Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

It’s not that I hate my job, OK? It’s just that there’s too much of it. It’s always getting in the way of the stuff I really want to be doing. Like cooking. And blogging. And blogging about cooking. And running. And reading. And taking a dog I don’t have on a walk. And playing with my kids. And shopping for cute boots. And anyway, my job has been getting in the way of what I want to be doing so much that I haven’t blogged for two months! So it’s totally fitting that this month is slow cooker month. Because lately, I don’t have time to cook and blog and blog about cooking. So I’ll make this real short and sweet.

Having a slow cooker is like having a sister wife who has stayed home all day slaving over a delicious meal. Except the sister wife is a robot and she doesn’t plan on stealing any kind of domestic goddess credit for herself and instead showers all of the praise onto me as soon as I walk in the door.

"It smells delicious in here Amber. And you look great today!"

We had some friends coming over for the Seahawks game so I asked my sister wife to make pulled pork sandwiches. Sister wife worked hard. I accepted the praise. It was totally delicious.

Pulled Pork Ingredients
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder
1 can (12 oz) tomato paste
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 crushed cloves of garlic
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar sauce

Rolls/buns of choice
Coleslaw

Cole slaw Ingredients
1 package rainbow slaw
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Directions
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine all pulled pork ingredients except the Hickory and Brown Sugar sauce. Cook for 6-8 hours. Sometime in between, combine Coleslaw ingredients, cover and place in the refrigerator. Shred the pork when it’s done and add the Hickory and Brown Sugar sauce. Serve on toasted buns or rolls topped with Coleslaw.

 

 

 

 

 Now if only my sister wife could clean the bathroom...

Slow-Cooker Cheese Steak Sandwiches

A few weeks ago, I found this at TJ's:

Really wanting a cheese steak sandwich at that moment, I knew I'd settle for making tacos with it. So I bought the sirloin and in the freezer it went. Then, at random, a slow-cooker recipe for cheese steak sandwiches popped up on my Pinterest feed, and seriously, how can one deny that I was totally meant to make cheese steak sandwiches for slow-cooker month?

Thank you Sarah Marie, whoever you are, for this amazing slow-cooker recipe. I added to it a bit, but not much.

Slow-Cooker Cheese Steak Sandwiches
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

1 lb. round steak, cut into bite sized strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can French onion soup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt
hoagie style buns
Provolone cheese, sliced
Beechers flagship cheese, sliced (optional)
Butter

Directions

Place steak, pepper strips, onion slices, French onion soup, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, garlic powder, and seasoned salt into slow cooker and stir together thoroughly. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Melt some butter or margarine in a small bowl. Brush the hoagie buns with the melted better, then place ¼ of the steak mixture on each bun*, and top with a slice or two of cheeses. Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

*The steak mixture will be somewhat soupy, so when dipping it out to put on each sandwich, turn the spoon slightly and let the broth drain out before putting it on the sandwich. You will have broth leftover in the slow cooker at the end.

West Coast Fave - BBQ Tri Tip!

So once again my sister Megan (one of the Beauties) is out gallivanting. This time, she is road-tripping in Italy before joining the rest of the crew on her newest yacht to tour the Mediterranean.  Tough life, right? Before she left, she gave me strict instructions to provide a guest post for the Beauties, so here goes!

Megan was able to make a very quick trip to visit before she started her latest adventure.  I asked her for her dinner request, and she asked for tri-tip.  For those not familiar with it, tri-tip is a cut of beef mostly used in the West - I really only started eating it when I moved to Los Angeles

For those really interested in tri-tip, Wikipedia has some handy dandy info about tri tip which you can find by clicking here. 

Twice a year our little beach town has a local event called Fiesta Hermosa. In the food tent area of the Fiesta, a restaurant from Santa Maria sells phenomenal tri-tip sandwiches.  My husband Scott was convinced he could do better, and I think he did.  Below is the recipe we use, and we made for Megan:

Scott's Tri Tip Sandwiches

Ingredients

Tri tip (we buy the 2 pack from Costco, and 1 tri tip will serve 4)

2 tablespoons of Lawry’s Salt

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1 tablespoon of onion powder

2 teaspoons of pepper

Optional

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

3 jalapeños

Tater tots

Cajun salt (we use Louisiana Fish Fry Products Cajun Seasoning)

Steps

• Slice all the vegetables (de-seeding the jalepenos to reduce the heat), and place in a saute pan with 1 tablespoon of oil.  You can use any combination of veggies to suit your preference, and skip the jalapenos all together if you are preparing for little ones. 

