Crunchy bite-sized pieces of fresh vegetables, herbs, and ham, combined with a light and creamy dressing, make this ham pasta salad a standout! Be the belle of the buffet or the big wig of the barbecue with a bowl of this elevated summer standard.

Ham Pasta Salad

I’m not sure about you, but I don’t want to spend a lot of time working in a steamy kitchen when it’s hot outside. But we all have to eat, so pasta salad often becomes my go-to in the summertime.

It only takes a few minutes to boil the pasta, and once you’ve drained it, all the hot work is done. Rinse that pasta in cool water, chop up some vegetables and ham, and stir it all together with dressing. If you ask me, meat, vegetables, and pasta equals a full meal.

Read more

Instant Pot Country Style Ribs [+Video]

Country-style ribs in the Instant Pot? Total game changer. These come out tender, flavorful, and taste like they’ve been on the grill for hours—but they’re ready in under one hour! A bold, no-fuss BBQ rub adds all the depth, and one secret step will make you swear these came off real flames.

You don’t need a grill or a smoker. You just need this method…. oh, and maybe some napkins!

We have several rib recipes on the blog, like our Asian Sticky Slow Cooker Ribs or our Oven Braised Short Ribs, but this is our first country ribs recipe. I don’t know why it took us so long because we’ve been eating them for years, and they are so dang delish!

A typical meal in our house with these pork ribs would include our Best Baked Beans and something light like our Garden Balsamic Avocado Salad. My kids love having cornbread with the ribs, too, so sometimes I am nice and make that as well!

If you are looking for more Instant Pot recipes for making dinner in a hurry, you can find all our Instant Pot recipes here! Another one of our Instant Pot favorites is our super viral Award Winning Instant Pot Chili. And if you need a quick guide for cooking all your Instant Pot basics, you can find everything you need on our Instant Pot Cheat Sheet! Ok, I’ve gone off on an Instant Pot tangent…back to these juicy Instant Pot country-style ribs!

What Cut of Meat are Country-Style Ribs?

I hope you’re sitting down for this one, but country-style pork ribs aren’t even ribs. They are cuts of pork shoulder (aka pork butt) and is the same meat you use to make pulled pork and carnitas.

Are Country Style Ribs Beef or Pork?

Country-style ribs can be either beef or pork. It just depends on what you prefer. Beef will be quite a bit meatier. For this recipe, we prefer pork country-style ribs. We also prefer boneless over bone-in.

Read more

Stuffed pork tenderloin is filled with sauteed broccoli, red peppers, and generous amounts of melted mozzarella for an irresistible main dish. It’s gorgeous enough for company, but easy enough for a family dinner.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Our nod to Italy has Italian seasonings and vegetables in the colors of the Italian flag. Crisp tender broccoli and vibrant, slightly sweet red bell pepper combine to play off the sweet mildness of the pork.

Add a gorgeous, tomato and balsamic glaze, and I challenge you to eat just one piece. I certainly can’t stop at one! This impressive-looking and tasting dish goes great with Parmesan Pepper Pasta or a Creamy Pasta Salad. Or if you want to keep it simple, add a Spinach Pasta Salad on the side.

Read more

Pork, shrimp, and vegetables are folded into a paper-thin lumpia wrapper and then fried to crisp golden perfection in this traditional recipe for Filipino lumpia. Almost 30 years ago, I tasted lumpia for the first time and I fell in love with them at first bite.

Filipino Lumpia

Unfortunately, I lost touch with the friend who introduced them to me. Luckily, I remembered lumpia a few years ago and realized that I might be able to make them at home.

Then I ran into a problem. Where would I find the recipe? I looked online and didn’t find anything that sounded quite right. The lumpia I remembered was not your average eggroll.

There wasn’t cabbage or an abundance of vegetables in them. I simply remembered that there were a lot of different flavors packed into a very thin wrapper.

I mentioned my lumpia craving to a friend, (thanks, Sandra!) who told me to look for one of her friends on Facebook. I did that and proceeded to message back and forth with her friend, Irene, who was happy to chat about lumpia recipes for a bit to make sure I had it right.

The lumpia turned out fabulously and my middle son immediately requested them for his birthday meal the following year. We like to serve lumpia with this simple Asian-inspired Rice and bowls of Egg Drop Soup.

In my house, a birthday request is the very highest of food compliments. Everyone in the family devoured these and my youngest actually cried when they were gone. There wasn’t a single one left or we probably would have eaten more.

Over the years, I’ve made traditional lum

Crispy, piping hot, and irresistible with an abundance of great flavors from pork, shrimp, and vegetables, air fryer lumpia is a new lunchtime favorite.

Air Fryer Lumpia

This air fryer lumpia was inspired both by my intense love of Filipino lumpia and a desire to enjoy lumpia more frequently, with a bit less hassle. The added benefit of not frying the lumpia in oil is a pretty nice perk too. Far less mess, and air-fried lumpia gets bonus points for being a healthier option too.

Is air-fried lumpia exactly the same as deep-fried lumpia? Definitely not. However, it is crunchy, flavorful, and just as irresistible. The friends I shared it with all gave it two thumbs up and agreed that it satisfies our lumpia cravings perfectly.

While the air fryer is perfect for preparing just a serving or two at a time, if you need a meal for the whole family, you can bake lumpia too. And when you’re craving lumpia and short on time, all the lumpia flavors come together in this Filipino Lumpia Skillet. Made with a heaping helping of fresh vegetables, ground pork, and shrimp: this is a dinner that my family cheers for each time we make it.

Air Fryer Frozen Lumpia

Last time I made a batch of lumpia, I froze some to see if I might be able to cook them later, just a serving at a time in the air fryer for lunches. It turns out that was a brilliant idea – if I say so myself. The frozen lumpia cooks exactly as the fresh lumpia does in the air fryer.

To freeze a batch of lumpia, roll the lumpia as directed in the recipe and place them on a plate or tray. Set the tray of lumpia in the freezer for a few hours, until the lumpia is firm enough to transfer to a zipclose freezer bag until ready to cook.

When you’re ready to cook them, just pop the frozen lumpia into the air fryer, give them a light spray with oil, and add a minute or two to the listed cooking time.