recipe

Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs

Jul162013

Remember how I told you a few weeks ago {here} that I was on a quest to find summer appropriate slow cooker meals? Well, this here is a doozy. Barbecue ribs are like summer on a plate, and these are some of the best I’ve ever had. Since they are cooked low and slow in the crock pot, they are fall of the bone tender, with the added bonus of a crispy, sauce lacquered top since they are finished in the oven. Lick-your-fingers delicious. There is hardly any hands on time with getting them started, and then just a little basting & simmering once they are in the oven. Combined with fresh cut watermelon and buttered corn, this made for a quintessential summertime meal. And it didn’t last long. Both my kiddos and husband devoured these ribs, and had sauce covered faces to show for it. Definitely put these on your list to make!

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Slow Cooker · Tagged With: barbecue, crock pot, dinner, pork, recipe, ribs, slow cooker

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Peppers

Jun252013

$Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Peppers by The Mommy Games$

I love my slow cooker just as much as anyone, but it doesn’t tend to get a lot of use in the summer. Heavy roasts and soups just aren’t appealing when it’s hot out. The convenience of being able to get out and enjoy time outside, then come home to an already cooked dinner is too good to pass up though. That’s why I’ve been in major experimental mode with all kinds of slow cooker recipes that are warm weather approved. So far, anything involving chicken has been too dried out, but this one, using ground beef, is a winner. Best of all, there’s hardly 10 minutes of prep time, and you don’t even have to turn on the stove. These peppers practically scream to be paired with a big bowl of guacamole and a cold Corona. The kids loved eating the filling (they weren’t going near the actual pepper) on top of tortilla chips. These will definitely be appearing on our table many times this summer.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Slow Cooker · Tagged With: dinner, ground beef, peppers, recipe, slow cooker, tex mex

Homemade Ice Cream Cake

Jun62013

Ice cream cakes are now officially my favorite desserts to make. Nearly zero effort or time involved, endless flavor and mix-in possibilities (think frozen yogurt toppings endless), and ridiculous deliciousness. And you don’t have to turn on the oven, which is a major plus in the summer. I actually made this particular cake a few weeks ago for my brother-in-law’s birthday. He doesn’t like traditional cake (I know, I know) so I was racking my brain to come up with something different that we could still stick a candle in. Et Voila. Make this. Then, when you’ve eaten it all a day later, make another one with whatever ingredients your mind can dream up. You won’t think of buying one from DQ ever again. Make whatever alterations to the ice cream and fillings you want – there is no going wrong here!

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: birthday, cake, chocolate, dessert, homemade, ice cream, recipe, vanilla

Cheese and Bean Enchiladas

Jun32013

Mexican is my default “I’ve had a rough day” cuisine choice. Cheesy, hot goodness without any fuss is exactly what I need on days when things just aren’t going right. A good margarita (with extra salt!) or michelada doesn’t hurt either. Sometimes we do tacos, but what I really love are these been and cheese enchiladas. They’re originally adapted from something I saw in Cooking Light (don’t get too excited, they lost their “light” status as soon as I got my hands on them), and you can tell how often they frequent our table my the many markings and splattered blots all over the now very altered recipe. What makes this recipe extra grand is that the ingredients are basic pantry staples, so these could easily be dinner tonight. Just the thing to cure the Monday blues. Tequila is also strongly encouraged.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: beans, cheese, dinner, enchiladas, mexican, recipe

Copycat Alice Springs Chicken

May292013

Living in NYC, we have a plethora of delivery food options. Ranging from fancy steak & lobster to greasy Mexican, practically anything you want can be delivered right to your door in this fabulous city. In one of our old apartments, we lived just blocks from an Outback Steakhouse and would have that delivered at least a couple of times a month. I’m slightly obsessed with their Alice Springs Chicken dish. Chicken, cheese, bacon, mushrooms – what’s not to love? This recipe is darn near identical to what you get in the restaurant and it’s simple to boot. I always serve it along with a pile of spiced fries and extra honey mustard sauce. De-freakin-licious.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: bacon, cheese, chicken, copycat, dinner, honey mustard, mushrooms, outback steakhouse, recipe

Drunken Fruity Chicken

Apr242013

I’ve been in a bit of a cooking rut lately. There just seems to be a lot going on, and quite simply, the kitchen has not been on my must visit list. So we’ve been eating breakfast for dinner, lots of pasta, and tons of these easy no-fuss recipes. Just because I haven’t necessarily been in the mood to cook, does not mean I haven’t been in the mood to eat! Come 6 o’clock I still want something tasty to sit down to (and a dessert to follow wouldn’t hurt either). That’s why I love dishes like this that are filled with flavor (you did notice the drunken and fruity part of the title, right?), but take hardly any effort. Feel free to use nearly any stone fruit of your choosing (peaches, plums, apricots, etc). And be sure to serve with a heaping pile of rice to soak up all that yummy sauce.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: barbecue, chicken, dinner, recipe, whiskey

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Jan102013

Casseroles get a bad rap. It’s such a shame, because they are a great meal option for the whole family. Most are easy to prepare, freeze and reheat well, and are pretty portable. This recipe is one of our all-time favorites. I’ve seriously made this more times than I can count. It’s so simple and yummy. The kind of meal that gets addicting and you end up craving on random Tuesday nights. If you made a resolution to cook more at home this year, I would definitely recommend adding this one to your repertoire. It’s cheesy and homey without being too heavy. It’s also a one-stop-shop for veggie, protein, and carb. Win for mom and fam!

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: casserole, cheese, chicken, dinner, recipe

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Jan42013

Happy New Year friends! I hope you all got in some much deserved R&R over the holidays. We had a great time with our families, but are happy to be home and back in the swing of things. A good handful of my friends seemed to have come down with a cold in recent days (no doubt all that holiday travel and stress has left us all a little susceptible to the cold and germs), so I thought I would share my recipe for chicken noodle soup. I’m not the biggest fan of chicken broth, so my version combines vegetable and chicken stock to give it a slightly different flavor. It’s really delicious, and super easy. If you have an extra Parmesan rind lying around (I freeze mine) be sure to throw it in, it does amazing things flavor wise! I have a lot of fun new things to share with you all for 2013, so stay tuned!

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