Root Beer Pulled Pork

No baking this weekend; there was too much cake left over from my baby shower on Saturday for me to justify bringing even more sweets into the house!

Saturday was a busy day all-around, and since I knew I just wanted to relax today, for dinner tonight I wanted something very low-maintenance. Pulled pork sandwiches have sounded good to me for quite a while, so I thought I'd try a recipe I've seen variations of on a lot of food blogs: root beer pulled pork cooked in the slow cooker.

This was an absolutely delicious meal! The root beer added a nice, subtle flavor to the pork, and the meat was so tender it just fell apart. Very, very yummy -- I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! My changes are in purple.


Root Beer Pulled Pork
Source: All Recipes

1 2-pound pork tenderloin
Salt, pepper and garlic powder
1 12-ounce bottle or can of root beer (I used A&W)
1 18-ounce bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used KC Masterpiece honey-flavored)
8 hamburger buns

1. Season pork tenderloin with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the pork in a slow cooker and pour root beer over the meat.

2. Cover and cook on low until well-cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Drain well.

3. Stir in barbecue sauce and serve over hamburger buns. Top with cole slaw, if desired.

Cheese-Filled Meatloaf; Mashed Cauliflower

Meat loaf and mashed potatoes is one of those meals that just screams comfort for me. After a long day at work today and a baby kicking me persistently in the ribs all evening, some comfort was just what I needed.

Last year, I saw a recipe for meat loaf in one of my Taste of Home magazines that, for some reason, just stuck with me. It was a stuffed meat loaf, filled with sour cream, cheese and pimiento-stuffed olives. I'd been wanting to try it for a long time, and tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity. I decided to try something new with the "mashed potatoes" portion of the meal: I mashed cauliflower instead. I've seen this idea floating around on a couple of the food blogs I frequent, and I wanted to create my own spin on it.

The meat loaf turned out great, besides the fact that it fell apart and thus ended up looking nothing like the pretty picture in my cookbook. Yeah...I'm not so good at rolling things up, apparently. I may want to avoid jelly rolls this holiday season until I practice a little bit more. The meat loaf itself was delicious, though, despite its appearance: very moist inside, and crusty on top just like I like it. The pimientos gave it a nice tang, and the sour cream added a nice flavor and interesting texture. The cauliflower was delicious, too; I chose not to puree mine and instead left it a little bit chunky -- just like I enjoy my mashed potatoes. The verdict: Mashed cauliflower really does provide the same comfort factor as a steaming pile of mashed potatoes. I'll definitely make both dishes again. My modifications are in purple.


Cheese-Filled Meat Loaf
Source: Taste of Home 2008 Annual Recipes

1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup crushed cornflakes (I didn't have any, so I used regular potato chips instead)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery (I omitted)
1 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon, since I used salty potato chips)
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. On a large piece of heavy-duty foil, pat beef mixture into a rectangle. Sprinkle sour cream to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle with cheese and olives.

2. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a short side and peeling away foil while rolling. Seal seam and ends. Place seam side down in a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 65-75 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and meat thermometer reads 160°. Let meat loaf stand for 10 minutes before slicing. 6 servings.

*****


Mashed Cauliflower
Source: Cassie

1 medium head cauliflower
1 can chicken broth
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used colby-jack)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook cauliflower in a saucepan over medium-high heat in chicken broth until tender, 10-12 minutes (add some water to cover, if necessary). Drain.

2. Mash cauliflower with a potato masher (or puree, if desired). Stir in sour cream, butter, cream cheese, shredded cheese and salt and pepper.

LiveSTRONG: Glazed Pineapple Cookies

When I think of the words "live" and "strong," the first person that comes to mind is my mom, because strongly is exactly how she lived her life. That's why, when I recently learned about the A Taste of Yellow blogging event (hosted by Barbara at winosandfoodies) I knew I had to take part: to remember my mom and others who lost their battle with cancer, to celebrate those who won, and to raise awareness for this horrible disease.

My mom's battle with cancer began when I was nine years old. She was diagnosed with brain cancer on Halloween of 1992. After two surgeries, two rounds of radiation and some intensive chemotherapy, she was declared cancer-free, which she remained until 2005. In February of 2005, though, her routine yearly MRI revealed that the cancer had returned to her brain, and this time it was determined to take her. She had two more surgeries and countless rounds of chemotherapy, but she finally succumbed to the disease on January 22, 2007.

