Saturday, June 1, 2013

Mom Tobler Pork Barbacoa

1 Two-pound pork roast (or larger)( This is 12 lbs. of pork in a 2 gal. zip-lock bag)
Cover with enough Coca-cola (not diet) to almost cover it.
Marinate in Refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

In a slow cooker combine:
2 cups chicken broth or 1 14oz. can chicken broth
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons butter
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, undrained
1 tbsp. ground cumin
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Add the marinated pork roast (discard soda marinade)
(Note I use Oven bags in my Crock-pot for easier clean-up)
Simmer in slow cooker until meat is tender enough for shred.
Remove roast and shred. Strain juices.

Pour enough of the juices back over the shredded meat to keep it moist and juicy.

A 2 lb roast will serve approx. 10-12 .

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds bottom round, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1/3 cup olive oil (plus more if needed)
  • 2 large onions, diced (2 cups)
  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 pound potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
  • 1/2 pound baby carrots (about 2 cups)
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Directions

  1. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil as necessary. Transfer to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
  2. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions; transfer to the cooker.
  3. Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits; add to the cooker. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, thyme, and bay leaf.
  4. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 1/2 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Add the peas and heat through.
Notes: 
I served this over rice and it was delicious. Jakob would have preferred it just simply as a stew with homemade bread. Even better the next day when all of the flavors combined.

Strawberry Watermelon Lemonade

4 cups cubed and seeded watermelon
1 cup strawberries, halved
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
white sugar - to taste (not necessary if using soda)
2 cups water (you may substitute Sprite or 7-up instead of water)
Toss in blender and enjoy!!
Notes: Quick and refreshing. I would freeze the watermelon to make it slushy. Frozen strawberries weren't enough.I also added more lemon to my recipe, I couldn't taste it when it was only 1/2 cup.