French onion smothered boneless porkchops

It's a dreary, overcast day outside and I just want to curl up in bed and sleep all day. I force myself to be productive even though it's hard.

I tried to use what I had at home, but realized I had to go out anyway so I picked up a couple items I needed for this recipe.

It is super easy, it was done in however long it takes to brown both sides of boneless pork chops. Maybe 10 min. Thrown in the Crock-Pot on high for 4 hours. Even put in at 2pm. Dinner will be done by 6pm tonight. That's a win in my book.

Ingredients:

6-8 boneless pork chops (I had 7)
1 onion, sliced thinly, halved
1 can Campbell's chicken with herbs soup
1 can Campbell's french onion soup
Season of choice. I coated both sides of my pork chops with Ms. Dash

2tbsp butter and olive oil for browning pork chops

Directions:
Brown pork chops in olive oil and butter.

Place half the sliced onions on bottom of Crock-Pot

Place first half of pork chops on top of onions then layer rest of onions on pork chops. Top with remaining pork chops.

Mix the two cans of soup together and


pour on top of layers of onion and pork chops. Set on high 4 hours. Enjoy!

Crockpot Freezer Meal - Teriyaki Pork and Cream Cheese Peas

Tonights dinner was one of my Freezer Crockpot meals that I made a week or so ago, to help me with evening dinners since we are doing Football in the evenings and it's new for our family. These easy dinners have really helped me with juggling these busy evenings.

This recipe was originally for pork chops, but I only had pork roasts, instead of cutting them up into chops, I figured cooking the whole roast would be tasty. It really was! My husband raved that I needed to keep this recipe and make it again. Soon! So, because it tasted so yummy I'm posting it on my blog and sharing with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

ingredients:
2-3 pound pork roast or 6-8 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste (I recommend sprinkling them before you freeze them)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce or amino acid
2/3 cup chicken or veggie broth

Add the garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce and broth in a large gallon size ziploc freezer bag. Mix well, then add the pre-seasoned pork roast or chops. make sure you coat all of the roast or chops in the marinade. Place in the freezer. Pull out the morning you want this for dinner, run warm water over the outside of the freezer bag to loosen up the items in the bag. Place in a crockpot on low 6-8 hours. I removed mine about 10-20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, and let set for about 5 min. This will allow the pork to stay moist.

I served this with cream cheese peas and instant mashed potatoes.

The cream cheese peas is super easy and I made that in the microwave. it's half a cream cheese package, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 pound sweet peas. Microwave 5 min on high, stir, microwave on high another 5 min. Serve warm.

Sweet Pork - Costa Vida, with cilantro ranch dressing

Have you ever eaten at Costa Vida and wondered what they do to their pork to make it so delicious? Or wondered how you can make it at home. I know I have. I LOVE Costa Vida's sweet pork salad. It is my favorite. I get the small it's a TON of food. I wanted one for my birthday but I decided that it was wiser not to spend $7.00 on one small salad. So tonight, I'm making it at home. I had a 6 lb pork shoulder in the freezer and since i'm having company over this weekend, I thought I could make it tonight and serve it again later this weekend. Is that cheating? Well, anyways... i'm thinking tonight will be sweet pork pizza, tomorrow I will have sweet pork salad for lunch and then not sure what to have the other days, but really looking forward to some delicious dinners/lunches with this pork. I have been told that it makes a TON so make sure you freeze some for another day. I haven't tried this recipe before but I'm hopeful!

Ingredients:

6 lb pork roast (pork shoulder or rump works)
water
24 oz coke (I'm using generic cola and added extra to cover meat)
14 oz salsa
3 cups brown sugar

Directions:

Place pork in crock pot and cover 1/2 way with water. cook on high for 6 hours, then remove water, shred pork and place back in the slow cooker, mix together rest of the ingredients, pour over meat and cook another 2-3 hours.

* I have had mine on warm overnight. I had used a frozen pork so it cooked on high for 10 hours. Then I just put it on low for 10 hours with the sauce and it has been in the slow cooker on warm all day. This flavor is so tasty! I'm waiting until the dough is done for the pizza before I turn it off. This is very sweet and so delicious!

