Thursday, March 11, 2010

BBQ Pork Sandwhich

I couldn't wait to have the leftovers of this for lunch today. It's SOO simple, just takes some time in the crock pot.

1 pork roast (approx 3 lbs)
1 can BBQ sauce (about 14oz)
1 can beef broth
Dinner rolls

Put ingredients in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. About an hour before dinner needs to be done, take the meat out, shred it, and put it back in the juices and let it cook for the last hour. Serve on a sliced dinner roll. Ta da. Dinner. I'm going to freeze half of the shredded pork for a later meal.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

BIG Chocolate Chip Cookies




I've always wondered how people make those BIG sized chewy chocolate chip cookies. Well, this afternoon, I DID IT! I got this recipe off of allrecipies.com and they were beautiful, chewy, huge, and delicious.

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (I prefer it with salted butter)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 TBS vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used half semisweet chocolate chips, half semisweet chocolate chunks)
  1. Preheat oven to 325. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. In medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy (be sure not to over-beat). Mix in sifted ungredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
  4. Bake for 15-17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toated. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. (I use newspaper instead of a wire rack...one of these days I'll by the rack)

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Braised Balsamic Chicken

This was a nice variation to the regular chicken routine in our home. Very easy and very fast, so that was nice. I got this recipe from allrecipies.com

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic salt
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Season chicken breasts with pepper and garlic salt. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, and brown the onion and seasoned chicken breasts.

In small bowl, combine vinegar, tomatoes, and remaining seasonings. Pour over chicken and onions. Simmer unti lchicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, about 15 minutes.




Monday, March 1, 2010

Baked Chimichangas

These babies are so yummy, and sooo much less fat/less mess than your average fried chimichanga. I was very pleased, and so was the rest of the family.

The shredded beef was made from leftovers from the roast we had the night before. I threw the leftovers back in the crockpot (with all the juices and seasonings), left it in the fridge overnight, then the next afternoon let it cook on low for another 4-6 hours.

The recipe I got this idea from actually called for ground beef, so you can do it that way too, I just prefer the shredded stuff. If you use ground beef, brown the beef first, then drain the grease, then simmer with the tomatoes. Instead of diced tomatoes, you can also use salsa.


1 pound shredded beef (approx)
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes with jalepenos (this was not spicy at all, just added a good flavor)
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
8 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
shredded lettuce
1 fresh tomato, diced
sour cream



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large saucepan, combine shredded beef and canned diced tomatoes. Simmer on med-lo heat for about 20 minutes, or until the juices are gone. Mix in the can of refried beans and cheese.

Spoon the beef mixture down the center, and roll up the tortillas, and place them seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the tortillas with melted butter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream.