Carnitas Five Ways

Well, hello lovelies! I hope that y'all had a beautiful week while I was away on spring break. I can't believe that it is over already. 

Sad. Day. 

I have been overwhelmed with goodness from my trip with my OMBC students this past week and I am truly sad to see it come to an end. I learned a lot and look forward to sharing it with you soon!However I am really not motivated right now to just mentally process all of that or to go through photos and construct posts, so for now I will leave you with this: 

five ways to eat carnitas (slow cooked seasoned pulled pork). I posted the recipe last year. It's fabulous, really. I made a big batch before midterms last week and found fun ways to eat it up!


Tacos
flour tortillas with carnitas, chipotle cream, avocados and sour cream. These went great alongside a Cherry Coke. 

Carnitas Quesadillas:
Buttered flour tortillas, layered with carnitas, cheddar cheese and refried black beans, topped with avocado and served with jalapeno cream sauce (sour cream, jalapeno, lime, salt, pepper). 

Carnitas Rice Bowl
wasn't that pretty so I didn't take a picture. I layered brown rice, carnitas, black beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, etc etc. 

Late Night Snack
garlic toast with avocado, carnitas, a fried egg and chipotle cream (sour cream, lime, chipotle seasoning)

Carnitas Stuffed Poblano
a poblano pepper stuffed with rice, tomatoes, onions, carnitas and goat cheese, served over creamy chipotle sauce. 

I really hope that if you haven't tried this fantastic and budget friendly meal-maker that you will! It is quite versatile and reheats beautifully. 

AND

Come back tomorrow for an exciting announcement!

Crock Pot Apple Butter Chicken

This is a fantastic dish for a busy time of year. Between cookie baking, church activities, school parties, and family gatherings, preparing a delicious meal is probably at the bottom of the priority list. Well, this meal is perfect for that! It takes about one minute of prep time, and the crock pot does all the cookin'. Plus, it's one of those flavor combinations that will surprise and delight you. Yes, I said that. Surprise and delight, y'all

I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because it's what I always have available in my freezer. I'm sure this would also be great with boneless chicken thighs!

What You'll Need:
serves 4
3-4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/1/2 cup apple butter 
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth 
salt
pepper

What To Do:
Place chicken evenly in crock pot (frozen is totally fine). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dollop apple butter over chicken, turning to coat. Add garlic and chicken broth, making sure there is enough liquid to cover the bottom of the pot. Cook on low for 4 hours. 

The key to this dish is to make sure the chicken doesn't dry out. If you plan to leave the crock pot going for more than four hours, consider adding enough liquid, broth or apple juice, to submerge the meat.

Slice chicken and spoon extra apple butter mixture over. Serve with instant brown rice and microwave steamed broccoli for a quick, delicious meal!


original recipe

Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce

I love the way that this dish brings out natural sweetness in fresh tomatoes and provides an excellent sauce base for an otherwise very simple meal. Take advantage of the end of tomato season and try this dish asap!

What You'll Need:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
¾ cup flour

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ tsp. fresh oregano, minced
½ tsp. sweet paprika
Salt and pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (about 12 oz.)

1 cup fresh spinach
1/3 cup chicken broth

splash of half and half
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

What To Do:
Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, oregano, and paprika.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the oregano butter with the olive oil.  Place the chicken breast halves in the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes to the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining butter mixture to the pan.  Crush the tomatoes slightly to release their juices and continue stirring until the butter is melted.  Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add the wine or broth to the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits.  Add half and half and cook for a minute more until well blended.

Slice the chicken, transfer to serving plates, and top with the pan sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 

I ate my chicken over pasta but this would also pair well with rice, quinoa or potatoes!

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats and  Cook Like a Champion, originally from Bon Appétit, July 2011

Crockpot Carnitas

If you follow along with me on Twitter or Instagram, you know that I could eat tacos

every

single 

day

and never tire of their deliciousness. 

This recipe was so low maintenance and I've been eating the leftovers for five days now. Seriously, what is there to not love about tenderized, flavorful pulled pork? This stuff never dries out and pairs well with so many different flavors!

I actually used a 3 lb roast and reduced the cooking time by a couple of hours. It still made enough to feed a small army. You can also substitute broth, ginger ale or cola for the beer.

What You'll Need:

5-6 pounds pork shoulder roast (or butt)

1 tablespoons canola oil

8 ounces of your favorite beer

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

What To Do:

Combine seasonings together in a bowl and mix until combined. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Once hot, add pork and sear on all sides until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side).

Add pork to the crockpot and sprinkle seasonings all over. Pour in beer, then cook on low for 10-12 hours. Check once or twice if possible and if needed, add more beer (I did not add any). Before serving, use forks or kitchen tongs to shred pork. Let sit on low or warm for another 20-30 minutes before serving.

