Mike's Secret Recipe: BBQ Shredded Pork Sandwiches

Please remember amounts are estimations. He didn't have exact measurements.

2 lbs. boneless spareribs

1 c. brown sugar

2 T. Smoked paprika

2 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. cayenne

1 bottle hunts BBQ sauce

Add ingredients in crockpot. Drain liquid after cooked.

Add 1/2 bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Brown Sugar & Honey.

Shred with fork. Serve with Ciabatta bread, or favorite rolls.

Mike made these for dinner tonight. It was fabulous!

I loved the hint of cinnamon.

Cheddar Broccoli Chowder*

Original Recipe from: The Changeabletable(One of my most favorite food blogs)

Ingredients:

1 cup carrots, cut into small chunks

2 cups broccoli, cut into small chunks and florets

2 quarts hot water

6 chicken bouillon cubes

3/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cups flour

8 oz of Velveeta Cheese

Directions:

Bring water to a boil, and add bouillon cubes.

Add carrots to broth and boil till tender (boil the carrots alone so the broccoli doesn’t disintegrate with such a long cooking time)

Meanwhile, stir flour into melted butter to make a smooth roux.

When carrots are tender, add broccoli florets and boil till tender crisp (the broccoli will finish cooking as it stands in the hot mixture)

Add the roux to the boiling liquid and stir quickly till smooth and thickened.

Stir in Velveeta till completely melted and incorporated.

Serve immediately.

What a delicious, wonderful, thick soup. Great reviews from the fam!!

Sesame Chicken

Original recipe from Coleen's Recipes

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking wine
3 drops sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon onion powder

Mix the above ingredients thoroughly, then add 1½ pounds of chicken breast cut into 1" cubes. Stir to coat and chill for 30 minutes before frying.
..
SAUCE

(this cooked sauce is poured over the cooked chicken)

½ cup water
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup corn starch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic minced
.
Bring to a boil (it gets very thick). Keep warm on low while you fry the chicken
.
Deep fry the chicken cubes, a few at a time, until they are done and batter is golden. Keep warm in oven while you fry the rest. Just before serving, add some of the sauce to the chicken and gently stir (you might not need all of the sauce) .
.
Serve over hot rice.

This was the most amazing dish!** 5 stars from me! One of my favorite Oriental Restaurants is in North Pole, Ak called Pagoda's. Although I am thousands of miles away, this definitely satisfied my craving until I can make it back. YUM!!

Orange Creamsicle Cake

Original Recipe From Nik's Recipes

1 White Cake mix, baked
1 1/2 cup milk
1 large orange jello
1 sm. box instant vanilla pudding
1 (12 oz.) can orange soda
1 (9oz.) cool whip

Bake white cake as directed on the box in 13x9 inch pan.
Boil one cup water.
Add orange jello and orange soda into bowl with boiling water.
Mix well.
Poke holes in top of cake.
Pour jello mixture over cake.
In large bowl mix milk, instant pudding, and cool whip. Spread over cake and refrigerate.

Yum! What a perfect summer dessert.

You can also try other mixtures and flavors. For example, last night I didn't have orange jello, so I substituted black cherry jello instead. (It was fabulous).

Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce

Original Recipe from my friend Maaret @ OK Just A Sliver

8 medium vine tomatoes
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1-2 TBS fresh minced garlic
3 TBS minced FRESH basil (or 1 TBS dried)
1 vegetable or chicken bullion cube
1 1/2 TBS sugar (or 1 tsp white stevia powder)
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Boil tomatoes in salt water until the skins break and begin to peel. Remove from water and drain. Cool slightly and peel skins completely off- Be careful, they will be HOT. Discard skins. Chop tomatoes and put in a medium saucepan. They will be VERY juicy- try to keep all the juice! Add spices, bullion cube, sugar, garlic, & oil. Simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes or until it is reduced by half. *I usually get my sauce started first and put my pasta water on to boil when my sauce begins to simmer.* You can leave the sauce chunky or you can puree it. It will be very light and a bit watery. Toss with hot pasta (or whatever else you like) and enjoy immediately. Top with fresh grated Parmesan or asiago cheese.

My family loved it! We'll definitely be making it again!

Grilled Ham and Swiss Cheese Panini

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread (In the Artistan bread section of the grocery store)
Ham sliced thin
Swiss cheese
Tomatoes
Butter
Garlic Salt

Pesto Sauce Spread:
1/4 c. mayonnaise (I like the mayo made with olive oil)
1 t. pesto

Butter both sides of each slice of bread. Sprinkle desired amount of garlic salt on one side of each piece of bread. Grill in panini maker until bread slices are golden brown. Take off the grill. Spread the pesto sauce on one side of bread. Add ham and cheese. Top with other slice of bread. Add whole sandwich to grill. Grill until golden brown. Open the sandwich and add tomato slices.

We have a fabulous little restaraunt here in Sitka that serves these grilled paninis. I ALWAYS crave these....but at $12 a pop, I've learned to make them at home.
I know the directions are a little hard to understand, so if you need me to clarify them for you..just email me.

French Toast Waffles

4 eggs
1/2 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
8 to 10 bread slices

Preheat waffle iron. Spray with a light coating of vegetable spray. In a shallow bowl, combine eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar and salt. Dip bread slices, one at a time, in egg mixture. Bake in waffle iron 2 to 3 minutes or until brown. Top with butter and syrup.

A fun spin on two favorite breakfast foods...French Toast and Waffles! Yum.

I served these with homemade butttermilk syrup.

Chicken Stuffing Bake

2 boxes stove top stuffing
(premade according to box directions)
4 c. cooked, diced chicken
1/2 c. craisins

Gravy:
5 c. chicken broth
1 c. flour
4 slightly beaten eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. salt

Make the stuffing mix according to box directions.
Toss together stuffing, diced chicken, and craisins into a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Make the gravy by combining the broth, flour, eggs, milk and salt. (Be sure to stir often so you do’t burn the gravy).Heat on medium stirring often, until gravy is bubbly and thick. Pour over chicken and dressing mixture. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Yum! This is a great dish if you have leftover chicken (or turkey), and stuffing.