Kristy's Mango Peach Pulled Pork

Heather (Mike's wife) Morgan posted this on her blog and it sounded so good! And since it's a crock pot meal, it works for this month. I am posting it here and plan on making it when Matt gets back.

1 pork tenderloin

1-2 cup brown sugar
2 cups Mango Peach Salsa (or salsa of your choice)

Stir together brown sugar and salsa in a slow cooker. Add pork (frozen is okay if it'll fit in the slow cooker). Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Shred pork with 2 forks before serving. If you get the Costco pork and cook it fully, it pretty much falls apart on its own. It's super tender and juicy.

Serve on nachos, in tacos, or in a salad. The possibilities are endless and SO YUMMY!

**NOTE: I added the label to all the Crock Pot recipes we currently have the on the blog. There are 14. Just a few more days for this theme so let's get posting. Any ideas for next month?!**

Black Beans

Funny story...We had our grandmother dinner the other night for mutual and I was in charge of making beans for the dinner (which I found out about the night before). When I do beans, I do dry....so its a long process, it would have been nice to know a night earlier. Anyway, so I made them and then get a text at 6:10 (mutual is at 7:00)...."paula, did you remember that the dinner is at 6:00".

Ya, nobody told me and I didn't get that memo!

So now I have a ton of black beans that I need to use up.

Recipe:

Boil dry beans for 2 minutes, let sit in water for an hour, drain and rinse.

1 quart water
1 lb beans
garlic clove
1 cup dry onions
2/3 cups bacon bits
pepper

Put all ingredients in crockpot and slow cook for two days. Serve with any mexican food meal...or make a TON of burritos and freeze.

Aren't you all so proud of me for actually posting something on here?

Favorite Recipes!

Alright everyone! Here are some of my all-time favorite recipes, as requested by Alicia. :) Happy eating!

Summer Pasta Salad

1/3 cup olive oil

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tbs oregano

1 tbs basil

2 packages 12 oz. rotelli pasta (spiral)

2 cups tomatoes, sliced

8 oz. mozarella cheese, cubed

1 pkg. salami, low fat, sliced into strips

olives (optional)

In a large bowl, mix vinegar, oil, salt, oregano, and basil. Add cheese cubes, tomatoes, and salami. Mix. Add noodles and toss. Cover and chill overnight or for several hours (MUCH better cold). Toss before serving and add more balsamic vinegar as desired.

Serves 8

Cranberry Apple Turkey Crockpot

2 tsp melted butter

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 or 2 large apples, cored and chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

2 cups seasoned crumbs

2-3 lbs. turkey breast cutlets

Combine all ingredients and mix. Add to crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Ashley's Healthy Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

2 avocados, chopped

1 bunch green onions, sliced

2 T cilantros, chopped

2-3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 pkg dry zesty Italian dressing mix

vinegar

tortilla chips

Combine beans, corn, avocado, onion, cilantro, and tomatoes in a bowl. Prepare italian dressing according to directions on package. Pour dressing over salsa ingredients. Serve with chips, quesadillas, or nachos.

Crock-Pot Lasagna

4 cups mozz cheese
1 Tbl. Italian seasonings
28 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 onion, chopped (I leave this out of course!)
1 lb. ground beef
9 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 oz. ricotta cheese

Spray inside of crock pot with PAM
Brown ground beef, add garlic, saute slightly
Stir in sauce and Italian seasonings, simmer
Combine Mozz chesse and Parmesan
Layer in crockpot as follows:
1/4 c. meat sauce on bottom
1/4 c. mozz/parm mixture
3 uncooked noodles
1/3 c. ricotta cheese
Repeat until you have three layers
Cook on low for 2-3 hours (I put this in before church and it's just right when we get home)

Lemon Chicken!

So, here is the best lemon chicken crockpot recipe ever! Thought you guys might wanna try it. It's super easy and yummy.

3-4 Chicken breasts
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
2 T butter
Juice of 4-5 lemons
1 T parsley
1/4 salt
garlic salt to taste
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp paprika

I didn't use the thyme and paprika because I didn't have it, so that's optional. It was still great without it. Place chicken, onion, and butter in the crockpot. Squeeze lemon juice over chicken, and sprinkle remaining seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve over pasta. The lemon-butter sauce goes great as the sauce. Enjoy!