Sliced veggies ready to sauté

• Preheat the oven, and salt the tater tots
• Let the meat warm to room temperature
• Mix the spices together 
• Generously coat tri-tip with seasoning, setting aside a small portion of the seasoning (to use later to season meat when cooked
• Light up the grill, and let it heat up. 
• Cook meat, fat side up, on indirect heat and cook to desired doneness.  Scott recommends using a meat thermometer and cooking to medium rare.

Seasoning the tri tip

• Put the tater tots in the oven (timed to finish when the meat comes off the grill)
• When the meat is mostly done, sauté the veggies
• Pull the meat off the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes or so
• As thinly as possible, slice the meat (we use a meat slicer)
• Top toasted rolls or buns with meat and veggies
• Serve with crispy Tater tots and extra tri-tip seasoning.  I also like a little creamed horseradish sometimes

Seasoned and crispy tater tots

This is a simple, flavorful, and affordable way to enjoy the grill.  Happy tri-tipping!

Unfortunately, I didn't capture a picture of the entire dish,
so you will just have to enjoy this picture of Megan and Curly cuddling on the couch!

2-in-1 Meal: Carnitas to Pulled Pork & Caramelized Onion Paninis

Like Missy I went the slow cooker route with a Mexican theme. We had a few friends over for dinner so night one I made carnitas in the crock pot for tacos and then Curtis and I used the leftover meat for paninis, and then more tacos, and then paninis again and it went on and on - we had enough shredded meat for several meals!

Night 1: Carnitas

Ingredients:
Pork Butt or Shoulder
Rub made up of your favorite spices
Chicken broth
Can of tomatoes
Onion
Garlic
Chilies (optional)

Tortillas
Your favorite taco toppings such as cheese, cabbage, salsa, onions, cilantro, avocado, lime wedges and sour cream.

A day (or two) ahead rub your pork all over with your favorite spices (I used a 7 lb. pork shoulder from Costco and rubbed it with taco seasoning, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin and a few other random things I had in the spice cabinet - there's really no science to it). Place fat side up in the slow cooker and put in the fridge until the day you're ready to cook it.

That morning pour in some chicken broth, canned tomatoes, large chunks of onion, fresh garlic and dried chilies if you'd like. Cook on high for 8 - 10 hours until the meat is falling apart.

Shred the meat and use as carnitas for tacos.

Night 2: Pulled Pork Paninis 

Sourdough bread
Leftover pork
BBQ sauce
Onions, caramelized
Provalone cheese

Pile everything on your sandwich and toast in a panini press or frying pan.

And because babies are cuter than tacos and sandwiches, here's the latest of Graham:

Caprese Torta

This is not my official tomato post. This is a classic, so delicious and so easy that I couldn’t resist sharing. And it only has four ingredients! But don’t worry, I will try a tomato recipe that’s new to me and post about it before the end of the month!

For this fabulous sandwich that’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner (no dishes!) yet fancy enough to serve when girlfriends come over for lunch, all you have to do it pick up four simple ingredients from Costco:

#1: Torta Rolls – my new favorite sandwich / Panini bread

#2: Fresh tomatoes – if you’re like me and your home grown tomatoes are still green

#3: Pesto – this is one of Curtis’ new and improved items at Costco and one of my very favorite foods!

#4: Mozzarella – if they have fresh buffalo mozzarella in brine, get it. But when it’s in, it goes quickly so this is a good back up.

Caprese Torta 
Turn on your broiler. Spread one side of the sliced torta with pesto and put a few slices of mozz on the other side. Broil just until the bread is slightly toasted, the pesto is bubbling and smells divine and the cheese has started to melt. Take it out of the oven, add a few slices of fresh tomato and voila! One of the best food combos known to wo-man. And it’s that easy!  Note: Curtis says you’re not supposed to heat up / cook pesto, but add it to hot food after the fact. So he toasts his bread and then spreads on the pesto. But I don’t listen to him.

And I’m a purist, but Curtis likes to omit the tomatoes and replace them with salami!

