Birthday Dinner

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

 

I got a text yesterday wishing me happy birthday that continued, "I hope you aren't cooking your own birthday dinner!" Well, it turns out that I did cook supper last night. We can have a "birthday dinner" some other time. Yesterday afternoon was busy so I planned a slow cooker meal and tried a new recipe. This one is good enough to share. The recipe is at the bottom.

What I did give myself as a birthday treat was extra time at the piano. I started piano lessons at age 6. And for well over 50 years everything I played was some kind of music written down in a book or on a piece of sheet music. I have stacks and stacks of music and shelves full of books. 

A curiousity you would see on my music shelves was the collection of fake books that I could not play from. If you are not a musician, that just means you only get a melody line and the chord names written in the appropriate place. (These are called lead sheets.) Not a complete written out song. Most fake books have hundreds of songs. I clearly remember buying my first fake book in 1974. The cover has fallen off but I still have it. Over the years I kept adding another fake book to my collection even though I didn't know what to do with them. It's a mystery why I even bought the first one, much less several more.

But it must have been a deeply buried desire to one day be able to sit down and play freely. No need to focus my eyes on tiny little black dots printed on the page. As I have aged, that is becoming hard to do. Buying those books was like planting seeds. Seeds that finally started to grow about two years ago when I started learning new music skills*. Learning chords—even the crazy sounding jazz chords with long symbols. (Easier to play than to read.) And most importantly learning that a lead sheet is a suggestion of a song. I can play it anyway I want to. Change the rhythm, change the chords, even tinker with the melody.

This has become my brain work. I have friends who love jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, cryptograms...all ways to keep our brains working. What I am doing is the same thing in musical form.

I only play for myself, in my own home. There is no goal to play "out" somewhere. It's just for fun. But oh, what fun I'm having! Here is a song I recorded yesterday. I remember hearing it when I was growing up. Some of you might remember this tune, too.

I gave myself quite a gift. The gift of not thinking I was too old to learn something completely new. Yes, this way of playing is THAT much different from reading music. So maybe it's time for you to try something you've always wanted to do. Instead of saying "I'm too old" say "better late than never!"

Now on to what was cooking in the slow cooker while I spent most of the morning at the piano. Beef Stroganoff is a perfect slow cooker recipe. The meat was so tender when it was done. It's close to how I usually cook stew meat (cubes of beef you can buy already cut up at the grocery store.). This recipe has more seasoning which upped the flavor. And the sour cream added richness.

Because we are a household of two, before I added the sour cream, I put half the cooked meat into a freezer container to save for later. You really cannot freeze it successfully after the sour cream is added. The sour cream will separate or curdle when it's thawed and reheated. When we are ready to have it another night, I will thaw, heat and then add the sour cream. Or, it would also be fine with NO sour cream.  You just can't say you're having "stroganoff" for dinner that night. It's the sour cream gravy that makes it stroganoff.

SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF

1 (10-1/2 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

8-oz. sliced mushrooms (I used baby Bellas)

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2-1/2 lbs. beef stew meat, cubed (I buy this already cut into cubes)

1 cup sour cream

16-oz. egg noodles

In your slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and dry onion soup mix until blended. Add diced onions and mushrooms and stir. Add stew meat and mix until coated in the soup mixture.

Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. (I cooked mine for 9 hours because of my schedule.)

When it's done, skim off any excess fat, then mix in sour cream.  

Serve over cooked egg noodles.

You can't get much easier than this. I will say that when I first took the lid off the slow cooker and added the sour cream, I thought the gravy was too thin. But I let it sit that way while I cooked the noodles. From the time I started heating the water to boil the noodles until they were done and drained was about 20 minutes. And by then, the gravy looked much more like "gravy." 

If you read the blog you saw that I saved half the recipe for the freezer BEFORE I added the sour cream. And we still have enough left for supper tonight. I don't mind leftovers for one night. More than that is too much!

This recipe came from Easy Family Recipes. You can find her excellent website online or follow her on Instagram, like I do. The recipes are just like she says—easy. 

*I joined this online piano lesson site 3-1/2 years ago. It has been more than I hoped for.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork in the slow cooker.

What is wrong with me??? I'm constantly saying I can't think of anything to cook. Yesterday it dawned on me I needed to look at MY OWN RECIPE INDEX here on the blog!!! Yes. Once I post a recipe, I often forget about it. So yesterday I picked out one I had not made in years. One that would make enough to stock the freezer. And one that I was sure we liked.

