Sweet Mustard Pork Roast

I found this blog recently when searching for new crockpot recipes. The funny thing is about two days after I found the blog, the writer was a guest on Rachael Ray. I've grown more in love with the idea of cooking dinner in the crockpot since my youngest was born. It seems like right at 5 o'clock when I'm ready to start cooking is when the baby wants to eat and my toddler wants attention. So crockpot days go by so much easier. I can throw things together during naps or breakfast and not have to worry about it much for the rest of the day.

Chicken Tandoori

Another issue of Food Network Magazine brought me another Indian dish that I was willing to try: Chicken Tandoori. It is most known for it's fiery red color and is usually cooked in a clay oven (tandoor.) The color comes from certain red chili powders and sometimes even food coloring. While mine was not as red as others the flavor was great and I think this is most important. This dinner was also another milestone for me because I cooked on the grill with no help for the first time.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Stir-Fry is one of those dinners that is so great when I don't know what to make and want to throw something together quick. This dinner takes about as long as it does to cook the rice (18 minutes). Our family really likes Beef and Broccoli so this is my little take on that. I also added some red bell pepper because my daughter likes it so much. Simple, but satisfying.

Chicken Cacciatore

This recipe has just about all of the things I love in a classic Italian pasta dinner. Except cheese, of course, although it is one recipe where I find I don't miss the cheese. It's just so good. My husband, always budget conscious, recently asked me why I don't ever buy chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. I mainly don't buy them because of the additional fat versus breasts. I decided to try them with this recipe and I was not to thrilled. The fat and the texture just made me miss my chicken breasts. The dish was still very good but I will definitely do chicken breasts next time. Serve it over your favorite pasta (I like it with spaghetti). Delizioso!

Bacon Mac and Cheese

Here's the next in my series of mac and cheese recipe. I was looking for inspiration and noticed some recipes with bacon in them. I also decided to change up the cheese a little and did a combination of swiss and cheddar. It was definitely a good idea. When I went to make dinner I realized of all things I forgot to buy macaroni! I did have some pasta wheels in the pantry so I thought I'd try those. It was actually a good mistake because I loved how the cheese filled up the little holes in the pasta. Yum-o! We had this with breaded pork chops and some roasted green beans. It was a comfort food feast.

Chicken Satay Stir-Fry

This is one of those recipes that I can make that is guaranteed to make everyone happy. It is so good and quick and easy. I saw it on a 30 Minute Meal episode originally. It's a great family meal but also great for company. You can have everything chopped ahead of time and then quickly stir-fry it when it's time to eat. I leave out the snow peas because we're not big fans and I don't feel that it really adds anything to the dish. Also, she originally called for creamy peanut butter and then to add some chopped peanuts. I skip a step and just use crunchy peanut butter.  I use our Homemade Peanut Butter and throw in a handful of peanuts for crunch. The rice is also a great addition to this meal. You can use regular long-grain rice if you don't want to buy jasmine, but don't skip the orange zest. It really adds something. UPDATE: I have done this with brown rice and it's delicious!  You just have to cook the rice for 45 minutes instead of 18.  I also half the rice and water amounts lately because we don't need so much rice.