--Ashley

Crockpot Recipes!

Hello everyone! I'm excited for some new recipes!! I got a couple requests for some crockpot recipes I love, so here they are. Enjoy!

Cream of Mushroom Chicken

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
I package Liptons onion soup (dry)
4 chicken breasts, defrosted

Blend soup, cream cheese, and onion soup mix well and put in crockpot on low heat. Add chicken to mixture and cook for 6-8 hours. It is usually done around 5 hours in my experience. Serve over rice or pasta. Serves 4.

Fiesta Chicken

4 chicken breasts
16 oz. can black beans, drained and well rinsed
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 T taco seasoning
1/4 cup salsa

Arrange chicken in crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 5-6 hours. Serve with rice. Serves 4.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

3-4 lbs. chicken
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
2 T butter
Juice of 4-5 lemons
1 T parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp paprika

Place chicken, onion, and butter in the crockpot. Squeeze lemon juice over chicken and sprinkle remaining seasonings. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.

I'm trying to find my recipe for cranberry pork...I will put it up when I do. Tell me what you think of these! Love to all,

Ashley

Larsen Barbecue

Ok, I have had a few requests for these BBQ recipes, so I am putting them here, enjoy.

Pulled Pork

1 picnic pork roast or a pork shoulder

Rub the meat with a mixture of 3 Tbs. kosher salt, 2 Tbs. pepper, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. onion salt, 1 tsp. cayenne, 1/4 cup paprika, and 1/4 cup brown sugar.

Do the rub on the meat the night before, so it has time to marinade in it, then cook one of the following ways.

You can either cook it in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or in the oven covered very tightly with 2-3 layers of foil for 6-8 hours at 275.

When the meat is done, shred it and add BBQ sauce.

Baked Beans
1 lb. bacon, browned and cut into pieces
2 large cans pork and beans {I use Bush's Original}
(This is the semi-homemade and easy was, you can do your own beans if you want)
1 medium onion, diced {I use the dried onions}
1/2 cup catsup
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. molasses
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. celery salt
5 Tbsp. bbq sauce

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 for 2 hours. Really yummy if you can cook it in a dutch oven.

BBQ sauces:

Alabama White BBQ sauce

1 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
4 TBS. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. pepper (it is quite a bit, so it has a good kick, if you don't like too spicy, cut this back)
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
mix all together, cover and chill

(Now we use this on regular pulled pork, but it is really, really yummy when you cook the pork in a crock pot in 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 3 TBS. brown sugar, 2 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper, 1 tsp. chili powder and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder. Cook on low 6 hours, shred the meat and continue cooking for another hour. Top with white sauce on rolls.)

Sweet and Tangy BBQ sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup ketchup
1 TBS. Worcestershire
1 TBS. A1 steak sauce
1 TBS. yellow mustard
1 TBS vinegar
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
dash of ground cloves

Bring to boil and simmer 5-10 minutes.


Bold and Spicy BBQ sauce
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs. molasses
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1 TBS. Tabasco sauce
1 Tbs BBQ rub (recipe above)
2 tsp. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Combine in saucepan, bring to boil over medium-high heat. turn to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.

My favorite is to have both ref sauces and mix together, but I like them separate as well.

I also like to serve it with coleslaw, so this is the recipe I use
Coleslaw
2 pounds shredded cabbage
4 carrots shredded
1 medium onion chopped (I leave this out sometimes)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper

Mix dressing and pour over vegetables, cover and chill for 2 hours.

Chicken Fa"Hotties"

I made these tonight and they were really good, not too different in taste than regular chicken fajitas, but way easier and the meat is shredded and I like that. Next time I will do the same thing but with beef. The best part is, you make it in the crockpot, so that right there is a winner in my book.

• 4-6 chicken breast boneless, skinless, frozen
• 3 peppers - sliced
• 1 med-large onion sliced
• 1 package Lawry's fajita seasoning
• 1-2 packages flour tortillas
• sour cream
• shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
• other favorite toppings
• crock pot

1. place frozen chicken and onion in crock pot
2. pour fajita seasoning packet over chicken (you might need two packets depending on the size and amount of your chicken)
3. add water as directed on packet
4. cook on Low for 6 hours
5. stir before adding the peppers to help the chicken shred
6. the last 1/2 hour add your sliced peppers
7. give it one more stir to mix it all together
8. place chicken on tortilla's
9. add your favorite toppings
10. eat and enjoy!

