Crockpot Carnitas

It's a new year and thus time for new recipes! 








































I got a giant 6-quart slow cooker for Christmas from my mama-in-law and have been determined to use it! First on the list.... crockpot carnitas.

Cooked all day in a blend of seasonings and lime juice, orange juice, and beer. There's all kinds of flavor bursting from this oh-so-tender pork. You best believe it.

At first, I didn't leave it under the broiler long enough, and it didn't really get crispy and just tasted like delicious pulled pork. I kept wondering, "what makes this carnitas and not pulled pork?!" Hello, google. I googled carnitas and found out that it's actually supposed to be the perfect balance of tender and crispy pork... tender because it's slow cooked for hours in the crockpot, and crispy because of a little *broilage. #myownDesilanguage.

So yeah, broil that pork! Seriously, it's amazing. To be so perfectly tender yet have that perfect amount of crisp... it's like magic.


Pure pork magic.





































Crockpot Carnitas
ever-so-slightly adapted from Pinch of Yum

• 4-5 lbs. pork shoulder picnic
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 12 ounces beer (I used Yuengling lager)
• 1/2 cup salsa (I used a chipotle salsa)

Place the pork shoulder in the crockpot. Rub minced garlic into the meat. Season meat with all seasonings and rub into the pork on all sides. 

Add hot sauce, lime juice, orange juice, beer, and salsa to the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for less but check the temperature after 4-5 hours. It should be at an internal temp of 155-160 degrees. 

Shred meat with two forks directly in the crockpot. It should fall apart easily and be tender. 

Preheat broiler. Place the shredded meat on a baking sheet and pour a few spoonfuls of sauce over top. Broil for 5-10 minutes, until the edges of the pork are browned a bit and a little crispy. Keep an eye on the broiler though and don't stray too far!

Printable Recipe














































If you want, you can serve it on tortillas with fresh cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lime juice like we did  :) Or just eat it straight up. It's that good.

Oooh, oooh! And you can use leftover carnitas in so many things! Just google 'leftover carnitas recipes' and you'll find some good ideas. My idea though? How about a carnitas grilled cheese? :) It'll be on the blog here soon. I'm the least creative person eva eva, so I was kinda proud when I thought of that idea and didn't see it already invented and showing up all over the world wide web. Not that I really invented it... it's just a grilled cheese with some carnitas thrown on top + a little something extra. No biggie, really. 

Except it is.

Prepare your bellies. I warned you.

*broilage: (noun) the act of crisping food in a broiler. 

Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

Tequila Marinated Grilled Chicken + Guacamole Tacos

You know how I said I love avocados and I'm making up for lost time? 

Yeah, that's why almost all of my recent posts have included avocados. You're welcome. 

Well I'm also a sucker for almost anything grilled! Grilled meats. Grilled sides. Grilled desserts. I'm convinced grilling makes all things better.

Same goes for alcohol. Alcohol makes all things better. Desserts, my weekends, and even marinades.

So put it all together and we've got some of my fave things ever. Avocados. Grilled goodness. And alcohol. 

Have I sold you on this yet? If I haven't, it's also Mexican - tacos and guac. All those reasons are why I loved this dish so much.




































Tequila Marinated Grilled Chicken + Guacamole Tacos
adapted from Cuizoo

Marinade:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• juice and zest of two limes
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped   
• freshly ground black pepper 

Guacamole:

• 2 avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• juice of half a lime
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

 For Tacos:

• soft flour tortillas
• sour cream
• shredded monterey jack cheese      
• diced red onions

In a large bowl or baking dish, whisk together the marinade ingredients except for the chicken thighs. Place the chicken thighs in the marinade and turn to coat. Marinade for at least an hour.

Grill chicken thighs over indirect heat for 15-20 minutes or until done. Remove, let rest, and slice into strips.

In a bowl, mash together the guacamole ingredients. Build your own tacos with grilled chicken, guacamole, sour cream, diced onions, and cheese.

Printable Recipe

Oh and in case you're wondering, the marinated grilled chicken alone is divine. So tender and so flavorful. I could eat that for dinner all on it's own.

I'm joining along in the Spiked! Recipe Challenge. You should too! We bake/cook with a different alcohol every two months. So naturally this is like, the best challenge ever!




Peace, and bacon grease!

Avocado Salsa

More avocados! See, told ya I was making up for lost time. I've still got a lot of making up to do, I mean, I went like 25 years of my life without it! 

Here's another Cinco de Mayo recipe to get your avocado fix.





































No cooking required at all, definitely my kinda simple. 
































Avocado Salsa
slightly adapted from Right at Home (half the original recipe)

• 2 ripe avocados, diced into large chunks
• 1 lime
• 1 roma tomato, diced into large pieces
• 1/2 a red onion, diced
• 1/2 of a jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/8 cup cilantro leaves, chopped finely
• salt and pepper to taste

Place avocado in a large bowl. Squeeze lime juice over the avocados. Add diced tomatoes and onion, jalapeno, and cilantro to the bowl. Stir all ingredients well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap to keep avocados from turning brown. Refrigerate until served.

