My Perfected Pulled Pork

 Some of you may remember that for Rachel and Miguel's wedding reception here in town, I made about 100 pounds of pulled pork.  I was doing it all myself, so I did some in a crock pot (cooked all day while I was at school) and some in my Power Pressure Cooker XL (different brand of Instant Pot and one I highly recommend!) It was some of the best I have ever made, although there was a learning curve, as this was the first REAL food I ever made in the pressure cooker, and I didn't know to let it naturally release.  I've learned. 

It was a fabulous reception, with really good food, if I do say so myself.  But...I don't have a picture of the food.  I only have a picture of...

 

the beer.  Go figure.

Over the course of the past four years, I have  perfected my hamburger bun recipe. (My friends Julie and Kelly ordered me NOT to make the buns for the wedding reception....)  Today, I think I can say, the pulled pork recipe is complete.  I don't need to tweak it any more.  Rachel is not a BBQ fan, so I had to make pulled pork with no BBQ, but served that on the side for those normal American's who like BBQ.  Here is the recipe that I have come up with.

Best EVER Pulled Pork 

• 1 Pork Roast (shoulder/butt) I go as big as possible.  Today's was 7 1/2 pounds
• Dry Rub
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 T. cumin
• 1 T. onion powder
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 T. cayenne pepper (really, this doesn't make it too spicy, but if you are worried, cut it down to  1/2 T. or less.)
• 1 T. paprika
• 1 T. coarse ground black pepper
• 1/4 -1/2 T/ Kosher salt (can go up to 1 T. but I find that to be a bit much)
• Brine
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. salt
• 3-4 Bay leaves
• 3 T Dry rub mix
• 2 quarts water (Depending on the size of the roast, and the size of your container, you might need to make the brine 1 1/2 or 2 times the recipe, to make sure the pork is covered.)
• 1 1/2 - 2 c. chicken broth (depends on the size of your Instant Pot)
• Liquid smoke 

Make the dry rub mix.  This is EXTREMELY customizable.  Add more or less of any of the spices that you like.  You can also add dried minced onion or dried minced garlic.  You can add or take out anything.  I don't like it super salty, so I go with a little less salt.  We like  heat, so I also sometimes add crushed pepper flakes or more cayenne pepper.   

Make the brine.  Find a container that will hold your pork roast (may I suggest doing this BEFORE you are ready to brine it?  I dirtied 3 containers today, before finding one that would hold the roast and have the liquid completely cover the roast!)  Put the roast in a container  (I ended up using my biggest stock pot, and making 1 1/2 x the brine to get it to cover). Pour the brine over the top.  I usually put a dinner plate on top of the roast, to make sure it is completely submerged in the brine.  Cover it and put in the fridge, for a minimum of 8 hours, but I usually do it overnight.

The next day, cut the roast into 3-4 equal sized hunks (plus the bone).  Pat each piece dry, and coat with the dry rub.  Rub it into the meat well. (It is ok, GOOD even, if you have a little of the rub left!  You will use it later!)  Preheat your Instant Pot/Power Pressure Cooker on Saute mode.  When it is hot, add some olive oil.  When that is hot, add a couple of the hunks of pork and brown on all sides til they are nicely brown and a little crisp.  Repeat til all the pieces are browned.  Add  2 c. chicken broth to an 8 quart, or 1 1/2 cups chicken broth to a 6 quart instant pot, and deglaze the bottom thoroughly (that just means make sure that all the flavorful bits are scraped up off the bottom after you browned the meat).

Add all of the pork, including the piece with the big bone.  Put the lid on, and cook under pressure for 90 minutes.  Let naturally release for 20 minutes.  

When it is done, manually release the pressure, and good luck getting the meat out of the pot without it falling completely apart.  If I have any of the dry rub mix left over (and I do try to save some) sprinkle that on top, along with a few dashes of liquid smoke. 

