Smoked BBQ pork sandwich

I decided to smoke a pork shoulder for sandwiches today.  I do not have a smoker but I found this little gadget at my local hardware store. If you want one just ask if they have a smoker box.

First I soaked Hickory chips in water for 10 min. Then I put them in the smoker box on my gas grill and wait about 5 min so it starts to smoke or is close to smoking.  I covered the shoulder in Cookies Flavor Enhancer.

Then I placed the shoulder on the grill on the side with the flame off.  I smoked it for about 4 hours but the longer you smoke it the smoker the flavor. I let it stand about 10 min before I shredded it with a fork.

I covered it in the BBQ sauce you can make from here but you could use any BBQ sauce you like.

Then put it on a bun and top it the way you like (mustard, onions, cheese, etc.) I top mine with coleslaw. The coleslaw I made is super easy

Coleslaw

1 bag coleslaw mix
1 C mayo
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp celery seed
1/4 C red whine vinegar

mix all together and let sit in fridge for 2 hrs.

Broccoli biscuit Casserole

Well today I set out to make another pinterest meal but when I went to the kitchen I found that the only ingredient I had was broccoli and because a storm I decided it was a make something up night.

1 package of buttermilk biscuits (10 biscuits)
2-16 oz jars classic Alfredo sauce
3 Tbs butter
1 onion, chopped
2 oz pimentos, drained
2 C Kale, chopped (I just tear apart)
1 C chicken, cooked and chopped (can add more if you like it meatier)
2-14 oz bags frozen broccoli florets

First I cooked 10 buttermilk biscuits on a cookie sheet for 5 min at 375 just to get them cooked on the bottom a bit (they will be going on top of the casserole and I hate when the bottom is kinda soft).

Melt butter in pan and then add onions and cook til softened.  Add the Chicken, pimento, and kale and cook till kale is softened. 

 Add the Alfredo sauce and simmer about 5 min.

Meanwhile I heated the broccoli in the microwave to save on baking time.

Mix broccoli into the mix and transfer to baking dish. Top with the biscuits. Bake for 10 -15 min at 375.

Enjoy!!!!

Monte Cristo

I promise that I don't deep fry everything I just realized this is twice this week I had the fryer out.  These are my favorite treat myself food.

18 slices wheat bread
6 slices Swiss cheese
6 slice American cheese
6 slices ham
6 slices of turkey

For the Batter:
1 1/2 C flour
1 egg, beaten
1 1/3 water
1Tbs baking powder
a pinch of salt

to make the sandwich stack them bread, ham, American, bread, turkey, Swiss and top with bread.

mix all the ingredient together for the batter. Then cut each sandwich in half and just like my momma I cut corner to corner.  Dip each half of sandwich in the batter .

Now some people say to hold them together in the fryer they put tooth picks through them and then pull them out before they serve them but I find it works just as well to dip about half the sandwich in and hold it there for about 10 seconds for the batter to set and then will hold it just fine. Cook in the 375 degree oil about 3 min a side.

Serve with raspberry Jelly for dipping and it is oh so good. I used peach raspberry jelly because I still had a jar that I had canned last summer and it is time to clean out the canning shelf so I can fill it back up this summer.

Creamed Spinach

Now this will not be last time you here may say this but I can not give you an exact recipe because I never measure things I do it all by taste and sight.  One of our favorite treat is creamed spinach and I thought you may all enjoy it. While it doesn't look so pretty, but that would hard to do with spinach, it is so yummy. 

2 lbs of fresh spinach
1/2 C heavy cream
2 Shallots
3 Tbs butter
1Tbs minced garlic
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Bring salt water to boil in large pot the add spinach and cook 2 min and drain. Let spinach drain while you chop the shallots.

 Melt butter in the pan and add shallots and garlic. cook about 1 min or until shallots are soft and translucent. Add spinach and cook a min more to let some of the water evaporate from the spinach.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer 5 min to thicken cream. Then Enjoy!!!

Cracker Barrel Hash browns

To continue my Pinterest theme I made Cracker Barrel Hash browns found here.
Everyone loved these at our mini party yesterday. I did have to make 2 pans one with onions and one without (no one would ever notice the onions in it but my sister saw me cut the onions and freaked out. Onions are like her Kryptonite)
First you cook the onions in butter and then add your potatoes to cook which I did in a large electric skillet.

Then mix cream of chicken and 2 C shredded Cheddar and then I changed it a bit and use some Lawry's salt to season it per my Fathers request.

Mix in potatoes and put in a 9x13 greased pan and bake for 30 min at 350

They were very Yummy and a crowd pleaser.

