Pots and Pins

Shredded Beef Tacos...

Who wouldn't like a piece of beef so tender it practically melts in your mouth?  And who wouldn't want a no fuss way of preparing it?  Tender, flavorful and super easy...grab yourself a can of V-8 and a crock pot 'cause that's whats for dinner tonight!

Frozen round steak is what I had on hand...no need to thaw.  You could use a chuck roast - whatever suits your fancy.  Put your meat in the crock pot, turn it on high and pour in a can of V-8 juice...then go about your business for 4 1/2  hours and let the magic happen.  And you'll know when it happens...you'll be able to pull the meat from the crock and shred it with a fork - it'll be like buttah....but-taaaaaah...then return the shredded meat to the crock, add a few spices and let it simmer for another 30 minutes in that wonderful elixir...and be still and know there is a God.

The boy loaded up on Shredded Beef Tacos before his big tourney...and so did the mister and me...strictly out of solidarity.  We cheered the boy on as he swung his clubs...time and time again trying to get out of the sand...

 

Chambers Bay Golf Course is something to see...right off the coast, south of Tacoma, WA...and only ONE tree on the entire course...that's it in the distance in the pic on the left.  But even though there aren't any trees to get in the way of the golf balls...there is plenty of sand - except for the greens the entire course is basically one big sand trap!  All in all, it was a great day - the mister and I managed to walk the back nine without the aid of a defibrillator and the boy was happy with how he played...can't ask for more than that! 

Shredded Beef Tacos - Me

2 1/2 lb. round steak (or chuck roast) trimmed of fat

1 can (12 oz.) V-8 Juice (do not use the low-sodium version)

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

12 flour tortillas

Toppings - Optional:

green onion, chopped

lettuce, shredded

cilantro, chopped

cheddar cheese, grated

sour cream

avocados, peeled, seeded and chopped

tomatoes, chopped

Put the meat in a large crock pot set on high.  Pour in V-8 Juice.  Cover and cook for 4 1/2 hours, if meat is frozen.  If meat is thawed, cook for 3 1/2 hours.  After cooking time, remove beef from crock and shred with two forks.  Return beef to pot, add cumin, pepper and chili powder, stir to mix.  Cover and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.  When ready to serve, using a slotted spoon, remove shredded beef from crock to a serving plate.  Lightly brown tortillas on each side in a large skillet.  Top tortillas with beef and whatever toppings you like.  Makes about 12 large tacos.

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"Golf is a lot of walking, broken up by disappointment and bad arithmetic." ~ Unknown

Crock-Pot Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus...

You'll need a bib. Or a vat of napkins.  Or maybe you should just wear rain gear so when you drip, drip, drip all over the place your new white shirt won't be ruined.  But that's just me.  The mister called these slurpwiches and let me tell you, he did enjoy slurping them up - as did the boy.  They slurped their way through about 3 sandwiches a piece and even made themselves late-night snacks!

This is such an easy dinner to make...and so delicious you'll be tempted to only make this for special occasions...like the Daytona 500...yes, that's a special occasion around here...the mister always informs me that he'll be "tied up with Daytona" so I won't bother him with little details like unclogging the drain in our bathroom or cleaning the gutters over the front porch so the WATERFALL disappears...no, he can't do anything like that because for hours and hours he appears to be embalmed as he watches the most exciting event in all of racing...hit the gas pedal and turn left...repeated (yawn) 500 (yawn) times..oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you jealous!  Plug in the crock-pot, dump everything in at once (and you can even start with FROZEN meat!), and walk away for 6 hours. 

Toasted buns topped with provolone cheese and then smothered with shredded beef so flavorful the au jus will seem superfluous...but trust me...you'll want to dip and dip again and I highly recommend you do...dip till your heart's content...dip till the last crumb is soaked through and through...dip-ah-dee-doo-dah-DIP!