And as long as you have pesto, tomatoes and mozzarella on hand, you can also make Pesto & Tomato Frittata from The Little Yellow Kitchen. That's what I plan to do this weekend!

July Ingredient - Avocado

July Ingredient – Avocado

Avocado to me is like bacon to most other people. If that analogy doesn’t make sense to you, I will explain: there are quite a few people on this planet (my husband included) who feel like everything is better with bacon. He scans the menu at a restaurant looking for any kind of sandwich that has bacon on it. This is how I am with avocado. It is good on everything (except maybe pie).

A couple of months ago when I was with my family on vacation I mentioned that my final, dying, last wish would be for someone to bring me an avocado sandwich. This started a hilarious dialogue because my parents and sister, God bless them, took this comment seriously and started to take my order. Did I want mustard on it? Lettuce? What kind of cheese? What kind of bread? I mean, I guess, if they really cared about me they should know about this right?

So this month I’m asking my fellow beauties to come up with a recipe that uses avocado. And please, also include the last meal you would choose should you suddenly find yourself prepared to walk the green mile. This is meant to be funny, not sadistic; I’m honestly curious! Plus, it’s something we should all know about each other, shouldn’t we? If we truly call ourselves foodies!

And with that, I’ll give you my order:

Green Mile Avocado Sandwich
-Thick and crusty sourdough bread
-Avocado (and lots of it, sliced and sprinkled generously with salt)
-Sharp white cheddar cheese and/or deli sliced American cheese
-Sprouts
-Tomato
-Shmear of cream cheese
~ Amber

Turkey & Artichoke Panini

I’ve been on a Panini kick lately and when Missy announced the secret ingredient for May was artichokes, I figured smearing a little artichoke dip on a Panini would make the ultimate sandwich!

The verdict? It was really good but I know if I was being judged on Iron Chef America or Chopped they would have told me the secret ingredient didn’t shine. We had grilled artichokes on the side (a first for me, I’ve only ever steamed them before) and artichoke orzo salad – links to the recipes are below. The grilled artichoke was by far my favorite thing on our plates!

My eyes were a little bit bigger than my stomach (these were HUGE sandwiches, after all) and Curtis and I were each only able to polish off half a sandwich each. Next time I won’t pile quite so much good stuff on!  

Turkey & Artichoke Panini

With Paninis, the combinations are endless so don’t feel like you need to stick to the list of ingredients below (except for the artichoke dip, that’s a necessity!). Pile on your favorite sandwich ingredients and make it in a Panini press, grill it or eat it cold!

Ingredients:

            Bread

            Artichoke dip (recipe below) 

            Cheese

            Baby spinach

            Tomatoes  

            Pesto

            Turkey

            Roasted Red pepper spread (Trader Joe’s)

            Avocado

            Bacon

Artichoke Dip Recipe 

Adapted from a recipe from Sherry Hoover

8 oz. cream cheese

¼ cup mayo

¼ cup sour cream

1 bag frozen artichoke hearts (Trader Joe’s)

1 jalapeno, finely chopped or ½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 cup grated Parmesan, divided

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Mix the cream cheese, mayo and sour cream in a food processor. Add the artichoke hearts, jalapeno, ½ cup parmesan cheese, salt and garlic powder and pulse until the artichoke hearts are mixed in and chopped up, but not pureed.

Pour into a baking dish or small ramekins and top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes or until bubbly and warm and broil for a minute or two until the top is melted and crispy.

Smear on a sandwich or serve with bread or crackers for an appetizer.

Grilled Artichokes with Parsley and Garlic

This is a Giada deLaurentiis recipe. Click here for the recipe. Even with all the garlic and parsley, I still dipped each leaf into a mayo balsamic dressing combo. And I followed Megan’s advice and added a sliced lemon, garlic and salt to the water I boiled the artichokes in. So delicious! 

Orzo Salad with Artichokes, Tomatoes, Chickpeas & Feta

This salad recipe is from Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod. I’ve made this before using her basil dressing, but this time I just used a balsamic dressing and kicked the salad up a notch with fresh chives and garlic. I also accidently opened up a can of white beans, when I meant to open chickpeas, so I just used the white beans instead. And for this recipe, I used canned artichoke hearts. Click here for the recipe. And as I was linking to this recipe I just saw she has one for Artichoke, Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Biscuits - doesn't that sound good!? 

