Ranch Pork Roast

What this picture really needs is a green salad!  Unfortunately, my fridge is really lacking in the vegetable department right now.  I haven't been able to get a Bountiful Basket for the past two weeks!  I keep forgetting to order right at noon and by the time I sign on, they are gone.  In fact, all of Utah County was sold out by the time I signed on early Monday evening!  Ugh!  Anyway, this pork roast is wonderful and SO easy.  It is really, really moist.  It reminds me of Kalua Pork but with a slightly different flavor.  This is another recipe I found at The Sisters Cafe.

Ranch Pork Roast

1 Pork Sirloin Tip Roast (these are sold in four packs at Costco - they are about 2lbs each and 98% fat free!)
Ranch Dressing Mix (dry packet)

Place the roast in a crock pot and sprinkle half of the ranch dressing packet over roast.  Fill crock pot about 1/3 full with water and cook on low for 5-8 hours.  The roast is done when you can easily shred it with a fork.  You can drain off some of the water before serving.  That's it!

Crash Hot Potatoes

Oh boy!  These are tasty potatoes!  And the best part...they are super easy to make and require very little time.  I found this recipe at The Pioneer Woman.  I'm looking forward to checking out more of her recipes.

Crash Hot Potatoes

12 New Potatoes (or other small, round potatoes) 
Olive Oil 
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Favorite Herb (I used rosemary.)

Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add potatoes and allow to boil until tender when forked.

Drizzle olive oil generously on a cookie sheet. (You want enough to ensure that your potatoes don't stick to the pan.)

When potatoes are tender, drain and arrange on cookie sheet.  Make sure to leave enough space between potatoes for them to spread out.

Use your potato masher to gently mash each potato slightly.  Rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening.  Don't over "smash" though.

Next, brush the tops of each potato generously with olive oil.  Then sprinkle generously with kosher salt, followed by fresh ground black pepper.  Last, sprinkle the herb of your choosing.  (I used dried but fresh would be wonderful too - just make sure you cut it up really fine if you use fresh herbs.) 

Bake on the top rack of your oven at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken

I am a fan of anything that can be cooked in a crock pot...so much less of a headache for me when dinner time rolls around.  This is a great slow cooker chicken recipe that comes out flavorful and moist.  It could be used in so many ways but we usually put the chicken mixture in tortillas with beans, sour cream and cheese.  (Or whatever we have on hand.)  This recipe comes from Mels Kitchen Cafe.  I always double this recipe and freeze half of it for another day.  The mixture will come out quite soupy so you can drain the tomatoes from the start if you want, or just drain some of the liquid before serving.

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken

1 pound (about 2) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (14-ounce) can petite or regular diced tomatoes
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like extra heat – with this amount it is mild enough for my kids to eat it up but spicy enough to help offset the sweetness)


Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Pour over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-9 hours. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and mix the chicken with the juices from the tomato/brown sugar sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in flour tortillas with toppings of choice: lettuce, sour cream, cheese, avocados, etc.

Chili-Rubbed Pork with Apricot Glaze

I just realized this is my 100th post!  This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I haven't made anything from her site that I haven't liked so far.  I sent Ben to the store last night to pick up the ingredients I needed for this roast.  I don't normally keep apricot jam or fresh ginger on hand.  Luckily, Ben was able to find both!  This recipe calls for a really unique blend of things sweet and spicy - it's full of flavor.  We grilled ours but you could also roast it in the oven.  Just make sure you plan ahead because the rub needs to have time to sit and marinate on the pork.

Chili-Rubbed Pork with Apricot Glaze

2 (1-pound each) pork tenderloins, fat trimmed

Spice Rub:

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups apricot jam/jelly

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I omitted.)

2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (I used 1 tsp. dried.)

2 small limes, juiced

Combine chili powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture on the pork tenderloins. Cover the tenderloins and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

Prior to grilling or roasting, melt the apricot jam in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining glaze ingredients. Place half of the glaze in a serving bowl and set aside to serve with the pork tenderloins later.

