Sunday Night Suppers: Crockpot Carnitas

I've been inspired again by The Pioneer Woman. I learn so much from her shows; mainly how to make quick, easy and flavorful meals. Being a carnitas lover, I finally decided to take the plunge and try them for myself. TPW made hers in a dutch oven, but I used my trusty crockpot. 

The beauty of crockpot meals is that you add a bunch of good stuff to the pot, cover it, and then hours later after you've ran your errands, taken a nap, and marathon watched a new show on Netflix, your dinner is ready. 

I combined TPW's recipe with a few I found online and came up with what turned out to be delicious carnitas. I bought a 2 lb. pork butt (or shoulder, which I think is essentially the same), and rubbed a few teaspoons of olive oil all over it. Then, rubbed in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. 

I then chopped one yellow onion, three jalapenos, two limes, and two oranges and added it all to the pot. Squeeze in the lime and orange juice first and add two bay leaves. 

At first I was apprehensive about not adding any liquid, but the longer it cooks, the pork begins to create its own juices. Trust me when I say, you don't need to add any liquid, but you do need to add more salt and cumin than you think. 

After nearly six hours on high in the crock pot, the pork will be ready to easily shred. If not sure, poke at the pork and see if it falls apart. I used two forks and added the pork, peppers, onions, and part of the juice to a Tupperware dish to store in the fridge.

Typically, you'd eat your carnitas right away, but due to other plans, we had them the next night. One of my favorite parts of carnitas is when they're crispy, so I added a little bit of olive oil to a pan and turned the heat to medium high. I added the carnitas, onions, and peppers in a thin layer and pressed down with a spatula. In a few minutes, they began to crisp. I flipped them over and did the same to other side. 

My husband loved them and so did I! Serve with warm tortillas and top with pico de gallo. For sides roll up corn on the cob with chili butter and cotija cheese in foil. Roast in the over for 20ish minutes on 450 degrees. I also made canned refried beans, but added chicken stock to thin them out and added some cumin.

The recipe is delicious the first time around and tasty as leftovers. Plus, the pork butt was only about $7. Another supper success!

Next crockpot recipes to try: kalua pork and black bean and chorizo soup. 

Roasted Chicken and All the Veggies

For someone who doesn't make a huge effort to eat vegetables (besides potatoes), I was able to use everything from my last CSA box before getting the new one today. One of the vegetables that I was nervous to use was fennel. Technically, I think this is an herb...plant...root something? 

I have never cooked with fennel, but lo and behold Ree Drummond a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman came through with an episode that featured chicken with fennel. I don't know about you, but I am a devout Food Network watcher, her show in particular, and record every episode so that I can watch them before going to bed. What can I say? It's soothing. 

In this particular episode, she made sheet pan meals and one of them was chicken thighs roasted atop a bunch of vegetables. Easy. In the crisper, we had carrots, onion, green beans, and the fennel. I bought a lemon at the store and chicken thighs, which together totaled under $7. 

Similar to what she had done on the show, I mixed olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice and dipped the chicken thighs in it before laying them on top of the cut up vegetables. I  squeezed more lemon over everything and sprinkled with a little more salt and lemon pepper seasoning. 

Into the oven (on a foil-lined sheet -- her tips are so great!) for about 50 minutes at 425 degrees and we had a healthy and inexpensive meal. 

I paired it with rice and beans, which was easy to make, too. Just use one can of kidney beans, one cup of chicken broth, and then add a package of frozen rice. The key is to simmer the kidney beans and broth together for awhile until it becomes thick. Then, add a lot of seasoning! I added salt, garlic powder, a bunch of cayenne, and bay leaf. They turned out really delicious! I'll add andouille sausage next time and make it a full meal. 

The fennel, which I have read has a licorice taste, was similar to an onion texture with a sweet-ish, almost citrus taste. It worked well with the dish. 

The thing I'm figuring out as I cook more and more at home is that I have been under-seasoning my food. It's not just lacking salt, but actual seasoning. I mean lemon pepper is a god send and I love heat with nearly anything. If chicken and vegetables seem too plain for you, think about spicing them up. What I made was enough for Sunday night supper plus leftovers for two. 

