Texas Caviar

Before we moved to Texas, our friends threw us a Texas themed going away party. 

There was amazing BBQ food, cowboy hats, boots, badges and sweet tea. 

All of the food went with the country & cowboy theme.  

My favorite dish of the night was Texas Caviar.  

I couldn't stop eating it, none of us could.  

The next day, I asked for the recipe.  

I kid you not, I've made it once a week since. 

I usually have it for lunch with pita chips or all by itself. 

I do have to say, it's the best with Fritos though.  

This would be a great football party appetizer, although you may want to keep it home for yourself.

Enjoy! 

Texas Caviar 

Adapted from All Recipes 

Ingredients:

1 can of corn (drained)

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can of black eyed peas (drained and rinsed)

1 cups of petite tomatoes, quartered 

1 bell pepper chopped 

1 8oz bottle of italian dressing 

salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 

Mix the corn, beans, peppers and tomatoes together.  

Add dressing little by little to coat.  Taste as you go, you may not need the entire bottle.  

I think about 6 oz of dressing is perfect.  You can always add more if you need it.  

Add Salt and pepper to taste.  

*You can add fresh cilantro to the dish.  Since I eat it leftover for a few days at a time, I don't add it* 

*You can also try different variations with onions, red and yellow peppers*

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Pudding Cookies

These cookies are hands down one of the best cookies I've ever baked.  Seriously.  I made them as part of a care package for the husband for his drive to TX.  The little one and I didn't move here until 3 weeks after he did, so I made sure to send him with lots of things that let him know how much we loved him and would miss him.  Of course, fresh baked sweets had to be a part of that package.  I also sent some of these in a package for him to bring to work on his first day.  I hoped it would help things start off on the right foot.  

The cookies were not only a big hit with hubs but they were gone at work within an hour. Mission Accomplished! The peanut butter paired with the crunch of the candy and added sweetness of the chocolate and peanut butter chips made for an amazing cookie recipe.  My mom and I had our fair share after they came out of the oven, expressing our love after every bite.  I guarantee you will be the talk of the town if you take these cookies to your next get together.  Or... if you're already thinking about holiday cookie exchanges (like me) these would be a hit! Enjoy!

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Pudding Cookies 

Adapted from For the Love of Food 

Ingredients:

Makes 70-80 cookies!

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup Reese's Pieces candy

1 cup peanut butter chips

*the original recipe calls for honey, I didn't have any at home so I didn't add it.  I didn't feel like anything was missing*

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and pudding; set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
5.  Add eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6.  Add vanilla extract and honey and beat until combined. 
7. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beat to combine. 
8. Add chocolate chips, Reeses pieces and peanut butter chips and mix until incorporated. 
9. Roll a tablespoon or so of dough into a 1inch ball between your palms and then place it on the prepared baking sheet.
10.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart (you should be able to fit 12-16 cookies on each sheet). 
11. Using your palm, gently flatten the dough balls until they are about ¾ inch thick.
12. Bake 10 minutes. 
13. Remove from oven, let cool for a couple minutes and enjoy!

Apple Meatloaf with Apple Cider Ketchup

This is a fun twist on meatloaf that makes a fabulous fall dinner.  Enjoy! 

Apple Meatloaf with Apple Cider Ketchup

Courtesy of Kraft Foods 

what you need

1

pkg.   (6 oz.) FRESH TAKE Classic Four Cheese Recipe Cheese Breadcrumb Mix, mixed together

1/4

cup  milk

3/4

lb.  lean ground beef 

3/4

lb.  ground pork

1

large  unpeeled apple, shredded (about 1 cup)

2

Tbsp.   chopped fresh parsley

1

Tbsp.   chopped fresh thyme

1/3

cup  apple cider

1/3

cup  ketchup

make it

HEAT oven to 350°F.

RESERVE 2 Tbsp. cheese mixture.

MIX remaining cheese mixture with milk in large bowl. Add next 5 ingredients; mix until blended. Shape into loaf in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 1 hour. Top with reserved cheese mixture; bake 2 min. Combine cider and ketchup; serve with meatloaf.

Banana Mango Fruit Pops

On the first and third Saturday of every month our local outdoor mall has a fresh market.  It's something that we all look forward to.  I stock up on produce, hubs enjoys gourmet grilled cheese and little miss gets a fruit pop.  These fruit pops are amazing.  They have the most unique flavors, last time I was there I had lavender lemonade.  Little miss usually had citrus watermelon and always cries when it's gone.  

