August Re-Make Recap

I can't even believe that it will be September tomorrow. Where did the summer go?! It seems like winter just ended, and now we're only a few months away from it again. But I'm going to wring every ounce of fun I can get out of autumn this year, as I do every year.

It was kind of a hectic/emotional month for us: Joe and I celebrated 9 years of marriage, and two weeks later our firstborn started kindergarten. We didn't always stay on a schedule, but I did manage to make a bunch of our favorites this month.

 

It just wouldn't be a recap without taco rice, right? This shows up in our rotation at least once every couple of months, and it's always a favorite. Eating this meal always ends with Joe and I having a tense discussion in the kitchen, trying to decide who will get to take the leftovers to work for lunch.

Andrew requested pepperoni pizza puffs for his "night before kindergarten" dinner. I also made them another time this month, when it was just me and the boys home for dinner. These are so simple, and the flavor is just awesome. They're like pizza rolls on steroids, and they taste much better too. I keep meaning to try a Hawaiian version with green pepper, ham, and pineapple -- but we all love the pepperoni version so much that I haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I love chicken Caesar everything, and these chicken Caesar salad sandwiches are one of my favorites. They hit all the same notes as a traditional Caesar salad, but in sandwich form (and with bacon). Absolutely delicious.

Joe claims that biscuits with sausage gravy is the very best meal I make, so I'm a little bit embarrassed by how easy this recipe is. But despite that, I truly do believe that it's the best sausage gravy ever. It's so tangy and sweet and creamy...just perfect. I served it with some really delicious scrambled eggs (I'll share that recipe, though it's hardly a recipe at all, with you soon), and Joe and the boys made sandwiches by piling the gravy and eggs on the biscuits. If you make one recipe from this site, I beg you to try this one.

There aren't many recipes that have survived from the early days of our marriage, but this smothered chicken is one of the ones that has. I mean, this dish is just incredible -- spicy chicken breasts smothered in peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tons of cheese...I'm salivating just thinking about it.

I think these ranch chicken tacos are my favorite weeknight meal when I want something super quick, simple, and delicious -- which, let's be honest, is pretty much every night. They literally come together in minutes, and they're so incredibly good.

It had been so long since I'd made this recipe for bow ties with spicy sausage in tomato cream sauce that I was blown away all over again by how delicious it is. It's so simple, made with only a handful of ingredients, but the flavor is just amazing.

I made Joe an Asian noodle bowl with fried eggs one night when he got home pretty late from his weekly softball game, after the boys and I had already eaten. Normally I'd just make him a sandwich in those instances (or he'd make himself one), but I think this recipe is just about as quick as making a sandwich. I just made a basic version for him, but I'm still interested in playing with the ingredients in these noodle bows -- maybe adding some carrots or cabbage.

Speaking of fried eggs, these bacon cheddar cornbread cakes with fried eggs have skyrocketed right to the top of our favorite dinners. I don't know what possessed me to even buy a box of cornbread stuffing when I discovered it in my cupboard the first night I made these -- but now I find myself buying it on purpose just so I can make these cakes. This time around, I served them alongside the most perfect summer tomato I think I've ever had. What a delicious meal.

Just as Andrew requested pepperoni pizza puffs for the night before kindergarten, he requested his favorite meal, this sweet and spicy pork and asparagus stir fry, for dinner after his first day. At my friend Sarah's suggestion, I served the pork mixture combined with angel hair pasta instead of over rice. It tasted even better that way -- which is really saying a lot.

Ever since rediscovering this recipe, I've made creamy tomato tortellini with chicken and broccoli no less than four times. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser, and it's so delicious and simple. If you haven't noticed...those are my very favorite kinds of meals. :)

Chipotle Cherry BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cherry-Corn Relish

I can't believe that Labor Day weekend is upon us already! That means it's almost my favorite time of year -- fall. Even though autumn won't officially be arriving for three weeks, to me, Labor Day always heralds the beginning of my favorite season.

The produce this summer has been absolutely fantastic, and I'm really going to miss summer's bounty as cooler temperatures arrive. So, today, on what is to me one of the last days of summer, I thought I'd share a recipe that celebrates the best of the season -- cherries and sweet corn. And it's a crave-worthy one.

Since I made the peach BBQ sauce last month, I've been dying to make another fruit-infused BBQ sauce. I decided to use cherries this time around, since they're so readily available. I paired the sauce with tender shredded pork and a quick sweet-tangy-spicy relish composed of cherries, sweet corn, jalapenos, and a bit of lime juice. 

These sandwiches are phenomenal. The chipotle cherry BBQ sauce is sweet, spicy, and smoky, and the juicy pork pairs perfectly with the crisp relish. The flavors are just awesome. Joe raved about these sandwiches, and the boys both gave them two thumbs up -- and even requested the leftovers for lunch the next day. These sandwiches definitely celebrate the best of summer, and they'd be perfect for your Labor Day celebrations this weekend.

I'm including my recipe for the pulled pork, because I loved the flavor and texture of it prepared this way. But feel free to use any shredded pork recipe you like.

Chipotle Cherry BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cherry-Corn Relish
sauce adapted from Tasty Kitchen

For the pork:

2 pounds pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 sprigs thyme leaves
2 whole cloves garlic
1 cup chicken stock

For the BBQ sauce:

4 strips bacon, diced
Half of a white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted, roughly chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo puree
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste

For the cherry-corn relish:

3 ears sweet corn, kernels removed from the cob
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cherries
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

For the sandwiches:

Hamburger buns
Mayonnaise

1. Place the pork in a Crock pot. Add salt, pepper, olive oil, and cider vinegar and rub the seasonings into the meat using your hands. Add thyme, garlic, and chicken stock. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meat shreds easily with a fork. Remove the thyme leaves and drain the stock (I save it in the freezer for later use). 

