Category: MEMES & LINK PARTIES

SPICED SHREDDED PORK TACOS ~ CLASSIC GOOD EATS

CLASSIC GOOD EATS ~ SPICED SHREDDED PORK TACOS
4 pound pork shoulder roast
1 KNORR cilantro cube
1 KNORR onion cube
1 MAGGI pollo cube
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large onion, sliced thin and separated into rings
1 cup white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 cup apple juice

  • Rinse and pat dry pork roast.
  • In a small food processor add: cilantro, onion and chicken cubes.  Pulse until granulated.
  • Add cumin, chili powder and oregano.  Pulse until well blended.
  • Add brown sugar, olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the wine. Pulse until well blended into a paste.
  • Rub paste into all surfaces and crevices of your roast.
  • Layer onion rings on bottom of roaster.
  • Place roast over onion rings.
  • Combine remaining wine and apple juice. Carefully pour around the roast.
  • Cover tightly and roast at 300 degrees for several hours, turning ever now and then.
  • When it’s fork tender, remove the lid, turn up the temperature to 400 degrees and roast another 20 minutes or so.
  • Remove from oven and let pork roast rest for 15 minutes.
  • Shred the roast and return the meat to the juices.
  • Serve with fresh warm tortillas, lime wedges, fresh cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and all other toppings of choice.

ZUCCHINI, PEPPERS & POTATO BAKE

This is a great side dish that I make often. What’s great about it is that you can adapt it to your own tastes. In the mood for spicy?  Add some cayenne.  Or do what I often do and add more garlic! 

This is healthy and delicious and goes with just about everything!
Zucchini, Peppers & Potato Bake 
3 potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut into bite size pieces
1 zucchini (about 1 lb), quartered and cut into bite sized chunks
1 onion (I didn’t use this but I usually do), chopped in large chunks
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/3 cup bread crumbs (I used garlic and herb)
2 tbsp. olive oil1/2 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toss together veggies in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss with bread crumbs. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Put on a baking sheet covered with cooking spray and cook in a 400 degree oven for about 1 hour or 1 1/4 hours. Stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender and lightly brown. You may need to adjust cooking time depending how done you want your veggies.

Total calories = 1170
6 servings = 195 calories

1 Orange Chipotle Rib + Zucchini, Peppers & Potato Bake = 595 calorie dinner

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Spaghetti Sauce.  A food that everyone seems to have their versions of.  This is the best spaghetti sauce that I have ever tasted.  It is my nana’s recipe and I have never tasted another remotely like it.  Everyone that has tasted it has enjoyed it and gone back for seconds.  I make a double batch and freeze the leftovers for busy weeknights.  Serve with a salad and big,crusty bread and you have a complete meal.  Nana’s recipe calls for ground beef but you can certainly lighten it up with ground turkey.  And please don’t leave out the Heinz 57 sauce.  It is crucial to the outcome.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Nana’s Spaghetti Sauce
3 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Brown onion and green pepper in a large skillet in a small amount of oil.
  • Add ground beef to the onion and green peppers; cook until brown.
  • Carefully drain the hamburger mixture and return to the skillet.
  • Add the tomato sauce, onion salt, salt, garlic salt, oregano, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Heinz 57 and Italian seasoning.
  • Stir well and simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours.
  • Serve over your favorite pasta with garlic bread and a salad.

Heavenly Hash Brownies

A few weeks ago, I was organizing some recipes in my binder, and I came across this recipe clipped from a newspaper.  I cannot even tell you from which paper, as it was the recipe alone.  I’m fairly certain this is from my mother’s collection, as on the back of the recipe there is a portion of a grocery ad for a penny sale, as in 10 cans of tomato paste for 10 cents.  Ancient, yes?  Anyway, I vaguely remember making these for a family get together some years ago, but I couldn’t remember if I liked them, really liked them, or what have you, so I figured I’d give them another audition. 
The verdict?  They’re good, as in really, really good.  I made these for our Super Bowl buffet, but they are perfect for anytime you want something decadent, yet fairly easy.

