Crockpot Pulled Pork

I pinned this recipe on Pinterest a while back, but just got around to trying it a couple weeks ago. Boy do I wish I had tried it sooner! Who knew pulled pork bbq could be SO EASY to make? The finsihed product looks very similar to my sunshine chicken, but my husband said it was even BETTER than sunshine chicken! This may be our new favorite pork recipe. Did I say it was easy? Throw all the ingredients in the crockpot, cook for a few hours, and shred the meat! That's it! You could serve this on a bun, over nachos or a baked potato, but we just served it plain and it was scrumptious! Here is the link to the original pinner: http://southwinstonlane.blogspot.com/2012/03/easy-bbq-pork.html

1. Season your boneless porkchops. I used sea salt, black pepper, a garlic/onion seasoning blend, and a little pepper blend seasoning.

2. Thinly slice half an onion.

3. In your crockpot, mix about 1 c. bbq sauce and about 1/2 c. water.

4. Layer porkchops, then onions, and then drizzle a little more bbq sauce on top. Cook on low for a few hours (mine only took 4 hours).

5. Shred the meat with two forks and let it sit a little longer to absorb the sauce.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

Serves 4

4 boneless porkchops

seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, etc.)

half bottle BBQ sauce (we prefer Jack Daniels Original)

half an onion, thinly sliced

1/2 c. water

Season your porkchops with spices of your choice. Stir 1 c. bbq sauce in the bottom of the crockpot with 1/2 c. water. Place chops side-by-side in the sauce. Layer onions on top of the chops and drizzle a little more bbq sauce over top. Cook on low 4-6 hours (depending on how fast your's cooks-mine was finished in 4). Shred the pork with a fork and let sit a little longer to soak up the sauce. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Bake

Okay so this "pasta" dish has NO pasta and NO meat! And believe me when I tell you, you will not miss either one! I found this recipe on Pinterest and made a few tweaks. We absolutely loved it! Even the hubby was impressed by this vegetarian meal. There are enough leftovers for us to have it again for dinner tomorrow and I can't wait! You have got to try this dish. It's healthy, quick, easy, and delicious!

1. Cook your spaghetti squash. I cut mine in half, drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted face-down for 45 min at 375. Let cool a little so that you can handle it.

2. Meanwhile, chop your zucchini, red pepper, onion, carrot, tomato, and garlic. Cook onion, red pepper, and zucchini in a pan with a little olive oil on med-high heat.

3. When the veggies in the pan start to become tender, add chopped tomatoes, shredded carrots, and garlic. Saute for another couple minutes.

4. Turn the heat off and add in the jar of spaghetti sauce, along with some salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.

5. Now, onto the squash. Hold one half of it in your hand. Using a fork in the other hand, scrape the inside of the squash, and little "noodles" will fall right out. I just went ahead and scrapped them straight into my casserole dish.

6. Add in your sauce/veggies and stir until combined.

7. Add half the cheese to the pasta and mix in. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake at 375 for about 30 min.

Spaghetti Squash Bake

1 large spaghetti squash
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1/2 onion
1 tomato
4 baby carrots, shredded (or 1 large carrot)
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. jar spaghetti sauce (any kind)
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes to your taste
olive oil

Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and drizzle insides with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place face down on a baking sheet and roast at 375 for 45 min or until soft. Let cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, chop all your veggies. They should be a medium diced size. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive in a pan over med-high heat. Add zucchini, onion, and red pepper to pan and cook until tender. Then add in the carrot, tomato, and garlic and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in your spaghetti sauce. Set that aside. Take your squash and using a fork, scrape out the insides into your 9x13 casserole dish. Make sure to get all the little bits. Next add in your sauce, seasonings, and half of each cheese. Stir well until combined. Then top with the other half of the cheeses. Bake at 375 for about 30 min or until hot and bubbly.

Sunshine Chicken

This recipe came from my mother. Besides my grandmother, Mom, my mother is one of the best cooks I know! Whether she spends all day cooking or simply whipping something up from things she has on hand, her meals are always delicious and comforting. I make many of her recipes, but they never quite taste as good as when she makes it. This chicken is one of the EASIEST chicken recipes you will ever make. It's only 3 ingredients-chicken breast, bbq sauce, and orange juice. Throw it all in the crockpot and let it cook! It's that simple.

1. Either lightly spray or line your crockpot with a slowcooker liner. Lay 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts in the bottom.

2. Cover chicken with 1 c.(about half a bottle) bbq sauce. We love the Jack Daniels brand, but any kind would work.

3. Pour in 1/4 c. orange juice. Stir the sauce around so that the chicken breasts are covered.

4. Cook on low for about 5 hours or on high about 3 hrs*. Right before you serve it, lightly shred the chicken. Not so much that it's like pulled pork, but enough so that you have smaller pieces that can soak up all that juice.
*Note: Some slow-cookers cook at different rates. Mine tends to cook a little fast, so adjust cooking times depending on your machine.

