Pork Carnitas

This was a really delicious recipe that we ate a few months ago, but I just found the recipe again when I was cleaning out my pantry.  Yep, I'm super organized.

Slow Cooked Carnitas

Pork roast (3-4 pounds)
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp  vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
5-6 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups minced cilantro
1 cup salsa
1 cup chicken broth
green chilies (one can, or 4-5 roasted chilies)
flour tortillas
chopped tomato, lettuce, etc...
sour cream
cheese

Cut roast in half; place in a slow cooker.  Sprinkle with garlic, oil, salt, and pepper.  Add the onions, cilantro, salsa, broth, and chilies.  Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until meat falls apart.  Remove meat; cool slightly.  Shred with two forks and return to slow cooker.  Heat through.  Serve with tortillas and toppings of choice.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This soup is so so good.  It is even better the next day.  I serve it with breadsticks to dip in the soup.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
adapted from www.mangiodasola.com

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 lb  broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup carrot, shredded and chopped
• 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter.  Sautee onion for a few minutes until soft.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Don't burn.  Add flour and cook for a minute.  Whisk in milk and stock quickly.  Cook until it is almost at a boil.  Add the broccoli and carrots.  Simmer on low for 20 minutes or so.  Season the soup with salt and pepper, then add the cheese.  Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes or so; then serve.

BBQ Chicken Salad

When I ask my family if they would like salad for dinner, this is the salad I am referring to.  It is the best.  Everyone loves it, even the baby.  Seriously.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro BBQ Dressing

adapted from www.melskitchencafe.com

*Serves 4-6

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups BBQ sauce

2 romaine hearts, chopped

2-3 green onions, chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded

Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

For the Dressing:

Combine all the ingredients together in a blender.  Mix until smooth.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the salad:

Combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large bowl, toss together the romaine lettuce, onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese. Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side. Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
2 pounds cubed stew meat
2 cans Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1 largish onion diced
3-4 Tbsp of Worcestershire
1/2 water
8 oz of cream cheese
couple of dashes of Garlic Salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
couple dashes of Hot Paprika

In the slow cooker stir in all the ingredients, except the meat AND the Cream Cheese, together. Once combined add the meat and mix together.

Cook on Low for 8 hours. Cut up the cream cheese into cubes just before serving and turn crockpot on high. Stir the cream cheese in until all combined. You might have to put the lid back on and leave for 10 minutes.
Serve with pasta or mashed potatoes.

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese
(from http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/)
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti 

1 pound ground beef or sausage 

1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces) 

1 tablespoon butter 

1/2 cup chopped green peppers 

1/3 cup chopped onions 

8 ounces cream cheese 

2 tablespoons milk 

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese 

French Fried Onions (small can) 

1. Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set 

aside. 

2. Brown ground beef or sausage. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat. 

3. Combine onions, peppers and butter in small glass bowl. Cover and microwave 4 

minutes on HIGH until soft. 

4. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. (If cream cheese is not soft, 

nuke it for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to spread.) 

5. Using a 10 x 6 dish, assemble in the following order: 

6. Thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. 

7. Spaghetti 

8. Cream cheese/vegetable mixture 

9. Spaghetti sauce 

10. Parmesan Cheese (amount subject to your own taste) 

11. French Fried Onions (added during last 5 minutes of cooking) 

12. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with French Fried onion and continue baking 5 

more minutes.

Alice Springs Chicken

This is kind of a rip off of the Alice Springs Chicken at Outback Steakhouse.  It originally called for 10 strips of bacon, but I try my best not to clog our arteries too much with one meal, so I cut it in half.  It also calls for sauteed mushrooms (2 cups) but no one in my family will eat those, so I leave them out.  It is really delicious.... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Alice Springs Chicken

4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup Cheddar cheese

Honey Mustard Marinade:

1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp veg. oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Soak chicken in 2/3 cups of the marinade for 4 hours, or overnight.  Pan fry the chicken until browned up on all sides.  Place the chicken in a casserole dish and brush with a little of the remaining marinade.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika.  Put the bacon, crumbled up, and cheeses on top.  Bake for 10 minutes or until done at 375 degrees.  Serve with remaining marinade.

Sugar Gems

These are my favorite sugar cookie to make.  You don't have to roll them out and cut them.  You just scoop them, roll them in sugar, and smash them a little bit.  Everyone who eats these just raves about them, so I am not alone in my addiction.  I usually make a cream cheese frosting to put on top, but I've made them with chocolate frosting too.  Both are really good.

Sugar Gems

from melskitchencafe.com

Cream together:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Add:
5 cups flour
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Mix all ingredients well. Roll into golf size balls and roll in some granulated sugar. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Bake until just starting to crack.  Don't let them get brown.  Cool and frost with frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 block cream cheese
1 stick butter
lots of powdered sugar
vanilla flavoring


Cream together the cream cheese and butter.  Whip it for a little while.  Add powdered sugar and some vanilla flavoring until it tastes the way you like it.  I usually do about 2 tsp vanilla and half a bag of powdered sugar.