Ingredients for cilantro ranch dressing:

1 buttermilk ranch mix packet (dry)
2 cups mayo
2 cups buttermilk or 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup milk (I used buttermilk)
2 tomatillo's (optional)
1 jalapeno, seeded or equivalent slices diced
1/2 - 1 bunch of cilantro (optional you can substitute parsley for cilantro)
1 tbs lime juice (I used lemon juice as I didn't have lime)
1 clove garlic, crushed (I'm using garlic paste as I don't have any fresh garlic or minced garlic)

Directions:
Blend all ingredients with a mixer or food processor. Makes a lot so store in an air tight container.

Verdict: SO YUMMY... it tastes so close to the Costa Vida dish that I don't think I'll ever pay for another salad there again. Well, unless I get lazy and don't have any of this ready. With the dressing and stuff this makes for a perfect duplicate. plus... I think it actually tastes better than the original. If that is possible. Enjoy! I know I am especially with a whole 6 Qt. slow cooker full of yummy sweet pork! MMMMM

Dr. Pepper Pork BBQ

Photo by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman)

As I sit here coughing and with a migraine, typing up this recipe. I am grateful for other women/men out on the web listing their recipes for other's to try. I have been visiting The pioneer Woman cooks recipe blog for a while. She has beautiful pictures of her food (as seen above) and step by step directions. Mine isn't done cooking so I borrowed her picture for now.  I just love her blog. It makes me want to be a better blogger, when I have more time. :) Well, I have been eyeing this recipe of hers for a while, but haven't had the ability to purchase a pork butt, but I finally bit the bullet this last week and bought it and the ingredients to make her Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork. However, my recipe is slightly different, but uses the same ingredients. Just either more or less of some of them. Hoping for a sweeter, less spicy bbq pork, but still with lots of flavor. This is my attempt, as I sit here sick. I was going to make my crock pot chicken, but my chicken is beried in the middle of my deep freeze and I don't have the energy to pull it out. the pork was in the fridge for a different day to make. It just got moved up on the menu list. So excited for a yummy dinner. Even if tonight is Bunco Night. I'm still going to eat it, at least a little, but looking forward to leftovers for a salad tomorrow :)

Here is my recipe. For Ree's recipe click on the link above.

Ingredients:

3 medium/small yellow onions
1 boneless, pork shoulder/butt  (5-7 lbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 can 7 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed or gently packed)

Directions:
Cut the onion ends off and then quarter the onion, peel off the outer skin, and arrange in the bottom of a LARGE dutch oven. Next... Generously sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the pork shoulder/butt. Then set on top of the onions. Pour the chipotle peppers on top of the pork (including the sauce). Then sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the pork and on the sides of the dutch oven. Then pour both cans of Dr. Pepper on top of the chipotle peppers/pork and onions. Stir to incorporate the brown sugar in to the liquid.

Place lid tightly on top of the pot. Then set pot on the middle rack in the oven. Cook for at least 6 hours turning the meat every 2 hours during the cooking process. Check the meat at 6 hours; it should be absolutely falling apart.(use the two forks to test). If it's not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove the meat from the pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred the meat, discard large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard the fat. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and the liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it's cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.)

Serve on a salad, rolls, rice, or warm tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, avocado slices/guacamole, salsa or what ever you want. Enjoy!

This looks so delicious, I can barely wait to eat it. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think of the dish. :)

Everything but the kitchen sink chili

Today is going to be a long day for me. My oldest son is going on his first scout overnighter, I have a Girls Night Out... (yeah me!). I have to write one of my final papers for school, and the kids have a half day at school. Not to mention the house is messy and needs cleaning and laundry needs done. So I figured I needed a easy quick set it and forget it dinner. I pull out my trusty crock pot. Then I try to figure out what to put it it that is quick, easy and set it and forget it. I think that my cowboy stew would be nice and yummy. Then i remember i have leftovers from last night which was a raspberry vinaigrette pork loin. Which was just a low fat raspberry vinaigrette pored over a pork loin and cooked in the slow cooker all day. It was sweet, and tasty, lacked a little salt but other than that pretty good. So i figured I would try to make a chili of some sort without chili powder. Even if it is a sweet chili. Is there anything wrong with sweet chili... I don't think so. So I pull out my ingredients and away I go... Dump and stir then set it and forget it...

