Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

This is a really simple pulled pork recipe...light on ingredients and easy to make.  I love to cook this, then mix it with the Carolina Gold BBQ sauce from Trader Joes, and serve it over oven-roasted sweet potatoes.  The perfect combo- seriously amazing.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

From Allrecipes

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin

1 (12 oz.) root beer

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns or roasted sweet or regular Idaho potatoes.  My favorite way to roast potatoes is this one.

Chicken Tomatillo Soup

This is the second part of the recipe I posted last week- Salsa Verde.  This soup is seriously amazing!! You have to top with avocados to make it incredible.  Also- you could definitely make this vegan and/or vegetarian by skipping the meat and doubling the beans and veggies.  

Chicken Tomatillo Soup 

Lunchpails and Lipstick

Mirepoix Mix from Trader Joe's (or chop 1/2 onion, 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks)

8 cups chicken or veggie broth

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast

1 1/2 cups salsa verde 

1 large can (or 2 small cans) of Hominy beans (found in Mexican aisle)

Avocado for garnish

Sauté your mirepoix in your soup pan for 5 minutes. You can add a little olive oil if you want, but you don’t need to. Next, add your broth and bring to a boil. After it begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium and let it cook until all veggies are soft (about 8-10 mins). Add your chicken and can of hominy (drained) and let everything simmer for an additional 20 mins. Right before you are ready to serve stir in your salsa. Garnish with sliced avocado.

Salsa Verde

This stuff is seriously so amazing. And SO easy to make.  Just throw all of the ingredients in a blender.  Done.  It makes a TON.  Plus, it makes great gifts- I made some and put them in jars to give away with a bag of chips!

Salsa Verde

1 bunch cilantro

8 tomatillos, cut into quarters

2 green heirloom tomatoes (just to keep the color)

6-8 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno

3 limes, juiced

1 medium white onion

Salt

Cut up everything and throw into blender raw. Blend until you get your desired consistency and then add salt- about 1 1/2 Tbs, or to taste.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

 We have a professional cook in our ward and this is her original recipe.  Every year there is a cookie competition in our stake and for the last 3 years this cookie has won the award- funny story is that a different person other than the creator has won with this every single year.  Tara, the person who created these, even attends and enters a different cookie and she doesn't win!  They are that good...so you should probably make them right now.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

Tara Teaspoon

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 pkg (2 cups) milk chocolate chips
• 1 pkg (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, and mix. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Bake at 350ºF. Medium and small cookies bake until golden around the edges and just set in the center, 10 to 12 min. Don't overcook! They continue cooking on the pan out of the oven. Let cool slightly (if you can wait) and remove from pan.

Coconut Oil Popcorn

This is the best popcorn ever.  My kids ask for it all of the time.  So easy, way healthier than the store-bought, and I promise there is no coconut flavor.

Coconut Oil Popcorn

The Coconut Mama

• 1/2 Cup Popping Corn
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil 
• Sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat a large, heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Be careful not to go over medium heat, or you may experience a very unpleasant chewy texture where the kernels were heated too fast and did not completely pop.
2. Add the coconut oil and let it completely melt. Once the oil is completely melted put a few kernels into the pan and wait for them to pop. This helps determine when the oil is heated enough to popping.
3. Once the test kernels have popped, place the rest of the popcorn seeds into the pan and cover.
4. After the kernels begin popping, begin to shake every 10 seconds or so until you hear the popping slow down. When the popping slows down to a pop every 2-3 seconds remove the pan from heat and continuously shake for another 10-20 seconds. This helps the popcorn at the bottom from burning.
5. After the 10-20 seconds, or you feel the popping is finished pour into a bowl, salt to taste and enjoy.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made this for Mother's Day and it was fabulous! So easy- it seriously takes like 5 minutes to prep and then you bake.  I served it with coconut rice and Dad's sauteed asparagus.  Delicious!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

FOR THE CORDON BLEU:

• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to form two thinner chicken breast cutlets)
• Salt and pepper
• 12 slices deli ham
• 6-8 slices Swiss cheese (6 to 8 ounces)
• 1 cup bread crumbs (I prefer panko in this recipe)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• FOR THE PARMESAN-DIJON CREAM SAUCE:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  
  
• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray set aside.
  2. Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Lightly sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
  3. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with 2 slices of swiss cheese, shingling across the chicken breast to make sure the entire piece of chicken is covered with ham and cheese. Toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the chicken.
  4. Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
  5. For the sauce, while the chicken bakes, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly to avoid lumps.
  6. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
  7. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.
  8. Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce.

  
  

• NOTES:

  My preference for bread crumbs in this recipe are fresh bread crumbs (I save the heels of my bread stashed in the freezer for just a recipe like this when I need to grind up fresh bread crumbs quickly in my blender or food processor) or crunchy Panko breadcrumbs. Both will give the best texture.

  For the chicken, the idea is to have six thinner cutlets of chicken (about 1/2-inch thick) so you can either pound chicken breasts thin or cut thick chicken breasts in half to form two thinner cutlets (like the recipe suggests).

  I’ve also made this more casserole-style and cubed the chicken. When I do it that way, I also chop the ham but do everything else the same. It helps the meal stretch further, especially with kids who are too little to eat a whole chicken breast piece.

  Over the years since this recipe has been posted, I’ve made note of your comments; I’ve omitted the salt from the sauce recipe and indicated in the recipe to add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

  Make Ahead Instructions: Assemble the chicken, ham and cheese according to the recipe. Store the prepared bread crumb/butter mixture in a resealable plastic bag or other container. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and store it and the bread crumb mixture in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. When ready to bake, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and bake according to the recipe, adding anywhere from 5-15 extra minutes since it was refrigerated prior to baking. Make the sauce while the casserole bakes or make it ahead of time, let it cool, and store it covered in the fridge, for 1-2 days, reheating over low heat and stirring with a whisk.