Sunday, June 24, 2012

Sweet and Saucy Pork Tenderloin

Oh, how I wish someone would come up with smell-o-puter!  LOL  If you could have smelled my house while this was cooking, you would be running, NOT walking to the store right now!  And I'll tell you, it tasted as amazing, if not more amazing than it smelled!

There are just THREE very simple ingredients to this!  Exciting, right?! I know!  This would be an impressive dinner for guests, I have to say.  We served ours very humbly, with green beans and a pasta salad, but this would be fantastic with some roasted potatoes and a beautiful salad.  I truly hope you give this a try and your family enjoys it as much as mine did!

Sweet and Saucy Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients: (This serves approx. 6)
1  4-5lb. Pork Tenderloin
1  21oz. can Apple Pie Filling
1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's)
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place your pork tenderloin in the bottom of your crock and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover your tenderloin with the Apple Pie Filling.
Pour the Barbecue Sauce on top of that.

Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 3.5-4 hours.
Serve and Enjoy!


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Monday, June 18, 2012

Taco Bake

All the goodness of a taco, but in a casserole!  I seriously love casseroles.  The love for this started when I was young.  My Meme (grandma) used to make (and still does) hidden corn.....because she used to make hidden peas, but I didn't like peas!  If you don't know what hidden corn (or peas) is, it's a layer of ground beef, a layer of veggies and a layer of mashed potatoes on top.  It's baked so that it's warmed through and browned on top.  That's it!  My sister and I used to mix ketchup or BBQ sauce in with it.  Delish!!!

This taco bake was incredibly yummy!  My husband and I scooped ours up with some nacho chips, but you could scoop yours right into some hard or soft taco shells or burritos!  Or, eat it as is!  Feel free to add other topping your might like, like shredded lettuce or jalapenos!! Mmmm!!!!  Because I cook for 2 little ones as well as my husband and myself, I try to keep the heat down.  So, although I LOVE jalapenos, I don't get to use them very often anymore :(

Taco Bake

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, cooked, grease drained
2 pkg. taco seasoning
1 15.25oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 16oz. can refried beans
1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1-1 1/2 cup mexican blend shredded cheese
1 1/2 cups tortilla chips, crumbled

Directions:
Brown your ground beef in a pan.   Pour in one packet of taco seasoning and follow the directions on the back of the packet.
While that is cooking, drain and rinse your black beans
 and drain your tomatoes as well.

Mix the second package of taco seasoning with the refried beans.

Now, it's time to start assembling your taco bake!
Start by putting your ground beef on the bottom of your crock.
Layer your onions on top of that.
Place your black beans on top of the onions.
Next, place your tomatoes on top of that.
It's time for the refried bean mixture.  
Place spoon fulls of the refried beans all around.
Using the back of your spoon, press your refried beans flat to spread them around.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of that.
Lastly, place your crushed tortilla chips on top.
Cook on LOW for 5-7 hours or on HIGH for 2.5-3.5 hours.
Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!



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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Jack and Djinn by Amber Sweetapple Winner Anounced!

Congratulations to Kristina Sullins!
You won the autographed copy of Jack and Djinn by Amber Sweetapple!

Ms. Sweetapple graciously decided to give Four more entrants a Free Kindle Version of Jack and Djinn as well!  Those winners are:
Joann (Hering maybe?)
Darlene McBride
Jennifer Floyd
Melissa Hart

All winners, please check your email so you can claim your prizes!

To order your own Paperback copy of Jack and Djinn by Amber Sweetapple, please click here.
For the Kindle Version of Jack and Djinn by Amber Sweetapple, please click here.

Congratulations to all!
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Monday, June 11, 2012

Greek Green Beans

I have no idea if Greeks would consider these "Greek," but I'm gonna go with it!  LOL  I'm going to easily entice you to make these green beans.  Ready?  Here it goes:  All you need are 4 (maybe 3) very simple ingreidents.....green beans, onions, Greek dressing and Pampered Chef Greek Rub (optional.)  That's it!  These were incredibly delicious and incredibly flavorful!  Everyone in my house ate them and enjoyed them!  They would be great for a casual family dinner, or for a your dinner guests!

If you're not familiar with Pampered Chef, you're missing out!  Not only do they have the most fabulous kitchen gadgets, but they have some awesome cooking products as well.  The Greek Rub is delicious....and pretty cheap too!  The cool thing about their products is they're versatile.  Not only is this a rub, but I used it as a seasoning and you could make dips with it too!  If you don't have a Pampered Chef consultant yet, please feel free to contact Dawn.  She's been advertising on our blog now for almost a year.  She always takes care of my Pampered Chef needs :)

Greek Green Beans

Ingredients:
4-5 Large Handfulls of Fresh Green Beans, (or more for a larger batch) ends snapped off and cleaned
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup Greek Dressing
1 tsp. Pampered Chef Greek Rub (optional, but adds extra flavor!)

Directions:
Place your green beans in the bottom of your crock.
Place your onions on top.
Sprinkle with the Greek Rub and pour the Greek Dressing over the top.
Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, or on HIGH for 2.5-3 hours.
Enjoy!

