September 19 2013 - Pork with White Beans

Pork with White Beans
3 lb Pork Roast cubed

1/2 cup dried Great Northern beans
1 small can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 rosemary sprig
1 small jar tomato paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 squeeze honey
Water as needed

1. Place the dry beans in a bowl with enough water to cover completely. Cover the bowl, and soak the beans at room temperature for around 8 hours.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the drained beans with the other ingredients.  If there is not enough liquid to mostly cover, add a enough so that the dish will not dry out. Keep in mind the pork and tomatoes will give off more liquid during cooking.
3. Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours.

Garlicky Spinach
2 bags frozen spinach
3 cloves garlic

Combine the minced garlic and spinach in a skillet and sautee, stirring frequently over medium heat, until the garlic is cooked through and the spinach is warm.

Whole Wheat Rolls
http://www.anoregoncottage.com/soft-100-whole-wheat-dinner-rolls/

 Before the rise

After the rise

Cost Breakout:

Pork	8.32
Tomatoes	0.59
Tomato Paste	0.39
Rolls	1.00
Garlic	0.25
Beans	0.50
Spinach	3.00
Honey	0.20
Vinegar	0.20
Rosemary	-
Wine	0.50
Total	14.95

Per Person Cost: $1.87
The cost of the rosemary is not included because it came from the garden. Some items in the cost breakout are estimates based on what portion was used.

Salt is not added to anything, but is placed on the table for personal adjustment.  

Linking up with the Supper Club

February 23 2012

Pork Chops, Carrots and Rice

Served on the deck because it was such a nice day.

Pork chops are quite simple...
2 Sprigs Rosemary
1 Large White Onion, sliced
4 Thick Cut Pork Chops
Salt and Pepper
Splash of water

Combine and cook on high for a few hours.

The carrots you have seen before
http://slowcookerthursday.blogspot.com/2011/12/december-08-2011.html

Rice was according to the package directions.

February 02 2012

Pork Roast with Root Vegetables and homemade bread

I chopped up a massive sweet potato and a large rutabaga tossed with a few spices and put those in the bottom of the crock pot.  On top went the pork roast and a layer of horseradish on top.  Cook on high for a few hours.

The veggies were quite soft by the end but the pork was just right.  Unfortunately you couldn't really taste the horseradish so next time I will just leave that out and make a sauce out of it.

November 10 2011

I forgot to take the picture until I was already eating.  The picture is terrible but the food was awesome.

Pork and Apple Roast
1 Bone-in Pork Roast
3 Apples
Apple Juice
2 Rosemary twigs

Brown the roast and place it in the slow cooker with the rosemary twigs and enough apple juice to come up and 1/3 of the way.  Cook on low overnight.  In the morning remove the roast and transfer the juices to a pot.  Simmer the juices on low until they have reduced by half or more if you are patient.  Put everything back in the slow cooker, including the sliced apples.  Continue to cook on low until lunch.

Mushrooms
2 large packages of Mushrooms (I did one Button and one Portobello)
1/2 cup of wine
1 tsp Mushroom Bullion
1 twig Rosemary

I highly recommend you use the same skillet that you browned the roast in, but that isn't strictly necessary.  Either way toss in all the ingredients, cover and simmer on low for about thirty minutes.  If there is too much liquid at the end take off the lid for a while to let the liquid cook down a bit.  Be sure to remove the twig of rosemary before serving.

Smokey Sweet Potatoes 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/smoky-sweet-potatoes-recipe/index.html

I used less mayonnaise than the recipe called for and subbed in a bit of sour cream.


Losing Recipes
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/11/slow-cooker-shredded-korean-beef-tacos.html
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/10/sausage-and-lentil-stew-slow-cooker.html
http://www.enjoyyourcooking.com/salads/cabbage-cucumber-salad.html

October 13 2011

Pulled Pork

6 Lbs Pork Roast

1.5 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 Tbsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp salt

Mix the spices together and coat the pork.  Go ahead and put all this in the slow cooker pot to save on dishes.  This part was done on Monday because it was convenient, but can be done right before cooking.  Right before bed on Wednesday place the pot in the slow cooker, add enough water to almost cover the pork and turn it to low.  In the morning remove the pork from the cooker, tearing it apart as you go.  Drain the liquid off into a bowl, not the sink.  Place the pork back into the slow cooker and put some of the reserved cooking liquid back it.  It should be about halfway up the pork, not covering completely.  Turn the cooker to warm.  All you need is a pair of thongs when lunch time comes around.


Carrots

2 Lb bag of carrots
2 Tbsp chopped Parsley
2 Tbsp butter
Salt to taste

Peal and chop the carrots into your favorite shape (I prefer sticks instead of circles).  Simmer the carrots in a pan with about an inch of water in the bottom for 5 minutes or until they reach your preferred tenderness.  Drain the carrots and place them in a serving dish with the butter, parsley and salt.  Stir.  Refrigerate until lunch on Thursday and then reheat in the microwave for about 5 minutes.

Spinach

1 Large bag of Frozen Chopped Spinach
1/2 Onion - diced
3 Garlic Cloves - minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a skillet.  Cook on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the spinach is defrosted and onion and garlic are cooked a bit.  Refrigerate until lunch on Thursday and then reheat in the microwave for about 5 minutes.