Pork Carnitas in the Oven

Ingredients

4 pound boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tb fresh lime juice
2 C water
1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves

Directions

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice.  Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered.  Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven.  Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.
2.  Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan.  Remove and discard everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid.  Place pot over high heat on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.  You should have about 1 C of liquid remaining when it is finished.
3.  While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces.  Once the liquid has become a syrup, gently fold in the pieces of pork into the pot.  Try not to break up the pork any further.  Taste and add additional salt and pepper. 
4.  Spread the pork back onto the foil lined pan and evenly spread the meat around so there is a single layer of meat.  Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Using a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.  Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.

Cajun Creole Chicken

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 Tbsp. Adams Reserve Cajun seasoning rub or Tony Chacres

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup Fat-Free Evaporated Milk

1 cup Canyon Foods cajun creole sauce, or other brand

Rice, cooked (optional)

Directions

1.  Season chicken with cajun seasoning rub.

2.  Bring a large skillet to medium-high heat.  Add oil, and brown chicken on each side approx. 5 minutes.  

3.  Add eval milk and cajun creole sauce; simmer 4 minutes

4.  Remove from heat and enjoy alone or over rice.

Pesto & Feta Rolled Steak

Ingredients

6 Tbsp. HEB Basil Pesto 

1 lb. Flank Steak

1/2 cup Feta Crumbled Cheese

1 Tbsp. Adams Reserve Steak Seasoning (we just used a Greek Seasoning)

Tying Twine

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 450.  Line baking sheet with foil, coat with nonstick spray, and set aside.

2.  Spread a thin layer of pesto on 1 side of steak and sprinkle with cheese.  Roll up steak lengthwise and secure with twine.

3.  Season outside with steak rub or seasoning of your choice; place on prepared pan and bake for 15-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches a min of 165.

Another Freezer Friendly Waffle Recipe!

• Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 cups and 2 tablespoonsmilk
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  
  
  

  
  Directions

  
  
  1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
  2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack before putting in freezer.
  
  
  
  

Tuna Ceviche

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds tuna steak, cut into  1/2 inch cubes

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 1  jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

• 1/2 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 avocado, chopped
• 1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
  1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Combine cubed tuna, lime juice, lemon juice, tequila, minced jalapeno peppers, and 1 diced mango in a non-metallic bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.
2. After the ceviche has sat for 1 1/2 hours, add the green pepper, sweet onion, and red onion. Mix well, then recover and refrigerate another 30 minutes.
3. Fold in the remaining cilantro, avocado and parsley; season to taste with salt before serving.

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup Salted Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1-1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer) beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each one.

Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium sized bowl. Add it into the creamed mixture in 2 to 3 batches, mixing it until just combined. Mix in the oats until just combined.

Use your preferred size cookie scoop (or a regular spoon) to drop portions of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, spacing them a couple inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until dark and chewy. If you'd like a crispier cookie, just cook a little longer!

Let them cool slight on the pan after removing from the oven, then transfer the cookies onto a plate for serving.

* Note: Add 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts to the flour mixture if you'd like a nutty flavor and crunch.

5 Hour Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (well worth the time)

Alton Brown's recipe from Food Network

Ingredients

Meat sauce:

6 ounces thick sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 whole cloves
1 whole star anise pod
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, 3 minced and 2 sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces coarsely ground beef chuck
8 ounces coarsely ground pork butt
1 1/4 cups white wine, divided
3/4 cup evaporated milk
3 cups beef broth
1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, finely chopped
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Pasta:

1 gallon water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 pound dry spaghetti

 

Directions

For the meat sauce:

Place an 8-quart Dutch oven over low heat and add the bacon. Cook slowly until the bacon is crispy and has rendered its fat, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan for another use. Add the onion, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Place the clove and star anise into a small spice bag, add to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Cook, uncovered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions caramelize, 45 to 60 minutes. Add the celery and the 3 cloves of minced garlic to the pan and continue to cook over low heat until the celery is semi-translucent, approximately 30 minutes. Remove the spice bag from the pot.

Meanwhile, place a wide 4-quart saute pan, over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and once it shimmers, add the beef chuck and the pork butt and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a colander to drain. Return the pan to high heat, add 1/2 cup of the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Transfer these bits and any remaining wine to the Dutch oven along with the meat.

Add another 1/2 cup of the wine, evaporated milk, beef broth, and mushrooms to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours.