My mom was the strongest woman I have ever known and will ever know -- independent, with an engaging personality and a smile that was a more brilliant yellow than any food I could possibly make. People gravitated towards her for a reason; she exuded confidence, strength and faith every single moment she lived. Even as she died, her faith and her strength remained. I can't even begin to describe what it felt like to lose her -- what it still feels like as I wake up every day without her in my life. I hope that I can be half the mother -- half the woman -- she was.


It's shocking how many lives and how many families are affected by cancer. That's why the work that Lance Armstrong's foundation and other organizations around the country do is so important. I have to believe that, with enough awareness and research, our world can be free of this terrible disease.

Okay, enough seriousness! On to the food. As soon as I learned about this event, I knew I wanted to use pineapple as my "something yellow." Spring is upon us now, and nothing says spring to me like a deliciously tangy and juicy pineapple. I found a scrumptious-sounding recipe for pineapple cookies in one of my cookbooks, so I decided to go for it. They don't really look very yellow after baking, but they're wonderful cookies. Their texture is both moist and cake-like, and I love the little explosion of pineapple flavor in every bite. I think the addition of some toasted coconut mixed in with the glaze would add a nice tropical flavor, so I may try that next time. Hmmm...And now that I think about it, some white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts would be a nice addition to this cookie, too! Really, though, they're delicious just as they are. (Also, I know I glazed my cookies when they were still too warm, because the glaze ran everywhere...but I just couldn't resist! I had to try one of the cookies immediately, and it was worth it!)


Glazed Pineapple Cookies
Source: The Ultimate Cookie Collection (page 52)

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter-flavored)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Drain the pineapple, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Set pineapple aside; set juice aside for glaze. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add egg; mix well. Add pineapple and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture.

2. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 17-20 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool.

3. For glaze, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar with enough of reserved pineapple juice to achieve a smooth consistency. Spoon glaze over cooled cookies.

Creamy Red Pepper Chicken Pasta

While this recipe isn't exactly in our regular rotation, it's definitely one that I keep coming back to again and again because it's so easy to make and so unbelievably delicious. I can't even remember how this recipe originated -- I think I was making some type of pasta with red pepper sauce, and I thought how good the sauce would be if it were creamier...and then this dish was born.

This dish is so Sandra Lee of me, since it uses jarred Alfredo sauce. You could definitely make your own sauce, but I find that my brand of jarred sauce (Ragu) imparts a lot of flavor and saves a lot of time. The resulting dish is flavorful, creamy, and totally irresistible. It's light enough to eat in the spring and summer months, but hearty enough for fall and winter. I just know you'll love it!


Creamy Red Pepper Chicken Pasta
Source: Cassie

1 box fettucine or linguine
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Italian seasoning to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow onion (2 if the onions are small), sliced
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, season chicken breasts with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook in olive oil in a skillet until juices run clear. Remove chicken from skillet and let rest.

3. In a medium saucepan, cook onions over medium heat until they just begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Place peppers in a food processor or blender (the Magic Bullet works perfectly for this!) and pulse until peppers form a puree.

4. Add Alfredo sauce to onions, then add milk and mozzarella cheese to desired consistency. Stir in the red pepper puree and heat through.

5. Once chicken has rested, slice at an angle and mix with pasta, reserving some strips for presentation. Add sauce to pasta and chicken. Top with additional mozzarella or parmesan cheese, if desired.

Rich Chocolate Chunk Brownies

The purpose of this weekend's baking was to feed a craving...and, surprisingly, it wasn't even one of my own! Before my kitchen was finished, I took a vow that, when the room was finally done, I would try to bake something every weekend. For my inaugural weekend baking session, I decided to ask Joe what he wanted. Personally, I have been craving everything strawberry lately, so I was thinking about some strawberry scones or strawberry muffins. My husband, however, has taste buds that are set to "all chocolate, all the time" (I swear, he's as bad as a girl when it comes to chocolate), and he requested chocolate chunk brownies. After perusing through my baking cookbooks, I came across a recipe in The Taste of Home Baking Book that sounded like it fit the bill almost perfectly; and with only a few alterations, it became my idea of the perfect brownie -- ooey gooey and deliciously chocolatey and super-rich. My modifications are in purple.

Rich Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Source: The Taste of Home Baking Book (pages 96 and 97 of hard-bound edition)

For the brownies:
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
half of an 11.5-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chunks

For the frosting:
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (I omitted)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

1. In large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; add to batter and mix well. Stir in chocolate chunks.

2. Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

3. For the frosting, combine the cocoa and butter. Gradually stir in confectioners' sugar and enough water to achieve a spreading consistency. Frost brownies.