2. To make the BBQ sauce, cook the bacon in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. When the bacon is nearly crisp, add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic cloves; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add the ketchup, cherries, brown sugar, maple syrup, chipotle in adobo puree, and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer over medium-low until thickened, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and black pepper to taste.

3. While the sauce is thickening, make the relish. Stir together the corn, cherries, and jalapeno in a small bowl. Add lime juice and salt and stir to combine.

4. Add the pork to the thickened BBQ sauce and mix gently to combine. Pile the pork on the bottom of a bun. Top with relish. Smear bun tops with mayonnaise, if desired.

Roasted Potato and Tomato Gyro Wraps

 

I can't believe it's been a week since the last time I posted! I have no good excuses, really. I typically try to write posts for the week in the evenings, but I've been preoccupied with other things. And by other things, I mean Game of Thrones (which Joe and I are finally watching!) and this amazing, incredible book, which I believe should be required reading for every single person, everywhere in the world.

One other current obsession, though, is this recipe, which I've been eating for lunch every single day for the past two weeks -- and I show no signs of getting sick of it any time soon. I had these wraps on one of our weekly menus but didn't make them for one reason or another, and, since Greek food isn't Joe's favorite, I decided to just make a big batch for myself for work lunches. Best decision ever! 

I can't get enough of these wraps. The combination of crispy roasted potatoes, soft and sweet roasted tomatoes, tangy feta, cool cucumbers, and creamy tzatziki is just perfect. I love these so much, there are just no words.

In the recipe below I have assumed that, like me, you will make a huge batch of these gyro wraps to eat all week long. If you don't want to do that (you'll be sorry...), you can easily adjust the measurements.

Roasted Potato and Tomato Gyro Wraps

inspired by Fitbie

2 pounds baby red potatoes, quartered

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons Greek seasoning, divided

Tzatziki sauce (the sauce listed in this taco recipe is my favorite)

Feta cheese

1 English cucumber, diced

Flour tortillas

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Greek seasoning and distribute evenly using your hands. Roast potatoes for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned and crispy. Set aside.

2. Arrange the tomatoes on the same baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of Greek seasoning; combine with your hands. Roast for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes burst.

3. Place some potatoes and tomatoes in the center of a warmed flour tortilla. Top with tzatziki sauce, diced cucumber, and feta cheese. Wrap and serve.

Taco Omelets

Do you ever have one of those "Duh? Why didn't I think of that??" moments? I have them frequently and, especially these days when Pinterest is so widely-used, I think probably most people have them. Or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself of that so I don't feel so silly.

Anyway, this particular head-slapping moment came when I was surfing Instagram a few weeks ago, and my friend Denise posted a photo of a taco omelet that she was having for breakfast. A taco omelet. It's just like a taco, but uses eggs instead of a tortilla. I felt like Monica from Friends when I discovered this, and I'm pretty sure I actually said "GET OUT" out loud.

I made these that very night. I didn't get super fancy with the ingredients because I just used what I had on hand, but they could be jazzed up in a bunch of different ways. Pretty much any way you can eat a taco, you can eat a taco omelet. You just have to try this simple and delicious dinner.

Taco Omelets
inspired by Creative Kitchen

1 pound ground sirloin
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
8 eggs
Splash of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil
Shredded cheese
Salsa, sour cream, and any other toppings you like for serving

1. Brown the ground sirloin with the onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the meat has cooked, sprinkle in the taco seasoning and add a bit of water to loosen it. Remove from heat.

2. Beat the eggs with a little milk and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Heat canola oil in a large non-stick pan. 

3. Add about 1/4 of the egg mixture (2 eggs' worth) to the skillet and cook, without turning, until eggs are cooked through. Top half of the omelet with some of the reserved ground beef and shredded cheese, then fold the other half of the omelet over the top. Remove to a plate and keep warm while you repeat the process with the remaining eggs, meat, and cheese.

4. Serve omelets with salsa, sour cream, and any other desired toppings.

Ridiculously Good BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

I do a lot of lily-gilding when I'm cooking and thinking about cooking. When I'm brainstorming recipe ideas, I always start with a really simple concept; in this case, it was bacon-wrapped chicken tenders. And then my mind inevitably goes to this really ridiculous place, like: Ooo, what if I basted them with BBQ sauce and put them on a sandwich? And what if I added gouda cheese? And caramelized onions? By the time I was finished creating this sandwich, what started out as a really simple dish had a few additional components that elevated it to ridiculously good status. Thus the title of this post. And thus this amazing sandwich.

Honestly, I don't really know what else I need to tell you about these sandwiches. They're loaded with bacon-wrapped chicken tenders, BBQ sauce, creamy, melted, smoked gouda cheese, and sweet, buttery caramelized onions. And a smear of creamy mayo, too (see lily-guilding referenced above). It's ridiculously good, and ridiculously good-looking too (bonus points if you get that reference).

Ridiculously Good BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2 large onions, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and peper
8 chicken tenders
8 strips of bacon
1 cup prepared BBQ sauce
1 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded
4 hoagie rolls, split and toasted
Mayonnaise

1. In a Dutch oven or high-sided skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized.

2. Meanwhile, season chicken tenders lightly with salt and more generously with black pepper. Wrap a strip of bacon around each tender. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the tenders, bacon-seam-side down, until they're cooked through and the bacon is crispy. Reduce the heat to medium-low and baste the tenders with the BBQ sauce.

3. To make a sandwich, add two tenders to a roll bottom. Top with 1/4 cup of the shredded gouda and a pile of caramelized onions. Smear the top of the  roll with mayonnaise and close the sandwich. Serve.