easy recipe

Name: Cajun Spiced Pork Chops
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp paprika; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 1/4 tsp oregano; 1 1/4 tsp thyme; 1/2 tsp table salt; 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers, optional; 6 pork chops, boneless

Cajun Spiced Pork Chops

by Ashley Mullen Leave a Comment

Pork chops are not usually something I make. I tend to leave it to my husband to make them but when he’s away, someone needs to feed the kids, right? These Cajun spiced pork chops were so easy, and so quick to make that I have to share them with you.

Cajun Spiced Pork Chops

This post contains affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for more information.

Not everyone wants to spend all afternoon cooking no matter how much time you might have for cooking, I know I don’t. We have probably been spending way too much time watching TV and movies, but we have been doing to together and watching some educational programs. It’s all about balance.

Ingredients you need:

salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
oregano
thyme
crushed red pepper flakes – optional but amazing
olive oil
boneless pork chops

What you need to do:

Mix together the dry ingredients. Once mix together, pour them onto a plate so you can easily coat both sides of your pork chops in the seasoning.

On medium heat, heat your olive oil in a stainless steel pan. Once the oil is hot, add your pork chops. I only turned my pork chops once while cooking because I wanted that nice crisp coating.

(This is the stainless steel set of pots and pans that we have. I wish we had bought them years before because there is nothing like them. They come clean like a dream with Bar Keepers Friend.)

The length of time it takes to cook your pork chops will depend on how thick your pork chops are, but for me it took about 4 minutes per side. I took them off when they reached a temperature of 145.

I served our Cajun spiced pork chops with a side of potato salad because I am needing Spring, and salads, and BBQs. While most of us love potato salad here, but a certain wild child doesn’t like eggs and won’t eat potato salad, so she had a side of white rice.

Cajun Spiced Pork Chops

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 13 minutes

Quick and Easy Cajun Spiced Pork Chop Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 tsp oregano
1 1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers, optional
6 pork chops, boneless

Instructions

Mix together the dry ingredients.
Once mix together, pour them onto a plate so you can easily coat both sides of your pork chops in the seasoning.
On medium heat, heat your olive oil in a stainless steel pan.
Once the oil is hot, add your pork chops. Try to only flip the pork chops once while cooking to get the nice crisp coating.
The length of time it takes to cook your pork chops will depend on how thick your pork chops are, roughly 4 minutes per side.
Remove from heat when they reach a temperature of 145.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs

by Ashley Mullen Leave a Comment

BBQ meatballs are always a hit in my house, it never fails that everyone will eat all there is, there will not be one leftover meatball in the house by the time the meal is over. They tend to be my go to when Gauge hasn’t been eating well at supper time, which is exactly why I dug out this bbq meatball recipe the other day.

Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs

*This post contains affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for more information.*

Normally I would rather buy pre-made meatballs because I hate to touch raw meat, plus it makes the throwing something together that much easier and faster. However, one I didn’t have any pre-made in the freezer, and we are trying to eat a little healthier right now, so homemade meatballs it was, and wow, so great!

What you need:

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 egg whites or 1 egg
2 cups of onion divided
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup beef broth

How to make Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs:

Toss together, your ground beef, bread crumbs, egg whites, Worcestershire sauce, 1 cup of thinly diced onions, and garlic.

Mix it really, whether with your hands, or with a potato masher like I use.

Form into 2″ balls. Set aside. I do wish I had thought to use my food processor for the onions in the meatballs, didn’t think of it until later.

In your slow cooker mix together BBQ sauce of your choice, beef broth, and the remaining onions.

Drop your meatballs into the sauce, give them a gentle stir to make sure they are fully covered in sauce.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Depending on how tightly you pack your BBQ meatballs together, they shouldn’t fall apart.

Enjoy with some delicious mashed potatoes, some veggies. Over some rice.

Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 egg whites or 1 egg
2 cups of onion, divided
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup beef broth

Instructions

Toss together, your ground beef, bread crumbs, egg whites, Worcestershire sauce, 1 cup of thinly diced onions, and garlic. Mix it really, whether with your hands, or with a potato masher like I use.
Form into 2" balls. Set aside.
In your slow cooker mix together BBQ sauce of your choice, beef broth, and the remaining onions.
Drop your meatballs into the sauce, give them a gentle stir to make sure they are fully covered in sauce.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Rhubarb Dream Bars

by Ashley Mullen Leave a Comment

We went to a pig roast recently and there they had some delicious rhubarb bars, they didn’t last long, and I was left wanting a lot more. That started me on my quest to make some and now that I have made these rhubarb dream bars, it may have been a huge mistake…. just ask my aching stomach.

I have only just started eating rhubarb in the last couple years, and I love find some new (to me) things to make with it. Like rhubarb crisp, pie, and jelly. Bonus would be how easy this one is, and you only need five ingredients.

Rhubarb Dream Bars

*This post may contain affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for more information.*

Again, this is super easy to make, I hope you enjoy these rhubarb dream bars as much as I do.

What you need:

Crust:

1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature

Filling:

2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups diced rhubarb

How to Make Rhubarb Dream Bars

Mix together your crust how ever you see fit! I used a fork to mash it together, if making a double batch I would have used my mixer with the paddle attachment.

This crust batter if you call it that, is going to be flaky and dry, do not to worry, do not add in more butter or any water.

Press it down in your parchment lined 8X8 pan. Using the parchment paper allows you to lift the bars out of the pan for easier cutting and serving (or eating in general, you know, by yourself).

