Melt in Your Mouth Roasted Carrots (Easy & Buttery!)

Web Admin 0 38 Article rating: No rating
a large white serving bowl full of roasted tender carrots topped with fresh herbs

These aren’t your average roasted carrots! Melt in Your Mouth Roasted Carrots are buttery and caramelized around the edges, but so tender in the center they practically melt on your fork. 

Carrots, chicken broth, butter and herbs are all you need for the best vegetable side dish!

caramelized roasted carrots in a large serving bowl glazed in an herb butter sauce

The secret is a melting technique much like braising meats and once you roast carrots this way, you’ll never go back. These are the most buttery, delicious carrots I’ve ever made. In fact, at our house, we call them, Melting Carrots!

Months ago The Kitchn published a “Melting Carrots” post where they use a specific melting vegetable technique: large carrot pieces roasted in butter, then broth is added so just like tender meat dishes you end up braising the veggies until extremely tender. Like, fall apart tender. It’s so good!

What are Melting Carrots?

If you haven’t heard of melting carrots yet, get ready to fall in love. Melting carrots are exactly what they sound like — carrots roasted in butter until they’re so fork-tender they practically melt in your mouth.

They’re roasted cut-side down in a hot buttery pan until caramelized on the bottom, then finished in a savory garlic-thyme pan sauce that thickens up and clings to every piece. The result is a carrot side dish unlike anything you’ve had before, rich, tender, and just a little bit fancy without any extra effort.

Why You’ll Love This Roasted Carrot Recipe

  • They’re unbelievably tender. These carrots roast low and slow in butter until they’re soft enough to cut with a fork.
  • The sauce is everything. That garlic-thyme pan sauce thickens up and coats every carrot in rich, buttery flavor.
  • They’re simple to make. One pan, a handful of ingredients, and very little hands-on
Read more

My Go-to Chicken Enchilada Soup

Web Admin 0 47 Article rating: No rating
a bowl of chicken enchilada soup topped with slices of lime, cilantro leaves, jalapeno slices, etc

My go-to recipe for Chicken Enchilada Soup is everything I want in a weeknight dinner—easy, hearty, and packed with flavor. Made with shredded chicken, black beans, corn, enchilada sauce, and warm Mexican spices, it has all the delicious flavors of chicken enchiladas in a comforting bowl of soup.

I love using rotisserie chicken to make this recipe even faster. With simple pantry ingredients and just 30 minutes from start to finish, it’s the kind of comforting meal the whole family gets excited about.

My picky 10-year-old is about ready to do me in with the whining and complaining every time he asks, “What’s for dinner?” Thankfully, this Chicken Enchilada Soup is on his very short list of dinners he can eat without complaining, so we make it often. Not only for our sanity, but because it’s so dang delicious!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Enchilada Soup

  • All the enchilada flavor, none of the rolling: You get that bold red enchilada flavor in an easy, hearty bowl of soup.
  • Ready in 30 minutes: Rotisserie chicken and pantry staples make this a seriously fast dinner.
  • A broth with BIG flavor: Sautéing and blending the vegetables with enchilada sauce creates a smooth, rich soup base that tastes like it simmered much longer.
  • Picky-eater approved: This is one of the few dinners my pickiest kid happily eats without complaining!
  • One pot, easy cleanup: Everything comes together right on the stovetop for a low-fuss weeknight meal.
  • Made for toppings: Load each bowl with cheese, avocado, sour cream, tortilla strips, cilantro, jalapeños, or a squeeze of fresh lime.
  • Great for leftovers: The flavors get even better as the soup sits, and leftovers freeze beautifully for another easy dinner.

Ingredients You’ll Need

One of the best things about this chicken enchilada soup recipe is that it’s made with simple pantry staples and easy-to-find ingredients. Together they create a hearty soup loaded with bold enchilada flavor.

  • Olive Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables and build flavor at the start of the soup.
  • Onion: Adds savory depth and creates the flavor foundation for the broth.
  • Celery Stalks: Provides subtle flavor and extra texture.
  • Carrot: Adds natural sweetness and balances the spices.
  • Red Bell Pepper: Adds color, sweetness, and a mild pepper flavor.
  • Garlic: Brings bold, savory flavor to every spoonful.
  • Red Enchilada Sauce: The star ingredient that gives the soup its classic enchilada flavor.
  • C
Read more

31 Days of Crocktober: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

Web Admin 0 39 Article rating: No rating
Crocktober Recipes graphic featuring slow cooker brisket, ribs, carnitas, queso, Chex Mix and beef burritos with the text “31 Days of Slow Cooker Recipes.”

