Shredded Pork and White Bean Chili

I used some of my leftover shredded pork to make this recipe.  The soup/stew/chili (whatever you want to call it) was very satisfying and heated up well the next day too.  I will try to post the recipe to the best of my recollection, but to be honest, I just threw random stuff in the pot that I happened to have on hand.

Anne's Shredded Pork and White Bean Chili

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 celery rib, sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups chicken broth
1 small can diced green chilies
1 can white chili beans
2 cups cooked shredded pork (or chicken)
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
Optional: sour cream, cheddar, jalapeno, cilantro, etc

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, celery, and carrots, and cook until veggies are softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the cumin, oregano, and pepper flakes.  Add the broth, chiles, and beans, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir in the cooked shredded pork and chopped cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes until heated through.   Adjust seasoning as needed and serve with garnishes of your choice.

Slow Cooker Shredded Balsamic Pork

It's so nice when the Crockpot does all the work.  Plus, shredded pork has so many possibilities. On the first night, we just served it over rice.  The next night, I used a bunch in a White Bean Chili (see recipe).  I also used some leftover pork and made little lettuce wraps for a healthy lunch.  All delicious.

Slow Cooker Shredded Balsamic Pork 

Recipe found online somewhere

Ingredients:

2 pound boneless pork sirloin roast

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Season the pork with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes, and place it in the slow cooker.  

Whisk together all the other ingredients and pour over the pork.  Let cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Once the pork is tender, remove from the slow cooker and shred using two forks.  Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and ladle sauce over the pork.  Serve on rice, buns, lettuce, whatever.

To make wraps, I used Boston lettuce leaves, added the shredded pork, and topped with cucumbers, yellow bell peppers, shredded carrots, and avocado.  

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Breasts

I wanted to use some fresh rosemary before I dried the rest of it, so I made this recipe.  Very tasty and juicy chicken.  I'd use this recipe again.

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Breasts
Recipe adapted from one found on allrecipes 
Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1&1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag, saving ~1/8 cup for basting.  Add the chicken to the bag and massage marinade into chicken. Refrigerate if not using immediately.  When ready to grill, let bag sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place chicken on preheated grill over medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Turn over, and use the reserved marinade to baste the top of the chicken breasts.  Grill another 5 minutes until cooked through. 

Basil-Honey Dressing

This dressing is fabulous.  Sweet and herblicious without being overpowering.  I currently have an excess of basil in my garden, so this was a delicious way to use it.  I used it on a salad I threw together, but I think it would be good tossed with pasta or veggies or even as meat marinade.

Basil-Honey Dressing
Found online at webpage: Shockingly Delicious

Ingredients:
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves (I probably used more)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
pinch salt

Directions:
Blend it all together with blender, food processor, immersion blender, whatever.  Serve.   Keeps for 1 week stored covered in the fridge.

Lemon-Thyme Cod with Garlic Potatoes

The grocery store had cod fillets on sale, so I found this recipe which also used fresh thyme from my herb garden.  It was good enough to make again I thought, but next time I'd only use one baking potato instead of two.

Lemon-Herb Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes

from The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 russet potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper

2 (6-8oz) skinless cod fillets

1 tablespoon butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

Directions:

Coat a baking dish with cooking spray or oil.  Toss potatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Shingle potatoes in the baking dish in 2 long piles.  Roast at 425º for 30-35 minutes until spotty brown and just tender.

Pat cod dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Place 1 fillet over each pile of potatoes.  Top with butter pieces, thyme sprigs, and lemon slices.  Roast for about 15 minutes until fish flakes easily and reaches 140º.  Slide spatula under potatoes and fish to transfer to plates.

Butterfinger Freezer Dessert

This is just a yummy cool summertime dessert that everyone seems to love.  It's easy and it's no-bake.  Win-win.  I brought it to my family's Father's Day get-together.

Butterfinger Freezer Dessert

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 packages (3.4oz each) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
1 quart butter pecan ice cream, softened
1 carton (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed
1 Butterfinger candy bar, chopped

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs and melted butter.  Pat 3/4 of the mixture into a 13x9" baking pan.  Save the other 1/4 for the topping.  Refrigerate pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes until pudding thickens.  Stir in the softened ice cream until blended.  Spread over the chilled crust.  Spoon the whipped topping over the pudding layer and spread evenly.

Combine the candy bar and 1/4 cup cracker mixture and sprinkle evenly over the whipped topping.  Cover and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Toffee Bits Triangles

I had some leftover chocolate chips and toffee bits, so I found this recipe online to use them up with other standard pantry ingredients I already had on hand.  I made a half-batch since that's what I had for ingredients, and they turned out pretty good. Maybe more than good.  I ate way too many.

