Breakfast Sausage #1

I had to add a number to this recipe because it is a first attempt. I am sure that there will be many more to follow. I love being a taste-tester for these experiments! Scott is great in the kitchen!

2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch ground cloves
2 pounds ground pork (not too lean)

Mix spices together. Add them to the ground pork and mix thoroughly. (Can use a hand mixture to speed up the process.) Allow the meat mixture to chill in the refrigerator for 18-48 hours for the flavors to blend.
Shape into patties and cook thoroughly on a skillet.

It was delicious! Scott is especially good at breakfasts!

Next time he plans to add tarragon and reduce the cloves. I volunteer to be the taste-tester again!

Barbacoa Pork

This is the first of the Cafe Rio rip-off recipes from the cabin, per request. I can't guarantee it's going to taste as ridiculously awesome as it does at the cabin, but hey, it's sure worth a try!

5-6 lb pork roast

20 oz Dr. Pepper

3/4 cup white sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

7 oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (we used three chilies and all the sauce)

6 oz. red taco sauce

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Place roast in crockpot and cover halfway with water, then cook on low until soft. (Or throw it in a dutch oven on 300 degrees for a few hours if you're winging it at the cabin...) Drain off the liquid (we left a little of it in), then mix in remaining ingredients until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook the pork until it's fork-shredding-soft. Shred the pork, then add it back into the sauce. Mm mmm mm!

Slow cooker Moo Shu Pork

With two babies, the crock pot has become my new best friend. Throw dinner in during the morning between feedings, naps, and diaper changes and Tah-dah! it's ready when the hubby arrives home. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! What's not to like?

I've been trying out a few new recipes meant for the crock pot from the website for Americanbaby. (Don't really like the magazine, but I somehow got on their mailing list and they send a freebie every once in awhile to try and get me to purchase a subscription. Hasn't worked yet, but the website is free. )

So here's one that actually worked and we enjoyed:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup hoison sauce
• 3 large cloves minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 bag shredded coleslaw mix
• 1/2 (10 0z) bag shredded carrots
• 3/4 pound boneless pork loin chops
• 12 flour tortillas
• scallions (optional)
  

1. Stir together top five ingredients; set aside.

2. Put coleslaw mix and carrots in crock pot; cover with pork chops cut into 1/8 inch slices. Drizzle with 1/4 cup hoison sauce mixture. Cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 4 hours.

3. Stir in remaining hoison sauce. Serve on tortillas. Top with scallions.

Confession - I didn't exactly follow the directions. Chopped cabbage replaced the coleslaw; googled "hoison sauce" to make it; chopped up some not so pretty pork chops into chunks rather than slices. The homemade hoison sauce had peanut butter in it (*gasp* yes, I know) so while cooking it smelled like burnt p.b. to me. Horror! But it turned out good in the end. So stick to it even if it doesn't look/smell quite normal. It's worth it in the end. And the scallions just added a nice something to it.