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!!!

BBQ Pork in the Slow Cooker

I love the slow cooker when I don't want to deal with the hassle of making dinner in the evening. Are the hours between 3-6pm crazy at your house, too?

BBQ Pork in the Slow Cooker

2-3 lb. Boneless pork roast, cubed
1 onion, chopped
12 oz bottle BBQ sauce (our favorite is Trader Joe's Kansas Style Barbecue Sauce)
¼ cup honey
sandwich rolls

Place meat in slow cooker. Add onions, sauce and honey. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Use 2 forks to shred meat. Serve on rolls.

Sausage, Spinach, and Cheese Stuffed Shells with Olive Garden Salad and Italian Breadsticks, PLUS Mom's Texas Sheet Cake

(Kath, here's another ricotta dish to torture your kids with!)

Friday night we fed the missionaries from our church. We always try to feed the missionaries when we can because we feel blessed that so many sweet people fed us while we were on our missions. Plus, the kids love it when the missionaries come over! My kids, the social butterflies that they are (yeah, they didn't get it from us or their grandparents or anyone they are related to for that matter). It was a super yummy meal, if I do say so myself.

Sausage, Spinach, and Cheese Stuffed Shells
From Redbook Magazine

1 package(s) (12-ounce) jumbo pasta shells (about 36 shells)
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
1/2 cup(s) finely chopped onion
3/4 pound(s) bulk sweet Italian sausage
2 clove(s) garlic, minced
1 large egg
1 container(s) (15-ounce) whole or part-skim ricotta cheese
1 box(es) (9-ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
3/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounce(s) fresh mozzarella, grated
1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
1 jar(s) (32-ounce) tomato sauce with basil

1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta shells and cook according to package instructions. Drain in a colander; rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain shells on paper towels.
2.Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat; add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sausage, breaking up into smaller bits with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat.
3.Beat egg lightly in a large bowl; stir in ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, salt, pepper, and the cooled sausage mixture until blended. Fill pasta shells with mixture.
4.Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells in dish. Spread remaining tomato sauce over pasta shells. Cover dish with foil; bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes longer.

Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad Mix

Olive Garden Salad Dressing
1/2 C. Mayonnaise
1/3 C. White Vinegar
1 tsp. Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. Romano Cheese
1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt - or one clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Parsley Flakes
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Olive Garden Salad Mix

Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little to tart for your own personal tastes please add a little extra sugar.

Olive Garden Salad Mix
1 bag American Blend Dole Salad
4-5 slices Red Onion
4-6 Black Olives
2-4 Banana Peppers
1/2 C. Croutons
1 small Tomato Quartered
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Chill one salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Place bag of salad in bowl. Place on top of lettuce but red onion, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons. Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like, and add plenty of Olive Garden Salad Dressing on top.

Find Soft Italian Breadsticks here.

Mom's Texas Sheet Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
2 sticks margarine
1 cup water
4 tbsp. cocoa
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs

Mix sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. In heavy pan, bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil. Take cocoa mix from heat as soon as it boils and add immediately to dry ingredients. Add sour cream, eggs and baking soda; mix well after each. Batter will be thin. Bake in jelly roll pan at 375 degrees for 20-25 min. Prepare frosting while cake is baking. Frost as soon as cake is removed from oven.

Butter Nut Frosting
1 cup nuts (optional)
2 sticks margarine
1 box powdered sugar
6 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
4 tbsp. cocoa

Boil milk, butter and cocoa in heavy pan until bubbly. Stir in sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. Add nuts. Spread over hot cake.

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches topped with Cole Slaw and Summer Beans on the side

Yikes. I'm so behind. Last night I made another of my husband's favorites. This recipe is good even though it's made out of pork (not my favorite). I think I mostly like it because we put cole slaw on our sandwiches (yum). My hubby would like it if I made this weekly, I'm sure. Enjoy.

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches
recipe courtesy of Everyday Food

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 4 equal pieces
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 soft sandwich rolls, split
Store-bought barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in lower and upper positions. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Place pork in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot; rub with spice mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 cup water; pour over pork. Cover pot, and place in oven on lower rack. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily when pulled with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. With two forks, shred meat. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with pan juices to moisten (you may not need all the juices). Pile pork on rolls, and top with barbecue sauce, if desired. Serves 8.

Cole Slaw
recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

1 head green cabbage
shredded 2 carrots,
grated 1 red onion,
thinly sliced 2 green onions (white and green parts),
chopped 1 fresh red chile, sliced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the cole slaw with the celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Summer Beans
recipe courtesy of Cafe Johnsonia

tomatoes--can use fresh (5-6 large tomatoes) or canned (2 small cans or 1 large)
4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes (or other waxy potato), sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 bag frozen green beans (I like the Haricot Verts from Trader Joe's)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced (whatever you like)
Salt and pepper
Drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil

Cook sliced potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic in a large pot until you can pierce the potatoes easily with the tip of a knife--so there is still some resistance, but the potatoes aren't mushy.Remove the potatoes and tomatoes to a large bowl.Steam the green beans in the same pan you used to cook the potatoes and tomatoes. Add the cooked green beans to the bowl with the potatoes and tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.To serve: * a splash of balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. OR* a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Make it Work! Jambalaya, Sour Cream Yeast Rolls and Dutch Apple Pie

Today I made mom's Jambalaya, a favorite the whole family will eat (doesn't happen too often) with a side of pineapple and sour cream yeast rolls. Now everybody loves my rolls, especially my kids. My two-year-old is known for stealing them during dinner and eating them super fast before anyone notices. He was so excited that we were having rolls today that as soon as my husband walked through the door this evening he yells, "Daddy we're having rolls for dinner!! Yay!!" Because my family loves them so much I make them 2-3 times a week. Thank goodness they are easy to make.

Meals like Jambalaya are great because I can make them while the baby naps and the kids play and then put it in the oven later. Except today my baby was in no mood for a nap and the kids seem to not want me out of their sight today. So I made the best of it. I set my Pandora radio to "The Shins station" (I need music in order to function properly) while my eldest son did his math homework at the dining table, my two-year-old played his magnet game on the fridge and my always helpful daughter played with the baby. It somehow worked out perfectly.

I managed to make a pie for FHE, too. This one is my sweet husband's favorite.

My two-year-old, about to swipe a roll.

Mom's Jambalaya

2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 package of small pork sausages (Little Smokies), cut up
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
2 cups chicken broth
few of dashes of parsley
1 tsp. salt
2 dashes of cayenne pepper (omit this if your kids don't like spicy food)
1 ¼ cup of rice
dash of thyme
2 cans of tomatoes

Sauté onion, pepper, garlic and sausage in oil until veggies are tender. Add chicken and all remaining ingredients. Put into 9 X 13 pan. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1hour or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Bread Machine Sour Cream Yeast Rolls

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter -- cut into small piece
1 egg
2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast

Combine ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturer's directions and process in dough cycle. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, and knead 4 to 5times (I'm lazy and don't even do this); divide in half. Shape each portion into 9 rolls, and place in an 8-in round pan (I divide them into 12 rolls and place them in a greased muffin tin). Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes.

Dutch Apple Pie with Oatmeal Struesel
recipe courtesy of allrecipes

1 (9 inch) pie shell
5 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Fit pastry shell into pie pan and place in freezer.

To Make Apple Filling: Place apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix well, then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.
Remove pie shell from freezer. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

While filling is baking, make Streusel Topping: In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and lemon peel. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.

Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.

Carrie's Notes: So good! If you like Apple Crisp then you'll love this pie. Tips...Freezing crust is not necessary. Also, I used a 1/4 cup of flour in the filling to thicken it up (per recommendations).