Sweet Harvest Pork Chops

Autumn has come and gone (all too quickly, in my opinion - but that's the way Utah weather goes every year!), but I'm still making dinners that have the Fall flavor to them.  I actually made this one up.  Yep, an original from yours truly (one of the very few)!  I tried my hand at whipping something up in the slow cooker for a big contest...that I did not even come close to winning.  But when you taste this, I'm sure you'll be wondering why in the world not - just as I was.  I tease.  Sort of.  Anyway, I tried it out with a pot roast as well, but the chops were our fave.  And I learned, while in my very own test kitchen, that I highly favor white sweet potatoes over the regular orange-y sweet potatoes/yams that I see much more often.  Hands down, the white get my vote.

Anyway, don't wait until next Fall to make this one.  It's a delight all year-round.

Sweet Harvest Pork Chops

A Get in the Kitch Original

Ingredients

2 sweet apples, cored & sliced (I used gala and Fuji)

2 white sweet potatoes, cut into large cubes

4 pork chops, I used bone-in

1 14-oz can low-sodium chicken broth

2/3 c. apple cider

1/3 c. brown sugar

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high 3-4 hours.

Serve with a green salad.

~Your Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Menu~

Hola, amigos! And that's about the extent of my Spanish speaking abilities, despite the fact that Dick has tried to give me multiple lessons when I'm trapped in the car with him on the 4-hr drive to see his family in So. UT. He lived in Chile for 2 years when he went on a mission for our church, and he loves to speak Spanish any chance he gets. But just because I don't speak Spanish doesn't mean I won't eat it! I tried my hand at some Mexican recipes this week in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, and they were a big, BIG hit!

The entree I chose to make is a copycat recipe from a very popular Mexican restaurant called Cafe Rio. By far the best thing on their menu is the sweet pork salad, so that is exactly what I made! My awesome sis-in-law, Megan, happened to find these recipes on this website, and let me in on her little secret. I thought it would take forever to make them because there are a few different parts to the salad if you want to get them just right, and I did! You start with a warm flour tortilla sprinkled with cheese, followed by cilantro-lime rice, black beans, sweet pork, lettuce, and topped off with the best cilantro ranch dressing in the WORLD! It didn't take long at all, just a little planning ahead for the pork to be in the crockpot, which gives you plenty of time to put everything else together. Trust me, if you like Mexican food, and you like salads, you're going to looooooove this one! And don't skimp on any part - its totally worth making the entire thing!

For dessert, I had to go with Tres Leches, of course! Its super sweet, and super soggy (in the best way you can possibly imagine), and completely and utterly satisfying. That is just a normal slice of this 3-milk cake, but when you add the mango & cinnamon this recipe calls for it will literally uproot you from where you are sitting and take you to a Mexican beach, leaving all of your worries behind. Mangoes are definitely my worst enemy when it comes to pitting a fruit, but they are so delicious, and absolutely take this cake over the top, so it is well-worth the sticky hands and juicy mess - trust me! Well, now you have to make it, don't you?! Enjoy!

Sweet Pork Salad From Cafe Rio

From www.favfamilyrecipes.com

Assembling your salad:

1. start with a warm flour tortilla, sprinkled with cheese.

2. Top with a heaping spoonful of cilantro-lime rice.

3. Top with a spoonful of black beans.

4. Top with 1/4-1/2 c. sweet pork.

5. Top with 1-2 c. of shredded Romaine lettuce.

6. Drizzle with cilantro ranch dressing.

7. Dig in!

Cilantro-lime rice

Ingredients

1 c. uncooked rice (I used brown w/ good results!)

1 tsp. butter or margarine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

1 c. water

1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tsp. sugar

3 Tbsp freshly chopped cilantro

Directions

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime juice, chicken broth & water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar & cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice & mix in as you fluff the rice.

Black Beans

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

1 1/3 c. tomato juice

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Directions

In a nonstick skillet or saucepan, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over med. heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice & salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.

Sweet Pork

Ingredients

2-3 lbs pork (I used bone-in Boston butt)

3 cans coke (not diet!)

1/4 c. brown sugar

dash garlic salt

1/4 c. water

1 can sliced green chilies

3/4 can enchilada sauce, medium spiciness

1 c. brown sugar

Directions

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc back to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours, or overnight.

Drain marinade & put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in a crock pot on high 3-4 hrs, or low for 8 hrs, until it shreds easily (don't let it dry out!). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred the pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste...). If it looks too thick, add more coke, little by little.

Put shredded pork & sauce in a crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not buttermilk!)

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. buttermilk

2 tomatillos, husks removed, diced

1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic

juice of 1 lime

1 jalapeno (I kept the ribs & seeds for a little kick!)

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a blender. That's it!!!

Tres Leches Cake

Adapted from Food Network Magazine, May 2010

Ingredients

Non-stick spray, to prepare your pan

4 large eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 c. milk (I used skim w/ excellent results!)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

12-oz can evaporated milk

14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 ripe mangoes

2 Tbsp. sugar

Whipped cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Make the cake: Beat the eggs & sugar in a large bowl w/ a mixer until pale & slightly thick, ~6 min. Slowly beat in the melted butter, then beat in the vanilla & 1/4 c. milk.

3. whisk the flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl. Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture, then gently fold together w/ a rubber spatula to make a thick batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan & bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, ~30 minutes. Run a knife along the edges to release the cake from the pan.

4. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 c. milk, the evaporated milk, & condensed milk in a bowl. Pierce the warm cake all over w/ a fork, then pour the milk mixture evenly on top. Cover & refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.

5. Before serving, make the mango topping: Peel, pit, & dice the mangoes. Puree half the mangoes in a blender w/ 2 Tbsp. sugar. Transfer to a bowl & fold in the remaining diced mango.