These make fabulous pulled pork sandwiches, (served with BBQ sauce on the side,), but the pork is also so yummy on pulled pork nachos, or pulled pork mac and cheese.  

I based this recipe on this  one from Kevin and Amanda .  Follow their method if you don't have an Instant Pot! 

Ron's Famous Coconut Shrimp

I should tell him to get his own blog.  Or make him "guest post" when people want his recipes :) 

1 pound raw, fresh shrimp (we get ours from Shrimptastic )

1/3 c. flour

1/2 t. each salt and pepper

2 beaten eggs

3/4 c. Panko

1 c. sweetened shredded coconut

vegetable oil for frying 

• Peel and devein the shrimp, but leave the tails attached.  In one bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper.  In a different bowl, beat the eggs.  In a third bowl, combine the Panko and the coconut. 
• Dip each shrimp in the flour, coating lightly.  Then dip in the egg, and finally, roll it in the coconut/Panko mix.  Press lightly to make it stick well to the shrimp.  You want to make sure it is well covered and coated in coconut for best flavor!  Set aside and continue coating each piece of shrimp.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Fry them, a few at a time, for just a couple of minutes.  Flip them, and fry for another couple of minutes.  They should be a lovely golden brown when you are finished.  (For this....he always fries in oil.  We hate to mess with a REALLY GOOD THING, and haven't braved trying to tweak it for the Air Fryer.)
• When they are finished cooking, place on a paper towel lined plate, and continue frying the remainder of the shrimp. 

Ron bases his recipe on one from Sally's Baking Addiction, and kind of makes his own tweaks.  But he mostly follows this basic recipe. 

We prefer this shrimp with Pina Colada dipping sauce. Ron uses the Red Lobster copycat recipe Make this first, so it has time to chill before serving. 

1 cup piña colada mix 

5 tablespoons water2 tablespoons crushed pineapple drained4 teaspoons sweetened flaked coconut3 tablespoons powdered sugar plus 1 teaspoon1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water (but we had to use more slurry 
to make it set up well)

• Mix together pina colada mix, water, crushed pineapple, coconut, and powdered sugar in a saucepan.
• Heat on medium-low temperature until sauce begins to simmer, stirring frequently. Let mixture simmer slowly 10-12 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch and cold water together; add to sauce and blend well. Let mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes longer while stirring during and after adding cornstarch. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.**remember...we had to add more cornstarch/water to make ours thicken.

An optional Thai sauce would be made by mixing 1 part Thai chili sauce and 2 parts orange marmalade.  We haven't tried this, because we just like the pina colada sauce so well. 

Ron's Famous Breaded Pork Tenderloin

Ron is a very good Koch.  (ha....get what I did there?)  He can make really yummy meals out of almost anything, and often, he just throws things together without a recipe.  It almost always comes out...edible.   There are a few meals, however, that he has perfected, and he does write down the recipe, because he doesn't feel he can improve much upon it.  This breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is one of them.  I usually buy the huge pork loin when it is on sale for $1.89 or less.  This last one I purchased for just $1.59!  That is a steal!  I freeze it for a few hours, to make it more slice-able (except when I forget and leave it in the freezer, whole, for 3 days.  Then I have to saw and saw and saw to get it sliced!) I usually get 4  packages of 4 ( 1/2 - 3/4  inch ) pork "chops" and then a hunk left over for a "roast".

Ron takes a package of thawed pork "chops" and makes them into breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. 

Pound the pork loin slice to about 1/4 thick, as evenly as possible.  (Warn people and dogs in your family when you are going to do this....it is startlingly noisy).  Marinate overnight in enough buttermilk to cover (2 or 3 cups), with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 2 cloves of garlic, pressed.  (Sorry folks....he doesn't measure the spices.)