Heavenly Hash Brownies
2 sticks butter
4 tablespoons cocoa
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup pecans, toasted & chopped
1 cup almonds, toasted & chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
10 oz bag miniature marshmallows

Icing
1 stick butter
1/2 cup half & half
6 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 13×9 square baking dish with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on opposite sides so that you can lift out the bars when they are done.
In a small saucepan, melt the two sticks of butter and 4 tablespoons cocoa.  Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until thickened. 
Mix in the cooled butter & cocoa mixture.
Add in the flour, nuts, and salt.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately pour bag of marshmallows on hot brownies; set aside and prepare icing.

For the icing:
Combine all icing ingredients, except vanilla, in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, until butter melts, and the icing is thick and creamy. 
Stir in the vanilla.
Pour hot icing over brownies.
Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Enjoy!

TORTILLA ROLL UPS ~Perfect for upcoming Superbowl parties~CLASSIC GOOD EATS

TORTILLA ROLL-UPS
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/3 pound ham, chopped fine
7 ounce can roasted chiles, drained well
1 small can chopped olives
flour tortillas

  • In a small food processor blend all ingredients together until smooth.
  • Spread 4 tablespoons on each tortilla leaving 1/2 inch along one edge.
  • Roll up each tortill ending on the dry edge.
  • Lay side by side on a plate.
  • Cover loosely with saran.
  • Chill overnight.
  • Slice into 1/2 inch rounds just before serving.

Creamy Cheddar Potato Soup

 Join me at My Sweet and Savory and at Bizzy B. Bakes.  I would love to have you Cook with Chaya.

I am one of those gals who is cuddling by the non-existent fire place because outside, there are great mounds of snow, some weeks old and ice on the sidewalks.  One can slide from place to place.  Getting out of my car, the other night, I was greeted with a mountain blocking my way.  I wonder how many people threw their snow in that spot.

The truth is, there is no place left to throw snow for many of us.  We have piled up around the driveway, along the sidewalk, against the house.  You name it….there is snow.

These are days to stay home and make a warming pot of soup and what better than a creamy cheddar potato soup?

Cheddar Potato Soup adapted from Taste of Home Annual 2003
Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped celery
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups diced peeled potatoes
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • Dash paprika

Method:

  • In a large saucepan, saute onion, red pepper and celery in butter until tender. 
  • Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  • Puree in small batches in a blender until smooth; return to the pan. Stir in the cheese, milk, pepper and paprika. Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted.  I should have used my immersion blender but I forgot.  It would have been much easier than shlepping out the blender and then wash out the jar.


CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE… SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT

I’m always on the lookout for over-the-top dessert recipes that are not only sinfully delicious, but also relatively simple in their preparation.  My friend Melinda brought this recipe to me about a month ago, after she had made it for her family.  It’s from the Australian Taste.com site; the original recipe can be found at the link.  I’ve tweaked my version, using butter rather than reduced-fat margarine, as well as the addition of vanilla extract.  I did use skim milk, as that’s all I had in the fridge.  The outcome?  Absolutely over-the-top chocolatey goodness!  Seriously folks, this is one delicious cake, complete with its own chocolate sauce!  The additional of vanilla ice cream made it sublime, and if you’re aiming to impress anyone, them make this cake, add the ice cream, and then, finish it with a dollop of whipped cream.  Whatever you were hoping to gain, it will be given to you on a platter!  It’s that good, and even better?  It’s absurdly quick and easy.  Make it.  Tonight. 

Chocolate Pudding Cake
1 cup self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup cocoa powder, divided
1/2 cup milk (skim, 2%, whatever you have)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups boiling water.

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Butter or spray a 6-cup (1.5 L) baking dish, set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, vanilla, melted butter, and milk.  Beat until mixture is smooth, then pour into prepared baking dish.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining brown sugar and cocoa; sprinkle mixture onto batter.
  • Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, then carefully pour over batter.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes; serve immediately with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

Recipe adapted from Taste.com.au