Budget-friendly and healthy -- win for us!

CSA Box: What I Got, What I Made

This past week I picked up my first CSA (community supported agriculture) box, which I'm sharing with my friend, Kim, who's received it for months already. I like vegetables, but have been pretty limited in using them and usually go for the trusty, steamed broccoli as a side to mostly anything I make that consists of meat and potatoes, which is about 80 percent of the food I cook for my husband and I. We're Midwesterners, what can I say?

Enter the CSA box from Be Wise Ranch and its bounty of fresh produce. What will I do with: 

• Baby Bok Choy
• Chard
• Satsumas (had to look this one up)
• Avocado
• Carrots
• Apples
• Green Beans
• Beets
• Butternut Squash
• Dates
• Lemons
• Spring Mix
• Zucchini
• Radishes

So far, I've used a less than half the items. The zucchini I used to make zucchini bread, kind of a cheat, since I'm baking it into something and not eating it in its natural form, but rather, shredded and mixed with wonderful things like sugar, butter and nuts. The bread turned out well, but the consistency lumpier than I anticipated and different than zucchinis breads of my past. 

This isn't too much of a surprise since my baking skills aren't that great. I messed up sugar cookies a few weeks ago. The kind where you just add egg and oil to the mix. They all melted into one, large sugary cookie, which I covered with frosting and tasted incredible. 

I think this is due to my problem with patience and exact measurements. I am an oven peeker to see if things are done cooking and I eye measurements and toss them in as I go. No nos in the world of baking, I guess.

I topped the spring mix with a dressing I made of balsamic vinegar, onion, pepper, lemon (also from the box!) and oil drizzled in. I added in random stuff like artichoke hearts and satsumas (oranges from the box), all which turned out pretty tasty. 

Finally, I made bacon-wrapped dates because how else are you supposed to eat them? 

Let me know if you have recipe ideas for what I can do with the rest of the ingredients!

New Recipes Resolution: Chicken Stir Fry with Veri Veri Teriyaki from Soy Vay

It's been awhile since I've posted a new recipe. Not that I haven't been cooking; I have! I just haven't been documenting as well as I should be or as eagerly as I was at the beginning of the year. 

Isn't that how it goes? The new year burst of energy runs its course around springtime? 

Nevertheless, I still am partially sticking to my resolution of trying new recipes, just not as often as I aimed for. Progress, not perfection, my friend says. 

Klout has gifted me with quite a few goodies in recent months and the latest Klout Perk I received from them was the Veri Veri Teriyaki from Soy Vay. The perk came with a full bottle of sauce to try and recipe cards. However, I knew immediately that I wanted to make a stir fry. 

Why? Because it's really tough to screw up stir fry. 

I guess you can't really count this as a new recipe since I've made stir fry before, more like a new product. It's really quite simple, all you need to do is: 

1. Buy cut up chicken (or cut it up yourself) and cook in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil; pepper your chicken, but do not salt if you're using this sauce!
2. After the chicken is cooked, add in your stir fry veggies: snow peas, broccoli, carrots, bamboo shoots. You can buy a mixture at the store. Fresh or frozen, it's your choice, make sure you cook them long enough so they're not raw, but also so they don't become limp either. 
3. Add the Soy Vay sauce to the pan. I would use a little more than half of the bottle. 
4. Served with steamed rice. 

The Soy Vay sauce was tasty, but a bit on the salty side, so do not add any extra salt to your dish. I added a few shakes of chili flakes and then Sriracha sauce to my individual portion. I like things spicy!

Next time I am going to marinate the meat in the sauce first and the cook it. I'm a fan of their product, especially after reading their adorable About Us story from their site. Too cute.

Anyway, here is my humble offering from one of the many resolutions I have set for 2015. Any recipe ideas, feel free to send my way! Comment below or send me a tweet to @mscourtneybeth. 

Klout sent this product for free as part of their influencer program. All opinions remain my own.

