Sweet pork tacos with avocado cream

I saw this recipe for Sweet pork tacos with avocado cream on fellow blogger Erin's site, Baking and Eggs. They were a big hit at our house, and we'll definitely be making them again!  The pork is cooked in the Crock Pot (yay!), and the avocado cream is simply fantastic.   I used a nifty trick from Pinterest to make crispy taco shells out of flour tortillas- have you seen this yet?  You heat your oven to 350 degrees, then drape flour tortillas over the grates of your oven racks and bake for 10 minutes.  The tortillas get crispy and make the perfect taco shell, with a flat bottom and all!!  Genius, if you ask me.

SWEET PORK TACOS WITH AVOCADO CREAM
Serves: 4

For the pork:
3 lbs pork loin roast or pork shoulder
2 cups salsa
4 oz can chopped green chilies
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

For the avocado cream:
1 large avocado, mashed
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons low fat sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste

To serve:
Hard taco shells or tortillas
Optional toppings include sliced onions, shredded cheese, salsa, and shredded lettuce

In the bottom of your slow cooker, combine salsa, green chilies, brown sugar, onion and black beans.  Mix well.  Add pork roast and cook on low for 7-9 hours.  Remove the pork and shred with a fork. Return meat to slow cooker and mix meat into the sauce.  Continue to cook another 30 minutes - 1 hour with lid off to thicken the sauce a little bit.

Meanwhile, to prepare the avocado cream, add green onions, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chile powder, salt and pepper to mashed avocado and mix well. 

To serve, scoop sweet pork into hard taco shells and top with avocado cream and any other desired toppings.

Caramelized apple grilled cheese

We tried Closet Cooking's caramelized apple grilled cheese sandwich last week.  Have you been to his site?  He's the master of grilled cheese sandwiches.  This was another winner, with the sweet, warm apples marrying with the sharp cheddar cheese.  Such a quick, simple meal, and who doesn't love a grilled cheese??


CARAMELIZED APPLE GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES
Yield: 2 sandwiches


Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter (divided- 1 for the apple mixture and 2 to butter your bread)
1 tbsp brown sugar
Dash of cinnamon
1 apple (peeled, cored, and sliced)
4 thick slices of sharp cheddar cheese
4 slices of bread


Directions:
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sugar and cinnamon and cook until bubbly.  Add the apples and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Assemble cheese and apples between your slices of buttered bread, and grill until golden brown on both sides (we did ours in a panini maker).

Greek nachos

As soon as I saw this recipe for Greek Nachos from Closet Cooking, I knew I had to make it for Robert.  He is a huge fan of Greek food... and I'm not.  I'm not anywhere near vegetarian, but I am not adventurous when it comes to meat.  I'll stick with beef, pork and chicken, thankyouverymuch.  We have a great Greek restaurant near our house, and Robert  raves about their gyro meat.  (Thankfully they make a pretty good pepperoni pizza to satisfy me and the kids).  So even though I was tempted to substitute ground beef for the lamb in this recipe, I decided to make a sacrifice and cook it the way I knew Robert would enjoy it the most.  It WAS Valentine's Day, after all.

GREEK NACHOS
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 whole wheat pitas, cut into wedges and toasted
1 pound Greek seasoned ground lamb (recipe below)
1 cup tzatziki (recipe below)
4 ounces feta, crumbled
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/2 cup tomato, diced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped


Directions:
Assemble the nachos, layering as you please.


SEASONED GROUND LAMB

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lemon, juice and zest
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound ground lamb

Directions:
1. Mix the onion, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, yogurt, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.
2. Marinate the lamb in half of the mixture for 30 minutes.
3. Brown the lamb in a pan over medium heat.
4. Drain the grease.
5. Mix in the remaining marinade and cook for a few minutes more.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and shredded, squeezed and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix everything and let chill in the fridge for an hour or more to let the flavors mingle.