We have been waking up crazy early lately. This morning was no exception. After coffee on the porch as the sun came up, I put together this recipe in the slow cooker. This one takes 10 hours to cook, so it needed an early start. Once it was in the slow cooker, the rest of my day was free. Knitting. Piano. Reading. An entire day to myself. Then at supper time, it only took a few minutes to shred the pork and dinner was ready.

The recipe is so simple. But let me caution you to actually read the recipe. I half read it and was about to dump in the barbecue sauce along with the vinegar and honey before the pork cooked. I'm not sure if that would have really been a bad thing. If I had actually poured it in, I would have cooked it that way and crossed my fingers. But that last glance at the recipe came just in time.

We made sliders for dinner with Hawaiian rolls. And I put 4 small bags in the freezer. 

PULLED PORK BARBECUE (slow cooker)

Spice rub:

   4 teaspoons smoked paprika

   1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

   2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic

   1 teaspoon ground mustard

   1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

1 medium onion, sliced

3-4 teaspoons mince garlic

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1 (4-5 lb) pork butt, trimmed of excess fat

Salt & pepper

1 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)

Mix the spice rub ingredients. Season the pork butt with salt and pepper and rub the spice mix all over. (If you have time, you let put it in a bag or container and let it refrigerate overnight. I did not plan ahead, so put it in the slow cooker right after rubbing.)

In the bottom of the 6-7 qt slow cooker, put the onion and garlic. Pour in vinegar and honey. Place the pork butt on top. Cook on LOW for 10 hours.

When done, carefully move the roast to a large pan (9x13 works) and let cool for 5 or 10 minutes. Using two forks, shred the meat, discarding the bone and any large chunks of fat. Pour about a half cup of cooking liquid over the meat. Stir in a cup of barbecue sauce and mix.

As I typed this recipe, I realized I STILL didn't follow the actual directions. 😂 What is written here is how I made it today. If you want to read the original version, you can see it here on a post from a few years ago. This goes to show that most recipes have a lot of room for interpretation. Don't get too hung up on being exact.

 

Yes. I even practice piano on the porch.

It took us long enough, but we finally got this planted.

Port In A Storm

White Chicken Chili

We cleaned out the refrigerator at the lake last weekend and I brought home one package of chicken breasts from the freezer there. Then I couldn't think of a thing to do with it. I haven't cooked much in several weeks. And I hate to admit, it's been nice not cooking.

Our wonderful anniversary trip to the mountains with fabulous meals was followed by a weekend at the lake and lakeside dining. Then the lobster roll truck came to town this week. A rare treat for a small town in the deep South. Another night off in the kitchen for me.

But the chicken had thawed and had to be used. Then a snippet of a recipe popped up on Instagram. Not a real recipe, but a "this is what I toss in the slow cooker" with a photo. She said she eyeballed all the seasonings. You know me. I wrote down how I did this, complete with measurements, so that next time—and there will be a next time—I won't be guessing about how much oregano or chili powder to use.

The chili went in to the refrigerator until the family arrived. They were at the beach for fall break and left yesterday ahead of the storm. It was much, much less severe on the east coast, but still good they got out of the way. Fall break was relocated to our farm.

  

Instead of playing on the beach or in the ocean, or rescuing stranded starfish, these girls learned to latch hook today. I've saved these craft kits for a long, long time. This was the perfect day to pull them out. 

 

There are many ways to make white chicken chili. I've made more than one version—spicy, creamy, you name it. This is hands-down the most uncomplicated recipe ever. Fewer seasonings to measure. Nothing to sauté. Keep it in mind when you don't feel like cooking, but the family still expects to eat supper.

This is a really tame version of white chicken chili. Because of some dietary needs in my family I kept the seasonings very much on the mild side. You can use 2 cans of green chilies, up the chili powder, add some cayenne and make it as spicy as you like it. I was surprised that I liked this very simple version as much as I did. Comfort food to the max. 

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 lb

1 onion, chopped

2 (15-oz) cans great northern beans, drained & rinsed

1 can shoepeg (white) corn kernels, drained

1 or 2 cans chopped green chilies (I used 1)

32 oz. low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon oregano

Scant teaspoon chili powder

Cayenne to taste, optional (I left this out)

Salt & pepper to taste 

1 cup half & half

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours. Or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove chicken to a shallow pan and used two forks to shred. Put shredded chicken back into slow cooker. Add half & half to mixture.

