Kneaders BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This is my new favorite pulled pork recipe. I use Lillie's Carolina Barbeque Sauce that I find at Whole Foods. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 (about 3.5 lb) pork shoulder roast (or pork loin. I like to buy the large pork loins at Costco. One pork loin is enough for three meals for our family)

1 onion, roughly sliced

1 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, divided

4 cups water

your favorite rolls or buns

coleslaw, for garnish (optional)

cilantro, for garnish (optional)

red onion, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture onto the pork until it is thoroughly coated.

Placed the sliced onion and garlic in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add water to the slow cooker. Add the pork covered by a 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce. Cook the roast on high until it is very tender and easy to shred, about 6 hours.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place in a 9x13 dish. Strain and discard the cooking liquid from the slow cooker, keeping the onion. 

Shred the pork. Return it, and the onions, to the slow cooker. Mix in the remaining cup of barbecue sauce. Cook until heated through. 

Serve on rolls or buns with desired toppings such as coleslaw or cilantro.

 

 

Honey Garlic Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken

from: therecipecritic.com

Ingredients:

• 6-7 Boneless Chicken Thighs
• 3/4 cup Honey
• 3/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos for a gluten free recipe)
• 2 tbsp hoisen sauce 
• 2 cloves garlic crushed I used 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger root I used 1 tsp dry ginger
• 1 tsp seseame oil
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

• In a 5 quart slow cooker add the chicken thighs. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, hoisen sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred. Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Whisk it into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker and let cook for another 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Serve over rice with roasted broccoli or cooked green beans for a healthy, easy and inexpensive meal. 

Boys say: thumbs up

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Easter Eggs Decorated without Vinegar!

I love this fun way of decorating Easter eggs that I found last year. I'm not sure where I found this but it made my life better because I didn't have to have a house smelling like vinegar when we decorated eggs!

To get these cool colors you need:

cool whip

food coloring

skewer or a knife

Spread cool whip in a baking dish. Add a few drops of food coloring. If you do two colors then you can use the skewer or knife to spiral them around in the cool whip. Roll the eggs in the colorful cool whip and then place them on a paper towel on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes. Rinse the eggs and dry them. 

The only problem with doing the eggs like this is that they were so awesome our youngest son didn't want to let us eat them!

Like so many other families we like to have egg hunts with plastic eggs filled with treats. We started a tradition many years ago to have one empty egg. This is the most special egg and all the boys want to be the one to find it. They know that this represents the empty tomb. We believe Jesus died and was resurrected for everyone so we could all live again. This little tradition helps our family remember the reason why Easter is so special to our family.

Easy Baked Tilapia

from tasteofhome.com, lightly adapted

4 tilapia filets
3 tbsp butter, melted (or extra virgin olive oil to make this dairy free)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place tilapia in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl combine the butter (or oil), lemon juice, garlic powder and salt; pour over the fish. Sprinkle with oregano and paprika. Or you can live on the edge and do what I did: I sprinkled all the ingredients over the fish (eyeballing the amounts). 

Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. We had this with rice pilaf and green beans. This was healthy, easy and inexpensive. 

Husband and boys liked this

Peach Slice Plus Twin

3/4 c almond milk (you could use coconut milk if you prefer that)
3/4 c guava juice
1 c frozen strawberries
1 c frozen peaches
1/2 tsp turbinado cane sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp ground flaxseed (optional)

Add ingredients to the blender. I always put the liquids in first. Blend until smooth.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Balls

adapted from blessthismessplease.com

2 ripe bananas (but not so ripe they are gross!)

2 cups dry old fashioned oats

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used 70% dark chocolate or semi sweet chips)

1/3 c organic creamy peanut butter 

In a medium bowl mash the peeled bananas. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Squish a small amount of the mixture in your hands to create a ball. 

Store the balls covered in the refrigerator for a day or two. I haven't tried freezing them yet because the boys always eat them before I'd need to freeze them!

The boys give this two thumbs up!

Oatmeal Cookie Energy Balls

from blessthismessplease.com (lightly adapted)

1 cup dry old fashioned oats
1/4 cup almond butter or peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup raisins or craisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium bowl stir all of the ingredients until combined well. The mixture should be a bit sticky. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Grab about a tablespoon of the mixture into your hand. Squish into a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. This makes about 10-12 oatmeal energy balls.