New Recipe Resolution: Homemade Mac and Cheese

I've had a long relationship with macaroni and cheese. Earliest memories come from the good ol' Kraft blue box variety, either with or without cut up hot dogs mixed in. It was a treat when I was upgraded to the Velveeta shells and cheese (which I no longer have the taste for, sadly). Then, of course, there was the progression into college and the many packs of Easy Mac I went through to save money and stay fed. And, now in my adult years, whenever I see this comfort food on a menu, I order it.

Homemade mac and cheese is easy to make, as you can imagine. I mean there are only a few other things to throw in besides the title ingredients, but I feel there is an art in making it that I have yet to perfect. 

I make a good one, but definitely not the best I've ever had. It's getting the right mix of cheeses, a well-seasoned sauce, and the delicious crumb topping just right. The latest version I made included cheddar, white cheddar, and a mixture of Parmesan and Romano cheeses. 

Note: The Pioneer Woman says to grate your own cheese for better melting. She is right, of course. I love her.

First, you have to create a thickening agent by combining melted butter, flour, and milk and whisking away over a medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste and then slowly add handfuls of whatever cheeses you'd like to melt into the mixture slowly. 

I've put together this recipe based on a combination of recipes I've seen online and by watching Food Network.

Boil and drain your macaroni noodles and don't overcook them. You want them to be able to hold up to the cheese. Add the cheese sauce, mixing it all together so every noodle gets some of the action. Transfer to a greased baking pan and add the crumb topping, which is melted butter mixed with bread crumbs and a little more cheese. 

Pop in the over at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. I usually just put it in with whatever else I have cooking. The top will get nice and golden. 

With baked mac and cheese, you're most likely going to have a few clumps of cheese, which I like! Grating the cheese by hand helped, but I cheated with the Parmesan and Romano cheeses and used the shredded kind in the bag.

Homemade Mac and Cheese:

- a few tablespoons of butter, melt slowly in a saucepan over medium heat
- a tablespoon or two of flour
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of milk
- salt, pepper, paprika to taste
- 1/2 c. to a 1 cup each of cheddar, white cheddar, Parmesan, and Romano (again, use whatever cheeses you think would be good - like Gruyere!) 
- 1 package of macaroni or whatever shape of pasta you'd like

Topping: 

- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
- 3/4 c. of bread crumbs
- more cheese!

This makes a whole pan full of mac and cheese, which is good because I think it's even better the next day as leftovers. 

Enjoy the eats!

New Recipe Resolution: Apricot Chicken

If you have these five ingredients, then you have a meal: 

- chicken breasts or thighs
- apricot preserves
- soy sauce
- Brussels sprouts
- butternut squash

My friend has been emailing recipes to me to help with my new year's recipe resolution and she sent this five-ingredient meal that was, as you can imagine, super easy to make. 

I bought a package of chicken thighs, since they were less expensive, and took off the skin. In a bowl I combined one jar of the preserves with a few (6-8), strong shakes of soy sauce. Soy sauce is ultra-salty, so be careful with how much you add and taste along the way. Some people may want their glaze sweeter and some may want it to be on the saltier side.

Place chicken pieces in a baking pan and salt and pepper each side, then cover with the glaze. Put the pan in an oven pre-heated to 450 degrees and cook for 25-30 minutes. 

The Brussels sprouts and butternut squash make for the perfect sides, but you can choose whichever veggies you like. Fresh & Easy has packages of butternut squash already cubed, so I bought a bag of that and a bag of Brussels sprouts and laid them out on a sheet pan. I drizzled on olive oil and sprinkled the veggies with salt, pepper, and thyme. I add the tray to the oven and cooked for about 25 minutes. You can serve with rice or pasta if you want to add a starch.

I love when people send me recipes, so if you have any that I should try, send my way! As you can probably tell, I like to take the easy, low-budget route. 

Enjoy the eats!

Image from Pinterest

New Recipe Resolution: Mexican Lasagna

Casseroles are a good idea for our household because we can have leftovers that don't have to last all week. I can get down with leftovers, but I don't really want to eat the same thing for days and days. 

