blue cheese coleslaw

i am in love with blue cheese these days (which is funny because for a long time i couldn't stand it) so when i came across this recipe i knew that i wanted to try this for topping my crockpot pulled pork. i think the combination was amazing and am looking forward to the leftovers!

blue cheese coleslaw
from http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2011/12/blue-cheese-coleslaw.html

1 (16 oz) pkg pre-cut coleslaw mix
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese


Pour coleslaw mix into a large mixing bowl, set aside.  In a small mixing bowl whisk together mayonnaise, milk, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, garlic powder and pepper.  Pour mixture over coleslaw mix and toss to evenly coat.  Fold in crumbled blue cheese.  Refrigerate coleslaw for atleast 30 minutes, stir once more before serving.

crockpot pulled pork

i was really skeptical about pulled pork because i've never done it before. i've heard all sorts of things about what cut of meat to get, it being too fatty etc. well i found this recipe and thought i would give it a shot. i was pleasantly surprised with the way this turned out.

i used pork butt because i couldn't find pork shoulder, but i have heard that pork shoulder is the way to go. i also made this a day ahead of time because it took so long to cook and we were going to be eating it early so the original recipe says to cook it for 10 to 12 hours, but i did 9 hours, knowing that i was going to be heating it in the crockpot again the next day. (and my crockpot tends to cook things faster than the time most recipes call for)

crockpot pulled pork
from http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/easy-crockpot-pulled-pork-recipe/

1 large onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) boneless pork butt or shoulder
¾ cup cider vinegar
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
your favorite barbecue sauce to taste

Rinse pork roast under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

 Place onions in crock-pot. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Rub mixture all over roast and place the roast on top of the onions.

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper; whisk to combine. Drizzle mixture over roast.

Cover crockpot; cook on low for 10-12 hours (I did 9 hours because i knew that i would be cooking it again the following day).

 Remove meat and onions; drain. Chop or shred meat (my husband doesn't liek onions, so i discarded the onions and shredded just the pork). I found that there was a lot of fat on the pork butt (this may be because i talked to my sister and she said that when she made pulled pork she found it fatty lol) so i went through the pork as i was shredding it and pulled out any fatty pieces (i am kind of anal when it comes to fat on meat and i tend to over clean all meat).

The following day i put the pork in a small crockpot and added sweet baby rays bbq sauce and let it sit on low for a few hours before serving. (i am not a huge fan of sweet baby rays and prefer open pit, but when my husband and i did a taste test before we added the bbq sauce, we decided that the sweet baby rays was definitely the better of the two for this particular recipe). i served with blue cheese coleslaw and it was pretty amazing if you ask me lol

easy santa fe chicken enchiladas

this isn't a recipe that i get excited about when i know that i am going to make it, but i am always surprised when i enjoy it so much, does that make sense? lol

the first time i made this recipe, i just used chicken, but i thought that by adding black beans and spinach and cutting down on the chicken i could make it healthier and more cost effective.

easy santa fe chicken enchiladas

from http://www.kraftbrands.com/philly/recipes/Pages/Recipe-Detail.aspx?recipeId=121713#category=821&subcategory

 

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1 tub (10 oz.) philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme, divided

1 cup Mexican Style Finely Shredded cheese blend, divided

5 flour tortillas (6 inch)
1/2 can black beans, drained
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Combine chicken, 3/4 tub cooking creme, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, black beans and spinach in large bowl.

Spread 1/5th chicken mixture on each tortilla; roll up. Place in baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cooking creme and shredded cheese. Cover.

