Smoky Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Mango Salsa

Smoky Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Mango Salsa

Everyone else in my city seemed to be at our local Hot dog Festival today. I was not. I have been twice, but since I can't eat gluten the thought of throwing away a ton of hot dog buns isn't appealing. In addition the last time we went I was pregnant with my youngest and they wanted to charge me 10 dollars for a lemonade. We live in one of the poorest areas of the US, 10 dollars seems like a lot of money given that minimum wage is under 8 dollars an hour. Instead I took my boys to the library to enter their raffle tickets for the summer reading program and then when second hand store shopping. I love going thrifting. I grew up with a super frugal mother that made everything from scratch and stretched money better than anyone that I know. I try to be the same way. Right now we need a new desk for our dining room/home office area. I refuse to buy a desk that comes in a box, that I will have to put together and then will commence to fall apart in two years. Instead I am going to look for a desk that needs a little TLC and then redo it. I love redoing old furniture. I stained our dining room table this summer and it looks so much better. Today was a bust, but I might try the flea market tomorrow. Last week was a laid back food week. I haven't been motivated to be in the kitchen for a long amount of time so I have been trying recipes that takes less than an hour start to finish. I tried a new recipe for Smoky Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Mango Salsa from Family Circle magazine.

Heirloom Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I made a number of changes to the original recipe. First I made two tenderloins since with three males in my house one just wouldn't be enough. I tried cooking the two tenderloins in the oven and they just didn't want to completely temp in the oven, so I pulled them out and finished in a pan on the stove. Honestly for tenderloin I prefer grilling or pan cooking. Over cooked pork can be tough and the oven method is hard to get to temp evenly. The recipes states to let the pork cook until 145 degrees. With a 10 minute rest this is over done. Meat does not stop cooking once it's pulled out of the oven. It will continue to cook when it is resting, normally 5-10 degrees. I pull my pork out at 135 and it always hits temp after the rest period. Obviously it is up to you with what you feel comfortable feeding your family, but I prefer my pork to still be tender.

Garden Strawberries

The pork in this recipe was delicious. The salsa was great also, but I was unimpressed with the mashed sweet potatoes suggested for a side. It was just too sweet and I didn't like the orange flavor. A regular baked potato would be a better side dish or a baked sweet potato if you prefer. As a side note I have decided to start including more photos in my post so there isn't 3 paragraphs with no visual break. I know that I can get bored with too many words, so I am going to make an attempt to show a little bit of my life outside of the kitchen. Today it's photos of my garden, but in the future it will be a variety of scenes from my city and life. Hopefully that will be a little easier to read and give my readers a glimpse into West Virginia life.

For the recipe go to Smoky Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Mango Salsa. (registration required)

Chipotle Pork and Sweet Potato Stew with Cornbread

Tomorrow is my oldest son's last day of school before winter break. Of course I completely forgot to buy a teachers gift or something for his bus driver until tonight. Thank you gift cards, you are so easy and convenient for last minute gifts. Normally I am ahead of schedule and have all my gifts bought ahead of time. This year however I seem to be behind; just today I finally got the last of Christmas cards addressed. Of course they will arrive to my family back in Washington probably after Christmas day, but it's the thought that counts. Now I have to actually think of what to make for Christmas eve and day. You would think that since I am a food blogger I would have everything figured out, but things had to change last minute thanks to car issues and now I am going to spend part of the next couple of days trying to figure out meal plans. That's okay though since that is something I enjoy along with the actual cooking. I'm still getting over a nasty cold so I have been making stews and soups all week. Earlier in the week I tried a new recipe for Chipotle Pork and Sweet Potato Stew with Cornbread from the January 2013 issue of Family Circle magazine.

This recipe has 18 ingredients. It takes 6 hours of cooking time, 15 minutes of prep and makes 6 servings. I did make a few modifications to the recipe. Since I don't eat gluten I made gluten-free cornbread. It worked just as well as it would have with wheat and the texture was perfect. For the flour I used gluten free all-purpose flour. I made my own chicken stock as I normally do, which I make un-salted so I had to add more salt than the recipe suggested. Instead of spraying the bowl with cooking spray I used a slow cooker liner. Finally, I added only one tablespoon of cilantro instead of two since my kids were eating this dish. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The pork in this recipe turned out very tender. My husband and two boys fell in love with this dish and ate their entire servings and most of the leftovers.  I like that per serving the recipe has 34 grams of protein and 472 calories. Plus it was a great, warm meal as the weather turned cooler.

