Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

My daughter, who is a very finicky eater, loves Dr. Pepper.  So when I ran across this recipe for shredded Pork on the  The Pioneer Woman website, I had to make it.  It is very simple to make - perfect for busy days.

You start with an onion cut into  wedges. Place the pork shoulder on top of the onion quarters.  Sprinkle the pork shoulder with salt and pepper.  Then you dump a can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce over the pork.  Next pour in the  Dr. Pepper  and stir in some brown sugar.  Cover and roast in a 300 degree oven for about 6-7 hours.  Shred the pork, and return it to the pot. Keep it warm until your are ready to serve it.  I served mine on a bun, but you can serve it on warm tortillas, if you wish.

The pork was spicy, but I like spicy so I thought it was great.  Christie, the finicky eater, liked it but thought it was just a little bit too spicy for her taste.    The Dr. Pepper added a touch of sweetness to the spicy flavor.    Next time I make this, I  probably will add only half of the Chipotle peppers for my girl.

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork
From " The Pioneer Woman" Website

Ingredients:
1 whole large onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder (pork butt) 5 to 7 pounds
Salt and Freshly Ground black Pepper
1 can (11 ounce) Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Peel the onion and cut it into wedges.  Lay them in the bottom of a large Dutch Oven.

3. Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

4. Pour the can of Chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.)  Pour in both cans of Dr. Pepper.  Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.

5. Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven.  Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process.  Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.)  If it's not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.
6. Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface.  Use two forks to shred  meat, discarding large pieces of fat.

7. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it.  Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve.  You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it's cold.  Then heat up the liquid on the stove top and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.
8. Serve on warm flour tortillas.  Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices, salsa, and whatever else you'd like.

Serves 18

Crunchy Ginger-Pickled Cucumbers

This week  for "French Fridays With Dorie" we made pickles.  They were very easy to make and the taste was outstanding.  To me, they tasted like a pickle should taste, crisp, tangy, with just a little bit of spice.  You start with a seedless cucumber, add salt, vinegar, ginger, red pepper flakes, and sugar.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.  Then serve.

Everyone in the family who got a chance to taste the pickles loved them (hubby came home from work too late and they were gone).    This recipe is a keeper and one I will be making for a long time.

I would rate this recipe a perfect 10! It can be found on page 340 in "Around My French Table."

Cucumber Cut Lengthwise into Fourths

Cucumber Chunks

Ready to Chill

Snickerdoodles

My daughter wanted to bake some cookies the other day.  Not one to turn down a request to make cookies, I pulled out my recipes.   We looked at  various recipes and decided upon Snickerdoodles.  We love Snickerdoodles in my family.  They are a delicious cinnamon-sugar cookies with a cracked surface,  crisp edges and a soft and chewy center.  MMMMM good!

These are easy cookies to make.  In fact, they were the first drop cookie my daughter learned to make.  The main precaution is to only bake the cookies until  the edges begin to brown.    This will keep the center chewy and the edges crisp.
There are no exotic ingredients in these cookies, Just sugar, butter, shortening, eggs, flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Being this is a soft cookie dough,  I like to refrigerate my cookie dough for about an hour before shaping the cookies.  I then take the dough out of the  fridge and shape it into balls.  Roll the balls in the  cinnamon-sugar mixture, bake, cool and eat.  My favorite part is the eating;P

Snickerdoodles
From Betty Crocker adapted slightly for directions

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2  cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix with and electric mixer 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter and shortening.  Beat until smooth.  Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time until well incorporated.
2. Whisk in a medium bowl the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add the flour mixture to the sugar a third at a time.
4. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.
7. Shape the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
8. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
9. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown.  The centers will be a little soft.
10. Remove the cookies from the oven.  Cool for about 2-3 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Very Berry Ice Cream

With the hot summer weather, I have been making cool and refreshing foods.  I have had a great time making various flavors of ice cream.  The family has enjoyed eating them as well.

Today, I am going to share a recipe for  Very Berry Ice Cream.  As the name suggests, it is loaded with berries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  The original recipe called for strawberries but I did not have any so I used raspberries.   The berries are cooked until they burst and become a bit syrupy.  The syrup enhances the flavor of the custard.   The berries are then added to the rich custard which is processed in your ice cream maker.  Freeze for at least 1 hour.  You are reward with a creamy refreshing frozen  treat.  What I liked about this recipe was the ice cream wasn't so sweet that it overpowered the berry flavor.











