Pork Carnitas

My parents came for dinner last week so I decided to make one of our favorite kinds of food, Mexican. And it’s just in time to share with you all for Cinco de Mayo. I decided on these amazing pork carnitas, Mexican rice, crock pot refried beans and homemade flour tortillas (which I will be sharing with you later this week).

These carnitas may just blow your mind. For real. I’m still dreaming about that delicious taco.

Neither Joel or my brother really like pork so I was a little worried about how this would go over. The verdict…they loved it and have requested it to be made again, soon.

Although the carnitas take a little time to cook and have a few different steps, they come together very easily. And make sure not to skip anything, especially the broiling. It gives the pork a crispy, crunchy bite that is so delicious with the soft tortillas. Man, I need to stop talking about them or else I’m going to start drooling. Please run to the store for the ingredients right now and make this for your family and friends. It’s a great, easy and casual way to entertain any time of the year.

Pork Carnitas
recipe from My Kitchen Escapades

4 pound boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 cup water
1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees and move oven rack to the bottom of the oven. In a large dutch oven, combine all the ingredients (including the orange halves) and heat over medium high heat until it simmers. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven for about 2 hours, or until the meat falls apart when you poke it with a fork.

2.  Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler.  Remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan.  Remove and throw out everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid.  Place the dutch oven over high heat on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.  You should have about 1 cup of liquid remaining when it is finished.

3.  While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces.  Once the liquid has become a syrup, gently fold in the pieces of pork into the pot.  Try not to break up the pork any further.  Taste and if needed, add some salt and pepper.

4.  Spread the pork back onto the foil lined pan and evenly spread the meat around so there is a single layer of meat.  Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Using a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.  Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork

I really need to stop watching TV while attempting to write. I’ve been sitting here for about an hour and have only got a few measly sentences. Pathetic time waster I am. I need to turn it off. But I’m watching The Taste so that makes it ok right? All I have to say is darn the freakin’ Hopper that came with our satellite. It tapes all the primetime shows on all the main network channels EVERY.DAY. This translates to me watching too much TV and finding too many new shows that I will inevitably become a slave to. I have only watched the audition episodes of the show but I’m liking it so far and really like the idea of it. Well, I like everything but Anthony Bourdain. Sorry, I’m just not a fan of that guy.

Here is yet another easy, crock pot meal for those busy weeknights. This one went over 50/50 in our house (I didn’t count Noah since he doesn’t really eat meat). I loved the smokey, rich and sweet flavors of this pork but Joel wasn’t a huge fan. Good thing for both of us that he gets free lunches at work because he didn’t have to eat leftovers meaning the more for me!

This would be perfect to serve at a big barbecue as it is simple to throw together which translates to more time to party with your peeps and it feeds a crowd.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork
recipe from Flavors by Four

1 3.5 lb. pork shoulder (I used a pork loin roast)
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. grated ginger

1. Add all ingredients but pork to slow cooker.  Add pork.  Turn slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours, or until pork is falling apart.

2. Break up or shred pork with two forks.  Sauce should be fairly thick.  If sauce is still too thin, turn crock pot back up to high until sauce thickens (mine was plenty thick without this step). Serve on rolls.

Salt and Pepper Pork Chops

I know I am always talking about quick and easy weeknight meals and hopefully I’m not boring you with them because I am sharing another one today. Wondering why they have become so prevalent around here? Joel’s new job is downtown. All of the garages downtown are FULL. You know what that means? Well, it means that Noah and I are driving him to work and picking him up every day. I kind of grumbled about it at first but it’s actually been kind of great so far. We are able to sit down and have breakfast together then chat even more during our drive. It gets Noah and me out of the house a bit which is always nice for a stay at home mom, even if it is only a 10 minute drive in our jammies. Let’s hope we never see anyone we know during this process….it would be uncomfortable explaining the polka dot pants.

