Tonight's dinner is already cooking away in my trusty crock pot. I use a large, six and a half or seven quart pot for my family, but any size will do as long as it holds your meat. When I bought pork in bulk on my shopping day, I divided it into two meals. One became the Hawaiian Pork Roast, recipe on another post, and tonight we will be having pulled pork sandwiches.
Simply rinse your pork roast and place in the crock pot. Cover with your favorite BBQ sauce (ours is currently Lucille's) and let it cook for 8-10 hours. Using two forks, pull apart the roast. Serve on French rolls with a side of salad, and maybe even some Sun Chips for crunch. Enjoy!
To enjoy tonight - prepare as directed.
To enjoy later - freeze the leftovers for another night when you need a quick meal.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Hawaiian Pork Roast in a Crock Pot
I tried an experiment today. This recipe is normally meant to be prepared in a Dutch Oven, but I really didn't want my oven on for many hours on a day in which the hot Santa Ana (desert) winds were blowing, so I made it in a crock-pot. It looks just as wonderful!
1 boneless pork shoulder roast (3-4 pounds)
4 tsp. liquid smoke
4 tsp. soy sauce
2 unpeeled, ripe bananas
1/2 C water
Place the roast on a large piece of foil and sprinkle with liquid smoke and soy sauce. I also salted mine with garlic salt based on past experience. Wash bananas and place alongside the roast. Pull sides of foil up over the meat. Wrap with another piece of foil and place in a shall baking pan. Let set in the fridge overnight, turning the meat package over several times. Place the meat package, still in the foil, in a crock-pot with 1/2 C of water in the crock, and cook on high for 1 hour. Then reduce to low for 3-4 hours. Double check the internal temperature, but it should be perfect (170 degrees F) about this time. Drain and discard juices and bananas. Shred meat and serve with rice or Hawaiian Sweet Bread. Yum!
This is a meal that I do not prepare in advance other than to buy the meat on my shopping day and freeze it. However, it only takes a few minutes to prep.
Leftovers: Add some teriyaki sauce and stir fry veggies for a quick dinner fix.
1 boneless pork shoulder roast (3-4 pounds)
4 tsp. liquid smoke
4 tsp. soy sauce
2 unpeeled, ripe bananas
1/2 C water
Place the roast on a large piece of foil and sprinkle with liquid smoke and soy sauce. I also salted mine with garlic salt based on past experience. Wash bananas and place alongside the roast. Pull sides of foil up over the meat. Wrap with another piece of foil and place in a shall baking pan. Let set in the fridge overnight, turning the meat package over several times. Place the meat package, still in the foil, in a crock-pot with 1/2 C of water in the crock, and cook on high for 1 hour. Then reduce to low for 3-4 hours. Double check the internal temperature, but it should be perfect (170 degrees F) about this time. Drain and discard juices and bananas. Shred meat and serve with rice or Hawaiian Sweet Bread. Yum!
This is a meal that I do not prepare in advance other than to buy the meat on my shopping day and freeze it. However, it only takes a few minutes to prep.
Leftovers: Add some teriyaki sauce and stir fry veggies for a quick dinner fix.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Beef Broccoli
Yesterday, I pulled the tub labelled "Beef Broccoli" out of the freezer and after defrosting, warmed it up in the wok while rice was cooking in my microwave rice cooker. Easy and delicious!
Beef Broccoli
1 lb. beef flank steak
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 C water
Sauce:
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T oyster sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T oil
2 C broccoli florets
3 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths.
Slice beef flank thinly across the grain. Add baking soda and water; let stand for several hours or overnight or while you are making other meals.
Combine soy suace, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch and salt; mix well and set aside.
Heat a heavy pan or wok. Add oil and stir fry the meat until the pink color leaves; remove from wok. Add broccoli and green onions to the wok; toss for a few minutes, then return the meat to the wok. Add sauce to the meat and stir until the sauce thickens. Serve at once with noodles or rice.
To enjoy later: Freeze meat and broccoli with sauce in a 14-cup container. Defrost and warm in a wok.
To enjoy tonight: Cook noodles or rice and serve with meat immediately.
This recipe was passed along to me from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
Beef Broccoli
1 lb. beef flank steak
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 C water
Sauce:
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T oyster sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T oil
2 C broccoli florets
3 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths.
Slice beef flank thinly across the grain. Add baking soda and water; let stand for several hours or overnight or while you are making other meals.
Combine soy suace, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch and salt; mix well and set aside.
Heat a heavy pan or wok. Add oil and stir fry the meat until the pink color leaves; remove from wok. Add broccoli and green onions to the wok; toss for a few minutes, then return the meat to the wok. Add sauce to the meat and stir until the sauce thickens. Serve at once with noodles or rice.
To enjoy later: Freeze meat and broccoli with sauce in a 14-cup container. Defrost and warm in a wok.
