Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa

I love beef barbacoa. The best I've ever had was from Cocina DeLeon in Brookfield, which is now closed. I was inspired to experiment on my own, and I've combined about five different recipes from the Internet with some of my own tweaks (yes, I used a spreadsheet to compare ingredients). The results were met with very positive responses, so much so, that I had no photos. [Update: added a new photo! Also, make a double batch of the marinade, and freeze 1/2 so it's super easy to make next time.]

Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa

2-3 lb. chuck roast

1 medium white onion, diced

3/4 c. chicken stock
4-6 avocado leaves (hojas de aguacate)*

3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (juice of 2)

1/2 c. cider vinegar

4 chipotle chiles and a little adobo sauce from the can

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (remove big pieces of stem)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tbsp. ground cumin

2-1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano

Put the roast in the slow cooker with the onions and avocado leaves (you'll want to leave them whole so you can fish them out later). Put the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend together then pour over top of meat. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours until fork tender. I removed the juices and used my gravy separator to get rid of some of the fat, and screen out some of the undesirables (i.e. avocado leaves) and then shredded the meat. Add back some of the juice to keep moist. We served it on tortillas with our green salsa, and it was REALLY GOOD. Pico, queso fresco, fresh cilantro, diced white onion all would be good as condiments.

*Locally, try Woodman’s - also found them on Amazon.

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome. It's a lot of work, but it is awesome. Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great. What more can you ask for? I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef. You can mix it up, but I really like this combo. It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish. The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or jack cheese, shredded

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli! I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME). If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and choppe

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months. If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them. But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming. As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind. Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes. Find out if you're

A Cooking Baker

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