Very Berry Ice Cream
From "Family Circle" Magazine

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup fresh blackberries
1/2 cup chopped and hulled fresh strawberries (I used raspberries)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Combine berries, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook 5 minutes or until berries burst and become a bit syrupy.  Cool.

Cooking The Berries

2. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the sugar.  Heat milk, cream, salt and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium pot until barely simmering.  Remove from heat and slowly whisk into egg-sugar mixture to temper.  Pour mixture back into pot and set over medium-low heat.  Stir constantly until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon (170 degrees to 180 degrees) about 4 to 8 minutes.  Pour through strainer into a new bowl; cool over ice bath or in refrigerator.

Egg Yolks and Sugar

Heating Milk Mixture

Whisking Milk into Egg Mixture

Cooling Custard

3. Whisk vanilla extract and berries into cooled creamy egg mixture.  Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.  Transfer to a lidded container and freeze at least 1 hour.

Makes 6 cups

Berries Whisked into Custard

In the Ice Cream Maker

Ready to Put into the Freezer

Yummy Very Berry Ice Cream

Corn Pancakes

Today, for "French Fridays With Dorie," we made Corn Pancakes.  These  sweet litte cakes are used as an accompaniment for a meal. They are very simple to make. Begin by putting all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.  You then fry the little cakes and eat!

They were very tasty and enjoyed by the family.  As was suggested by Dorie - they would make a terrific accompaniment for the Thanksgiving turkey.  A suggestion I am going to take her up on.

I would rate this recipe a 4 out of 5  stars:)  This recipe can be found on page 337 in "Around My French Table."

Ready to Get Blended

Batter

Frying in "The Black Pan"

Almost Ready

  

Red Velvet - Berry Cobbler

It is hard to believe the Fourth of July is next Wednesday.  I have started my planning  and experimenting with different recipes to make for our family/friends cookout.  At cookouts, I usually make at least one cobbler for dessert.  To me, a cookout is not a cookout with out a cobbler.  Besides, they are easy and quick to make.
One great recipe I came accross was Red Velvet Berry Cobbler in Southern Living magazine.   It is loaded with fresh blueberries,blackberries and raspberries baked beneath a Red Velvet batter.

This cobbler was delicious, satisfying, and easy.  The berries  were a plesant mixture of sweetness with just a hint of tartness.  Combine this with the mild chocolate flavor of the Red Velvet "cake"  a scoop of homemade Cream Cheese Ice Cream and you have one delicious dessert.

The family loved this cobbler.  They were asking for seconds and thirds.


Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler
From Southern Living magazine

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon conrstarch
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
6 cups assorted fresh berries (We used 2 cups each blackberries, raspberries, blueberries.)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons red liquid food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar.  Toss berries with cornstarch mixture, and spoon into a lightly greased 11-x7-inch baking dish.

Berries Tossed With Cornstarch Mixture

Berries in Bottom of Baking Dish

2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating well.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.  Stir in red food coloring and vanilla until blended.
3. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt.  Stir together buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. (Mixture will bubble.)  Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.  Spoon batter over berry mixture.

Flour, Cocoa, and Salt

Bubbling Buttermilk Mixture

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake topping comes out clean.  Cool on  a wire rack 10 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings

Ready for Oven

Out-of-Oven

MMM Wonderful

Cream Cheese Ice Cream

When I told the kids I was making Cream Cheese Ice Cream they weren't too sure about it.  One taste  changed their minds.  All I heard was MMMM as they were eating their dessert.  I was told I needed to make this again.

I found this delicious recipe in the recent issue of "Southern Living" magazine.  This ice cream had a rich velvety texture with a mild favor. Think frozen cheese cake.  The ice cream was delicious eaten by itself, but would be wonderful on a hot piece of apple pie or your favorite cobbler.  Try it topped with Roasted Blackberry Sauce.
The ice cream is is very easy to make.  Basically, you heat half-and-half, powdered sugar and eggs yolks in a saucepan.  Then you whisk in cream cheese and vanilla extract.  Chill and then freeze.  That's it!  You now have a nice refreshing and tasty summer treat.






Cream Cheese Ice Cream
From Southern Living Magazine


Special Equipment:  Ice Cream Maker


Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Cubed

3 cups half-and-half
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.  Remove from heat, and whisk in cream cheese and vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, until cheese is melted.  Cool completely (about 1 hour), stirring occasionally.  Place plastic wrap directly on mixture (to prevent a film from forming), and chill 8 to 24 hours.

2. Pour  mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-quart electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times may vary.)  Transfer ice cream to an airtight container.  Freeze 4 hours before serving.

Makes about 1 quart