Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Memorial Day is an important holiday to me. It’s about more than just a day off and great food. My Grandfather’s funeral was on Memorial Day.

My Grandfather was very important to me. He and my Grandmother lived within walking distance of my teenage home. I spent many hours with my Grandparents. My Grandfather took me for my driving test at 16 and spent hours in his station wagon with me teaching me how to parallel park.

My Grandfather served in World War II. He was a brave Air Force Navigator.

I honor and remember the sacrifices of our Military everyday.

Pulled pork says Summer to me.

Using the Slow Cooker says easy to me.

Paper plates are fancy, if the food on them is tasty.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, lightly adapted from a Fox4 Good Day recipe segment.

• 1 bone in pork butt, fat trimmed, approximately 4-6 pounds
• 1 can of Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons of mustard
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 yellow onion, peeled

Place all the ingredients except the pork into a food processor and pulse them into a paste.

Place the pork into your slow cooker. It goes without saying that you need to remove the meats packaging right?

Place the spice mixture on top of the roast.Cook on Low for 8-10 hours.

Drain any fatty bits and most of the juice. The meat will be fall off the bone tender.

shredded heaven…..

Return the meat to the slow cooker and use the “Warm” setting to keep it sandwich ready for hours.

Enjoy!

Baked Squash Casserole, food from my garden

Come, join us for dinner.

Squash casserole is one of my favorite comfort food dishes.
When I was a teenager, my Mother and I would go to a restaurant called “The Black-eyed Pea” and order veggie plates. Plates full of broccoli rice casserole, fried okra, cheese-y broccoli soup and the most amazing squash casserole.
It was one of our favorite dinner spots, and one of my favorite teenaged memory clusters.
Once I was all-growed up (yes, I said growed up) I began trying to replicate the squash casserole.
Years and years ago I found a copy-kat recipe that I have altered until I was happy with it.

Baked Squash Casserole

• 5 -6 medium size Yellow Squash
• 1 cup Bread Crumbs plus additional 1-2 tablespoons for topping
• 1 stick Butter or margarine (melted) *I use light butter, and I usually use less than a whole stick*
• 1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup of Onion (chopped)
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 1 teaspoon of Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Salt
• 1 teaspoon of tarragon

Cut the ends off squash and cut each squash into 4 or more pieces.

Place the squash into a pot of boiling water, use enough water to cover the squash. Reduce heat and cook until tender. I cooked my squash fir about 12 minutes. Drain and mash.

While the squash is cooking, mix the beaten eggs, 1-cup breadcrumbs, melted butter, sugar, salt, onion, tarragon and pepper together in a bowl.

Combine the mashed squash with the crumb mixture.

Place the mixture into a casserole dish that has been lightly sprayed with a non-stick baking spray.

Sprinkle the top with the 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
I used the broiler at 500 deg. For the last 5 minutes to give the top a nice crust.

I have Phun with iPhone Photos!

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

We’re not dairy free at my house, but we’ve got family members who are dairy, gluten and soy free. Trying my hand at Almond milk, well it just made sense.

Making your own almond milk takes some time, but most of that time is soaking time.

The “milking process” was not that lengthy, once I figured out that less was more.

Fancy a glass?

• 4-5 cups of water
• 3 cups of raw, whole almonds
• Place then into a container, put the container into the fridge and allow to soak for at least 6 hours. I soaked them overnight.
• 1 cup of chopped dates
• The seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla)

Once your almonds have had time to soak, add the vanilla and the dates to the mixture.

Blend mixture in batches, on a high-speed in your blender.

Place a thick layer of cheese cloth over the opening of the container you’re using for your milk.

Pour a small amount of the almond mixture into the cheese cloth. Allow enough time for the liquid to drain through.

Do not over fill.

Pouring as much of the almond mixture as you can into the cheese cloth seems like a brilliant idea (at least it did to me) until you have to squeeze the liquid out and you splatter the wall with almond gunk.

Not pretty.

So….

Small, easily squeeze-able batches are the way to go!

Squeeze the cheese cloth to remove as much liquid from the almonds as possible.

Place the leftover almond meal into a bowl and save for baking or pancakes.

Repeat the draining process until all the almond milk has been processed.

Rinse the cheese cloth, and pour the almond milk back through to strain it one last time.

I ended up with just over a quart of almond milk.

Store your almond milk in the fridge for up to one week.

