Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

I'm a little late getting this up...being that I was uploading all the Iron Chef recipes. For that I apologize...because it is just a shame that this shouldn't have been immediately shared.

I also think I need to stop sharing Pioneer Woman recipes...because I am never, ever, EVER going to find one that isn't amazing, delicious, scrumptious, and just down right PERFECT...and frankly, you can go to her website and find all the wonderful recipes yourself, and all with MUCH prettier pictures.

But before I do that, I want to share this little gem...called Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork.

I love recipes that use soda...because we hardly ever have soda in the house...and it makes it a lovely treat for my poor, soda-deprived children.. A couple Easters ago, I used soda to not only glaze my ham, but make a wonderful cake that is from my own childhood.

This is an all-day recipe...requiring hours to slowly roast in the oven. Roasting food for hours is my FAVORITE way to cook (which you already know if you know anything about me)...the effort is incredibly worth it.

No need to double...you'll feed firsts, seconds, and thirds, and have leftovers, too...

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

• 1 whole large onion
• 1 whole Pork Shoulder - 5 to 7 pounds
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 can (11 Ounces) Chipolte Peppers in Adobo Sauce (my store only had 7-ounce cans, so I used two)
• 2 cans Dr. Pepper
• 2 TBS Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

Pour the can of chipolte peppers over the pork (include the sauce).

Pour in both cans of Dr. Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir it in.

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in oven. Cook for AT LEAST 6 hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after 6 hours, it should be absolutely falling apart (Use two forks to test it). If it's not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove meat from pot and place on cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred the meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve.

note: You can also refrigerate meat and liquid separately, and remove hardened fat once it's cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stove top and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.

Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices, and whatever else floats your boat.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of the tacos we made...frankly...we couldn't stop eating long enough to take any!!

courtesy Pioneer Woman

Thanksgiving Stuffing

I love Thanksgiving. I'm awfully protective of it, too...like, I get very upset when the retail stores go straight from Halloween to Christmas decorations without even a nod to Thanksgiving (and all in July, too).

There are two things that I love MOST OF ALL for Thanksgiving, and they are Stuffing and Apple Pie.

This year, we went to friends for Thanksgiving dinner, and my friend asked me to bring my favorite thing...so I brought....STUFFING AND APPLE PIE.

Seriously...I was that predictable.

So I thought I'd share these amazing recipes with you...and you can try them out and see if they aren't just the best dad gum Stuffing and Apple Pie recipes out there!!!

I ALWAYS make a double batch of this...because I want to eat for 3 solid square meals for AT LEAST two days after Thanksgiving...so double if you're like me or are expecting a lot of holiday guests...


Thanksgiving Stuffing

1 bag Pepperidge Farm Cubed and Seasoned Stuffing (in a bag with red title)
a good cup and a half of chopped celery
a good cup and a half of chopped onion
Chicken broth (however many cups it says to have on the back of the bag of stuffing...I think 3)
1 STICK of butter (get the good salted sweet cream stuff)
a cup of whole button mushrooms, drained (about two jars worth)
One pound ground sausage (I usually go for the maple flavored)
3 Granny Smith or Liberty apples, peeled, cored, and diced (optional)

1. You're pretty much preparing the stuffing according to package directions, with a few minor adjustments. You're adding MORE celery and onion than called for, for example...so get that all chopped up...

You're also using a WHOLE STICK of butter. I think the guidelines call for 6 TBS...but you're just going to use the whole 8. So put that on a skillet and melt it, and add the onion and celery, and saute until onion and celery are almost soft. If you're lucky enough that your family will let you use apples, you cook them with the onion and celery, too. My family doesn't like apples in their stuffing, so I don't always get to add them. The beauty of doubling this recipe is that you can make one batch WITH apples, and one WITHOUT.

2. Meanwhile, brown up that pound of sausage.MMMmmmm....smells good.

3. When onion and celery are soft, add mushrooms and heat through.

4. Add sausage and remove from heat, stirring to combine flavors.

5. Heat your chicken broth to boiling, remove from heat and add bag of stuffing AND onion/celery/sausage/mushroom/possibly apple mixture. Stir/Fluff gently until moist.

6. Now...stuff your bird, but save some to stick in the oven, covered at 350, for about 30 minutes. If you want that yummy crispy top to your stuffing, remove the covering for the last 5 to 10 minutes, or after its had it's 30 minutes, put it under the broiler for a couple minutes.

This is so good...you'll never embarrass yourself by making Stove Top again!!

courtesy me!!!

Raspberry-Glazed Pork Chops

(oh my golly's...do you know what I did? I accidentally erased all the pictures of me making this item off my camera...I can't believe I did that!!!! So now you have this recipe...but no pictures!! I am SO SORRY! Please try it anyway...it is REALLY good!!!)

This is a Sunday dinner...but only because of it's looks. It LOOKS beautiful...and maybe even fancy. But just like books...you never judge a recipe by it's photo. This is SUPER EASY.


I'm obviously NOT making this on a Sunday because my whole menu is all screwed up thanks to the Valentines Day Stomach Flu. I'm still categorizing it under Sunday dinners, though...


because I'm slightly obstinate.


This serves four, which means I double. My pork chops are also from CostCo, which means that they are about 1-1/2 inch thick instead of the required 3/4 inch thickness. You can deal with this in one of two ways...you can slice the pork chops in half to make them thinner (easier if the chops are still SLIGHTLY frozen and you use a VERY sharp knife), which will help them cook faster; OR you can cook them longer at a lower heat. You can add a little broth or water to help stave off dryness.


Served great with a wild greens salad and a balsamic or raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Creamy Poppyseed is also really good...just don't look at the fat content. The recipe calls for grated orange peel...rather than waste the orange for a little peel, I'd peel it and serve a few wedges as garnish around the salads edge. Super creamy mashed potatoes (use Yukon Golds for best results) or crispy red potato wedges drizzled in olive oil with some thyme and rosemary will round it all out.


Raspberry-Glazed Pork Chops


1 tsp. butter
4 boneless pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick
1/2 cups seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup raspberry or balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp grated orange peel
1-1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme


1. Melt butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chops, cook 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until browned on both sides.


2. Mix remaining ingredients, spoon evenly over chops in skillet.


3. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until sauce is reduced to glaze consistency and chops are cooked through, turning chops occasionally.


(You can serve these as whole chops, or slice and arrange in fan shapes with extra sauce drizzled over the top. With kids - we do the "fans", and the adults get whole chops and a steak knife)


courtesy Kraft foods