Sunshine Chicken

Serves 3

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. bbq sauce
1/4 c. orange juice

Place all ingredients in your crockpot and cook on low for about 6hrs or high for 4hrs. Lighlty shred right before serving. Enjoy!

Taco Soup

We love soup and chili's in the winter. We eat them all the time! This recipe is one of our favorite chili-ish types of soup. We were even fighting over who got the last of the leftovers, so it must be good. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law a few years back. The directions call for it to be made in a pot on the stove and simmered for 30 min, but then I thought Why not make it in the crockpot? So this time, I threw all the ingredients in the crockpot and cooked on high for about 2 hrs. It was the best batch EVER! I highly recommend doing it that way if you have the time. Serve with your favorite toppings and some skillet cornbread and it makes such a cozy(and filling!) meal!

1. Brown the beef in a skillet, then drain.

2. Drain the green beans, corn, and pinto beans, then add to the crockpot along with the rotel, ranch beans, tomatoes, and seasoning packets. I lined mine with a slowcooker liner.

3. Add beef and beer. Stir and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.

4. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!


Taco Soup

Serves 6-8

1lb. lean ground beef, cooked (I use organic 92% lean)
1 can cut green beans, drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained (I use no salt added)
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can ranch style beans (black can white print-sometimes hard to spot)
1 can mild rotel
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 pkt. ranch dressing seasoning
1 pkt. taco seasoning (I used a heaping TBSP of a homemade version)
1 12 oz. beer (whatever you have on hand)
toppings: cheese, sour cream, fritos, etc.

In a skillet, cook ground beef and then drain. Meanwhile, drain the corn, pinto beans, and green beans. Add those along with the ranch beans, rotel, tomatoes, and seasoning packets to the crockpot. Add beef. Pour in the beer and stir. It will be foamy at first, but the beer will cook out. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4. If you're short on time, it can be cooked in a pot on the stove for 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and fritos.

Perfect Caramel Cake

This is one of the BEST cakes I have ever had! It is one you will repeatedly be asked the recipe for. I first had this cake a few years ago at my aunt Cheryl and uncle Mike's house, and I loved it so much I had my aunt send me the recipe. I'm not sure where the recipe came from, but it's so good that I have not changed the recipe in the slightest. It's surprisingly pretty easy, and it is so moist! Oh and the icing!  It's your true sweet southern crispy caramel glaze. YUM-O! I encourage you to make this cake very soon, and you will be wanting to make it again and again for years to come. Let's get started:

1. Put all ingredients for the cake in a large bowl.

2. With a mixer, beat on low until ingredients are incorporated. Turn the mixer on medium and mix for 1.5 min until light and smooth.

3. Divide batter evenly into two 9" pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 28-32 min. Watch closely the last 5 min.

4. Let cool in pans for 15 min. Then take out of pan and place on a wire rack until completely cool.

5. When cake layers are completely cool start the icing. In a medium sized pan, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until they melt and start to boil. Takes about 3 min.

6. Add in the milk, bring back to a boil and then take it off the heat. Start adding the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and whisking as you go. 

7. Here's what it should look like. Its thicker than a glaze, thinner than a frosting. It will harden as it cools. If it tightens up too much while you are icing the cake, put back on low heat. Can add a tad more milk if needed.

8. Line your plate or stand with strips of parchment paper to catch drips. Ladle a spoon full of icing on top of the bottom layer and spread to the edges. Place second cake layer on top.

9. Ladle icing onto the top and spread evenly. Then ice down the sides. Once cake is completely iced, pull out parchment strips. 

10. Serve with some vanilla ice cream and enjoy! 

Caramel Cake

8-10 servings

For the Cake:

1 box plain yellow cake mix (not the pudding kind!)
1 small box vanilla instant pudding mix
1 c. milk (I used 2% organic)
1 c. oil (I use SmartBalance blend)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Line two 9" round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside. Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Using your mixer, mix on low until ingredients are incorporated (about 30-45sec). Then turn the mixer to medium and blend until light and smooth (about 1.5 min). Divide batter evenly between the cake pans. I bang mine on the counter a couple times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Bake for 28-32 minutes at 350. Watch closely the last 5 min. Your cake can go from gooey to overcooked very quickly! Cake is ready when toothpick comes out clean and top of cake is nice and golden.

For the Icing:

1 stick butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. powdered sugar

In a medium sauce pan melt butter and sugar. When it begins to boil, stir in milk. Bring to a boil again and take off heat. Add vanilla and powdered sugar 1/2 c. at a time. Whisk as you add the powdered sugar. It will look thin, but it hardens as it cools. Place the first layer of the cake on a parchment-lined cake plate or stand. Ladle a spoon full of icing on top of first layer and spread out evenly. Place second layer on top. Ice the top of the cake, then the sides. If the icing hardens too much, put back on low heat to loosen it. I will say, it's very hard to get the icing perfectly smooth. I've learned to just accept the rustic look! :)