For the recipe go to Chipotle Pork and Sweet Potato Stew. (registration required)

Sweet Potato Soup

This is soup and stew season in my house. During the fall and winter I make some sort of soup at least once a week. I love soup since it keeps you warm even when the weather is chilly outside. On the other hand I hate the cold. I am not one of those people that loves cold weather. While I find snow beautiful, I enjoy it inside with the heat cranked up. I am also always in huge wool socks and a sweatshirt all fall and winter. My husband always complains that our house is way too hot, to me it's still a little on the cold side. I think I must run on a different body temp than most people since I always seem to be the coldest person in a room. In order to combat my constant cold streak I love making hot meals. Soup is one of my favorite meals since it has so many variations and is so warm and filling. Last night I made a new recipe for Sweet Potato Soup from the December issue of Southern Living magazine, which looked simple and flavorful.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 1 hour of total time, 35 minutes of which is active and makes 8 cups. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. Instead of buying store-bought stock I used homemade stock made from the leftover Cornish game hen bones from Thanksgiving. I never salt my stock, but instead salt the recipe. This way I can control the amount of sodium that my family consumes. My local grocery store didn't have straight apple cider, so I bought apple cider and spice juice instead. I used my immersion blender to liquify the soup. I find this method much easier than pouring the soup into a blender and hoping not to get burned. I allowed the soup to cook for an additional 10 minutes after the soup was blended, instead of the 5 minutes suggested by the recipe. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was surprised by how well this recipe turned out. It is always hard to tell how sweet potato soup recipes will taste. Oftentimes they are bland or lack any type of flavor other than sweet potato. This soup was the exception. The chipotle pepper provided a great deal of flavor and the use of apple cider for the base was delicious. Even my two boys thought this soup was great and they can be hit or miss with soup.

For the recipe go to Sweet Potato Soup.

Thanksgiving Recipes - Crustless Pumpkin Pie, Gluten Free Cushaw Pie and Individual Mashed Sweet Potato Casseroles

I love cooking for the holidays. Growing-up our house was always busy during the holidays with my mother cooking, cleaning and hosting. I never really understood how big my mother's family was until I went to other people's houses. My mother was the oldest of 12 kids and I have so many cousins that I would have to sit down and count it out to figure out the exact number. Needless to say, our house was always busy and even though I was technically an only child that was more in theory that actual practice. Every weekend there was either family at our house or we were visiting someone. Growing-up this led to a lot of jealousy on my part. I never really understood why I had to share my mother with so many other people. Now that my mother is gone and I have gotten a lot older I realize that some of my best memories involved growing-up in the constant chaos of a very large extended family. There was never a question of what to do, just who to do it with. You were never alone, which now that I have a family of my own and live far away from home I miss more than I would ever think possible growing-up. Baking and cooking is one way that I keep the spirit of my mother alive and well with my own family and this Thanksgiving I tried new recipes, mixed in with recipes I make every year. Here is a break-down of how Thanksgiving at my house looked.

I hate turkey. I know that sounds horrible, but I think I may be one of the few Americans alive that hates turkey. I have tried to grow to love the poultry over the years, but I just can't do it. It's doesn't help that the leftovers last for days and I have never been a fan of turkey pot pie (I know I seem to not like any quintessiantal American food). So this year I decided to go outside the box. I made individual cornish game hens and my kids absolutely loved them! Here is a pic of the finished product:


The game hens went over very well and my youngest child ate a whole game hen all by himself. Plus the leftovers made for two great pots of homemade stock the next day.

For side dishes I made garlic buttermilk mashed potatoes, seen here:


And Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples (link to recipe in text).


And last minute I had extra sweet potato puree so I made individual sweet potato casseroles:


I modified a recipe found here. I added extra marshmallows since my kids love them and slightly reduced the amount of orange juice to approximately 1 tablespoon.

For dessert I made two pies the day before Thanksgiving. I was kind enough to be given over 20 pounds of sweet potatoes and cushaw squash from a friend of my husbands. Thanks to this generosity I was able to make two pies and a side dish without spending any money, which I love! For the first pie I made crust-less pumpkin pie. I can no longer eat gluten so this was an easy way to make the pie gluten free. I followed this recipe and here is the photo:


I did let the pie cook longer than the suggestion, I would say closer to an hour. Part of the longer cooking time was due to the fact that I made one deep dish pie and a series of mini pies in small souffle pans.