The Almond Milk will separate while it’s being stored so, give it a shake before pouring.

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How to succeed at pie making without really trying

Take one semi-lazy baker.

One text conversation about desserts.

And 1 hour.

What do you get?

Mixed Fruit Pie.

This recipe will make 2 pies.

• 5 cups of random frozen fruit from said baker’s freezer
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (or preferred flour)
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you like your pie)
• 3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoon butter or margarine or cooking oil

Mix all of the above together in a bowl.  Make sure to mix it well.

2 pre-made pie crusts or homemade crust  (see links below)

Vegan Pie Crust

Pie Crust

Gluten Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free Pie Crust *the recipe is half way down the post…scroll down*

1 crumble topping

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup butter, margarine or cooking oil , melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the filling into the pie crusts.

Sprinkle any left over flour-sugar-spice mixture over the frozen fruit.  Place the crumble topping over the fruit.

Pat down gently to make a nice crust.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until done.  Once a knife can be inserted into the center of the pie with little to no resistance your pie is done.

Allow pie to fully cool before cutting for best results.

Enjoy.

Big G MyBlogSpark Curvy Straw Giveaway

What's more fun than curvy straws, squishy bowls and blinking cups?

What’s better than fun bowls, curvy straws, and blinking cups?

Free cereal too!

For more information, check out the Whole Grain Nation Website

• “There are six different colorful straws featuring beloved Big G cereal characters
• The participating Big G cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms®(16 oz.), Reese’s® Puffs (18 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Trix®(14.8 oz) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz) ~We got Cocoa Puffs.
• Made with more whole grain than any other ingredient, Big G cereal, combined with a ½ cup of milk, can help provide a great start to your family’s day”

The prize pack will contain:

• 1 box of a participating Big G cereal
• 1 Curvy Straw
• 1 ‘spilt’ milk bowl
• 2 glow cups
• 2 tangle toys

To enter, leave me a comment telling me who you want to win this prize pack for.

Yourself, your spouse, kids, strange neighbor…

whoever.

That’s it.

1 entry per person.

I’ll use random.org to choose a winner.

Entries open until Friday, April 20th at 9 pm central time zone.

Open to U.S. residents only.

The winner will have 3 days to respond to my e-mail requesting their shipping information.

The prize pack I was given and the one I am giving away were provided to me via MYBLOGSPARK via Big G Cereals.

Chicken Taco Salad

Taco Salad, remade.

 

When I was young,  my mother made taco salad all the time.    Ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, pinto beans, Catalina dressing and Doritos.   We had this version of taco salad almost weekly.

When I married and became the “cook” I began making the salad too.

It’s very kid friendly, it’s easy to assemble and made with ground chicken it’s healthier.

This salad is also yummy, meat free.

Very simply….

• 1 pound of ground chicken, browned
• 1 head of lettuce or one bag of salad mix
• 1 tomato diced
• 1 cup of shredded cheese (more or less at your preference)
• 1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups of Doritos, (placed in a bag and broken up into small pieces *but not crushed*)
• 1/3 cup + of Catalina dressing, I make my own.  Recipe follows..

To make the salad, add all the ingredients (except the dressing) into a bowl.  Mix well, slowly add dressing until the salad is covered, but not drowning.

Catalina Dressing

Makes about 2 cups of dressing.

• 1/3 cup ketchup, any brand
• 1/3 cup of white sugar or 1/4 cup of honey
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup onion , grated
• 2/3 teaspoon paprika
• 1/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 teaspoon (to taste) salt and pepper

Place all the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender or food processor, pulse or blend until smooth.

Slowly add the oil, while continuing to blend.  Place into a mason jar or other container.  Store left over dressing in the fridge.  Shake before using.

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Chicken Migas

grab a tortilla and sit a spell.

Generally I agree with The Pioneer Woman on most food related issues.

To me though, Migas is not Migas without Chorizo.

Chorizo is really greasy and fatty though. A local market, I adore Sprouts Farmer’s Market, sells ground chicken chorizo. I decided to give the chicken a try and boy, howdy I’m glad I did. Chicken Chorizo is excellent.

I adapted a Pioneer Woman recipe, I added 1 pound of chicken Chorizo I browned it, drained off the minimal fat and proceeded with Ree’s recipe.

A few things I altered.

• I omitted the Jalapeño, due to a tween with a low spicy tolerance.
• I used 2% milk instead of Half-and-half
• I used cheddar cheese

Here is the original recipe ingredient list.

