Summer Dinner Party

Summer is here! If you are looking to plan the perfect dinner party, I have got the recipes for you!! Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Bourbon-Peach Barbecue Sauce served on slider buns with a no-mayo coleslaw and steamed corn with Peach Upside Down Cake for dessert. Ask your guests to bring the coleslaw to make things even easier, or make either this one or this one yourself. Everything is prepped ahead of time so when your guests arrive you can spend more time welcoming them and socializing and less time in the kitchen finishing up cooking.

In the morning: Prep the pork for the slow cooker.

Go about your day, get a workout in, lay by the pool or in the yard, etc.

In the middle of the day: If your guests aren’t bringing coleslaw, prep the coleslaw now and refrigerate. Also, prep the peach upside down cake…eating the ends of the sliced peaches in the process.

Clean the house, get showered, etc.

Peach Upside Down Cake

Serves 12 | Inspired by Real Simple | Print here!

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 peaches, sliced

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

½ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine salt

2 large eggs

¾ cup low-fat buttermilk

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon canola oil

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Rub an 8-inch square baking dish with butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and top with a layer of sliced peaches.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs then add buttermilk, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
3. Pour batter over peaches, spreading evenly if necessary. Tap the bottom of the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.
4. Bake until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center; 35-45 minutes.
5. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife between the cake and the pan to loosen. Turn cake upside down onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before serving.

About 30-40 minutes before guests arrive. Finish up the pork, shredding it and making the sauce. Place it back in the slow cooker (tossed in sauce) on warm until ready to serve.

Shuck the corn and break in half. Place in a large pot in a single layer and cover (just slightly) with water. Cover.

About 5-10 minutes before guests arrive. Turn the heat under the covered pot with the corn to high. Bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes then turn off, leaving the lid on. Allow the corn to steam until everyone is ready to eat (20 minutes or so)!

Serve shredded pork on top of slider buns with coleslaw and corn.

Be sure to save room for dessert! Top it off with a dollop of honey noosa yoghurt for a touch of creaminess.

There you have it! Serve everything with a delicious, refreshing cocktail on the side, such as a cucumber mojito (reduce the amount of sugar for a less sweet drink).

All of these recipes would be PERFECT for the 4th of July! Please enjoy them responsibly.

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Sunset Bay State Park, OR to Beverly Beach State Park, OR

The last and final leg of our trip up the coast from San Francisco, CA to Portland, OR. Click for first, second, and third legs.

And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed our photos.

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Patrick’s Point State Park, CA to Sunset Bay State Park, OR

Miss the first and second leg of our road trip from San Francisco, CA to Portland, OR? They can be found here and here. This was the third leg of our trip…

Loved this beer! I really only took a picture of it so I would remember it. Hopefully I can find it in Colorado!

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Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup

While it may not be soup weather, I still love a delicious, easy meal…anytime of year. This Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan soup was just that. Just throw everything in the slow cooker, set it and forget it.

Serves 4 | Recipe by Lauren Larson inspired by Foxes Love Lemons | Print here!

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 3:30-4:30 on high, 6:30-8:30 on low | Total time: 3:40-8:40

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium white onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1-14.5 ounce can tomato sauce

3 cups chicken broth

4 ounces uncooked whole wheat or gluten free rotini pasta

Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Crusty bread for dipping (optional)

1. Add green bell pepper, onion, and garlic to slow cooker. Top with chicken and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Pour in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
2. Break up chicken into bite sized pieces with a large spoon, it should be nice and tender. Stir in pasta and cook on high for 20-30 minutes until pasta is al dente.
3. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese and/or chopped fresh basil or parsley, and crusty bread for dipping if desired.

If it is too hot for you to even think about making this recipe now, put it on your winter to do list, bookmark it, print it out, do whatever it is you have to do to remember to make it in the winter.

Do you use your slow cooker in the summer?

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Russian Gulch State Park, CA to Patrick’s Point State Park, CA

 

The highlight of our trip.

