Put a kick in your family's dinner

Who is ready for some kickin' pork sandwiches?

One of my favorites meals to cook is pulled pork. Why? Easy, because you have dinner for two to three days with it and all you can do to change it up is make different sides each day. Which saves you time in the kitchen to spend doing the things you want to do.

I serve these massive sandwich with mayo, pickles and cheese to put on the sandwich. Yes, some think that is odd, but don't discard it till you try it.

Then for the sides try some homestyle fries, grilled squash (I'm providing these recipe here below the pork recipe), potato salad or even some homemade mac and cheese.

Happy cookin' ya'll...

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork
by Lane

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
½ c. cider vinegar
½ c ketchup
¼ c. light molasses
1 T. paprika
1 T. spicy brown mustard
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. liquid smoke
¼ c. water
4 pounds boneless pork roast

In a slow cooker place onion, vinegar, ketchup, molasses, paprika, mustard, Worcestershire, cayenne, pepper, salt, liquid smoke and water until combined.

Add pork to sauce and toss to coat. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours then transfer to large bowl.

Pour sauce into a medium bowl and set aside. Shred pork and return to slow cooker. Skim fat from sauce and pour over pork and toss.

Grilled Italian Squash
by Lane

6 summer squash
½ c Italian salad dressing
1/2 tsp fresh herbs
olive oil

Cut squash in half lengthwise and place in a plastic bag with ½ c Italian salad dressing and a little freshly herbs (whatever you have on hand). Seal and chill for 30 minutes. Remove squash from marinade and place in foil and coat lightly with a littel olive oil and grill for 2-3 minutes.

Mama Josefa does it again

My mother-in-law, Josefa is a wonderful cook. Every meal I have ever had from her I want the recipe. She is very talented and I have learned so much from her.

Whether it's her paella, one of the most famous Spanish dishes, or her shrimp fettuccine, you can bet it will be wonderful.

I called her the other night to ask how she made this what I call Italian pork roast. She has told me a million times before, but I'm the type of person I have to write everything down. She gave me the her directions and I went to work. The end result was beautiful and delicious .

McConnell Family Italian Pork
The night before you want to serve this meal: braise a 3-4 pound pork roast well in a large pot. Add 1 medium chopped onion and 3 beef cubes. Cover with water and boil from about 3-4 hours on stovetop or until roast is falling apart.

Refrigerate overnight. Boil your meat the night before dinner and refrigerate so that the meat slices pretty for your meal. Also, the night before make the sauce.

Sauce
Sauté 1 medium onion, finely chopped. Add 4 cloves or shopped garlic, ½ c. fresh parsley, 2 cans chopped tomatoes, 2 cans tomato paste, 1 cans water, 2 tsp. cumin, 2 heaping T. brown sugar and mix well. Boil on medium heat until think.

The next day slice meat thinly and place in a large casserole dish. Ladle sauce over the top of meat in place in a 400 degree oven until the juices begin to bubble.

I like to serve a squash casserole, cornbread and a nice summer salad with this meal.

Sharing recipes again

I have posted about sharing recipes before. I love sharing recipes with my friends and family, that's how we all learn new things around the kitchen.

I am putting together a cookbook for the company I work for, Learfield Communications. We have a group called the LCI Fun Pack, which organizes company events such as pie contests, pot lucks, picnics and all other types of fun company gatherings. I am putting together a company cookbook to be given to our employees this Christmas, so I have been receiving a lot of recipes from my fellow employees.

A fellow blogger friend of mine and co-worker passed along a few quick and easy recipes that I thought everyone would enjoy. We all need those meals that can be whipped up in a flash now and again... Hope these help you bring a healthy and delicious meal to your family's table.

Thanks Rick! I appreciate the great recipes...keep them coming.

Aunt Kathy's Summer Salad
1 bag iceberg salad mix
1 8 oz. bag shredded cheese your choice! (I use Colby/Jack)
1 large or medium tomato
1 16 oz. can of dark red kidney beans
1 bottle Kraft Catalina dressing
1 bag Fritos (I use off-brand corn chips)

Empty salad mix into large bowl.
Crunch up corn chips and pour over lettuce.
Empty cheese into bowl.
Dice the tomato, then put in bowl.
Drain beans, then put in bowl.
Pour entire bottle of dressing into bowl and mix well.
Enjoy!

It gets soggy within a few hours, but it's gooooooood stuff! Here's another one we used to get excited about as kids when mom made it for dinner.

Fritos, Cheese and Tomato Soup
1 family sized can of Campbell's Tomato Soup (off brands are no good for this)
1 8 or 16 oz. bag (or block) shredded cheese. I recommend Jack cheese.
1 bag (or more) of Fritos. (I use off brand corn chips)

Heat tomato soup using milk; not water.
In individual bowls, put a handful of chips.
Sprinkle desired amount of cheese over chips. (I like mine with lots of cheese)
Pour warm soup over chips and cheese.
Enjoy!

How to put your squash to good use

Every year you hear someone say it..."I'm in the squash." Well, that's me again this year. I thought I learned my lesson from last year's garden, but apparently by the looks of my fridge at home I didn't. I'm already giving my friends and co-workers squash.

But, they aren't complaining...yet! If I had a large family I would have just enough, but just with my husband, there is way too much of the stuff around. So, I'm finding every way possible to use squash and zucchini in new ways....

My Squash casserole is still one of my favorites.

Roasted Squash and Zucchini
6 squash/zucchini, sliced longish
4-5 cloves of minced garlic (don't use powder)
1/2 TCP salt
1/4 c. olive oil
2 TCP. of Italian seasonings (I like to use fresh myself)

In a small bowl pour oil and minced garlic and press garlic into oil. Add your other seasonings.

