Three Cheese Pizza

So I made this big dinner last night, roasted lemon chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  And it got hugely ignored.  I have learned my lesson on making a big dinner on Halloween.  My kids were so excited about their candy they DID not want to eat their dinner.  Don't get me wrong, I made them eat some but next year I am just going to go with the indulgent flow of the night and make pizza!  Speaking of pizza, I made this one a couple of weeks ago and it has become one of my all time favorites!  This is a loosely based on a Martha Stewart recipe I found.  I changed some things and I think it turned out so good.  I always make the typical pepperoni and cheese for Mark and the kids and a small "gourmet" topped pizza for myself, but Mark ended up eating mine!  He said this had such good flavor, that's a huge compliment from him because he is such a meat guy.  This pizza is all about the cheese so it's important to buy the kind listed, even though they're a little pricey.  The results are really worth it!

Ingredients:

1 homemade or refrigerated pizza crust ( Check out my homemade pizza crust recipe, it's really good!)
1 (8 ounce) ball fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small block fontina cheese ( about 1 cup) found in the speciality cheese section of your grocery store
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brush pizza dough with olive oil.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until  light golden brown.  Remove from oven and top with cheese ad red pepper flakes.

Place pizza back in oven and bake 5-10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and heated through.  Remove from oven and sprinkle on basil. 

Enjoy!

Perfectly Simple Beef Roast and Gravy

I have been making this roast as long as I can remember.  It always turns out perfect. This is ultimate comfort food.  It is so flavorful and literally just melts in your mouth it's so tender.  It makes a wonderful gravy to pour over your beef and mashed potatoes.  Impressive enough to serve to guest and easy enough to make any night of the week.  Just throw everything in the slow cooker and you will come home to a wonderful meal. 

Tip:  Leftovers are wonderful in a burrito or on a sandwich roll with melted cheese.

Ingredients:

1 (3-4 ) pound beef roast (shoulder, chuck, whichever you prefer)
1 envelope Lipton Beefy Onion Dry Soup Mix
1 can Beef Broth
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Place roast in slow cooker.  Generously salt and pepper roast.  Sprinkle dry soup mix over roast and then top with mushroom soup. Pour beef broth over roast.

Cook on low 8-10 hours.  Shred with a fork and pour gravy over beef.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pork and Pinto Bean Nachos

This is one of the easiest recipes ever.  Throw it all together in a slow cooker and in 8 hours you have the best nacho topping or taco filler.  I told ya it was easy!  I hope you all have a great weekend!

Tips:
I have also used chicken pieces and beef stew meat instead of the pork.  This isn't super spicy, if you like a lot of heat you can add a little cayenne pepper too.

Ingredients:

1 pound dried pinto beans
1 pound boneless pork chops
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (32 ounce) carton + 1 can reduced sodium chicken broth ( If using regular, reduce salt)
1  can Rotel
All your favorite nacho toppings: cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, etc.

Directions:

Rinse and sort beans.  Place in slow cooker and top with pork chops.  Add remaining ingredients.

Cover and cook on low 8 hours.  Take two forks and shred pork into beans.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Sausage Manicotti with Sage Cream Sauce

I sat, trying to come up with a proper description for this dish for quite a few minutes.  It is so ridiculously good that I wanted to use all the cool culinary words to describe it. And all I could come up with is this is just ridiculously good.  I know, I'm to cool for school.  (Or at least I was to cool for English class) This has so many warm fall flavors going on.  Pure comfort food.  I blogged the sauce separately because it is so versatile.  It is a creamy, rich sauce that is super easy to make and can go on lots of other dishes.   For the Sage Cream Sauce click here.

Tips:  If you don't like Pumpkin, I have used Butternut squash with great success too.  If your vegetarian, this would be just as delicious without the sausage, just double the pumpkin.

I always put my manicotti filling in a gallon size Ziploc bag, then I cut the corner off one side and pipe the filling into the shells.  It makes so much less mess!

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells 

1 pound Sweet Italian sausage

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese  ( I have also used cottage cheese in a pinch)

1 large egg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Sage Cream Sauce

Directions:

Heat oven to 350.  Cook and drain pasta according to package directions for al dente; set aside.

In a medium skillet cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Drain if desired. ( I don't, it adds great flavor.)

In a medium bowl, beat egg.  Stir in ricotta cheese, pumpkin, Parmesan cheese, pepper, 1/2 cup of the Italian cheese, and sausage.

