Cranberry Pork

Ok, so it has been a LONG time since I have blogged, but I am going to try to start again for my cooking friends at work :) This is a recipe that I talk about a lot. It is so good and so easy. I got this recipe from a friend at Making It Count. Mashed potatoes are a MUST with this recipe since there will be sauce to drown them in :)

-One pork tenderloin (doesn't matter what size, there will be enough juice...they ones I buy come in a pack of two...use them both.)

-One packet dry onion soup mix

-One can whole cranberry sauce

-One bottle (the bigger, regular, size) Catalina FREE dressing

Mix all the ingredients except for the pork in the crock pot. Put the pork in and cover it with the sauce. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remember...you must have mashed potatoes with it! I usually buy the Bob Evans mashed potatoes. Green beans are good too with this...tonight I just opened the can, but I usually make green bean casserole. Enjoy!

My First Bachelorette Party

Ok, so the title of this post may not seem food related, but just wait...becuase it is! My bridesmaids (who all live in different cities) and I all met in Marietta, OH where we all went to college together. They had a bachelorette party for me since they can't come in town for my other one. This picture is of my out of town bridesmaids along with my sister who is my matron of honor and another one of our friends who came along:) I could go on and on about this weekend...but this is a food blog!!!

While visiting...we had to go to the Rossi Pasta store. My friend Kim said, "Hey Laney, am I going to see this on your blog?" OF COURSE!!!

I bought some pasta and made it last night...Southwestern Chipotle Fettuccini. It was great!...but I forgot to take pictures :( I served it with a vodka sauce that I found at the grocery store along with pork chops and sauteed vegetables...I ate WAY too much of the pasta!!!

Grandma's 80th Birthday Party!!

My family had a party for my grandma's 80th birthday this weekend. She had a ton of people come, and everyone had a great time. Among the festivities, there was plenty to eat. I am only including what I made so I can share the recipe.

Spinach Dip:

This recipe came from my fiance's family. It is soooo good and was a huge hit!

1 small jar artichokes, blend with juices in food processor

2 packages cream cheese, I used reduced fat

1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 tbs. onion

1 garlic glove

1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese

3/4 cup half and half

Mix all ingredients together and cook in crock pot on high for 1-2 hours or low for 2-4. Serve with tortilla chips!

Birthday Cake=Carrot Cake!!

This cake was so good...and I didn't make it...sorry to get your hopes up, don't have a recipe!! I just wanted to include the picture becuase it's pretty...and what's a birthday without the cake!

Seafood Tortilla Lasagna

I got this recipe from another food blog, http://colormeundefined.blogspot.com/

These are the things I did different. I used cooked frozen shrimp to save time and hassle. They did get a little tough, so next time I will use uncooked like the recipe says :) I also forgot the cayenne pepper, but it was still good! I also used a little more cheese, just like always! The recipe that follows is copied straight from the other blog, so the things she has in parenthesis are her changes/comments. This was something that was different and good!! My fiance liked it too!

Seafood Tortilla Lasagna:
(Adapted from Taste of Home Magazine) and copied from http://colormeundefined.blogspot.com/
1 (20-24 oz.) jar picante sauce
1 lb. uncooked small/medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, (thawed & drained)
4-6 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste, I used homegrown red pepper flakes)
1 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 1/2 lbs imitation crabmeat, flaked
1 regular sized bag shredded Colby/Monterey Jack cheese
Preheat oven to 375°.In a skillet, cook shrimp, garlic, and cayenne in oil until shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes. (I cut my shrimp into thirds because I don't like "chunks" in my lasagna.) Remove shrimp and liquid* and set aside in another dish. In the same skillet, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Stir in heavy cream and picante sauce; heat through.
Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. (I did not grease mine and nothing stuck.) Layer with 6 tortillas, 1/2 of the shrimp, crab and sauce, and ~ half of the cheese. Layer 6 more tortillas, the remaining shrimp, crab, and sauce, reserving ~ 1/2c cheese. Layer 6 more tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, covered for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting (it makes a world of difference if you let it settle/cool).

Taco Ole Soup with Tortilla Chips

This recipe is another one I have adapted from the Crockpot cookbook I have. This is a lot like the salsa chicken I have made before, but I think I like this one better!

3-4 frozen chicken breasts

1 can corn

2 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes

1 10 oz can tomatoes with diced chilies

2 cans ranch style beans

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet ranch dressing mix

Put it all in a crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours!

Tortilla Chips:

I had store bought chips, but I wanted to try this to see how they turned out. They were good! I cut whole wheat tortillas into eighths and placed in a single layer on baking sheets. I sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkled with salt. Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes...keep an eye on them!! You could use a lot of different seasonings on these to make them different ways!

I've been tagged!!

Ok, so I've been tagged by Chelley from my cooking board...her blog is sugar and spice...great one! So, this means I need to tell you 8 fun facts about myself and then tag 8 more people!

1). I am a HUGE Cincinnati Bengals fan. Two of my three pets are named after players. My favorite player is TJ Houshmandzadeh...my dog's name is Housh. I once stood in line for 4 1/2 hours for TJ's autograph. I also like Chad Johnson...my cat's name is CJ.

2.) Number one brings this fun fact...I love lions. I collect things with lions. I don't know how this started. My other cats name is Leon, becuase it means lion in some other language I forget :)
3.) I have a BA in advertising/public relations and then went back to school and got an associate's degree in American Sign Language just becuase I wanted to learn.
4.) I don't sleep at the top of the bed...I sleep about 1/2 way down. This originated from my heated matress pad...the bigger coils are at the bottom of the pad to keep your feet warm...I always snuggled up over those :)
5.) I am a reality tv show junkie. My all time favorite is of course, Survivor.
6.) I love watching UFC. My fiance got me started becuase he was friends with Rich Franklin in high school. I love Rich Franklin and Tito Ortiz!!!
7.) I LOVE Mexican food. I would eat Mexican food every single day and never get sick of it. I especially like their margaritas!
8.) Last fun fact....I'm getting married in November!! I am extremely busy with all that planning, but am looking forward to it!

Black Eyed Pea Stew and Red Lobster Buscuits!

So, my fiance has found that he really likes split pea soup. I tried making it twice, once it was decent, the other time was awful. I found this recipe in a cookbook I have called Easy Slow Cooker Cookbook. I was thinking slit pea soup the whole time, but it was really black eyed pea soup...and it was too late by the time I realized it. I was already at the store with my grocery list. So, I decided we would try it anyway! It turned out really good!

Here's how I made it...I didn't follow the recipe from the book exactly, but pretty close.

1 1b stew beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 ribs celery, sliced

3 (15 oz) cans jalapeno black-eyed peas, with liquid

2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, with liquid

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chicken seasoning (I used 2 tsp of a seasoned pepper mix that I have...it's really good. Next time, I might only use 1 tsp, it was kind of spicy.)

Add everthing to the crockpot and cook on low for about 8 hours.

Red Lobster Biscuits:

I got this idea from mrsbowen on the nest cooking board. I don't have her recipe, so I just googled it and found one. They were fantastic!

2 cups Bisquick (I used lowfat)

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

few pinches of dried parsley flakes

Mix the Bisquick, milk, and cheese together until dough forms. Mix for about 30 seconds. Form into balls and place on an ungreased cooking sheet. Bake in oven at 450 for 10 minutes. While they are in the oven, combine melted butter, garlic salt, and parsley. Remove from oven and pour melted butter mixture over buscuits while still hot. I turned off the oven and then put the bisbuits back in and let them sit and soak up the butter.