To enjoy tonight: Cook noodles or rice and serve with meat immediately.
This recipe was passed along to me from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
Friday, October 12, 2012
When Mom is Sick and Taco Soup
It is inevitable, though never welcomed, that mom will be flattened by at least one of the many germs that come through the front door. That was me this week. Three days in bed or on the sofa, reading, napping, watching a TV series on Netflix. But as glorious as that sounds, it came with all the benefits of the flu. In most of these situations, that would mean fast food or cold sandwiches for dinner for the family. However, to the family whose mom prepares meals a month at a time, it simply means someone else pulls the designated meal out of the freezer and finishes the preparations. As at my house this week.
The posted menu said "Italian Shepherd Pie," and had the instructions written on the foil to bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes. My son handled that just perfectly. Yes, I had pulled it from the freezer on an earlier trip to the kitchen, and yes, I had him add about 15 minutes of cooking time since it wasn't fully defrosted when he put it in the oven. Another night, it was Taco Soup. Easy enough to reheat in a pot and serve. Most families can figure out the side dishes or may even choose to skip them since mom's not around. :)
Here's my favorite Taco Soup.
Brown 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey and drain the fat.
Add 2 cans of each:
pinto beans
corn
diced tomatoes
1/2 cup taco seasoning (my favorite is McCormick which is also available in bulk at Costco.)
To enjoy tonight: Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Top with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream and even chunks of avocado.
To enjoy later: After mixing the ingredients together, pour into a large plastic container, label, and freeze.
The posted menu said "Italian Shepherd Pie," and had the instructions written on the foil to bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes. My son handled that just perfectly. Yes, I had pulled it from the freezer on an earlier trip to the kitchen, and yes, I had him add about 15 minutes of cooking time since it wasn't fully defrosted when he put it in the oven. Another night, it was Taco Soup. Easy enough to reheat in a pot and serve. Most families can figure out the side dishes or may even choose to skip them since mom's not around. :)
Here's my favorite Taco Soup.
Brown 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey and drain the fat.
Add 2 cans of each:
pinto beans
corn
diced tomatoes
1/2 cup taco seasoning (my favorite is McCormick which is also available in bulk at Costco.)
To enjoy tonight: Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Top with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream and even chunks of avocado.
To enjoy later: After mixing the ingredients together, pour into a large plastic container, label, and freeze.
 |
| This recipe makes about 14 cups and stores nicely in the Rubbermaid 14-Cup container for freezing. |
Monday, October 8, 2012
Beef Stew
Yesterday was going to be a very busy day. What a delight to pull out Beef Stew from the freezer and put it in my crock-pot to simmer all day. Truth be told, I figured this out Saturday night, and let the stew defrost overnight so that it would be ready to cook on Sunday. All I had to do to prepare Sunday dinner was bake some biscuits which I served with softened butter and Rilee's homemade plum jam. YUM!
My variation of Beef Stew:
2 pounds beef stew meat
6 cups water
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks or mini-carrots right from the bag
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-2 bay leaves
To enjoy later: Put all ingredients into a 14-cup lidded container. My favorite is Rubbermaid. Label it Beef Stew and freeze.
To enjoy tonight: Simmer for about 3 hours or slow-cook in a crock-pot for 10 hours. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
To thicken the juices, combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Stir into stew and bring to a boil cooking for 2 minutes until thickened. This is best done outside of the crock-pot. (I usually skip this step.)
My variation of Beef Stew:
2 pounds beef stew meat
6 cups water
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks or mini-carrots right from the bag
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-2 bay leaves
To enjoy later: Put all ingredients into a 14-cup lidded container. My favorite is Rubbermaid. Label it Beef Stew and freeze.
To enjoy tonight: Simmer for about 3 hours or slow-cook in a crock-pot for 10 hours. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
To thicken the juices, combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Stir into stew and bring to a boil cooking for 2 minutes until thickened. This is best done outside of the crock-pot. (I usually skip this step.)
Friday, October 5, 2012
Labelling Containers
After many years of experience, my favorite way to label my containers is with a P-Touch machine. Unlike, tape, stickers and other labels, these do not come off in the dishwasher. They can be peeled off even after baking in the over and going through the dishwasher. A bit more expensive to use than return address labels, but much better on the marriage. My hubby no longer has to fish out the remains of labels from the dishwasher lines. :)
Thursday, October 4, 2012
An Easy Fix - Chicken Patty Burgers
Last night I enjoyed an easy fix for dinner. Store-bought chicken patties, either breaded or not, served on hamburger buns with veggies and condiments. Perfect for a busy evening or hot fall day!
Since it was prepared for kids, I sliced apples and tossed them with a bit of lemon juice.
Since it was prepared for kids, I sliced apples and tossed them with a bit of lemon juice.
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