Shredded pork burritos with tomatillo sauce

Aren't slow cooker's the greatest thing ever? I just love that I can put everything together the night before, and have minimal work to do when I get home. This pork recipe is more sweet than spicy for tacos-probably good if you have picky eaters.

But--those of you that like spicy food, do not dispair. I made the tomatillo sauce a bit spicy and it was absolutely heavenly. I wish I had more recipes for tomatillos. I will be honest, I don't really know what they are or how I should use them, but I always like when I do use them.

TIP: Since this is a bone-in roast, when I remove the bones, I put them in a gallon freezer bag, and keep in the freezer. Once the bag is full of bones, I'll make a bone broth out of it!

I will say though, I got to use my new Ninja blender for this, but ended up cutting my finger on the blade (it's really sharp!) :(  I am fine, but it definitely hurts!

Scott always makes fun of me for the amount of stuff I put in my tacos/burritos. Do you think it's too much for one girl to eat??

My burrito

Tomatillo sauce

Shredded pork burritos with tomatillo sauce-adapted from Taste of Home's Easy Back to School Meals

Total time: 9 hours

Serves 16

For the pork:

• 1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (5 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
• 3 teaspoons paprika, divided
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces cola
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

For the sauce:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tomatillos, husks removed
• 2 tablespoons dried cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 envelope ranch dressing mix
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 16 flour tortillas
• Cheese, black olives, lettuce, sour cream-for serving

Place roast in a greased 5-quart slow cooker. Cover with 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons paprika, pepper flakes, cumin, salt, cola, chicken broth, onion and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. 

Shred the meat (sometimes I can do it right in the crock, sometimes I need to put it on a cutting board-do whatever is comfortable for you). Discard the bones. Return meat to slow cooker if removed. Stir in remaining brown sugar and paprika. Cover and continue to cook on low until heated through and sauce is done.

For the sauce, in a blender, combine the mayonnaise, milk, tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, ranch mix, lime juice, garlic and cayenne. Cover and process until blended. Pour into a small bowl and chill until serving.

Using a slotted spoon, fill each tortilla with your desired amount of pork, and top with you favorite toppings and the tomatillo sauce.

Italian pork chops

Oh man. You guys will love this recipe. It includes a tad bit more than a 'set it and forget it' to thicken the sauce, but it's still incredibly easy. I think my favorite part is that it makes a TON of sauce. I have a bunch left over that I plan on using this week for a recipe. We're working on moving into a new place, and once that is done, I want to learn to can, and I think this would be a great recipe!

Anyway, This is one of the easiest meals I've made! The flavors were fantastic even though there wasn't too much to it. The pork ended up super tender, you didn't even need a fork! I served over pasta for the extra sauce.

Italian pork chops-adapted from Taste of Home's Easy Back to School Meals
Total time: 6 hours
Serves 4

• 4 boneless pork chops
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Cooked pasta of your choice, for serving

In a 4-5 quart greased slow cooker, place the pork chops, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Top with tomato sauce, lemon juice, salt, oregano, basil and parsley. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low, or until pork is tender and cooked through.

Remove pork to an oven-safe dish, and place in an oven preheating to 250 degrees. This will keep them warm. Transfer the sauce to a medium sauce pan. 

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and mix until smooth. Add to saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over pork chops and pasta.

Heat's Homemade: Tomato Sauce

There was something I was planning on making awhile back that called for a lot of tomato juice. And for some reason I cannot remember what it was. That is very strange for me as I plan my meals out week by week, and I don't think I've ever truly skipped something.

Anyway, to try to be thrifty, I decided to buy one of those large, restaurant-sized tomato juice cans, so then I decided, when I was going to make the up-coming recipes, that I should figure out how I can make my own tomato sauce (which is slightly thicker than tomato juice) with the tomato juice I had on hand. In comes Google! This is so simple, and just add a bit more flour if it isn't getting thick enough for you!

Tomato Sauce-adapted from Global Post
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Makes 1 cup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup tomato juice
• Additional seasoning, if desired

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk until slightly browned and bubbly. Add in tomato juice and continue to whisk until desired thickness. Add in additional flour and seasonings as needed.