Baked pumpkin spice donuts

So I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond last week for a kitchen timer and left with a handful of items that weren't on my list.  One of those items was a doughnut pan. Taking the girls to get donuts is considered a treat because they insist on getting ones with frosting AND sprinkles, and they also insist on eating two.  EVERY TIME.  The words sugar overload come to mind.  Anyway, I thought this would be a great way to eat donuts in a (slightly) healthier way because they are baked instead of fried.  First up were these baked pumpkin spice donuts from Confections of a Foodie Bride.  Making your own donuts doesn't take ALL the fun away, because we still dipped them in chocolate and covered them in sprinkles.  Oh, and I totally counted the pumpkin as a vegetable serving for the day.  Sue me.

BAKED PUMPKIN SPICE DONUTS

Yield: 6 donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp butter, cold

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 oz dark chocolate

1 tsp vegetable oil, shortening, or coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Spray a donut pan with baking spray.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, mix the flour, sugar, and butter on low until the butter is incorporated.
4. Add baking powder, spices, and salt, mixing until combined.
5. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
6. Transfer batter (it will be a little thicker than your standard cake batter) to a ziptop bag.
7. Snip off the corner of the bag (make the opening ~ 3/4 inch) and pipe the batter into the donut wells until 1/2 - 3/4 cup full (you'll get exactly 6 donuts; the batter is thick and holds it's shape, it won't really settle or bake smoothly if you spoon it into the pan).
8. Bake 8-12 minutes, until the top of the donut springs back when lightly tapped.
9. Let cool in pan 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
10. To make the glaze, melt chopped chocolate in the microwave with oil/shortening. Stir until smooth.
11. Dip the donuts into the chocolate and add sprinkles while the chocolate is still soft.
12. It's easier to store unglazed donuts in a ziptop bag so only glaze the ones you are eating right away and store the leftover chocolate in the fridge to glaze the others later. They'll stay fresh for 3 days.

Spicy stewed beef with grits

We made this spicy stewed beef with grits from the Pioneer Woman for dinner this week, and Robert promptly declared it one of the best things I've EVER made.  In fact, he can't stop talking about it.  We used our favorite grit recipe from Food + Wine magazine, so if you prefer the Pioneer Woman's version with cheese and bell pepper you can find that recipe here.  Run, don't walk, to make this for dinner tonight.


Spicy Stewed Beef with Grits
Serves: 6


Ingredients:


1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs chuck roast, cubed
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
2 cups low-sodium beef stock
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup quick grits
Kosher salt and black pepper


Directions:

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over high heat. Throw in meat and brown for 1 minute, then add chipotle peppers, beef broth, garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender and the liquid is thick. (Watch the meat occasionally and add more beef broth as needed.)


For the grits, combine the stock, cream, butter and garlic in a large saucepan. Add 1 teaspoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the grits and cook over low heat, whisking often, until thick and completely smooth, about 10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve meat - juice and all - over the grits.

Muddy buddies

I don't even know if I consider this a recipe, but Chex muddy buddies are super-simple and delicious so I'm sharing it anyway.  I've made it twice recently- first as a party favor for Lucy's "snow day" party, and again for a Bachelor watch party.  


Ingredients:
9 cups Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, Rice Chex, Chocolate Chex, and pretzels (make your own   
   combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Makes 18 1/2 cup servings

Mud Hen bars

I'd almost forgotten to post about these Mud Hen bars from Sunday Baker that I made for one of our Bachelor watch parties.  Everyone loved them, they are simple to make, and you probably have all the ingredients on hand!  (I omitted the nuts- personal preference). The brown sugar meringue topping is what really makes these special - it's a winner!


Ingredients

1/2 c. butter, room temp

1 c. granulated sugar

3 eggs

1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 c. nuts chopped

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. marshmallows

1 c. brown sugar

Directions:

Beat together sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks (put aside the whites for later). In a seperate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix well. Spread into 9x13" pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows, nuts and chocolate chips.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in the brown sugar. Spread over the mixture in pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bars are a deep golden brown and the crust is cooked through. Cool in pan and cut.