I love artichokes and am really looking forward to seeing the recipes the rest of the Beauties (and possible guest bloggers!) come up with. 

Pulled Lamb Gyros with Homemade Tzatziki and Greek Potatoes

I was totally freaked out when Megan chose Lamb as March’s Ingredient of the Month.  I was raised in a mostly vegetarian family and although I am not currently a vegetarian I have absolutely no knowledge when it comes to cooking anything other than fish or chicken.  As soon as I read “Lamb” I was transported back in time to a BBQ we had in which we had invited my friend Heather over for dinner and she had kindly contributed the steaks.  I over-cooked them.  I am still embarrassed.

That’s my fear, really: that I will have a beautiful piece of meat in which a creature’s life has been sacrificed and I will not do it justice.  And I couldn’t bring myself to mess up a piece of Lamb because there was even more on the line this time; I mean, let’s face it: Lambs are way cuter than cows.  And for some reason that means something to me. 

While researching Lamb recipes I came across a recipe for “Pulled Lamb” made in a Crock pot and I thought, “Eureka!”  If there’s one thing I DO know how to do, its Crock pot.  And pulled chicken in a Crock pot is like, the best thing ever for burritos and tacos and… “Eureka again!”  I’ll make a pulled Lamb Gyro.  Thank you to Closet Cooking, I didn’t have to go far to find the recipe.  Add in a side of Greek style potatoes, and Voilá! Dinner!

Pulled Lamb Gyros
Pulled Lamb (see below)
Tzatziki (see below)
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Red Onion
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Pita Bread

Directions: Set all ingredients up taco-bar style and let your family or guests pick and choose their toppings.  Pair with a yummy Greek salad or Greek style potatoes (recipe below).

Pulled Lamb
2-3 pounds lamb shoulder or leg (boneless if possible)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion (sliced)
2 cups water (Closet Cooking didn't add any water but I figured I should after watching it cook for a while and feeling like it was going to get dry.  Better to have too much juice than not enough.)

Directions: Combine all ingredients except onion and water and marinate Lamb overnight.  In the morning, put lamb and marinade in Crock pot and add water and sliced onion.  Cook at least 8 hours.  The meat will literally fall apart.  So yummy!  Make sure to remove all pieces of bone.  I took all the meat out with a slotted spoon and shredded it with two forks, then left it in a bowl and covered the bowl with tinfoil to keep the heat in.  (The preparation process the night before was incredibly easy and was done by the time my boys had watched their night-night show.)

Um, yum.

Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup Greek Yogurt
1 ½ large cucumbers peeled, quartered, seeded and shredded
2-4 garlic cloves, minced (depends on how garlicky you want it)
Teaspoon diced fresh mint
½ lemon, squeezed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: Peel cucumbers, cut them into quarters, seed them, and shred them.  To get the juices out, I wrapped the shredded cucumber in a paper towel and squeezed, squeezed, squeezed.  I repeated that with about two more paper towels.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.  I made this the night before too, so that all the flavors would meld.  If you prefer your tzatziki to be smoother, you can also put the cucumbers in the food processor.  I like having the texture, so grated was good enough for me. 

Hello, gorgeous.

The hardest part was preparing the cucumber but after making my very own tzatziki I felt incredibly accomplished!

 I now dub thee, a Grecian Goddess!

Greek-Style Potatoes
These were whipped up at 3:30 in the afternoon after the lamb had been cooking all day and my husband said, “What are we having with our gyros?”  Uh.  Quick google. “Oh, great!  I found a recipe that calls for ingredients we already have!”  After 10 minutes the potatoes were in the oven and I was back in my comfy spot on the couch watching How to Train a Dragon with Ansen.  I am super-mom.

4-6 large potatoes, peeled and quartered (or eigthed, as I chose to do.)  No, that’s not a word.
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil (do less of this though, my potatoes were a little too oily)
1 ½ cups water
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
½ lemon, squeezed
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Directions: Combine all ingredients in an oven safe baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  That’s it.

Are you salivating yet?

I said I was super-mom before but that pissed you off, didn’t it?  That’s why I included the picture below so as to hopefully restore some of my street-cred.

I know, can you even believe I let my two-year old wear Christmas jammies in March?

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