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Mini Hot Chicken Bites Recipe

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Great game day mini bite, Mini Hot Chicken Taco Bites from WhipperBerry

Oh, are you in for a treat today! With football season right around the corner I’m sure you are looking for a few new game time treat for the crew. These Mini Hot Chicken Bites are going to be a touchdown for sure.

Back in the spring I had an opportunity to travel to Nashville with my fellow Old El Paso bloggers and we did a taco tour down in the heart of Nashville. We basically had a taco crawl through town. It was so fun and tasty! One of our first stops was The Southern a famous oyster and stake restaurant down in the heart of Nashville. They are famous for many things but the one we had a chance to try was their famous Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffles.

the famous Nashville Hot Chicken from The Southern via WhipperBerry

Now, if you’ve never tasted or even heard of Nashville Hot Chicken, you’re in for a treat. This is a special recipe that they have down south that takes fried chicken to a whole new level. They smother the chicken in a special blend of spices and then let it sit over night letting the spice fill the chicken with amazing flavor. Then they put it through the normal frying process and it’s AMAZING!

That alone is a fantastic meal but The Southern goes a step further and pairs it with beautiful light waffles and a drizzle of maple syrup and it’s divine. After that trip I was inspired to make something of the sort using our favorite Old El Paso Mini Taco Boats. 

Mini Hot Chicken Taco Bites from WhipperBerry

These are like little bites of Nashville that your family and friends are going to LOVE!

They are two bites of scrumptious hot chicken with the tang from the pickle with a little honey drizzle that you guys will fall in love with. Click HERE to grab the recipe at Old El Paso!

Disclaimer // This is a sponsored post for Old El Paso. I am a member of the Old El Paso Blogger program and I am paid to help develop recipes for them. As always, I will never promote a brand that I don’t truly love and believe in.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Taco Recipe – Slow Cooker Approved

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+ This Sweet and Spicy Port Taco Recipe post brought to you by the lovely folks at Old El Paso +

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooked Pork Tacos from WhipperBerry

You guys are in for a treat today! I’m am sharing one of my family’s FAVORITE recipes that I’ve been working hard to perfect over many years and it’s finally ready to share with you, my favorite friends!

I give to you my Sweet & Spicy Pork Taco Recipe! You guys are going to fall in love with how easy this recipe is and then the flavor is going to blow you away. A little back story…

I LOVE slow cooked pork! However, for many many years I TRIED to figure out how to slow cook my pork and I was always disappointed. I would slow cook it for the appropriate time and it would turn out flavorless and no matter what I did, it was always dry and over cooked. At times it would feel like we were eating saw dust, YUCK!

Time after time I would fail. Rather than becoming discouraged, I decided to make it my mission in life to figure out how to make the best pork recipe ever. I didn’t want it just for BBQ, I also love to use it in tacos, rice bowls and salads. I tried different cuts of pork, different cooking methods, different types of cooking vessels and this my friends is the product of my mission. I have come up with the perfect slow cooked recipe and I’ll be sharing that with you in one of our favorite ways to eat it… Sweet and Spicy Pork Tacos!

These tacos are divine! They are little a whole bunch of flavor packed into our new favorite taco shell from Old El Paso™. Have you seen the new Old El Paso™ Bold Spicy Cheddar Flavored Stand ‘n Stuff Taco Shells? They’re tasty and so easy to fill and eat.

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We like to stuff them with our favorite slow cooked pork, some pickled red onion and our sneaky pineapple salsa! Here’s how you make it.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Taco Recipe