Sun-Dried Tomato Guacamole

For tacos tonight, I decided to try a new guacamole. To be honest, the base of the guac still came from my favorite, go-to guac, but I switched up a few things. I swapped out the tomatoes and onion in the original, to add sun dried tomatoes, sour cream and tabasco sauce. For me, this was too spicy--pretty sure it was the tabasco, I'm just not a fan. But Scott loved it. Just make sure you dice the tomatoes really small, otherwise they get a little chewy.

Sun-Dried Tomato Guacamole-adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 6

• 4 avocados
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sour cream
• 1 teaspoon tabasco

Peel and remove the inside of the avocados from the shell into a medium bowl. Mash avocados and stir in the remainder of the ingredients. You can add additional to taste.

Turkey Gravy

I made this gravy for Thanksgiving dinner. Next time, I need to be more careful with the flour instead of just throwing in how much the recipe says. This ended up incredibly thick, and I even added a ton of chicken broth to it! The flavors were great though, so I'll still hang onto the recipe!

Turkey Gravy-adapted from Taste of Home
Total Time: 20 minutes
Makes 2 1/2 cups

• Drippings from roasted turkey
• 1/2-1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1/4 teaspoon rotisserie or poultry seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Pour drippings into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add enough broth to the drippings to measure 2 cups. Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, combine flour and milk until smooth. gradually stir into the boiling mixture. Stir in the bouillon granules, and seasoning. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

More often than not, I probably go for convenience over making it myself when it comes to sauces. The revelation I had with this pizza sauce may have changed that. Just the fact that a 12 ounce jar of pizza sauce is somewhere between $2-3, now blows my mind. The 15 ounce can of tomato sauce is $0.59, and I have all the other ingredients in my pantry at all times. Why would I spend more than FOUR TIMES the amount of money, just so I can pull it out of my pantry. And this was so quick and easy it was unbelievable.

Homemade Pizza Sauce-adapted from The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook by Erin Chase
Total Time: 10 minutes
Makes 2 cups

• 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon canola oil

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Spread on pizza crust as desired.

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Avocado and Edamame Salad

Ever since I found this recipe, I've been excited to make it. It's go som great super foods! Can you say edamame AND avocado? And those are two of my new favorites. The dressing had great flavor, the edamame was crunchy and the avocado gave it that sweet, oily taste! I would highly recommend this the next time you need some good, healthy lunch or snack foods!

This salad, along with the dressing, actually lasted an extra couple of days pretty well! The only exception being the avocado browning slightly. It's not like lettuce salads that get soggy right away.

Avocado and Edamame Salad-adapted from Joy the Baker
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 4

• 16 ounce bag frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated, fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Pinch of salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 5 to 8 radishes, sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• Sesame seeds

Heat the edamame in a microwave safe bowl for about 5 minutes until warm and slightly tender.

In the meantime, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, honey, rice vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine cooked edamame, green onions, radishes and avocado and top with sesame seeds. Toss with prepared dressing and serve.

Mushroom Pot Roast with Gravy

Any sort of roast is a favorite of mine, especially if it's made in the slow cooker. It always comes out so tender! That just reminds me of my grandma's roast recipe from when I was younger. Adding some additional veggies and flavors just makes it even better. Served with corn and mashed potatoes (the gravy is delicious) makes for a great week night meal that takes close to no time to prepare!

Beef Roast with Gravy

Mushroom Pot Roast with Gravy-adapted from Taste of Home Cooking School
Total Time: 6 hours
Serves 8

• 1 pound baby carrots
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 3 pound beef rump roast
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1-12 ounce jar beef gravy
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup water
• 1 envelope onion soup mix

Place carrots and mushrooms in a lightly greased 5-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle roast with garlic powder and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown roast in oil on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker.

Combine the gravy, mushroom soup, water and onion soup mix in a small bowl and pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Serve with potatoes, or just the gravy over the beef.

Fried Chicken with Pan Gravy

Fried chicken is a messy business. Oil-everywhere. But it ends up so delicious. And since I try not to eat fried food too much, I guess I"ll make it every once in awhile. This recipe ended up great tasting and rather easy to make. The gravy in the original recipe was very simple, but also bland. I added quite a bit of additional seasoning. I put in estimated amounts, but you will want to adjust to your own taste. I made mashed potatoes and it was delicious!

