Sweet Pork

My kids love it when I make this Sweet Pork.  They know it means they can make whatever they want with it; one had nachos, another a burrito, a couple had stuffed quesadillas and I made myself a big salad with it!  They love having a choice, and frankly, I just love the sweet pork!!  I've tried a lot of recipes for it and this recipe is what I've ended up with after mixing a whole bunch of recipe ideas together.


Sweet Pork

Ingredients:

4 lb. pork roast
2 tbsp. canola oil
32 oz. can Macayo's enchilada sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup Coke

Directions:

Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Sear the roast on all sides until golden brown.

Combine the enchilada sauce, brown sugar and Coke in a slow cooker.  Add the pork, cover and cook on low for 7 hours (I've done it 4 hours on high too).

Remove the pork and shred.  Put back in the slow cooker and stir to combine with the sauce.

Serve on salads, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, tacos, whatever you can think up!!!

Three Cheese Beef and Ziti

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet, I make it ALL THE TIME.  I found the recipe in a random cookbook my Grandpa gave me right after I got married, so, that was pretty much just a few years ago.  No?  Almost 20 years ago?  What the?  Anyway, I started calling it Fake Lasagna after awhile, because that usually got a more favorable response than the actual recipe name.  Please feel free to call it ANY NAME YOU WANT!!!  I was super nice to my kids with no taste (you know who you are!), and only put ricotta cheese on half of it.  You two are spoiled.

There is a reason why this is on my regular recipe rotation, this is fast and yummy!!


Three Cheese Beef and Ziti
Recipe from some old Reader's Digest Cookbook from five, twenty years ago.

Ingredients:

8 oz. ziti, macaroni, or other small pasta
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (of course I don't add this, are you kidding?)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
10 oz. frozen french style green beans, or whatever kind you like, partially thawed
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Boil the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, saute the beef and onion(bleh) in a large skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently to break up any clumps, until the beef is browned - about 5 minutes.  Drain off the excess fat.  Stir in the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.  Add the green beans, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

*** Let me just take a second to confess that I don't ALWAYS add the green beans.  I would love for them to be in it, but I get a lot of complaints when I do, and sometimes, I just don't want to deal with that.

Stir in the cooked ziti, then place large spoonfuls of the ricotta on top but not touching.  Sprinkle the mozzarella in between.  Cover and cook just until the mozzarella melts and the ziti and beans are heated through - about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

My youngest son recently had a birthday, and when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted me to make he replied, "a plain, white one".  I was surprised at how hard of a time I had finding a "plain, white cake" that I wanted to make!  I finally saw this recipe and was glad I did, I have wanted to make one of these for years and this was the perfect opportunity.  This makes a very sweet cake, but that is fine for special occasions I think.

White Texas Sheet Cake
Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup water

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Directions:

In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup butter or margarine and water to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, 1 teaspoon almond extract, salt, and baking soda until smooth. Pour batter into a greased 10 x 15 x 1 inch baking pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and tests done. Cool for 20 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup butter or margarine and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Mix in sugar and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Stir in walnuts. Spread frosting over warm cake.