Place veggies in a casserole dish and brush your oil mixture all over the veggies. Coat very well.

Place under a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 9 minutes or until the veggies are lightly brown.

Squash Soup
Another way to cook squash is to puree it in a food processor and make some really good soup.


I also lightly puree and freeze it, so I'll have it all year for cakes and breads. This is also one of my favorites.

Deep Fried/Sauted
If you like fried zucchini that you get in restaurants...mix up a flour and cornmeal mixture and beat a couple eggs and slice squash up and dip into egg then flour mixture and fry in a skillet with some oil or put into a very hot deep fryer. Serve this with some homemade ranch dressing...

Also, saute some in a skillet with some olive oil and butter, salt and pepper and garlic or whatever seasonings you prefer...Sprinkle a little cornmeal in the skillet to and fry 'em up.

Salad
Are you a salad lover? Take fresh garden lettuce you get from your own garden or the farmer's markets, scallions, almonds, thinkly sliced squash or zucchini, along with a couple of squash/zucchini flowers and some fresh Parmesan cheese, mix well and top the salad with a Balsamic vinaigrette dressing and a few croutons. YUMMY!!!

Cooking Tips 102

Here are more great tips from my kitchen to ya'lls. We all can use handy dandy tips that help make the job in the kitchen a little bit easier.

Does anyone else have any good tips...If so leave a comment or send me an email!

Grilling: Preventing Flare Ups
Trim excess fat from your meats to prevent sudden flare-ups. To ensure more even cooking, bring foods to room temperature before placing them on the grill.

Grilling Shrimp
Start with a good marinade with a citrus base. Place shrimp on a hot grill, preferably on skewers for easy handling or in a grilling basket. Watch closely. If the shrimp cook too long they will become tough and flavorless. When the shrimp start to turn pink on the sides, turn and cook until there is no more gray. Remove immediately and serve. Do not let cooked shrimp sit out for very long.

Avocado, Keeping Fresh (Thanks Cassie)
If you are only using half an avocado, leave the pit in the unused half and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap. This will retard discoloration.

Breading Chicken (Thanks Lynn)
When breading chicken, coat the pieces with mayonnaise instead of egg. The mayonnaise clings to the chicken and doesn't drip like the egg does. Plus, it adds nice flavor.

Brownies, Adding Flavor (Thanks Georgia)
To give a fruit flavor to your brownies, use flavored soda pop instead of water in the mix.

Burnt Food Odors
To neutralize burnt food odors in the house, mix 1/2 cup whole cloves with 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer cloves for 15-30 minutes. The house smells wonderful and the burnt odor is gone.

Cake, Cooling when short on time
To cool a cake quickly for frosting, pop it into the freezer while you make the frosting. By the time frosting is ready, the cake will be cool and ready to slip out of the pan.

Preventing Splattering When Frying
A little salt placed in a frying pan will prevent splattering.

Cake, Getting Rid of Air Pockets
To keep holes and tunnels out of your cake, run a knife through the batter after you have finished mixing it. This removes air holes.

Flouring Cake Pans
When flouring a cake pan, take into consideration the flavor of the cake. If you plan to serve the cake dusted with powdered sugar, a white ring on the side of a chocolate cake takes away from the appeal. For light cakes, use white flour to flour your pans. When making a dark cake, use powdered cocoa. The cocoa works in the same manner as the flour with regard to release and it doesn't leave a white ring around the edge or on top of the cake.

Cake, Keeping Fresh Longer
To keep loaf cakes fresher longer, cut slices from the middle rather than from the end. When you're finished slicing, firmly push the two leftover sections together to reform a loaf. This way, you eliminate leaving an exposed, quick-to-dry-out "end" slice.

Cake, Keeping the top from browning too fast
If the top of your cake is browning too quickly, place a pan of warm water on the rack above the cake while it is baking in the oven.

Cake, Keeping the top from cracking
To prevent cakes from cracking while they cool, add one envelope of unflavored gelatine to the dry ingredients of any cake batter. This will prevent cracking, and will also make the cake fuller. The gelatin does not change the flavor or moistness of the cake.

Cake, Makeshift Decorating Bag
Make a cake decorator by rolling up a piece of wax paper into a cone shape so that one end has a smaller opening than the other. Snip the small end with scissors to make a good point. Put icing in and squeeze it out through the pointed end.

Cake, Making Mocha Chocolate Cake
Use cold coffee instead of water when making a chocolate cake from a box. It gives the cake a rich, mocha flavor.

A meal for kids of all ages

No matter how old you are, you can still enjoy a good sloppy joe. I like my joes with a dill pickle and some chips. This makes a perfect "middle of the week" meal that the whole family will enjoy.

Mama's Sloppy Joes

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, fine
1/2 red bell pepper, fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted

Heat oil over heat adding onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, pepper and salt. Stir frequently, until vegetables are soft, usually 5 minutes. Next add your beef to the skillet and brown. I like finley ground beef so I try breaking up the pieces as much as I can.

Place tomato sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce into mixture in skillet. Simmer for 7 minutes.

Taste the mixture....everyone has different tastes. You may want more salt and pepper or another spice that is your favorite.

Chive it up tonight

Herb Potato Mash
by Lane

2 1/2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Boil potatoes over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain pot of potatoes and add butter and let melt. Next add cream, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mash together. I like to have the potatoes be a little lumpy for this recipe. Next lighltly scatter chives and basil in and stir lightly.