Pulled Pork

;Pulled Pork.  Really...enough said.  It's pretty simple.  Kinda hard to mess up.  Though I did make it once with Dr. Pepper and I really wasn't impressed...But that's another story for another day!

Ever heard of Penzey's?  I LOVE Penzey's!  They sell spices.  That's it.  It never ceases to amaze me how much better food will taste if you use fresh, quality spices. At first glance they seem a bit expensive...but when you use quality spices then you don't have to use as much...so you use less...so you don't need to buy as often...which makes the "expense" factor a moot point.  They ship...or you can visit their store.  The Madison store is beautiful...and a bit like a playground for me!  http://www.penzeys.com/

This is the key to my pulled pork...


I'm not a big fan of spicy food.  I like things to be flavorful but I do not enjoy not being able to taste my food because my taste buds were burned off.  We won't even talk about how ridiculous my husband is in this area...  BBQ 3000 is perfect...the flavor is amazing and it adds just the right amount of heat.

The Recipe: Pulled Pork

Ingredients
Pork Butt Roast
Chicken Broth
Water
BBQ 3000 Seasoning
Fresh Bakery Buns
Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce

Preparation
1.  Spray crock pot with a light coat of pam.
2.  Pour chicken broth into crock pot.  Add 1/2 soup can of water.
3.  Take roast out of wrapper...dry off with paper towel.  Rub roast thoroughly with a VERY generous amount of BBQ 3000.  Be sure to rub it into the nooks and crannies of the roast.  Place roast in the crock pot.
4.  Sprinkle additional BBQ 3000 over top of the roast.
5.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.
6.  Place cooked roast on a large platter.  (Remove twine netting with kitchen shears if necessary.) Use 2 forks to pull meat apart...it should pretty much fall apart all by itself.
7.  Use a slotted spoon to remove any large piece of fat that may be floating in the remaining liquid in the crock pot.  Put shredded pork back into the broth.
8.  Serve on fresh buns.  Top with Sweet Baby Ray's.  Yum.

The Results

Well...considering it's my recipe I think it's fabulous :)  So does my husband...he ate 2 big sandwiches.  And Aidyn...who ate 2 helpings and didn't have to asked to "just eat, please..." for the first time in weeks!!!

A couple of notes...

• I use a roast that it just over 4 lbs.  I also always use a Butt roast.  There are other cuts you could use but I use the Butt (of the shoulder...not the heinie!) because it has less fat and because it usually comes pre-tied.  It is usually enclosed in a twine mesh and it holds it together as it cooks.  Without the twine it will bust apart and can get mushy...especially if you are cooking it for 10ish hours.
• You can use any kind of bread...I like bakery Hamburger buns.  They just work.  If you have time try smearing them with butter and putting them under your broiler for a few minutes to brown them and make them yummy and crunchy.
• Feel free to add fresh black pepper or more BBQ 3000 to the meat if you want a little more kick.

Tomorrow

Friday night is date night in the Bussan house.  I get to go out to eat with my favorite guy and my favorite girl!  We are heading back to my parent's place this weekend so we will be eating out on Saturday, too.  Next up will be PW Lasagna on Sunday night! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Hi, my name is Jen...and I'm addicted to Chocolate Chips.

Serious...deep love of all things semi-sweet chocolate!!!  We had left-overs for dinner tonight so there is no new dinner recipe to report. However, I did give in to the urge to bake after dinner...

The Recipe

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients
3/4 lb. Chocolate Chips
1/3 lb. soft butter
4 medium eggs
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup or milk
1 T baking powder
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t salt

Preparation
1.  Preheat oven to 400
2.  Beat the butter and vanilla together to form a light, airy mixture.
3.  One at a time, add the eggs, beating gently after each one.  Add 1/4 C of the sugar after each egg and mix thoroughly
4.  Put baking powder and salt in the milk, then add to the mixture.
5.  Fold in the flour and chocolate chips.
6.  Pour mixture into your buttered muffin pan, filling each cup two-thirds full.
7.  Bake for 25 minutes or until muffins turn golden brown.

