Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Tacos, Beef or Pork

Tacos, Beef or Pork

5-7 pounds of pork-butt or beef roast. (I usually use the lowest cost roast possible for this recipe ... since we are cooking it in a crockpot it will always come out tender and tasty.)

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 small onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt (I like to use sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can enchalada sauce - 12 oz can

Turn a large crockpot on high. Put the olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot and coat the bottom. Add the garlic and the chopped onions. Mix the cumin, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. You can sprinkle or rub half of the dry mix on half of the roast. Place the roast, seasoned side down, in the crock pot on top of the onions. Sprinkle or rub the remaining dry ingredient mix on the top of the roast. Pour the enchalada sauce in the crock pot on the side of the roast. Now the hard part ... walk away for four to two hours then turn the crock pot down to low. I know the roast is done in four but I usually cook it for over 6 hours. About fifteen minutes before you are going to eat remove the roast and use two forks to shred the roast. You can add some of the liquid back over the shredded roast to keep it moist if you like. We like the meat dry, so we do not add any liquid before the meat hits the table.

We put on the table the following toppings:

Salsa ... homemade sales recipe later this week!
Hot Sauce
Chopped Onions
Flour or Corn Tortillas (that I warm in the oven in aluminum foil)
Preformed Corn Taco Shells (use the preformed shells to make things easier)
Sour Cream
Shredded Cchedder Cheese or Taco Cheese Mixture
Chopped Lettuce
Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Refried Beans (warmed in a heavy pan on the stove)

You get the idea ... these is one of those make it early and enjoy it without much work dinners. Spread everything on the table and let everyone make their own tacos ... this is the most requested dinner in our house ... I hope that it will be in yours as well. Here are some pictures of the last time we made beef tacos.



Ciao, Mark

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Penne Pasta with Tomatoes and Basil

Hi Gang! I know ... I am kind of an on again off again blogger at the moment. So I will first start there ... WHY? Well in recent months I have started a new career in sales. I have sold, for over 20 years, Factory Automation Products used in manufacturing companies in the southeast. In March of this year I went to work for a company that sells Office Furniture. This has been, and continues to be, a big adjustment. So at night, when I should be blogging, I am trying to learn what I am supposed to do for a living! As I feel I am becoming more proficient at what I do for a living I will blog more. Wow, that just sounds like a long-winded excuse to me!

Tomatoes



So lets talk about an easy recipe for dinner any night. I made this recipe on Saturday Night when our family got to spend time with Marybeth. (In the photo from left to right it is me, Cindy and Marybeth.) She is a wonderful blogging friend of ours that we can never seem to spend enough time with. Visit Marybeth's Blog here. She does a great job talking about Motherhood, Homeschooling and Life as a strong Christian Woman. Anyway, Marybeth called and asked me to make a recipe from the back of a box of Mueller's Penne Pasta. I have to tell you (and you Marybeth) that I NEVER buy Mueller's Pasta because it is just too Non-Italian to me! Talk about a guy with a complex! Also, no one ever tells me what to bring because they expect me to bring something good! So here Marybeth is inviting us for dinner and telling me what to make with Mueller's Pasta ... the nerve! So I went to the store and bought the pasta and took everything over to Marybeth's house and made it there. I hate eating my words (even if they were under my breath and I was the only one that heard them!) but this recipe is Great Tasting and Easy to make! Take the time to try it this week ... I would bet that you have everything in the house to make it this evening.

Penne Pasta with Tomatoes & Basil

1 Pound Penne Pasta, Cooked (Yes, use Mueller's)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic, smashed and chopped
2 1/2 Cup Diced Tomatoes (Or 1 Can 24 oz Drained Diced Tomatoes)
1 Can, 12 oz chicken Stock (I use low sodium and low fat products)
1/2 cup shopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Prepare the pasta as directed, drain and rinse with cold water. Do not pour olive oil over it to prevent it from stick as this makes it hard for the flavor of the sauce you are using to infuse into the pasta. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat, add the olive oil and then saute the garlic for about 45-60 seconds. Add the tomatoes and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes. Now add the chicken broth and bring the sauce to a boil. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes and then add the chopped basil and salt and pepper to taste. (How much salt and pepper ... like I said you need to taste the sauce at this point with a spoon or a piece of bread.) Now add the cooked pasta and toss until it is coated with the sauce. Serve the pasta with the grated Romano cheese on the side so your guests can add what they would like.

Enjoy this dish with Family and Friends ... Ciao, Mark, Cindy and Marybeth and CURT!

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Well, I am not a finalist for the Build-A-Better-Burger contest this year. I still think there are a few burgers this year that are worth making. Visit the recipes for this years finalists in the link below.

As for me and my burger ... well this one deserves to be re-written. I will try to post a version of this burger later this weekend. For now ... enjoy cooking with your families.

Build-A-Better-Burger Finalists

Monday, September 04, 2006

Build-A-Better-Burger Contest



I am not really sure why I think I will get picked for this years contest. Maybe it is because my wife has asked me to make this burger recipe at least four times this summer. Maybe it is because everyone outside of my family that I let try the burger requested it a second time. Maybe it is because the morening after I make the burger my wife has one for breakfast. these are all good signs. So I think that my hopes have been raised. The real question is if I wrote the recipe so it reads as good as it tastes? Only time will tell. I will post the recipe next week if I am not one of the finalists that is picked. In the mean time just look at the picture and see if you can taste it with your eyes.

Ciao,
Mark