Crock-Pot Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 whole large white onion, chopped

1/2 cup Sweet Soy Sauce (available at most grocery stores or Asian markets - it's thicker and sweeter than regular soy sauce)

1 cup Port

2 cups water

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 lbs. chuck roast (if frozen allow for an extra hour of cooking)

12 buns

butter for buns

12 Provolone cheese slices

Place the 1st eight ingredients into the crock pot and mix to combine.  Add the meat, spooning onions over top.  Cover crock with lid and turn heat to high.  Cook for 5 to 6 hours (if meat is frozen cook for 6 to 6 1/2 hours).  Using two forks, shred meat in the juice, and allow to cook for an additional 30 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon or fork, remove meat to a serving platter, be sure to include some onions!  Keep juice in crock so it will stay hot.  Split buns in half but not all the way through, butter them, and toast them under the oven broiler.  Add a piece of provolone to each open bun, top with shredded meat and onions.  Serve with a small ramekin of au jus.  Serves 10 to 12.  (For an even BETTER sandwich/slurpwich, after the sandwich is made, dip the "spine" of the bun into the juices in the crock and still serve with au jus...it just doesn't get any better folks...trust me!

Garlic Fondue...

Riddle me this....what do you get when you combine a husband in the dog-house right before Valentine's Day AND a wife with a crippling headache (to elicit sympathy)?  You might call it a trifecta...a perfect storm...a guaranteed gift from someplace other than a gas station or a drug store.  I won't go into the details, they'd just bore you, or provide proof for a judge someday -  plus a gag order was issued...but I will say my "sorry" collection (otherwise known as jewelry that comes with a card attached saying, "I'm sorry") has grown...my headache has left...and the mister is out of the dog house.  For now.

Nanette of Freda's Hive mentioned having a Fabric Fairy...turns out I had one too!  Caesar Beezer The Wonder Dog is modeling my new fabric - which, after aging for a year, will be ready to be made into something in time for next Valentine's day...Okay, back to fondue...for all of you on the Atkins/South Beach/high protein diet, this one's for you...nothing but veggies/fat and protein...and fun - because really, who doesn't like "dip?"  And that's just what fondue is...cheese dip - warm, gooey and good - so good that it will make eating those veggies more fun than you can imagine!   

After a week of chocolate, veggies sounded good - and much better than what the mister had planned to serve for Valentine's dinner, since that's his day to cook.  Lightly steamed veggies, along with fresh tomatoes and celery, made the perfect dipping "sticks."  I also added some crusty French bread cubes and meatballs (from a package!) so the caveman wouldn't have to beat his drum.  Try this one night with the fam - the kids will eat whatever you give them as long as they get to dip it in this creamy cheese sauce!

Garlic Fondue

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

any combination of veggies, cut into bite-size pieces and lightly steamed so they are still al dente:  broccoli, cauliflower, asparagas, brussel sprouts.  Serve these veggies fresh, and not steamed: carrots, celery, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, green/red peppers, etc.

cooked meatballs

crusty French bread cubes

Steam veggies or blanch them in 4 quarts of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, strain, rinse with cold water and set aside.  In the top of a double boiler combine milk, mustard, garlic, flour and salt.  Mix well.  Fill bottom of pan with about 3 inches of water, bring to a boil over high heat.  Insert top pan and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Stir in cheese.  continue cooking another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a 1-quart crockpot or fondue pot (I don't have either of those things so I just put the fondue into small bowls, it stayed plenty hot for the duration of our meal and then some).  Serve with vegetables.  Makes about 4 cups of fondue, serves 6 to 8.

We dined in front of the TV so we wouldn't miss a second of the Olympics...go Apollo!  

Crock Pot Pork Roast Cooked in a Molasses Sauce...

The Tribe has spoken.  Actually verbalized, vocalized, yammered and yakked-de-yakkety-yakked...this is their new favorite way to eat pork roast.  No apples, applesauce, cider or any other derivitive of apples...this pork roast is cooked in a rich molasses sauce...different and divine!  I buy Brer Rabbit Molasses as much for the flavor as the picture on the label...I have always loved the stories of Brer Rabbit in the briar patch - he being a very clever trickster who loves nothing more than to torment his nemesis Brer Fox.  Brer Fox goes to great lengths to nab Brer Rabbit and teach him a lesson, he calls on his friends who live near the Briar Patch to help...Brer Bull Frog, Brer Tarrypin, Brer Bear and a host of other Brers who happen along the way...but Brer Rabbit is as elusive as he is clever...and he always has the last laugh.

