Friday, May 10, 2013

Cafe Rio salad dressing

Cafe Rio Salad Dressing

1 pkg. buttermilk dressing powder
3 tomatillos, peeled
1 cup mayo
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix in blender and chill.

Lime-Cilantro Rice

Lime-Cilantro Rice

2 tbsp oil
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 bunch finely chopped cilantro

Heat oil in skillet.  Add rice, cilantro and garlic.  Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 6 cups water and lime juice, bring to boil.  Then simmer 20 minutes. 
I have also added a 4 oz can of green chiles.

Cafe Rio Pork

Cafe Rio Pork

5-6 lb pork loin roast
21 oz coke, cherry coke, dr. pepper,
1 C. brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
5-6 oz red taco sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (7 oz) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (don't use plain adobo sauce)

Drain chiles sauce into crock-pot, discard chiles. Add sugars, mustard, cumin, garlic, soda, taco sauce, and stir together.  Toss in whole trimmed porkloin (pierce a few times.) Rotate a few times throughout the day.  Cook on HIGH 5 hours.  Meat should be shreddable. Reduce heat to LOW, shredd pork with two forks and leave lid off crock-pot for a bit to let some liquid evaporate. 
The longer the meat cooks shredded the tastier it will be.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Tin-Foil dinners

Tin-Foil dinners

Just like when you are camping, my family asks for these when we aren't camping once in a while.  Hamburger patties, sliced potatoes and carrots, frozen peas, COM soup dalloped on top and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  Wrapped in two pieces of tin-foil, don't want any leakage.  Bake at 350 for about 45minutes - 1 hour.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Sweet-and-Sour Pork

Sweet-and-Sour Pork  from slow-cooker cookbook

2-3 lbs. boneless pork roast
1 tsp. ckicken boullion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 memium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 20-oz can pineapple chunks
1/4 C. apple cider vinegar
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 C. water

Place roast in slow-cooker.  Sprinkle bouillon, garlic, onion and bell pepper over roast.  Drain pineapple, reserving juice; refrigerate pineapple juice until needed.  Mix pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, ginger and soy sauce; pour over roast.  Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours, or low 7-8 hours.  Remove roast and allow to cool 10 minute.  Cut roast in bite-size chunks.  Return pork chunks to slow-cooker.  Add pineapple chunks.  MIx cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pork.  Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes on high.  Serve over hot cooked rice. 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
milk
bread crumbs, store brand, all ready to use
provolone cheese, sliced
1-2 cups spaghetti sauce
cooked noodles

I just pour some milk in a bowl, same thing for the bread crumbs. Not too much, you throw it out when your done, just enough to coat the chicken.   I trim the breasts of any fat, roll them in milk and then the bread crumbs, place a piece of cheese over top of each chicken breast.  Place in greased baking dish.  Pour spaghetti sauce over top, depends on how much sauce you like.  Bake at 450 for 20-30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink.  Serve over noodles, we like rigatoni, the tube pasta.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Lasagne

Lasagne

This is never the same. I've never written the recipe down, just go from memory when I make it.  Hear goes in written form for the first time.  This is nothing fancy, just easy and Lasagne as requested by one of my children.

1 box lasagne noodle
1 lb ground beef
1 (28 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese, plus extra for sprinkling the top
1 pint cottage cheese
1-2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp dried parsley
salt and pepper

Brown ground beef, I use Italian seasoning when cooking.  Add spaghetti sauce, leave a little for the top with no meat. Heat for a few minutes. Combine cheeses, egg, parsley, s&p in seperate bowl.
In baking dish, spray with cooking spray, place uncooked noodles on bottom of dish.  Place 1/2 ground beef over noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, then another layer of noodles.  Repeat. Pour rest of spaghetti sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese.  I add about 1/2 cup water down the sides of dish, so I don't have to precook the noodles.  Cover with foil and Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

To freeze: prepare as above, put lasagne in foil pan do not add water before freezing. Cover with foil, label and freeze.
To serve:Thaw, bake as above.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Personal Pizzas & Chesey Bread-Bites

Personal Pizzas

2 8-count cans refrigerated crescent rolls
1 26 oz. jar tomato pasta sauce
1 3 oz. pkg. pepperoni slices
 1 Cup momozzarella cheese, shredded

Press 2 crescent rolls together to make a ball; flatten ball into a circle.  Place flattened circles 1 inch apart on greaged baking sheet.  Spread tomato past sauce to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices over sauce. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  If desired add, any other topping you like on your pizza. 

Cheesey-Bread bites

Press rolls into 1-inch balls.  Combine 1/4 cup melted butter with 1 tsp. garlic salt.  Dip rolls in garlic butter; roll in dry Parmesan Cheese.  Bake as directed.