The next day, when you are ready to cook them,

1. dip them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.  
2. drench in two beaten eggs, mixed with equal part of the leftover marinade
3. roll in a mixture of bread crumbs, corn meal, Panko crumbs and Italian seasoning (again...sorry....no measurements)
4. Preheat Air Fryer to 400
5. Put in air fryer tray sprayed with Pam and spray the top of the tenderloin with Pam.  Air fry at 400 for 10 minutes.
6. Turn and spray with Pam again.  
7. Air fry for an additional 5 minutes. 

He has also just fried them in oil in a skillet on the top of the stove. Much messier, but it works very well and is delicious.  Out of love for his wife and concern for her high cholesterol numbers, he has switched to using an Air Fryer. 

Everything Hamburger Buns

After an almost 5 year break, I decided to come back here and check in. A lot has happened in the last five years! The youngest graduated from high school, gone off to college, come back HOME from college (due to COVID-19) and has a girlfriend we just love, the second  youngest got married to a fella we adore, graduated from college, and made me a GRANDMA, the second oldest has graduated from college and has a great job and a girlfriend we love and lives only a couple of hours away from us, and our oldest moved from IL back to IA and has a job and a church and a life he loves as well.  God is good.  Ron and I are enjoying a semi-empty nest, with kids coming back here and there for a short while as they need.  We are happy and blessed!

I still love cooking and baking, and that is one of the reasons that I decided to pop back on here.  This is an easy spot to share recipes when people ask for them.  Today (in the midst of our stay at home/no school/no church services due to this virus that is hitting our country hard) Ron wanted to make breaded pork tenderloins.  Since I love to bake, and have a yummy recipe, I decided to make some hamburger buns to go with them.  Several people have asked me for my recipe.  Never mind the naysayers who tease me and say, "You know they SELL hamburger buns at the grocery store, right?"  But, they don't sell hamburger buns like THESE at the grocery store!

I have made these for several years, and have combined a few recipes to get them to turn out the way I like them best.  So...here ya go!  

1 c. warm water

1 T. yeast

1/4 c. sugar 

3 -3 1/2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1 large egg, beaten

2 T. unsalted butter, softened

EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING

Mix together 2 t. each 

sesame seeds

poppy seeds

minced dried onion

minced dried garlic

1/2 -3/4 T. Kosher salt

1 egg white, beaten (for brushing on the baked buns)

• Add the yeast and 1/2 of the sugar to the warm water and let sit 5-10 minutes, until the yeast is bubbling and active.  
• Add 3 cups of the flour, salt, softened butter, egg and the rest of the sugar to the water/yeast mixture.  (IF desired, add 2 T. of the everything bagel seasoning, or a couple of tsp. of dried onion powder)  Knead (I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer.)  Knead for 3-5 minutes.  Add more flour if needed, to make a soft and tacky (but not sticky) dough.  
• Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm spot, covered, until about doubled in size.  (This usually takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  )
• Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface roll into a ball.  Divide the dough in to 8 equal pieces (about 3 1/2 to 4 oz each).  Roll into a ball (I usually do that similar to what is shown in this video  )
• Place on a cookie sheet or (I prefer) a baking stone.  Flatten them slightly and gently.  Cover and let them rise again until they have doubled in size.  This usually takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.   Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375.
• Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and, working quickly, brush with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with Everything Bagel Seasoning.  (Or for just onion rolls, sprinkle with dried minced onion.  Or for sesame rolls, sprinkle with sesame seeds.)  You have to be quick and brush one roll, then sprinkle with seasoning.  If the egg white dries, the seeds won't stick.
• Return the buns to the oven and continue baking 5-8 more minutes, until they are golden brown on the top.  Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack.  Wait until they are mostly cooled to slice.  They are good with any kind of patty....breaded tenderloin, buffalo burger, hamburger, bratwurst patty. 

ENJOY!

What does a year’s worth of laundry soap look like?

This!

