Crock Pot Cooking: Cinco De Mayo Pork

I've been a blogging slacker the last few weeks but I promise that I have still been pretty busy and working on multiple projects.

With so much on my plate lately I've really been relying heavily on menu planning, Plated, and utilizing our slow cooker more. A few weeks ago I made SUPER YUMMY Cinco de Mayo Pork.

Even the kids approved and it was so easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1t Ground Cumin
• 1/2 t Chili Powder
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 lbs. Boneless pork shoulder meat, excess fat removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2t Salt
• 1 Cup Prepared Salsa
• 1/3 Cup Beef Broth
• 16 oz package of frozen corn, Defrosted
• Flour or Corn tortillas (I used Corn)
• Guac, sour cream or any additional toppings that you prefer

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin, chili powder, and garlic and saute until the garlic and spices are fragrant, about 1 minute
• Sprinkle the meat with the salt and brown the pork on all sides in the seasonings. Transfer the pork to the slow cooker.
• Add the salsa and broth to the skillet, scraping any brown bits from the bottom. 
• Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker and add corn. stir to combine.
• Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours 

Serve the pork with warmed tortillas

Even the kiddos approved!

Crock-Pot Cooking: Beef Stew

Over the weekend I made two dinners in my trusty old crock pot. The Saturday night Beef stew was AMAZING and I had to share!

Ingredients:

• 6 medium Yukon potatoes, quartered
• 4 medium carrots, cut to 1"
• 3 medium onions, quartered
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• 2-3 pounds beef chuck, fat trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
• 2T Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 Cups beef broth
• 2t dried thyme leaves
• 2 Cups frozen peas, defrosted
• 2 Cups frozen corn, defrosted

Directions:

• Combine potatoes, carrots, onions, 1t salt, 1/2 t pepper in the crock pot. Toss veggies to distribute seasoning
• Add 2t salt, 1t pepper, and flour to a large plastic bag and mix. Add the meat to the flour, toss to coat, and shake off excess flour
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add meat and brown on all sides. Transfer browned meat to crock-pot (I had to do two batches of meat)
• Deglaze the skillet with the broth and crape any bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer liquid mixture to the crock-pot and add thyme. Cover and cook. (medium-6 hours or low-8 hours), until the meat is tender
• Add the peas and corn, mix and cook for 1 additional hour. Season with Salt and Pepper

ENJOY it is SUPER yummy!!!!!