Molasses is a "trickster" of sorts...it kind of lulls you in with all of it's rich, sweet stickiness...this is what a Brer Rabbit Molasses Cookbook from 1948 had to say about molasses: 

"As if dripping with the sunshine that warms the rich soil of its plantation home, New Orleans molasses gives spun-gold richness to fine, homemade gingerbread, cakes and cookies. Treasured by the fine cooks of early crinoline days, this special golden richness is yours today in Brer Rabbit Molasses.  Made only from southern plantation sugar cane, Brer Rabbit comes to you in natural liquid form, to insure a true molasses flavor."

All ya'll just go ahead and make this...ya'll be singin' and swayin' to beat the band in no time!  Heady with the aroma...giddy with the taste...Southern inside and out...yee-haw! Ya'll are goin' to love this one!  And friends...I'm giving this 5 Dangs...oh yeah, you read me right...it's definitely coma worthy.

Crock Pot Pork Roast Cooked in a Molasses Sauce - Me

3 to 4 lb. bone-in pork roast

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 large white onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup molasses

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

Put pork roast in crock pot on high heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, cloves, thyme and stock. In a small bowl combine molasses and mustard, stir well.  Pour molasses mixture in crock and give it a quick stir.  Cover crock with lid and cook for 4 to 5 hours.  Remove pork roast and vegetables to a platter and serve.  Serves 6.  

For a great side dish, pour off the liquid from the crock pot into a sauce pan, adding additional stock or water to equal 4 cups of liquid.  Bring to a boil and add 2 cups couscous, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until couscous is soft and tender.

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun."  ~ Mary Lou Cook 

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One year ago:  Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz...Thanksgiving is Over

Two years ago:  Bacon-Broccoli Quiche - Real Men Will Eat This

Crock-Pot Pork Chops With Apples...

Let's pretend I'm home with a long list of appointments and errands but before I head out the door I remember that I need to put the pork chops in the crock-pot...the clock is ticking...and I don't want to be late!  I have exactly 10 minutes...can I do it?  Remember I did say PRETEND...but in reality, no pretense is needed because that's exactly how long it takes to prepare this meal - aside from the actual cooking.

Pork chops and apples go together like diamonds and platinum...like sapphires and pearls...like rubies and gold...like dogs and fleas (I needed to snap out of it) and this is not your fancy-schmancy apple/chop recipe...this is basic and simple but so, so good. 

Chops are dredged in seasoned flour then browned on the stove top, 4 minutes on each side...while browning the apples are cored and sliced - no need to peel...crock turned on high, two minutes to spare...apple cider poured into crock, apples tossed in, chops set on top, more apples, lid in place...10 minutes and you're out the door!  4 1/2 hours later - when you've returned and you're ready to dine, your fabulous meal awaits...the house smells wonderful, the apples are soft and sweet, the chops have been infused with cider and they taste like they've been prepared in the finest kitchen...and they have been! 

Crock-Pot Pork Chops With Apples - Me

4 pork chops, 1-inch thick

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 apples, cored and sliced, peels left on

1 1/2 cups apple cider or apple juice

On a plate, combine flour, salt and pepper with a fork.  Dredge each pork chop in flour until covered.  In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add oil.  When oil is hot, add pork chops and brown on each side, about 4 minutes per side.  Meanwhile, place half the apples in the crock-pot and pour in the apple cider.  When chops are done, set on top of apples and place remaining apples on top of chops.  Put on lid and cook on high for 4 1/2 hours.  Serve chops with apples and some of the juice.  Serves 4. 