The second pie I made was a gluten free cushaw pie. I combined two recipes to make this pie. The first recipe was for a gluten free pie crust. Here is the link. Be very careful when working with this crust. It takes time in the freezer to fully set, do not try to over knead it or it will be tough. Additionally, make sure to follow the directions where the crust is set between two pieces of parchment this is an important step and the only way that you will be able to move your crust from the counter to the pan. For the actual pie filling I followed this recipe.

That was my Thanksgiving. I was happy that all my recipes and dishes turned out delicious and I was surrounded by my family. I hope all my readers had a great Thanksgiving! 

Slow Cooker Spiced Beef Stew With Sweet Potatoes

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week! My two sons are very excited about the fact that their nannan and papa are coming to our house on Thursday to eat. I have decided to make it low key this year. I know a lot of people look to food blogs for great holiday recipe inspirations, but the holidays are the time of the year when I like simple and understated. Yes, I have the kitchen skills where I could go all out for three days preparing food for Thanksgiving. However, the food wouldn't be any better than the Turkey that my mother made in our tiny kitchen growing-up. To me the holidays have always meant family and togetherness and the food should go along with that theme. So this year I am making individual game hens. My family has never been a fan of turkey and I see no reason to insist on a tradition that no one favors. As sides I will make red mashed potatoes and a Brussels sprout dish with bacon and white wine. I have used these recipes since I first started hosting Thanksgiving. I know them inside and out and they are delicious. The only new things this year will be desserts. Since I am gluten free now I am going to try a bundt cake recipe which I am going to make gluten free and truffles so if the cake is a disaster, at least we still have chocolate. Most importantly I will call my dad and family back home as they gather at my aunt's house like they do every year. Even though I won't be there in person I look forward to these conversations which bridge the miles. I hope when my kids grow-up they will have some of these same traditions with the family members they can't be with in person. So after this long post on Thanksgiving I thought that a sweet potato recipe would be a perfect fit. Last month I tried a new recipe for Slow Cooker Spiced Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes from the November issue of Southern Living Magazine, which looked like a perfect fall dish.

This recipe has 16 ingredients. It takes a total time of 6 hours and 50 minutes and makes 8 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. As I have talked about previously I make my own beef broth and this recipe was no exception. Since I don't eat gluten instead of all-purpose flour I substituted gluten free cornstarch. I mixed the corn starch and beef broth together before adding to the slow cooker in order for the corn starch to fully dissolve. I am very picky about my chuck roasts, since I have gotten a few horribly tough ones in the last year. I have found that Angus roasts really are worth the little bit of extra money. Sweet onions this year can be hit or miss. The onions that I bought claimed to be sweet, but they definitely aren't the sweet onions available in the summer, they had a much stronger bite and had my eyes watering like crazy. Finally, I would definitely recommend slow cooker liners if you don't already use them. They are so much easier to use than having to clean the slow cooker after every use. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

While this recipe has a number of ingredients the actual prep work is almost all cutting the vegetables. The stew turned out thick and tender and my two boys really loved it. I take this as a compliment since they are so hit or miss with what they will eat these days. I served this as a dinner for my family of four and there was enough leftover for two additional lunches. Overall, an easy crock-pot beef stew recipe that will be perfect as the weather turns colder.

For the recipe go to Spiced Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes.

Slowcooker Pumpkin Harvest Beef Stew

Everyone knows how much I love my crockpot. If there is one kitchen appliance that I don't think that I could live without that would be the one. I love it and it makes my life so much easier, especially with two very active boys. While some people use their crockpot only in the colder months, I love mine year round. It's just as great to not heat up my kitchen in the humid and horribly hot summer months as it is to have a great meal of chili or stew waiting in the slowcooker at dinner time in the winter. Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love that the weather cools down, without being too hot or too cold. One of my favorite things about fall is the food. I absolutely love pumpkins and winter squash. They are delicious in so many recipes and dishes. Last week I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Harvest Beef Stew from the October/November issue of Taste of Home magazine, which looked full of fall flavors and a perfect crockpot recipe.