Store the balls covered in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for much longer.

The Jeffrey Smoothie

I made this smoothie for my son yesterday. I asked him what we should call it. He wanted it to be named after him so it is now the Jeffrey Smoothie!

3/4 c passionfruit juice

1/4 c water

1 c ice

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 c frozen pineapple

1 banana

Blend until smooth. 

Green Colada

adapted from my friend, Jenna's, recipe

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1 banana

1 handful of spinach

1 cup of ice

Place all ingredients in the blender. Mix until smooth.

The boys love this. I will get creative and add frozen mangoes or strawberries one of these days!

Bob's Baby Backs

recipe by Bob, my aunt's neighbor

baby back ribs
salt and pepper
your favorite bbq sauce

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Cut the ribs in 4-rib sections. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each section in some heavy duty foil, seal tightly (meat side up) and place on a baking sheet (think cookie sheet with sides).

Bake in the oven for 8-9 hours (7 hours will do if that's all the time you have).

Remove from oven. Place on the grill meat side up. Brush with your favorite bbq sauce and grill on low until the sauce caramelizes (about 15 minutes).

Tongs are good for working with the ribs because the whole idea is for the meat to just fall off the bones, preferably on people's plates and not on the grill, so be gentle with them!

We all give this recipe a thumbs up!

Green Chile Burritos

lightly adapted from lilluna.com

I love finding a new cooking blog or book that inspires me to try new recipes. As you can see from the most recent posts, I've discovered lilluna.com and have found some great recipes. I get bored easily and can't make the same thing over and over! I'm grateful for good cooks who share their talents.


When I saw this recipe I wasn't sure I'd like it but I was so wrong! I'm really glad we tried it.

1 2.5-3 lb beef roast
2 TB Italian Dressing Dry Mix
2 TB Hidden Valley Dry Mix
2 TB Brown Gravy Dry Mix
1⁄2 cup water
1 - 2 cups 505 Green Chile Sauce (or whatever great salsa verde you can find at your store)
Tortillas

Mix Brown Gravy Dry Mix, Hidden Valley Dry Mix and Italian Dressing Dry Mix together.

Place chuck roast in your slow cooker. Pour 1⁄2 cup water over your roast. Sprinkle mix all over the top of your roast. Cook on HIGH for at least 4 hours. 

Remove meat from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Pour out the liquid from the slow cooker. Place the shredded meat back in the slow cooker.

Add your green chile sauce, mix and cook until your sauce is warm. Serve on warm tortillas. I added chopped red onion and avocado slices to mine. Cotija cheese is another good topping for these burritos/tacos. 

Husband rating: 2 stars

My rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Nutella Brownies

from thecomfortofcooking.com

Our son loves brownies and he loves Nutella. So for his birthday this year I made Nutella brownies. This recipe is so easy we could make it more than once a year on birthdays! 

1 1/4 cup (13 oz.) Nutella 
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x8-inch (or 9x9) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into prepared dish and smooth top with spatula.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake, otherwise brownies will dry out. Let cool before cutting and serving. 

We had these with vanilla ice cream and everyone loved them.

Boys rating: two thumbs up

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

from lilluna.com

With a big family it can be hard to feed so many mouths and keep any money in the bank! This is an inexpensive, tasty meal.

1 cup packed brown sugar
3⁄4 cup ketchup
3⁄4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce* 

1⁄3 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
12 boneless skinless chicken thighs 

Mix brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, broth, ginger and garlic in a small bowl. Take out 1 cup to reserve for basting and refrigerate this.

Place the rest of the marinade into a large Ziploc bag with the thighs. Refrigerate overnight.

Discard marinade from chicken. Grill thighs until no longer pink, basting with the extra marinade as you grill. Or, place the extra marinade in a small pan. Heat until warm then drizzle this over the chicken and rice. 