Grilling Instructions: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the pork tenderloins for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees F. When approximately 4 minutes of cook time remains, brush the pork tenderloins with the apricot glaze remaining in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, turn the pork tenderloins and brush glaze on other side. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove pork from the grill, tent with foil and let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Roasting Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pork tenderloins in a lightly greased, foil-lined 9X13-inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Brush with the apricot glaze remaining in the pan. Bake for 15 more minutes. Again, brush with glaze. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the pork reaches 160 degrees internally. Remove the pork from the oven, tent with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve the sliced pork over couscous, rice or potatoes with the reserved glaze alongside.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

I grew up on russet potatoes.  They were never my favorite but I ate them.  In more recent years I've discovered other varieties of potatoes that are so much tastier!  I think it's mainly a texture thing...russet potatoes are just kind of grainy.  Don't get me wrong.  I like russet potatoes just fine, when they're covered in butter, sour cream and cheese!  So today I tried a new recipe using a combination of red potatoes and small gold potatoes that I had on hand.  I think it turned out really good!  The prep was really quite easy - I sliced the potatoes by hand and spent much less time doing this than I usually do grating potatoes when making augratin potatoes.  This recipe comes from The Sisters Cafe.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

3 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled (red or Yukon gold are great)
1 large garlic clove, halved
1 Tb butter, softened
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese (or cheddar works great)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Put them into a large pot and fill with cold water and a little salt. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Do not overcook at this stage or the potatoes will begin to break break up. Drain well.

2. Rub the inside of the baking dish (I used a 9x13 pan.) with the cut garlic and grease with a little of the butter.

3. Preheat oven to 325. Put half the potatoes into the dish, spreading them evenly. Sprinkle with a little of the nutmeg and some seasoning of salt and pepper. Add half the cheese and then another layer of potatoes, nutmeg and salt and pepper.

4. Beat together the cream and milk and pour evenly over the potatoes. Finish by scattering the remaining cheese on top with a few small pieces of butter dotted over the surface.

5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes until a deep crisp brown crust forms. Serve immediately from the dish.  

Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of Ben's all-time favorite meals.  I have to admit, I like it, but it's not my favorite.  I basically make it for him and as far as I'm concerned, if it's one of his favorite's it's blog-worthy.  I first tried this when my good friend and neighbor Kristen made this back when we lived in Provo as newlyweds.  I've been making it here and there ever since.

Chicken Pot Pie

Boil 3 eggs.
Boil 2-3 chicken breasts in salted water.
Remove chicken, chop, and place in bottom of 13X9 casserole dish.
Top with 1 can mixed vegetables, drained and then boiled eggs, sliced.

Mix 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of celery, 2 cups chicken broth (can use broth from boiled chicken above.)
Pour over chicken, vegetables and eggs.

Crust:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 stick melted butter
1 cup milk

Mix together and drop by spoonfuls on top of everything else in baking dish.

Bake at 375 about 45 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.  Allow to sit for five minutes or so after removing from oven.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

I am in love with oatmeal pancakes.  I have another recipe on this blog that I love, but here is a new one.  This makes 10 cups of dry mix that can be stored on the counter for a couple of weeks or in the fridge for several weeks.  I found this recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  You've got to try it!

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour (can just do 2 more cups wheat flour if you want)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I didn't have to add any extra oil.) Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work OR put one Tbsp white vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup and then fill cup with whole milk), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don’t break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it’s worth keeping it around!

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes.

Black and White Bean Dip

I really like the multi-grain chips from Costco and they go great with a good dip.  I just happened to have all the ingredients for this on hand so I whipped it up yesterday for an after church snack.  It was great!

Black and White Bean Dip

1 can of black beans-drained

1 can of white beans-drained

1 can of shoepeg corn-drained

1 7oz can of Herdez salsa verde

2 cups of shredded Colby Jack cheese

4-6 chopped roma tomatoes

garlic salt to taste

Avocado-optional

Preheat oven to 400. Put everything (except for the avocado) in a bowl and mix together. Spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick spray before spooning in the bean mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese on top and pop into the oven. Bake for 10-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and it is all warm and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with diced avocado and serve with tortilla chips.