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A Weeknight Meal Or A Special Occasion – You’ll Want To Have This Every Day Of The Week

Want to hear something funny? Until about two months ago, I had never even heard of cassoulet. If it doesn’t ring a bell for you, either, no need to worry. It’s only the best freakin’ meal ever! I am not kidding, it really is fabulous. I’m forever grateful to my friend for letting me know this awesome dish exists!

A cassoulet is a traditional French dish that contains beans and at least one kind of meat. You won’t be able to make it in 30 minutes, so if you’re looking for a super fast meal, you may want to save this recipe for later. But I guarantee; when you make this, it’s a meal you’ll never forget!

This recipe has quickly become my favorite. I’ve already made it twice; once for my family and another time for friends that were staying overnight. Everyone loved it!

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Quick Tip: If you’d like, you could make this in individual round baking dishes.

They’ll Have To Drag Me Kicking And Screaming From This Scrumptious Appetizer!

I always look forward to our game nights with family and friends. We’ve had this fun tradition for years now with some of our friends; we take turns hosting each other’s families, and everyone always brings a little something to the party. The hosts make any bigger meals, if that’s what they decide to serve, but whoever’s coming over as a guest will bring an appetizer, a six pack or whatever they think is suitable for the occasion.

Lately I’ve been trying to find a dip that would tickle my fancy. It seems I’ve grown tired of the same old shrimp dips, guacamole or salsa, and I really wanted to bring something super delicious to our next event. As soon as I came across this awesome Tex Mex dip over at Guy’s Home Kitchen, I just knew this would be it!

I am most definitely making a double batch of this goodness because there’s no way my tex mex loving friends would ever settle for one! This is the perfect combination of flavors, if you ask me, and I can’t wait to dip my tortilla chips in this – or maybe I’ll just eat it with a spoon…

Recipe and image courtesy of Guy’s Home Kitchen.

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Quick Tip: Like your food extra spicy? Add a layer of diced jalapenos!

I absolutely love cooking from my heritage. I am a second generation Cuban. My mom was born here in the states from Cuban parents and my dad was born in Cuba. Both families left at the time Castro took control of the country and they were beginning to lose everything from their homes to all their freedom. They barely had food and all their money was being taken away from them. I hear all the stories and I hurt for my family. One day they just said goodbye to everyone they knew and came to the states and have been here ever since (50 plus years!).

Well, even after many years here, they are still proud of who they are. We love our Cuban heritage and hurt for those still in bondage there. One thing we do to remind ourselves of where we came from is cook our delicious Cuban food. One of my favorite dishes that my grandma makes excellently and my mom makes even better is Picadillo. It is basically ground beef in a tomato sauce, but does not taste like pasta sauce. It is so well seasoned it has a totally different flavor that regular ol’ ground beef recipes.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Laylita’s Recipes.

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Quick Tip: Sprinkle a bit of hot sauce over it if you like some heat.

Ropa Vieja literally means “old clothes” in Spanish, and though, as the name implies, it may not be the most elegant-looking dish in the world, but it has a nice splash of color and is chock full of great, savory Latin American flavor. And this version for the slow cooker makes putting it together super-easy and leaves the meat as tender as ever.

Some days, you just want a nice escape.  And though I enjoy my escapists shows and love reading a good book, now and then, eating the right sort of meal can be a nice adventure to another world, too.  I broke out my Crock-Pot yesterday morning to put this Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja together, and by the evening, I was enjoying a delicious stew and imagining myself in some humble but bustling cafe in Puerto Rico.  Latin America does know how to do comfort food.

Recipe courtesy of  Food & Wine.

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Quick tip: Add more jalapenos if you like your food hot and spicy!