My husband’s favorite meal growing up, Hawaiian haystacks are a super easy and satisfying dinner made in the crockpot.
Main Dish
GRILLED HAWAIIAN CHICKEN WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE
Grilled Hawaiian chicken with grilled pineapple is a delicious recipe your whole family will enjoy!
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EASIEST SALMON RECIPE
Simple two-ingredient recipe for salmon. You can use the salmon in a variety of meals like these fish tacos.
I received product to help facilitate this post, however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through my links, I’ll receive a small portion of your purchase at no extra cost to you.
SPAGHETTI WITH BROWNED BUTTER AND MIZITHRA CHEESE
The combination of browned butter and mizithra cheese is one of my family’s favorite ways to eat spaghetti.
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PORK MEATBALL BANH MI SANDWICH
These delicious Vietnamese sandwiches with pork meatballs, fresh cucumber, pickled vegetables and spicy mayo are a great dinner option if you are looking to try something new.
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TACOS AL PASTOR
Haven’t ever heard of tacos al pastor? Neither had I until my husband introduced them to me and now they are one of my favorites! They are made using pork that is seasoned to just the right level of heat and combined with sweet pineapples and a little cilantro and onion for the perfect taco. Typically, the pork is cooked on a large upright rotisserie similar to what Greek gyros or Turkish döner kebab meats are cooked on. I haven’t found too many places in Utah that use this method, but if you are nearby Salt Lake City, Chunga’s tacos al pastor has one of these rotisseries and their tacos al pastor are excellent! The restaurant is super small, but has an outdoor eating space that is a fun experience.
Although I would love to cook the meat in a upright rotisserie, this recipe uses a pork loin that is cooked on the stove to simplify it. I have found it works great with leftover pork. Simply lessen the cooking time as the meat is already cooked. Sometimes we will bake a pork loin for a meal one day and then cube the leftovers and make this as another meal later on in the week. I find that these can be a little too spicy for my kids, so I usually leave a little of the pork aside minus the seasoning.
Tacos al Pastor
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (1.5 pound) pork loin cubed into 1 inch cubes
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 onion diced
1 fresh pineapple diced (or 1 can pineapple tidbits drained)
salt & pepper to taste
In a large pan heat the oil over medium/high heat. Add the cubed pork loin and diced onion and cook for 6-7 minutes until the meat starts to turn white and is almost cooked through and onions become translucent. In a small bowl combine the garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. Add the seasonings to the pan and stir to coat the meat and onions. Lastly add the diced pineapple and cook to warm through just slightly. Serve in corn tortillas with diced cilantro and raw onion if desired. Enjoy!
TURKEY CRAISIN CROISSANT SANDWICHES (EASY PARTY SANDWICHES)
People go crazy over these super easy to make turkey craisin sandwiches. They are sure to be a hit at your next party or gathering.
QUICK KOREAN BEEF
This quick Korean beef comes together in just 15 minutes and is budget-friendly!
INSTANT POT CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
This quick and easy creamy chicken and wild rice soup is made in the Instant Pot. It makes a delicious and comforting dinner.
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CROCKPOT KOREAN CHICKEN (COPYCAT CUPBOP)
These Korean noodles bowls are one of my family’s favorites! Chicken made in the crockpot layered with stir-fried noodles, lettuce and sauces.
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SLOW COOKER CHEESY CHICKEN & BROCOLLI OVER RICE
This recipe is a cross between my kid’s favorite, Hawaiian Haystacks, and one of my favorites, Broccoli Cheese Soup. This creamy and cheesy chicken and broccoli made in the crockpot is the perfect cold weather meal!
OVERNIGHT BREAKFAST HASHBROWN CASSEROLE
I don’t have very many casserole dishes that I love, but this one is an exception. It makes the best breakfast or even dinner. It’s wonderful because you make it the night before and then just pop it into the oven the next morning. I had it most recently on a trip to a friend’s cabin. There was a large group of us and this made breakfast so much easier and much faster. I made two casseroles, one ham and one sausage, and it was nice to have both varieties. I made THESE pancakes as well, and breakfast turned out darn near perfect. The casserole recipe comes from a friend who frequently serves them at bridal or baby showers for brunch, and everyone always wants the recipe. This would also be perfect for a Christmas breakfast!