Sweet and Spicy Pork Taco Recipe - Slow Cooker Approved
 
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These sweet and spicy pork tacos are going to knock your socks off. The fact that you can do everything ahead of time and then assemble when you are ready to serve will make this a staple in your recipe box for sure.
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Serves: 18-20
Ingredients
  • Pork
  • 6-8 lb. pork shoulder roast
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons of Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning
  • 1 whole head of garlic
  • 3 tablespoons of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • Pickled Onions
  • 2 red onions - thinly sliced
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1½ cups of red wine or balsamic vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Tacos
  • 2 packages of Old El Paso Bold Spicy Cheddar Flavored Stand and Stuff Taco Shells
  • shredded pork
  • 1 cup crumbled feta
  • pickled onions
  • 1 can pineapple tidbits
  • 1 jar of green salsa
Instructions
  1. The pork for this recipe can be made in the oven or in a slow-cooker either methods works great. Place a heavy bottomed large pan or dutch oven over high heat and add the olive oil. Let the pan get nice and hot. Generously salt the pork roast on all sides and then place the roast fat side down in the hot pan.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium and brown the roast on all sides.
  5. Once the pork has been browned, remove from pan and place on a baking sheet.
  6. Peel the garlic and make little incisions in the pork and place the garlic inside the opening.
  10. Repeat this step until you have placed all of the garlic cloves in the pork roast on all sides.
  11. Coat the pork roast with the Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning on all sides.
  14. Then cover the top of the pork with the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce.
  16. Place in a 300˚ oven for 4-5 hours or in your slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours. Once the pork is 145˚ and fall off the bone tender, remove it from the oven or turn off the heat of the slow cooker and let your pork rest.
  17. While your pork is cooking, or preferably the night before, thinly slice the onion and place in a jar.
  19. Boil the water and then dissolve the sugar in the hot water. Pour over the onions and then add the vinegar and garlic clove. Cover the onions completely with cold water if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  21. We’re almost ready to build our tacos, all we need now is to mix our salsa. Take your favorite green salsa and pour into a bowl. Drain the pineapple tidbits and add to the salsa, then gently mix.
  22. Once your pork has rested for 10-15 minutes, remove the fat and then shred the pork. Place the pork in a bowl and serve along with the pickled onions, the pineapple salsa, Old El Paso Bold and Spicy Taco Shells and feta cheese.
  23. Let your guests build their own tacos and enjoy!

For more great recipes visit Old El Paso,  they have thousands of recipes that can take your boring old taco night and make it something special!

Disclaimer // I am an Old El Paso™ blogger and this was sponsored by Old El Paso™ and I received compensation for my time and supplies.

Fruity Breakfast Pizza PLUS more great Morning Hacks to Make Life Easier

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+ This Breakfast Pizza Post brought to you by Jif® Peanut Butter +

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Let’s face it… Mornings can be ROUGH! But, they don’t have to be.

I know that we are mid-summer at the moment, but I’m already starting to dread back-to-school. My kiddos start in early August, so we really only have a few more precious weeks of summer left.

Now is the time to perfect our morning routine so that as we transition back into school mode, we already have a good habit to start the year off right. We sat down and pow-wow’d and came up with some great breakfast ideas and some morning hack ideas that we think will help our family have fabulous mornings and maybe your family as well!

Morning Hack #1 Plan Ahead

Nothing tanks a day faster than not having a plan. We have found that a little planning ahead of time makes for smoother mornings. Happier kiddos and definitely a happier Mom. Plan outfits, pack backpacks & make lunches the night before.

 You can even make your power packed breakfast the night before with my Overnight Protein Power Oatmeal recipe!

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 Click the photo above to grab the full recipe.

Morning Hack #2 Keep a Well Stocked Pantry & Fridge

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One of the keys to happy mornings at our house is having a well stocked pantry and fridge. Now that doesn’t mean we have an over abundance of food that goes to waste. We’ve figured out some key staples that can make several different recipes with just a few key ingredients.  All of the recipes I’m sharing today have been developed with the basic ingredients above.

Fruit, nuts, flat bread, rolled oats, milk, honey, cottage cheese, yogurt and Jif® Flavored Peanut Butter Spreads in Maple & Cinnamon. That’s it! With just those ingredients my kiddos and I can make several different types of breakfasts that they all love like our fruit pizza that my little guy adores!

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 Fruit Breakfast Pizza Recipe

Fruity Breakfast Pizza PLUS more great Breakfast Hacks
 
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This easy and nutritious meal is great for the kiddos in the morning. They can even design their very own.
Author:
Cuisine: breakfast
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Toast your flat bread to crisp it up a bit.
  3. Spread a generous layer of the Jif® Cinnamon Flavored Peanut Butter Spread onto the flat bread.
  5. Layer your favorite fruit on top of the peanut butter.
  7. Drizzle with honey and ENJOY!

