Mexican Pork

Click HERE for original recipe source, including pictures, tips and more.

Oh, my, our family loved this! We ate it for four days in a row, as tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, salad... the sky's the limit and we didn't get tired of it - it's that delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup chicken broth 
• 2 tablespoons apple cider or red wine vinegar 
• 8 ounces tomato sauce 
• 8 to 10 ounces green enchilada sauce or green salsa/salsa verde 
• 1 tablespoon chili powder 
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt) 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarse ground black pepper) 
• 2 to 3 pounds pork roast, cut into large chunks (3-4 inches) 
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch for thickening sauce, optional 

DIRECTIONS:

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS: to the insert of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, add the broth, vinegar, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir. Nestle the pork into the sauce mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 6-7 hours. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the slow cooker. Shred with a couple of forks and set aside. There will be quite a bit of liquid left. I discard about half and thicken the rest (as follows). You don’t have to discard any liquid OR you can discard more than half OR you can leave it as is without thickening. After discarding about half of the liquid, pour the remaining liquid into a saucepan and bring to a simmer on the stovetop. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the simmering liquid and stir constantly until bubbly and slightly thickened. Add the pork back into the sauce (either in the saucepan or put everything back in the slow cooker), tossing to coat the pork completely in the sauce. Serve over rice with desired toppings, in burritos, on a salad, or any way your heart desires!

 INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS: to the stainless steel pot, add the broth, vinegar, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir. Nestle the pork into the sauce mixture. Secure the lid, make sure the valve is set to sealing, and select “manual” or “high pressure” and dial up or down to 60 minutes. The Instant Pot will start on it’s own. When it is finished cooking, let the pressure naturally release for 15-20 minutes (or all the way) before quick releasing the rest of the pressure. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the Instant Pot. Shred with a couple of forks and set aside. There will be quite a bit of liquid left in the Instant Pot. I discard about half and thicken the rest (as follows). You don’t have to discard any liquid OR you can discard more than half OR you can leave it as is without thickening. After discarding about half of the liquid, bring the remaining liquid to a simmer using the Saute function. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the simmering liquid and stir constantly until bubbly and slightly thickened. Turn the Instant Pot to “keep warm” and add the pork back into the sauce, tossing to coat the pork completely in the sauce. Serve over rice with desired toppings, in burritos, on a salad, or any way your heart desires!

Marshmallow Brownies

Oh, my, these are HEAVENLY! I highly recommend Six Sisters' Marshmallow Brownies if you need a treat to take to an event, share with a friend, or just enjoy for yourself! Yum!

click here for recipe

Brittany's Royal Frosting for Cookie Decorating

Brittany said: "This royal glaze icing is what I use for all my sugar cookies now. It is shiny and pretty but it dries faster. And it’s not hard like royal icing it still tastes yummy. My new favorite icing for pretty sugar cookies."

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE.

Melissa's favorite chocolate chip cookies

https://happymoneysaver.com/the-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe-my-dreams-are-made-of/

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups flour 
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 3/4 tsp salt 
• 1 1/4 cups real unsalted butter 
• 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar 
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar 2 large eggs 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 oz bag of Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips or other quality chocolate chips, 11.5 . 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine and set aside. Using paddle attachment on mixer, cream butter and sugars together just until blended. Add eggs, one a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Put mixer on low speed, and add in dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in chocolate chips by hand gently. It's best to make bigger cookies for the right texture - so I would recommend using 4 Tablespoon size scoop to form your cookies. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes. I like mine to look a little undercooked in the middle, then let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet for a few minutes while they cool. Then move them to a cookie rack or plate to keep cooling. If you are freezing these cookies: Form into balls, and freeze on a cookie sheet. After frozen remove and add to a ziploc freezer bag. They will last for about a month in the freezer. To bake just take out and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes of baking time.

Notes from Brittany: This is the chocolate chip cookie recipe that Melissa found. I cook mine for 14 mins and they turned out perfect. I also used salted butter and did not add any salt to the recipe. 

Cashew Chicken

We enjoy this meal!

• 1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar 
• 1 Tablespoon Packed Brown Sugar 
• 2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce 
• 1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 
• 6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut Into Small Cubes 
• Kosher Salt To Taste 
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic 
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger 
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Chopped 
• 1/4 cup Sherry Or Chicken Broth 
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch 
• 1/2 cup Drained Canned Water Chestnuts, Coarsley Chopped 
• 1 cup Unsalted Cashews (be Sure To Use Unsalted) 
• 2 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced 
• Cooked Rice Or Noodles, For Serving (if Desired) 

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat and add the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt, then leave it alone for at least a couple of minutes to give the chicken a chance to brown. When the chicken has turned golden, stir it around so that it can brown on all sides. Throw in the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Stir in the bell pepper and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. While the pan is still hot, pour in the sherry. Stir it around, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavorful bits. Turn the heat to medium-low and pour in the sauce mixture, then mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry and pour it in. Stir the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken, then add the water chestnuts and cashews and stir to coat everything with the sauce, adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick. Finally, sprinkle on the green onions. Serve with cooked rice or noodles.

Brittany's Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients:

• 3 small or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1.5 T ground cumin
• 1 T. garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large case iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute and then add ground turkey. Use a wooden spoon to break apart meat and continue cooking approximately 8 minutes until browned. 

2. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to incorporate. 

3. Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add diced sweet potato and water. Stir and cover with a lid for approximately 6-8 minutes until the sweet potatoes soften. Add additional water during this process if needed to keep the meat from drying out. 

4. Remove lid and add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Top with shredded mozzarella and allow it to melt. Remove skillet from heat and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.

Breadsticks

Yum! Melissa shared this breadstick recipe with me. They are light and fluffy and easy and my family loved them!


INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105 - 110 degrees F°) 
• 1 Tablespoon instant yeast 
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 4 cups all-purpose flour 
• seasonings to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand-mixer, add warm water, instant yeast, sugar and salt. Stir to combine (using the dough hook if in the stand-mixer) Add 2 cups flour and mix well. Gradually add in the rest of the flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and sticks to your finger a little bit. (Remember to only add up to 4 cups flour total. Adding too much flour will make the breadsticks too dense and not soft.) Cover bowl and allow to rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Remove dough from bowl and place on a clean and lightly-floured surface. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray. Roll dough into a large rectangle, about 1-inch thick, and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter. Roll out each piece of dough into a long rope then twist. Place dough twist onto prepared baking sheet and repeat with the rest of dough, placing side by side on baking sheet. Cover and let rest 30 minutes to rise again until doubled.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove from oven and rub a 1/2 stick of butter over the warm breadsticks. Sprinkle tops evenly with Trader Joe's "Everything But the Bagel Seasoning" or top with Parmesan and garlic salt or the seasonings of your choice. Serve and enjoy!

Balsamic Pork

Mmmmmm ....we made this with the Parmesan rolls, garlic and Parmesan mashed potatoes and a green salad for a recent church event. This pork is really delicious!!

Ingredients:

• 2 T. McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1/2 c. balsamic vinaigrette 
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• (1) 3 lb. boneless pork roast

Place the pork roast in a slow cooker.  Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low all day, 8-10 hours. Shred and serve. 

Parmesan Rolls

For a recent church activity, we made these rolls with Balsamic Pork, Parmesan mashed potatoes, and a green salad. It was DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

• 1 package Rhodes Rolls
• 1-2 stick of butter, melted
• 1 1/2 - 2 c. Parmesan Cheese

Roll a frozen Rhodes Roll in melted butter until its all covered and slightly soft (thawed on the outside). Then roll in the Parmesan cheese, rolling the soft part firmly so that cheese gets embedded in the dough completely covering the roll generously. Then rise and cook according to the Rhodes Rolls package.

DIY Oatmeal Packets

We love eating oatmeal for breakfast, but I don't like buying the individual packets. Way too expensive for such a small amount. I also don't love making it homemade every morning. Too much work on busy school days. But I've discovered the secret to making your own individual packets that everyone can make on their own: you have to blend some of the oatmeal into powder. That's it! That's the creamy difference between the kind you buy in packets and the kind you spend 10 minutes cooking on the stove.

I've been making these DIY Oatmeal Packets at home. My family likes them, they only take adding water and cooking 2 minutes in the microwave, and they are fast and easy to assemble.  And they cost about 1/4 the price of buying them in the store. It's a win-win for us all!

INGREDIENTS

• 10 cups quick oats 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (Katelee likes to add a bit more brown sugar to hers after she has warmed it up.)
• 1 cup powdered milk 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 21-24 snack-size zip bags 
• Other toppings if you desire (dried fruit, nuts, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

Put 6 cups of the oats into a large bowl. Place the remaining 4 cups of oats into a blender. Blend until almost powdery, then pour into the large bowl.

Add the salt, brown sugar, powdered milk, and cinnamon into the large bowl. Mix well until everything is combined.

Measure 1/2 cup of the oatmeal mixture into each snack-size plastic baggie and seal.

TO USE DIY INSTANT OATMEAL PACKETS: Pour the packet into a bowl, and add 1 c. water. Heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Stir and serve.

NOTES: Because the plastic bag doesn’t get wet or dirty, you can reuse it.

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

Melissa says, "Another recipe for the blog. I don’t know how this isn’t already on there! These are the only caramel apples we make! They are the best. You will feel like you’re in Disneyland. I also use this caramel recipe to make my caramel chocolate pretzel rods."

Click HERE for recipe!

Holiday Cheese Ball

Melissa's favorite cheese ball! Jenn loves this recipe, too.

Ingredients:

• 2, 8oz blocks of cream cheese
• 3 tsp. Bon Appetite* see notes 
• 1/2 tsp. dill weed 
• 1/4 tsp. dried mustard 
• 3 green onions chopped 
• Chopped pecans 
• Chopped parsley 

Directions:

Once cream cheese is softened mix *Bon Appetite, dill weed, dried mustard and green onions all together. Then roll into a ball and roll it in the pecans and parsley.

*Notes: they no longer make Bon Appetite seasoning. So I found the spices that is in it and mix those together to get Bon Appetite. I have never figured out the exact measurements to get the 3 tsp you need so it’s always more then I need and I just keep it in a baggie in my seasonings for next time.

To make Bon Appetite

• 1 TBL celery salt 
• 1 TBL sugar 
• 1 tsp. onion powder. 

Mix it all together and then use 3 tsp. for the cheeseball.