and their secret recipes!). This is also the dish I take to our Easter family dinner, and I think it would be the perfect side dish for any holiday celebration.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
adapted from Betty Crocker

1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 8-ounce container spreadable chive and onion cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 30-ounce bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, partially thawed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and side of a rectangular 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In very large bowl, mix soup, cream cheese, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in potatoes and 1 cup cheese. Spoon into baking dish.

3. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until golden brown on top and bubbly around edges.

Rustic Chicken

I’m just warning you now, I’ll probably be sharing quite a few chicken recipes this month. It’s been on sale at both of my regular grocery stores a lot lately, so it’s been on our menu frequently. But if any of you are anything like me, you’re always on the hunt for new and different chicken recipes, so hopefully I’ll post a poultry-centric dish this month that catches your eye.

Take this “rustic chicken,” for instance. It’s aptly named, I think, because it does look pretty rustic once it’s prepared. In the words of Joe, “Wow, this tastes so much better than it looks!” Oh, my silly husband.

It really does, though. With mushrooms, artichokes, bacon, and stuffed olives, this dish has such earthy, complex flavor. It comes together quickly, and it’s hearty and delicious. I served ours over spaghetti noodles tossed with a bit of butter and some parmesan cheese, and although Andrew seemed to mostly only eat the noodles, I’m going to go ahead and say that my whole family loved this!

Rustic Chicken
adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking

6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch strips
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 packet dry chicken gravy mix
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup stuffed green olives

1. Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.

2. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the onions. Cook until tender, then add the mushrooms. Push the mushrooms and onions to the side and add the chicken. Cook until the chicken browns, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium.

3. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Serve over pasta.

BBQ Chicken and Cole Slaw Wraps

I have a really simple, delicious lunch or dinner idea to share with you today. It was actually inspired by a lunch I had at my work cafeteria a while ago. That may sound odd, but I should probably mention that I work for a large corporation, and we have two cafeterias of the nearly gourmet variety. We’re not talking school cafeteria food here. And thank goodness for that!

Anyway, this is what I had: barbecue chicken in a flour tortilla spread with chive and onion cream cheese, all wrapped up with cole slaw and slices of cheddar cheese. It was so simple and delicious and now, every time I see that on the menu, it’s what I get for lunch at work.

Of course, I had to try making my own version at home, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how these turned out. They were a huge hit with Joe, and I think they’re even better than the cafeteria’s version. Best of all, they’re delicious warm or cold, so if you make a little extra for dinner one night you have lunch for the next day. You’ll get at least three big wraps out of two small chicken breasts, so this is a pretty inexpensive meal too. I don’t add any additional sauce to the wraps other than what’s on the chicken before I slice it, but if you want the barbecue flavor to be a little stronger, by all means add more.

BBQ Chicken and Cole Slaw Wraps

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce
Flour tortillas
1 tablespoon of chive and onion cream cheese per tortilla
Cheddar cheese slices
Prepared cole slaw

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium-high heat in a large skillet until cooked through. Pour barbecue sauce over chicken and heat through. Remove chicken to a cutting board and slice.

2. Spread each flour tortilla with 1 tablespoon chive and onion cream cheese. Top with two slices of cheddar cheese per tortilla, some of the chicken, and about 1/2 cup of cole slaw. Fold wraps tightly and serve, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Pumpkin Doughnut Mini Muffins

I got a late start on my pumpkin baking this year. In fact, I wasn’t sure if I’d really be baking with pumpkin much at all this fall. I’ve seen tons of delicious-sounding pumpkin recipes on my favorite food blogs, but none of them really struck me as “must-bake-immediately.” That is, until Cara shared this recipe on her site. I don’t think I’ve ever clicked that little star in Google Reader faster.

These cute little mini muffins are amazing. Amazing! As the name would indicate, they have the texture of a cake doughnut. The muffins themselves aren’t super sweet; the sweetness is reserved for a coating of melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. The muffins are rolled in this mixture while they’re still warm, so the butter soaks into the muffins, giving them a rich, moist texture. The cinnamon-sugar coating stays really crunchy, which is the perfect contrast to the soft muffin.

I did make a couple of changes, which I’ve indicated below. These were originally regular-sized muffins, but I love making mini muffins because they’re easier for Andrew to eat -- and in this instance, they’re super cute because they look like little doughnut holes. I also subbed pumpkin pie spice for the nutmeg and allspice called for in the original recipe.

These will be a fall baking staple for me from now on. We all loved them!

Pumpkin Doughnut Mini Muffins
adapted from The Picky Apple, who got the recipe from Everyday Food, November 2010

For the pumpkin batter:

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs

For the sugar coating:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture and beat to combine.

2. Spoon batter into each mini muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, roll in butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.