This recipe has 17 ingredients. It takes 25 minutes of prep and 6 1/2 hours of cook time and makes 6 servings. I chose to use sweet potatoes instead of the pumpkin. I didn't want to take the extra step of peeling and cutting the pumpkin. I find sweet potatoes easier to deal with and make the substitution frequently. I chose to leave out the beef granules. The all natural beef broth that I chose to use is naturally lower in sodium and I preferred to salt at the table instead of adding the beef granules. Finally, instead of using flour I substituted cornstarch since it is gluten free. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love beef stew and making it in the crockpot is a great way to save time. It also works well on lower quality cuts of meat. This recipe does a great job of combining beef stew and fall flavors. My oldest son really loved this dish. He is a big fan of beef stew and ate all of the beef out of his serving. I like that this recipe uses multiple types of fall squash. Overall, a great fall crockpot recipe.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Harvest Beef Stew.

Honey-Glazed Pork Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

So you may have noticed that my family loves pork. My husband would be happy eating pork products with every meal and thinks that adding bacon to any dish makes it 10 times better. I love bacon as much as the next person, but my husband takes it to a whole new level. My dad had the same trait. Every Sunday morning growing-up my dad would make breakfast. It was the same every week, fried potatoes and bacon. He was very exact about the correct way that potatoes should be prepared and the bacon had to be just right. While I love bacon, my favorite type of pork is pork chops. I love pork chops. Not the thin cut variety, but thick bone-in pork chops. When the fat gets nice and crispy on the bone, I love it. Last week I tried a new recipe for Honey-Glazed Pork Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes from the October issue of the Food Network Magazine, which looked like the perfect meal for my pork loving family.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients and made no ingredient modifications. Make sure to chose thick center-cut pork chops or they will dry out during baking. The pork chops that I bought where much larger than the 1 3/4 pound total for 4 chops, I like very thick pork chops. Due to the increased size of my pork chops my total cooking time was slightly longer. For the cajun seasoning I used Tony's. This is the same Cajun seasoning I always use in recipes, it tastes delicious and provides a great amount of flavor. My sweet potatoes took longer than the 20 minutes suggested by the recipe. The sweet potatoes that I bought were on the large side and took closer to 30 minutes total to cook. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I made these for my in-laws when they came to visit. The pork chops came out perfectly cooked and the mashed sweet potatoes were very popular with my two boys. I love center-cut pork chops and this recipe was perfect. I would definitely make this recipe again.

For the recipe go to Honey-Glazed Pork Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili

If you have read this blog for any given amount of time you know that I love my slowcooker. I use it year round, it's great when it's hot and humid outside to keep kitchen temps down and it's even better in the winter for hearty soups, stews and chili. Since this has been a busy couple of weeks with the school year starting and re-adjustment of schedules I have been relying on my crockpot tremendously. I love that I can set all the ingredients up in the morning when I have more time and by dinner it's completely done. It's a great way to save time and stress. When I was looking through the August/September issue of Taste of Home magazine the recipe for Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili caught my eye and looked perfect for a weekday meal.

This recipe has 15 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of prep and 6 hours of cooking and makes 16 servings. I ended up having to go to two different grocery stores in order to find both poblanos and jalapenos. That's normal for my area though and I didn't consider it inconvenient. This recipe does have a number of ingredients, but they are all easy to prep. Make sure to rinse the beans very well or they will taste metallic. Normally, I make my own beef stock, but neither of my local stores had beef bones so I took the easier route and used all natural canned stock. Make sure when you pick any type of stock from the grocery store that it is all natural. The cheaper brands often have additives and they make a big difference in the taste and quality of the stock. This is one area that I do not cut corners and save money by buying the cheaper options. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

When this recipe states that it makes 16 servings it's telling the truth. This recipe made enough for over three meals and the some. I froze half of the dish for later meals, which I would suggest if you don't have a huge family. I really loved the chorizo in this recipe. I use chorizo frequently, especially with eggs and tacos, yum! However, I had never tried chorizo with chili before and I was very impressed. This will be a great meal for fall and winter and I look forward to making it again.