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."  ~ Oscar Wilde

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One year ago today:  Severed Fingers

Cherry Bomb Pork Sandwiches With Cherry BBQ Sauce...

I liked this SO much that I'm going to tell you straightaway - this is a dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good sandwich...yep, a 5 danger, no doubt about it.  And dang easy to make, too!  I made this for the SIL who was in town for a quick visit last week...he smells everything he eats before he eats it...put his nose right down in the food...it's fascinating to watch!  He has a highly developed sense of smell...I'm sure he would have made a great per-fumier or an even better tracking dog - and he can detect poop in Baby Max's diaper from across a room filled with babies...and dirty diapers.   His talent is immense.  So it was with great pleasure that I watched him smell this dish...and then listened to him..."Mmmmmmmmmmmm...mmmmm!" 

The secret to the pork is Cherry Juice.  It's cooked in it.  If you can't find cherry juice you could juice your own - although that would take a bit of doing.  I looked high and low for Cherry juice - it's not easy to find - but I settled for Wild Cherry Drink Boxes - and they were GREAT!  The pork cooks in the crock pot - so you won't heat up your kitchen - although if you live in Seattle you probably WANT to heat up your kitchens - summer is still evading us!

The cherry flavor in the pork alone is reason enough to make this...but then there's the sauce...it just sparkles on the pork - the perfect blend of sweet and tang with a hint of cumin...it's what puts da-BOMB in the cherry!

Cherry Bomb Pork Sandwiches with Cherry BBQ Sauce - ME

To Make Pork Roast:

1 3 to 4 lb. pork roast (Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder)

1 package (6 oz.) Dried Cherries

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 Wild Cherry Juice Drink Boxes (6.75 oz.) (No sugar added, 100% juice blend)

8 Sandwich buns

To Make BBQ Sauce:

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

Put pork roast in a large crock pot; cover with cherry juice.  Add onions and dried cherries.  Put on lid and cook on high for 5 hours.  After 5 hours, drain juices from crock.  Using forks, shred the roast.  Make BBQ sauce.

In a medium-size pan on medium-high heat, add all of the BBQ sauce ingredients.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, blend up the sauce, or carefully pour the sauce into a regular blender and puree.  Pour the pureed sauce over the shredded pork, stir with a fork until all is mixed.  Replace lid and continue cooking for an additional hour.  Place pork on sandwich buns and stand back because they'll come a runnin!  Total cooking time:  6 hours.  Serves 8.

"The only reason I would take up jogging is so that I could hear heavy breathing again."  ~ Erma Bombeck

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One year ago today:Caveman 101

Cafe Rio Chicken Salad With Cafe Rio Rice and Cafe Rio Dressing...

If you've been to Utah, or if you live there, or if you know someone who lives there, then there's a good chance you've heard about Cafe Rio...my sister and her tribe dine there about twice a week - for about $50 a pop!!  Her kids BEG to go there...my friends, former Seattleites Kendall and Nancy, who defected to Mecca with hopes of finding sun, will surely keep Cafe Rio in business for years and years or until their teeth fall out from eating a steady diet of Mexican food...I'm no expert but I don't think you'll find green chilies, cilantro and cumin on top of the food pyramid!   I'm not a Cafe Rio Officionado...although I'm a fan...and I do have to say, this is pretty darn close to what they serve and whether or not you Rio fans agree, I know you'll agree that this is DANG GOOD...and you Utah folks, listen up...with the money you save by making this at home you'll soon be able to afford a plane ticket back to Seattle where you belong!    

Since these are the EXACT recipes from Cafe Rio (not) I should probably change their names to protect the innocent (me) and this way no one (Cafe Rio) can get their panties in a twist!  But whatever, I'm no threat to Cafe Rio and their safely guarded culinary secrets! So below you'll find recipes for Cafe Rio Chicken Salad, Cafe Rio Rice and Cafe Rio Dressing. The dressing is my nephew's favorite, he always orders extra dressing, like two extra, and I swear he uses his straw to eat it!  Everyone I know who eats at Cafe Rio raves about the dressing...it's been a while since I've had it...but my recipe is exactly how I remember it tasting...for those of you who know me and know I can't keep a thought in my head, just know that when it comes to food I never forget!

