Sausage & Cheddar Potatoes in a Packet

I cannot stress how important it is to me to have a sit down family dinner each night!!  Imagine my feelings when I received this book:

It is full of great ideas, stories, quotes and recipes to help you make the family dinner a tradition.  This book is an easy and enjoyable read.  It uses real life examples and easy ways to make the most out of dinner!

            ·The Hour That Matters Most launched September 6, 2011

·For more information visit, www.thehourthatmattersmost.com

·Available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

·Price: $15.99

 There are great recipes at the end of each chapter.  The Sausage and Cheddar Potatoes grabbed my attention.  It was quick, easy and a big hit with the family. 

*Sausage & Cheddar Potatoes
5 cups diced potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoon green onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons cooked bacon bits
1 pound smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced
1  cup shredded cheddar cheese
Layer two pieces of tinfoil about 18 inches long each criss cross over each other. Place potatoes in the middle of the top layer of foil.  Cover with the remained ingredients in the order given. 

  Wrap first layer and tightly seal. 

Bring the other layer over top and tightly seal again.

You could freeze at this point if you want.  Otherwise

bake ate 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

*I adapted it just a bit.

used: 1/2 cup diced onions

1 pound bacon cooked and chopped

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

1/2 cup lemon lime soda (I used diet)

YUM!
Recipe was taken from Hour that Matters Most by Les and Leslie Parrott with Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna. Copyright © 2011 by Les and Leslie Parrott and Dream Dinners. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved

Bring your family to the table tonight!!

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Perfect Pulled Pork

Pulled pork has become a fave at our house.  This recipe is amazing!! I found it over at Kevin & Amanda a really great site with lots of cool things. It takes a bit of preparation and time but OH SO WORTH IT!! It is delicous!!

Perfect Pulled Pork
adapted from Kevin & Amanda

4-7 pound pork roast

Dry Rub
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add 1 Tbsp if you like it spicy)
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix all ingredients together well and store in an air tight container.

Cover it and set it aside.

Now for the brine – A brine solution gives the meat the extra moisture it needs for a long, slow cooking process so you don’t end up with tough, dried out meat.
Brine Solution
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 qts cold water
3 tbsp dry rub mix
2 bay leaves
Add salt to cold water and stir very well until all the salt is completely dissolved. Then add the brown sugar and dry rub and stir well to combine.
Rinse the pork shoulder in cold water and place in a 2 gallon ziploc bag (or a container big enough so the shoulder is completely covered in brine solution).  Carefully pour in the brine solution. 
Add two dried bay leaves.

Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but no longer than 24 hours.

Then at least 8 hours later…
Preheat oven to 225, remove the pork roast from the brine solution and place in the roasting pan

that is bigger than the shoulder by at least a inch in length and width and at least 3 inches deep. Sprinkle dry rub onto the surface of the roast and massage in such that it adheres to the surface. Coat all sides.

 Make sure the fat layer on the roast is facing up before cooking! Place baking pan uncovered in a 225 degree oven on the middle rack. Insert a probe thermometer into the center or thickest part of the shoulder, but not touching the bone. Monitor the temperature throughout cooking (a digital thermometer with an alarm function is the easiest way to do this). Do not remove from the oven until the center of the shoulder reaches 200 degrees. When the shoulder has reached 200 degrees, shut off the oven and let the roast cool for a couple of hours before removing from the oven. If the bottom of the pan is dry (or crusted with dried spices) then cover the pan with foil to retain internal moisture of the meat during the cooling period. When the temperature drops to 170 degrees or slightly lower, remove from oven.

  Place on a large, clean work surface such as a cutting board, and remove the large sheet of crusted fat on the top. Pull apart with two forks, it will pull apart very easily.

Mix with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve on toasted buns.

Two of my faves are:

Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

Sassy Barbecue Sauce

*After the roast is pulled apart I freeze part of it for later meals.

YUM!!

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Sausage, Beans & Rice

This may not be the most beautiful meal, but it is delicious,really quick and simple.  The whole family loves it. You can always spice it up more if you like!!

Sausage, Beans & Rice
adapted from Scrumdiddlyumptious
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced
1 (15 oz.) can chili or pinto beans
1 (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1-2 teaspoons chili powder or more to taste
Pepper to taste
2 - 2 1/2 cups uncooked rice
Cook rice.  Meanwhile,  heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add onion and cook until tender.  Add garlic and saute with the onion for another minute.  Add sliced sausage and cook until heated through.  Stir in tomato sauce, beans, chili powder and water. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper if desired to taste. Stir in the cooked rice and serve.

*You can always add hot sauce if you like it a little spicier :-)
* I use Hillshire Farms link sausage

Dinner's ready super fast!!

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Pork Chops O'Brien

This is the perfect meal to satisfy my meat and potatoes hubby.  I love it because it is easy and an all in one deal!!  It is delicious and there weren't any leftovers. 

Pork Chops O'Brien
6 pork loin chops about 1/2 inch thick
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1+ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups french fried onions
24 oz. frozen hash browns
seasoning salt
Over medium high heat, brown the pork chops and set aside.
Melt butter.  In a medium sized bowl combine the soup, sour cream, butter, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 cup onions.  Fold mixture into the potatoes.
Spread mixture in a lightly greased 9 x 13 dish.

Arrange pork chops on top and sprinkle them with the seasoning salt.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the pork is tender.  Remove cover. Sprinkle with the remaing french fried onions and cheese.

Return to the oven uncovered for 5-10 minutes more or until the cheese is melted.

YUM!!

*The original recipe calls for O'Brien hash browns.  I have always just used what I have on hand.  Don't worry about thawing your hashbrown.  It turns out just fine.

*You can substitute the soup for Cream of Celery.

Now the winner of the Cheerios Spoonful of Stories prize package, drawn by random number generator:

Congratulations to Miriam of Meatless Meals for Meat Eaters!  

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Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork

I have shared with you our latest crave of pulled pork.  We prefer it baked but sometimes simplicity is what is needed. This is a simple and delicious recipe.  I love the BBQ sauce.  Adding the root beer adds a great flavor.

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork
adapted from Gooseberry Patch
2 cups onions sliced and divided
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
4  pound pork roast (loin is best)
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons liguid smoke (optional)
3 cups  Root Beer divided
16 oz bottle BBQ sauce ( or two cups)

Place 1 cup onions and the garlic it the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper, place in crock pot.  Add 1 1/2 cups root beer and liquid smoke. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours or on high setting for 5 hours.  Remove roast and set aside to cool. Discard onion and liquid in crock pot.  In a saucepan, bring the BBQ sauce and 1 1/2 cups root beer to a boil and then simmer for 15-25 minutes.  When roast is cool enough to handle, shred with a fork.  Discard fat.  Return shredded meat to the crock pot. Stir in sauce mixture and remaining onion. Cover and cook on high for 1-3 hours, until the onion is soft. 

*We were anxious to eat so added the onion to the sauce mixture, then combined it with the meat and ate!!

*We also added a little liquid smoke to the sauce mixture, for an added smoky flavor.

We took the leftover and froze them. It froze great and was a great easy meal for later!!

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