Crock Pot Blackened Chipotle Country Ribs

No one ever said life should or would be easy. But sometimes it does seem harder than it should be. Like most of ours weekends, during the spring sports season, we are swamped. This past weekend we had five games (actually a light schedule), regular yard work, plus 3 yards of dirt, and two rose bushes.

That should be enough for one weekend, but we decided to throw in a swarming attack of flying ants Saturday night, a twisted ankle and sunburn (while doing said yard work on Sunday), and the topper, a broken garage door Sunday night.

So this morning I had plenty of phone calls to make. I also needed to make a dish for teachers appreciation luncheon at school, plus we have away games every night this week,

To add a little more craziness, my mother (who lives with us) started six weeks of radiation treatment today, for breast cancer. Even though I sound like I’m complaining, I’m not. Life is good and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Well maybe without the swarm of ants and busted garage door.

I’m glad I had this easy crock pot dish ready to go. Oh well, I hope you enjoy this great pork recipe during your busy week. Try not to sprain your ankle in the process..

I served the country ribs on top of easy cheese grits. Click here for the recipe

Enjoy!

Check out this post and many other great recipes on Fiesta Friday link party

Churro Cheesecake Bars

So Cinco de Mayo is coming up in a few weeks. This is not an official holiday in the USA, but I’m an international blogger and many in the USA seem to like this day.

In our house this is a big holiday. Not because we love Cinco de Mayo (even though we do) but May 5th is my oldest and only son Ethan’s birthday. This year is more special since he will be 16 and getting his drivers license. He is a good driver, but it is making me feel old and a little nervous. Probably because my insurance will be going up, up and up!!!

Ethan has an experienced palate and is a great help taste testing and critiquing my creations. Sometimes we don’t agree but I do listen to what he thinks. Hopefully I have instilled in him the joy of cooking, if so he will make his wife very happy someday.

I am always using holidays or events to create new recipes. Cinco de Mayo is always fun because of the many ways you can combine Mexican and American foods.

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually September 16.

Here is a great example. I love churros but I am not a big fan of frying. To messy and fattening.

A churro is a fried-dough pastry—predominantly choux—based snack. Churros are popular in Spain, France, the Philippines, Portugal, Ibero-America and the Southwestern United States. In Spain, churros can either be thin or long and thick . Wikipedia

Now I’m not saying that this dish is any healthier, but it is definitely easier and cleaner to make. Very tasty and a great combination of ingredients. Not as crunchy as the original churro but still with all the flavors and a bonus, cream cheese filling.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Pork Carnitas

Here is a very simple, 5 ingredient, pork carnitas recipe for your crock pot. Prepare all ingredients in the morning, before you leave for work. (10 minutes) When you get home, shred the pork and keep warm in the crock pot with the sauce. until you are ready to eat. My kids love this, especially on practice nights.

Carnitas, literally “little meats,” is a dish of Mexican cuisine originating from the state of Michoacán. Carnitas are made by braising or simmering pork in oil or preferably lard until tender. The process takes three or four hours and the result is very tender and juicy meat, which is then typically served with choppedcoriander leaves (cilantro) and diced onion, salsa, guacamole, tortillas, and refried beans (frijoles refritos). Wikipedia.com

This recipe is can be used for many types of dishes  This will also be great for the upcoming Cinco de Mayo holiday.

I love my slow cooker. I usually use it twice a week. I plan on posting a new crock pot recipe each week. If you have a favorite recipe you would like converted to be cooked in the crock pot, let me know and I will give it a shot.

Mexican Chipotle Layered Bake

We were very busy, a few weekends ago, with different functions. We had our monthly Dinner Group at our house on Saturday. It was The Pioneer Woman theme night. I will explain this and my menu in another post. I cooked all day Saturday and had a fabulous dinner. Usually on Sunday I cook a meal or two for the blog and also take various meats out of the freezer so I can plan my meals for the week. But by this Sunday afternoon I was beat. I didn’t feel like cooking a big meal. I had yummy leftovers from the night before for lunch and I was full. But the pesky kids always want to eat.

I had a pound of ground beef in the freezer and decided to make taco meat for the kids. Then my mind does what it usually does and I make the ordinary, extraordinary, using just ingredients I have in the house. I made a Mexican Chipotle Layered Bake with minimal effort. I used Herdez Chilpotle Salsa for a smokey taste, but any salsa will do. This dish could also be used as an appetizer party dip if you want. The kids placed the mixture on soft tacos and they loved it. Simple, good and quick!

Spicy Taco Pie With a Tortilla Topping

Great dish for a Friday night. Sorry Catholics you can make this on Saturday. Oh for you Americans, mince is ground beef!!

Ranchera Chicken Mexican Lasagna

Ranchera Chicken Mexican Lasagna

If you have read my blog you know I am always looking for new and different ideas for dinner each night that anyone can make.  I try to think of ways to change it up.  I also like recipes that I can double and freeze for a later date. Our lives will be getting crazy starting March 1st with 3 kids in spring sports. Truthfully it never ends. Even with the craziness I try to keep home cooked healthy food on the table each night. This recipe is a great twist on Mexican lasagna. For this recipe I use split bone in chicken breast which I cook ahead of time.  I buy these mainly because they are cheap.  To reduce fat I always remove the skin.  To make your life easier a rotisserie chicken from the grocery would work fine, just remove the skin, bones and chop the meat.  I also use refried black beans which are healthier than refried pinto beans.  Refried beans originated in Mexico where they’re called frijoles refritos, or “well-fried beans.”  Actually refried beans in general are low-fat and a good source of fiber.  I hope you enjoy this recipe and pass my link with your friends.  My family loved it.

Mexican Cheesecake Flan Brownie

This is the final addition to my Cinco de Mayo series. Mexican desserts are not always easy to come up with even though many great recipes exist. My new recipe is a combination of two great Mexican desserts. Brownie and Flan. For the brownie I use a box of Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownie mix with the addition of cinnamon, Mexican chili powder and cinnamon chips. The flan is also a very simple recipe using only five ingredients. I also made some hard caramel glass as a decorative addition, but I think the dish would be great with a simple caramel sauce. Enjoy this with my other Cinco de Mayo recipes. Mexican Black Bean Dip and Mexican Ground Turkey served with Authentic Sopes.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Makes 24 servings

Mexican Ground Turkey served on Authentic Sopes

This recipe is the second in my Cinco De Mayo series. For your appetizer see my post for Mexican Black Bean Dip.

This recipe is a twist on basic taco meat filling. I use ground turkey quite often in our house and I am always looking for ways to use it instead of beef. The little sweet peppers used in this recipe are awesome. I found them at my local Kroger’s produce department. I made an authentic Sope (pronounced “SOH-peh”) as the base for the filling.

Sope is as popular in Mexico as is the tortilla and is made with the same ingredients. It is a thick, hand formed type of tortilla, with the edges crimped into a shallow bowl, when fried it becomes a container for lots of different fillings. It will take you a few times to get the thickness right. If you don’t have the time or patience for Sopes, this filling works great for tacos or enchiladas.

ENJOY!

Mexican Black Bean Dip

This is the first in my Cinco de Mayo  series. Tonight appetizer. What else would be first?  Over the next week I will post a cocktail, main dish and dessert.

dadwhats4dinner.com

This is an awesome simple appetizer dip that will wow your friends. I am a little embarrassed of how easy this is, but adults and kids absolutely love it. If you are on the west coast and still need an idea for tonight’s party, this is it.