Bake 25 to 30 min. or until heated through.

crockpot barbecue babyback ribs

to say i have never cooked ribs before is an understatement... i haven't even eaten them in atleast 15 years (granted for 10 of those i was a vegetarian, but the previous five before that was due to eating them right before coming down with the stomach flu... that's as much as i'll say because anything else is just tmi lol) anyways, my husband LOVES ribs and always wants them, but they are just too expensive at the restaurants that are the only place worth getting them from. so my sister, gina told me that she found a good recipe and made it and it turned out great. but then she did it again and it was terrible. she knew that she had bought different ribs both times, but she wasn't sure of which ones were the good ones, and which were the awful. this scared me, seeing as i have no idea what to do regardless. frank has always loved my mom's ribs (but she does them on the grill and i have barely mastered my crockpot... once i do that, i will start experimenting with the grill) so i called her and asked what kind she uses. PORK BABYBACK! and it just so happens that the grocery store that i get my meat from has them on sale this week because its memorial day weekend. score! so i've been psyching myself up to make ribs for weeks now and now i have no excuse since the exact ones i need are on sale. so i ran out last night to buy the ribs and i put them in the crockpot at 8:30 this morning- and our house has smelled amazing all day... so much so that frank has been bragging to his friends all day about the ribs i was making for dinner!

so after the longest background story ever- they turned out fabulously if i do say so myself (don't worry, my hubby agreed!) he is literally on his way back to the store to get more since they are on sale!

crockpot bbq ribs
from http://www.mmmisformommy.com/2011/09/easy-barbecued-ribs.html via gina

1.5 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

2 lbs pork baby back ribs ( leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together)

1 cup barbecue sauce (i used sweet baby rays since its my husbands fave but i would like to try with open pit since thats my fave)

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and salt and pepper.  Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well.  Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot.  Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low (I did 7 hours and i think that it was a little long... but that could be because it seems that my crockpot cooks most things slightly faster than the recipe calls for)

 

SIDE NOTE: part of the ribs got very crispy on one side due to being up against the side of the crockpot. next time i make them, i am going to line the crockpot with foil and spray liberally with cooking spray. i dont know if this will help that, but im hoping that it will due the trick)

 

the original recipe calls to then broil them in the oven, but i skipped this part since part of the ribs were already crispier than my husband likes them and he didn't want them to dry out at all in the oven). instead, i took them out and palced them on a cooling rack and slathered them with more barbecue sauce. (taking them out without breaking them is tricky because they are sooo tender... so they broke when i pulled them out lol- though i dont see this as a bad thing since they were literally falling of the bone... just the way that my husband likes them)

 

anyways, i hope you have as good of luck as i did on my first attempt at ribs. they aren't so scary... oh also, i forgot to say that i tried them too since there was absolutely no work involved to get the meat off, and i thought they were great. so much for my rule of not eating any meat on the bone (though i still dont think that i will ever be able to eat fried chicken.) honestly, if the meat didn't fall right off, i wouldn't have been able to eat it... my point being that they were 'fall off the bone' good in franks words lol

 

 

chocolate cake with cream cheese and chocolate frosting

i came across this pin several months ago and knew instantly that i wanted to make it for my husband's birthday... well his birthday was yesterday so 2 days ago i went to work. i think that it turned out fabulously! my son said that it was better than any cake he ever had! its definitely super sweet so one tiny piece will leave your teeth hurting lol. the original recipe calls for homemade chocolate buttercream frosting but by the time the cake was made and the cream cheese frosting was spread between the layers, i was out of cocoa powder and butter, so jarred frosting it was!

frank's birthday cake(chocolate cake with cream cheese and chocolate frosting)
http://thenonpareilbaker.blogspot.com/2011/09/chocolate-cake-with-cream-cheese.html

2 cups sugar
1 & 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cream cheese
3/4 cup butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar
1 jar chocolate frosting
chocolate chips

for the chocolate cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and coat with a thin layer of flour.

 In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the boiling water; the batter will be very thin.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Make the cream cheese filling(recipe below). When you're ready to assemble the cake, remove the layers from the refrigerator. If needed, level each layer with a serrated knife or cake leveler.