Once the sauce has been cooking for 1 1/2 hours, place the 4-quart saute pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once it shimmers, add the 2 cloves of sliced garlic and cook for 30 to 45 seconds or until fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Add the tomatoes, oregano, basil, and marjoram and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, approximately 30 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup wine, tomato paste, ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high; add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the tomato mixture to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, while preparing the pasta.

For the pasta:

Bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat. Carefully add the pasta, stirring quickly to separate. Cover and return to a boil, being careful that the water does not boil over. Once boiling again, uncover and continue to cook until slightly less than al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Add the pasta to the meat sauce and cook, over low heat, for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add the Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Transfer pasta and sauce to a serving bowl or individual bowls and serve.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/meat-sauce-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

10 Crockpot Freezer Meals under $100

We bought everything to make these 10 meals yesterday and must say, we are greatly impressed at the quantity of it all for the price.  I hope the meals turn out good because this would be great for expecting mothers or just to have a meal on hand ready to go in the crock pot.  See the link to print out the grocery list if you are interested!  

http://www.six-cents.com/2012/06/crockpot-freezer-cooking-101.html

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches 

6-8 Chicken Breasts (1 for each family member, doubled)
2 cups of chicken broth
2 small cans of pineapple rings
2 red bell peppers sliced into thin strips
1large onion sliced into strips
Provolone cheese
Whole wheat buns or lettuce wraps

Directions:  Divide all contents evenly into two bags except cheese and buns/lettuce.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve chicken topped with pepper and onions under melted provolone cheese on a bun or lettuce warp.

Savory Pepper Steak

3 pounds of round steak but into ½ inch thick strips.

½ cup flour

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp pepper

1 large onion chopped

a few garlic cloves—I like to put 4-5 crushed into each bag

1 green peppers sliced

1 red pepper sliced

2  16oz cans of tomatoes—I prefer Italian style

2 tbsp beef bouillon

4 tsp of Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp of steak seasoning

2 tbsp of steak sauce

Directions:  Toss steak strips in mixture of flour, salt and pepper.  Mix together beef bouillon,Worcestershire sauce, and steak sauce and divide evenly into two bags.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Serve with rice and a side salad.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

12 new potatoes and cut into ¼ inch round slices or a large bag of frozen potatoes

2 cans of cream of your choice—I used potato

2 cans of water

2 ham steaks, cubed

8 oz cheddar cheese

4 cups of broccoli

salt and pepper

Directions:  Divide everything evenly into two containers.  Cook on low for 8 hours.
*EDIT* People have mentioned the potatoes turning black if frozen.  Mine didn't do that, but just to be safe, either use frozen potatoes or add potatoes the day of cooking.

Salsa Chicken

6-8 chicken breasts

2   15 oz. cans of black beans

1 family size frozen bag of corn

2 cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 jar of salsa

1 packet of taco seasoning

2 cups of cheddar cheese

Directions:  Divide everything except cheese evenly into two bags.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve over rice or on corn tortillas with rice as a side.

Chicken Curry

6-8chicken breasts

2cans of cream of chicken soup

1cup of dry cooking sherry

½cup of butter

8green onions chopped

4tsp of curry powder

salt and pepper

Directions: Divide everything except butter into two bags evenly.  Add butter to crock pot when ready to cook.  Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice with a side salad.

Homemade Freezer Friendly Waffles

  Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups flour (whole-wheat, white, or a mixture of both)
• 2 Tablespoons sugar (or raw sugar)
• 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup milk (You can use half milk/half water, if you prefer.)
• 1/2 cup oil or melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Mix together dry ingredients in one bowl. Lightly beat together wet ingredients in another. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Pour batter onto lightly-oiled or buttered waffle iron and bake until done.
To freeze: Let cool and stick 4-6 waffles in a freezer bag. Remove air and seal.
To thaw: Pull desired number of waffles out of the freezer and heat in the microwave, in a toaster oven, or in the oven.

Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1½ tsp rice vinegar
• ¾ tsp ground mustard
• ½ tsp sugar
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 6 pieces bacon, cooked, crisp, and crumbled
• paprika

Instructions

1. Slice the hard boiled eggs in half, lengthwise
2. Remove the yolks and put them in a mixing bowl
3. Mash the egg yolks with a fork
4. Add the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, ground mustard, and sugar to the mashed egg yolks and stir until well combined
5. Mix in the jalapenos and bacon
6. Put the mixture in a Ziploc bag and cut a small hole in the corner of the bag
7. Fill each egg hole with the mixture
8. Sprinkle with paprika
9. Chill until ready to serve