Crockpot "Cafe Rio" Pork

 Ingredients

• 3lb pork roast 
• 16 oz coke (8 oz for crockpot 8 oz for sauce after) 
• 1/4 cup water 
• 1teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon pepper 
• Sauce After crockpot 
• 4 oz green chilies 
• 10 oz red enchilada sauce
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

1. In the crockpot place the pork roast. Cover with 8 oz of coke. Then add the water. Sprinkle the garlic salt and salt and pepper over the meat and cook on high for 6 hours.
2. Next remove the meat from the crockpot and put in a bowl and shred the meat.
3. Dump all the liquid in the crockpot. Grab a blender and add 8 oz coke, green chilies, red enchilada sauce and brown sugar. Blend for 20 seconds. 
4. Add the meat back to the crockpot. Pour the new sauce on top and cook on low for 1 hour then serve! 
5. I like to put a tortilla down, black beans, rice, then the meat. Top with lots of lettuce, pico, sour cream and guacamole. Then drizzle cilantro ranch on top! 

Blackberry Cobbler

 

Ingredients

SCALE

4 cups blackberries (or dewberries, or a combination of both)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Juice from 1 small lemon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, grated
1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add in grated butter and use your hands to mix the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Drizzle buttermilk over the flour/butter mixture and use a fork to stir together until the mixture just comes together. Set aside.

In a 10″ stovetop-to-oven-safe skillet or pan (cast iron or enamel cast iron is best), combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice. Whisk together cornstarch and cold water and drizzle over the berries. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring very frequently, until bubbly and the sauce is shiny and translucent. Remove from heat.

Drop the dough by the spoonful into the blackberry sauce. If desired, sprinkle the top of the dough with a little bit of white sugar.

Place the pan on the lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream or drizzled with half and half.

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoon butter (1 1/2 sticks) melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes, PLUS extra for dipping tops.  Crush up 3/4 – 1 cup but only put 1/2 cup in your dough!

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Instructions

Heat oven to 325 degrees (I’ve cooked these at 350 as well and it works, as well.  Just watch your baking time). Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and candy cane.

Use a cookie scoop of your choice (I make these large, about 2 tablespoons).  Take the rounded scoops and lightly dip the tops in additional crushed candy cane.  Don’t roll completely, just a little sprinkling is great!  Chill dough for 15-30 minutes to help cookies retain their shape.  Bake until outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 10-13 minutes depending on the size.

TIP: When the cookies come out of the oven, if they aren’t completely round, you can immediately take a spatula or spoon and gently push the edges of the cookies inward toward the center to shape.  Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.

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Notes

This will work with most any chocolate chip cookie recipe, so if you have a personal go-to, simply try adding roughly 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies (or candy cane) and 1/2-1 teaspoon peppermint extract, and make as usual.  I find that chilling the dough balls for 15-30 minutes before baking helps the cookies keep their shape with the addition of  the added melting candies.

Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 2 1/2 cups (320g) all purpose flour*
  1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  1/2 tsp baking soda
  1/2 tsp salt
  1 1/2 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips, divided
  2 large eggs, room temp
  1/4 cup (65g) sour cream*, room temp
  2 tsp vanilla extract
  2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  2 tbsp vegetable oil
  1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, melted
  1 cup (255ml) buttermilk*, room temp
  2–3 tbsp coarse or raw sugar, for sprinkling
• 1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 cup of mini chocolate chips.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream until completely smooth.
  3. Then mix in the vanilla, maple syrup, and oil followed by the butter and then buttermilk. 
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and gently whisk to combine. Stop right when the batter is fully combined – careful not to over mix.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour. This will give the leaveners a head start, so each muffin bakes with a tall muffin top in the oven. If you’re in a rush, you can bake the batter right away. They just won’t be as domed on top. 
  6. After 1 hour, preheat the oven to 425F and line a muffin (or cupcake) tin with 12 paper liners.
  7. Using an ice cream scoop, gently run the scoop through the bowl of batter. You’ll notice the batter is very fluffy, so be careful not to disrupt this as you scoop. Just run the scoop through the bowl and pull out the batter. Don’t mix it around or bother it too much. 
  8. Over fill each liner just a smidge (see pictures in post for reference). You may have about 1 scoop of batter leftover which is to be expected. 
  9. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of coarse sugar and a pile of mini chocolate chips. Really lay on those chocolate chips as they’ll disperse and spread as the muffins grow (see picture in post for reference). 
  10. Bake at 425F for 8 minutes. Then, with the oven door still closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake for another 8-10 minutes. You do not need to wait for the temperature to reach 350F to continue baking, simply just adjust the temperature down to 350F and set a timer for 8-10 minutes.
  11. Quickly test a muffin with a toothpick to see if they’re ready, but try not to keep the oven door open for too long as you do not want the hot air to escape. 
  12. Remove the muffins and let them cool for 10 minutes. Then, carefully transfer each muffin to a cooling rack. The muffins may stick to the pan around the bottom edges, so just use a knife to pop them loose if needed.
  13. Let the muffins cool for another 10-15 minutes. They’re best served warm so enjoy!

