Grilled Pork Nachos with Jalapeño Watermelon

Yes...you read that right!  Watermelon on nachos! 

This isn't just any watermelon though.

This is jalapeño spiced watermelon!

This creation started out as Grilled Pork Tacos from the summer 2019 edition of Magnolia Journal.  I mean anything from Magnolia has to good, right?!

And boy were they good!  The *easy* overnight marinade gives the pork great Asian flavor and grilling the meat gives it the classic summer twist I'm looking for this time of year.  But then top it with the spiced watermelon and I'm talking about *magic in your mouth*!

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 1- to 11/2-lb. pork tenderloin
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup red onion slivers
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups chopped watermelon
1 fresh jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped (be sure to wash hands well after handling)
2 to 4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
8 5- or 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
   or tortilla chips and shredded Mexican cheese for nachos

Directions:

Combine teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, and garlic in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add pork tenderloin; seal bag.  Turn bag to coat pork with marinade.  Place in a shallow dish.  Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Prepare grill for indirect heat.  Place pork on grill rack over indirect medium-high heat.  Grill, covered, about 40 minutes or until 145°F.  Remove from grill.  Cover and let rest 5 minutes.  Cut meat into bite-size strips or cubes.

Toss together cabbage, onion, and vinegar in a medium bowl.  In another bowl, toss together watermelon, jalapeño, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.

Tacos: Fill tortillas with pork, cabbage mixture, and watermelon relish.

or

Nachos: Spread tortilla chips on plate, sprinkle with Mexican cheese and pieces of pork.  Microwave for 1 minute.  Then top with Homemade Black Bean and Corn Salsa (recipe coming), cabbage mixture, and watermelon relish.

These are amazing the day of and even better the day after!

Enjoy :)

Grape Jelly Meatballs

These little guys aren't just great for game day.  They are perfect for almost any occasion!  My step-son loves them as does everyone who tries them.  He requests them at least every other week!  Just today we were playing basketball and if I didn't make two baskets in a row, I had to make these for him!  haha, I lost...

The recipe comes from a wonderful friend.  I met her at work shortly after I moved to Florida and she has been there for me ever since.  She knows just what to say when it matters most.  Her intuition is spot-on and she has a huge heart.  She is strong, independent, and full of faith.  You are an example to live up to girlfriend!

Anyway, she brought these in for a potluck one time and we've been hooked ever since.

Here is how to make them:

Grape Jelly Meatballs

Ingredients:

small frozen meatballs (60 count)

1 (10 oz) jar grape jelly

1 (12 oz) jar chili sauce

Directions:

Mix the grape jelly and the chili sauce together in a large saucepan. Cook stirring occasionally until jelly is melted. Add frozen meatballs. Cook on medium heat covered for about 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked.  Serve.

*For an appetizer, you can pour the cooked meatballs and sauce into a crockpot to keep warm until you're ready to serve.

Grab a toothpick and dig in!

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

I made this the other night for my fam and it was a huge hit!  I think every one of us went back for seconds at some point throughout the evening.  Amazing!

Some of the recipes on my blog are my own creations.  Others are home runs that I've found from others and are share-worthy.  There will be no guessing here.  When it's not my own, you will know.  This one comes from Jessica at Saving Money Living Life.  It is full of flavor and healthy color from the dark green spinach and diced tomatoes.  I couldn't not share it with you.  Hope you like it as much as we did!

You can find the full recipe here:

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

I made it with whole wheat rigatoni and served it with a light Caesar salad.

Enjoy!

Chili Cheese Crescent Dogs

As promised, it's time to use up some of that leftover chili!

I started with 4 hot dogs (halving the recipe I found as a guide since I was only making dinner for 2 that night) and cut a slit into each one then filled it with cheese!

Next, wrap each with a dough triangle.

Bake then top with warm chili!

Chili Cheese Crescent Dogs

Ingredients

8 hot dogs

4 slices of cheese, each cut into 6 strips (I used cheddar here but American would be good, too.)

1 can (8oz) of Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Chili

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Make a slit in each hot dog to within 1/4 inch of the ends.  Insert 3 strips of cheese into each hot dog.  Separate the dough into triangles.  Wrap a dough triangle around each hot dog.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Top with your favorite chili and serve with steamed veggies.

Enjoy!

Source: Pillsbury

Chili

Well, hello! :) Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check out Life is Like Honey!  It sure has been sticky and sweet around here lately. ;) I so wish I could post more often but this season in my life does not allow much time to do some of the things I love most...baking and blogging.  That's ok though.  Nothing seems to stay the same for long. :)

We had a really nice and chilly Thanksgiving up north.  I even saw snow flurries!  My little guy was napping when they came down but it makes me excited for when we can sled down the slippery hills, build round and frosty snowmen, and make pretty snow angels together.  I'll leave the snow ball fights for daddy and brother, hehe.

We returned to some cooler weather here in Florida which made me think of making something warm.  I love this chili recipe.  My mom gave it to me years ago and it always hits the spot with the whole fam.

Here is how to make it...

Chili

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

4 cans chili beans (2 mild and 2 medium)

3 cans diced petite tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

2 cups low sodium tomato juice

1/4 cup chili powder

Directions

Brown beef and onion in a large skillet.  Drain the grease and set aside.  In a large pot, combine all the other ingredients.  Then add the beef and onion mixture.  Stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.  Uncover and simmer for another 30 minutes.  Serve warm with your favorite toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, crackers, or corn bread muffins!

