Saturday, February 6, 2010

Pulled Pork

My husband is having a "Guys Night" tonight. This is not the kind of guys night you would normally think of--- there is no bar hopping, no sports bar, no going out... Instead, he and several of his HS friends try to get together every once in a while and enjoy an old pass time from their HS glory days. These guys may not have been the coolest jocks back then, but they can hack into just about anything if you give them time. They're computer geeks! Below is a photo of them all set up and ready for tonight's LAN Party- an all night gamer's paradise!


Anyway, I wanted to make something for the guys to snack on during their festivites so I threw together pulled pork in the crock pot. The devoured these sandwiches! I barely had time to take a photo; hence, the photo of the plate on the keyboard.

The recipe is from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ on of my favorite sites!


Ingredients:
4 pounds boneless pork shoulder- they only had it with the bone in the store- this wasn't a problem at all as the meat fell right off the bone after cooking.
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 cups ketchup (a 24oz bottle seems to be exactly 2 cups. weird.)
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in 2 cups of ketchup, and then pour 1/2 cup warm water into the ketchup bottle and shake. Pour the ketchup-y water into your crock. Add vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Tabasco and salt. Cover and cook on hight for 5-6 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.





My First Pear Pie!

I made this pie last weekend out of several pears that I had been given from a gift basket sent to my office. I wanted to do something with them as opposed to just biting in and eating them for a snack. I went online looking for a dinner recipe, but didn't end up finding anything that stood out. Then I thought of pie!

I haven't ever had a pear pie, but it is very similiar to an applie pie, but I think I like this better!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
4-5 lg. pears, peeled
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Unbaked 8 or 9 inch pie shell

Sift together flour and 1 cup sugar; mix in lemon juice and cream until smooth. Cut pears into small pieces and add to creamed mixture. Pour into pie shell. Make a topping of 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of pie. Bake at 425 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Cool until set.

Enjoy!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Chicken Divan


Chicken Divan has been a staple in my family since I was a little kid. It's an easy, filling meal that you can make in about an hour. I definitely turn to this dish when I am craving some serious comfort food.

Sorry for the half eaten casserole picture below, my husband got to it before I grabbed my camera.


Ingredients:

1 large head of fresh broccoli, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 boneless chicken breast cut into small pieces
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream- I use low fat
1/2 stick melted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
2 t0 3 tbsp. white wine- I normally use whatever is already open
Enough shredded chedder cheese and bread crumbs to cover the top of the dish
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350.
Coat a 7-by-11-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
Place diced chicken in a medium skillet or saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, 10 to 12 minutes.
In bowl, mix mayo, sour cream, melted butter, mushroom soup, pepper, salt, garlic, wine, and lemon juice.
Place cooked chicken on bottom of dish, layer broccoli over top of the chicken.
Pour Sauce over broccoli and chicken.
Sprinkle evenly the shredded cheese and bread crumbs.
Bake until bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.






















Nutty Crunchy Granola


I love granola....BUT I hate how sugar-y most of the store bought kinds taste. So when I found this super easy recipe for Nutty Granola by Ellie Krieger, I couldn't wait to get to the store to make it.

It took hardly any time to make, and I have now been enjoying it all week for breakfast. I chose to serve it was fat-free greek yogurt and fresh blueberries.... VERY TASTY!

Recipe Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/nutty-granola-recipe/index.html:


Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup chopped raw, unsalted walnuts

1/2 cup chopped unsalted almonds

1/2 cup chopped unsalted pecans

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (This was not in the orginal recipe, but I thought it was a great addition)

1/2 cup raisins, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees . Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the oats, nuts, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and the raisins, if using. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.




Sunday, January 17, 2010

Cranberry Roast



This recipe came from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. A great blog that has helped me come up with some simple, creative recipes to throw in the slow cooker on a week night.

