Slow Cooker Cuban Island Pork

Submitted by Michelle Valdes

• 2 lbs. pork loin roast, cut into ½- to 1-inch cubes
• salt and pepper
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 (30 oz.) can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (4 oz.) can sliced black olives, drained
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 1/2 cups tomato juice (or 1 can V8® or similar)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup light or dark rum (optional)*
• 1 Tbsp. liquid tamarind paste concentrate
• 3 Tbsp Cuban Island spice

Season cubed pork with generous pinches of salt and pepper and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place all ingredients, including seasoned pork, in a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours until pork is fork tender. Serve warm.
Serve over rice with a dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro. Makes a great filling for tacos and burritos or a topping for nachos or tostadas.

Yields about 6 to 8 servings.

Notes:  If you do not want to use rum, substitute an additional 1/4 c orange juice.

Best Banana Bread EVERAH!

So you have those bananas sitting on your counter......they are turning brown......they don't look so appetizing.  What do you do with them?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Banana Bread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Super easy.

Cream together:  
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar

Add:
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas, finely crushed

Add:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Fold in:
3/4 c chopped English walnuts (optional)
1 c mini chocolate chips

Oven:  350 for 60 minutes in a greased and floured loaf pan.

******

I used bananas that were very....VERY soft.  I did not not crush mine up.  I sliced them thinly and put them into my Kitchen Aid.  Super easy!

Granola Bars

This week my dd is taking on a 4H challenge.  She had one a half months to make 8 recipes from the baking book and 4 of her own choosing.  Well, she tends to be a lot like her mom and procrastinates, so this week she is baking up a storm.  Tuesday she made Sour Cream Coffe Cake.  Tonight she made granola bars.  They are so good that I couldn't help but share the recipe.  She chose to add 1/2 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the dough. 

In this cooking lesson she learned how to use the soften butter feature on our microwave.

Granola Bars

1 c butter, softened

1 1/4 c sugar

2 Tbsp molasses

2 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3-4 c old-fashioned oats

1 tsp cinnamon

Dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, optional

Mix butter, sugar, and molasses in 2 qt mixing bowl.  Cream until fluffy.

Mix dry ingredients together in 1 qt mixing bowl.  Add to creamed mixture.  Mix completely.

Add dried fruit, chocolate chips, and nuts if you want.

Press in greased 10" x15" pan.  Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.  Cut into bars while hot.  Store at room temperature in a air-tight container, if they last that long.  Enjoy with a cup of Stash Bengal Spice Tea.

Meatloaf Muffins

Hubby and the kids would eat nothing but meat and bread/rice if I let them.  But since neither our waistlines nor our pocketbooks can afford such a diet, I have to try to figure out ways to ration meat portions and fill in with wholesome fruits and veggies.  One way I do that is by making portion-sized meats.  Instead of a single large meatloaf, I make mini meatloaf muffins!

Meatloaf Muffins

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard (dry)

1/4 teaspoon ground sage

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 - 2 cups bread crumbs, rolled oats, or pre-soaked barley

1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients. Spread in ungreased muffin pan.

Bake 30 minutes or until mixture is no longer pink in center and juice is clear.

Cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes after removing from oven.

Today I am serving mini meatloaf with onion rolls, steamed broccoli, and pineapple for dessert.  Mmmm!

Easy Fresh Bread

Mmmm....bread!  There's nothing quite as amazing as the smell of bread fresh from the oven.  A thick slice of fresh bread slathered in butter and drizzled in honey is a delight any day of the week!

I've been making bread since before I can remember.  I enjoy the process, particularly the kneading. It's rhythmic.  It's calming.  But it's also time consuming and I don't always have time to make bread from scratch by hand.

Instead, I put one of my kitchen "slaves" to work for me and toss all the ingredients into my bread machine.  By setting it for the "Dough" cycle it does all the work of mixing and kneading (as well as proofing the dough afterwards) while I am free to do other things.  My bread machine is an Oster 2-lb loaf machine (this one).  It's the only bread machine I've ever owned and it has served me well for close to 15 years!

Here's a little video I made showing one of my most frequently used recipes (a simple white bread) and the techniques I use in making my bread.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Nutella Mug Cake

Friday evenings are usually family night at our house........easy dinner, a family movie and a treat.  Tonight we squeezed a bike ride in before dinner so it was a packed night.  Still wanting to serve a simple treat for the family but yet special........

Mug cake!

Super simple and so easy to make.  I had some Nutella in the pantry and some nuts.  Grabbed a fun, cozy mug and stirred up a Mug Cake.

Yummy!  Gooey!  Chocolate!

1/4 to 1/3 cup of Nutella, softened for about 30 seconds in the microwave
3 T. milk
1/4 tsp baking powder
4 T flour
2 T chopped English walnuts

Stir together with a fork until completely combined.  Microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  It will be gooey.  If you want it more cake like, cook additional 10 seconds and check for doneness......repeat as necessary.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Enjoy!
Mary Lou