Pork Carnitas with Apple Salsa and Lime Sour Cream

You guys, this meal was phenomenal!  You NEED it in your life.

For the pork carnitas I used this pressure cooker recipe by We Call Him Yes Chef

I did make a couple of modifications to his recipe.  Rather than cutting the pork into 2" pieces, I cut my 3.5lb pork shoulder into 4-5 large chunks.  I seared then on the saute setting on my instant pot and then I cooked it on manual for 45 minutes and then did NPR (natural pressure release).  I made these changes because I wanted my meat nice and shredded rather than in chunks.  I'm sure you could also do this recipe in a slow cooker and do it in 6-8 hours.

The thing that really MADE this dish was the apple salsa.  I know, it sounds weird, but trust me - it's amazing!  Here's my recipe for the apple salsa:

Ingredients

- 1 poblano pepper

- 5 sweet peppers

- 3 green onions

- 1-2 granny smith apples - peeled, cored and chopped

- 1 lime

- 3 Tbs or more chopped cilantro (base it off your liking)

Instructions

Cut the green tops off of the green onions.  Slice peppers in half lengthwise.  Place peppers cut side down.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast at 475 for 12 minutes.  Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and seeds and mince them.  Check the heat of your poblano pepper, generally they are mild, but every so often you'll get a HOT one.  Chop the white part of the green onions making sure to discard the root ends.

Add peppers and green onions to a bowl.  Add granny smith apples, the juice of 1 lime and the chopped cilantro.  Stir until well combined.  Season with salt and pepper.

I also made lime sour cream for the carnitas.  I simply mixed 1/4 cup light sour cream with the juice of a quarter of a lime.  Easy peasy, but delish.

Serve carnitas with additional lime wedges and top with more cilantro because you can never have enough cilantro.

This is my recipe I use for the Mexian Rice.  It is so so easy and so so good.  I double the recipe so I don't waste the tomato sauce: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/27072/mexican-rice-ii/

Enjoy!!!

Ranch Chicken Recipe

Ranch Chicken is easily one of my most requested recipes and yet it's embarrassingly simple.  Get ready, your life is about to change haha.

Ingredients
2-3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Cup Crushed cornflakes
1 Cup Grated parmesan cheese (not the powdered stuff, the REAL grated parmesan)
1 Ranch Seasoning Packet
1/2 Cup Butter, melted


Instructions
Combine crushed cornflakes, parmesan cheese and ranch seasoning packet in a large bowl.  Toss until it's evenly mixed.  Dip your chicken breast in the melted butter then put it into the bowl with the cornflake mixture.  It won't stick amazingly well, so pat on some extra coating and place it in a pan.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

**I personally like to cut my chicken breasts down the middle length wise so I have more coating to chicken ratio.  I also double the coating cause that's the best part!**

Also, Costco and Walmart both sell containers of ranch seasoning which are less expensive than the little envelopes you buy.  Costco's is by far the best deal.  You get a 15.7 oz container for under $8.  It's only 40 cents more than Walmart's 8oz container.  You're welcome :)

Penne Pasta Bake

This meal has been a go to for our family for years.  It's easy, freezes well and everyone likes it.  I like to the recipe up into two 8x8 pans and then freeze one, but you can just do one big 9x13 pan instead.

INGREDIENTS

• 16 Oz penne pasta noodles, cooked al dente and strained
• ½ lb. ground beef, cooked (I season with dried minced onions and seasoning salt)
• 1-2 Jars marinara sauce (If you’re freezing add extra sauce so the noodles don’t get dry)
• 16 Slices smoked provolone cheese (you can get away with 12 if you’re just doing it in one large pan rather than 2 smaller pans)
• ⅔ Cup sour cream
• ⅔ Cup grated mozzarella or parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Put a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan to keep noodles from sticking. Put half of your cooked noodles in the pan. Then add half of your ground beef. Cover with half of your sauce. Create a layer with your provolone cheese.  Spread sour cream on top of provolone slices.  Add the remaining ground beef.  Then the rest of the pasta noodles.  Top noodles with remaining pasta sauce.  Spread out the sauce to make sure all of the noodles are covered.  Do another layer of provolone cheese.  Top with grated mozzarella or parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until your cheese is bubbly and browning a bit.

TO FREEZE - Stop before the baking step and cover it with foil.  When you’re ready to cook this dish, either thaw it in the fridge overnight or bake it at 350 for 1 ½ hours, keeping it covered with the foil until the last 30-45 minutes so the cheese doesn’t get too browned.