CHICKEN TERIYAKI BOWLS
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I really love plants and I am always trying to grow them. Every single one of the houseplants I have ever been given or purchased have died. All of them. Even succulents which were supposedly a no-fail plant. I definitely have a black thumb 🙁 I have always dreamed of having beautiful garden boxes, and when we finally purchased our house a few years ago it seemed like we could finally make that a reality. But with all the other house projects we have, a garden is still on the “to-do” list. Fortunately, I have the best neighbors and they always have tons of yellow and zucchini squashes to share. Sometimes too many! Last summer, I made all the zucchini bread I could handle, used it as a side for lots of dishes and then was running out of ideas. I have always enjoyed eating at Rumbi’s Island grill. They serve a chicken teriyaki bowl with chopped vegetables that is fresh and delicious. I found a teriyaki sauce recipe I loved and this meal came together. It is super quick to make and it’s a great way to use all those summer zucchinis and yellow squashes. It’s also relatively healthy and my kids will eat it if I give them enough of the “sweet sauce” (teriyaki). You can even just use a store bought teriyaki sauce to make this meal faster, but I do think this sauce is particularly delicious. Now you won’t have to leave all your garden squashes on your neighbor’s porch and run. Instead cook up this meal!
Teriyaki Sauce
½ c. white sugar
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. cold water
In a small saucepan, mix together all the ingredients except the cornstarch and water. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat. In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water and stir into the sauce until it is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve over the chicken teriyaki bowls.
Recipe Source- Our Best Bites
Chicken Teriyaki Bowls
2 cooked chicken breasts cubed
1 yellow squash, sliced into quarters
1 zucchini squash, sliced into quarters
1 head broccoli chopped
2-3 medium sized carrots chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
In a large pan, heat the sesame oil over high heat. Add the vegetables and seasonings. Cook for 3-4 minutes constantly stirring so the vegetables do not burn. Then add 1/4 cup water and place a lid on the pan. Allow the vegetables to steam for 4-5 minutes, checking to make sure there is still enough water in the pan. Vegetables should be tender-crisp when done. Remove the lid, lower the temperature to medium and add the cooked chicken and cook until warmed through. Serve over white or brown rice and the above teriyaki sauce. Enjoy!
QUICK SPAM (DON’T STOP READING) FRIED RICE
So I’ll get straight to it- there is Spam in this recipe (Wait! don’t stop reading yet!) I know there are two camps of people. You either love Spam or you hate it. Well, maybe three camps. You think you hate it because you would never, EVER try canned meat. I grew up eating Spam and I am definitely in the “love it” camp. I was born on Guam, and according to some fun facts I found online, Guam is the largest consumer of Spam per person, per year. Now, I don’t think I eat that much Spam, but I do love it in this fried rice recipe. But, if you are not a Spam lover, you can easily substitute diced ham (or even cooked chicken) in its place and still have some delicious fried rice. An added bonus to Spam, is its easy storage convience in my pantry and the saltiness of it makes this rice so savory and good! I love to make this rice for dinner either as the main meal with an egg roll on the side, or we have it as a side with another dish like these lettuce wraps.
Fried rice at home is easier than you might think. There are two important tips I can tell you that will affect the taste of your rice. First, make sure to use the right type of rice- medium or short grain. Most of the white rice that is readily available in grocery stores is long grain. The short grain is a sticky rice and is what I prefer to use for fried rice. I usually buy a huge bag of Calrose short grain rice at Costco because we eat lots of rice, but I have found it is usually in the Asian food section at grocery stores. The second tip is to use a good quality soy sauce. There are a lot of different kinds of soy sauces, from light to dark, and Chinese to Japanese. Some soy sauces are chemically or artificially produced. These will not taste very good if you use them. I love to use Kikkoman soy sauce which is available in most grocery stores.
This is a simple recipe, and you can easily jazz it up by adding sesame oil instead of vegetable oil, some green onions, other vegetables like mushrooms, fresh ginger, or even some fresh garlic instead of powdered. I like it the simple way because it means I have usually have everything I need already in my pantry. This recipe is great for those weeknight meals when you aren’t sure what to cook. I use frozen mixed vegetables to make the meal quick (no chopping) and I also have a rice cooker which makes cooking the rice easy.
