Where did the day go? Time is moving at warp speed these days. Work, carpool, sports games, dinner, help with homework, face-plant into bed. Dinners like slow cooker carnitas have saved me time and again when I need a no-nonsense answer to “what’s for dinner?” The quality of meat here makes a difference. I love…
Slow Cooker
Salsa Verde Chicken (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
Tacos to the Rescue At the risk of sounding smug, this is what I’d call a “stupid easy” dinner. It’s one of those set-it-and-forget-it wonders that makes your night stress free. Or at least the dinner prep portion of your night. This is my answer to late baseball nights, busy work weeks and general chaos….
French Dip Sandwiches (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
Just in time for the Super Bowl, something you can sink your teeth into (since JT is taken). These French Dip Sandwiches have been a staple in our house since a friend turned me on to them a few years ago. They take all of five minutes to throw together, and you can keep them…
Chicken Tortilla-less Soup
Have you noticed I’m on a soup kick lately? We’re having a chilly winter in Houston and the flu is going around something fierce. Warm bowls of soup — like this Whole30 Chicken Tortilla-less Soup — help me feel like I’m warding off illness, even if that’s a total farce. This Chicken Tortilla-less Soup is…
Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Ribs
Get ready to do a little dance in your kitchen after you spend 15 minutes putting together this fall-off-the-bone rib dinner. My kids love pork ribs — meaty, savory and just plain good. BBQ is life in Texas, and while I wouldn’t dare suggest that these are the best pork ribs in the state (there…
Kale and White Bean Minestrone
Clean out your fridge soup. Pantry soup. Everything soup. I wasn’t quite sure what to call this one. It’s always chock full of vegetables, with canned tomatoes and white beans and leafy greens thrown in for color and texture. White bean minestrone seemed like the most accurate title, or maybe I just gave up and…
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
PrintSlow Cooker Chicken Tortilla SoupPrep 10 minsTotal 10 minsAuthor Marcia W. Smart This is a simple Mexican soup. If you would like to add corn tortillas as a garnish, toast and cut them into thin strips. I prefer my soup with a lot of lime – about a whole juiced lime on top of every…
Pork Chile Verde
Earlier this year, we had an interesting run in with food allergies around here. After a blood test showed that our oldest had 20 class III food allergies, I had to cook pretty creatively until we could get her into Texas Children’s Allergy and Immunology Center. During that time, I scoured cookbooks and the internet to…
Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot
The slow cooker is a revelation. There may be nay sayers (you know who you are) but there are some days that just scream for plug-it-in-and-forget-about-it in my house. It’s a no-brainer dinner when you’re running in a million different directions and know you’ll be energy depleted at the end of the day, or when you’re trying to feed several different…