Spudnuts

Growing up my mom always made donuts on Halloween.  It was something that I always looked forward to every year.  They are so yummy.  Now I make them with my little family.  We made them tonight and took them around to a few neighbors.

1 c. shortening
1 TBS yeast
1/2 c warm water
1 c. sugar
4 c. milk
5 eggs
2 c. mashed potatoes (I use instant)
1 TBS salt
1tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla
 12-15 c. flour

Glaze

2 lb pwd sugar
 1 tsp vanilla
 1 tsp lemon extract

Scald milk with shortening (slowly heat until bubbles form).  Add salt, sugar, and enough flour to make batter (like cake batter).  Add potatoes, beaten eggs, dissolve yeast in 1/2 c. water and add to mixture.  Add both vanilla and lemon flavorings.  Add enough flour to make soft dough (should be a little sticky), let rise twice until doubled in bulk (I usually let it rise an hour).  Roll out dough, cut into doughnut shapes.

In big pot melt Crisco on medium.  Drop doughnuts in and cook until light brown.  Drain on paper towels and glaze.

Simple Sweet Pork Tacos

Sweet Pork Tacos

1 lg pork roast

2 cans of salsa

2 cups of brown sugar

{I am cooking just for my husband and I, so I split this in 1/2... it still made a lot}.

Place the roast in a crock pot, and pour salsa and brown sugar over the top. Cook for 8 hrs on low heat. When the meat has cooked for 7.5 hrs, take out the roast, shred it with a fork, put it back into the crock pot, and mix it with the juices. Let it finish cooking for 30 minutes. 

Spicy Honey Chicken

I made this for dinner yesterday and it turned out so great! The only thing is that it gets your grill a little messy... but it was well worth it.

From the kitchen of: Our Best Bites

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs  {I used chicken breasts and not as many. However, Our Best Bites claims that it is better with thighs}.

Rub
2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder {I didn't use this, I added just a tad more chili powder}
 2 t vegetable oil

Glaze
1/2 C Honey1T Cider Vinegar

Directions:

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Rub oil over each of the chicken pieces, then coat each piece with the rub. Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through { I love meat on the grill}! 

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

 If you don’t have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze.

So simple! Enjoy!

Rosemary Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

I am just barley getting to posting what we had for dinner for Easter Sunday this year.  Our tradition in the past has always been to have ham, but last year we tried pork tenderloin for the first time and loved it so I decided that I would do it again this year.  I tried this new recipe and it was so delicious!  It comes from this cookbook.

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
4-5 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp crushed rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Combine garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Massage the seasonings all over the pork loin.
2. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
3. Place the seasoned pork tenderloin in a zip-top bag and add the oil and vinegar combination.  Seal the bag and refrigerate for 4-10 hours.
4. Removed the pork from bag and place in foil lined baking dish.
Place dish in preheated oven and bake until internal temperature of the roast reaches 160 degrees F.  About 20-25 minutes.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes and then slice into 1/2 inch pieces.  Spoon pan juices over roast before serving.

Smoked Mozzerella and Penne Spinach Salad

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend!  We had such a wonderful few days.  On Saturday we went to a family party of a BBQ and flying kites with the cousins.  It was so much fun.  I brought this incredible salad to share that I found on this site.   It was scrumptious and I am trying to find another excuse to make it, I have been dreaming about it ever since. 


INGREDIENTS:
Parmesan Dressing:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup white whine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
12 ounces penne pasta
3 cups packed baby spinach
12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced
4-6 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced
DIRECTIONS:
For the dressing, combine the Parmesan cheese, parsley, mayo, vinegar, garlic, cayenne and salt and pepper in a blender and process until the dressing is smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The dressing can be made up to two days ahead of time.
To prepare the salad, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until just tender, al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander and run cold water over it and drain well. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, spinach, roasted red peppers and smoked mozzarella. At this point, the salad and dressing can be refrigerated for a couple of hours separately before serving.
Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving.

Chicken Cordon Bleu- Slow Cooker Style

Here is a quick and easy recipe for you with little time.


Ingredients
4-6 slices ham
4-6 slices swiss or mozzarella cheese
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened to 1/4 inch
1 (10.75- ounce) can cream of chicken soup, condensed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions
So... it says to flatten the chicken breasts, however, I simply cut mine in half (they were thick). Then I placed the ham and cheese on top and folded it over. To tie it all together I stuck in a couple toothpicks. Easy breezey. I then placed it all in the slow cooker.

Next, I mixed the milk and cream of chicken soup. Once it is well mixed,  I poured it over my little chicken creations. Now, the recipe called for Italian season breadcrumbs. I'm sure that would taste nice, but I just sprinkled some Italian season over the whole deal, put the slow cooker lid on and called it good (I was on my lunch break... little time).

I then cooked it on high for 4 hours.

The home smelled delicious when my hubs and I walked in. He thanked me for working so hard on our meal... little did he know I quickly threw it all in and got on pinterest until I had to head back to work (guess I did have time for the bread crumbs after all). :)

It was so good! Lot's of flavor from the Italian seasoning and cream of chicken. Also, the chicken was super tender.

Ham and Potato Soup

This recipe is one of the most raved about at Allrecipes.com.  My family and I love it too.  Once again, the picture is lacking, but it really is so good!  Recipe found at Allrecipes.com

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.