I put about half of this in the freezer for another cold, windy, rainy day. And I see it the next time topped with shredded colby-jack cheese with warm cornbread on the side. Yum!

Improv — In The Kitchen, At The Piano

Chicken Divan

For all the weeks I've said my kitchen was closed, (really, it was more like it was in low gear) I made up for it this weekend. We had Jessica, Todd and Little Lady here for a long weekend. We had not seen them in a couple of months, so I wanted to make sure they enjoyed some of their favorite foods while they were home.

The biggest meal was a traditional southern Sunday dinner. I haven't cooked like this in ages. I baked the ham and used the brown sugar-mustard glaze we like. I also made macaroni and cheese, roasted okra (the okra was from our garden) and sour cream muffins. Baby limas, deviled eggs and pickled peaches completed the plate. 

Saturday was an easy meal. A slow cooker supper I could get ready in the morning and then have the day to play with the baby. She is one busy little girl. This roast is a favorite we've made many times. You can make it a true one dish meal if you add some fresh baby spinach on top of the hot grits. Then spoon the roast over that. All that heat will wilt the spinach. And you can feel righteous because you've served a green vegetable.

SWISS-STYLE ROAST with CHEESE GRITS

1 beef chuck roast (or any other roast--brisket works great)
salt, pepper, & garlic powder 
1 jar marinara sauce with Cabernet, red wine or portabella mushrooms
1 onion, sliced thin 

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

Place beef, rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic powder, into crockpot. Cover with sliced onion. Pour spaghetti sauce over. Cook on HIGH for 6-8 hours. When fork tender, slice meat and place back into sauce while preparing grits.

Cheese Grits:
quick-cooking grits (the 5-minute kind—not instant)
1 teaspoon garlic powder 
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Cook grits for 4 servings, according to package. Stir in garlic powder and shredded cheese. Stir until cheese melts. You can adjust the garlic powder and cheese amount to suit you.

Why I'm telling you this all backwards, I don't know. But I'm too far in to change all of this now.

Friday night supper was a delicious new-to-the-blog recipe. For years, I've heard my cousin Audrey talk about her chicken divan. Everyone in her family loves it and requests it for special meals. I made chicken divan years ago from directions that my secretary gave me. No actual recipe. I remember that it called for toast triangles on the bottom instead of bread crumbs on the top. I asked Audrey to send me her recipe and in a few minutes, she texted this photo. Remember community cookbooks? I had so many of these cookbooks from civic clubs, churches and professional organizations. They were a guaranteed money maker back in the day. I got rid of many of my collection. But I still have one shelf devoted to the favorites I kept. I don't know what group put this particular cookbook together.

And here is where we get to the kitchen improv. This recipe has been tweaked again and again. Changing it up while maintaining the essence of the dish. That's exactly how jazz improv works. Change the lines around, tinker with the rhythms, but the essence of the tune is still there. My current hobby is learning jazz piano. I've played piano for decades, but the jazz is new. It's been so much fun.

I changed this recipe to suit me. We like fresh broccoli better. I always use sharp cheddar. And EIGHT slices of bread??? That would make a half-gallon of bread crumbs with the bread slices I had. I used Pepperidge Farm sour dough. Those are large slices. I tore each slice up into smaller pieces and processed them, one at the time in my mini food processor. Each slice makes about 1 cup of crumbs. I also cut way back on the butter. I probably used less than half a stick, just enough to moist the crumbs. Oleo? Nope. I only use butter nowadays. And I'm sure I used more than two cups of chicken. I just covered the broccoli.

Jessica said it was the crunchy crumbs that made the dish! She's right. I did like this better than the toast on the bottom. And Audrey's recipe is better seasoned that the old version I used to make. Mine was plain, plain, plain. No curry. No lemon juice. 

And my last kitchen improv was to use one can of cream of chicken soup and one can of cream of mushroom. That is because when I read the recipe, I only got as far as "cream of..." That so often means cream of mushroom, that is what I bought. But I did have one can of cream of chicken in the pantry, so I used one can of each. A trip back to the store for me is a 15 mile round trip. I've learned to improvise.