Spread some of the Sage sauce in an ungreased 13 x 9- inch glass baking dish.  Fill pasta shells with sausage mixture.  Arrange stuffed shells over sauce in dish.  Pour remaining sauce evenly over shells.

Cover and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Uncover, top with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese and bake for 5-10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Apple- Stuffed Pork Chops with White Cheddar Sauce

Happy Monday All!  I took a few days off from blogging because my beautiful sister in law got married! It was a gorgeous fall wedding.  My whole family was in it.  It was great fun, but I guess now it's back to reality.  
I wish I had someone to give me a beautiful up do everyday.  Wouldn't doing dishes be more fun if you were doing it in an up do?  Fall is in full swing now for the majority of the country so I am ready for some serious fall food.  We loved this dish.  Apples and Pork pair perfectly together.  It has great fresh flavor with the sage and the sauce, seriously this sauce, is incredible.  We were pouring it over the pork chops, the mashed potatoes, whatever we could find! This will stay in my rotation for sure.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 large cooking apple, peeled if desired, cored, and chopped
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons snipped fresh sage
2 tablespoons shredded white cheddar cheese
4 pork chops (about 1 1/4 inch thick)
salt and pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  For stuffing in a medium skillet, melt the 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.  Add apple, onion, and sage.  Cook until tender.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese; set aside.

Make a pocket in each pork chop by cutting horizontally  from the fat side almost to the bone or other side.  Divide stuffing among pockets in chops.  If necessary secure openings with wooden toothpicks.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons melted butter, walnuts, parsley, and lemon zest.  Place pork chops on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Top chops with bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until juices run clear.

For the sauce, in a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Stir in the flour, the 1/4 teaspoon salt, and dash of pepper.  Add chicken broth, whipping cream, and apple cider or juice.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Stir in the 1/2 cup cheddar cheese until melted and smooth.  Serve pork chops with sauce.

Enjoy!

Ultimate Lasagna

This is my Ultimate Lasagna.  So if your 80 year old grandmother makes you lasagna for Christmas every year when you visit her in ITALY, please don't dispute the Ultimate part and have her make me some the next time you go. =)  This is meaty, cheesy perfection.  It is bursting with flavor.  My family loves this and everyone gobbles it up every time I make it.  I have some tips for making it more flavorful and easier to make during the week.  Perfect served with French bread and a nice green salad!

Tips:

1. I like using oven ready noodles, less work.  If you prefer using regular, there is no need to boil the noodles.  Just soak them for 20-30 minutes in very hot tap water.

2. I always make my lasagna the night before.  It allows the flavors to meld and this way there is no need to simmer the sauce for a long time.  If you work it's very hard to have time to put together and cook a lasagna after you get home.  This way it's ready to stick in the oven when you get home.  

3. The combination of ground beef and Sweet Italian sausage makes a huge difference in taste.

4. I use presliced mozzarella cheese (sold in the sliced cheese section of the grocery store), you can also use shredded Italian cheese. You will need a full bag.

So let's get started, you'll be so glad you did!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 pound Sweet Italian sausage

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans tomato sauce

1 can diced tomato, no salt added

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. white sugar

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

8 lasagna noodles

16 ounces Ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 ounces package sliced Mozzarella cheese 

Directions:

Noodles: If your not using oven ready, prepare noodles. See above tip or cook according to package directions.

In a large dutch oven cook ground beef, sausage, and onions until well browned; drain and return to pan.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, and next 7 ingredients.  Heat through.  This just takes a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, mix ricotta cheese, egg, and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.

In the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan ladle some two scoops of the sauce.  Then lay 4 lasagna noodles (you will need to break one to fit on the end), 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, 3 slices of the mozzarella cheese, then repeat again, ending with meat mixture.  Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.  Bake covered for 25 minuted then uncover and bake an additional 20-25 minutes.  

Enjoy!