Toffee Bits Triangles
from Hershey's online recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
8 oz pkg (1&1/3 cups) Heath Bits 'o Brickle Toffee Bits
12 oz pkg (2 cups) chocolate chips

Directions:
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl on medium speed. Add vanilla and egg yolk and beat until well mixed.  Stir in flour and 1 cup of the toffee bits.

Press mixture into a 15x10" jelly roll pan (I recommend lining it with parchment paper for easier cleanup).  Bake at 350º for 16-20 minutes or until light brown.  

Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over top while still hot.  Wait 5 minutes to allow chips to melt, then spread chocolate evenly.  Sprinkle remaining toffee bits over top.  Cool completely.  Cut into squares, then triangles.

Butterscotch Pudding Pretzel Cookies

I decided to try a different cookie recipe and thought these sounded interesting.  I liked the combination of the salty pretzel with the sweet cookie with butterscotch and toffee bits.  I made half the batch with chocolate chips added in and half without.  I preferred the addition of the chocolate chips.

Butterscotch Pudding Pretzel Cookies
Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2&1/2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 box (4-serving size) butterscotch instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups mini pretzel twists, coarsely crushed
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate toffee bits

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º

In a large bowl, beat softened butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy.  Beat in dry pudding mix, then beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth.  Stir in vanilla.   In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, soda, and salt, then beat into the cookie batter on low speed.  Stir in the crushed pretzels, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and toffee bits.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350º for 9-11 minutes until lightly brown.  Cool 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Chicken Adobo and Zucchini Fritters with Cilantro-Lime Sauce

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Jeremy wanted tacos to celebrate the Mexican holiday, but we have tacos often, so I decided to go another route.  The Chicken Adobo was tasty, just on the edge of being too spicy for me and left my lips tingling a bit from the chipotles. The rice was a nice counter-balance to that.  I realized I forgot to cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces but the recipe still worked with them as whole thighs. The zucchini fritters were good.  I liked them more than Jeremy did.  They could have used a little more seasoning overall, but the Cilantro-Lime Sauce did it a big favor.

Chicken Adobo

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen: The Best Mexican Recipes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 tablespoon instant espresso powder (I left this out)

salt and pepper

1&1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)

1 onion, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, run in food processor until smooth

3 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Rice (cook according to package instructions)

Directions:

Combine chipotles, garlic, oregano, espresso powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl.   Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then coat completely with chipotle mixture.  Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Sear chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in molasses and tomatoes, and return chicken to the skillet along with any accumulated juices.    Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is fully cooked and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve chicken over rice and spoon sauce over everything.  Sprinkle with cilantro.

*****

Zucchini Fritters with Cilantro-Lime Sauce

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen: The Best Mexican Recipes

Serves 4 (3 fritters per serving)

Ingredients:

1&1/2 lbs zucchini, shredded with large holes of a cheese grater

salt and pepper

6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1&1/2 cups)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced

2 scallions, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1/4 cup flour

2-4 tablespooons vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)

Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt and let drain in a fine-mesh strainer for 10 minutes.  Wrap zucchini in a clean dish towel and wring out excess liquid.  Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the shredded cheese, eggs, jalapeños, scallions, oregano, coriander, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cilantro.  Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to incorporate.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Drop 1/4 cup portions of batter into skillet and use the back of a flipper to press into ~3-inch-wide fritters.  You should be able to fit 6 fritters in one pan.  Cook until well browned and slightly crispy, about 5 minutes per side.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with the cilantro-lime sauce.

Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie

I decided to try a new recipe for Easter.  It was good, but there was a little too much caramel which was too runny in the bottom layer, making a mess in the pie plate.  I was surprised that it never set because I had refrigerated the pie for a full 24 hours.  It still tasted good though, and it was really easy to prepare.  I much prefer my other Banana Cream Pie recipe which is more of a Banana Pudding Cream Pie and I'd stick with that next time.  Still, here is the recipe for all the caramel lovers.  The only changes I made to the original recipe were using a pre-made graham cracker crust and store-bought whipped cream to save time, and those changes are reflected in the directions.

Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie
Adapted from Food Network Channel website

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker crust
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 (8 oz) tub of Cool Whip
1 cup store-bought dulce de leche (Caramel Sweetened Condensed Milk)
3 medium bananas, sliced
1/2 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts (for garnish)

Directions:
Using a hand-held mixer, whip the cream and butter at medium speed until fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon, and whip at low speed until just combined.  Fold in the whipped cream.

Spread the dulce de leche over the crust and top with the sliced bananas, forming 2 layers of bananas if necessary.  Spread the whipped topping mixture over the top.  Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.
To serve, top the pie with a border of chopped peanuts.  Warm some dulce de leche in the microwave until melted and drizzle over the pie.