Mini Rum-Raisin Bread Puddings

Almost all of the words in this recipe title sound bad... no wait, they actually all sound terrible (who the hell wants a mini-anything - give me the full size, please). The reason that I wanted to make this recipe, however, was because of two factors.

1. I don't own an oven in my home, so when I'm visiting my parents I like to bake as much as I can so I can get it out of my system for awhile.
2. My dad loves rum-raisin anything.

As it turns out, I ate three of these BECAUSE THEY WERE DELICIOUS. I don't know if it's because I've become a less picky eater or if it's just because I'm constantly hungry, but lately there's nothing I wouldn't try, food-wise.

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What it's supposed to look like

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What it actually looked like (minus the pecans, I forgot to put them on)

Does my version look gross? Maybe in comparison to the sexy one beside her, but I swear to God it tasted amazing. If you have anyone in your life who likes rum-raisin, they'll love this to pieces. I swear. I'm not even a fan of bread pudding and I'm still standing by this dish because it was delicious. (I really wish bread pudding had a better name. It's really the worst name for a dessert in the history of food.)

You can find the recipe here. I implore you to try it out. 

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Apparently even bad cooks know how to make stir fry - or at least that's what I've been told. I started making them for the first time this summer and I think I get why people say that now. They're RIDICULOUSLY EASY TO MAKE and almost impossible to screw up. Did everyone already know that fact but me?

Here's an adapted recipe that I can't stop making.

Photo Credit: what2cook.net

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated or chopped ginger (it's easier to keep ginger in the freezer (thank you, Marla!) and then you can grate it frozen whenever a recipe calls for it)
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups broccoli flowerets - or a whole bunch, I never measure out broccoli because I'm not a serial killer
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

Spray a 12-inch nonstick skillet (ie. a deep-ass pan) with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger. Fry until chicken is brown. 
Add 3/4 cup of the broth, the soy sauce and sugar. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring twice.
Add broccoli. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup broth, then stir that into chicken and broccoli. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

Can't tell you how good this tastes. You can find the original recipe here, but I prefer the adapted one above. 

Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops

I just made this pork and rice dish and it tasted incredible. I'm always looking for other things to do to pork (since pulling it is the popular one) and this recipe is fantastic. I adapted it slightly from A Little Claireification based on my own preferences, so if there's anything in this that you'd alter even more - I have a feeling it'll still taste amazing. Especially over rice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 pork chops (bone in or out, your choice)
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, drained

Instructions

1. Turn on your slow cooker and add the first eight ingredients.
2. Stir briefly just for a minute until the brown sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the pork chops, turning them once to coat both sides.
4. Add the onion, peppers, corn and black beans on top.
5. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours.
6. Serve pork over rice or with a side of your choice.

Healthy Banana Pancakes

As you already know, I'm into making pancakes. And this (flourless) recipe is, surprisingly, really good. Definitely try it out. All I ask of you is to please, oh, please get some pure (and likely Canadian) maple syrup to accompany your meal. Ignore the cheap, sugary brands and get the expensive, simple-ingredient-list kind of maple syrup. I know that it's easy to indulge in that corn-syrupy trash (and I am not one to judge), but c'mon. We can't live our lives on Mrs. Butterworth. (And to be fair, I only excessively endorsed that IHOP stuff whilst on vacation, if that helps my case at all. And clearly, my vacation self gives in to food temptation.)

Vanilla-Lemon Berry Parfaits

If someone were to ever plant me a lemon tree outside my home, I'd consider that a proposal. Who the hell wouldn't agree that having a lemon tree in your yard would be the most heavenly accessory to any ordinary existence? Man, I love lemons. And pine. 

I just ate this parfait for breakfast - and other than it being ridiculously easy to make, it was just a delight to eat (possibly 'cause it tastes like dessert). And please know that I'm not even into breakfast and I loved this. 

Ingredients

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 (3.5-ounce) containers fat-free (or sugar-free) vanilla pudding
2 tablespoons bottled lemon curd (I couldn't find this at my apparently-peasant-like grocery store so I didn't bother with it. Though, since it's just more lemon, I'm sure that if you find it and use it then it'll taste even better.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup strawberries (since that was all I had - add blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. if you have them)

EAT IT!

Recipe adapted slightly from Health.com

The Copycat Wendy's Frosty Recipe on Pinterest

I've seen this recipe too many times to count, so I (finally) tried it this past weekend. If you're on Pinterest, you know which one I'm talking about. This one:

3/4 cup almond milk 

15 ice cubes

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1-2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 of a frozen banana

Verdict? GARBAGE! Tastes like dirty ice chunks. Stay away. FAR AWAY. 

You can find more terrible Pinterest pins over here.