Since she loves the pops so much, I decided to make them for her at home.  We were given these Ikea popsicle molds as a favor at a recent birthday party.  They were the perfect size for her pops.  

The first kind I made was banana mango, mainly because it's what I had at home.  

They took minutes to make and I froze them overnight. 

I couldn't wait for AG to wake up from her afternoon nap so we could head outside for her afternoon snack.  After she realized what was happening (water table fun and popsicles) she was just as excited as I was!  The fruit pop was a hit.  AG wouldn't let go of it until it was gone and wasn't a happy camper when that happened.  

Popsicles and water table fun have become my favorite part of our day.  

Ingredients:

2 frozen bananas (thawed a bit)

1 ripe mango

a splash of OJ 

Directions: 

Blend all ingredients together. 

I used a food processor, it took just over a minute.  

Once everything is blended, pour it into the popsicle trays. 

Freeze and Enjoy!

*I run them under a little water to make taking them out a tad easier*

Fruity Pebbles Cookies

How can you see this picture and not want to make these cookies? 

That is what I thought when I came across this recipe on Pinterest.  

These cookies were not only fun but pretty darn tasty!

The crunch was a little different at first but as soon as I got the burst of flavor, I was sold.  

I'm not going to admit how many I ate, but I had way more than I should have! 

I can't wait for my little one to be big enough to bake with me, I know she would enjoy making these cookies.  

Enjoy! 

And if you need something to make with the remaining fruity pebbles, check these out! 

Fruity Pebbles Cookies

Courtesy of Crazy for Crust 

*I omitted white chocolate chips from the original recipe*

Ingredients

1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1  ½ sticks of butter (1+1/2)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups Fruity Pebbles cereal
2-1/4 cups flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk together baking soda and flour and set aside.
3. Cream together butter and sugars. Add the pudding package and beat until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly add the flour and mix until just combined. Stir in Fruity Pebbles and white chocolate chips.
4. Scoop 1” balls and place on your cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool

See what other cookie recipes I'm pinning here! 

               Follow Leah @ Leah with Love's board Cookies on Pinterest.    

*Affiliate link used in this post.

Fruity Pebbles Treats

If you are a fan of rice krispie treats, you have to try these.  

I had left over fruity pebbles after making cookies with them (recipe coming soon)  and decided to try out fruity pebble treats.  

I made them the same way I would have made rice krispie treats. 

Results: Hubs and I said we were never eating regular rice krispies again!

That was our initial reaction after the first bite. They were that good.  

They were bursting with fruity flavor.  Crunchy, chewy and absolutely delicious.  

Neither of us could stop eating them.  

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons margarine (or butter)

1 package regular marshmallows (10oz)

6 cups Fruity Pebbles cereal

Directions:

{1} Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

{2} Add Fruity Pebbles. Stir until well coated.

(3) Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. 

{4} Wait for them to cool before you cut them. 

{5} Enjoy! 

*Store in an air tight container, should last 2-3 days.

Healthy Chicken Skillet

I made this dinner two weeks ago. 

 I was looking for healthy recipes that I thought my one year old would also eat. 

I'm also a big fan of skillet dinners because I don't have tons of pans to clean when I'm done. 

This dinner didn't disappoint one bit.  

My daughter loved the chicken, quinoa, zucchini, black beans and peppers.  

Since all three of us enjoyed it, this recipe was a big win. 

I even made it again this past week.  

Definitely a must make if you're looking for a healthy recipe the whole family will love! 

Healthy Chicken Skillet 

Adapted from Ready, Set, Eat 

Ingredients: 

1 TBS canola oil

1 cup zucchini (cut into cubes)

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1 can black beans, drained (low sodium)

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)

1 (4.5oz) box quinoa brown rice blend (I buy Near East) 

3-4 chicken tenderloins 

salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 

1. In a small saucepan, cooke quinoa according to the instructions on the box. 

2. While quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken.

 I cut mine in cubes before I cooked it.  

2. Once chicken is cooked, add zucchini and peppers.  Cook for 5 minutes. 

3. Add beans and tomatoes, cook for another 5 minutes. 

4. Once everything in the skillet is cooked and warmed through, add the quinoa brown rice blend to the skillet.  Stir well and remove from heat.  

5. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy! 