CHICKEN DIVAN

2 large broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size pieces & steamed until tender 

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up

2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted (I used one chicken & one mushroom)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2-3 slices bread, toasted & made into bread crumbs (about 2 cups)

1/3 to 1/2 stick butter, melted

Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with PAM. Arrange broccoli in bottom. Put chicken evenly over broccoli. Mix soup, mayonnaise, curry powder, lemon juice and spread over chicken. Sprinkle cheese over the soup mixture.

Mix melted butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over cheese.

Bake at 350º for 30-35 minute, until hot and bubbly.

I am delighted to have finally made this recipe I've heard about for so long. I forgot to ask Audrey what she served with hers. So we had pasta cooked brown rice and fresh fruit for the side dishes. We had the leftovers for lunch the next day and both Daddy-O and Jessica said they thought it was even better the second day. 

The next time it's my turn to take supper to book club, I think I have my menu!

If the jazz piano thing interests you at all, you will enjoy this video. I am currently signed up with his program. Can I play like this? Of course not. But I'm learning. There are many, many free video tutorials from him on YouTube. Just google "Piano with Jonny YouTube." I played around with those for quite some time. Then maybe you'll be like me and decide to jump in and try the full program. Let me know if you do and we can cheer each other on.

NOTE:  For reasons I don't understand the video is not showing up on the mobile view. At least on my phone. Use this link if you are interested:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CA0-HpKYZg

Book Club On The Porch (No Book Involved)

Old friends are the best friends. We had so much fun yesterday. My book club girls came to the lake for an afternoon visit and supper. We take turns doing supper for our regular gatherings and usually a couple of us share duties.  But I told them that for this one time, I'd do it all. They just needed to drive down. Luckily our lake house is only about 25 minutes away from town.

If you've been here long, you know that at this point in my life, I cook easy meals. I like home cooked food, but I am not looking for complicated recipes. This supper was so easy to make. But it would have been harder to transport to Linda's house because it involved two slow cookers and seven pints of ice cream. It was a good choice for a night they were coming to me.

I thought of all sorts of desserts I could make for us. But homemade dessert didn't happen. I bought seven pints of Jeni's ice cream. I had picked up a little box of tasting spoons at the grocery store a few weeks ago. And after supper we had an ice cream tasting. These good ladies had never heard of Jeni's ice cream. It's a special treat. And a major indulgence! It's not available everywhere, but I can find it at Publix and Whole Foods. That makes me happy because years ago it was nearly impossible to buy. Unless you lived in Columbus, OH.

My original thought for supper was to make these same fillings and use soft tortillas. My brilliant daughter Jessica pointed out that it would be less messy if we made "bowls." Of course, she was right. 

Miss Doris asked if I would put all of our supper recipes here in one post. They have all been on the blog before but she said she would like to have them together. Here is our menu:

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When the ladies got here, I knew we would be visiting on the porch for a while, so I fixed a tray of nibbles. Apple and pear slices, bought cheese crisps and I made a double batch of these nuts. The nuts are the easiest thing ever.

TOASTED MAPLE PECANS

1 cup pecan halves

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Salt

Pepper, optional

Preheat oven to 375º. Line a sheet pan (I used a quarter sheet pan) with parchment paper. 

Pour maple syrup over nuts in a small bowl and stir to coat. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper if using.

Toast nuts for 10 minutes then stir. Toast for another 2 minutes and taste them. Toast for another 2 minutes if needed. (Mine took the whole 14 minutes.) Let them cool before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Toasting pecans is a judgement call—they need to come out of the oven just before they are crisp because they will crisp up as they cool. 

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We have been making this recipes for years. I've used plain salsa. Salsa with corn and beans. It's your choice. But do choose a salsa you like. Different brands have different flavors.

SALSA CHICKEN (slow cooker)

3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar salsa (I used a 24-oz jar of black bean & corn salsa)
2 teaspoons (I just sprinkled some over) homemade fajita seasoning 
          OR 1 packet taco seasoning

Put a thin layer of salsa into bottom of crockpot. Place chicken breasts in a plastic bag, add fajita (taco) seasoning and shake to coat breasts. Put chicken into crockpot and cover with remaining salsa. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Put shredded chicken back into crockpot and mix with salsa.

