Apple Sausage Breakfast Burritos

Well, I’m hooked. These Apple Sausage Breakfast Burritos are the yummiest Breakfast Burritos I’ve had so far. It’s a little cheesy, a lot of fluffy eggs and Aidell’s Chicken Breakfast sausage which completely makes the whole meal. I’ve already got my mind whirling with new recipes to use that breakfast sausage in and I’m generally not a very big breakfast meat person. I’ve had too many flavorless, overly greasy sausages that I kinda just stopped eating it. Then Macey’s was sampling Aidell’s and it was wonderful.

This kind happens to be my favorite, at least so far, because of the extra ingredient…

Apples. The apples add the tiniest bit of a sweet crunch to the breakfast sausage. We love it and it pairs perfectly with the cheesy eggs.

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Tender, caramelized meat that clings to the bone and requires just a gentle tug to pull it off makes for the perfect grilled spare rib. Mixing up an easy and flavorful dry rub for ribs makes them even more delicious.

Dry Ribs

Would you believe that a week ago I had never cooked bone-in ribs?

I assumed that they would be more difficult and complicated than the country style boneless ribs I’ve always purchased. I was wrong. These were so easy; I made them twice just to make sure it would work the same.

Technically, I made three batches, because I mistakenly thought that I could get away with using the crockpot. Let’s just say they were not the same.

In all fairness, the ribs that started in the crockpot were edible and the flavor was great, but the texture was off and there was just no comparison to the grill or oven versions.

Memphis Style Dry Ribs

When I decided to tackle cooking ribs for the first time, I went straight to my personal grilling expert. Chris from Nibble Me This has been an expert in the grilling arena for a very long time now. He first tempted me with the Grilled Smokey Chicken and Bacon Cheeseburger.

Next, he convinced me to grill our steaks using the reverse sear method. I’ve used that method repeatedly and never looked back. (There is nothing else like it, I promise, even if the photos do desperately need to be updated.)

And for further proof that Chris’ recipes have never let us down, his Po’dunk Sauce is the ultimate dipping sauce for any potatoes in your life!

The grilling method here creates perfectly cooked ribs each and every time. I was also thrilled to find out that I

Spicy sausage and tender shrimp make this Jambalaya Pasta a dinner that’ll leave everyone asking for seconds. This saucy one-pot pasta is a weeknight dinner you are going to love.

This dish is loaded with fantastic flavor from Cajun spices. Both the kids and the adults in this house agree it’s a hit!

Jambalaya Pasta

The components of jambalaya are so well suited to serving with pasta. We love all kinds of noodle-based dishes, from simple Italian-inspired classics like Spaghetti and Marinara to Mongolian Beef with Noodles, and our beloved Stir-Fry Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables.

I’m always looking for interesting takes on pasta, since I know everyone in my family likes it. Recently, I posted this Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake and Mexican Baked Pasta.

When I saw this recipe for Jambalaya Pasta in my friend Valerie’s new cookbook, The Foolproof Family Slow Cooker, I marked it to try first. This cookbook is full of both slow-cooker and one-pot recipes that are sure to make your meal planning easier.

And I’m happy to report that this first recipe I tried did not disappoint. I’ve already made it again, just to have more leftovers for my lunches!

What is Jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a classic Cajun dish that consists of chicken, shrimp, and sausage all cooked together in one pot, usually with rice. It’s a little like a stew, thick and completely satisfying with every bite.

Instead of rice, this Jambalaya recipe uses pasta. The version I’m sharing today has been a hit with everyone who’s tried it.

I’ve made it a couple of times now and I’m super happy to tell you it actually tastes even better the next day. I made it the second time, just to have it in the fridge for a few easy reheatable lunches.

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Pulled Pork Tater Tot Nachos start with piping hot cheesy tater tots that are piled high with crispy pulled pork. This dinner is a guaranteed two-thumbs-up meal in our house.

Pulled Pork Tater Tots

All of my kids would probably choose pulled pork as their favorite meal, especially when it’s served in tacos, enchiladas, pulled pork mac and cheese, or hot and crispy, like in these street tacos.

When my oldest son Sam turned 13, Sean and I took him on a special trip all by himself. We flew to San Francisco and spent a few days exploring the city. (Scroll down to the bottom for a peek into that trip.) These pulled pork tater tots were inspired by a favorite meal from that trip.

Pulled Pork Totchos

Along the way, we found some great foods to eat. It was Sam’s first trip “just for fun” and he loved it. It’s always a lot of fun to travel and visit family around the country, but the joy of exploring an entirely new place is great in a different way.

Naturally, I put together a list of restaurants to check out while we were there. Sam’s favorite food during the trip turned out a tie between Tater Tot Nachos from Tacorea and Tostadas De Caracoles (snails baked on seasoned croutons with parsley aioli) from Zarzuela.

Can you even believe that my kid tried snails for the first time and absolutely loved them? At any rate, when I decided to recreate his favorite thing from the trip to share with you, the tater tot nachos were the obvious choice.

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Tender pulled pork is simmered with Mexican spices for these Pulled Pork Enchiladas. The pork is layered with tortillas and plenty of shredded pepper jack cheese to make this cheesy, saucy, slightly spicy recipe.

Whether you eat it with a fork or dig in with chips, this is going to be a dinner-time hit.

Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Slow Cooked Mexican Pork has been at the top of my favorites list for a while now and I’ve made it at least six times in the past few months.

Every time I made it, I kept thinking that the pork would be great in enchiladas, but we were enjoying it so much on its own, I never managed to try them until now.

Pulled Pork Enchilada Casserole

My middle son had been asking for “red” enchiladas ages and these Pulled Pork Enchiladas were made with red chile sauce especially for him.

The whole family loved them and there was barely a serving left in the pan. Over the past few years, I’ve since made them with red or green chile sauce whenever possible.

This recipe makes a terrific make-ahead freezer meal. If you are planning to freeze the enchiladas before cooking, layer everything into the pan and cover with foil or a lid and freeze.

A day or two before you plan to serve this, take it out of the freezer and place the pan in the refrigerator. Once thawed, bake as noted above.