Chili Verde

This is amazing! Thanks so much Emma for sharing this recipe with me. I love to serve this over tostada shells with shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top. Letting the pork roast cook overnight in the slow cooker is really a must in this recipe, the pork will literally just fall apart when you shred it the next morning, so delicious!

Chili Verde

1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 pork loin roast (as little fat as possible, if you buy the three pack from Costso they don't have any fat at all)
1 c. water
1 large can green enchilada sauce
1 small can chopped green chilis
1 small onion, sliced or chopped, whatever you like
1 c. chicken broth
1 tsp garlic powder

Rinse off roast and pat dry.
Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Rub over roast, save excess. Place roast in crock pot. Add garlic and water to leftover flour mixture, pour in slow cooker. Cook overnight on low setting. The next day shred pork, it should fall right apart. Remove any fatty peices. Add enchilada suace, green chilis, onion, chicken broth, and garlic powder. Let cook on low for an additional 2-4 hours to incorporate flavors.

You can break up the tostada shells, spoon chili verde over, and sprinkle with cheese and then broil until it's nice and bubbly.

Cowboy Caviar

Thank you Carolyn for this recipe! This is a delicious dip, my husband said he could eat it all day! When I first tasted it I never would have guessed it had Italian dressing in it, all of the flavors are so good together!

3 avocados, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can shoepeg (white) corn, do not drain
1 can black eyed peas, drain and wash
1 can black beans, drain and wash
3 green onions, diced
Cilantro to taste
1/4 - 1/2 bottle fat free Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing (fat free is better in this recipe)

Stir together all ingredients except dressing. Gradually add enough dressing to reach the desired consistency. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

Southwest Fajitas

Okay, so I know the pic looks a little strange, but believe me, this is awesome! It is one of my all time favorite dinners to make. It's kind of like a southwestern gyro, so good! I love serving this with homemade salsa and guacamole.

Southwestern Fajitas

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. flank steak, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 c. sliced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
3/4 c. plain yogurt
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. corn (canned or frozen)
1 square or 1 tsp chicken bouillon flavoring
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add steak, onion, garlic, and peppers; saute for 6 minutes. At this point I drain off the excess liquid. Add yogurt and cream cheese; stir until cheese melts. Stir in corn, bouillon, pepper, and cumin. It may not look smooth and creamy right now, but it will after you cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve in corn or flour tortillas with lots of cheese and guacamole!

Sorry!

I'm sorry it has been so long since I've posted anything! I am having computer problems right now, and I should be up and running in about a week. Check back then for some great recipes I've been trying! Thanks!

Overnight Caramel Apple French Toast

This french toast is sooooooo good and is really worth the wait and extra time! I've always used artisan sourdough bread for this and it's really delicious, but I'm sure Texas toast (the thick sliced bread) would work well too. I love making this when I have guests because it's more impressive than having cereal for breakfast :) and because you do all the prep work at night so you just pop it in the oven in the morning, so quick and easy.

Overnight Caramel Apple French Toast

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 Tbs. light corn syrup
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
3 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla
9 slices sourdough bread, french bread, or Texas Toast bread (3/4" thick)

In small pan cook brown sugar, butter, and syrup until thick, about 5-7 minutes. Pour into ungreased 13X9 baking dish. Arrange apples on top of caramel. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla together. Dip bread slices in egg mixture. Place on top of apples. Pour excess egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Loosen sides and then invert onto baking sheet or large serving dish. Enjoy!

Sweet Coleslaw

This is a very basic and simple coleslaw. I am really trying to branch out and make vegetable dishes :) Most everyone liked it, I would encourage you to add a little sugar at a time until you attain your perfect level of sweetness because the whole amount called for in this recipe may be too sweet for some. I took out about a cup of the prepared coleslaw mix and added in about a cup of chopped red cabbage to add some color.

1 16oz. bag coleslaw mix
2 Tbs. diced onion
2/3 c. Miracle Whip or Mayo
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 c. white sugar (start with 1/4 c. and add a little more at a time to suit your taste)
1 Tbs. white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Combine the coleslaw mix and the onion in a bowl. Whisk together remaining ingredients, pour over coleslaw and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate two hours before serving.

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork

I was searching for a new pulled pork recipe and I found this one on the internet. It turned out to be so good! It was so moist and flavorful, exactly what I wanted. I served it on store bought rolls, I brushed melted butter and a little sugar on the top and baked for about 5 minutes until they were hot and nicely browned.