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Another easy, much used recipe. I made this on the stovetop, then put it in a smaller crockpot to keep warn until we ate. I quibbled about how much to make for six of us and ended up doubling the recipe. Needless to say, I'll be eating beans and rice the rest of the week. I think I could have used 3 cans of beans and the appropriate amounts of everything else and it would have been just right.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS

2 teaspoons olive oil
1-1/2  cup chopped red onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
1-1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 (15-oz) cans black beans
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped red onion for serving
I lime, cut into wedges
cooked brown rice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skilled over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6-7 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and oregano, stirring to mix. Cook another 30 seconds. Stir in beans (with their liquid) and water. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to let flavors blend. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.

To serve, spoon beans over brown rice and sprinkle with chopped onion. Squeeze a lime wedge over each serving.

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I will be forever grateful to Al Roker from The Today Show. I started following him on Instagram during the pandemic and discovered he posts what he cooks for dinner most days. And those meals very often include "pasta cooked brown rice." Just a hash tag. I finally thought I'd see if I could find out what he meant. Google was all I needed. And I have not cooked brown rice another way since then.

PASTA COOKED BROWN RICE

brown rice (amount isn't critical, but I typically use 1-1/2 cups)

water

Bring a big pot of water to a boil.

Rinse uncooked brown rice. 

Stir rice into boiling water. 

Let boil 30-35 minutes. Drain into colander. (Make sure the holes are small enough to not lose the rice.) Put the rice back into the empty hot pot. Put a lid on it, pull off the heat, and let it stand for 10 minutes to steam. 

To finish the menu, I had chopped red onion, diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, and lime wedges for toppings. And we opened a bag of blue corn chips. If you count WW points (purple plan,) that is nearly a 0 point meal if you skip the avocado. And I am certainly not talking about the Jeni's ice cream!!!

If anyone is curious, our seven ice cream flavors were 

• Lemon & Blueberries Parfait
• Boston Cream Pie
• Blackout Chocolate
• Savannah Buttercream Mint
• Gooey Butter Cake
• Brambleberry Crisp
• Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam

Which was the favorite? Hands down, it was which ever one we were had in our mouth. They are all that good.

FYI, you can order Jeni's and have it shipped to you. Mommy and J-Daddy have done this and she says it arrived frozen. But it's way cheaper to buy it at the store!

 

Easy Peasy And Loosey Goosey

I had zero idea that this supper would be blog worthy. So you only get a photo of the leftovers. But sometimes life's surprises are good ones. I made a plate for Daddy-O's lunch tomorrow.  We've been busy this week with house and yard chores so I made something new that sounded super easy. I was only aiming for edible. But this exceeded my goal. Daddy-O said, "Be sure to put this one on the blog so I could make it if I needed to when you are gone." I put boneless pork chops in the slow cooker and topped them with a mix of two ingredients—a can of whole berry cranberry sauce and an envelope of dry onion soup mix. You really can't get much easier.

The rest of the meal of the meal was only canned peas (which Daddy-O loves) and yellow rice from a mix. Remember? I told you that tonight was all about easy. We were focused on the house and the yard. (The house is clean and the grass is cut.) Cooking supper was way down on my list. But it's a happy thing when something that easy turns out to be delicious.

I saw a recipe somewhere in the last week or two that used the cranberry sauce/onion soup concoction. I don't even remember what meat they put it over or how they cooked it. But I have a recipe on the blog that uses cranberry sauce and bottled chili sauce over pork chops. So I kinda sorta followed those directions. I also was trying out a new slow cooker. All slow cookers are different. So I set this one like I usually do. But two hours before it should have been done, I checked it. New slow cooker has a temperature probe. And it was done. So I turned it to "keep warm" until we were ready to eat. I think you could also do this in the oven. The pandemic year has found me getting all loosey-goosey with my cooking methods and recipes (or lack of recipes.) 

For the record I'm also getting all loosey-goosey with my piano playing. Who says I have to play ALL the notes on the page? Don't tell Little Sister who is taking piano lessons and practicing hard, but now I play a song the way I want to. Add notes. Leave out notes. As long as it sounds good, it IS good. There are perks to passing age 70. 

So Daddy-O, here you go! Since it wasn't really a recipe, I had to make up a name for it. Somewhere later I'll try the cranberry/onion soup mixture with other meats.