Place the bottom layer on a cake plate. Evenly spread about 3/4 cup of the cream cheese filling over the cake. Top with the second layer and repeat. Finally, top with the third layer. Apply a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the top and sides of the cake. This is only a crumb coat, so it doesn't need to be perfect. Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and apply a final layer of chocolate frosting and top with chocolate chips.

for the cream cheese frosting:
1 cup cream cheese
3/4 cup butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed for about one minute. Add the vanilla and beat one minute more. Reduce the mixing speed to low, and add the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time. Once the sugar is completely incorporated, beat at medium speed for about two minutes or until fluffy.

crockpot turkey meatballs

in my son's words "these are some good meatballs" lol. that was followed by my husband's "these ARE good meatballs and i'm not going to lie, i was a little scared when i saw that you were using turkey". i actually can't remember the last time that my kids ate so much and that we had such a quiet dinner!

crockpot turkey meatballs
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/11/crock-pot-italian-turkey-meatballs.html

for the meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (seasoned or plain)
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 large clove garlic, grated
1 tsp  black pepper
2 tsp olive oil

for the sauce
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
 20 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 5 oz can tomato paste
20 oz water
1 tsp black pepper


For the sauce: In a small saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. 

Pour crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato and paste and water into the crock pot. Add garlic and oil and pepper and mix.

for the meatballs: preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl,  combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and olive oil. Using clean hands, mix all the ingredients and form small meatballs. Place on aluminum foil lined pan and place in oven for 15 minutes. (you don't have to do this, i chose to because i needed the meatballs done sooner than the 4 to 6 hours it would take if i didn't).

After the 15 minutes, take the meatballs out of the oven and drop into the sauce, cover and set crock pot to low for 2 to 3 hours (4 to 6 hours if you don't cook them in the oven first). Adjust seasoning of sauce when the meatballs are done and enjoy!

taco salad

i have no idea where this recipe originated but its definitely the first thing i think of when i think barbecue (this is from my years of being a vegetarian and not eating hamburgers and hot dogs lol) anyway, i know that it originally called for ground beef, but i obviously adapted it to fit my needs and have never looked back.

tonight for dinner we were supposed to have lasagna and meatballs, but turns out i forgot that we had plans to barbecue with our neighbors... oops. luckily, during the summer, i always keep the ingredients for this salad on hand so i threw this salad together really quickly and headed on over!

its soooo good and so addicting! i often find myself making this regardless of whether we are bbqing or not!

Taco salad

2 bags of salad mix (or 4 heads of romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped)
1 can mild chili beans, excess liquid drained (i have also used a can of black beans and gotten rave reviews)
1 bag shredded mexican blend cheese
1/2 bag nacho cheese doritos, crushed
1/2 to 1 bottle catalina salad dressing (depending on how wet you like your salad)

mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, adding doritos and salad dressing last. serve immediately. (the longer it sits, the soggier the salad will get)

brownie batter dip

i wish i didn't make this. not because its bad... but because it is so good and it makes alot! my poor scale! i saw this and thought of my aunt sonia because just the other day she was telling me how her and my cousin marissa have been known to eat brownie batter straight out of the bowl.

i can't think of anything else to write because i am in a chocolate coma (i just put the spoon down and the bowl of dip back in the fridge lol)

brownie batter dip
from http://crumbsandchaos.blogspot.com/p/crumbs-index.html?recipe_id=6017959

8 oz CREAM CHEESE

1/4 cup BUTTER

2-3 cup POWDERED SUGAR -- varies by desired consistency

5 Tablespoons FLOUR

5 Tablespoons COCOA POWDER

2 Tablespoons BROWN SUGAR

3+ Tablespoons MILK -- varies by desired consistency
1/2 cup chocolate chips

original recipe calls for 1 tsp of vanilla but since i am currently out of that, i omitted and it definitely isn't lacking any taste lol

With a mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the butter. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and 1 tbsp. milk until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar and 1 more tbsp. of milk if needed. Beat until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar and milk alternately until dip reaches your desired consistency. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.