Ingredients:
2 cans chili beans
2 cans sweet corn
2 cups mixed sweet peppers, chopped/diced - I had orange, yellow and red
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 lb hamburger patties crumbled, browned with salt and pepper
leftover pork roast
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups of salsa medium
salt and pepper to taste

combine all ingredients in a slow cooker/crockpot for 8-10 hrs.

Serve with cornbread/corn chips with sour cream and cheese.

Texas BBQ Pulled Pork

I have made the same pulled pork for a while and my husband had mentioned last time that he was tired of it. So today I decided to try to find another recipe. Ok, so I know I'm not the only one who uses the same recipe too often,... right... or am a I? It's rhetorical so no need to answer to me. :) I went searching the web for the best pulled pork recipe... that and I needed to have all the ingredients on hand here at home. I looked for ratings by reviewers. I like to go to allrecipes.com they have a lot of great recipes and I like seeing pictures, and printing it in 4X6 cards so I can add them to my recipe box. I was a little worried so I didn't pass it along until after my family tried it for their stamp of approval. The funny thing is that my husband when he heard I made bbq pork he asked if I went easy on the A-1 steak sauce... HA HA Ha... I know right.. well, this recipe doesn't have any A-1 Steak sauce. So he was happy and was even happier that it wasn't a vinegary flavor. Even though there is some vinegar in it. I also made my homemade bread maker rolls to eat them on. You can find that recipe here. So here it is....

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 (4-5 lb) pork shoulder roast bone in or bone out

1 cup bbq sauce

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)

1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp Chili powder

1 Extra large onion

2 large cloves of garlic, crushed or minced

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

8 hamburger buns, split

2 Tbsp butter or as needed

Directions

Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker, pour in the bbq sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic and thyme. Cover and cook on high until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5-6 hours.

Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.

**Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter, toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Spoon pork into the toasted buns. **

** I didn't do this part, I made homemade buns and didn't toast them, they were fresh out of the oven. Oh so yummy!

Everything else on this recipe I followed to a "T". I asked my kids what they thought of the pork and they said it was the best EVER. I have a TON left, so this is great for a pot luck or even when you have lots of company over for dinner. I think I have enough for at least 2 or 3 other full meals. Now my problem will be how to use this BBQ pork in another dish that will be just as delicious. If you have any suggestions of how to you'd use this leftover BBQ pork please share with me. I love new ideas. Thanks and Enjoy! I know we did!

Peach Cranberry Glazed Pork

I was looking on line for a peach cranberry glaze for my pork roast for dinner and I couldn't find one. I'm trying to use ingredients that I have around the house and so that is what I had. I had read cranberry glaze recipes and peach glaze recipes but I didn't have all of the items needed to make those. So, using the ingredients I had at my house, I created this glaze. I had my picky 7 yr. old try the glaze, he said it was good. Therefore, I went with it. :) gotta love the honesty of a 7 yr. old. :) This will give the pork a nice glaze and sweet tangy flavor.

Ingredients:

1 - 16oz jar jellied cranberry sauce

1- 18 oz jar peach jelly

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 dashes of ground ginger

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 cup brown sugar

4 tsp Ranch dressing mix

2 tsp kosher salt

Mix till well blended.

Glaze on to pork roast - Bake according to pork Lbs.

When cooking the pork, I like to line the bottom of the baking dish with sliced onions, they become slightly caramelized with the glaze, which adds a great flavor to the dish.

When I was baking the pork, I started baking it covered for about 30-45 min. Then I removed the cover, and re-glazed the pork, left the lid off and cooked for another 40-50 min. then I reglazed the pork again. This time returning the lid on top of the dish. Again about every 30 min or so, I would glaze the pork until the internal temperature was between 150 and 160. Then I remove the pork from the oven and let it rest. While it rests, I added another coating of the glaze. While the pork continues to rest. I put the remainder of the glaze in a small sauce pan and thickened the glaze after it came to a rolling boil. I thickened the glaze with 1/4 cup water and 1 heaping tsp of cornstarch. I continued to let this stay at a rolling boil until desired thickness.