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Honey Mustard Yoghurt Dressing

Now that school is over, it is my goal to post more recipes. Having friends tell me they made one of my recipes makes me so happy and is the reason why I blog. So, whenever you make a recipe from Newest Obsession, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email to let me know what you think!

I recently made this honey mustard yoghurt dressing to go with a roasted beet, edamame, and goat cheese salad we were bringing to a dinner party and was blown away with how good it was. The sweet, creamy combination is just perfect.

Makes about 1 cup | Inspired by My Whole Food Life | Print here!

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 0 minutes | Total time: 5 minutes

4 ounces plain Noosa Yoghurt

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 ½ tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Combine all ingredients in a small hand blender, food processor, or bowl.

What is your favorite type of salad dressing?

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San Francisco, CA to Russian Gulch State Park, CA

Note: we drove highway 1, but google maps defaults to the 101 and will not allow me to embed the map of the adjusted route. 

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Southwestern Shrimp and Quinoa Salad

Whenever I come home from vacation all I want to eat is endless bowls of crunchy vegetables. Depending on the timing of getting back into town, knowing what to make, and getting groceries, my need for vegetables doesn’t always happen right away. With the husband’s help, we were able to pull off two healthy meals within the first two days of getting back into town. Both were super easy, and so delicious they might make it into our regular rotation.

Serves 4 | Inspired by The Healthy Maven | Print here!

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 15-20 minutes | Total time: 30-35 minutes

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided

Juice of ½ lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon salt, divided

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1-15 ounce can corn, drained and rinsed

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)

½ cup water

½ cup quinoa, rinsed well

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 small red bell pepper, diced

½ small red onion, diced

½ avocado, chopped

1-6 ounce bag chopped romaine lettuce

Cholula hot sauce to taste (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dried parsley, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a square glass baking dish. Add shrimp and toss to combine. Set aside for about 10 minutes to marinate while continuing on.
3. Spread corn on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Set aside.
4. In a small saucepan heat broth and water until boiling. Add quinoa, stir, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
5. Just after getting the quinoa going, place shrimp in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes.
6. When 10 minutes remain on the timer, place corn in the oven.
7. Meanwhile, combine lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add red bell pepper, red onion, and avocado; toss to combine. Add romaine and toss lightly.
8. When shrimp, corn, and quinoa are done toss with salad mixture until combined.
9. Serve in large bowls topped with Cholula hot sauce if desired.

The perfect amount of crunch with a little sweetness to satisfy my post-vacation lingering sweet tooth.

Whole grain quinoa and shrimp make this a complete gluten-free meal that would be great for lunch or dinner. Post-vacation recipe number two coming later this week!

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San Francisco, CA

Oh heyyy guys! Pardon the lack of posts. May was an insanely good month. I…

1. Finished classes,
2. Defended (and passed!) my Master’s thesis,
3. Turned 30,
4. Celebrated all of the above with friends and family,
5. Celebrated Mother’s day with my two wonderful Moms,
6. Ran the BolderBOULDER 10K race, just 20 seconds shy of a PR,
7. Left my wonderful job to make room for my dietetic internship, and
8. Kicked off a 10 day vacation.

I have a lot of people to thank for making my 30th May something to remember. You all know who you are…I am incredibly grateful for each an every one of you. While I have a lot to say about the previous month, I don’t have many pictures to share. Instead of snapping photos, I was taking it all in, staying present, and celebrating every moment.

Over the last 10 days, the husband and I spent a weekend in San Francisco visiting my Sister in Law, after which we rented a car and drove north up highway 1, hiking and camping along the way. We ended the trip with a weekend in Portland visiting some friends. Over the next few post, with the potential for some recipes mixed in here and there, I am going to share our route and photos with you—the northwest coastline is just stunning. I am going to keep the words to a minimum, but if you are curious about anything, feel free to leave a comment or email me—I would be happy to give you more details.

Next up San Francisco, CA to Russian Gulch State Park, CA.

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