I had looked up a few recipes for a Mexican-style casserole and kind of combined different ones to make this Mexican Lasagna, which was simple to put together and a good choice for a Friday night. 

What you need: 

- 1 package of corn tortillas

- 1 lb. of ground beef 

- 1/2 onion

- 1 can of refried beans

- 1 can of salsa verde

- 1 package of shredded cheddar cheese

- 1 can of corn

Spices to use: taco seasoning, salt, pepper, chili powder

First, add a little oil to a pan and dice up the onion and saute. Add ground beef and cook all the way through. Add spices to the meat mixture and set aside. Make sure it is seasoned well. Taste it and add as needed.

Spray non-stick cooking spray on the inside of a baking pan. Cut tortillas in half and place in single layer along the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of salsa verde, then layer of refried beans, layer of the meat mixture, layer of corn, and shredded cheese. Repeat the assembly with more layer. 

Bake in oven preheated at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve with chips and salsa. 

Next time I make it, I will probably add Monterey Jack cheese and or the Queso Blanco Velveeta for extra spice, flavor, and cheesiness. Also, you most likely aren't going to use the entire package of tortillas, so save the extra for breakfast tacos made with scrambled eggs, veggies, and salsa!

For this recipe...I forgot to take pictures! Gotta get better at that.

Side food note: I've realized I love vegetables roasted. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to pretty much any veggie and it's delicious. Last vegetable used: cauliflower. I added thyme, seasoned salt, and a little bit of cinnamon. YUM!

Cooking on a Budget: Recipes for Two

When I lived alone a typical dinner might have been: 

• leftover pizza
• microwave popcorn
• Ramen noodles
• cereal 

Living with someone makes me realize that both he and I deserve a better effort. Although, don't knock cereal for dinner. It's quick with easy cleanup. 

I find myself making the same things: spaghetti, tacos, and ordering Chinese takeout. I ask people for dinner ideas all the time and know there is no shortage of recipes online to choose from, but it all seems like so much work!

For those who are with me and honestly don't have much time or money to spend on cooking, I have a few meal ideas to share with you that are perfect for two or for one plus leftovers.

Meal #1: 

Salmon 
rice pilaf
asparagus

Marinate the salmon in teriyaki sauce or cover in pesto before baking. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and cook for 20 minutes. Use foil on your baking sheet so it's easier to clean up. 

You can buy salmon in packs of two at Fresh and Easy for fairly inexpensive. On one side of the baking sheet, put your marinated salmon. On the other side, add asparagus and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put in the oven to bake away.

Then, get yourself a microwaveable bag of rice pilaf. In just 90 seconds, you have delicious rice pilaf and you didn't have to dirty a single dish. For someone who doesn't have a dishwasher, this means a lot.

When you put this on a plate, it looks like you put in true effort, when really the whole thing takes about 20 minutes and uses one baking sheet.

My plating skills could use some work.

Meal #2: 

Roast

potatoes

baby carrots

Roast definitely makes you feel like a big deal when really you put everything in a pot and let it simmer forever. Raise your hand if you received a crockpot for your high school graduation. Raise your hand if you have not used said crockpot since graduation. 

I fall into that category only using my crockpot to make queso dip a.k.a. Velveeta cheese + Rotel. I could really go for some of that right now.

I pulled out the ol' crockpot in my eager anticipation for fall and decided to cook a roast. Make sure to season that sucker before dropping it in or it will be bland. I used: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and seasoning salt. Rub it in to the meat and place in crockpot. Add in veggies of your choosing. I have always had roast with potatoes and carrots, so that's what I added, plus some chopped up onions.

At this point you can cover with cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, or just use water like I did because I forgot to buy the first two mentioned items. Turn your crockpot to high for about 5 hours or so. Oh, I also squeezed in some BBQ sauce because I felt like that was the right thing to do.

After cooking, use some of the broth to make gravy. Start by mixing about a cup of the broth with flour and then add to a pan on the stove. Stir in more broth and flour as needed for thickness. Taste and season.

