Pulled Pork Sandwich

Ingredients

1-2 Pounds Pork Butt or Shoulder (It usually comes in 4-7 pound portions at the butcher, cut it into 2 lb portions and freeze the remainder)

1 Tbls Worcestershire Sauce

2 Onions

6 cloves garlic minced

1 Tbls pepper

1 Cup Chili Sauce (heinz come in a 12oz jar, slightly more than a cup, could use the whole thing)

1/4 Cup brown sugar

1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar

Directions

Saute onions and garlic until tender..

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 min (minus the meat)

Place meat in crock pot and pour sauce over the top.

Slow cook until tender (Low over night 8-10 hours).

*Depending on slow cooker/ crock pot you might want to add some water (1/2 cup) to keep it from drying out.

Shred meat. Depending on thickness of sauce you may want to simmer the sauce on the stove and skim off some of the fat from the top.

Mix meat and sauce together.

Serve on Hawaiian Sweet rolls with coleslaw on top.

Great leftover!

BBQ Ribs

Cayenne Potatoes & BBQ Ribs... just the pictures for now but more details later

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

The bacon is a little undercooked because I used thicker slices.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1 pound sliced bacon
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar, chili powder and cayenne pepper, if using. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

Notes:

- Do yourself a favor and line your pan with aluminum foil. It makes for much easier cleanup. Also, spray the baking rack thoroughly with cooking spray to help with the cleanup as well.

- I rolled the chicken cubes in the brown sugar/chili mix before wrapping them with bacon and coating them again for extra flavor.

- From The Other Side of 50

Rhubarb Crisp

I stumbled upon this recipe while sorting through some old recipes from summer. Great summer dessert!

Ingredients

Crust:

1 c Flour

3/4 c oatmeal

1 c brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c butter, melted

Filling:

4 c diced rhubarb

1/2 package instant strawberry jello

Sauce:

3/4 c sugar

2 tbs corn starch

1 c water

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix crust ingredients in a bowl and press 3/4 of mixture into a 9x9 pan. Set the other 1/4 aside to sprinkle on top. Put rhubarb and strawberry jello on top of crust. Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl. Pour sauce over rhubarb and crust. Top with remaining crust mixture. Bake at 350* for 1 hour.

Notes: Depending oh what you have available you can also use other jello flavors. I used raspberry jello and it turned out well. Especially good when served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Scalloped Potatos

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 pounds waxy potatoes (such as Yukon gold or Yellow Finn), peeled
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 cup creme fraeche
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped chives

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the garlic all over the inside of a 3-quart baking dish, then mince it. Grease the dish with about 1/2 tablespoon butter.

Slice the potatoes about 1/8 inch thick (a mandoline works well). Combine in a large saucepan with the minced garlic, the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, the half-and-half, creme fraeche, flour, thyme, mace, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chives and transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, shaking it to distribute the potatoes evenly. Bake, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 1 hour 5 minutes, occasionally spooning some of the liquid over the top. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

You can also make the scalloped potatoes in individual ramekins; bake about 40 minutes.

Notes: I topped the potatoes with parmesan cheese in the last 10 min if baking! I also don't think i used enough salt I had to salt them again at the table after serving.

Craisin Spinach Salad

Craisin Spinach Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

I found this recipe a few years ago on the back of the Ocean Spray Craisin package but i haven't been able to find it since. It pairs well with ham and turkey, great for holiday meals. I have included guesses on the measurements of the salad ingredients but it is really up to you how much of each is used.

Ingredients

one bunch of spinach washed and cleaned

one package ocean spray craisin or dried cherries

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

3/4 cup sliced almonds toasted

1/2 purple onion sliced

orange zest to top (optional)

Orange Vinaigrette

follow the 3:1 ratio

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp orange juice concentrate (or 2 clementines squeezed, include some of the pulp in the vinaigrette)

Directions

Wash and dry spinach. Toss together all the salad ingredients except the almonds. In a nonstick pan over medium heat melt a tablespoon of butter. Brown the almonds. Put in a separate container and save until serving.

In a jar combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Shake well. Set aside until serving.

Right before serving add the almonds and dressing. Toss and serve.

notes: This salad can be made the night before to save time on meal prep. Keep the almonds separate to keep them from getting soggy. Toss everything together in a large bowl prior to serving. Refrigerate if making the night before.

Baked Brie with Apples and Brown Sugar

A wonderful appetizer especially for entertaining guests during the colder seasons. The combination of the fruit, brown sugar, and cheese is a delight that will keep you coming back for more. Besides apples I would recommend trying other fruits such as pears or peaches instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (see note)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, cut in half vertically
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Brie cheese round (8 ounces), sliced in half horizontally

Directions:

1. Thaw puff pastry sheet at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine egg and water in a small bowl; reserve.
3. Cut the apple into thin slices, about 1/2 to 1/3 centimeters thick.
4. Melt butter in a 2-quart Saucier over medium heat. Add apple slices and brown sugar; sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
5. Unfold pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14-inch square. Cut off the corners to make a circle.
6. Place one half of Brie, cut side up, in center of pastry sheet. Top with half of apple mixture. Place remaining Brie, cut side down, on top of apples. Top with remaining apple mixture.
7. Brush edges of pastry with egg mixture and fold two opposite sides over cheese. Trim remaining two sides to 2-inches from edge of cheese, brush with egg mixture and fold onto the cheese. Press edges to seal. Place seam side down on baking sheet and brush with remaining egg mixture.
8. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers.

Notes:

- I found it's best to roll out the pastry sheet somewhat and cutting some off because the pastry sheet is originally so thick by it's self, don't worry it won't compromise the structure of it when it's baked.

- It's not necessary to cut the pastry sheet into a circle because you can fold the sides up into a neat looking fold at the top.

- taken from: http://www.kitchenkapers.com/brie-with-apples-brown-sugar.html