6. Top each slice of cake with mango topping, a little whipped cream, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

cafe Rachel salad & PIZOOKIES

Ok, so I know you're thinking, "for the love! Another post about this dang pork?!" And believe me, I'm thinking it, too. But I promise this will be the last one because its finally GONE!!! Have you ever eaten at Cafe Rio? Its pretty much one of our fave restaurants, and mostly thanks to their insanely delicious pork salad (that can feed two, by the way, because they are LARGE and in charge). Well, we had the fixings, so I made my mock Cafe Rio - aka Cafe Rachel - salad. No recipe required because I'm sick of writing about this dang pork. Put some lettuce, black beans, brown rice & leftover pork in a bowl...and there you have it! It was delicious, but I'm seriously done with the pork. The End.

And now on to the main event ... Pizookies!

Our good friends Sam and Melissa introduced us to this one. They picked it up from a pizza place in Arizona. The word "pizookie," if you haven't already figured it out, is a combination of "pizza" and "cookie." So already you know its going to be great! You can use any kind of cookie dough, and the only other things you need are ramekin dishes and your favorite flavor of ice cream. I tend to like classics, so I used my mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe (you can find it under cookies on the right side of the page) and vanilla ice cream. The very best part of this dessert is that you eat it right out of the oven. As soon as you pull it out, you drop a scoop of ice cream in the center of your cookie, and it kind of sinks down and starts to melt. The perfect blend of hot & cold!

Pizookies

Ingredients
Your choice of cookie dough
your choice of ice cream

Directions
1. cover the bottom of your ramekin dish with cookie dough. about 1/2 cup, but not too much because it will rise quite a bit.
2. cook according to recipe directions, but keep an eye on it. they are done when just golden brown around the edges.
3. pull out of the oven & immediately drop a big scoop of ice cream in the middle.
4. Hold with a dish towel or oven mitt & enjoy every delicious bite!

pork quesadillas

Ok, here's the thing about cooking for two: Most recipes you'll find make far too much food for two people to consume in one sitting (although, Dick and I have been known to manage it many a time!). And usually you don't want to eat the same thing for dinner 4 nights in a row, or 2 days in a row for lunch and dinner - you know what I mean! But the good thing about leftovers are that you can transform them into something completely different without much effort. That way nothing has to go down the disposal or in the trash - Grandma Bagley would be so proud! Take, for instance, these pork quesadillas which contain the remnants of the Hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches from the other night. Super easy, super fast, and super yummy! I'm a BIG TIME cheese lover, too (how could one forget the 38 kinds I sampled in Loleta?!), so this one really hit the spot. I'm not gonna lie, I feel a little silly even calling it a "recipe" because its so easy, but they're de-lish, so there! You can do this with any leftover meat, or with no meat at all. However you decide to make them, just enjoy every single bite!

Pork Quesadillas

w/ leftover Hawaiian pulled pork

Ingredients

4 whole wheat tortillas

1/2 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 can corn, drained

1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 c. leftover Hawaiian pulled pork, warmed in microwave

Directions

Place pan (large enough to hold tortilla) on stove & warm over low-medium heat. Sprinkle one half of the tortilla with a little cheese. Spoon a bit of corn and black beans over the cheese. Add a layer of pork, about 1/4 cup. Sprinkle a little more cheese over the top & fold the empty half of the tortilla over the ingredients. Gently press down on the folded tortilla with a spatula. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip over with spatula. Press gently down again & cook about 2 minutes on this side, until cheese is melted & corn, beans & pork are hot. Remove from pan to plate and let cool 1 minute before cutting in half. Serve with leftover Hawaiian sauce or sour cream.

hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches & homemade fries

So, pork was on sale a couple of weeks ago, and I was hungry while I was shopping...so I bought some not knowing exactly what I'd make with it. But that's what the Food Network website is for, right?! I just searched "pork" and tuh-dah! I love love looooooove slow cooker recipes, and this one will definitely make it onto the list of regulars. Not gonna lie, its the Hawaiian sauce that is the cherry on top, so don't skimp on it! And, since I'm just cooking for two, there were PLENTY of leftovers so come back tomorrow for some mouthwatering pork quesadillas.

P.S. these fries are super easy to make, and so much better than going to a fast-food drive-thru! We make them quite a bit - they're perfect for a little junk food craving!!!

Hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches

from Sandra Lee on the Food Network

Ingredients

3 1/2 lb pork shoulder

1 packet teriyaki marinade

1 Tbsp paprika

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 c. chili sauce

1 (6 oz) can pineapple juice

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

8 hamburger rolls

Hawaiian sauce:

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp ginger, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

2 tsp garlic, chopped

Directions

In small bowl, combine teriyaki mix, paprika and pepper. coat the pork with the rub mixture, patting until all rub is used. Set aside.

Put the chopped onions and carrots in a 5-quart slow cooker. Place the pork on top of the carrots and onions & pour half of the pineapple juice mixture over pork. Reserve remainder for Hawaiian sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (I did high for 5). The meat should fall apart easily. Remove the roast from the slow cooker to a cutting board. Using 2 forks, carefully pull the meat into shreds. Serve the pork on rolls drizzled with the Hawaiian sauce or on the side for dipping.

Hawaiian Sauce

In a medium pot heat the oil over med. heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining pineapple juice mixture, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Homemade Fries

Ingredients

4-5 medium russet potatoes, halved lengthwise & cut into 3rds

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion salt

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 tsp canola oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. put potato slices in medium bowl and drizzle with oil. sprinkle spices over potatoes and toss to coat well. arrange on greased baking sheet. bake 15 minutes, then remove from oven and turn over. Return to oven for 10 minutes more. Test one of the biggest fries to make sure they are completely cooked through.