Rachel's Chipotle Chili

We had a very rainy Labor Day and it cooled off considerably.  It got Mark and I in the mood for a big pot of chili.  This is my recipe for chili.  So I thought I'd call it Rachel's Chili.  I'm creative like that.  This is a really good, simple chili that doesn't take a thousand ingredients and doesn't need to cook all day.  It's spicy, meaty, and has a ton of flavor.  You can really tweak this to be as spicy as you like.  My husband doesn't love tomatoes so I only use one can of Rotel, if you like them, it can definitely handle 2 cans.  Our 12 year old eats this just fine but it is too spicy for the little ones.  So I plan something fun for them.  We serve this with cheese, sour cream and crushed up Frito's.  If your really brave you can throw on some slices of pickled jalapeno.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound sausage (I use hot, you can also use mild)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 cans chili beans, undrained
1 teaspoon Chipotle Chili powder
1 teaspoon Chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
Desired Toppings

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven brown ground beef and sausage until no longer pink; drain. Set aside. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to Dutch oven and cook onion until tender.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Return meat to pot.  Add Rotel, chili beans, tomato sauce, water, and all spices, stirring gently to combine.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Serve with desired toppings.

Enjoy!

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Mexican Beef Bake with Cilantro Lime Cream

This is a great weeknight family meal.  It comes together quickly, has great flavor, but not to much spice for kids.  It makes a big dish so it's great to freeze some for leftovers later.   The cilantro cream gives this such nice fresh flavor.  You can make this as light as you like, I list the options below.  Try this out, you will be glad you did!


Ingredients:


1 box elbow macaroni (whole wheat or regular)
1 pound ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) no salt added diced tomatoes
1 cup prepared salsa (I used mild for the kids sake)
1 can Rotel (mild)
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (reduced fat or regular)
salt and pepper to taste


For the cream:
1/3 cup light sour cream
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return pasta to hot saucepan; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook meat  until meat is brown, stirring to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat.

Stir the cooked meat into pasta in saucepan. Stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, rotel,  salsa, oregano, cumin, garlic powder and chili powder. Transfer mixture to a 9 x 13 inch casserole or baking dish or 2 8 x 8 inch baking dishes if freezing one for later.

Bake, covered, about 30 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 3 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

In a small bowl, stir together sour cream,, the cilantro, and lime juice. To serve, top each serving with a spoonful of the sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro, if desired.

Enjoy!

Simply Perfect Roast Chicken and Vegetables

This is really perfectly juicy, perfectly simple roast chicken.   I love this recipe. *Love it*  It creates a a crisp golden brown crust, moist tender chicken inside, laying on a bed of perfectly seasoned vegetables, floating in a delicious saucy gravy.  Everything is made in one large skillet, so less mess to clean up! Always a plus.  You must try this. (I say that in my sweetest southern voice =)  It will become one of your favorites too.  Serve it with some bread to sop up the delicious sauce in the skillet.

Ingredients:

1 large white or yellow onion, quartered
1 large carrot, peeled, and cut into chunks
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3 tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
One 31/2 to 4 pound whole chicken, giblets removed, rinsed and dried inside and out
1 large lemon, halved
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white cooking wine

Directions:

Heat oven to 425. Place rack in the middle of oven.

Combine the onions, carrots, and potatoes in a large cast iron skillet or other large oven safe skillet or casserole dish.  Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.  Place the chicken breast side down on top of the vegetables. Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon over the back of the chicken.  Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Roast for 20 minutes the remove from oven.

Using tongs, remove chicken and set aside.  Pour in chicken broth and wine and stir gently.  Place chicken breast side up back on top of the vegetables.  Squeeze the remaining lemon half over the chicken.  Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Place back in the oven and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or nice and golden brown and cooked through.

Transfer chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil for 10 minutes. Serve with vegetables and lemon pan sauce.

Enjoy!

Fresh Corn, Tomato, and Mozzarella Pizza

This pizza is awesome!  I'm a big fan of Margarita pizza and this is a delicious spin on it.  The pesto with the fresh corn and the creamy mozzarella baked on top, YUM!  It's a great way to use some of the wonderful vegetables from your garden.  It is super easy and comes together very fast.  This is a great weeknight meal.  This is definitely going into our pizza night rotation.


Ingredients:

1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Pizza Crust (Homemade or Refrigerated)
1/3 Cup Refrigerated Pesto
1 Cup Fresh Corn Kernels (You can use frozen, thawed)
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
8 Ounces Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced
3 Tablespoons Fresh Basil Leaves, Sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.  Place pizza crust on a pizza stone or baking sheet; spread with pesto.  Stir together corn and Parmesan.  Top pizza with corn mixture, tomatoes, and mozzarella slices.

Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.  Remove from oven, and top with basil leaves.

Enjoy!