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Thursday, June 7, 2012

"Jack and Djinn" Book Review

Ok, so I know the books I usually review are Cookbooks, but I have to tell you about this awesome book!  "Jack and Djinn" is the first to be released in a trilogy called 'The Houri Legends' by Amber Sweetapple (who happens to be a very good friend of mine, by the way!)  It's a romantic suspense with a bit of a "paranormal" twist.


I have to tell you, I'm not usually a fan of the sci-fi, fantasy or paranormal genre, but this book?  This was a game changer for me.  I absolutely LOVED it!  I couldn't put it down.  It kept drawing me in, further and further!  LOVE when a book does that!

I honestly do not have free time on my hands.  Between my job, my kids, my husband, my housely duties and this blog, I don't really have much "extra time."  Somehow, I managed to read this book in 3 days!  It normally takes me at least 3 months to finish a book due to the amount of time I actually have to read!  LOL  This was so good, I miraculously made it a priority!

This book was uniquely written.  It flips back and forth between 2 detectives investigating a murder at the MGM Grand Casino in Michigan and then goes into the events leading up the murder.  Back and forth the story goes, piecing things together slowly, answering questions, creating questions, drawing a picture, arousing suspense!

Ms. Sweetapple's descriptiveness is incredible! The "paranormal" side of the book is extremely well done and is remarkably believable.  The characters? You will love Miriam and Jack. You will hate Ben, but you're supposed too.  Actually, you will hate him with a passion.......and that's ok!  LOL

I absolutely LOVED this book, and I think you will too!  If you own a Kindle, you can buy your copy here.  If you don't own a Kindle, but have a SMART phone, you can download the Kindle App for free and read it there (that's what I do!)  If you're into "real" copies, it will be available on Amazon.com soon, so keep an eye out for it!

You can watch the book trailer here!

Want to be one of the FIRST to get your hands on a SIGNED Paperback copy of "Jack and Djinn?"  Enter the Giveaway below through rafflecopter.  The givewaway is open to US residents only and will end Friday, June 15 at 12:01am EST.

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Tastefully Simple "Kicked Up A Notch" Honey Mustard Chicken

If you've never had the Tastefully Simple Bold & Bossy Honey Mustard Sauce, you're definitely missing out!  It's great for a lot of things, but it's perfect for the slow cooker!  I was in a super duper hurry the other day, and I had to get something in the crock!  I could have easily just poured a jar of the Bold & Bossy Sauce over some chicken, turned my crock on and called it a day, but I didn't!  I had some pre-cut red onions in the fridge, so I decided to use those up.  I mixed the Tastefully Simple Bold & Bossy Honey Mustard Sauce with a can of Cream of Chicken Soup and poured that over the chicken and onions.

The result: DELICIOUSNESS!!!!  We served our very tasty and tender chicken over some nice white rice, with a side salad and mixed vegetables.  It was a wonderful dinner!

Tina Dodson, our official Tastefully Simple Consultant, who has had an advertisement on my page since July of 2011, would be happy to help you place an order for the Bold & Bossy Honey Mustard Sauce.  All you have to do is click this link, and it will take you right to the sauce!


Tastefully Simple "Kicked Up A Notch" Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:1.5-2 lbs. FROZEN Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (if yours are thawed, just cook them for an hour less)
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 jar Tastefully Simple Bold & Bossy Honey Mustard Sauce
1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

Directions:

Place the chicken in your crock and place the onions on top.
In a bowl, mix together the Honey Mustard Sauce and the Cream of Chicken Soup.
Pour this over your chicken.
Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours, or on HIGH for 3.5-4 hours.
Serve and Enjoy!

*The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.  In no way was I compensated for this post.  This post was entirely of my own choosing. Print Friendly and PDF

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Southwestern Shredded Chicken

I love when I can make something without having to go to the store!  And this dish, THIS was DELICIOUS!  As you already know, I like to keep things pretty simple when I cook.  This recipe is extremely simple.  I would say a novice could handle this one easily!  It wasn't spicy, but it was packed with flavor.  We had ours on nachos, but this is also great for tacos, or even served over rice.  If you decide not to shred the chicken, it would be great all on its own too.

We recently made it to 9,000 fans on Facebook which is extraordinary!  I cannot believe it!  I would like to thank each of you who have helped make that happen.  Thank you for sticking by me and for being so loyal!  With facebook making constant changes, I'm sure I've dropped off a lot of your news feeds.  In order to continue to make absolute sure you don't miss anything, please be sure to subscribe to the blog, by entering your email on the right hand side where it says "enter your email address."  You will get an email each time I make a post that way.

Back to the recipe at hand......I hope you enjoy this!  We had enough leftover to use at our Memorial Day family party the next day after I made this and my sister took home the leftovers she enjoyed it so much!

Southwestern Shredded Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 15.5oz. can black beans
1 14.5oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning
110.75oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 cup frozen corn
Optional: avocado, shredded cheese and nacho chips

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the black beans, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, cream of chicken soup and frozen corn.

Place your chicken breast in the bottom of your crock.  Mine were frozen, but yours do not need to be.
Pour your mixture over the chicken.
Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4.
Take the chicken out, shred it and mix it back in with the "sauce."
Serve in whichever way you choose and ENJOY!


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