Printable Recipe
 

And yes I served them with Cool Ranch Doritos. I love them way more than plain tortilla chips.

What are your plans for Cinco de Mayo? Any fun parties you're attending? I'll be at home posted up on the couch eating Mexican foods and drinkin margaritas.

That is all.

Peace, and bacon grease!

Bacon and Roasted Garlic Guacamole

Welp, this stuff is pretty amazing.

You know about roasted garlic, right? It's soft, it's a bit sweeter, it makes all things better. 

Except your breath. 

 

































And you already know my thoughts on bacon.

It too makes everything better.

































Except scallops. That is the one thing I don't like wrapped in bacon. I'm weird.


But roasted garlic and bacon make this guac oh-so-special. I dare you to try it and not like it. Double dog dare you.


























Bacon and Roasted Garlic Guacamole
adapted from Fabtastic Eats

• 1 head of garlic
• olive oil
• 2 strips of bacon
• 4 tablespoons red onion, minced
• 3 avocados, seeded
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice off the top of the head of garlic to expose some cloves inside. Place the heads on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and wrap in the foil. Roast until cloves are lightly browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and unwrap to cool.

While garlic is roasting, chop bacon and cook in a skillet until crisp. When bacon is almost done, add in minced red onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain off grease on a paper towel and set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss in avocados and squeeze in all of the roasted garlic. Add the lime juice and cayenne pepper. Mash together roughly.  Stir in the bacon and onion mixture, and cilantro. Add salt to taste.


Printable Recipe

Would you believe I didn't like guacamole until I was an adult? 

I said I was weird! And now I'm making up for all that lost time.








































Linking up here.  


Peace, and bacon grease!

Roasted Jalapeno Margarita

Hola, amigos!

It's time to get Cinco de Mayo up in here. And what better way to prepare than with a margarita? There isn't any, is there?

This here margarita is special, you see. It's the perfect blend of sweet, salty, and spicy!

 
Here's the pretty fruits and veggies you'll need. Can we count this as healthy since there's fruits and veggies involved?

Yep, it's a Roasted Jalapeno Margarita! 

Intrigued? 









Ever since I fell in love with this Cilantro Jalapeno Limeade I made last summer, I've been obsessed with the idea of jalapeno in my drinks to add that perfect little bit of spiciness. This margarita, no exception. 
























Roasted Jalapeno Margarita
from Food Network 

• 1 jalapeno
• ice
• 3 ounces Homemade Sour Mix, recipe follows
• 2 ounces tequila
• 1 lime, cut into wedges and/or slices
• salt for rim, if desired

Over a hot grill or stovetop burner, roast the jalapeno until lightly blistered and fragrant. Slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.

In a cocktail shaker, add 2 (or more) slices roasted jalapeno, ice, Homemade Sour Mix, tequila, and juice of 1 lime wedge. Shake. Rim a glass with the wedge of a lime and dip in salt. Serve with ice. Garnish with lime slice and jalapeno slice.

Homemade Sour Mix

*Yields: 3 and 1/2 cups

• 1 and 1/2 cups sugar 
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup fresh lime juice

Combine the sugar and 1 and 1/2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and cool. Add the lemon and lime juice. Chill until ready to use.  

*Note: You will not use all of the Homemade Sour Mix for one margarita, as the recipe for Homemade Sour Mix yields 28 ounces and you only need 3 ounces per margarita. You will have some leftover for more margaritas :) 

Printable Recipe
 





























Don't forget the salt for the rim! What's a margarita without the salt?

More Cinco de Mayo recipes to come this week! Stay tuned :)

Linking up here.  

Peace, and bacon grease!

October's Secret Recipe Club - Black Bean Corn Salsa

It's that time of the month again.

Time for The Secret Recipe Club.

This month I was assigned to Denise's blog, Creative Kitchen. There were some yummies for sure, but I decided on something simple yet sounded so good. Her black bean corn salsa.

I made a few modifications... only one can of black beans, and a little more red onion and lime. I seasoned generously too. 

Do you guys like the orange and black tortillas for Halloween? I couldn't pass them up at Meijer.

Black Bean Corn Salsa
adapted from Creative Kitchen

• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can mexican rotel
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Dash or two or three of sea salt 

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Make the day before to allow flavors to mix together. Serve with tortilla chips.

Printable Recipe



















We really loved this quick and easy salsa! PJ was sure that it wouldn't be anything special because we were using canned ingredients, but he and I both were surprised at how much we enjoyed it! So much flavor, and a spicy kick from the rotel.

I will definitely be taking the rest of this for lunch this week.


Peace, and bacon grease!