For the recipe go to Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Bacon

I am sad to say that about ten years ago I gave into the whole steamed vegetable craze and went all in. I literally steamed every vegetable I could for almost a year. My husband was great about it for the most part, he only complained a few times. However, even I became burnt out with steamed vegetables, they can get really boring when not accompanied by any sauce etc. That's when I discovered roasted vegetables and fell in love. Roasting vegetables can make even the most mundane veggie delicious. My youngest child had his first table food as roasted carrots and absolutely loved it. It is the one way of preparing vegetables that I can guarantee that my two kids will eat. Given my family's love of roasted veggies I was intrigued when Martha Stewart Living had a recipe for Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Bacon, combining multiple family favorites.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of total time and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and made no ingredient modifications. I did double the recipe since it only made 4 servings and I like having leftovers. The recipe chops the bacon and then fries it, I prefer to make my bacon crisp and then chop it. I feel that the bacon has a better crispiness and flavor when done that way. For the bacon I used thick-cut, it really is great in recipes and makes really crispy bacon. I followed the remainder of the recipe as followed.

The bacon in this recipe is delicious. Along with the roasted vegetables it creates a great flavor that everyone in my family enjoyed. I liked how easy this dish was to prepare and the sweet potatoes give the pasta a nice sweet taste. The leftovers heated up very well for lunches the next day. I hadn't used orecchiette pasta many times before and I was very impressed, I will definitely try it again soon! Overall, another easy and flavorful pasta recipe.

For the recipe go to Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Bacon.

Better Homes and Gardens Roasted Sweets and Greens

As I've stated before I am not a fan of baked potatoes. I have tried for years to bring myself to like them by making numerous recipes and preparation methods and I still can't acquire the taste. However, I absolutely love sweet potatoes. They are a great versatile root vegetable and I use them frequently. Growing up my mother had similar feelings towards baked potatoes and sweet potatoes so I learned from a young age that sweet potatoes can make a delicious addition to numerous recipes and dishes. I love regular baked sweet potatoes, but they can become mundane if eaten too frequently. The October issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine had a recipe for Roasted Sweets and Greens which looked very easy, flavorful and nutritious.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 10 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of roasting and makes 4 servings. I was unable to find hazelnuts at any of my local stores, I never have been except shelled during the holidays. Since I was unable to find hazelnuts I substituted macadamia nuts. I had no problems finding any of the other ingredients and made no further ingredient modifications. Be careful and watch the sweet potatoes or they will burn. I turned mine approximately three times during the roasting to ensure even browning. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The greens in this recipe aren't shown in the above picture. I actually served them on the side instead of on top of the roasted sweet potatoes. This way my boys actually ate both the greens and sweet potatoes without complaints. The best part about this recipe is that it is full of vitamins and has 4 grams of protein per serving. The cider vinegar makes a nice contrast to the peppery arugula and sweetness from the potatoes. Overall, a very simple way to get more nutrition into my family's diet.

For the recipe go to Roasted Sweets and Greens.

Better Homes and Gardens Cumin-Rubbed Sweet Potatoes with Sage

Try as I might, I have never been a big fan of baked potatoes. While everyone else is eating a baked potato at steak houses, I am the lone one eating french fries. I have tried adding various toppings, and still the allure eludes me, I just can't enjoy baked potatoes. However, I absolutely love baked sweet potatoes. I love the sweet taste and how versatile they are in recipes. Luckily my two kids also prefer sweet potatoes and we eat them approximately once a week. Recently, the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine had a recipe for Cumin-Rubbed Sweet Potatoes with Sage, which looked very simple and a great side for a variety of main dishes.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes approximately an hour and ten minutes to prepare and roast and makes four servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and therefore made no ingredient modifications. I was out of waxed paper to roll the butter in to freeze, so I used parchment paper instead and it worked fine. My kids aren't fans of strange green foods, so for their servings I left off the fried sage leaves. Remember to try to buy sweet potatoes that are approximately the same size in order to ensure that all the potatoes are cooked at the same rate. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The combination of sweet and spicy in this recipe is delicious. The butter with the mingling of maple syrup and crushed red pepper is very flavorful and would work well on a number of other breads and vegetables. The skins of the sweet potatoes turn out crisp and full of flavor from the cumin seeds and are a great source of fiber. I still have a large stick of the leftover butter in my freezer and intend to use it with various vegetables in the weeks to come. This is definitely a recipe I will be preparing as a dinner side again in the future.

For the recipe go to Cumin-Rubbed Sweet Potatoes with Sage.