Spam Fried Rice
5 cups cooked Calrose rice (2 1/2 cups uncooked rice)
1 can Spam diced into 1/2 inch cubes or 2 cups diced ham
1 tablespoon vegetable oil*
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups mixed frozen vegetables
5 eggs
In a large pot or pan, heat vegetable oil and add Spam, allowing it to brown for 5-7 minutes, stirring periodically. Add the garlic powder and black pepper and stir. Crack your eggs into a large bowl and whisk. Moving the Spam to one side, add the eggs and scramble them. (You can also cook the eggs in a separate frying pan if desired, I just try to save myself washing two pans). Add the frozen mixed vegetables and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes until warmed through. Add the cooked rice to the pot and mix to incorporate everything allow to cook for another 6-7 minutes. Slowing add the soy sauce and stir until incorporated. Add a few more tablespoons if rice seems like it needs more. Serve with egg rolls.
*You can also use sesame oil if desired.
KOREAN BEEF BULGOGI WITH JONES CREEK BEEF
I was provided beef from Jones Creek Beef for this post. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
One of my favorite restaurants in Germany was a little Korean place my mom would take us too. I loved the food and I thought it wasn’t something I would ever be able to recreate at home. Flash forward to my college years and in an introductory cooking class, we made a Korean beef bulgogi recipe. I was so amazed at how delicious and easy the recipe was. I’ve made many versions of Korean beef bulgogi since then, but this one is by far my favorite.
This recipe does have a unique ingredient in it. A quick story. When I had my second baby, I was so excited to make homemade baby food. A good friend gave me tons of pears from her tree and I carefully cooked, pureed and froze them into individual portions. Well, unlike my son, my little girl refused to eat pureed food. She went straight to table food. So I was left with a bunch of pureed pears (which were delicious by the way!). Many bulgogi recipes call for pureed pear so I started using the baby food in my recipes. Now that I no longer have any of that baby food left, I still like to buy a couple of jars of pureed pears every now and then to use in this recipe. You can also substitute a fresh pear pureed in a food processor if you prefer 🙂
Anyhow, back to the important part-the beef. In order to make beef bulgogi, you want a tender prime cut of meat. I like to use ribeye steaks. The grass-fed ribeye steaks from Jones Creek beef were so tender and had a great marbling and fat content. I could tell a difference in the tenderness when I was slicing them. Besides the meat tasting way better, it also has tons of added benefits- lower in total fat, and higher in B vitamins and minerals to name a few. You can check out all of the benefits on their website. You can purchase Jones Creek beef at your local Walmart. If you’ve never had beef bulgogi and you’re wondering what it taste like, it’s probably best described as being savory but also sweet. My two kids really enjoy the flavors and gobble it up over rice. After I made the bulgogi, my husband commented on how tender the meat was. I have to agree that the meat was super tender.
My other favorite part of the meal from the Korean restaurant was the cucumber kimchi. I haven’t tried making my own kimchi at home , but these quick pickled cucumber and carrots only take a few minutes to put together and make the perfect side for the beef. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s easier to make than kimchi. If you make the beef, I recommend you try the pickled cucumber with it.
Korean Beef Bulgogi
2 Jones Creek beef ribeyes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 jar pear baby food
3 green onions
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
4 garlic cloves, minced*
In a gallon ziplock bag, add the soy sauce, black pepper, pureed pear, chopped green onions, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and garlic. Seal the bag and mix together. Slice the two ribeye steaks 1/4 inch thick against the grain. Add to the ziplock bag and allow to marinate for at least one hour but preferably overnight. In a large frying pan, add the entire bag of meat and marinade. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until the meat is to your desired doneness. I like to transfer the meat to a large serving bowl with all the sauce and then take a few pieces out and allow them to brown up a little more by themselves. This step is optional. The sauce tastes great spooned over the rice. Garnish with additional sesame seeds and green onion if desired.
Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Carrots
1 cucumber sliced (and peeled if desired)
3 garlic cloves, minced*
1 carrot shredded (My peeler has an attachment on the other side that shreds the carrots)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger*
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup water
In a pint mason jar, add the rice vinegar, salt, ginger, sugar, red pepper flakes and garlic and stir to combine. Add the cucumber and carrots pressing them down into the liquid. Add the water to just barely cover the cucumber and carrots. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve with the beef bulgogi.
*Fresh ginger and garlic are a must for this recipe. I love to use powdered garlic in other recipes, but it won’t taste the same in this one. Buy a piece of ginger, peel off the outside skin and keep it in the freezer. Then you will always have it on hand and it’s SO much easier to grate frozen. I use a small hole hand held grater like this ONE
THE BEST HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING
Homemade tacos have always been one of my favorite dinners! I love being able to have so many options and picking how much or little of the different toppings to make my very own taco. I love my tacos with refried beans, meat, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and olives.