Anyway, since we are picking him up everyday and don’t usually get home until close to 5:30 I have lost a lot of cooking time. I try my best to plan ahead and get some prep done during nap time if needed but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. And that’s where this meal comes in. I mix up the ridiculously easy marinade in the morning, throw in the chops and put it in the fridge all day. Then before I head out to pick up Joel, I throw some rice into the rice cooker. When we get home, all I have to do is cook these chops real quick (which literally takes about 5 minutes) and steam some broccoli. It’s a real life saver when you have less than 20 minutes to throw something together for a hungry toddler that’s used to eating at 5:30. And they taste amazing and aren’t dry. A miracle for me when it comes to pork chops!

Salt and Pepper Pork Chops
recipe from One Perfect Bite

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 pounds boneless thin-cut pork loin chops
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Combine soy sauce, cornstarch, pepper, sugar and salt in bottom of 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan. Stir with a fork until all ingredients are combined and marinade is smooth. Add chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 1 to 24 hours.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan set over medium high heat. Add pork, working in batches if necessary. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to serving plate or serve from pan. Yield: 4 servings.

Crock Pot Pork Ragu

This is hands down one of my new favorite meals and I’m not usually a big red sauce fan. It had a rich, delicious flavor and it is really simple to throw together on a weeknight or even for a casual dinner party. Add a green salad with pear and blue cheese along with some crusty Ciabatta (for sopping up the sauce of course) to complete the meal. It’s a wonderfully warm and hearty dish for fall that your family and friends will really love.

Crock Pot Pork Ragu
recipe from Red Shallot Kitchen

2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cubed (I used a pork loin and did not cube it)
1 large onion, chopped (I grated mine so that it was very fine)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 package Farfalle (or Pappardelle or Rigatoni)
Grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Brown the pork on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove pork from skillet and transfer to slow cooker. Add onions, garlics, wine, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and bay leaves into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours, until the pork is fork tender and the juice thickens.

2. Remove the pork from the crock pot, shred with 2 forks to make smaller pieces. Remove bay leaves and return shredded pork into the crock pot. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Simmer/warm for additional 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a boiling salt water until soft, per package directions. Drain pasta, toss with pork ragu, serve immediately with grated parmesan and chopped parley.

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini

During a recent visit to the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market I picked up some heirloom orange zucchini. It was our first visit but I will tell you it definitely won’t be our last! I loved the place but left a bit sad since it’s so far away and we don’t have anything comparable near us. But we went home with a couple bags full of fresh produce and homemade tortillas, yum!

Maybe I’m just oblivious or not too bright but I totally didn’t know zucchini came in anything other than green. So when I saw the heirloom orange zucchini, I snatched it up with pure excitement. And it was only 25 cents per zucchini so it was a total steal. When I got home, I got to thinking of what to make and oh so conveniently, this recipe popped up on my Facebook news feed. I have made several recipes from Skinny Taste with very pleasing results so I knew this would be a good one to try. And it turned out to be so easy.

I halved the recipe since I was making it for lunch and Joel isn’t a zucchini fan so I didn’t want lots of leftovers. I had some leftover cooked ground sausage that I threw in the freezer a few weeks ago after making Sicilian Spaghetti so I simply thawed it and sauted it with the vegetables. I even made it up the night before so I could just throw it in the oven the next day. This was a great, healthy lunch that I enjoyed a lot. Maybe I can talk Joel into trying it. We shall see.

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini
recipe from Skinny Taste

1 1/4 pizza sauce or jarred spaghetti sauce
4 medium zucchini
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced (I left this out because I didn’t have it on hand)
14 oz. lean chicken sausage, removed from casing
1/2 cup part skim mozzarella, shredded
8 tsp. parmesan cheese, grated (I left this out)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4″ thick. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside.

3. Drop zucchini halves into boil water for 1 minute then remove.

4. Place 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12″ baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up.

5. In a large saute pan, brown sausage, breaking up as it cooks into smaller pieces until browned; set aside. Heat oil and add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook on a medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add chopped zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add chicken sausage and cook until browned, breaking up in smaller pieces with a wooden spoon until cooked through.

6. Using a spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with 1/3 cup cooked sausage, pressing firmly. Top each with 2 tablespoons each of sauce, 1 tablespoon each of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon each of parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.

