BBQ Pulled Pork or Beef

Okay, I know this is not a traditional Pulled Pork recipe. However, sometimes you need to “fudge” on long-cooked items for today’s crazy lifestyles. This is my “I-Don’t-Have-Time-To-Do-It-The-Way-They-Say-To” Pulled Pork recipe so that you can throw it on before you leave for work, and have dinner ready when you get home. Shhhh – just don’t tell them you cooked it this way and “they” will never know!!    

Here’s what you need to do:

Grab your Crock-pot, plug it in, set it on LOW.

Grab a 4 – 6 LB FROZEN  Pork Roast out of your freezer, unwrap it, throw it in Crock-pot. Sprinkle on some Garlic Powder and lots of Black Pepper.

Grab a bottle of BBQ Sauce outta the cupboard and dump it over Roast, Refill bottle 1/4 full of WARM or Hot water, swish around to clear bottle, and dump it over Roast.

Now cover crock-pot and walk away. In 8 hours you will have a Falling-Apart, Melt-In-Your-Mouth BBQ’d Pork Roast! 

Now take Roast out of crock-pot and place into a large mixing bowl. Take 2 large forks and pull roast apart – at this point it will fall almost completely apart on its own!!!

Now, you have 2 options – you can either dump the BBQ sauce cooking mixture back over roast and stir to serve – OR – take a new bottle/batch of BBQ sauce and pour it over the shredded meat, mixing in well (I prefer the later method since the sauce the meat cooked in is a bit “watery” at this point, but either method works well! I then use the sauce that is remaining in the crock-pot as gravy for smashed potatoes that I serve on the side of this dish – sounds weird, but tastes GREAT!!). 

Now, scoop meat out of the bowl onto buns for Pulled Pork Sandwiches!

Enjoy! 

Shady

P.S. This also works for BBQ Beef  for sandwiches as well – same instructions, just a different meat. 

P.P.S.  This is an awesome recipe for the “Game Day” buffet. Just return the shredded meat/bbq sauce mixture to an empty (no cooking liquid remaining) crock-pot,  and set crock-pot to “WARM” or “LOW” once you reach your destination to watch the game.  Just be sure to stir the meat every so often while watching game so the sauce doesn’t burn to the sides of the crockpot.   

Chocolate Treasure Cupcakes

Okay – who’s ready for a massive chocolate fix????

This kind of warm, gooey chocolate fix???

Mmmmmmmm……Cheesecake middles…….

Well then, here you go:

Chocolate Treasure Cupcakes 

preheat your oven to 350 degrees 

prepare muffin tins for 24 cupcakes (either use liners, or grease and sugar; or grease and cocoa powder – if you REALLY love chocolate – the tins) 

Filling: 

1 - 8 oz. pkg softened cream cheese 

1 egg, beaten 

1/3 cup sugar 

1/8 tsp salt 

1  (6 oz.) pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips (1/2 a regular size pkg) 

 

Combine cream cheese, egg, sugar and salt. Beat with mixer on medium speed until well blended. 

 

Now stir in chocolate chips, using a spoon. Set aside for later. 

 

Cupcake Batter: 

3 cups flour 

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

2 cups sugar 

2 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp salt 

2 cups water 

2/3 cup vegetable oil 

1 tblsp white vinegar 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

Combine first 5 ingredients (dry team) in a large mixing bowl. 

 

Mix thouroughly – I use a whisk for this part. 

 

Assemble the rest of the ingredients (wet team). 

 

Now, SLOWLY add (in order) water, oil, vinegar and vanilla while mixing on LOW speed with electric mixer (otherwise you will be consumed in a dust cloud of chocolate…..sounds good, breathes bad).    Mix well. 

 

Now, fill cupcake tins 2/3 full of Batter, then drop heaping teaspoons full of cream cheese Filling in center on top of batter. Don’t worry – it will sink into batter while it bakes.    

  

Arrange pans on center oven racks so that they are not touching. 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes. 

Remove from oven and place on trivets or wire racks to cool before removing cupcakes from pans. 

 

You must let them cool a bit before eating – you don’t want to hurt yourself! But, most importantly of all…….BEWARE that blasted Hand Monster thief!! 

 

Because you are going to want all of this yummy goodness for yourself!!! 

 

Although, in order to avoid possible over-consumption and extra “jigglies” where you don’t want them, you MIGHT want to consider sharing….. Notice I only said “might” though.     

Enjoy!! 

Shady

My Breakfast Casserole

I origionally posted this recipe last January – but considering the cold/nasty weather conditions that most of us are experiancing, I thought you might like to try this out this weekend.   

 

This recipe can be made with ANY cheese you have on hand, and it’s awesome for ANY meal – not just breakfast!!

Enjoy!      