You can serve with pretzels, graham crackers or animal crackers... or just take a spoon to it. its delicious either way!

crockpot mac and cheese

i dont really have much to say about this recipe... its mac and cheese made in the crockpot.... and its good! my daughter was literally pounding her fists together (sign language for more) when there wasnt any left in her bowl! my sister introduced me to this recipe, which she got from her boss jen.

crockpot mac and cheese
from jen

3 cups pasta, cooked al dente
3 tbsp butter
8 oz velveeta, cubed
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp pepper

Add all ingredients into slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

cookie pizza

this is something that i've been making for years and never really thought twice about sharing it because it was just one of those recipes that has been in my family for as long as i can remember. my mom used to make this for holidays and if i remember correctly, for all of my sisters' birthdays (mine's in january and this is definitely more of a summer recipe). and i think today is the perfect day to share this because it reminds me of my mom. and to all the moms out there, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

cookie pizza
from mom = )

1 package refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough ( i used the precut squares, but you can use any)
1 package chocolate instant pudding, prepared
1 banana, sliced
1 kiwi, sliced
1/4 cup blueberries
10 strawberries, cut in half

preheat oven to cookie's package directions.

spread cookie dough evenly on a pie pan sprayed with cooking spray. this should be a layer on the bottom of the pan, slightly going up the side... its going to be the crust. Bake in oven according to package directions, until slightly browned around edges. It may need a little more time because its essentially one big cookie (I baked mine for 20 minutes in a 325 degree oven.) Set aside and let cool.

When the 'crust' is cooled completely, spread chocolate pudding evenly over it. (you will not use all of the pudding- you will probably only use half of it)

Top with fruits of your choice and enjoy! i've done it with vanilla pudding before, but i think that the chocolate is definitely better! you could even try a sugar cookie with vanilla perhaps!

crockpot refried beans

well today was taco tuesday at casa de camamamacho! my husband is obsessed with my new chicken taco recipe that i made last week so he was already requesting it again. i found this recipe the other day and already had all the ingredients on hand (and the canned refried beans i have are disgusting) anyways, i thought they were awesome! my husband enjoyed them and aj gobbled them up! (she literally was shoving handfuls into her mouth!... although those of you that have seen her in action know that she is always capable of this lol)

crockpot refried beans
from http://veronicascornucopia.com/2010/05/25/crockpot-refried-beans/

(no one said refried beans are pretty)

3 cups dry pinto beans (rinsed)
1 onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp garlic salt
9 cups water
2 packets sazon seasoning

(in case you don't know what sazon seasoning is, this is what the packet looks like. you can find it in the hispanic cooking aisle)

Put  the beans, onion, garlic cloves and 1 packet sazon seasoning, and cook on high for about 8 hours.   After they are done, I took an emulsion blender and blended the beans right in the crockpot. (the recipe i got this from called for you to drain the beans and reserve the water and then mash beans, slowly adding reserved water back until you reach desired consistency) Stir in  remaining sazon packet and garlic salt and serve.

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Freezer directions: (as this was my first time making these, i have not thawed them out yet so i cant say what the thawed results are) Put them in an airtight container and when you’re ready for them, defrost overnight at room temp or 2 days in the fridge before using.  If they get too thick after refrigerating, just stir in some water when you reheat them.

*UPDATE- i froze the leftovers that i had of this and they defrosted and reheated very nicely, i didnt even have to add water to them.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with broccoli

You can easily substitute chicken for shrimp in this recipe! Careful not to add too much sriracha- it was almost too hot for us! (obviously i made something else for my kids to eat)

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with broccoli
from http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/spicy-garlic-shrimp-broccoli-over-soba-noodles/

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cups Broccoli Florets
2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1-½ pound Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
Sesame Seeds, For Garnish

FOR THE SAUCE:
3 Tablespoons Sriracha
¼ cups Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar (original recipe calls for rice wine but i dont even know what that is lol)
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

crockpot beer chicken tacos

this recipe is so simple and so delicious! my whole family LOVED these! AJ finished every last piece of chicken on her plate (and she normally throws all meat over the side of her highchair for the dogs to enjoy!) Oli kept asking for more and Frank said something like "these better start going into our normal rotation. these are amazing! i wish there was more!!" it could have been something else because he was saying it with a mouth full of taco, but i think i got it right lol. and i loved this recipe just based on how easy it was ( add to that how good it actually was and then add to THAT how much my family loved it and i think i could make this everyday!) oh i think i should also mention here that my husband has never actually LIKED a crockpot recipe before so i didn't have high hopes when i decided to make this... which made me all the more surprised when he said he liked it. I was like "Are you really hungry?" (you know how things tend to taste better when you are really hungry than they do when you are only moderately hungry?)