Morning Hack #3 Be Flexible

Now, I know that my first suggestion is to plan ahead BUT… What if your pre-schooler wants ice cream for breakfast and won’t take no for an answer? Or your middle schooler refuses to go to school without the right kind of hair spray (yep, I did that to my Mom once. 1st day of 7th grade. I had run out of Aqua Net. Stellar Middle School moment! Sorry Mom!) Pre-schoolers, middle schoolers… Really all kiddos are classic for this, trust me, I know the pain!

The key here is to be flexible. Learn how to go with the flow… Your pre-schooler wants ice cream for breakfast? Make them a smoothie bowl and they won’t know what hit them!

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 Click the photo above for the Peanut Butter and Fruit Smoothie Bowl Recipe

Morning Hack #4 Take Time to Slow Down

Even during the summer things can be really hectic in the morning. Chores, playdates, swim lessons you name it… Mornings can typically be a rush. On the mornings that aren’t a rush, TAKE TIME TO SLOW DOWN. Saturday or Sundays can be perfect for this. Take time to slow down and make something that is extra special for the family. Take the time to sit and giggle together, get to know each other better. These are the mornings that we want to remember for years to come!

When we take the time to slow down, our family loves to eat pancakes. I’m not always jazzed about the lack of nutrition in traditional pancakes so I’ve upped my game and made some gluten-free, protein packed pancakes that my family loves!

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Click on the photo above for the recipe.

Bottom line is, you want to have smooth mornings with your family and you want them to have nutritious meals that fuel them for the day. With a little prep work you can achieve just that and EVERYONE will be healthy & happy!! Invite Jif® Flavored Peanut Butter Spreads to breakfast and you’ll be a ROCK STAR!!

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 Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Jif® I received product samples for review purposes. Opinions are my own.

Tomato Tart Recipe

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+ This Tomato Tart Recipe brought to you by the folks at Bushel Boy Farms™ +

Tomato Tart Recipe from WhipperBerry

One of the first things that I think of when it comes to summer cooking is my favorite TOMATO!

 I think I’ve said this before, but I LOVE tomatoes!

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A few weeks ago, I shared a lovely Tomato Jam recipe that is perfect for those BLT’s, burgers, wraps… Pretty much anything that you want to add a little kick of tomato to.

The key is getting really good tomatoes!

Because of that, I was thrilled to find out about Bushel Boy Tomatoes™ grown right here in the USA, in Minnesota to be exact.

The crew at Bushel Boy has developed a fabulous greenhouse system that helps them grow tomatoes year-round. Yep, even in January they have beautiful red, vine ripened tomatoes ready for us to add to our salads and sandwiches. I don’t know about you, but a nice good tomato in January is pretty awesome!

The Bushel Boy Tomatoes are pollinated with bees… the natural way. They also limit the amount of pesticides used and have eliminated herbicides all together. You can find all kinds of tasty ideas at the Bushel Boy Facebook.

Today, I’m sharing a fantastic Tomato Tart that is perfect for a light lunch or dinner. Paired with a nice garden salad, it’s the perfect summer meal!

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 You can make them as individual tarts or make one large tart for everyone to share.

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Here is a quick video to show you how I make them…

Tomato Tart from WhipperBerry from Heather Thoming on Vimeo.

Tomato Tart Recipe

Tomato Tart Recipe
 
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This scrumptious tomato tart is the perfect light summer meal!
Author:
Recipe type: Light Meal
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2-3 Bushel Boy Tomatoes
  • 1 store bought pie crust
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup chive cream cheese
  • ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper
  • chives
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450˚
  2. Line your tart pan or baking pan with the pie crust, gently press down on the top of the pan to remove excess dough.
  3. Pierce the the dough with a fork and place in a 450˚ oven for 8 minutes.
  4. Remove tart shell from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg then combine the ricotta cheese, chive cream cheese, ½ of the parmesan cheese, salt & pepper.
  6. Fill tart or tarts with the cheese mixture.
  7. Top the tart or tarts with fresh sliced tomatoes.
  8. Season the tomatoes with salt & pepper and then top with parmesan cheese.
  9. Place in a 400˚ oven for 30 minutes for a large tart and 20 minutes for small tarts.
  10. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes, then serve with a nice garden salad.