  Notes

  FLOUR – For accuracy, I recommend weighing the flour if you can. Otherwise, spoon and level the flour when measuring. Do so by lightly spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Do not shake it or pack it down into the cup, otherwise you’ll end up with dry and dense muffins. 

  BUTTERMILK – You can also make your own buttermilk from whole milk and vinegar or lemon juice. Measure out 1 cup of milk, then omit one tablespoon. Then stir in 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle before use.

  SOUR CREAM – You can also use full fat Greek yogurt

  STORAGE – After the muffins have cooled completely, keep in an air tight container at room temperature for about 2 days. To keep for longer, store in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 5 days. 

Cranberry Apple Pie

 INGREDIENTS

Pie:

• 9- inch double crust pie dough
• 4-5 medium apples, about 1.75 pounds; I use Honeycrisp, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8-inch thick (about 5-6 cups total)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups (170 to 227 g) fresh cranberries

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup (113 g) salted butter
• 1/2 cup (71 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cup (159 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (106 g) light brown sugar

Egg wash:

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the middle or lower middle position of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set aside.
• In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Add the cranberries and toss to combine.
• In a 10- or 12-inch skillet or small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and whisk constantly until smooth and well-combined. Add the water, granulated sugar and brown sugar and cook at a simmer, whisking or stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
• Immediately pour the mixture over the apples and cranberries. Toss to combine. The sauce mixture may clump up a bit but it will thin out the more it is stirred together (or the longer it sits). It doesn't have to be perfect.
• Roll out bottom crust and place evenly in pie plate (don't stretch or pull it, just lift and tuck into the pie plate). Leave a 1- to 2-inch border all the way around.
• Scrape the apple/cranberry filling evenly into the pie plate (get all of the caramel mixture!) - try to get the apples in even layers instead of piled in at wonky angles. It will be piled pretty high; that's ok as it will cook down in the oven.
• Roll out the top crust and place it over the filling. Trim the top crust evenly with the bottom crust (leaving about 1/2-inch overhang all the way around). Fold the bottom crust up and over evenly with edge of pie plate and press/pinch to seal. Flute the edges of the pie crust.
• Cut four slits with a sharp paring knife in the top crust.
• For the egg wash, whisk together the egg and water and brush a thin layer over the top and edges of the crust.
• Place the pie on the foil-lined baking sheet (important! the filling may bubble over a bit) and bake for 65-75 minutes until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling (tent the top of the pie with foil if it is browning too much partway through baking). If you are using a glass pie plate, the bottom crust should be lightly browned.
• Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely, 4-5 hours (even longer is better). This is important so the pie isn't soupy. If you like warm pie, individual pieces can be warmed in the microwave or the pie can be served warm, the filling just might be a little less set.

NOTES

Pie Crust: this is my favorite pie crust recipe. 

Apples: I almost always Honeycrisp apples in this pie, but you could use a different variety or a combination. Make sure to choose crisp apples that don't turn to mush when baking.

Cranberries: if you want more cranberry in every bite, you could pulse the cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

Perfect Pie Crust [barefoot contessa]

 12 TBS very cold, unsalted butter
3 C all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 TBS sugar
1/3 C very cold vegetable shortening
6-8 TBS very cold water

Dice the butter and return to the fridge while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, sand sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times, until butter is the size of peas. With machine running, pour ice down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with top crust. 

Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread

 Dough:

2 1/2 all purpose flour
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 C soft butter
1 C milk
1/2 C sourdough discard (straight from fridge)

Filling:

1/2 C soft butter
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add butter and gently cut in. Add milk and discard and combine to make a cohesive dough. Knead for five minutes, adding any additional flour needed to make a soft dough.

Leave to rise/ferment in bowl for 2-4 hours.

Roll out on floured surface.

Spread filling evenly over buttered surface. Cut strips lengthwise and then the opposite way to create even squares. Stack the squares and place in parchment lined loaf pan. Sprinkle excess sugar/cinnamon on top of bread. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, or until done. 

Spanish Rice

 

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4–6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6–8 ounces uncooked bacon (1/2 package)
• 28 oz. stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups long-grain rice
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/8–1/4 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

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Instructions

Cut bacon into 1″ pieces and cook until crisp in a Dutch oven if possible. Remove from pan and drain the grease, reserving 2 tablespoons in the pan. Return the pan to medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent and fragrant. While the onions are cooking, place the tomatoes in the jar of your blender and pulse 2-3 times to chop them. Add the seasonings, Tabsco sauce, and Worcestershire sauce to the tomatoes and then, when the onions are done cooking, add the tomato mixture, seasonings, and rice and and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes at low elevations or closer to an hour for high elevations or until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally to make sure the rice is not burning. Serves 6-8-ish and makes great leftovers.

Sourdough Pancakes/Waffles

 2 C Flour
2 tsp sugar
2 C buttermilk
1 C sourdough discard (not fed)
2 eggs
1/4 C oil
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

The night before:

Mix flour, sugar, buttermilk, and discard together. Cover and leave at room temperature all night.

The next morning:

Stir remaining ingredients in and bake as usual.