Café Rio Pork

  I got this recipe off a friends blog and please let me tell you, it is SO GOOD!!!


Café Rio Pork
3 lbs pork roast (butt or shoulder)
1 c dark brown sugar
1c worcestershire sauce
1t dried oregano
1t powdered ginger
1t salt
1t chili powder
1t garlic powder
2T dried minced onions

  

   In a large mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients.

Wisk in worchestershire sauce

.

 

Put the pork in the crock pot and cover with mixture.

Put the lid on and set your timer! 

Now being me, I didn't have 3 pounds of pork lying around. I had 6. So I doubled the recipe. And it turned out great! If you do have 3 pounds of pork then cook it for about 8 hours. I left it in the crock pot for 10 hours over night. I kept it in the crock pot while I was at work and when I came home it was cool and ready to shred! It looked like this:

YUM! 

Good pork when prepared for shredding should fall apart in your hands when you go to shred it. 

I hardly did any work here. It was so tender! I strained some of the mixture it cooked in.

Put the pork back in the crock pot & prepare 1 cup of dark brown sugar

Add the brown sugar to the pork along with: the strained mixture and 1 can of red enchilada sauce

I cooked that on low for about on hour.

End result:

The closest this pig will ever get to heaven! 

Instant Gratification...Delayed

Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.

-Brian Adams, Author

If there's one thing I don't like to do, it's wait. And how I love to cook! The two don't go hand in hand and one thing I've learned about cooking is you have to be patient. You have to put love and time into what you're making. But I hate it! Especially when I'm making something for the first time. I don't want to sit around and wait. I want to make it and it be done and then I want to eat it!

Fortunately, if I ate so hastily I would probably acquire some food borne illness. Not desirable. And the meal would not be as it was meant to be. 

So the moral of the story is: when it comes to cooking, instant gratification is not always the best gratification. After all, delicious things come to those who wait...

Patience is the greatest of all virtues.

Cato the Elder, Roman orator & politician (234 BC - 149 BC)

*Quotations courtesy of http://www.quotationspage.com  

Parmesan Chicken w/ Spaghetti

Rachael Ray made Parmesan Crusted Chicken on 30 Minute Meals one day and it looked soo good! So I made it. Now it's one of my go-to meals when I don't know what I want for dinner. My mom is a fan, especially when I pair it with oven roasted rosemary veggies. Tonight, I stuck with spaghetti.

First things first. You need:

1 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
Mix together in a pie plate.

Coat chicken with cheese. I like chicken tenders or thin sliced chicken. 

Add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil to a skillet and heat up over medium heat. 

While that's heating up start on the spaghetti. 

When the oil is hot add the chicken! 

When the chicken is done put it aside on a plate. Don't put a paper towel on the plate to absorb some of the oil. The chicken could stick to the paper towel and that would not be tasty.  Do however, sprinkle with a little more cheese! There is noooo such thing as too much cheese! 

Heat up some marinara sauce or your favorite pasta sauce in a sauce pan. Drain pasta and plate. Add sauce. Add chicken. And more cheese!!!! Outcome should look like...

Most yummy! 

I dream of baking...

I really do. I'm not the greatest baker. My cupcakes alone are enough to prove that! 

But I dream of making all kinds of goodies: cupcakes, cookies, cakes, cupcakes... 

I love cupcakes. 

And cheesecake. 

And brownies. 

I have finally found a website that indulges all my sweet-tooth fantasies! I gain 5 pounds per picture just looking through them. And there are a lot of pictures. 

A friend of mine introduced me to this site and I am soo thankful! 

I can't wait to start 

"trying"

 some of the recipes. 

If you have a sweet-tooth then you have to check this out!

The cutest sweets around!

Bakererella

Thick Cut Fries w/ Parsley & Sea Salt

This is a delish snack for anytime and is great with whatever you would eat fries with!

5 good sized red new potatoes
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tbsp. dried parsley or 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Rinse under cold water in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel. Toss with the  rest of the ingredients. Return to colander and drain off excess oil. Spread out the fries evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until desired crispiness.

Note: I am a big fan of using extra virgin olive oil in pretty much everything. However, when I'm baking potatoes and want them crispy, vegetable oil works great!

To bake...Or not to bake?

I would say, not. I might have a knack for some things in the kitchen. Baking is not one of them. Unless I go the semi-homemade route and it already comes in a box. Add milk, water, or some other lubricating substance and bake. No problemo. Follow a recipe from scratch? I got nothing. I always forget some key ingredient or don't add enough of this or that and what do I get!?!?! THIS:

OY! It's box mix from now on...

Ice Cream, Ice Cream, We All Scream For...Cefiore?

It's serious delicious refreshment. Thanks to my sister I know what I've been missing. It's not ice cream it's non-fat frozen yogurt and it's sooo good! They have great flavors and everything is all natural so it's  good for. Cefiore started out in Southern California and now they have stores all over the world. They have a store here in Louisville located on the corner of Bardstown Road and Eastern Parkway right next to Qdoba.
They have great flavors: Raspberry Pomegranate, Pineapple Tart, Green Tea, and Acaiberry. Top with your favorite topping which can be anything from fresh cut fruit to shredded coconut and chocolate chips. They also serve waffles, smoothies, teas, and coffee. They offer samples if you can't decide which flavor to enjoy. The pineapple tart was really refreshing but I opted for the raspberry pomegranate frozen yogurt. I topped it with fresh strawberries, coconut and white chocolate chips. It was SO GOOD!

I wanted to get a good picture but couldn't wait to dig in. It was calling my name!

Check them out at: www.cefiore.com

Then go see them at their store and try it for yourself! I will definitely be going back for more. Maybe tomorrow?