Fried Chicken with Pan Gravy-Adapted from Taste of Home
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Serves 6

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 1/2-4 pounds chicken pieces
• Oil for frying

Gravy

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1-1/3 cups milk

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. This will be to keep the cooked chicken warm.

In a large resealable baf, combine the first five ingredients. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/4 inches of oil; fry chicken until browned on all sides. Repeat through all pieces of chicken.

Pour off excess fat, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with potatoes and chicken.

PW's Penne a la Betsy

After making this dish, I have decided to make shrimp a regular meal. Just they way the shrimp is cooked (butter and oil) is delicious all on its own! Plus its so easy! The only difficult part is peeling them, but that's something I think I can live with.

I had seen this recipe on and off on the Pioneer Woman's website but never got around to making it until now, thanks to Pinterest! This was absolutely delicious, and you could add veggies of any kind to this dish too!

Photo Courtesy of the Pioneer Woman

Penne a la Betsy-adapted from Pioneer Woman

Total Time: 50 Minutes

Serves 6

• 3/4 pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 tablespoon basil
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Add spices and chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Pork Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

I love roasts, but I don't think any can ever compare to my grandmother's. I HAVE to remember to get her recipe soon. This roast was okay, but very dry. The gravy ended up very bitter-I may have had too much vinegar. In the end, I wasn't a huge fan, but the reviews at Taste of Home were excellent so someone else should give it a try!

Pork Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy-adapted from Taste of Home

Total Time: 4 Hours

Serves 4

• 1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 to 4 pounds)
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 cup julienned sweet red pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons cold water
• 2 cups refrigerated mashed potatoes

Cut roast in half; transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the broth, red pepper, onion, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and seasonings; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove pork; cut some into cubes measuring 2-1/2 cups and save for another use. (Keep remaining pork warm.)

For gravy, strain cooking juices and skim fat; pour 1 cup into a small saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, cook potatoes on high for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Let meat stand for 10 minutes before slicing; serve with potatoes and gravy. 

Shredded Pork Burritos

These pork burritos were great! Scott never loves the pork recipes I make, but he LOVED this! The pork was super tender. A little bit on the sweet side, so I probably wouldn't add the brown sugar later but it didn't ruin the dish. The main winner of this dish, however, was the sauce. I have never cooked with tomatillos before, but this was hands-down some of the best sauce I've ever had. It's good just plain with chips too! And it's so easy! Just try it and you'll understand!

Shredded Pork Burritos

Shredded Pork Burritos-adapted from Taste of Home

Total Time: 9 Hour

Serves 16

• 1 bone-in pork shoulder roast (5 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
• 4 teaspoons paprika, divided
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (12 ounces) cola
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• TOMATILLO SAUCE:
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tomatillos, husks removed
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 16 flour tortillas (8 inches), room temperature

Cut roast in half. Combine 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons paprika, pepper flakes, cumin and salt; rub over meat. Place in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Add the cola, broth, onion and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender.

Set meat aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat with two forks. Skim fat from cooking juices and return meat to slow cooker. Stir in remaining brown sugar and paprika. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour or until heated through.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the mayonnaise, milk, tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, dressing mix, lime juice, garlic and cayenne. Cover and process until blended. Pour into a small bowl. Chill until serving.

Using a slotted spoon, spoon 1/2 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Drizzle with some of the tomatillo sauce. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Serve with remaining sauce. 

Heat's Homemade: Buffalo Wing Sauce

When I was at the store buying ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Lasagna, I made the great mistake of buying hot sauce instead of buffalo sauce. In my defense-they were in the exact same location and the store brand bottle of hot sauce looked just like the buffalo wing sauce bottles! So, instead of going back to the store, we decided to improvise and make our own buffalo sauce. I don't know if we would make this again, but it definitely works if you don't have buffalo sauce in the house and need it for a recipe! The one thing I would suggest for this recipe is to definitely taste as you go. I wasn't completely satisfied with either recipe together. But overall it's a good start. We combined two recipes (recipe one and recipe two) from allrecipes and here is our adaption:

Buffalo Wing Sauce
Total Time: 20 Minutes

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons honey

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium low heat. Simmer until butter is melted an all ingredients are well mixed. Serve on chicken wings or as a dipping sauce.