My husband just finished up his softball fall league, and I am very happy about this. I know it’s good for him to get out of the house and do some physical activity, but the truth is that his softball game nights can be pretty tough on me. I either have to rush around preparing dinner for all of us before he leaves for his game, or I have to make dinner without him there, which means I have two little boys underfoot and no back-up.
I made this particular dinner on the second kind of night, and I’m happy to report that it wasn’t stressful at all. This has nothing whatsoever to do with my sons (although they are both very well-behaved), but rather with the fact that this meal is so easy. You just mix up a few ingredients, throw everything in a casserole dish, and bake it. And that’s it. I was in and out of the kitchen before they had a chance to wreck the entire house.
Not only is it easy, it’s delicious too. My friend Leigh, whose blog I found this on, said it reminds her of an Italian version of Swiss chicken, and I think that’s a great description. It’s flavorful and filling, and according to Joe (who always comes home from his games famished), it reheated very well too. We all liked this one a lot!
Bruschetta Chicken Bake
adapted from One Day at a Time – From My Kitchen to Yours
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 14.5-ounce can Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 6-ounce box chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13-inch dish with nonstick spray. Place the cut chicken breasts in the bottom of the dish. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the chicken, then sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the cheese.
3. In a separate bowl combine the diced tomatoes, water, garlic and stuffing mix. Spread the stuffing mixture on top.
4. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.
It’s hard to find the words to describe a meal this good. I’m being completely serious. I cannot tell you enough how delicious these tacos were, and how perfectly they paired with the cilantro ranch dressing. Just sitting here typing this post is making my mouth water. I think I’m going to have to put this meal on our menu again next week. I actually would love to put this meal on our menu every single week.
What I love about Crock pot cooking is that it’s so incredibly easy. You can throw everything together the night before and turn the Crock pot on in the morning – and this is a meal that actually requires that. Letting the pork marinate in the Coca-Cola, brown sugar, and seasonings overnight really intensifies the flavor. The pork is sweet and spicy, with a welcome molasses undertone from the Coke. The cilantro ranch dressing (which is very, very similar to this) brightens up the tacos and adds a whole new level of flavor. I ate these tacos as leftovers for days, and was a little bit sad when they were all gone. They’re so delicious.
Sweet Pork Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Dressing
adapted from Just Cook Already
For the pork:
2 to 3 pound pork roast
3 cans Coca-Cola
1 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic
1 can diced green chilies
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning
For the dressing:
1 cup salsa verde
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/3 cup cilantro
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup sugar
Tortillas and shredded cheese for serving
1. The night before you want to serve, place pork in the bottom of a slow cooker. Mix together all other ingredients for the pork and pour over the roast. Cover the slow cooker and refrigerate overnight.
2. Cook pork mixture on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
3. Blend all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Serve drizzled over pork.
Most of you probably know me well enough by now to know, just by looking at the ingredients of this dish, that this dip is very nearly my idea of perfection. Bacon, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing mix, cream cheese and sour cream? Yes to all of it! I’ve seen versions of this dip pop up in lots of different places lately, some served cold and some served warm, some without cheddar and/or cream cheese. I decided I had to make my own version, tailoring it to our tastes, and this is what I came up with.
I much prefer warm dips to cold (and using real, sliced bacon works better in warm dips, I’ve found), so I made this on the stovetop and served it warm with tortilla chips. We absolutely loved this, and Joe said it’s second only to this spicy sausage dip in his list of favorites. This would be the perfect dip to serve during weekend football games. I guarantee you it will get eaten very, very quickly!
Bacon Cheddar Ranch Dip
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 8-ounce package cream cheese (reduced fat would work), softened
8 ounces sour cream (reduced fat would work)
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips for serving
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon to desired crispness. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together cream cheese and sour cream until melted and fully combined. Stir in ranch dressing mix, most of the bacon, and shredded cheese.
3. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with remaining bacon. Serve with tortilla chips.
It took me forever to come up with this week’s meal plan. I’m not really sure why – I just haven’t been feeling inspired. Everything that I (finally) came up with sounds delicious, though, so I’m pretty excited for dinner every night this week.
Monday: Mexican rice bowls with fried eggs. My friend Mercedes recently posted about this meal, which made me really want to make it again!
Tuesday: Hot browns, green beans. I’ve never made hot browns before, but this recipe is from my favorite cookbook, so I know it’s going to be good.
Wednesday: Chicken and cheese crescent chimichangas. These chimis taste exactly like the savory sopapillas they serve at my favorite restaurant, a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican place about 45 minutes away. We usually only make the trip there on my birthday, so these are the perfect substitute when I’m craving it!
Thursday: Gnocchi and tomato bake, garlic bread. I made this dish probably five times last winter (and adapted it a lot), but it’s so unphotogenic that I never got around to posting it – and it’s so good that it really deserves a good photo. But no matter what, I'm sharing it this time around.
Friday: Salsa ranch burgers and fries. When I asked Joe what he wanted to eat this week, he said that a burger and fries sounded good. So this meal is per his request, although I’m looking forward to it too.
Saturday: Pork chops, buttermilk macaroni and cheese, steamed broccoli
Sunday: Pork and butternut squash stew with homemade egg noodles. I made homemade egg noodles for the first time last month (recipe coming soon!), and I’m hooked on them now. I’m basically just making this stew as an excuse to eat the egg noodles, I won’t lie.
In all actuality, these should be called “cake batter doughnuts,” but when my older son saw them he called them “sprinkles doughnuts.” I thought that was pretty cute, so I’m going with it. :)
The doughnuts pictured are actually my second attempt at making these. My first try didn’t go so well. I only had chocolate sprinkles, the batter was way too salty, and I overfilled my doughnut pan. I assumed I just got a cake mix with a higher salt content and that’s why they tasted so salty, so I adjusted the salt in the recipe way down the second time I made them, and they were perfect. They’ve since become a family favorite, requested nearly every weekend. One box of cake mix will get you quite a few batches of doughnuts; this I know from experience!
These are delicious. I mean, doughnuts that taste like cake, and sprinkles, and a yummy vanilla glaze – what’s not to love? These would be a great birthday morning breakfast – or really, a great breakfast on any day! Thanks, Stephanie, for a wonderful recipe!
Sprinkles Doughnuts
adapted from Stephanie Cooks
For the doughnuts:
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Several tablespoons of sprinkles
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3 tablespoons milk
1. Preheat over to 325 degrees. Spray a doughnut pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, cake mix, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir well.
3. Add in the milk, egg, and vanilla. Stir. Stir in a few tablespoons of sprinkles.
4. Pour batter into a piping bag. Pipe batter into pan until 2/3 full.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool in pan a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
6. To make the glaze, stir together all ingredients. Add milk to achieve desired consistency. Spoon lightly over doughnuts, apply sprinkles, and allow to sit to harden.