The weather here is starting to get warm again, so i was looking for a recipe that wouldn't involve the oven and making my house already hotter than it was. (I'm trying to put off turning the a/c on as long as possible) This was perfect! I threw it in the crockpot when i woke up and it was ready when my family was hungry for dinner. I couldn't ask for more! Enough back story... heres the recipe lol

Crockpot Beer Chicken Tacos
from http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/01/crockpot-cheddar-beer-chicken-tacos/

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 beer (i used bud light because its what i had on hand)
1 packet taco seasoning (I used taco bell taco seasoning)
corn tortillas
toppings of your choice such as cheese, avocado, lettuce, sour cream, salsa

Mix beer and taco seasoning in a bowl (or even in the crockpot) until well combined. Place chicken in crockpot and pour beer/seasoning mixture over it. (Or just put chicken over mixture if you mixed in crockpot)

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4 hours. When chicken is cooked thoroughly, take two forks and begin to shred by pulling against the grain of the chicken (does that make sense? i feel like that's how i've heard it described before but now i'm not certain lol) I did this by taking the chicken breast out and shredding on a cutting board but you can do it while its in the crockpot. I then placed the shredded chicken back in the liquid mixture and put the crockpot on warm until we were ready to eat!

When serving, put chicken on heated tortilla and top with desired extras! We just used cheese, lettuce and salsa (we ran out of avocado) and it was amazing! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did!

*UPDATE- i have since made this several times. i used frozen chicken breasts and cooked on high for 6 hours and low for an additional hour. turned out awesome! (also i have to say that the first few times i used bud light but i made this yesterday and used miller lite and my husband tasted a difference and liked the bud light better... he prefers bud light to miller lite however. and i liked the miller lite better than the bud light but thats what i prefer to drink as well) anyways, that was enough of a ramble. i guess what i am trying to say, use a beer that you like because it seems to make a difference lol

Pasta and veggies with spicy cream sauce

i have been craving carbs like crazy so i went off of my scheduled dinner (i try to plan a menu on a monthly basis). i found this recipe under my pasta board on pinterest and thought it sounded perfect! The spicy cream sauce is amazing on its own. my husband was a huge fan- he even said that he could eat the leftovers tomorrow for dinner! i thoroughly enjoyed it though i think next time i would use fresh spinach instead of broccoli and asparagus. my kids also enjoyed it- picking around anything green of course! it had enough spice that we could taste, but it was subtle enough that i didn't have a problem giving it to my kids. (If i were to make it again for just my husband and me i would probably double the red pepper)

Pasta and veggies with spicy cream sauce
from http://bakecakery.com/2011/04/13/confetti-chicken-pasta-recipe/

16 oz. Penne Pasta

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 c. Broccoli florets
1 c. Asparagus, chopped in 1″ pieces
1 c. Grape tomatoes

2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 c. half & half
1/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes
1 c. Feta cheese

Cook your pasta according to package directions and let it drain.

Heat olive oil and begin sauteeing the garlic (careful not to burn). Then toss in broccoli and asparagus and the tomatoes.

 When tomatoes have become soft, you can take a masher (that is what its called right lol) and pop them.

After all the tomatoes have popped, you can place the veggies to the side in a bowl.

In the same pan you cooked the veggies in, melt the butter over medium heat. Toss in the flour and stir, cooking 1-2 minutes.  Slowly add in the half and half while stirring to prevent any clumps from forming.  Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and allow to simmer until you see boiling action.  Stir periodically.

When your sauce begins to thicken and bubble, turn off the heat and add in your cheese. Stir until cheese has melted.

To assemble everything, add the pasta first so it gets nice and coated with sauce and then mix in veggies.