new recipes

I've been making some new recipes this week and overall, been very happy with them. I have been using a new favorite cookbook, Poor Girl Gourmet, for many of my main dishes and all have been excellent. Below, I made the smashed sweet potatoes and braised pork shoulder and it was outstanding. A good company meal, ones I'm always on the look for when guests come to dinner. The honey balsamic chicken thighs with roasted thyme carrots is also amazing. One thing I think I'm still learning to do well and finally ready to master is cooking meat. It's so easy to overcook or undercook it, both of which are less than desirable. The meat dishes from PGG have turned out perfect. This is a dessert I made for a mom's prayer group that I recently joined here on campus. As a side note, I'm loving this group already, wonderful ladies at the same season of life I'm in, with children my age or older; much to be learned and gained by weekly fellowship and community. I brought these Biscoff Cheesecake Bars at the rec of my friend Renee and they were delish. I couldn't find the Biscoff brand cookies, so bought another cookie, a chocolate coconut one and thought it tasted great. I hear the Biscoff brand (which I spotted at another market today) is addicting! These bars were better when they had sat overnight. Even Aron, who does not like cheesecake or sour cream at all (AT ALL), loved these bars.

Lastly, I made my own carnitas this week and they were killer. I'll make them all the time. Great to have the meat in the freezer for a quick and easy meal. I took pork tacos and the fixins to friends who had a new baby this week and had enough left over for our dinner. No picture, but trust me, this recipe ROCKED.

What have you been making lately?