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Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Happy Monday Everyone!  This is going to be an exciting week!  I have my nephew here visiting this week, so I am trying to plan lots of fun things to keep all these kids busy.  4 bored kids in the house will drive everyone crazy!  The kids also start back to school in a couple of weeks so this is kind of their last hoorah!  Yes, you read that right, school starts back in a couple of weeks.  I don't know where Summer has gone.  I hate how early the kids go back to school in the South.  Anyways, I am going to indulge their sweet tooth's and mine this week and bake up some fun goodies.

This week is going to be crazy hot again, like it has been all over the country.  I have some wonderful Crock pot and Soup recipes to share with you this week.  Yes, you read right again.  I know it sounds crazy but a Crock pot generates so much less heat then an oven.  I have been using it a lot lately.  It keeps the house cooler and our whole meal can be prepared in one pot! Less clean up too, always a perk!  Soup is a great choice for Summer too.  It's a lighter meal and can be served with a crisp, cold salad or a sandwich which is a perfect way to beat the heat.

This recipe is so easy! It makes a delicious, juicy shredded beef perfect to pile on a big hoagie roll.  Serve with some Parmesan Fries, a nice crisp salad, or even some fresh raw veggies and you will be good to go!

Ingredients:

1 (4-5 pound) beef roast (chuck, arm, etc.)
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian- style salad dressing mix
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
Salt and Pepper
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Hoagie rolls or buns
Peperoncini peppers (optional)

Place roast in Crock pot; salt and pepper both sides generously.  Sprinkle package of Italian dressing over roast.  Pour entire can of tomato sauce over roast.

Cook on Low 8-10 hours.  Shred meat with a fork.

Preheat oven to Broil.

Place hoagie rolls a baking sheet, top with meat, and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Broil for 30 seconds to a minute or until cheese is melted.  Watch closely!  Top with Peperoncini peppers if desired.

Enjoy!

Grilled Double Cherry Chicken Roll Ups

The state of Michigan is known for cherries.  I know this because my husband is from Michigan and we lived up there for 2 years.  Actually 2 years, 6 months, 5 days, 6 hours, and 18 minutes.  I'm totally kidding.  I did love the summers there, however, the winters were not my favorite.  Most of all I loved the wonderful friends I made up there.  Whenever I make something with cherries in it, I think of them.  This grilled chicken is wonderful.  My husband even said he wasn't sure how much he would like it and ended up loving it.  The Cherry-Orange sauce is so good (recipe below).  A really nice change from the norm.  It would be great as a topper on vanilla ice cream for dessert too.  It has been so hot I have been taking advantage of the grill.  It keep the house a little cooler at least!

Ingredients:

1/2 ( 8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup dried cherries

3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

 Directions:

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, dried cherries, and green onions; set aside.

Place each chicken breast pieces in a large Ziploc bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast lightly into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.  spread filling evenly over breast halves to within 1/2 inch of the edges.  Fold in the sides and roll up.  Secure with wooden toothpicks.

For the rub, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle mixture over chicken roll-ups.

Preheat grill to medium heat.  Grill over indirect heat for 20- 25 minutes.  Serve with sauce.

Cherry-Orange Sauce

Zest an orange till you have 1 teaspoon orange zest; set aside.  Peel and section an orange over a bowl to catch the juices.  In a small saucepan, combine orange juice and 1/2 cup cherry preserves.  Cook and stir over medium heat until preserves are melted.  Remove from heat.  Coarsely chop orange sections.  Stir orange sections and the 1 teaspoon orange zest into the preserves mixture. Serve with chicken.

Enjoy!

Garlic- Lime Shrimp

This is fantastic grilled Shrimp!  It is bursting with flavor.  I am all about grilling right now too.  Mostly because my hubby does the grilling around here. =)  I serve this with my Cilantro Lime Rice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 32 shrimp)

Directions:

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a food processor, and process until coarsely chopped.

Combine cilantro mixture and shrimp in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake well. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Prepare grill.

Remove shrimp from bag; discard marinade. Thread shrimp on skewers. Place shrimp skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes or until done, turning once.

Super Easy Stromboli

This is one of my go to recipes when I have had a crazy day and just need something very easy to make that I know my kids and hubby will eat.  It comes together very quickly and it is delicious!  The best part about this recipe is you can customize it to your liking. Fill it will your favorite things. Here's what we like. See pics below too.


