Pulled pork

Ingredients

  • 2-4 lbs uncooked pork (roast, tenderloin or any other boneless favorite)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup mustard
  • 1 cup barbeque sauce
  • 1½ cups Dr. Pepper (other colas will work or use water if you prefer)

Directions

  1. Mix everything except the pork together
  2. Cut pork into into 2″sections (to make sure the flavor goes all the way through)
  3. Combine pork pieces and sauce in a pressure cooker
  4. Cook on high for 60 minutes and release pressure
  5. Pull out pork pieces and shred them with a fork—they should come apart easily
  6. Pour some of the cooked liquid over the pork to keep it moist (½ to 1½ cups depending on how much meat)
  7. Add more barbeque sauce to pulled pork as desired

Pulled pork pairs well with coleslaw, mashed potatoes, or mac&cheese. 2 lbs of pork should make a decent meal while 4 lbs should serve a larger group. This can also be done in an oven or show cooker but that would take several hours at 300° and probably requires more water due to evaporation (I haven’t tried it myself).

Pasta Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Rigatoni (other pastas probably work but we like rigatoni)
  • 48 oz marinara sauce (~4 cups)
  • 2 cups water
  • 20 meatballs (1-1½ lbs)
  • 1 cup finely shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan (we’ve also used parmesan/romano/asiago mix)

Directions

  1. Combine pasta, pasta sauce, water, and chopped up meatballs in 9×13 pan
  2. Cook at 425° for 20 minutes
  3. Mix shredded cheeses in a bowl
  4. Pull casserole out of the oven and mix in half of the cheese mix then cover with the remaining cheese
  5. Cook for another 5 minutes in the oven to allow the cheese to melt on and through the casserole

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 small head of cabbage, chopped
  • 1 large (28-ounce can) diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (398ml) tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1½ tbsp paprika
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup rice, uncooked (or 2 cups cooked)

Directions

  1. Start rice cooking if it is not already cooked.
  2. Brown ground beef and onions then transfer to a pot.
  3. Add cabbage, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, white vinegar, brown sugar, beef broth, paprika, minced garlic, salt and black pepper to the pot and mix.
  4. Bring to a boil then simmer covered on low heat for 20 minutes.
  5. Stir in rice and serve.

Tater-tot quiche

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs tater tots
  • ¾ lb sausage
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 12 eggs
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Bake tater tots on a baking sheet at 375° for 30 minutes
  2. Cook sausage like hamburger
  3. Crack eggs into a bowl and mix with shredded cheese, salt and pepper
  4. Add cooked sausage to egg and cheese mixture
  5. Pour tater tots into 9X13 baking dish
  6. Pour egg mixture over tater tots and mix lightly
  7. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes

Chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 sticks butter (melted)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1½ cups chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Mix brown sugar, sugar and melted butter until creamy.
  2. Add eggs and vanilla then mix until just combined.
  3. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, and baking soda.
  4. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture and mix.
  5. Mix in chocolate chips.
  6. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.
  7. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Grilled chicken marinade

Ingredients

  • ⅓ – ½ cup Olive Oil
  • 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • ¼ cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 3 Garlic Cloves minced or ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1½ tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Pepper

Directions

  1. Mix ingredients thoroughly in a ziplock bag big enough for your chicken.
  2. Stab chicken several times with a fork to ensure that marinade can seep throughout.
  3. Allow chicken to marinade at least 30 minutes after it is thawed before grilling it baking it. (If you start with chicken that isn’t thawed it should marinate longer—especially if you are refrigerating it as it marinates.)

Ground beef & Cabbage Stir-fry

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 9-ounce package raw coleslaw or ⅓ head of cabbage chopped up
  • 1 carrot
    • thinly sliced (cheese slicer is good) or
    • course shredded
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha or other sauce to give it a bit of kick

Directions

  1. Prepare Sauce: Stir soy sauce and sriracha together with spoon in small mixing bowl until smooth. Set aside.
  2. Cook Beef: Cook ground beef in large pan until browned and crumbled (about 5 minutes).
  3. Add cabbage: Leaving beef in pan, stir in coleslaw mix and carrots until cabbage is wilted and tender (about 5 minutes).
  4. Add sauce: Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in prepared sauce (soy sauce and sriracha) until well-mixed, (about 1 minute).
  5. Finish: Turn off heat. Stir in sliced scallions.

Fajitas

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken or steak cut in small strips
  • 1 onion
  • 2 or more bell peppers (different colors of peppers make for a more colorful meal)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Fajita seasoning
  • Tortillas
  • Toppings
    • Sour cream
    • Shredded cheese

Directions

  1. Warm tortillas
  2. Cook meat in small strips; set meat aside
  3. Slice bell peppers and onion then saute in oil until they are somewhat soft
  4. Add fajita seasoning and meat to vegetables and cook together for 5-10 minutes
  5. Serve fajita mixture on tortillas with toppings of choice