The Best Thai Chicken Salad You'll Ever Make

No joke, this salad is seriously amazing.  My husband requests it often and says it's better than salads he gets at restaurants.  The best part is it's easy and a great way to get eat your veggies.  Once time I had left overs, but was out of lettuce, so I made it with a bunch of broccoli and the remaining ingredients and it was FABULOUS.  So that's another option.  I wanted to take a better picture of it with natural light and make it all pretty, but the sun goes down at like 4:00 these days and it just didn't happen.  But trust me, it's much prettier in person.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken
----------
- 2-3 Chicken Breasts
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 Tbs Rice Vinegar
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Bunch Cilantro
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1/2 tsp Salt

Salad
--------
Romaine
Cucumber
Shredded Carrots
Red Bell Pepper
Broccoli
Green Onions
Peanuts
Cilantro
Wonton Strips (found with the salad toppings)

Dressing
-----------
- 1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce
- 1 tsp Oil (vegetable oil, olive oil or sesame oil work great)
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Peanut Sauce
----------------
- 1/4 Cup Peanut Butter
- 2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
- 2 Tbs Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbs Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tbs Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce
- 1/2 Tbs Sambal (this gives it a bit of heat so add the amount you desire or exclude it if you don't want it spicy)


INSTRUCTIONS

For the chicken:
Cut each chicken breast into 2-3 long strips.  In a bowl combine remaining ingredients.  Whisk until well combined.  Add chicken to marinade and let it sit for at least 4 hours to overnight.  Grill chicken until cooked and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting and adding to the salad.  You could also bake or pan sear the chicken if you don't want to grill it, but I love it grilled.

For the salad:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except peanuts and wonton strips.  After the salad has been tossed with the dressing and drizzled with the peanut sauce, add the final toppings.

For the dressing:
Combine all ingredients and whisk well to combine. Pour over salad and toss to coat evenly.

For the peanut sauce:
Combine all ingredients and whisk well to combine.  Drizzle over salad.

30 Minute Chili Recipe

It's getting to be that time of year again when warm soup, stew, chili, etc. is all you want for dinner.  Well I have a quick and easy 30 minute chili recipe that is delicious and it even has a secret ingredient that takes it over the top.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Ground beef, browned (I brown my hamburger with dried minced onions for extra flavor.  I also only use 1/2 lb cause I'm just not a BIG ground beef fan).
1 (15 oz) Can chili beans with sauce
1 (15 oz) Can dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) Can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (46 oz) Can tomato juice
1 (28 oz) Can crushed tomatoes
3 Tbs Chili powder
1 1/2 tsp Onion powder
1 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Garlic salt
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Stir to combine.  Cook on medium-high heat until it starts to simmer.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Top with your favorite chili fixings.  We are a cheese and sour cream family.  Enjoy!

That One Time I Got 80 lbs of Apples for $16

Last week my friend asking on Facebook if anyone was interested in getting apples for 20 cents/pound.  Uhhhhhh you better believe I want in on that.  We are down to 2 jars of applesauce and this was the perfect chance to stock back up.  This wonderful friend went and picked up apples for me and a few other people cause she's awesome like that.  Here's my 80 pound stash:

I went on pinterest and searched all sorts of canning recipes for ideas on what to make.  Applesauce was a given.  I also decide to do apple pie filling this time around.  I've never had apple butter, but I've heard good things.  Please someone tell me - WHAT is apple butter and how do you use it?  One random recipe that intrigued me was making syrup using the peels and cores of the apples.  Since I'd be discarding those things anyways I decided to give it a try.  I am happy with the results, so I'm gonna share what I did :)

Homemade Applesauce

The first thing you need to do is sanitize your jars.  I did this in my dishwasher since it has a sanitize cycle, but you can also put them in water and boil for 10 minutes.

Next cup your apples into chunks.  I eighthed mine.  No need to worry about removing stickers or peeling!  It doesn't matter what kind of apples you use.  I did a combination of Granny Smith, Fuji and Golden Delicious.

 Put 1/2 inch of water in a pot and add your apples.  Bring water to a boil and cover for about 20 minutes or until apples are soft and mushy but not muuuuuushy.  Make sure to stir your apples several times throughout the 20 minutes to help them get cooked evenly.

 Next run your apples (I don't include the liquid cause I don't want super runny applesauce) through this fancy contraption.  This is my friend's strainer, but I ordered one for myself because it's THAT amazing.  Here's a link to the strainer I ordered.