I love cranberry sauce, but unfortunately, I only really get to have it once a year during the Thanksgiving holiday. When I found this recipe, I decided that it would be a great way to satisfy my craving for cranberry during the non-holiday season. The cranberries, along with the natural juices for the meat combine to make a sweet, savory sauce.

Ingredients:
2-3 pounds beef roast
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 (16-ounce) whole berry cranberry sauce

Place meat (frozen is fine) into slow cooker, and add the onion and soy sauce. Pour in the entire can of cranberry sauce over the top. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 5-6. If you are cooking on high, you may need to "help" the meat break apart by taking it out an hour or so before serving by cutting it into chunks, then returning to the sauce. I like it when the meat is tender and the juice has fully soaked in.

I chose to serve with mashed potatoes and some steamed broccoli.


We had my Dad over today to watch football and he stayed for dinner. He and my husband cleaned their plates!

Creamy Baked Potato Soup



Sorry for the poor quality pic, It was taken with my phone!


I have been wanting to try this recipe from my friend, Michelle's, food blog, www.tastytreatsbymichi.weebly.com/. She grew up in her Dad's restaurant (Tony Roma's) that was known for it's potato soup. Since she follows the Swank Diet, which is a no fat/low fat diet, she came up with this healthy alternative. Even if you aren't necessarily following a low fat diet, it never hurts to eat something yummy that is actually good for you!

I made this soup last night in the crockpot... my favorite cooking method right now. My husband ate several bowls and loved it!

P.S. Sorry Mich- I used regular bacon and not the turkey bacon your recipe called for. I am weak!

Adapted from www.tastytreatsbymichi.weebly.com/ :

Ingredients for Soup:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large white onions, chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup fat free half and half ( Michelle notes: any brand that doesn't have mono & diglycerides, like Publix)
1 cup 1% buttermilk
1/2 cup of Nonfat Greek yogurt (Oikos) - I didn't have this on hand so I left it out, but I am sure it would be a tasty addition.
2 pounds Idaho potatoes- washed, peeled and cubed into large bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp hot sauce
32 ounces of Organic Chicken Broth

Ingredients for Toppings:
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, shredded (Michelle notes: Kraft of Lifetime)
Nonfat Greek Yogurt (Oikos) - Again, I didn't have this on hand, so I used sour cream... definitely not Swank friendly.
Green onions, chopped
98% Fat Free Turkey Bacon, chopped and cooked- I used regular bacon... I didnt have the turkey kind.

Peel and chop the onions and throw in crockpot. Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into large bite-sized cubes. This soup is not creamed at all, so the chunks cannot be too large to eat. Add the flour, olive oil, the chicken stock, half and half, buttermilk to pot. Finally, add the spices, hot sauce, and potatoes. Let soup cook on high for 4-5 hours. Stir the soup occasionally and check the flavoring before serving. Add more salt or hot sauce if necessary.

Garnish soup with topping and enjoy!
Also Note: I have learned that cooking bacon in the oven is a much cleaner, healthier alternative. I place mine elevated on a rack and let the fat drip off. It also saves my stove from messy splatter to clean up. Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Chicken Chop with Curry Sauce




Living in South Florida means that places like Pollo Tropical and Chicken Kitchen are a staple for us when we are out and about and need a quick healthy bite. One of the things I love at these places is their curry mustard sauce... so yummy!

Well today, since I was home from work, I attempted to make my own chicken chop based off of a copy cat chicken kitchen recipe I found online at http://www.recipezaar.com/ . It tasted just like restaurant so I consider that a success!


What you'll need:
1 boneless skinless chicken breast per person
1 box yellow rice
lettuce
1 large tomato
mayo
mustard
curry powder




Curry Mustard Recipe:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1/2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp water



Directions:


Mix mayo and mustard in bowl. Slowly add water. Be careful as to not make the sauce too runny. I put 1/2 tsp of curr powder, but it should really be based on personal taste and preference.

No need to leave the house now when I have a craving this sauce. Enjoy!