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork

3 lb. boneless pork loin roast NOT frozen
1/2 c. flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. water
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
8 oz. green chilies, diced
1 c. BBQ sauce
1/2 onion, sliced
3 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
hot sauce to taste
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

Combine flour and salt and pepper. Rub over whole roast. Place in slow cooker. Whisk together remaining flour, water, and garlic. Pour in slow cooker. Cook overnight on low heat.
The next day shred the pork, it should fall right apart, remove any fatty pieces.
Add remaining ingredients through hot sauce. Stir gently to incorporate and let cook on low an additional 4 hours.
Serve with chopped cilantro and extra BBQ sauce.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

This recipe and picture came from my sister Becky, who is a great cook! She told me about it and it sounded so yummy I asked her if I could put it on my blog. I have had roasted red pepper soup before, and it is delicious! This would be a great soup to serve in a bread bowl, and it looks so pretty with the swirled sour cream on top.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

3 Tbs. olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 36 oz. jar Roasted Red Peppers, rinsed and drained

2 14 oz. cans Hunts fired roasted tomatoes
1 Tbs. brown sugar

3 cups water
1Tbs. balsamic vinegar

5 Tbs. sour cream

Saute the onions in the olive oil until soft, then add the garlic and cook 5 more minutes. Add the peppers, tomatoes, sugar, and water and simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar then transfer to a blender and puree. Pour back into pot and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle into 6 bowls and combine the sour cream and about 2 T. water in a Ziploc bag. Snip off one corner and "draw" and swirl on top of each serving!

If you don't want to buy the roasted red peppers you can make your own by rubbing 4 red bell peppers with olive oil and placing under your broiler till blackened on all sides. Then you take them out and place them in a covered container for about 15 minutes and peel and de-seed them. The blacker the skin is the better it comes off!

Bacon Rolls

Thanks to my sister Becky for this great recipe! My husband loves sushi, I don't, so this recipe is great because it's got enough of the sushi ingredients to make him happy, and no raw fish to gross me out! The flavors all go really well together. I watched my sister make these on New Years Eve, so tonight was my first attempt at them and they turned out pretty good. I always had the impression that California rolls were hard to make, but they're not. My sister had all of the tools, the sushi serving set and the rolling mats, but they are not necessary.

Bacon Rolls

2 c. sushi or short grain rice
strips of bacon
strips of cream cheese
2 ripe avocados, sliced in strips
green onions (cut top and bottom off and then slice in half to form strips)
Seaweed wrappers
Soy Sauce, ginger, wasabi for serving

Cook the rice with 4 c. of water.
While rice is cooking cook bacon on stove top until done, or cook on a sheet pan at 425 for approximately 20 minutes.
Let rice cool, if rice is not sticky enough add 1 Tbs. rice vinegar and 1/2 Tbs. sugar, stir gently to combine.
Lay out seaweed wrapper, place a thin layer of rice over seaweed leaving 1" space on top, dip fingers in water to prevent rice from sticking to fingers.
Place 1 slice bacon, 1 slice cream cheese, 1/2 green onion, and 3 avocado slices at bottom. Roll up tightly, before you reach the end, dip your finger in water and run it along the top edge of the seaweed, finish rolling and press down on wet side to seal. Continue with remaining ingredients. Dip sharp knife in water and slice "logs" into 1 1/2" rolls. Serve with soy sauce, ginger, or wasabi.

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

The name alone is enough to make me salivate....
Just imagine pure bliss and that's the feeling you'll get when you taste these little pieces of heaven! The brownie and the marshmallow together are amazing, and you think, can this get any better? And then you bite into the peanut butter chips, wow.


Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

1 box brownie mix (I always use the Betty Crocker regular fudge brownies)
2/3 c. vegetable or canola oil
1/4 c. water
1 egg
1 regular sized jar marshmallow cream
3/4 c. Reeses peanut butter chips
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a 13X9 pan.
Beat together brownie mix, oil, water, and egg. Pour about 2/3 of batter into 13X9 pan, spread and bake for 10 minutes.
Combine marshmallow cream, peanut butter chips, and milk. Pour over brownie bottom leaving about 1 inch space all around the sides.
Drop by spoonfulls the remaining brownie batter.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool and serve, delicious!