Once the glaze was thickened, the pork done resting, I removed the pork from the baking dish, removed the netting that helped keep the pork together during baking, cut the pork and then poured the thickened glaze and the onions on top of the cut pork.

Verdict... This was HEAVENLY! The pork with the glaze on it had such a nice flavor and aftertaste. It wasn't bitter in the least bit. It might have been too sweet for some, but for us, we liked it sweet. you could probably cut back on the brown sugar if you wanted for a less sweet taste. My kids ate a TON of this! I have a little left over, but I have more glaze than anything left over. I am tempted to save the glaze for another pork dish later on. But I'm not to sure if it would be good saved. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. My husband had his eyes rolling back in his head, and my kids did even want a drink until they were finished eating this delicious pork dish. Enjoy!

Slow cooker Smothered Pork Chops - Quick

This morning on our menu we have smothered pork chops. I had bought at reduced price, a package of bone-in pork chops, and stuck them in the freezer for a later date. I thawed them in the fridge, and went to find my Campbells french onion soup. I was only able to find one can, I then checked my food storage where I found a Progresso French Onion Soup. It is much larger than the french onion soup by Campbell's, but I used it anyways.The first thing I did was cut out the bones. This is an easy step, but not needed if you don't want to. I do it because my husband doesn't like to cut around the bone when he is trying to eat. It is definitely cheaper to buy bone-in and then remove the bones when you get home either before you freeze or after. Here is how quick this came together after removing the bones.

Ingredients:

2 lbs bone-in pork chops (approx 8 pork chops)

1 can Campbell's French Onion Soup

1 can Progresso French Onion Soup

1 can Cream of chicken, mushroom or what ever soup (I used a can of Cream of Chicken with Herbs)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt and pepper for taste

In the 6 quart crock pot, I added the soups and mixed well.

Next I removed the bones from the pork chops and seasoned with sea salt and pepper.

Then I heated the olive oil in a small skillet and lightly browned/seared, the pork chops.

Once they were browned on both sides, I placed them in the crock pot with the soup mixture. and set on low for 8 hours.

My family loves this recipe. They are so tasty and quick and easy. It happens really quick because over high heat in the hot oil, they brown quickly, and then your done. You can serve this with noodles, rice, potatoes, or what ever starch you want. You could even top with cheese and brown in the oven to add further flavor and yumminess.

Orange Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Roast with Caramelized Onions

This recipe was a creation and a conglomeration of several recipes that I read when I was looking for something to do with my pork roast. I read several recipes and my mouth was just watering. So, of course, I had to create my own version of these recipes... Unfortunately, I forgot to write down my exact measurements. I also, forgot to properly measure. :( however, I can tell you approximately what I used. I seem to do a lot of my cooking my non exacts except when I baking. That is definitely more precise. Here is what I did.

Ingredients:

1 pork roast approx. 3-5 lbs (keep netting on)

4-5 oranges- fresh squeezed juice (making sure no seeds make it into the glaze)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

4-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp stone ground mustard

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp corn starch

salt and pepper

1 medium onion sliced

Preheat the oven to 350F. Rinse and dry the pork roast, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl blend together the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, mustard, brown sugar, corn starch and salt and pepper. Mix well. In the bottom of a covered roasting pan, place the slices of the medium onion. Then place the pork roast on top of the onions. Then glaze the pork well with the glaze. Then cover and place in the oven on the center rack, and bake for 1 hour, then remove lid and reglaze the pork. Return pork back in the oven with no lid. Then after another 30 minutes reglaze the pork and cook for another 30 minutes. Once the internal temperature reaches 160F then remove from the oven. Reglaze again once after the pork has left the oven. Let rest for 15 min at least. After it's rested, remove the netting and throw the netting away. Cut into the roast, and enjoy.

Verdict, My husband said it was so EPIC that he would even do the dishes anytime I decided to make this again. :) Plus, he's cleaning the kitchen tonight. I really enjoyed eating the roast with the caramelized onions that caramelized on the bottom under the pork roast in the glaze. OH... So yummy! :) my kids even had the onions and extra glaze on their pork.