• 4 whole Corn Tortillas
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Seeds And Membranes Removed, Finely Diced
• 4 whole Plum Tomatoes, Roughly Chopped
• 1 whole Green Pepper, Roughly Chopped
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Roughly Chopped
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 12 whole Large Eggs
• 1/4 liter Cotija Cheese, Grated (may Use Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Etc.)
• 1/3 cup Cilantro, Chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Half-and-half

To view entire recipe click here.

Serve with refried beans and corn or flour tortillas.

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Zombie Eggs and Tornado Outbreaks

Holidays are all about miracles.

Passover or Easter, it’s all about the miracles. The miracle of protection. The miracle of resurrection.

Miracles….

Speaking of miracles, We had a bit of a tornado outbreak here in Central North Texas on April 3rd. We had 13 tornadoes in the DFW area in one day. A lot of property damage in the metro-plex, but thankfully no deaths.

Miracles.

Holidays also mean thankfulness, food, family and ……

at Easter time ….Coloring eggs with my teen-aged kids.

My son actually wanted to participate this year. Shocking, happily so.

To make egg coloring more Teen friendly…we made a few Zombie eggs.

Don't mind our Zombie eggs, they don't bite.

freaky egg

No matter how you celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Ideas on how to use up all those hard-boiled eggs

Slow Cooking Monday, Back to Basics

Back to Basics

This week, I want to focus on basic slow cooker uses like cooking frozen meat.

Many times I use my slow cooker to make full meals, other times I use my slow cooker to cook frozen chicken.

The slow cooker makes cooking frozen meat so easy.

I sometimes shop in bulk, I do love a great sale, when I shop in bulk I separate the meat into family sized portions and freeze it. I sometimes have a few extra pieces. I save those extra pieces in smaller portion packets.

Those smaller portions are great for making chicken salad, chicken tortilla soup,green chilie chicken and black bean soup, chicken taco salad…and on….. and on.

Here is the easy way to cook 2 or 3 (or more) pieces of frozen chicken in your slow cooker.

Are you ready? It’s really complicated.

;

• Place chicken into the slow cooker.
• Season the chicken.
• Place the lid on your slow cooker.
• Cook the chicken on low for 5+ hours.
• Enjoy fully cooked, juicy chicken.

;

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Please join Allie and me for our slow cooker post link up! Join us, link up your favorite slow cooker recipe…tell us about what you’ve tried recently.

Irish Stew

Stew and whole wheat soda bread....a perfect pair.

Stew is one of those meals that feels like a hug in a bowl.

My family is Irish, Scottish, German. Our varied heritage means we embrace a little bit from each piece of our backgrounds. Well, mostly we embrace the Irish and the German. I should work on the Scottish.

Irish stew is one of my favorite dishes.

Most Irish stews are made with lamb. The reason, lamb is less expensive in Ireland.

Purist Irish stew is lamb (mutton), potatoes, onions, and water…

This is not a purist stew.

1. I am not using lamb, because of the higher price of lamb vs. beef and because the idea of eating a lamb always causes a mutiny in my household.
2. I add carrots, turnip, garlic and barley.

This stew recipe should work with either lamb or beef.

• 2 1/2 pounds of stew meat (I used beef)
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 cups of carrots, diced or sliced
• 1 small turnip, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 clove of garlic, diced
• 4 cups of beef stock
• 1- 12 ounce Irish stout beer *optional* if you’re not adding beer, increase your stock my 1 & 1/2 cups
• 1/2 cup of pearl barley
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper
• 1 teaspoon of parsley
• potatoes *4 large potatoes peeled and diced, or 1 bag (about 4 cups) of small potatoes left whole*
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Heat the oil in a cast iron dutch oven or large stock pot. Add the flour to the meat, coat the meat as evenly as possible. Brown the meat. Once the meat is browned (8-10 minutes), add the beer to the pot. Add the onions, carrots, turnip and garlic. Add the seasoning and spices. Add the beef stock. Add the pearl barley. Stir to combine.

Place the lid on the pot and cook on a medium heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. After 1 hour, add the potatoes. Stir to fully combine the stew with the potatoes. Return the lid to the pot and continue cooking for 1 more hour. (Total cook time, 2 hours).

The lid can be removed for the last 30 minutes to thicken the stew if you wish.

The finished stew

How do you make your stew?