While that is baking mix together the egg, sugar and flour. I like to whisk the eggs and sugar really well, so they start fluffing up before adding in the flour.

Right before your base comes out of the oven add the rhubarb to the egg and sugar mixture.

The bottom isn’t going to brown up any, but you’ll see that it has started cooking. While the bottom is still hot pour in the rhubarb mix and return to oven for 45 minutes.

Once it has cooled down, lift out of the pan, cut and serve, or eat, or maybe hide it from your children.

Rhubarb Dream Bars

Yield: 9

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

A light, sweet rhubarb dessert.

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature

Filling

2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups diced rhubarb

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom of an 8x8" pan with parchment bringing it up the sides so that it will be easy to remove the squares after. Whirl the crust ingredients in a food processor and then press into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 min., crust will still remain very pale in color.
While crust is baking mix together eggs, sugar, flour and salt and whisk well. Stir in rhubarb. Pour onto the hot crust and continue to bake for 40-45min.
Let the bars cool and remove with the parchment paper. Cut into squares.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Resources for Baking

Cherry Vanilla Muffins

by Ashley Mullen 2 Comments

Over the weekend a friend stopped by with a bag full of frozen cherries, her freezer wasn’t working, so she wanted us to take them and make whatever with them. First up, cherry vanilla muffins. I’m not usually a cherry fan, but with so many in the freezer I figured I’d see what I could make and these cherry muffins were good!

Cherry Vanilla Muffins

*This post may contain affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for more information.*

We are big fans of muffins, like our blueberry muffins, so these were a safe bet, plus my kids love fruits and berries of all kinds, I haven’t given them one yet that they don’t like.

Our cherries weren’t pitied, but they were frozen. Being frozen made pitting them easy, but it was very cold on the fingertips. And those fingertips were red. I did not thaw our cherries out but instead made these cherry muffins with frozen cherries.

These are super easy to make, I did so without using a mixer (it was dirty).

What you need:

1¾ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup finely chopped cherries

How to make this Cherry Muffin recipe

Mix together all the ingredients with the exception of the cherries.

Mix it well.

I know 2 tablespoons of vanilla seems like a lot, but it’s the perfect amount.

Fold your frozen cherry pieces into the batter. The less mixing the lighter your muffins will be. They also won’t be completely red.

There is only 4 tbsp of butter/margarine in these muffins, if you choose to use muffin liners, you are still going to want to use a non-stick spray.

My kids thought I was making blood muffins… yes, blood. I don’t remember the last time we had cherries so I guess it’s understandable.

They would be perfect for Halloween though if they look like blood muffins.

I hope you enjoy these cherry vanilla muffins as much as our family did.

Cherry Vanilla Muffins

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Delicious cherry muffins from frozen cherries.

Ingredients

1¾ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup finely chopped cherries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400. Line and grease your muffin tin, or just really grease it!
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry and wet ingredients, minus the cherries. Mix well.
Using a spatula stir in the cherries until just combined. The less you mix, the more delicate the muffins will be.
Evenly scoop the muffin batter into the prepared pans, filling ¾ of the way up.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until cooked through. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then remove carefully from the pan.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

My must have muffin items:

Easy Sloppy Joes

by Ashley Mullen Leave a Comment

My darling middle child loves sloppy joes. She’s just a tiny little thing, she’s not a big eater, but there are some meals she loves. Sloppy joes are one of them. The other night she requested them, and Momma forgot to make them. Not to worry though, I got it covered, I made them and she just loved them.

Easy Sloppy Joes

*This post may contain affiliate links. You can learn more about them in my disclosure policy.*

All you need is ground beef, and three other ingredients make up this easy recipe. You know, beside the buns of course.

What you need:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 a medium onion, diced (optional)

How to make these Easy Sloppy Joes:

Grab your large skillet and get to work. I also used onion, but I add onion to my ground beef whenever I brown ground beef.

Once you have browned your ground beef thoroughly, add the three ingredients – ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar – and mix well.

Turn the heat down so it just simmers. Let it simmer for at least 15 minutes.

It’s going to smell amazing. Get your burger buns ready as well as any toppings you might like, such as Parmesan cheese, for your sloppy joes.

These are delicious! Delicious and so simple that you can make these after a busy day of homeschooling and running errands.

Easy Sloppy Joes

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Who doesn't love a good sloppy joe?

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 a medium onion, diced (optional)

Instructions

Brown your ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces. Add in the onion as your browning your ground beef if you wish to use it.
Once the ground beef is completely cooked, add in remaining ingredients. Mix well.
Turn the heat down to a simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

The beauty of sloppy joes is that you can pair it with almost anything. It is like a BBQ food, goes with everything. We often do home fries – regular potatoes or sweet potatoes, and fresh veggies like carrots or cucumbers. But it also is perfect with salad of any kind on the side.

Sloppy joes are a fun food to make for your family.

easy recipe

Cajun Spiced Pork Chops

Ingredients you need:

What you need to do:

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information:

Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs

How to make Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs:

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information:

Similar posts that you may be interested in:

Rhubarb Dream Bars

How to Make Rhubarb Dream Bars

Ingredients

Crust

Filling

Instructions

Nutrition Information:

Resources for Baking

Similar posts that you may be interested in:

Cherry Vanilla Muffins

How to make this Cherry Muffin recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information:

My must have muffin items:

Similar posts that you may be interested in:

Easy Sloppy Joes

How to make these Easy Sloppy Joes:

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information:

Similar posts that you may be interested in:

Footer