I have made homemade laundry soap a few times.  Once I made liquid, and HATED it, because it was so….gloopy and sloppy.  But this stuff?  I love it!  It smells great, cleans really well, and for under $30, I will have enough to last for a year (doing laundry for 3 of us, so around 6-10 loads a week).  I have read several articles about this, and yes, it is safe for HE washers.  You only need to use 1-2 tablespoons for each load.  Here is what it takes.

• 2 bars of Zote soap
• 1 large box of 20 Mule Team Borax (4 lb. 12 oz)
• 1 (3 pound or so) OxiClean powder
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
• 1 (4 pound) box of Baking Soda
• 2 bottles (containers?) Laundry Crystals (whatever scent you prefer…I like lavendar) (Brands include Purex, Downy, Gain…)

The biggest job is grating the soap. I always use my food processor.  I shred it using a shredding blade, then I put it back in the food processor with the S blade and some of the baking soda, and blend it.

Then, you need a really, REALLY big container to mix it all in. A 5 gallon bucket with a lid is perfect, so you can just mix and shake right in the bucket.  A dishpan also works.  Just dump everything in and shake/stir…whatever it takes to get it all blended together well. 

The entire process took less than 30 minutes.  Save the Oxi clean container, and the laundry crystal containers, and anything else you can use to store it in.  Use 1 tablespoon for small loads, and for large loads use 2.  If I see a stain, I will pretreat with a laudnry spray.  Overall, we are VERY happy with this stuff.

(This is not my original “recipe”, but I don’t know who, in the big wide world of the internet, to give credit to.  It is all over pinterest.  I found it here, and here, and here in a really quick browse.)

Homemade Mixes

 

Ok, I know this is a random post after having been silent for so long.  I’m not even going to try to promise to do better.  I will try!

I spent today trying to track down all my recipes for homemade mixes.  I have some in my gmail, some on index cards, some on pinterest boards, etc.  I decided to put them all here, in one place, so I know where to find them easily.

Taco seasoning mix, Italian dressing mix, Ranch dressing mix, Greek seasoning and Cream of chicken soup mix.

The mix that I go through the most of is taco seasoning mix.  It is so easy to throw together, and SO much better than the store bought packets!  I usually multiply the recipe by 10 and make a really large amount and store in a pint mason jar. (The measurements in parenthesis are the amounts when multiplied by 10) I use 2-3 T. when a recipe calls for taco seasoning mix.  I also sometimes add jalapeno, habanero or cayenne pepper to the mix, depending on who I’m cooking for.

TACO SEASONING

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder (10 T.)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (2.5 t.)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (2.5 t.)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (2.5 t.)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (2.5 t.)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (5 t.) = (1 T. + 2 t.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (15 t.) = (3 T.)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (10 t.) = (3 T. + 1 t)  *I reduce this
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (10 t.) = (3 T. + 1 t)

Italian dressing mix is another often used mix.  Making it myself just tastes SO much better than the little packets.  It is also quite a bit less expensive when you make it on your own!  I have a smaller container for this, so I don’t usually double this one…it’s just what fits in my jar! I sometimes cut down on the sugar in this.  I use 2 T. when a recipe calls for a packet.

ITALIAN DRESSING MIX

• 1 T. sugar
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. onion powder
• 2 t. oregano
• 1/4 t. thyme
• 1 T. parsley
• 1 T. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 t. basil

Another staple in my cupboard is homeade Ranch dressing mix.  My favorite is one that uses buttermilk powder, so that is the one I use the most. I use 3 T. when I find a recipe that calls for a packet.  (I got this recipe from here)

RANCH DRESSING MIX

• ⅓ cup dry buttermilk powder
• 3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes, divided
• 2 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
• 2 ½ teaspoons granulated onion
• 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 2 teaspoons dried chives
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked or ground black pepper

And this one is fairly new …I just made it today! I plan on using it to make OPA! fries…mmmmmmm.