Can you stand a little earth-shattering news?  The mister got me the ring.  Yes he did.  I know!  I couldn't believe it either!!  And it wasn't the ring I was going to get...it was the other ring..the ring that I really wanted but didn't dare even hope for!!  Here's what happened...I put it all back on the mister...if he really wanted me to have the ring he was going to have to go and buy it himself...and he did. (The mister doesn't even buy his own potty pants!  Or shoes!)  He walked in Wednesday night, handed me a little white cardboard box, which I carefully opened to find a navy blue velvet box...I took a deep breath, opened the box and nothing was there!  And I thought, this is JUST LIKE HIM!  What a tease!  But then he stuck out his pinkie and the ring was on it...so there you have it...after years and years and years of marriage to a man who is harder than hell to live with, I get my badge/ring of merit! And it's beautiful.  Sparkly.  Perfect.  So there won't be any mister bashing this weekend...nope, I've given him a three day pass, starting today.  One day for every ten years.  Seems fair.   

Chicken in the crock-pot, dressing in the food processor, rice on the stove...you're going to dirty a few dishes but it will be well worth it!

Cafe Rio Salad Dressing - Adapted from Little Piggy Food

1 package (.04 oz.) Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed

1 clove garlic

juice of 1 lime

1 jalapeno, seeds removed (unless you like it spicy)

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until well blended, about 10 seconds.  Refrigerate.  Will keep for up to one week in refrigerator.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing.

Cafe Rio Chicken - Adapted from Little Piggy Food

1 bottle (16 oz.) Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, chopped

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and dried.

Place Kraft dressing, chili powder, cumin, pepper, and garlic in crock-pot.  Stir with wooden spoon to combine.  Add chicken and onions.  Cover with lid and cook on high for 4 1/2 hours. Shred chicken with forks, turn off heat and let sit for 20 minutes.  (You can choose not to shred the chicken and serve it in pieces, in which case this will serve 5, or you can serve it on a bun or in a tortilla and it will serve more.  If you serve it on the salad this will serve 6...anyway you do it you'll love it!) 

Cafe Rio Rice - Adapted from Little Piggy Food

2 1/4 cups water

1 cup rice, not instant

2 teaspoons "Better Than Bouillon" Chicken Base or you can use 2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies

juice from 1/2 of a fresh lime

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 yellow onion

Put all ingredients, except rice and water into a food processor and process until well combined.  Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized sauce pan over high heat and then add rice and processed mixture.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Toss with a fork and allow to cool slightly if using the salad.  If using as a side dish, serve hot.  This recipe serves 4 if served as a side dish, if used in the salad it serves 6.

To assemble the Chicken Salad, exactly like Cafe Rio does, you'll need a can (14 oz.) of black beans, shredded lettuce, and any other toppings you want, like avocado, olives, cheese, etc.  and you'll also need an aluminum cake pan to put it in...that's right, that's what they use....  

Start with the black beans, add some of the rice, next toss in some lettuce, and then put on a heaping helping of shredded chicken followed by a dose of the amazing dressing...now if you want throw on some extra toppings, go right ahead...I think Cafe Rio uses Parmesan cheese, which I just don't get, but whatever, a nice bit of Monterrey Jack would taste great.      

Cafe Rio also has a wonderful pork dish...I'll be posting that recipe later this week...I have not perfected it yet so stay tuned! 

One last thing...when I found the Little PIggy Food blog, the recipes that were posted had not been tested yet - she said "Hopefully they are yummy!"  I can tell you that they did need a little "enhancing" and that now, after testing and tasting and more tasting, they are definitely YUMMY!  The chicken is great cold too and I think I'm safe in saying the salad dressing will now be a staple in my fridge!  Oh, I may not have raved enough about the rice but it IS excellent - I will serve it from now on with whatever Tex-Mex food I make.