Food Network Magazine Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

I seem to have a theme lately on all my posts. In the last couple of months I have made numerous slow cooker recipe. They are great when my two boys are acting ornery and nothing seems to be getting done. Most of the dishes that I have made have been beef or pork, which are delicious and easy to make in the crockpot. However, I have been trying to branch out and try new vegetarian dishes. The recipes I have tried have been hit or miss, so when I saw a recipe for Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup in the December issue of the Food Network Magazine, I figured it was worth a try.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 25 minutes of prep and eight hours of cooking time in the crockpot and makes 4 servings. I did have a problem finding one of the recipe ingredients. For whatever reason all the major grocery stores in my area refuse to carry any type of lentil other than the basic brown variety. Luckily I discovered when looking for ingredients for this dish that the smaller Lebanese market near my house has bagged red lentils. I was very happy! I had no problems finding any of the other ingredients and made no substitutions. I did find that the finished soup was way too watery for my tastes. I suggest using either chicken broth (or vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian). The broth would add greatly to the overall flavor of the dish. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

With only four grams of fat and twelve grams of protein, this dish is a great healthy option. I would definitely suggest adding the broth instead of water. As written the recipe lacks flavor due to the water, with the substitution the recipe would be great. A very easy, vegetarian slowcooker meal that takes less than a half an hour to prepare. Great for a weeknight meal!

For the recipe go to Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup.

Parents Chipotle Sweet-Potato Pigskins

I'm not a huge fan of regular baked potatoes. When everyone else at a restaurant is ordering a baked potato I am eating a salad. Growing up my mom never really made potato dishes. It was my dad who would wake up early on Sunday mornings and prepare a huge breakfast with a large helping of fried potatoes. I still love those fried potatoes whenever I go home. While I might not love regular baked potatoes, I do love sweet potatoes. I could devour pretty much any dish or recipe utilizing sweet potatoes. The February issue of Parents Magazine had a recipe for Chipotle Sweet-Potato Pigskins which promised to be low in fat and have a smoky heat from the chipotles.

This recipe has six ingredients. It takes 1 hour and 40 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active, and makes 8 servings. There are very few ingredients in this recipe and I had no problems finding any of them at my local grocery store. Make sure to pick small to medium sweet potatoes in order for them to fully cook in the amount of time suggested. If your sweet potatoes are on the larger side it could take up to a half hour longer than the suggested time. Additionally, be careful when you are scooping out the sweet potatoes to not scrap all the way through the skin or they won't hold up to be re-stuffed. For the potatoes for my two kids I   left off the onions and Greek yogurt since they can be hit or miss on what they will eat. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written. 

The chipotles in this recipe create a delicious smokey flavor, with a little bit of heat. Sweet Potatoes are a great source of vitamin C, which is great for this time of year when everyone seems to be fighting off some sort of cold or sickness. My husband loved that these sweet potatoes had a different type of taste than your run of the mill variety from steak houses. Overall, an easy recipe with great flavor.

For the recipe go to Chipotle Sweet-Potato Pigskins.

Womans Day Sweet and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I have a definite soft spot in my heart for sweet potatoes. Regular potatoes are okay, I like cooking with them, but sweet potatoes are delicious. Growing up we only had sweet potatoes once a year and they were usually covered with marshmallows. It wasn't until I was an adult that I started experimenting with using sweet potatoes in stews and recipes. Now I normally eat them about twice a month. My two boys have fallen in love with sweet potatoes fries, but every recipe I have tried has been soggy and lacking in flavor. The November issue of Woman's Day Magazine had a recipe for Sweet and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes that combined the flavors of cinnamon, cayenne, brown sugar and Parmesan cheese and looked delicious.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes a total time of 1 hour and 15 minutes, 15 minutes of which is active, and makes 8 servings. All the ingredients are basic and I already had in my pantry cupboard or were readily available at my local grocery store. Tossing the sweet potatoes in a bowl with the ingredients made for nicely coated and even potatoes. I ended up only using one very large baking sheet since my disco era oven can only barely fit one pan. Make sure to stir the sweet potatoes to prevent burning, I stirred mine multiple times during the 60 minute cooking time. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I loved how this recipe turned out crispy and delicious. Many sweet potato recipes I have tried in the past have ended up soggy or lacking a distinguishable flavor. I was impressed with how nicely coated and crisp these sweet potatoes were. My two boys loved this recipe and ate over half the dish by themselves. The recipe states that it makes 8 servings, but I found that this was a very large recipe. It could easily be cut in half for a family of four. Overall, a great sweet potato recipe that is full of flavor.

