Salsa Verde Pork Carnitas

These are the BEST pork carnitas!! Thank you so much to Elise on Simply Recipes as the author of this recipe (found here). I have made these twice, both times for a crowd of friends and they really are wonderful. First of all, I love pork shoulder--it is so economical and after all day in the crockpot, it just falls off the bone, yielding a lot of tender meat. The flavors in this recipe are great--coriander seeds, cumin, salsa verde, and cilantro. Yum! Continue for recipe.

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Crustless Quiche

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Graham Cracker Eclair

This recipe came from my mom. It requires no baking, it makes a large pan, and is very simple to make. And it tastes really comforting. The layers of graham crackers soften and melt in your mouth between the layers of pudding and the chocolate glaze adds a smores-like quality. I know, cool whip and instant pudding mix aren't exactly the most healthful ingredients, but this just tastes good. My mom usually adds slices of bananas also, which is great too. This is excellent to make ahead of time because it tastes better after several days of graham cracker softening. Enjoy! Continue for recipe.

Graham Cracker Eclair
from Mom

Filling:
Whole graham crackers
large vanilla instant pudding mix
8oz cool whip

Glaze:
3 T melted butter
2 T cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 t karo light corn syrup
2 t vanilla
3 T milk

9x13 ungreased glass dish

Layer the bottom of your dish with whole graham crackers.
For the filling, make the pudding according to the instructions on the box. Fold in the cool whip.
Pour 1/2 the filling over the graham crackers. Top with another layer of crackers.
Add rest of filling.
Top with another layer of crackers.
For the glaze, mix butter and cocoa. Add rest of ingredients and stir.
Spread glaze over the top evenly.
Chill 12-24 hours.

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Baked Salsa Chicken

I'm trying to enhance my repertoire of easy and quick dinners for the week nights. I would love to hear your favorites! This is simply chicken breast halves, salted, and topped with salsa and a dollop of sour cream and baked for about 30 minutes. Finish with shredded cheese and bake for 5 more minutes to melt. Couldn't be any easier and tastes great. I serve with Spanish rice and slice the leftovers and roll in tortillas for lunch the next day.

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Mexican Taco Stew

I love soups! I adapted this recipe from the Whole Foods website. It is simple and flavorful and goes great with a green salad for dinner. Top with tortilla chips. Yum!

Mexican Taco Stew
adapted from Whole Foods

1 lb pound ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 package taco seasoning (about 4 T)
4 cups chicken broth
1 large zucchini or summer squash, cut into small cubes (optional)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels or 1 can corn
1-2 cups medium salsa

Brown meat in a large pot over medium high heat. Drain, remove and set aside. In the same pot, sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add meat back to pot and sprinkle mixture with taco seasoning to blend. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

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Crunchy Cornmeal Waffles

I almost made cornmeal pancakes this morning but decided on waffles instead. These waffles have a crunch to them from the cornmeal and would be great topped with raspberries or blueberries to offset the corn. Although these were good, I think I prefer cornmeal pancakes--next time! Continue for recipe.

Crunchy Cornmeal Waffles

King Arthur Flour

1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled OR 1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Waffles: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter or oil. In a separate bowl, blend together the dry ingredients, then quickly and gently combine the wet and dry ingredients. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes, to allow the cornmeal to soften. Drop the batter by 1/3-cupfuls onto a hot waffle iron, and bake until the waffle iron stops steaming.

Yield: about ten 8-inch round waffles.

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Oatmeal Raisin Yogurt Muffins

I really like to have homemade baked goods in the morning. It's so easy to grab a muffin or a slice of bread or coffeecake to eat in the car with my coffee on the way to work. And, because my husband doesn't usually eat these, I can freeze most of the batch and then just thaw them one by one.

This muffin recipe is just ok--not very sweet which is nice, but the texture was a bit too heavy for me. They were moist though, and actually tasted better on the 3rd day, allowing the oats to soften and the spices to blend in. I adapted this recipe from a yogurt carton, adding orange zest, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and cloves. I really like that flavor combination, but next time will go for a different base. Continue for recipe.

Oatmeal Raisin Yogurt Muffins

1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
1 cup yogurt
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
2 T oil
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 10 muffin tins.
Stir together dry ingredients.
In a measuring cup, whisk together wet ingredients.
Stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.
Divide the batter into the 10 muffin cups and bake for about 25 min.

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