30-Minute Monday- Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Maple-Mustard Sauce
Welcome back to another fantastic 30-Minute Monday! I’m seriously enjoying this series and I hope that you are, too. The Stud Muffin (TSM) has enjoyed trying new recipes, and I’ve enjoyed the extra time I’ve had because dinner isn’t taking as long to prepare. It’s a win-win for everyone! The first time I made this dish I set off three smoke detectors in the house. The second time I made this dish I did NOT use the amount of fat called for to pan sear the tenderloins which helped exponentially to reduce the amount of “smoke” coming from my oven. I was also able to open some windows, just in case. Thankfully, no…
Maple Dijon Sweet Potato Mash
I’ve been eating a lot of sweet potatoes lately in an effort to switch things up a little. I’m trying to come up with different ways to serve them because The Stud Muffin is a meat and regular potatoes kind of man. When I put sweet potatoes in front of him, he’s expecting a turkey and all the fixings to accompany it. Don’t get me wrong, I love regular potatoes, but they don’t love me. I feel a bit sluggish after eating them. The only time that I don’t is when I’ve made potatoes Au Gratin, which includes lots of cheese, cream, bacon, onions and butter. If I put enough protein in a…
30-Minute Monday- Crunchy Baked Cod
I’ve been looking for ways to add more fish into our diet. The Stud Muffin has been requesting it, and it’s just not something that I happen to have a ton of ideas for. I have a few French recipes, but my husband isn’t going to want to watch me turn cute little trouts bright blue with vinegar (Truite au Bleu). If I make that dish, and put it in front of him he’s going to tell me “I don’t eat Smurf fish”… So- you can see my dilemma. You’ll be happy to know that this recipe won’t turn your fish blue, and it’s quite tasty. So is Truite au Bleu, but that’s…
Skillet Honey Cornbread
There is something about a big square of warm cornbread straight from the oven that’s been rubbed down with copious amounts of butter. Ahhh, heaven. I’ve wanted to share this recipe for about 7 months now, but after we moved from Minnesota last summer down to South Carolina, I noticed that a lot of my recipes went missing. I have no idea how- I packed all the boxes, but some boxes got unpacked so things could fit in the moving truck, and my guess is my recipe binders got sucked into some vortex as we crossed the Mason Dixon Line. I’ve been testing various recipes to find something that came close, and I…
Spicy Orange Ginger Soy Chicken Stir Fry
Stir Fry is one of our favorite go-to dishes here in Casa de la Real Food Girl. It’s simple, filling and most of all it really is easy. You may not know this, but stir fry isn’t a dish. It’s a cooking technique. Of all the cooking techniques I learned while attending culinary school, I’d have to say that learning stir fry was the most fun, and the most challenging. You have to master the flame when you stir fry, and you can’t stand around and twiddle your thumbs like you can when you’re braising or poaching. The Chinese value balance and harmony. Balance is very important to their cuisine You’ve heard about…
30-Minute Monday- Skillet Mac-n-Cheese
I love melted, gooey cheese sauce. I love melted cheese sauce as much as I love bacon, and because I love both, I am not only going to share a quick and simple truly comforting Macaroni and Cheese recipe, but also my secret mac-n-cheese bacon topping recipe with you. I’ve thought long and hard and felt the world needed to be privileged with the knowledge of this amazing topping. You’ll never do boring, buttered breadcrumb topping again, nor will you ever make naked mac-n-cheese ever again. I’m taking Mac-n-Cheese to a WHOLE new level y’all. This recipe is so good, you’ll name your next child after me as a tribute. I’m somewhat ashamed…
Slow Cooker Country Style BBQ Ribs
I have a serious foodie crush on barbeque ribs. My favorite have always been pork ribs. They are so tender, fall apart in your mouth, juicy and tangy and saucy. Yessum! Love me some ribs. This dish was The Man Child’s (My bonus child) favorite, growing up. I have a photo of him when he was 8 years old, sitting at the kitchen table with a huge grin and a face covered in BBQ sauce. It still makes me smile just thinking about it. I typically buy about 3-4 pounds of Country Style ribs for this dish so that we can have lots of left overs. This is one of the few dishes…
30 Minute Monday- Real Food Skillet Tamale Pie
Welcome to the fist installment of 30-Minute Monday’s. When I used to work out in the real world I never cared for Mondays. My biggest reason was I never slept well on Sunday nights and so I was always so sleepy on Monday. Typically I was dragging. By the time I got home from working a 10-hour day the last thing I wanted to do was spend 90 minutes or more in the kitchen making dinner. I wanted to jump in my flannel jammies, make something quick and filling and vegetate on the couch and snuggle with the fur babies and catch up on the day with The Stud Muffin. That ‘feeling’ was…