OreIda Grillers review

Well I decided to give the OreIda Grillers a try.  They are super easy to make just lay them out on the grill on low /medium heat for 15 min turning once.  The down size is that many come in the bag it was good for a small lunch for our family of 6. Also not any fault of the potato but my grill has hot spots so some got a little black and some had to be cook longer (just something to think about if you have a gas grill and know it has hot spots)

My only other comment is that they weren't all that flavorful, they did taste good but they have plain and seasoned and I chose seasoned and I had hoped for much more flavor.

Grilled BBQ Corn

Today I can just feel summer in the air.  I got up and took a nice bike ride before the heat came and got some weeds pulled from my garden.  I also hung my laundry out on the line for the first time this year!!!!  You just have to love summer!!! Nothing says summer to me more then Grilled BBQ Corn. I use fresh corn when I have it but frozen corn works well too.  First I boil the corn in some sugar water to msake sure it is nice and soft. Then take it out and dry it before spreading some BBQ sauce on it (BBQ recipe below but any sauce you like will also work.)

Then I just throw them on the grilled until I get a little bit of blackened spots.

These are so good and sure to be a hit at any BBQ.

BBQ Sauce

This is my favorite BBQ sauce.  It does have a little kick but it is also nice and sweet.

BBQ Sauce

2 Cups ketchup
1/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
black pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dry mustard
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2Tbsp Worcestershire (I use 3 most of the time)
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
2-3 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 C water

Mix all ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and then simmer for 2 hrs.  I bottle this in a old BBQ sauce bottle and you can keep it up to 6 months.

Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

Yesterday we tried Sweet and Tangy Meatballs (another Pinterest recipe).  I love these they are so good and super easy.  My kids also loved them and it is hard to get all three kids happy with a meal.  I highly recommend this for parents with kids in sports because you can throw it all in the crock pot right before you leave for a game and it will be ready when you get home.  Best of all it is only 3 ingredients.

If you would like to give this recipe a try it can be found here. http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Last night we celebrated the start of summer break for my son so we had a junk food night.  First I made pepperoni pizza rolls I found on pinterest. Recipe can be found here. http://www.thegunnysack.com/2011/03/easy-pepperoni-rolls.html

Now mine got a little too brown because I was outside tending to a bloody nose when the timer went off but they weren't burnt and very tasty. Most importantly the kids loved them!!!

I also made my hubby's favorite food (fried mushrooms) and my sons favorite food (onion rings)

to make them I heated my oil to 375.  Then I thickly sliced the onions and washed the mushrooms.

I don't use a batter so the onions are more like onion straws then onion rings but I love the crunch and more onion flavor.  I use the same method for both the onions and mushroom.  I mix 2 eggs and about a half a cup of milk and salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste but be careful not to over do or you will lose the flavor of the mushrooms. 

dip veggie into mix being sure to coat the whole thing and then dip into flour and then straight to oil.  Cook until a golden brown.

It was so Yummy !!!! These are great for a party or BBQ.

French Onion Soup

Last night my mom was at my house and here favorite food was French Onion soup but we always go to restaurants for her to have it and yesterday I set out to prove to her that she can even make it (my mom is a horrible cook, we were hamburger helper kids). 

French Onion soup

6 white onions
3 Tbsp butter
8 C beef broth
1 C water
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
provolone cheese
Asiago bread (Texas toast or croutons work as well)

Thinly slice onions.  Melt butter over low/medium heat. Add onions and cook stirring often over low heat making sure not to let them brown. (I cover it to get them softer faster) cook about 20 min or until onions are soft and translucent.

Add broth, water and seasoning to pot and simmering about 45 min. Once soup is complete scoop into bowls. Top each bowl with bread and then cheese. Place in broiler until cheese is melted and starting  to brown.

Pinterest

Fell kinda bad but my week of Pinterest dinners hasn't gone so good so far.  I will be doing 7 meals from pinterest but have a couple days in between them.  It started yesterday when the temps got over 90 and we decided maybe cooking outside would be better. So I made brats and sweet corn.  Tonight I had fully planned on making a pinterest dinner but my son was complaining that his ears hurt so I took him to the doctor and of course we sat in the waiting room for an hour past our appointment time and then after being taken bake to the room had wait again for the doc.  I thought this would be in an out after that. Figured he say he has an ear infection and give me antibiotics and we'd be off. But No the first ear he looks in he looks at my son and says "what have you been sticking in your ear?" My son looks at him and says "nothing". I figured he was joking cause he is a joker but then he told me to come look and there it was something red and black in his ear. After trying several times to scoop it out we decided to try and flush it out well after a lot of water going in that ear it came out.  We still don't know what it is just a piece of something small and rubbery. (He did have an ear infection too but in the other ear). So tonight ended up being a carry out night of Spaghetti from my local favorite Grinders. So today I am going to post a picture of the Pinterest craft we did for the kids teachers because tomorrow is my sons last day of preschool and the other two get out on Thursday.  So here is the flower and pot we did for them.

