crockpot pulled pork

happy friday! i hope you have something fabulous planned for the weekend and will celebrate the best two days of the week in style. if you plan on staying close to home this weekend, perhaps i can convince you to fire up your slow cooker and make this juicy bit of  porky-magic happen.

"porky magic". did that sound dirty? it kinda sounded dirty to me.

ham and split pea soup

i have begun a new love affair and i truly have no idea why i waited so long to pursue this relationship.

he's a red-hot little number that is dependable and a big helper when it comes to getting dinner on the table.

he's a crock pot.

did i lose you there?

pan-fried hawaiian pizza, unicorns and rainbows

 this is my new favorite pizza. that crust.

pork + turkey breakfast sausage

i have made this sausage recipe before using just ground pork, but in order to cut back on the fat, i decided to try using half ground pork and half ground turkey breast. i'm pleased to say that the sausage turned out just as flavorful as the full pork ones. i was a little worried that they would turn out dry since the turkey has so little fat in it, but it wasn't a problem.

success!

chinese long beans with ground pork

the long beans were looking so lovely at farmers market this morning, and as soon as i saw them i remembered a sunset magazine recipe, showcasing those fresh beans, that i had bookmarked a few weeks ago. i love it when the local produce at the market makes deciding what to make for dinner so easy!

italian sausage frittata

you all know how much i love a good frittata. they are always quick, easy, delicious. but, the best thing about a nice fluffy frittata is that you can put whatever you have on hand in it and the possibilities are endless.

chard + salami frittata

frittatas are one of those meals that are great to have in your back pocket. you can throw in whatever bits and pieces you have left in your fridge, and most people always have eggs on hand. once you know the method for making the frittata, you can make it a million different ways.

ham coming out of your ears?

so, do you? do you have leftover holiday ham coming out of your ears?

this happens every holiday season when some well-meaning cook bakes a 20 lb ham, thinking it will just be enough to feed the 8 people they have coming over for dinner. and, to be fair, if they were ONLY serving ham for the holiday feast, sure, it would be just enough. but, you add in the mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing AND 3 different types of dessert and now you can see why there are 16 lbs of ham left at the end of the meal.

now. what the heck do ya do with all that leftover ham that she/he insisted you haul home with you?

don't worry, i've got ya covered...

ham, zucchini + gruyere frittata

frittata with ham and spinach

 

grilled ham, swiss, mustard and pickle sandwich (think cubano, minus the roast pork)

potato + bacon + thyme soup

i love that i can make a creamy and rich soup that has zero heavy cream in it. i didn't even need to use full fat milk in this recipe and the results still seem sinfully comforting.

yay, me!

breakfast sausage with fresh thyme + sage

oh, lucinda scala quinn. you do things so right.

so right.

another (yes another) recipe from my new favorite cookbook- mad hungry by lucinda scala quinn.

she has a way of laying the recipes out so simply, without any complicated directions or ingredients. they are straight-forward, easy, delicious recipes that are good to have in your repertoire.

haydock's

the mister and i have been wanting to go to haydock's for a couple months now and we were finally able to meet there for lunch today. we heard that they have some mean bbq going on there and we love a good smoked, grilled or bbq anything!

roasted butternut squash stuffed with rice, thyme, bacon + gruyere

it is squash season, hooray! i adore all things squashy- pumpkins, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and especially, butternut squash.

cut squash in half lengthwise. scoop out seeds and stringy flesh. cut each half into 2 or 3 smaller pieces. it's flesh gets all sweet and intense when roasted in the oven @ 375 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, or until a fork slides easily in and out. don't forget to rub it all over with olive oil, salt and pepper first!

green curry coconut pork

the clouds started rolling in yesterday, bringing with them promises of rain and much cooler weather.

fall is here. a change in the weather, a change in the leaves on the trees and a new season full of possibilities. this year, as always, i welcomed the arrival of fall with open arms and i like to usher in the new season with slow-cooking meals.  now that i am (temporarily + very happily) unemployed, i am in no rush to get dinner on the table.

pork meatball banh mi

this sandwich is so dang good and it hits all the happy notes that my mouth looks for in a well made dish- sweet (sugar), salty (fish sauce.mmm...umami!), spicy (rooster sauce and jalapenos), tangy (vinegar soaked carrots), fresh (cilantro and basil) and creamy (hot chili mayo).

chipotle, lime and honey marinated pork chops

i saw this recipe on a paleo blog, fast paleo, and even though we arent eating the paleo way, it just sounded like a delicious recipe. i try to throw in paleo friendly meals once or twice a week just to cut down on our carbs. all that matters to me when i choose a recipe is that it makes me want to put that food in my belly, but it definitely gets major bonus points if its healthy, too!

smoked pulled pork sandwiches + broccoli slaw

do you go to your local bbq joint and salivate over the tasty, juicy, smoky pulled pork sandwiches?

do you know that you can totally recreate that goodness at home?

fact.

carnitas tacos

yes, the next several months will probably be full of pork recipes now that we have a freezer full of local + farm fresh piggy. if you aren't a fan of pork (get to the doctor asafp. i mean, hello?!?! bacon? chorizo? pork butt?) then i do promise to sneak in a few non porcine recipes.

girl scouts honor.

you had me at oink.

(piggy print via drywell on etsy)

.

pork chops and chorizo and bacon, oh my!

hook.line.sinker.

german chocolate cake with toasted coconut + pecans

 

gruyere and rosemary au gratin potatoes