 

 

Shady’s Breakfast Casserole

 

Easy Breakfast Casserole

 

 

 

(Approx. one hour from start to finish)

Oven set to 350 degrees, rack in center of oven

9 x 13 glass baking dish

non-stick cooking spray

2 LBS sausage – spicy is best (or 1 lb sausage, 1 lb hamburger, or 1 lb pork sausage and 1 lb turkey sausage – any combo will work)

12 eggs

2 cups milk

2 cups +/-  cubed bread/ stuffing mix (unseasoned works best)

5 slices taco cheese (deli cheese…can substitute any cheddar) crumbled

5 slices Chipolte cheese (can substitute pepper jack) crumbled

12 thin (1/4 – 1/2 inch thick) slices of Velveeta cheese

1/2 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp Italian Seasonings

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder

 

Brown sausage in skillet (approx. 20 min over med. heat) DO NOT DRAIN, most of grease will cook off and you need what is left for the bread cubes.

While meat is browning;

 preheat oven, spray baking dish, place bread cubes in bottom of baking dish 1 layer deep only, set aside.

Whisk eggs, milk and spices (like making scrambled eggs) and set aside.

Crumble up cheeses and slice Velveeta, set aside.

Once meat is browned pour meat and any remaining pan drippings over bread cubes and level out. Next, place crumbled cheeses over meat. Now Pour egg mixture over top of that. THEN place velveeta slices on top (if you pour the eggs over the velveeta you will have a black, burned top).

Place in oven on center rack – UNCOVERED for 30 – 35 min. at 350 degrees

Let cool 10 – 15 min before eating or the cheese will burn you.

ENJOY!!! Serves 8 – 13 people, or makes GREAT leftovers for the next few days   Reheat individual servings in microwave for approx. 1 min 15 sec.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homemade Butter and Buttermilk

Here’s a recipe for you to make your own (flavored or unflavored) Butter and Buttermilk. 

With butter (and esp. flavored butter) prices going thru the roof, I thought I’d share this one with you to help stretch your grocery dollars a bit farther.       

Sorry for the lack of photos  – my camera wasn’t around for this one.   

 

 

HOMEMADE BUTTER AND BUTTERMILK

 
2 pints heavy whipping cream

 

 

Leave the cream out for 12 hours before making the butter.

Put the mixing bowl and beaters for your mixture into the freezer for a half hour before you make the butter.

 

 

Pour the cream into the mixing bowl and beat until the cream turns yellow and clumps, and the liquid separates out. This is buttermilk! Don’t leave the mixer unattended or when that separation happens the buttermilk will splatter all over your kitchen!!!

Pour the buttermilk into a container and save for another use.

Pour the butter into a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Using a large spatula, press as much liquid as you can out of the butter.

Put the butter in a bowl and pour a few cups of cold water over it. Stir, press, and fold the butter, then drain off the cloudy water. Repeat 8-10 times until the water is clear.

Add salt to taste.

Add minced chives or basil to use on vegetables or pasta.  Add chopped peaches, a bit of honey, cinnamon or strawberries for a sweet flavored butter spread.

 

Enjoy!!!

       

 

The Daily Funnies

This one’s on my fridge!!

 

 

Last, but not least:

 

Love this!!

 

Have a Great Day!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought For The Day…

A friend had this displayed – and it is sooooo true. I just had to share it with everybody as today’s “Food For Thought”.    

Broken Roads Wedding Quilt

Two of my sweetest, most supportive, caring, priceless ”besties” (Chris and Bonnie) were joined in Holy Matrimony on Sat. October 15, 2011.

 

Every new couple needs a Wedding Quilt – dont’cha think?        

So, using all of their Wedding colors, their love for the “untraditional” yet “sophisticated” (just see their Wedding Cakes below)…

Wedding Cake 1 (for Bonnie)

 

Wedding Cake 2  (for Chris – he’s from New Orleans)

 

I came up with this quilt for them:

 

“Broken Roads”

 

They LOVED it…

 

BUT…. my son (who adores both Chris and Bonnie) wanted to name it – so it is not known as “Broken Roads” in their house.

Instead – it is…..

 

Their reaction to the label….

 

Priceless!!

 

Inspiration All Around

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too pretty God!!

Thank You for the inspiration!

 

Just Checking In.

Hello Everyone.

Apologies re: my absence, but life has been a bit crazy over the past several months (and when you add in 16+ hour workdays at multiple jobs, turning on the computer is not even on your list of priorities! LOL).

With that said, I hope you are all having a good Summer – and staying cool!       

Also, I just wanted to extend a quick “Thank You” to those of you who have kept my family, and I, in your prayers over the past few months while they were in ICU/surgery/recovery from the multiple life-threatening events/circumstances they endured.

“Thank You”…….. You know who you are!         

All are now doing well (finally), save 1, whom they had to recently move to a facility up North for more specialty care/treatment. It is still unclear regarding his recovery, so please continue to keep he and my Aunt in your prayers.

Well, it is time to catch a few hours sleep before my next shift. So, until next time……

Have a great day!

         

 

Time to Play in The Dirt.

I’ve been waiting until the weather settled a bit (LOTS of rain here for weeks), and the soil dried out/warmed up to get the garden in.

Hopefully, I can make some headway in the next day or two. Time to get this:

Ready for these:

Wish me luck!