Shredded Barbacoa Beef

Apparently this is a copycat recipe for Chipotle's barbacoa beef. I've never eaten at a Chipotle's before, but we made this recipe last week and really loved it! It's a great, flavorful meat that you can use in tacos, enchiladas, nachos, salad...whatever you please!! There's a little kick to it, just the right amount of spicy for me.

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, cut into 6 to 8 chunks 
• salt and ground black pepper to taste 
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 1/2 cup beef broth 
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped 
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped 
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin 
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 3 bay leaves 

Directions

Season beef chunks with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef in batches; cook until browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer beef to a slow cooker.

Combine beef broth, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cloves in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Pour over beef in the slow cooker. Stir in bay leaves.

Cook on low until beef is fork-tender, 8 to 10 hours. Discard bay leaves. Remove beef and shred using 2 forks. Return beef to the slow cooker to marinate in the sauce for at least 10 more minutes before serving.

Paprika-Parmesan Chicken

This easy recipe takes chicken breasts breaded with a Parmesan and paprika coating is baked until golden and crispy. This unique combination of ingredients makes a fantastic dish that all your family will love. Blake insists it's the "BEST CHICKEN EVER!"

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 teaspoons paprika 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 2 tablespoons milk 
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 
• 1/4 cup butter, melted 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, Parmesan, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken in the egg, then dredge in the flour mixture. Place in the baking dish, and pour the melted butter evenly over the chicken. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese has browned, and the chicken has cooked.

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.