Homemade Salsa

I'm just going to say it: you should be watching your sodium intake levels. Forgive me if that's a tedious way to start this post, but it's important! And one of the reasons why I've been cutting back on eating a lot of the already-jarred salsas/items at the grocery store. 

Are you aware of how easy this is to make yourself? It's almost weird. Why the hell haven't we all been doing this for years? Fuck you, Tostitos! We don't need you!

Ingredients

1 can (28 Ounce) of Whole Tomatoes With Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) of Rotel (Diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
1/4 cup Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
1/4 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Whole Lime, Squeezed

Directions

Put all the ingredients into a blender and pulse it up to the consistency you desire. 

I've made this three times already and each batch will last you about a week or two, depending on how much salsa you eat (and if you don't eat that much, you can freeze it, too). Definitely try this recipe - I will never buy store-bought again.

Also, there was cilantro in the original recipe that I left out since it can be pretty overbearing, but maybe that's just me. We all have our differing opinions when it comes to cilantro. 

Jamaican Chicken Stew in a Slow Cooker

Preparing this stew made me feel like a goddam adult. In a really great way. Maybe it was because the prep that happened before you transfer it all to the cooker was so involved? I don't know. But I felt manly as hell, and it was fantastic. Not only does it taste heavenly, but there will be leftovers for days. One warning, though? Be prepared to really stink up the house when you're making this - not in a bad way, just in a food way. Totally worth it, in my opinion. 

Ingredients

3 pounds chicken drumsticks (on the bone)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine (NOT "cooking wine", you should buy real red wine at a liquor store. They even have the small plastic ones for $2, so you don't have to buy a whole bottle if you're being thrifty.)
1 1/2 cups (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

Directions

Toss the chicken with curry powder, thyme, allspice, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add chicken mixture to skillet and brown on both sides. Add wine and let cook for a few more minutes. Add tomatoes and black beans and mix well (or as best you can). Transfer to the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours until tender and the meat is falling off the bone. 

NOW, when it's done? If you're comfortable serving stew with bones in it (and I am), then just ladle this stuff out. If that sounds gross to you, well, grow up. Everyone knows that chicken tastes better (and juicier) when right off the bone. 

This recipe was slightly adapted from Jeanette's Healthy Living. 

Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta Recipe

Thankfully there are people in my life who cook amazing things. They let me eat them, love them and finally tell YOU about them. Marla is one of those people. She is probably the best there is when it comes to finding great recipes. She made this at a dinner we were at recently and I ate an embarrassing amount of these. I didn't even think I had a super strong opinion about ricotta - I've always found it to be the lesser of cheeses amongst the likes of American. But these toasts are incredible tasting, please make them for everyone you love. 

Ingredients
2 cups ricotta, store-bought (Do not substitute with fat-free ricotta. I tried that. And it blew.)
3 tablespoons minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 round sourdough bread
Good olive oil
1 whole garlic clove, cut in half

Directions

Combine the ricotta, scallions, dill, chives, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside. Cut the bread in half and cut each half into 6 slices to make 12 slices total.

Brush the bread with olive oil and grill (or put in a toaster over) on each side for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the grill and rub each slice of bread with the cut side of the garlic clove. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread with the herbed ricotta. Serve 2 warm slices per person, unless you're serving me in which case it should be 4 slices.

Original recipe can be found here.

The Best Slow Cooker Ribs

If you thought I was going to shut up about you getting a slow cooker (or USING the slow cooker you already have), I will not. Honestly, the best part about having one of these is the fact that it forces you to try and make things you've never attempted before. This was the first time I've cooked ribs. And as a result? I'm a little bit better than you now, if you've never made them yourself. That's just the reality of the situation. MAKE THESE RIBS. They taste unholy. 

Recipe

• 2 1/2 lbs of baby back ribs (I got 5 lbs since that's what they had at the grocery store, so I just doubled the rest of the ingredients)
• Basting brush
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, or more to taste (any kind of BBQ sauce, I used Sweet Baby Ray's Original - and way more than 1/2 cup)

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Then rub the seasoning all over the meaty side of the ribs. Place the ribs so they’re standing in slow cooker, meat side out. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

There will be a lot of fat drippings at the bottom of the cooker, so drain that out and then you can baste the ribs with BBQ sauce for the remained 30 minutes, that's what I did. Brush with more BBQ sauce to serve. 

I cannot describe to you how good these tasted. They were ridiculous. The ribs were about $15 for 5 pounds, which seemed a little expensive at the time, but you're getting a ton of crazy good ribs without having to pay way more and get them at a restaurant, so it's a pretty sweet deal. PLEASE try these. I will be making these for the rest of my life. 

The original recipe can be found here.