For the recipe go to Sweet and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

Better Homes and Gardens Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas

As I've stated numerous times before I love fall. The spices, the tastes, the smells, everything about fall cooking appeals to me immensely. Growing up fall was full of family functions and tons of baking and cooking by my mother. Coming from a very large family, she was used to making enough food to feed an army, so family functions involved a large amount of prepping and cooking. Fall vegetables were one of the highlights of the fall season in my household, a tradition which has translated to my own much smaller family. One of my favorite vegetables in the fall are sweet potatoes. The November issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine had a recipe for Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas, which looked simple, full of fall flavor, and delicious.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes approximately 30 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of roasting time, and serves 8 people. All the ingredients are basic and I had no problems finding any of them at my local grocery store. Be sure to watch the vegetables carefully and stir approximately every fifteen minutes. The tops of the vegetables will otherwise burn, especially the red onions. Instead of dried rosemary, I used fresh snipped rosemary. I prefer the taste of fresh herbs when available to their dried equivalents. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

There are few things better than fresh, roasted vegetables. This recipe is simple, and full of flavor. I appreciated how the recipe lets the vegetables speak for themselves, without adding unnecessarily spices. My two boys particularly appreciated this recipe, especially the carrots. The flavors are simple and delicious and overall, a great fall recipe.

For the recipe go to Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas.

Saveur Tzimmes (Root Vegetable Stew)

This weekend has been cold in my area. I actually had to dig around and find my youngest son's winter hat before going out for the day today. Granted like our weather always is in the fall it will be back up to 75 by the end of the week, but the first nip of cold air always makes me in the mood to make warm meals. Virtually all week last week I tried out various new soup and stew recipes. One of my favorite new recipes was from Saveur magazine and for Tzimmes (Root Vegetable Stew).

This recipe has 14 ingredients and the total time is approximately 3 hours. I was finally able to talk to the butcher at my local grocery store and get a great set of beef bones, so I made my own beef stock. Homemade beef stock tastes so much better and is much cheaper than the grocery store varieties. I actually forgot to add the honey and parsley at the end of the recipe. Sometimes, dinner time turns into chaos at my house and I forget last minute details. Luckily, these were optional ingredients and didn't effect the final taste of the recipe. I found that my sweet potatoes took slightly longer than the suggested hour of cooking time. Additionally, I covered the stew the last hour to ensure that the sweet potatoes became tender. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My husband and I were surprised by how sweet and delicious this stew turned out. The prunes and sweet potatoes blend nicely with the beef, making a nice combination of savory and sweet. As expected my two boys picked out all the beef and ate none of the rest of the stew. That's normal for them and I'm glad that they at least ate the protein. Overall, a delicious fall stew recipe.

For the recipe go to Tzimmes (Root Vegetable Stew).

Martha Stewart Living Smoky Sweet-Potato Soup

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about it, the smells, the decorations, and most importantly the cooking and baking. One of the foods that I absolutely love to cook in the fall is soup. This week I decided to make a whole week of soup and chili. The first soup that I decided to make was from Martha Stewart Living magazine and the recipe was for Smoky Sweet-Potato Soup.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes a total of 40 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes of which is active. I was pleased to find that my local grocery store is now carrying both leeks and pepitas, which made me very happy. In the past I have been unable to find either ingredient. I used homemade chicken stock which I already had in my freezer. I did find that it took longer than the suggested 20 minutes for the sweet potatoes to fully cook, probably closer to 30-35 minutes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If you like spicy soup, you will like this recipe. It definitely has a kick from the chipotle chile. To cut down on the heat, you could always seed the chili before adding it to the soup. I like that this soup doesn't use heavy cream or butter, making it far less in fat than many soup recipes. My husband and two-year-old liked this recipe, my five-year-old ate too many cookies and didn't want to try any of the soup for dinner. Overall, a delicious, easy, and low-far soup, perfect for the fall season.

This recipe is currently unavailable on-line, but can be found in the October 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. There is a recipe for Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup and Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Curried Apples, which use some of the same ingredients and would have some of the same flavors. These recipe can be found on the Martha Stewart website. 