Taste your applesauce and decide if it needs anything added (sweetener or cinnamon).  I personally like just plain apples for my applesauce.  Then start filling your jars.

Use a plastic or wooden tool to remove air bubbles.

Use a clean rag to wipe off the top of your jar.

Make sure not to touch the sides or bottom of your lids.  Get yourself a little canning kit and it'll come with a handy dandy magnetic tool to pick up your lids.

Put your jars into a large water bath pot.  I got mine at Goodwill for $5.99 WIN!  Use water the same temperature as your jars and fill it until the water is 1 inch ABOVE the jars.  Cover the pot, bring water to a boil and then set your timer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let the jars sit for 5 minutes.

 Remove your jars and set them on a towel to cool.  Leave them here for 24 hours.  Then check the tops of the lids to make sure they have all sealed.  Any jars that didn't seal, put in your fridge to be used soon.

Step back and admire your beautiful jars of delicious applesauce.  Make sure to put the date on  your lids.  From my research I've read that canned applesauce will last anywhere from 1-3 years in your pantry.

Apple Pie Filling

I used My Country Blog of This and That's recipe for my apple pie filling.  The only thing I did differently is I didn't use Clear Jel.  It's not easy to find and I didn't want to wait for Amazon to deliver it.  Through my research I learned that it is NOT safe to use cornstarch or flour in your canning recipes, but you CAN add those ingredients to help thicken your sauce when you open your jar to use the filling.  So that's my plan.   

Does anyone else have memories of eating "slinky apples" as a child?  I LOVED using the Johnny Apple Peeler when I was little.  Well I like using it as an adult too :)  

 My kids appreciated the sections that didn't get peeled.

 I thought I was cramming the apple slices into the jars, but as you can see I have plenty of extra space to seriously CRAM those apples in there!

Homemade Apple Syrup

Last but not least, I'm gonna tell you how I made my Apple Syrup.  I found one random post about this on Pinterest from Little House Living, but I changed the recipe up a bit.

Here's what you'll need:

- Apple cores and peels

- Water

- White Sugar

- Brown Sugar

- Strainer

- Cheesecloth

- Candy Thermometer

- Jars & Lids

- Water Bath Canning Equipment

For my syrup I used the peels and cores left over from the Granny Smith apples used in my apple pie filling.  Put your apple scraps in a large pot and fill with water until the apples are covered (the apples may float a bit so use your best judgement on the water needed).  Cover and bring water to a boil.  Cook apples until the cores are squishy (about 20 minutes).

Pour the water from your pot through a double layer of cheesecloth and a strainer to make sure you're left with just water.

Thank you cheesecloth for making my syrup not chunky.

 Add sugar to your water.  For every 10 cups of water, I added 3 cups white sugar and 2 cups brown sugar.  Now here's where things got tricky and it took some fiddling around to get it right.  On the recipe I was following it said the sugar water mixture needed to be brought up to 218 degrees fahrenheit in order to thicken into a syrup.

Well as it turns out this sugar water bubbles CRAZY high and any time I'd get to around 210 degrees the bubbles were ready to spill over the side of the pot and I was whisking like a mad woman trying to prevent it from bubbling over.  I seriously stood whisking for at least 10 minutes and NEVER got the temp above 215.  I think my electric stovetop may have had something to do with this.  So I re-evaluated and decided to do it in small batches.  So instead of doing 2 pots of 10 cups each, I dumped all of my liquid into one pot and then focused on 2 cup batches.  I was FINALLY able to get the temp up to where it needed to be.  Yay!

 Here's what I learned.  Whisking sometimes made it bubble more and would reduce the temp, so I only whisked if the bubbles started to get super out of control (which only happened once or twice).

Here's the REAL trick.  All of a sudden the bubbles would be low and turn dark.  THAT's when I knew it was ready.  As soon as it hit that point, I took it off the burner and set it aside to cool down before adding it to the jars.

 I used mostly jelly jars since I don't need a crazy amount of syrup at once.

 Follow the same canning/water bath instructions I mentioned for the applesauce. You'll once again boil these for 20 minutes.

 We tried the syrup on waffles with cinnamon and sugar apples and some homemade whipped cream.  It was tasty!  When I first opened the jar, I needed to stir it around a bit to get it to a nice even texture.

After you open the jar, refrigerate it.  If it it's a little too thick, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time and stir.