Pork Loin Roast and Acorn Squash

Tonight I had my mother over to help me transcribe some Hemingway/Fitzgerald letters for a project I am doing for graduate school, so to return the favor I made dinner. Tonight's dinner was another slow cooker recipe, and although it isn't a recipe for one it was worthy of sharing.

2-3 pound pork loin roast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1-2 teaspoon(s) of dried rosemary
1-2 teaspoon(s) pepper
1 can vegetable broth
1 large sweet onion cut into slices
1 apple (granny smith or honey crisp) cut into quarters

Combine all the spices in a small bowl and mix them up. Place a layer of onions at the bottom of the crock pot. Rinse the pork roast with water and use your hands to rub the spices on the roast so that it is covered with spice. Place the roast on top of the onions (fatty side down) and pour the vegetable broth on the outside area of the roast-avoid pouring it on top of the roast because you'll rinse off the spices. Add the apples and onions all around and on top of the roast.

Place the slow cooker on low and cook for 4 hours. Flip your roast and cook on medium or high for 3-4 hours. Your roast should be fully cooked and tender and ready to eat. I served mine with broth and some of the onions and apples that cooked with it in the broth.

Acorn Squash (10 minutes for prep time and 35 for cooking)

1-2 acorn squashes (1 will feed 3 or 4 people)
3 tablespoons melted butter (per acorn squash)
Brown sugar
Cinnamon


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

You will need a good sharp knife to cut into your acorn squash because it has a tough outer skin. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and slimy stuff. Cut off the stem. Cut the acorn squash into 1 inch sections.

Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Place the squash on the cookie sheet and use a pastry brush to brush butter on both sides of the squash. Sprinkle with cinnamon and then with brown sugar-add a generous amount. About halfway through the cooking process flip over the squash  because this will allow both sides of the squash to be caramelized and brown. Your squash will be easily pierced with a fork and should have a nice brown outer coating.

My final plate looked something like this one; as you can see there were also steamed vegetables and garlic bread.

Chicken Soft Tacos

This recipe is so super easy, and equally delicious. I make it when I need an easy day and I don't want to clean a bunch of dishes.  It will make enough chicken for four or five tacos, so there will be leftovers or chicken to share. One large chicken breast will make enough chicken for four or five tacos, so there will be leftovers or this could be dinner for two. Guys this would be an easy way to impress the ladies.

1 can Rotel tomatoes -- You can use any of the flavors. Today I used jalapeño,cilantro, lime.
1 skinless chicken breast -- rinsed and fat removed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Flour Tortillas
I also want to mention that I use a mini crock-pot for this recipe. Similar to this size.
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_011W832059110001P?prdNo=7&blockNo=7&blockType=G7

Toppings (pick and choose your favs)
Fresh jalapeño
Shredded cheese
Onion
Taco sauce
Sour cream
Lettuce
Fresh Tomato
Avacado
Bell pepper

Cut the chicken breast in half or quarters. Put it in a small crock pot. Cover with Rotel. Let the chicken and tomatoes cook on low 4-6 hrs. I usually use a chicken breast that is frozen, so it takes about six hours. Today I did this before I left work and it cooked for 9 or 10 hours. If you are watching it then it will be done when you call shred it with a fork.

If you want fried flour tortillas heat up a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet ( you can know it's ready for frying if you stick the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil and there are bubbles). Fry each side of the tortilla until brown.

Fill your tortillas with chicken and toppings and enjoy.

Stuffed Peppers

So I had two beautiful peppers from my mothers garden, and since I had yet to stuff a pepper I began my search for a stuffed pepper recipe. Much to my chagrin most of the recipes were for 5 or 6 peppers, so I took the best parts of the recipes and made some educated guesses and this is what I came up with. I was super starving so I may have eaten both peppers for dinner tonight, but this mixture made enough stuffing to make one or two more peppers. I am going to freeze the hamburger mixture and then thaw it for stuffing next time I want stuffed peppers. Happy stuffing!

1/2 pound of hamburger

2-4 peppers (these can be any color of the rainbow, but of the bell variety)
1 small onion or half of a large onion

1/2 cup of brown rice (I used Uncle Bens quick rice and used the time indicated on the box. If you use a different rice you may need to adjust the time it is cooked)
2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of water

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese (and more to put on top of the peppers)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Boil a pot of water (I should have added more). Blanch the peppers in the boiling water for five minutes. You may need to hold them down with a spoon. Then cooling them off using cold water. I just ran these under the faucet for a minute or two then placed them in the pan for baking. I used a small loaf pan for baking mine because I only made two and they fit better in that than in other pans.

Brown the hamburger and drain.

Add the onions and garlic to the hamburger when it is almost done.

Stir this together and cook onions until they are soft and you can smell the garlic cooking. Add salt and pepper, stewed tomatoes, rice and a water to the hamburger mixture. Place a lid on the pan and let the rice cook for 10-12 minutes. The rice should absorb all the liquid.

When the rice mixture is done cooking stir in the 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Stuff the peppers and top them with more cheese. Cook the peppers for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. The Parmesan cheese on top will get pretty hard, so you could also wait to top your peppers until they have about 15 minutes left in the oven.