Ingredients:


1 can Pillsbury Pizza Crust
1 package Canadian Bacon Slices
Provolone Cheese Slices
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Pepperoni Slices
Fresh Baby Spinach
Kosher salt
Pepper
Dried Oregano
Italian Seasoning
Ground Red Pepper, optional (I omit on the kids side)
Marinara Sauce or Pizza Sauce for dipping




Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a rimmed sheet pan.

Unroll the bread dough and place on a surface sprayed with cooking spray. When unrolled, the dough should form a rectangle. Lay the dough so that the long edge is closest to you. Make sure the dough is not overstretched in some spots, or the filling will burst out in those areas.

Place slices of Canadian Bacon on the dough, leaving a 1/2″ border around the edges. Sprinkle on a little kosher salt, some Italian seasoning, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Add the parmesan and provolone cheeses. Add pepperoni on the top of the provolone, making sure to leave a 1/2″ border around the rectangle of dough. Lay spinach on top.

Starting from the edge closest to you, roll the dough like a jelly-roll (or cinnamon-roll style). As you roll the dough, make sure to keep all of the ingredients tucked inside and pinch the ends as you roll to keep the filling from slipping out as you roll. Carefully pinch the seam shut (and the ends) and place on the sheet pan seam-side down.

Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with kosher salt, dried oregano, and grated parmesan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is a deep brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into 1″ slices. Serve with some warm marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

BBQ Shredded Pork

This week it's going to be all about 4th of July!! It's one of my favorite holidays! Our great country's birthday, awesome picnic food, and of course, fireworks! I mean what self respecting country girl don't love her some fireworks?! I will be posting great picnic recipes all week that are perfect for this great holiday. Rather your relaxing at home and want some good grub, needing to bring a great dish to a party, or you are the gracious host, I've got you covered. I had to start with the perfect July 4th food, BBQ! This recipe is so easy it's embarrassing. I cook mine in a slow cooker but it can also be cooked in a dutch oven.

Ingredients:

3-4 pound shoulder pork roast
1 (18 ounce) bottle BBQ sauce
1 (12 ounce) can Coca-Cola

Place pork roast in your slow cooker; pour BBQ sauce and cola over roast.
Cover with lid, and cook on high 6-7 hours or until meat is tender and shreds easily. Serve with extra sauce, if desired.

Enjoy!

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

 I know what your thinking.....What is she thinking?? Shredded pork and Dr. Pepper? Trust me on this one. Us southerners love to throw a can of soda in things. It works. This recipe is adapted from The Pioneer Woman. I just love her. She's one of my best friends, she just doesn't know it yet. This recipe makes a really flavorful and juicy roast. This can be made for sandwiches or serve it up like I did, in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.

Ingredients

• 1 whole Large Onion
• 1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 Pounds
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
• 2 cans Dr. Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it’s not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Now the original recipe said to put the meat back into the sauce, however, the sauce is SPICY. Some may like it as is. Since the kids were eating this to, I just put a little of the sauce on the meat and tossed to coat. Taste the sauce and determine how much you want on it. The meat is so tender and flavorful without any sauce as well.

Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices, salsa, and whatever else you’d like.

Enjoy!

Sweet Bourbon Salmon with Rice Pilaf

So I asked y 'all what your favorite restaurant dish was and this one came up as the clear winner to try. It is a knockoff recipe of Longhorn's Salmon and their infamous rice pilaf. Having not had it myself, I hope I got close to the real thing. It is my brother in law's lovely girlfriend Megan's choice and now I see why. It was awesome! The marinade is so good and the flavor really comes through even after the salmon is cooked. I am not usually a big fan of rice but this pilaf is wonderful! It has some unusual ingredients in it that make it so flavorful! I know I will be making this from now on.  Hope you all enjoy this as much as I did. Who needs to eat out when you can make it this good at home? Well besides washing your own dishes part. :)

Salmon Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Kentucky Bourbon
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon snipped fresh chives

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a Ziploc bag except for chives. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3.

Preheat grill. Cook fish for 5-7 minutes on each side


Rice Pilaf Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons finely diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped mushroom (button, portabello, etc.)
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 cup long grain wild rice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup orange juice
orange zest
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

heat a skillet om medium heat and add oil. Saute onion, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. When the vegetables are tender add garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Add rice and saute for 1 minute then add remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Enjoy!