There is roast underneath that swimming pool of vegetables.

Meal #3: 

Stir fry

When I fear like something is about to go bad, I put it in the freezer to hopefully use at a later date. This actually worked to my advantage for once as I remembered I had chopped up, cooked chicken in the freezer. 

I added vegetable oil to a pan and added in cut up potatoes. I like using the Yukon gold or fingerling because the skin is better to eat. Once these became slightly tender, I added in my chicken, cut up zucchini, cut up leftover asparagus, and rice. I added in salt, pepper, soy sauce, and sriracha. I didn't take a picture because I was too hungry since I had just finished taking an Insanity class. But it was delicious and took practically no time at all. 

These are all recipes if you don't have a lot of time or don't want to take a lot of time. Or, if you are tired of getting take out. Or, if you are on a food budget. I am all three. But please, please share with me your easy recipes. 

Randomness + a Recipe

Most of my blog posts are focused with a theme so to speak. Whether it's the latest book I didn't like or the best thing about the vacation I was just on, I have some kind of central topic I am discussing.

This post is not like that.

It is random (or more random than the others) because writing is calming, soothing, therapeutic. It's my favorite thing to do before bed, when I first get up and all the time in between. 

There are times when I have these genius thoughts and I think, "I should write that down!" and then when I go to write it down it is not nearly as smart as it had seemed in my mind.

Last month was a gem compared to April. Susan Miller, astrologer extraordinaire, says it was due to the eclipse, and I think she was right! April was kind of a pisser. 

Why, you wonder? Let me just say for this first year as a full-time freelancer, it is like standing on the edge of a cliff. Maybe not a long ways down cliff, but at least if I fell, my leg would break or at least I'd sprain my ankle. On one side, there is solid ground and on the other side is something unknown. 

If I reach the other side, will I fly for a second? Fall with a thud? Or, somehow come away unscathed and feeling invincible. I'm sure you can guess which I'm aiming for here in my freelance/cliff dwelling metaphor.

Fortunately, May brought some relief and the chance to meet my new baby niece, still not yet two months old, and she brought such joy that I could hardly think of anything else. My family makes me feel like home no matter where we are. Spending time with them is one of my favorite things in life.

Now we're on to June, so quickly like I was pushed through April and May to avoid the chance of too much damage. I made it through the other side and here I am in a new month with a fresh outlook and reaching out for countless opportunities. 

And just like that, being invincible doesn't seem like quite a pipe dream.

Before I leave you from this random, rambling blog post, I shall leave you with a recipe. I do this because I always seem to make the same things: spaghetti, tacos, baked chicken, repeat and I guess you might, too. We could all use new recipes now and then.

Today, I made baked salmon with pesto served with roasted Brussels sprouts and corn on the cob. Simple and delicious, not to mention inexpensive due to all items being on sale.

If you want to follow this recipe, you have to follow it precisely or it will turn out like crap. Just kidding, if you don't follow the recipe exactly, it will taste much better.

Simple Summer Lunch for When You Only Have Six Bucks

This beautiful meal is on the oldest plate I have.
I made it from a paper plate in 1987 in school.
No, I'm not making it up. It says my name.

- one package of salmon (two pieces per package) on sale at Fresh and Easy

= one container of pesto

- one package of Brussels sprouts

- one package of corn on the cob

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. I do this so that it is easier to wash it. I do not have a dishwasher and any little thing helps. Place salmon and cut up Brussels sprouts on the foil and drizzle with olive oil (the good kind, for the love!) and salt and pepper. Butter, salt and pepper your corn on the cob, wrap in separate foil, but put on the baking sheet as well. Cook everything at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Take it out and look at it. If it looks like it could use a few more minutes, stick it back in. 

If you want to something extra delicious, mix your butter with cotija cheese and chili powder first and then lather up your corn cobs. Use the pesto as a side to the salmon or put it right on top when baking like I do.

It's cheap. It's delicious. And you don't feel like crap when you eat a few extra spoonfuls of Ben & Jerry's - Salted Caramel Core or Karamel Sutra Core, if you know what's good for you.