Recipe from How Sweet Eats

Top your taco with your favorite toppings! My go to is avocado slices and sour cream but you could also mix and match the following:

• diced onion
• cilantro
• avocado slices
• pico de gallo
• diced mango 
• sour cream/ greek yogurt
• sliced jalapeno
• fresh squeezed lime 
• layer in bowl with rice, pinto beans, meat, and top with any of the above

Mini Turkey Bacon Meatloaf with Bacon Gravy

Meatloaf was one of those meals that my mom made maybe once a year, 

because my dad couldn't handle it more often than that. 

And that one time a year it was the typical beef in a loaf-pan, slathered in ketchup variety.

Well I got urge to attempt to make foods that don't sound appealing 

into a really delicious and appealing meal.

So when I found this recipe from Feeding My Temple,

I knew it was the perfect thing to pair with crispy roasted Brussels sprouts

The ground turkey cuts down on the heaviness of ground beef while still being completely filling and the muffin tin helps you control portion very simply!

But I wanted some added flavor

and have never been a fan of the ketchup topping

So we added bacon crumbles to the mixture and the top for added crunch and flavor. 

And then used the bacon drippings to make a pan gravy!

These guys almost resemble meatballs more than meatloaf and I think would also be complemented well with a marinara or vodka sauce. 

We served ours along with bacon gravy, creamy mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts... and it was a big hit. I couldn't even finish three little loaves. 

What You'll Need:

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp all purpose seasoning

1 lb ground turkey

6 slices bacon

2 tbsp flour

3/4 to 1 1/2 cup milk 

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.

Prepare bacon either in the oven or stovetop, until crispy. Reserve 2 tbsp of bacon drippings. Let cool on paper towels, then crumble 4 of the pieces. 

In a large bowl, combine egg, milk, cheese, oats, bacon crumbles and seasoning. Add the ground turkey, mixing well.

Fill each muffin cup with a large scoop of meat mixture, and top with remaining 2 pieces of bacon crumbled. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat bacon drippings. Mix in flour, creating a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Gradually add in milk, mixing well, to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve meatloaves immediately smothered with gravy!

Recipe adapted from Feeding My Temple

Apple Butter Pork Tenderloin

This flavor combination is out of this world. Pork and apples were meant to be together! 

I've learned a lot about how different cuts of meat should be prepared since I first tried this recipe and have modified it to work much better for a pork tenderloin.

It is very tender, juicy and bursting with beautifully contrasting sweet and savory flavors!

What You'll Need:

(serves 4 to 6)

2 (1 ½ pound) pork tenderloins 

seasoning salt to taste 

2 cups apple juice

½ cup apple butter

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp to 1/4 cup water

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

What To Do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the pork tenderloins with seasoning salt, a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan. Sear the tenderloins until browned on each side. Remove from pan. Place tenderloins in a baking dish. Pour apple juice over the pork, and cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil. 

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. While the pork is roasting, mix together the apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves. Start with 2 tbsp water, and add more to thin out the sauce as desired. After 20 minutes, remove pork loins from the oven, and spread the apple butter mixture over them. Cover, and return to the oven for 40 more minutes. 

Slice the pork into medallions and serve with a side of the roasting juices! 

Recipe adapted from Moms Who Think

By the way, if you like weekly or monthly meal plans, this site has lots of them!

Rib Roast

So my idea for a good man meal had to include some beautifully cooked red meat.

I thought- why yes, prime rib is a great idea. 

It is also known as a standing rib roast

it's where ribeye steaks come from

and you can get it boneless for easier carving

And then I saw this ad in the Randall's mailer 

a boneless rib roast for 2.99/lb

And I thought- NO WAY!

prime rib for 2.99 a pound??

So I planned an entire meal around this beautiful cut of meat

and the day of the dinner I moseyed over to Randall's

And just stared at the meat counter

Boneless Cross Rib Roast

And called my dad.

"This isn't prime rib is it?"

"Yeah... no"

So I bought the on-sale meat anyway. 

It was a rib roast... just not the lovely expensive cut I was planning for

I let it sit for an hour to bring it to room temperature,

crusted the outside with kosher salt, ground peppercorns

and garlic powder

Then I baked it, fat side up, at 400 for 20 minutes

and then at 325 for about 1 hr 20 minutes,

until it reached 140 degrees internally 

for a beautiful rare doneness

the edges were a little more medium

(meat thermometer=favorite new gadget)

Let it rest for at least twenty minutes, tented in foil

And then I sliced the roast thinly 

(but thicker than normal prime rib is sliced)

And yeah, no one else knew that it wasn't the $100 roast

It was absolutely delicious and flavorful!

and the man-meal-red-meat totally went over well.