Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

As we mourn the loss of our beloved childhood playground, the Center Street Reams, I thought it appropriate to post a recipe that would be pay tribute to the life and the culture of that great establishment.  (I also just happened to be making this today so it worked out great) So, in respectful reflection, here is one of my favorite "Mexican Food" recipes to help ease the mourning process.  Viva la Reams!!!!

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

5-6 lb. pork roast
21 oz. Dr. Pepper (or Coke, do NOT use diet soda)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
7 oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6-ish oz. red taco sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Place roast in crock-pot, cover half-way with water and cook on low for 10 hours or so.  I added some cloves of garlic, and a splash or two of Dr. Pepper to the water, because I can't stand to cook meat without seasoning.  I also rubbed the top of the roast with a little cumin, and a titch of garlic salt.  After 10 hours, drain pork (retain strained liquid if you want sauce for burritos, simply mix with a can of verde enchilada sauce and away you go).

Mix remaining ingredients until sugar dissolves.  I didn’t keep the actual chilies, I dumped the can into a bowl and added enough Dr. Pepper to get all the sauce off of the chilies, then I tossed them.  I also rinsed out the can with Dr. Pepper for more adobo goodness.  (Also, the adobo sauce tends to stain plastic, using a glass or metal mixing bowl will make your clean-up of adobo sauce considerably less frustrating).

Shred the pork and add it back to the crock pot.  Add Dr. Pepper mixture to the meat and cook on low an additional 4 hours.

Sit back, make yourself a delicious burrito, and remember the good old days at Reams......hot dogs, ice cream and soda in the hot, dirty parking lot, weird meat, Dad's trinket aisles...and the SMELL ;) ENJOY!  Hugs, Alicia
 Photo Courtesy of Keller Express Photgraphy

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder (I use fresh garlic)
1 tsp onion powder (I chop up 1/2 fresh onion)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. 
Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning to taste. Serve over rice or tortillas and your favorite toppings.

This is off my favorite recipe site, skinnytaste.com.  If you're looking for yummy recipes that are low calorie, then check it out!  Love this recipe, because it is simple and versatile.  And pretty healthy!  One cup of this is only 190 calories! I throw this in the morning, and have the option to put it over rice, put it over chips for nachos, put in tortillas for tacos.  It is yummy with a little cheese, sour cream, or guacamole as toppings.  Enjoy!   Kim

Smothered Pork Chops

So, these pork chops are delish!  And for those family members who care...they are also gluten-free and dairy-free (but not quite sugar-free...sorry, Dad!)   Here is the recipe, with my added tweaks :)  Enjoy!

Smothered Pork Chops

*Note: I like to serve these smothered pork chops over rice or mashed potatoes (being that is was lazy Sunday, we ate them over Potato Pearls :), never my first choice, but the buttery taste actually was a great compliment to the sauce). Also, if the gravy in the last step doesn’t thicken well, mix another tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons cold water and add it to the hot liquid. Let it come to a boil to ensure it thickens properly. Finally, I have doubled the pork in this recipe and kept all the other ingredients the same and there was plenty of gravy to smother the doubled pork.
*Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
5 slices bacon, chopped (I never buy this kind of bacon, so I used the bacon crumbles from Sam's and just omitted the first step.  I then added some crumbles to the sauce at the end, and sprinkled some on top of everyone's servings)
6 bone-in pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick (I just used the boneless ones from Sam's and fileted them in half--decreasing cooking time and, I think, making the meat less dry in the end.  It is also a great way to cut down a portion size ;)
Salt and Pepper
2 yellow onions, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/2-inch thick half moons
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pan. If you have more than 2 tablespoons drippings, drain the excess. If you don’t have quite that much, supplement with canola oil. When the bacon is cool, transfer to a small bag or tupperware and refrigerate until later. (Like I said, I omitted this bacon step, and then just used a small pat of butter to brown my pork chops.  You could easily use olive oil, too.  It was just a butter day for some reason today)


Heat the skillet with the drippings over medium or medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, cooking them in batches in the skillet if your skillet isn’t big enough to hold all six at a time in a single layer. When golden on each side, transfer the chops to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.

Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet; add onions, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to empty skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in garlic (I doubled the garlic....always do) and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour onion mixture over chops in the slow cooker. Add broth, soy sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar to skillet, bring to a boil and add bay leaves. Pour mixture over onions in slow cooker.
Cover slow cooker and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours). (I did 4 hours, but my pork chops were thin because I sliced them in half...)

When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, reserving the solids. Transfer solids to a food processor or blender with 1 cup liquid and blend until smooth. Stir the blended mixture back into remaining liquid in the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl and stir into sauce. (I took out the meat and the bay leaves and then left all the rest in my crock pot together. I also added some of that crumbled bacon in at this point.  I then just used my immersion blender to blend it all together in one step.  I added the cornstarch and vinegar, blended, and added the meat back in and let it simmer in the crock pot for another 20 mins while it thickened a little)  Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, season with salt and pepper, pour over chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley. Serve.

 

PS--I think we are eating these at Mom's on Sunday for Candice's birthday dinner! ;) Hugs, Alicia