Pork and Ginger Potstickers with Honey Soy Dipping Sauce

I adore potstickers and have to order them whenever I see them on a menu. So when I was creating my Top 100, I knew they had to be on the list since they are one of my favorite appetizers and I had never made them before. I browsed around the internet for the perfect recipe and I’m pretty sure I found it. I was feeling a bit lazy after a crazy, busy day and decided to use wonton wrappers instead of making the homemade dough indicated in the recipe. If you are feeling ambitious, the link below provides the dough recipe.

These were deliciously crispy on one side and steamed to perfection on the other! The pork was moist and tender while the cabbage kept a bit of its crunch. Rather than dipping them in regular ‘ole soy sauce, I mixed up the Honey Soy Dipping Sauce below and am glad I did! I find soy sauce salty and just too much on its own so the honey really helped mellow it out and the red pepper flakes added a nice zing.

They were surprisingly easy to throw together and with Joel’s help only took about 5 minutes to fill and seal. I made a double batch and froze half for another time. I’m assuming (and hoping) I can cook them in the same manner from the freezer. I will update you once I find out!

Pork and Ginger Potstickers
recipe adapted from Food Network

1 cups chopped Napa cabbage
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons thin soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 egg
1 to 2 cups chicken stock or water
Wonton wrappers

1. Sprinkle cabbage with the 1/2 tablespoon of salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Place the cabbage on a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth and squeeze out any water. The dryer the cabbage the better. In a large bowl thoroughly mix the cabbage with all of the other ingredients, except the chicken stock.

2. Place a small mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. (Be very careful not to touch the edges with the filling as this will impede proper sealing of the dumplings. Nothing is worse than dumplings breaking during cooking.) Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle shape. Wet inside edges with water then press closed tightly. Rest the dumplings with the folded edges straight up.

3. In a hot saute pan coated well with oil, place pot stickers flat side down and cook until the bottom is browned. Have pan cover ready and add 1 cup of chicken stock, cover immediately. Be careful, the liquid will splatter! The stock will steam the potstickers. Check them in 5 minutes as more stock may be needed. The trick here is that once the dumplings are firm and fully cooked the stock will evaporate and the bottoms will crisp-up again.

Honey Soy Dipping Sauce
recipe from Food Network

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons orange blossom honey
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Whisk together soy sauce, honey, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Just before serving stir in sesame seeds.

Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Loin

Now that summer activities have started up, life is getting busy busy busy! On Wednesday’s Joel has softball at 6:30 but has to leave the house by 5:50 and usually doesn’t get home from work until 5:30. That leaves very little time to get dinner on the table, especially with a busy toddler that wants your constant attention.

When these days roll around, I almost always turn to the crockpot. I found this recipe via Pinterest and knew we had to give it a try. I often find that meat, especially pork or chicken, dry out really quickly and easily in the crockpot. Well, I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled this out of the crockpot and found a moist, flavorful pork loin. This definitely has a vinegary zing but the brown sugar really mellows it out for a delightful, easy meal. I served this over rice which I cooked in a rice cooker so I had a double serving of easy when it came to this meal.

Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Loin
recipe from C + C Marriage Factory

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water

Glaze:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

 

Chorizo Nachos

When I was a kid Friday’s were Nacho Night. I used to complain (shocking, right?) but now that I’ve grown up I get a little nostalgic thinking about those times I spent with my family. Although Friday’s are usually the night we eat out, every once and awhile we revive Nacho Night.

Recently, Joel was feeling under the weather and didn’t want to go out for dinner. I quickly decided it was time to have Emeril’s Chorizo Nachos again and ran to the store to pick up the ingredients. We had them several months ago and they were divine.

I love the fact that they are layered then baked (we’ve always just nuked ours in the microwave). It adds a crunch factor in the chips and bubbly brown cheese that is just heavenly! We ate them late, after Noah was asleep, while snuggling on the couch watching a movie. It’s pretty awesome that Nacho Night continues to create memories and tradition within my new little family.

