Shredded Pork Burritos

Well before I say anything else I just want to let you know that this recipe was DELICIOUS :) This is another recipe from one of my new cookbooks, it's actually one I haven't looked all the way through yet but I was flicking through and saw the picture for this recipe and had to try it. My husband LOVES meat! He especially loves the pork burritos at Cafe Rio so I knew he would want to try this. I've done copy cat recipes for the Cafe Rio pork before which were super yummy but this one seemed different (it's NOT trying to be a copy cat) because of the flavours. Anyway I got a couple of new spices and this morning after working out I got everything out, put it all together in about 15-20 minutes, put it in the crock pot and let it cook all day, easy :) I knew I would have way too much because I ended up getting a bigger piece of pork than the recipe called for because they didn't have any smaller ones. We decided to have my mother in law and 2 sister in laws, plus kids over for dinner so we wouldn't have tons of left overs. It's always scary to invite people over when you've never tried a recipe before but thankfully it was a HUGE hit and everyone LOVED it :) The dressing that goes with it is REALLY good as well. This is another recipe we'll be for sure adding to our regular list, YUMMY :)
1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (5lbs but I used about 7lbs)
2 T. plus 1/2 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. paprika, divided
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 can (12 oz.) cola
1 c. chicken broth
1 lg. sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves. minced

DRESSING
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. milk
2 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
3/4 c. fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut into coarse chunks
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 T. lime juice
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Flour tortillas

Cut roast in half. Combine 2 T. brown sugar, 2 tsp. paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin and salt; rub over meat. Place meat in slow cooker. Add cola, broth, onion and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Take meat out and shred, removing meat from bones (discard bones). Return meat to crock pot along with remaining brown sugar and paprika. Cover and cook on low for another hour or until heated through. Meanwhile, in a blender combine mayonnaise, milk, tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, salad dressing, lime juice, garlic and cayenne. Cover and mix until well blended. Pour into a bowl and chill until meat is ready. Serve sauce over meat and ENJOY :)

Pork Chili Verde

This meal ended up being a rushed meal eaten on the fly. We were trying to get out family garden ready so I had to run back home to finish it off, eat my share and get the kids ready and take it to them. Everyone seemed to enjoy it though which was good. I love rice but some of my kids aren't the biggest fans, oh well I'm mean and make them eat it anyway ;) One thing I would try next time is to try and make the sauce thicker, well if I wanted to use it in a tortilla like the recipe said to do. It was a yummy recipe though and yet again another crock pot recipe which I love :)
1 boneless pork sirloin roast (3 lbs.), cut into 1-inch cubes
4 med. carrots, sliced
1 med. onion, thinly sliced
1 c. minced fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. canola oil
1 can (28 oz.) green enchilada sauce
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. cold water
Rice
Flour tortillas

In a large skillet, saute pork, carrots, onion, cilantro and garlic in oil in batches until pork is browned. Transfer to a crock pot, add enchilada sauce and jalapenos. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is tender. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pork mixture. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened. I may have not cooked it long enough afterwards thicken it, I would suggest doing that if you want to eat it with tortillas. Yummy Scrummy, ENJOY :)

Hawaiian Pork Ribs

Tonight's recipe was DELICIOUS!!!

I found this recipe in my new Betty Crocker cookbook and it looked so good I had to try it. I also knew my husband would love it because he LOVES meat and especially ribs. This was a pretty easy recipe to make as well which is always good. The recipe called for 6lbs pork loin back ribs but I didn't write that down properly so I ended up not knowing what to get when I was at the store. I ended up picked out country style boneless ribs and I only used 3lbs and I actually am glad I did. I think for our family that worked better. Really I think you could use any kind of meat you want. We all LOVED the ribs though, it was a big hit which is always nice when you're trying new things.
3 lbs boneless country style ribs (anything you like really)
3/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. pineapple preserves
1/2 c. teriyaki marinade and sauce
2 T. packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained, with 1/3 c. juice reserved
1 (1lb) bag frozen stir fry (any kind you prefer)

Spray crock pot with cooking spray, then place ribs in. In a small bowl combine ketchup, preserves, teriyaki, brown sugar and garlic. Pour mixture over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Remove ribs from cooker and keep warm. I just put mine in the oven set at 200F. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and pineapple juice until smooth. Add mixture to the juice in the crock pot. Increase heat to high, cover and cook for another 25 minutes (or until thickened). Meanwhile mix pineapple chunks and stir fry veggies in a microwave safe bowl. Cook uncovered for about 5-6 minutes (until heated/cooked). Drain water from veggies then mix veggies in with the sauce that is in the crockpot. I serves this with rice and served the veggie mixture over the ribs. I also had some veggie/sauce mixture left over so I put it in a quart size freezer bag and I'm going to freeze it so I can use it another day. I figure if I need a quick dinner one night I can cook some chicken really fast and just add the leftover sauce, YUMMY!!!