CRANBERRY PORK CHOPS

4 to 6 boneless pork chops (my pack only had 3 this time)

1 (14-oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Place chops in a slow cooker. Mix cranberry sauce and onion soup mix. Spread on top of chops. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours. Or until done. (This slow cooker was faster than my other one, where the recipe says LOW for 7-8 hours. I also had less meat. Do it how your slow cooker works.) 

If you are wondering why I bought a new slow cooker, let's just blame it on pandemic brain. I have seen so many people who love the Hamilton Beach slow cooker I had to try it, too. This one has a temperature probe and a locking lid. Like every brand there are so many different models I have no clue if this particular one is even one I read about. I do like the locking lid. Haven't used it enough to have thoughts about cooking in it. I've used the Crock-Pot brand for decades with no complaints. Like I said...pandemic brain and too easy online ordering. Now to figure out where to store it. It will likely end up in Big Sister's apartment kitchen in the fall. Yes. She is that old.

 

Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork I've Ever Had

PULLED PORK BARBECUE -- SLOW COOKER

I got lucky enough to bring home a quart of this pulled pork last week when I stopped by Mommy's house to drop off some things on my way home from Jessica's house. And I got to see the granddaughters for a few minutes. Right now I can only visit with the little girls through the storm door but that is better than nothing. 

When Mommy ordered her groceries for the week, she had not anticipated such a large cut of meat, so she ended up with a massive amount of BBQ. Worked out well for me because I got back to the farm late that afternoon and I didn't have a dinner plan. But I had the BBQ that Mommy shared. It was delicious! We wrapped it up in tortillas because that's all I had on hand. 

Let me be clear! This does not taste like you made it in a slow cooker. It's pretty close to pulled pork you'd get at a BBQ restaurant. I have a couple of other slow cooker pulled pork recipes on the blog and we like them, too. But this one is different. Better different. I asked Mommy to share the recipe and tell a little about it. And send me photos. Here is what she sent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words and photos from Mommy....

This was a hit at my house. The first time it was served, Little Sister ate 3 helpings, Baby Girl ate 2 big helpings, and J-Daddy said it was worthy to sit on an Independence Day spread. Leftovers have been eaten multiple times without complaints.

 

PULLED PORK BARBECUE

from Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker by Nicki Sizemore, creator of FromScratchFast.com 

Spice Rub

• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp granulated garlic (I used jarred minced garlic.)
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted it.)
• 1 (4-5 lb) boneless pork shoulder (also called pork butt), trimmed of excess fat
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Slow Cooker

• 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I used jarred minced garlic.)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2-1 cup barbecue sauce (I used 1c of Sweet Baby Ray's Original Sauce.)
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For Serving

• Buns (or rice, or tortillas)
• Barbecue sauce 
• Red Cabbage & Sweet Corn Slaw (aka Princess Slaw at our house) 

RUB THE PORK

1. Combine the paprika, sugar, garlic, mustard, and cayenne in a small bowl. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper to taste, and rub it all over with the spice mixture. If you have the time, refrigerate the pork in an airtight container or ziplock bag overnight.

ASSEMBLE THE SLOW COOKER

2. Arrange the onion and garlic in the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker, and pour in the vinegar and honey. Place the pork on top. Cover and cook until the pork is tender and pulls apart easily with a fork, 9 to 10 hours on low or 7 to 8 hours on high.

3. Switch the slow cooker off, and transfer the pork to a cutting board. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Using two forks, coarsely shred the pork, discarding any large chunks of fat.

4. Using a ladle, skim off enough fat and liquid in the slow cooker to measure 1 cup and discard. Transfer the shredded pork back into the slow cooker with the remaining liquid and onions, and add the barbecue sauce to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste then toss to combine.

SERVE

5. Pile the pulled pork into buns, and serve with additional barbecue sauce on the size for drizzling. Serve the slaw either in the sandwiches or on the side (or both!)

Cook’s Notes:

• Kroger gave me 8-lb bone-in pork butt, so I cut it in half, and doubled the spice rub amounts. I adjusted the cooking time to 5 hours on low and then 5 hours on high.
• Since I skipped cayenne pepper, J-Daddy added Frank’s hot sauce to his before eating.
• The first time I served barbecue with rice and lima beans. The second time I served it in quesadillas. The third time it will be served as sandwiches. Guessing could work in a biscuit or on pizza too…