Enjoy!

PS - This recipe makes a good amount of chili.  We usually have leftovers after feeding a family of 4.  Stay tuned for a yummy way to use some of the rest!

Sausage & Goat Cheese Pumpkin Flatbread

Remember this pic from my Facebook page?  Guess I had pumpkin on my mind that day?!

The Pumpkin Pie Bark was just ok but the Pumpkin Bread Mix...WOW!  It was awesome!  My mom can vouch for that. ;)  And the candle, of course, smells amazing.  However, I was a little stumped on what do with the Pumpkin Pasta Sauce other than heat it up and toss it with some pasta...delicious but boring.  So, I came up with this creation below!

Here is how I made it...

Sausage & Goat Cheese Pumpkin Flatbread

Ingredients:

1 Flatout Flatbread (I like to use Multi-Grain with Flax.)

1/2 cup of Pumpkin Pasta Sauce (This one is from The Fresh Market.)

Mild Italian sausage, browned and drained

Mushrooms, sliced and sauteed

Goat cheese, crumbled

Directions: 

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.  Bake just the Flatout at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until crisp.  Take it out, flip it over, and top with the Pumpkin Sauce, mushrooms, sausage, and goat cheese.  Put the whole thing back in the oven and bake until the cheese begins to turn golden, about 10 more minutes.  Serves 1.

Enjoy!

Try these other easy Flatbread ideas, too!

Flatbread Pizza

Ham & Pineapple BBQ Flatbread

Chicken & Apple BBQ Flatbread

Crock-Pot Gumbo

After one failed attempt, I finally got the dark roux made and had this protein-packed, mildly spicy, hearty gumbo bubbling away in the slow cooker!

The trick to making a dark roux is low and slow.  I had my heat turned up too high the first go 'round and the whole house smelled of burnt oil...oops!  Thank goodness for lovely scented candles. :)

Here is how to make it:

Crock Pot Gumbo

Ingredients:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cooking oil

3 cups water

12 oz smoked sausage, sliced and browned

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

2 cups sliced okra

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (12 oz) package frozen shelled and deveined cooked medium shrimp, rinsed

Warm cooked rice (Uncle Ben's Ready Rice makes it so easy!)

Directions:

Start by making the roux (good luck!).  In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, stir together the flour and oil until smooth.  Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium to medium-low and continue to cook stirring constantly for about 15 more minutes or until a dark, reddish-brown roux forms.  Set aside and let cool.

Brown the smoked sausage in a skillet over medium heat and set aside.

Place water in a 5-quart crock pot or slow cooker.  Stir in the roux.  Add the sausage, chicken, okra, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, and ground red pepper.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.  Then add the shrimp for 20 more minutes.

Serve over warm cooked rice.

Enjoy!

Original recipe can be found here.

Southwest Cornbread Skillet

I love an easy weeknight meal.  I found this Southwest Cornbread Skillet dish on a favorite blog I follow called Mostly Homemade Mom.  Um, girlfriend, you had me at cornbread!  It was easy to throw together and hearty but not too heavy.

I didn't have a cast iron skillet but found out that my stainless steel Calphalon skillet could go in the oven!  Problem solved!  I also used Jiffy Mix instead of Martha White so that changed the recipe up a little.  You can find the original recipe here.

But here is how I made it...

Southwest Cornbread Skillet

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 packet low sodium taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

15oz can corn, drained

15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brown ground beef in skillet and drain.  Add taco seasoning and water.  Cook on medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in corn and black beans then remove from heat.  In a small bowl, beat egg and milk.  Stir in cornbread mix.  Pour batter over ground beef filling in skillet and bake for 18-25 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown.

What goes better with cornbread than honey?!  Pretty much nothing!!!  You better believe I drizzled some honey over that cornbread and gobbled it up.  My husband thought it needed some spice so he topped his with the some salsa.

Yum!

The Best Meatloaf

Growing up, I did NOT like meatloaf.  Not sure why, but it just did not sound good to me.  However, a couple years ago, I had a craving...for meatloaf.  Yes, meatloaf.  So I went on the search for The Best Meatloaf and I found it!  My kids and husband eat this stuff up and almost always go back for seconds!

Here is the recipe...

The Best Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 dash ground black pepper

1 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup Heinz 57 steak sauce, divided

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
2. In a small skillet, sauté onion and green pepper together with a little bit of olive oil.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, salt, egg, black pepper, and bread crumbs.  Pour in the milk, 3 tablespoons of the steak sauce, and sautéed onion and green bell pepper.  Combine.
4. Place the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and shape into a loaf.  Brush the top with the remaining steak sauce.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until done in the middle.  Use a meat thermometer to make sure the center has reached at least 160 degrees.  Let the meatloaf sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Served here with mashed potatoes and sweet corn. :)

Enjoy!

Source:  allrecipes.com

Baked Salsa Chicken

Looking for an easy weeknight dinner?  You've found it!

Very similar to my Baked Chicken Parmesan, it's easy to make.  Here is how to do it...

Baked Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, thawed (I order ours from Schwan's.)

1 jar of your favorite salsa (I like mild and my husband likes medium, so I use both.)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (It can be regular or reduced fat.)

a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (Use instead of sour cream. My fav is Fage 0%.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken breasts in 8x8 glass baking dish.  Pour about 1/2 cup of salsa over the top of each chicken breast and bake covered with foil for 40 minutes.  Top each breast with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.  Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pair with Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Spanish Style and you're good to go!

Enjoy!