Direct Recipe Link:
http://www.muffinrecipes.net/chocolate-chip-muffins.html

The Verdict

In a word...Good.

BUT...let's break it down a bit.  My first gripe is with the measuring of the ingredients.  Seriously?  1/3 lb. butter?  I don't use a kitchen scale and my brain isn't math-ready at 6:45pm.  So I used about a stick and half...it was probably a bit much...but it worked.  Second issue is that it does not look good while it mixes up.  It is lumpy and actually looks curdled...but it's ok because they still tasted fine.  Third, there is no way that you can pour this dough into the cups.  It is thick...scoopable thick.  It looks more like cookie dough than muffin batter...but it certainly doesn't taste that way :)

They didn't rise much...the taste was still good...but they were kind of dense.  I'm thinking that my baking powder might need to be replaced.

I am withholding full judgement until tomorrow.  We will see how they settle and taste once they are fully cooled and sit for a while.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Ahhh, The Pioneer Woman.  I must admit, though I am new to the world of Ree Drummond, I have developed a significant love for her web-site and her recipes.  Most recipes are too die for...even if she uses a bit too much onion for my taste :)  One of the things that I absolutely adore about her site is the pictures.  They make you want to lick your computer screen (and if you are anything like me, your screen hasn't been cleaned in a while so that's just gross...).  I've learned a lot about cooking just from watching the pictures and I've tried things that I would not have been comfortable doing without a little pictorial guidance!  You will be seeing quite a few recipes from her site here...they are that good!!!

Tonight I had more time to cook so I went with something that takes a bit more effort.

Recipe: Sour Cream Noodle Bake


Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 8

Ingredients

1-¼ pound Ground Chuck
1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
½ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
½ cups Sour Cream
1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
½ cups Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1.  Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

2.  Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

3.  In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

4.  To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Direct Recipe Link:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/sour-cream-noodle-bake/


The Verdict:
It was good.  It kind of tasted like goulash but with less sauce.  Not phenomenal...my eyes didn't close in foodie bliss...but it was good.  I left out the onions and I honestly don't think that it would have added much.  The cottage cheese was really good...it added just the right amount of cheesy-ness.  I do think it needed something...Dave said it needed "more sauce" and I think that he was right.  I would add more tomato sauce...maybe even double it.

Will I make it again?  Yes...but I think that I would play with it more.  Add more sauce.  Add some garlic.  Add mushrooms.  Add more cheddar cheese.

Tomorrow?

Tomorrow night is left over night at the Bussan house!  We will have a buffet of...
meatloaf
enchiladas
empanadas
sloppy joes
broccoli
peas
...and who knows what else!!!

Creamy Enchiladas

Quick dinner tonight as I had rehearsal at 6:00. 

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

35 mins

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp. oil

3 cups shredded cookedchicken breasts

1 can (14.5 oz.) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained

1 tub (10 oz.)PHILADELPHIA Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme, divided

1/2 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

8 flour tortillas (6 inch)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Cook and stir onions in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat 4 to 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in chicken, tomatoes, 3/4 cup cooking creme and shredded cheese.
3. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cooking creme. Cover.
4. Bake 15 to 20 min. or until heated through.

(Direct Recipe Link: 
 http://www.kraftbrands.com/philly/recipes/Pages/Recipe-Detail.aspx?recipeId=121713#category=817&subcategory= )

But I was unable to get the Santa Fe flavored cooking creme...so here is what I did.

1...I used Roma tomatos.  Added a good flavor.
2...I only use a small amount of onion and chopped it fine.  It was still too much for me, but the husband was happy.
3...I mixed about 2 T of Taco seasoning (Penzey's, of course...) into the regular-flavored Cooking Creme.
4...I also mixed in about 1/2 C. of Salsa Verde.
5...Added more salsa verde to the top and extra cheese.  Baked it covered with foil for 15 minutes, uncovered for 10.

Over all...good.  I think that this could be great and will be making it again and leaving out the onion and using the Sante Fe flavored creme.

Tomorrow:  Sour Cream Noodle Bake from The Pioneer Woman