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes {Toddler}

Now that my little one is eating anything and everything, it is important for me to make sure I'm feeding her healthy meals.  I try to make lots of things myself so I know what is going into her little body.  She also has a dairy allergy, which limits what she can and can't have.  Pancakes are something I've been wanting to make for a while.  The recipe below is changed slightly from the original, I omitted the butter and swapped the milk for soy milk. I was a little nervous about not having any butter but it really didn't make a difference.  I think the recipe make about 23 pancakes.  I kept half out for the week and froze the other half.  The little one love them.  She has 2 each morning and they are gone in no time!

Applesauce Pancakes

Adapted from Wholesome Toddler Food 

1 cup flour – 

1/4 teaspoon salt – 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 cup soy milk – 

1 beaten egg 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla – 

1 1/4 cups cinnamon applesauce 

a dash or two of cinnamon

Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl. Combine milk and egg. Stir into dry ingredients. Add vanilla and applesauce; beat well. Spoon batter into a hot, well greased griddle, enough batter to applesauce pancakes about 4 inches in diameter.

  **Freezes Well**

Dr Pepper BBQ Ribs {Crockpot Recipe}

One thing you won't find in our house is soda.  We don't drink very often.  If we do, it's on an out to eat night and a fountain soda.  A few weeks ago after AG's birthday party we had tons of soda leftover.  Since I knew we wouldn't drink it all, I decided to cook with it.  It had been over a year since I made ribs for dinner, so that is what i decided on.  I knew hubs would be thrilled with my decision. 

 I found lots of recipes for Dr. Pepper Ribs online but none in the crock pot that I had all the ingredients for.  I decided to create my own and I have to say, this one was a success. 

Hubs over and over again praised them while devouring every last bit.  He would take a bite, look at me and say "wow, these are really good". Over and over again.  My toddler even had her fair share.  Hubs has already requested these again, I'm sure we will be having our fair share this football season.  Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups of Dr. Pepper

2-4 lbs of baby back ribs

1-2 cups of BBQ sauce (sweet baby rays is our go to)

salt, pepper, chili powder

Directions: 

Create a rub with equal parts of the salt, pepper and chili powder.  I used about 1/2 tsp of each.  Rub it on the meat. 

Cut ribs into sections of about 2-3.  

Place ribs in a crock pot (I make sure to spray with cooking oil first). 

Add 2 cups of the Dr. Pepper (reserve remaining 1/2 cup)

Cook on low for 7-8 hours.  

Drain the Dr. Pepper leaving ribs still in the crock pot. 

Mix the BBQ sauce with the remaining Dr. Pepper.  

Brush sauce mixture over ribs and cook for another 30-45 minutes.  

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Slow Cooker Cranberry- Orange Pork Roast

I feel like most of my dinner recipes lately are pork recipes.  Like I've said before, I usually make it once a week.  MOst of the time in the crock pot.  It's just so easy and makes enough for dinner and lunch the next day. 

 So yes, I make pork a lot.  

This recipe was in the most recent Kraft foods magazine.  If you don't already subscribe, you should consider it.  It's a quarterly magazine.  Every time I get it, I find tons of new recipes.  They are all simple recipes with not too many ingredients.  My kind of recipes for sure! 

THis meal screamed fall, which is why I made it immediately.  Maybe I thought if I made it, fall will come sooner.  One can dream, right? Anyhow, the only change I made was how I cooked the meat.  I accidentally put my crockpot on high and by the time I realized it, it was two hours into cooking.  I turned it down to low for the remainder of the time (praying it wouldn't be over cooked).  And it was perfect.  Tender enough but not completely falling apart.  The sauce was my favorite part of this dish, sweet and savory.  definitely worth making and will be made here many times this fall. Enjoy! 

Slow Cooker Cranberry- Orange Pork Roast

Adapted from  Kraft Foods 

Ingredients 

2

Tbsp.  oil

1

 flat boneless pork loin roast (4 lb.)

1

can  (14 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce

1/2

cup  KRAFT Classic CATALINA Dressing

1

Tbsp.  less-sodium soy sauce

1

Tbsp.  cornstarch

1

tsp.  zest and 1/4 cup juice from 1 orange

directions

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat; cook 4 to 5 min. on each side or until browned on both sides. Transfer meat to slow cooker.

MIX cranberry sauce, dressing and soy sauce; pour over meat. Cover with lid.

COOK on HIGH for 2 hours then turn to LOW for another 2-3 hours.  Remove meat from slow cooker, reserving liquid in slow cooker. Cover meat to keep warm. Whisk remaining ingredients in small bowl until blended; stir into liquid in slow cooker. Cook, covered, on HIGH 10 min. or until thickened.

SLICE meat; place on platter. Drizzle lightly with sauce. Serve with remaining sauce
.

Drunken Pork Tenderloin

I was going through my pictures and realized I never posted this recipe.  

I made it months ago and completely forgot about it. 

This recipe isn't as easy as the recipes I usually make. 

Most of my pork recipes are thrown in the crock pot but I had a half of bottle of wine and decided to give this recipe a try.  

Results: Good.  Not fabulous like I say about a lot of my recent pork recipes, but good.  The meal was full of flavor and I love the added mushrooms and onions.  I wasn't crazy about the gravy/sauce.  Maybe it was the wine I used or the fact that I'm not a huge gravy fan. Hubs like it and ate it, which always makes for a successful dinner in my book.  With fall quickly approaching, this would be a good recipe to try on one of the first cool nights.  

Robyn's Drunken Pork Tenderloin 

Courtesy of Robyn's Online World 

Robyn’s Drunken Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 lb (or so – I use one packaged pork tenderloin which has two pieces in it) pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bottle red wine of choice (I’ve used merlot, burgundy, and zinfandel and like them all in this recipe. The zinfandel is my favorite though) **I used half a bottle**
• 1 package brown gravy mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Remove the pork tenderloin from the package and trim off any silver skin – this is a shiny fat type piece that may (or may not) be on part of the tenderloin. Honestly though if you don’t take it off now it is not a big deal, you can cut it off the cooked pork as you are eating it if you need to. Sprinkle the garlic powder, salt and pepper (to lightly cover) over all sides of each piece of pork. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the pork tenderloins. Let the pork sit without moving for about 3 minutes. Before that it will seem like they are “stuck” to the pan, but after 3 minutes or so the pork tenderloin pieces should release. Rotate the pork tenderloins so that you get each of the outside surfaces browned nicely. Remove the browned pork tenderloin from pan and place in a rectangular baking dish.

Now add the onions to the same pan you used to brown the pork tenderloin and saute them for about 5 minutes. Then carefully add about 1/4 bottle of the wine to deglaze the pan. It will steam up a lot and you need to take a wooden spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan right away to loosen up all of those nice browned bits – they are full of pork flavor! Once you have the bits scraped up, add the rest of the bottle of wine and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 3 minutes. Now pour the onion and wine mixture over the browned pork tenderloin in the baking dish. Now place in the oven and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. Use your meat thermometer to make sure the pork is at 145° in the thickest part. Remove from the oven and place the pork tenderloins on cutting board to rest. Now pour the liquid from the baking dish into your skillet on high heat and whisk in one package of brown gravy mix. Cook on medium for about 3 minutes to thicken and reduce. Slice your roasted pork tenderloin, after it has rested for about 10 minutes, into about 1/4” thick slices and serve with the onions and top with the red wine gravy.

Penne with Herbs, Tomatoes and Peas

Penne with Herbs, Tomatoes and Peas

Adapted from Cooking Light 

• Ingredients: 
• 8 ounces uncooked veggie penne pasta
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 pkg of turkey sausage, sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons italian seasoning 
• 
  

Directions: 

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add peas during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add garlic and sausage; cook 4 minutes or until garlic begins to brown and sausage is heated through, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Add tomatoes to pan; cook 1 minute. Add pasta mixture, salt, and pepper to pan; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Stir in seasoning.

Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin

There aren't many pork tenderloin recipes I pass on.  I always have one tenderloin in the freezer, we usually make it once a week.  There are just so many recipes you can try and we always end up with a good amount of leftovers.  This recipe looked perfect for a summer dinner.  It was easy to make and was really good.  The pork was full of flavor, I couldn't get enough of the apricot sauce.  Hubs also gave it two thumbs up and asked for it to be added to our monthly rotation.  Enjoy!

Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin

Courtesy of Taste of Home 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pork tenderloins (1 pound each)
• GLAZE:
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, salt
• and pepper; brush over pork.
• In a large ovenproof skillet, brown pork in remaining oil on all
• sides. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients; brush over pork. Bake
• 10-15 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°,
• basting occasionally with pan juices. Let stand for 5 minutes before
• slicing. Yield: 8 servings.

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