Chorizo Nachos
recipe from Emeril Lagasse

1 pound Mexican chorizo, removed from casings and crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Water
Tortilla Chips
1 1/2 cups grated pepper jack
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1 small white onion, sliced into thin rings
5 large jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and chopped, or to taste
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

1. In a large skillet, cook the chorizo, garlic, and cumin, stirring, over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. To the fat in the pan, add the pinto beans, chili powder, salt, and 1 to 1 1/2 cups water (depending on the moisture in the beans). Cook over medium heat until warmed through, smashing with the back of a heavy wooden spoon or potato masher until chunky/smooth. Remove from the heat.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
3. On a large, oval ovenproof platter or in a large baking dish, spread 1 layer of chips. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the beans, then 1/2 of the sausage, cheeses, onion rings, and chopped jalapenos. Repeat with another layer of chips, beans, sausage, cheese, onions and jalapenos. Bake until the cheeses are melted and the mixture is hot, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and lime juice, with a pinch of salt. Drizzle over the nachos, garnish with cilantro, and serve immediately.

Linked to the following wonderful linky parties:
Mangia Monday
Cast Party Wednesday
These Chicks Cooked
Full Plate Thursday
Fat Camp Friday
Strut Your Stuff Saturday
Everyday Sisters
Manic Monday
Totally Tasty Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
What I Whipped Up Wednesday

Halloweenies {Crescent Mummy Dogs}

I love a anything themed (and sometimes go a tad overboard) and Halloween provides so many fun, creative ideas! I will be bringing you main dishes, desserts, snacks and beverages for all your Halloween party needs! And first up is Halloweenies! Clever, I know.

I made these for the first time last Halloween and they were a huge hit. I mean, who wouldn’t love a mummified pig-in-a-blanket? I made them using lil smokies to serve them as appetizers but this year I decided to go with hot dogs to make them a meal.

These would be so fun to make and enjoy with your kids. Noah is still too little to help in the kitchen but we will definitely be making these together next year. We’ll see how mummy-like his end up, but they will be beautiful all the same.

Halloweenies {Crescent Mummy Dogs}
recipe adapted from Pillsbury.com

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
10 large cheese hot dogs
Cooking spray
Mustard or ketchup, if desired

1 Heat oven to 375°F.

2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.

3. With knife or pizza cutter, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough.

4. Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog to look like bandages, stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate “bandages” so hot dog shows through for “face.” On greased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs.

5. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on “face.”

Smoked Ribs and BBQ Rub

Labor Day weekend was super busy for us. Joel’s parents, sister and her kids all came to visit and we had a blast hanging out together! We went to the lake on Saturday, rented a pontoon boat and spent the afternoon cruising the lake. Unfortunately, the high was only about 65 degrees and it was pretty windy on the water. We were cold. See. On Sunday we went to church together, took the kids to Space Aliens, played outside and looked through pictures of my in-laws recent trip to Alaska. It was a busy weekend. The in-laws headed home Monday morning leaving our little family to celebrate Labor Day together. We took Noah on his first picnic by the river and he loved it. Anything that involves food or being outdoors is sure to make him happy!

We decided to break out the smoker again this summer before it gets too cold and we of course picked our favorite grilled meat, baby back ribs! They are so simple to smoke and so amazingly fall-off-the-bone delicious! Joel took care of the ribs and I prepared macaroni and cheese and baked beans. I also mixed up a sweet, smoky and spicy barbecue rub for the ribs.

To smoke the ribs, we remove the membrane off the back of the ribs then rub them generously with the rib rub. Then place them in the smoker which is between 225 and 250 degrees. We then smoke them for 5 to 6 hours (checking the smoker often to ensure it stays in the temperature range). After they have been smoked, we slather them with a generous amount of our favorite barbecue sauce then throw them on the grill for a few minutes. If you like your ribs dry, skip this step.

Linked to Cast Party Wednesday, Mangia Monday’s, Recipe Sharing Mondays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Full Plate Thursday , This Week’s Craving and Fat Camp Friday.

Kansas City Rib Rub
recipe from About.com

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. Keeps for 6 months.