Better Homes and Gardens Sweet Potato Fries

If given the option, the three men in my house would eat french fries multiple times a week. While, I do love french fries every once in while, the grease doesn't agree with me on a regular basis. In an effort to make healthier alternatives to the greasy fast food fries that my household loves, I have been experimenting with various baked fries recipes, in the hopes of finding something my family will eat. The August issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine had a recipe for Sweet Potato Fries, which looked like a delicious and healthier version to traditional french fries.

This recipe has 11 ingredients and takes approximately 45 minutes to prep and bake. The ingredients are all basic, with the majority already in my pantry cupboard. Due to a lack of oven space from preparing multiple dishes, I baked the fries in my toaster oven. I did not make the ketchup recipe provided in the magazine, but instead used the new Simply Heinz ketchup that my husband has been wanting to try, since it contains no high fructose corn syrup. Make sure to make very narrow fries, a few of mine were a little too thick and didn't cook to a crisp.

My two sons were big fans of this recipe. The fries were sweet and the cheese gave a nice crisp crust. I do wish that I had made the homemade ketchup recipe, I think if I make this recipe again I will make the ketchup as an accompaniment. These sweet potato fries don't taste like traditional french fries, but they are delicious and much healthier than the fried version.

For the recipe go to Better Homes and Gardens Sweet Potato Fries.

Everyday Food Spiced Roasted Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in our household, and when I say a lot I mean a lot. My two boys love any type of poultry and will eat all the leftovers of a dish if given the opportunity. I love chicken also, but I tend to get bored with the same roasted chicken recipes, so I try to frequently change my chicken recipes and menu plans. The May issue of Everyday Food magazine had a recipe for Spiced Roasted Chicken, which looked promising for a change from my family's normal roasted chicken routine.

This recipe has 9 ingredients and the prep work takes approximately 10 minutes, with 1 hour and 20 minutes of total cooking time (if using a 4 lb bird). All of the ingredients are basic and I had no problems finding them at my local grocery store. I did have to buy a 7 pound chicken, there were no smaller birds available. Due to the much larger size of my bird, than the 4 pound bird used in the recipe, I had to modify some aspects of the cooking. I started the recipe in a dutch oven as stated in the recipe, but the bird did not crisp up as much as I expected, so I switched to a roasting pan for the last hour of cooking time. Additionally, since I was using a much bigger bird, my total cooking time took an hour and a half longer. I followed everything else in the recipe as stated, with no modifications.

The chicken in this recipe turned out very moist. My two boys enjoyed the chicken immensely and I liked how tender the entire chicken was. The vegetables didn't turn out as well and we didn't eat them. They ended up softer than we prefer, but this probably had a lot to do with the increased cooking time due to bird size. This recipe creates a moist chicken, which if you use a bigger bird like I did, would make enough leftovers for multiple additional meals.

For the recipe go to Everyday Food Spice Roasted Chicken

Parents Pork and Spinach Meet Up with Sweet Potato Fries

As I've stated numerous times before my two boys and husband are pretty much obsessed with pork. Just about any dish containing pork they eat wholeheartedly. Fresh vegetables on the other hand are hit or miss. My five-year-old loves just about every vegetable and will try almost anything once. However, my two-year -old is a snacker and I have a hard time getting him to eat a balanced meal. Recently, I have been trying to incorporate more vegetables as side dishes in addition to an ingredient in main dishes. The June issue of Parents magazine had a recipe for pork and spinach meet up, which made a perfect combination with homemade sweet potatoes fries.

This is a very easy recipe and only contains 7 ingredients. The prep and cooking time is under 20 minutes, including the time for the rice to cook. I followed the original recipe as stated, not the two suggested modifications. The recipe states to use low-sodium soy sauce, however, I used the soy-sauce I already had in my fridge, which was not low-sodium. Finally, I used peanut oil because it was the easiest to find at my local grocery store. As a side to the stir-fry recipe I made oven baked sweet potato fries. My two boys actually like these more than regular french fries. All that I do to prepare them is to cut two sweet potatoes into wedges, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and put into the oven at 375 degrees.

This recipe went over well with my whole family. The pork was very tender and moist. I liked that the regular soy sauce added a little more saltiness to the flavor, which I prefer. Of course, the biggest hit with my two boys were the sweet potato fries, as expected. A great, quick stir-fry recipe that is very kid friendly.

This recipe is not currently available on-line, but can be found in the June 2011 issue of Parents magazine.