 Sorry the pic is sideways for some reason my phone keeps sending all my pics sideways.

I am not sure what dinner will be tomorrow either.  My mom is coming to town because my two younger kids are both plays which happen to both fall on the same day. So I will be running around like a chicken with his head cut off tomorrow.

Crockpot Honey Chicken

My Second Pinterest meal was Crockpot Honey Chicken  the recipe can be found here. http://mmmcafe.blogspot.com/2010/01/honey-sauced-chicken.html

While this was super yummy and the kids enjoyed it, it was all the kids ate they refused the veggies I made so next time I will throw some Chinese vegetables in with it.  Now I don't like honey so I was hesitant to make this but it is not overly honey flavored.  I would definitely recommend this one.

Brownie Cookie Cups

Although this week is dedicated to Pinterest dinner I decided it was a good night to try a Pinterest dessert too. I made Brownie Cookie Cups and here is the link to the original post. http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2012/05/pinterest-daily-pin-browniecookie-cups/

It is a very easy recipe to do and is absolutely delish but I am not the type of person to make cooking easier on myself so I didn't use the box mix or refrigerated cookie dough so here are the recipes I used.

Chocolate chip cookies

1/2 C Shortening (I use butter flavored)
1/2 C Butter or Margarine (I use butter)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
12 oz mini chocolate chips (regular chips are fine too)

Beat shortening and butter for about 30 seconds. Ad the sugars and baking soda, beat until combined.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.. Beat in the flour and then stir in the chips. For regular cookies bake at 375 for 8-10 min.

then I assembled the bottom of the cup in a greased muffin pan.

My peanut butter cups are a little messed up cause it was 85 degrees outside and I had left the windows open all day. The air is on now its going to be in the 90's tomorrow. Next I made the brownies

Cake Brownies
1 1/4 C sugar
3/4 C butter or Margarine (again I used butter)
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 C milk

if making just the brownies grease a 15x 10 pan and heat oven to 350 and bake them for 20 min.

In a pan melt butter, sugar and cocoa powder stirring constantly. Once it is melted but not boiling remove from heat and mix in eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl combine flour, soda and powder. Add flour and milk to chocolate alternately.

top the cookie and peanut butter cup with brownie mix until peanut butter cup is completely covered. bake in 375 oven for 18-20 min.

as you can see from the pic that I also have 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies and an 8x8 pan of brownies because my recipes make extra dough but who doesn't love some extra cookies and brownies!!  These are super yummy and I know would be a hit if you took them to a party!

Green Goddes Grilled Cheese

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese

This was day one of my week of Pinterest dinners.  I always start my "food week" on Friday because that is my shopping day and the Schwans guy comes every other Friday.  I chose the Green Goddess Grilled Cheese, it is a recipe that my husband and I have been drooling over for a while now but for whatever reason never got around to making it.

First I made the pesto with a few modifications. I left out the sardine cause that is one of those foods that I have never been able to bring myself to even try and I new if anyone else saw me add it then this dinner night would be fight to get them to eat.  So I add some salt to make up for the loss from the sardine. Also I substitute green onions for the chive because I had some in the fridge already and I used a whole shallot.

I did just throw it all in and not break it up since the food processor can handle that job.  Then onto spreading it onto the bread.

Then of course it was time to build the sandwich.

And lastly grilled them on my skillet.

And they were delishes!!!!!!  My husband was at a lose for words all he said was "MMMMMmmmm!" My father on the other had tried his first avocado and discovered he didn't like them. So he tore his apart but once the avocados were gone he loved them too.  If you would like to give them a try here is the link to the original post. http://diana212m.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/green-goddess-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html

a bit about me

Hi All!! Just wanted to let you all know a little about me.  I am a carefree easy going mom of 3 and have been married to a wonderful man for 10 years.  I am a homemaker but I despise cleaning and most of the time my house shows it.  I love to garden and sew and general crafting things but my biggest passion is cooking.  This week I am doing a pinterest.com dinners list.  I have already made my shopping list and gone to the store. While I am excited to try all the new foods I was not as excited when it came time to pay for the food. I spent $196 this week which is a good $50-$60 more then I normally spend in a week but if they are as good as I am hoping they will be it might just be worth the extra cost.  Well I hope you all enjoy seeing and hopfully then cooking the things I find yummy!!!