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!

Holiday Chicken Salad

This is the chicken salad from our beach trip to Stanley Lake. My only real modifications from the original allrecipes version were adding dried blueberries and using a red bell pepper instead of green. Enjoy!

4 cups cubed chicken breast

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon paprika

1.5 cups dried cranberries

1 cup chopped celery

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup minced bell pepper

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, paprika, seasoning salt, and pepper. Mix remaining ingredients, then fold in the mayonnaise mixture. Chill for an hour before serving. Ellie thinks this is best eaten with wheat thins on a blanket as part of a "picnic."

Grandma Jo's Frappe

[fra-pey; Fr. fra-pey] adjective, verb, –noun
1. a fruit juice mixture frozen to a mush, to be served as a dessert, appetizer, or relish.

My first memories of this deliciousness came from my early childhood. Mom (aka Grandma Jo) would serve this goodness in her pretty blue, stemmed glasses. It was usually reserved for special events and equally special guests. Don't let its ease distract you from its yummy possibilities. We have enjoyed it for many summers.

1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 gallon pineapple sherbet (64 ounces)
2 diced bananas
optional: mini marshmallows or pecans

Slightly thaw the sherbet in a large mixing bowl. (I like to cut the sherbet out of the cardboard container and slice it into about 8 pieces to thaw more quickly and uniformly.) When the sherbet is malleable, add the raspberries and bananas. Use a large spoon to incorporate the mixture well. Spoon mixture into serving size dishes if it is to be served the same day. Maintain in the freezer until serving time. Garnish with a few perfect berries or mint leaves.
If the frappe is to be served later on, spoon mixture into a plastic container with a tight fitting lid; store in the freezer. Allow to stand at room temperature to thaw slightly for service.
Fresh raspberries will lend a more pink coloring. Frozen raspberries will maintain a more yellow finished product and extend the berry season well. Mom assures me that this is not an exact recipe; it always depended on how many bananas she had on hand
I don't remember ever adding the marshmallows or pecans. If you try it that way, let me know what you think!

BYU Mint Brownies

I affectionately call these Toothpaste Brownies. But because I am terribly outnumbered, this is for all of you who attend BYU Education Week. This recipe has been shamelessly borrowed from the BYU Magazine, http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=1373 (photo by Bradley Slade).

1 c. margarine

1/2 c. cocoa

2 Tbsp. honey

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. chopped walnuts

12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)

MINT ICING

5 Tbsp. margarine

dash of salt

3 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. light corn syrup

2 1/3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. mint extract

1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

Bean Salad

This is a family summer favorite. I especially like to take this salad to picnics because I don't have to be concerned with mayonnaise getting too warm. It is best assembled the night before to allow the vegetables to marinate.

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup or less sugar
choice of seasonings, depending on what's ready in the garden: oregano, thyme, chives, mixed seasonings

Salad:
2 cans of sliced green beans, drained
1 can yellow wax beans, drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Gently combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Stir together the dressing with a whisk and pour over the salad. Cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld. It's always better the second day.

Green Smoothie #1

This is a delicious and easy way to get those elusive green vegetables in the diet. Children especially love this drink by some of its nicknames: dinosaur drink, lizard juice, power boost...what name can you give it? Yes, it really does taste great!

1 cup sliced strawberries

2 cups apple juice

2 handfuls raw spinach leaves and stems

1 TB ground flax seed

Put all ingredients into the blender (I favor the vitamix) and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

This drink is also good without the ground flax seed; but it will be bubbly and full of air.

Another variation that we enjoy is to substitute blueberries for the strawberries. It will make a much darker drink, but equally delicious.

Try adding different juices, greens or fruit until you can find your perfect combination.

Blendtec Recipes

I have had a request to post some of the smoothie recipes from our new blendtec recipe book. Here is the link for the entire book online! All of the smoothies we have tried have been excellent. I've also like a couple of their soup recipes. ENJOY!