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

*with gluten-free soy sauce this is a gluten-free meal

Cranberry-Glazed Pork Roast

from Taste of Home Winning Recipes 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 boneless rolled pork loin roast (about 3 pounds)

1 c jellied cranberry sauce

1/2 c orange juice

1/4 c packed brown sugar

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Place roast in greased roasting pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

While the roast is baking, combine the cranberry sauce, orange juice and brown sugar in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth. 

During the last 20 minutes of baking repeatedly drizzle the glaze on the pork until the sauce is gone.

All this tasty pork needs is a couple of sides like mashed potatoes and green beans! Yum!

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys gave it two thumbs up

Melanie's White Chicken Chili

The original recipe (that I lightly adapted) comes from a friend's daughter-in-law who happens to have the same name I do-Melanie!

1 large chicken breast 
1 15oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can corn, drained or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 10 oz can mild Mexican-style tomatoes (diced tomatoes with green chilis)
1 package ranch dressing
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 c water
1 8 oz package cream cheese

Put all ingredients in the crockpot, except the cream cheese. Put the block of cream cheese on top. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Take the chicken out and shred it. Put it back in the crock pot and mix all ingredients.

I have to double this recipe because our family likes it so much. The recipe should feed about 4-5 people as is.

Boys give this two thumbs up!

Seafood Pasta Alfredo

adapted from Taste of Home Winning Recipes cookbook, submitted by Rebekah Beyer

16 oz uncooked linguine
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 c julienned carrots (buy the small bag of pre sliced carrots to save time)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
dash crushed red pepper flakes
1 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce
1 lb medium shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

Cook linguine according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, zucchini and carrots. Sauté until crisp-tender. Add shrimp and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked and drained linguine. Add the alfredo sauce and mix to coat all ingredients. Heat until warm; about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

I've been in a chicken rut lately! We eat chicken in soup, chicken pot pie, baked chicken and veggies. This is a nice addition to the weekly menu. It breaks up all those nights of chicken! It's easy, quick and affordable.

Husband rating: 4 stars
Boys said: thumbs up

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Asian Dry Rub

lightly adapted from the Costco Connection magazine

2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 pork tenderloins (around 1 pound each, trimmed if needed)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a medium baking pan with foil.

Stir together brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cloves in small bowl. Rub pork with mixture.

Place pork in prepared pan and roast until the pork's internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, probably between 25-35 minutes depending on the size of the tenderloin. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let stand for 3 minutes. Cut into slices. Serve with mashed potatoes, seasoned rice, green beans or roasted broccoli.

My youngest son said described this pork as "epic!" Our whole family loved it. This is easy, healthy and inexpensive. 

Breakfast Parfait

For a super easy and healthy breakfast use greek vanilla yogurt, granola and your favorite fruit. Here I used bananas and blueberries. My husband likes to use raspberries. It's fun to layer the cup with a couple of scoops of yogurt, a layer of granola, then the fruit and repeat.

Mom's Applesauce Pancakes

from allrecipes.com, submitted by Shirley Smith

2 c dry pancake mix (I used a whole wheat mix. Also good with a gluten free mix)

1 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1 c unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 c milk

Whisk together pancake mix and cinnamon in a large bowl. Make a well in center. Add eggs, applesauce, lemon juice and milk and stir until smooth. 

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium heat. Working in batches pour batter onto griddle, using about 1/4 c for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on top, then flip and cook until browned on bottom, about 1 minute more. Serve hot.

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Tomatillo Ranch Chicken

adapted from life-in-the-lofthouse.com

This sauce makes a regular grilled chicken breast something special.

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 c mayo
1/2 c buttermilk
1 (1 oz.) package ranch dressing/seasoning mix
2 tsp minced garlic
1 c cilantro
2 tomatillos, husked and cleaned
1 tsp lime juice
2 c prepared white or brown rice

In a blender mix the mayo, buttermilk, ranch dressing mix, garlic, cilantro, tomatillos and lime juice. Blend until creamy and combined. Pour 1 cup of dressing into a large ziplock bag. Add chicken breasts. Seal and chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat grill. Remove chicken from bag and discard the bag and dressing used for marinating the chicken. Grill chicken until no longer pink in the middle. Serve over cooked rice. Top with additional dressing and serve. Enjoy!

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Boys say: thumbs up