Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

I could eat tacos or some variation thereof every day.

There is always some kind of taco-related item in our weekly meal plan. We love Mexican/Tex-Mex/Americanized Mexican food. Our kids were eating salsa as soon as they could have solid foods. We always have fresh cilantro on hand. (I can't grow it in my garden to save my life, though - what's the deal?) We have cotija cheese and picked red onions in the fridge at all times.

This carnitas recipe is really simple - throw it in the slow cooker, and forget about it. Our kids love it (adjust the heat to your family's liking). Put out a selection of toppings, some chips and guac or salsa, veggies or fruit, and voila! Dinner's served. It's great for feeding a crowd, too.

Savory Pork Carnitas

3-4 pounds pork shoulder/pork butt
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles (adjust heat by using mild or hot)
1 pkg. (1.25 oz.) taco seasoning (I use about 1/4 c. of The Spice House taco seasoning)*
1 c. water

Place ingredients in a 4 1/2 - 6 qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook until tender enough to shred (6 hours on high, 10ish hours on low). Remove from the cooker and shred meat with a fork. If you want, spread the shredded meat on a baking sheet, and stick it under the broiler for 5ish minutes until the ends start to get kind of crispy and caramelized. Serve on tortillas with your favorite garnishes. Our favorites are sliced avocado, diced white onions or pickled red onions, cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.

To freeze: place all ingredients in a freezer storage bag, and "knead" to combine/coat. Freeze. That in the fridge for a few days to cook. For freezer meal swap, include 1 pkg. 8-10" flour tortillas.

*Some recipes use only oregano and cumin in equal amounts, some add chipotle pepper or chili powder - play with the spice mix and see what you like best. Throw in a bay leaf if you're feeling fancy.

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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