October is officially Crocktober, and honestly, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate fall than letting the slow cooker make dinner for us!

We’ve rounded up 31 of our favorite Crocktober recipes—one for every day of October. You’ll find easy weeknight dinners, hearty soups and stews, party dips, snacks and even a few sweet surprises along the way.

So dust off that crockpot, pick tonight’s recipe and let dinner basically cook itself. 31 days. 31 recipes. Let’s do Crocktober!

What Is Crocktober?

Crocktober is exactly what it sounds like: October + crockpot! We’re making one crockpot recipe every day this month, and you’re invited. Start at October 1 or jump in wherever you are!

31 Crocktober Recipes to Make This October

Week 1: October 1–7

October 1 – ​Whole Roast Chicken

Juicy, tender chicken with almost no effort.

get recipe

October 2 – ​Asian Sticky Ribs

Fall-apart ribs coated in a sweet and sticky sauce.

get recipe
Read more

Peppermint Bark

Web Admin 0 41 Article rating: No rating

This five minute Peppermint Bark is smooth, sweet chocolate layered with cool peppermint, and my boys can’t get enough of it. Make a batch for a party, or package it up as a gift for a friend.

a piece of peppermint bark in hand

Similar to the Christmas batches of peppermint marshmallow fudge that I like gifting to friends, peppermint bark is a cinch to make and requires just a few ingredients you may already have in your pantry. It’s perfect for packing into pretty tins or bags, or for serving on dessert trays at holiday parties. Once you see how easy this is to make this peppermint bark recipe, you’ll likely never be tempted to buy it again.

Peppermint Bark

I’ve been making this recipe as a holiday treat for friends and family for many, many years now. It’s even been a requested stocking stuffer for my boys over the years, and I’m looking forward to making it again this fall.

Sometimes, you’ll see a recipe for peppermint bark call for a full layer of white chocolate on top of milk or dark chocolate. But, I choose to swirl the chocolates together for a couple of reasons.

First, the two different colored chocolates all swirled and spiraled together simply looks prettier. And more practically, that swirl helps hold the dark and white chocolate together. There’s less chance of the two chocolates separating when you slice the chocolate into individual pieces. This way you get all three main flavors–white chocolate, dark chocolate, and peppermint–in each and every bite of peppermint bark.

measuring chocolate chipsRead more

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Web Admin 0 48 Article rating: No rating
Tender slow cooker pulled pork shredded and piled in a slow cooker.

The secret to ridiculously tender pulled pork isn’t a smoker and you definitely don’t need to wake up at 2 a.m. to make it.

Making slow cooker pulled pork should be easy, but knowing which cut to buy, how long to cook it, and how to keep it tender and flavorful can leave you with more questions than answers. This crockpot pulled pork recipe walks you through exactly how to get juicy, fall-apart pork—and what to do if things go wrong!

Our daughter is always asking for pulled pork tacos for dinner, but man, getting up at 2 a.m. to start the smoker or oven and then having it going for 13 hours was starting to kill me. There had to be an easier way!

So I found a way to get that tender, smoky-sweet pork we love while leaving the oven and smoker free and letting the slow cooker do all the work. Now I’ve got pork for Sunday tacos and extra in the freezer for next time!

Why You’ll Love This Pulled Pork Recipe

  • Incredibly tender and juicy: Cooking the pork butt low and slow gives all that connective tissue time to break down until the meat practically falls apart.
  • Big flavor: An optional apple cider brine and our smoky homemade dry rub pack flavor into every bite.
  • Set it and forget it: Let the slow cooker do the heavy lifting while you get on with your day.
  • Leftovers are gold: Make a big batch and use it for tacos, sandwiches, nachos, baked potatoes, rice bowls and more. It also freezes beautifully.

What is the Best Cut of Pork for Pulled Pork?

Pork butt (also called pork shoulder), also called Boston butt, makes the best pulled pork. It’s a well-marbled cut from the upper portion of the pork shoulder, and all that fat and connective tissue breaks down during the long cooking time, giving you incredibly juicy, tender pork that’s easy to shred.

Some readers have asked, “Can I use pork loin?” but the truth is, a pork loin has a low fat content and its muscle will not break down the same as the shoulder or butt. It literally will not turn out. 

If you have pork loin in your freezer, try orange glazed pork loin recipe instead. 

Never use these cuts of pork for pulled pork:

  • Boston butt
  • Picnic shoulder
  • Pork loin
  • Pork tenderloin

Here’s what you need to know to buy the right pork shoulder/butt

  1. Always buy your pork shoulder bone in
Read more
RSS
124678910Last