GREEK SEASONING

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons dried basil

• 2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, minced

• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed

• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

And finally, I made a big jar of homemade cream of chicken soup mix. I have been making this stuff since our seminary days (that goes all the way back to the early ‘90s!)  I also make a batch using beef bullion if I’m going to want cream of mushroom soup for beef based meals.

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP MIX

• 2 c non-fat dried milk
• 1.5 c cornstarch
• 1/2 c chicken bouillon powder
• 1/2 cup minced onions (dried)
• 1 t pepper

To make 1 can of cream of chicken soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of water.  Whisk together in saucepan, and stir til it boils and is thickened.  Add it to the recipe that calls for cream of chicken soup.

Do you know what Braunschweiger is?

I can remember being VERY young and hearing my dad “sneak” to the refrigerator in the evening.  I would follow, knowing he was going to cut off a hunk of braunschweiger to snack on.  If I caught him, he’d cut off a hunk for me, too (bribery to keep me from telling on him!) Mom would pretend to be annoyed when she’d see the half a hunk left in the fridge…”Who ate all the braunschweiger?”  Dad and I would just grin at each other, knowing full well that mom knew the truth. Sue Ann, did you ever get any?

A couple of years after my mom died (SIXTEEN YEARS ago yesterday…wow…where did the time go?), my dad remarried.  Dorothy made my dad really, really happy for almost ten years! They loved life together, and had lots of fun dancing the years away. We love her SO much for that!  And she made US happy for many reasons…she made dad happy, she loved us, loved our kids, AND… because she introduced braunschweiger dip to our family!

I think the first time I had this dip was when dad and Dorothy visited for Caleb’s confirmation.  She may have made it before that, when we visited at their house, but I don’t remember that.  I just know we looked at it and said “ummm…thanks…what is it?”  (It is NOT a lovely looking dish, LOL)  One bite and we were over the MOON!  Oh, it is SOOO yummy! We like it best with Triscuit type crackers or Wheat Thins…(maybe Wheat thins best, but only because we just LOVE saying it like THIS COMMERCIAL!  )
It is now a standard dip at Confirmation parties, birthday parties, Thanksgiving appetizers and New Year’s Eve.  You just gotta try it!

BRAUNSCHWEIGER DIP

• 1 lb. braunschweiger
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup mayo (or Salad Dressing)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• dash Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T. Dill pickle juice
• 1 t. horseradish
• 1 t. garlic powder

Blend all together (I usually throw it all into the food processor and process til it is smooth) and chill.  Serve with Wheat thin or Triscuit type crackers.  It is also good with pita chips!

Thanks, Dorothy!  We love you!

Caleb’s graduation, May 2009

Family Favorite!

When I  am making a holiday dinner for my family, I generally make the same things every year.  I might try a new recipe once in a while, or I might take a break from one (for example…this year, I skipped the 7 layer salad, and disappointed my niece.  Sorry, MadiLou!  I will for sure make it next year!)

There is one item on the menu, however, that will cause a revolt if I skip it.  All of my kids (except one), and my hubby, and my sister just LOVE sweet potato casserole.  I like it, too.   This is one holiday recipe that will be on my table every single time.  The main course may switch from turkey to ham, and the salads may be switched up a bit, but this one…it will be there!  It’s SO good!

I decided to add some of the family favorite holiday recipes to the blog, for the sake of my children (um…Rachel) who might want to replicate a holiday dinner “like mom used to make”.

I guess I will have to update the blog next year, when I actually TAKE a picture of the sweet potato casserole! But for now, the recipe alone will have to do.

• 3 large cans sweet potatoes
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. milk
• 1/4 c. orange juice
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 T. melted butter
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 t. cinnamon

TOPPING:

• 1/3 c. softened butter
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• pecans
• marshmallows

Beat all casserole ingredients together. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Mix brown sugar, butter and flour.  Sprinkle on top.  Top with pecans.  (I usually leave the pecans off) Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  Top with marshmallows  Bake 10 minutes more.

MMMMmmmmmm….it’s like eating candy…