Dr. Pepper Pork Roast

I made this last night and it was SO good. I wouldn't cook it in the oven as long next time around because parts of the roast dried out. Just keep a close eye on it and decide. I also think it would work in a crock pot.

3 or 4 pound Boston butt or boneless Beef pot roast
1/2 Two liter Dr. Pepper (not Diet)
2 to 3 T Liquid smoke
2 T minced garlice
1 large onion coarsely chopped
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions

Use a large pot or dutch oven with lid.
Cover the roast with the Dr. Pepper (may require more depending on the size of your pot)
Add the liquid smoke, garlic and chopped onion.
Cover loosely ( I use aluminum foil)
Bring to a boil on the stove top and simmer until tender. 60 to 90 min.
Place in shallow baking pan and brush the Sauce over the meat.
Bake in a pre heated 350 degree oven. 45 to 90 min. (depends on the toughness of the meat)

Chile Verde

4 T cooking oil
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped cilantro
3-4 jalapeno peppers
4-6 lbs boneless pork, cut into 1" cubes
1 can chopped green chiles
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
3 minced garlic cloves
1 cup mild salsa
14.5 oz chicken broth

In a frying pan, brown the cut up pork in olive oil. Pour into crock pot. Sprinkle with flour to coat meat. Add all the remaining ingredients. Simmer on high for 6-8 hours. Serves 8.

I learned this at an Enrichment cooking class tonight. My friend actually halved the amount of pork and kept the rest of the ingredients the same. It was to DIE for and fed seven women with lots of leftovers. Really, you should try it!

Ham & Pineapple

I haven't tried this but found the recipe and wanted to make sure I could find it again. I'll let you know how it goes.

sliced ham (deli meat works well)
1 can crushed pineapple--use all of juice and 1/2 of pineapple
1/2 cup brown sugar
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves

Put juice, pineapple, brown sugar, and seasonings in a pot (not the crock pot). Heat just long enough to melt sugar. Pour a little of sauce on bottom of crock pot. Put ham in and pour the rest of sauce on top. Cook one hour or until warm.

Teriyaki Crock Pot Chicken

(This is NOT what mine looked like - this is a random photo from the web.)

3 T brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
garlic powder
½ cup water
ginger

Pour ingredients over chicken in crock pot. Cook 1 hour on high or 6-7 hours on low.

I made this the other night. It has GREAT flavor. Unfortunately my chicken was a little dry , so you may want to play around with some ways to keep it moist. But the flavor is great so you really should try this!

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

We made this tonight and put it on salad with Guacamole Ranch dressing, cilantro, cheese, olives and tomatoes, soooooo GOOD!!! Tyler said it is pretty stinking close to the real thing, give it a try

CAFE RIO PORK (copycat recipe)
Slow cook your pork roast in a crock pot with garlic and a little water until you can pull it apart. At that point add the following

1 can diced green chilis
1 to 2 cans of medium or hot enchilada sauce (the red stuff), depending on how much pork you use
1 can of either Dr. Pepper or Coke (I used Dr. Pepper)
At least 1 cup of brown sugar but use as much more as you want to get your sweetness
salt to taste.
It is so easy to make too.


Tomatillo Dressing
1 Pkg. Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Mix
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tomatillos
½ to 1 clove garlic minced
½ to 1/3 Bunch Cilantro, chopped
½ tsp. Lime Juice
½ to 1 small Jalapeno (seeds removed) (optional)
Blend all ingredients together in a blender.

Carrie's Favorite Chicken Kicked Up A Notch

Alicia made this yesterday and it sounded good to me so I'm making it today and posting it here.

Put 4-5 chicken breasts/12 chicken tenders in a 9x13 pan
Salt & Pepper

In a separate bowl mix:

1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of chicken
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1 T chili powder
1/2 cup salsa

Pour sauce over the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve over rice.

Another variation:

Cook chicken and sauce in crock pot all day long. Shred chicken and serve in tortillas. Top with sour cream and/or guacamole.

(I'll take a picture tonight and post it.)