I don’t have anything against taco seasoning packets, but once I started making my own taco seasoning it’s so much nicer to have a jar on hand in the spice cupboard and it tastes way better. Plus, it’s more cost effective, especially if you can buy your spices in bulk at grocery stores like WinCo. This recipe makes a large batch that should last a few months. After I added my seasoning to my jar, I realized it didn’t have a label. I was able to to my Cricut Explore and some gold adhesive foil to make a super cute label for my jar. I upcycled the jar from an old jelly jar that I cleaned out. I loved the square shape.
This taco seasoning mix makes great ground beef or turkey tacos, but I also use it to make chicken fajitas, and taco soup. There is no salt in the seasoning mixture, but I do season my meat with salt after I have added some of the taco seasoning. Lately we have also really enjoyed adding about 1/4 cup of salsa to our taco meat. Give this taco seasoning a try, I’m sure you will love it as much as we do!
TACO SEASONING
1 cup chili powder
1/2 cup cumin
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons + 2 tsp ground black pepper
Place spices in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Store in a large airtight container or jar. Add approximately 1 1/2-2 tablespoons to one pound of meat plus 2 tablespoons water (if desired). Season meat with salt to taste.
EASY BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
This broccoli cheese soup has a few ingredients that might surprise you, but it’s a delicious, warm, comforting and easy meal!
GREEN CHILE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH BLACK BEANS
I first started making this recipe when I was in college. I was just learning to cook and I am pretty sure I found the original recipe on the back of an enchilada sauce can. Most of my recipes seemed to come from the back of packaging when I was first learning 🙂 When I visited home that Christmas I made it for my dad, and every time he visits or I visit my family he requests them. My mom finally asked for the recipe last summer so she could make them at home and not have to wait for a visit to enjoy them.
Over the years I’ve modified the recipe and this is the version my family loves the most. I love it because the filling is made in the crockpot so I can start it in the morning and forget about it. Right before dinner, I can quickly fill my tortillas and put them in the pan and work on a couple of sides while they bake. I love the green enchilada sauce, but both my kids and husband aren’t fans, so I actually bake most of the enchiladas without sauce, and just a few with the sauce. It’s a great compromise because everyone eats these up. I used to get complaints about not wanting enchiladas, but since I made this change the pan gets wiped out. The other great thing about this recipe is it doubles very easily. If you are needing to bring a filling meal to someone who just had a baby, who is sick , or just needs a nice home cooked meal, this is a great option. Just leave the sauce on the side so they can add it when they choose to bake it up. I love to serve the enchiladas with guacamole or sliced avocado, a side of corn and rice, or a nice green salad.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
1 large boneless/skinless chicken breast (or two smaller ones) about 1 pound total
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz Neufachatel cream cheese
1 can (28 oz) green enchilada sauce (I love the Las Palmas brand)
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
10 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey cheese (or cheddar)
*Optional- 1 can diced green chiles
Place chicken in crockpot, sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper and add the chicken broth around the chicken (so as not to wash the seasonings off the chicken). Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 4-6, until chicken shreds very easily with a fork. I know my chicken is ready when I can gently push on it and it starts to fall apart.
Preheat your oven to 350. Leaving the chicken in the crockpot, carefully tilt the lid and drain the broth into a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup (you can throw away the rest or maybe save it for some soup!)
To the crockpot add 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, your 1/4 cup reserved chicken broth, the cream cheese and the black beans (and the can of diced green chiles if you desire more of a kick, I leave these out for my kids).
Stir everything together until well mixed. The chicken should be hot enough that the cream cheese just melts and stirs in easily. Spoon approximately 1/4 cup of the filling down the center of the tortilla and a few tablespoons of shredded cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a 9 X 13 baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. Cover with additional cheese and the remaining green enchilada sauce (if desired). Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted. Alternately, cover the pan of enchiladas with foil, and refrigerate. When ready to eat, bake at 350 for 1 hour covered.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHICKEN, CORN AND SWEET POTATO CHOWDER
The butternut squash and sweet potato in this chowder lend a great sweetness and the corn and chicken make it a really hearty, filling and savory chowder. One of our family’s favorites.
EASY SLOW COOKER (CROCKPOT) FRENCH DIP BEEF SANDWICHES
The super easy crockpot french dip beef sandwiches cook all day to give you yummy shredded beef that is perfect on crusty bread to dip into the savory au jus. One of the best beef sandwiches! We like to serve them with grainy mustard and pepper rings.
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