Carnitas

Pork tacos! Yum! My husband grew up eating carnitas while growing up in San Diego and we've been looking for a good recipe to make at home. 

We've found it! You'll start enjoying the slow cooking aroma long before you put the first bite into your mouth, but it will be worth the wait. 

Be sure to finish your tacos off with cilantro and lime, plus any other favorite toppings.

(picture from all recipes.com)

Carnitas

Ingredients:

1 t. salt

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. cumin

½ t. crumbled dried oregano

½ t. ground coriander

¼ t. ground cinnamon

1 (4 lb.) boneless pork shoulder roast

2 bay leaves

2 C chicken broth

Toppings: cilantro, lime, salsa, onion, cheese

Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat the pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.

Cover and cook on low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.

Serving: 10 (223 calories each)

Recipe Given By: allrecipes.com

S - Lisa's Salsa

This is a wonderful restaurant-quality salsa. We just can't make it enough at our house - so yummy! Thanks for sharing, Lisa!

Lisa's Salsa

Combine:
3-4 jalapenos
1 chopped white onion

Blend together in food processor or blender:
2 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 – 15 oz. cans stewed tomatoes

Add:
2 T. sugar
¼ C cider vinegar
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
3 t. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 T. oregano

Mix all together and store in refrigerator.

Serving: 1batch
Recipe Given By: my friend, Lisa (with permission)
Hints: You can make it as mild or as spicy as you like depending on the jalapenos. We use 3 jalapenos without the seeds for a mild version. We also do not blend all the diced tomatoes; we leave one can as is so it had a little more texture.

Taco Casserole

This is such a quick easy meal that is so tasty! It's basically tacos and nachos combined. Yum!

Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef or turkey
1 taco seasoning packet
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
1 can (11 oz) Mexican corn mixture or whole kernel corn, drained
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 C coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown meat in a large skillet over med-high heat; drain. Stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauces and corn. Simmer 5 minutes. Spoon mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. Top with cheese and tortilla chips. Bake until cheese in melted about 5-10 min.

Garnish with sour cream, sliced green onions, and serve with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes.

Serving: 6
Recipe Given By:McCormick

Salsa (Mark's)

I don't have a picture to share with you since I am actually on a computer-free vacation. (Love those scheduled posts.) Anyway, I've shared Lisa's Salsa with you which is more like a salsa you'd find in a restaurant. Mark's Salsa is really Pico De Gallo. I can taste the saltiness of the chips and the tang of the tomatoes just thinking about it.

Salsa (Mark’s)

Ingredients:

2 -3 tomatoes
¼ C water
1 garlic clove
Salt to taste
1 small sliced onion
1-2 yellow chilies
Cilantro – 1 small sprig

Chop and mix all ingredients to taste.

Serving:
Recipe Given By: Martha Martens

Green Chili Enchiladas

I'm repeating again. You can see my original post here where I add suggestions for the meal. This is such an easy dish to make; the whole family will love it! You can add chicken if you'd like, but we prefer it without meat.

Green Chili Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 large can Las Palmas Green Chili Sauce
Monterey jack cheese
Cheddar cheese
Flour tortillas (fajita size)

Spread a little sauce on bottom of a pyrex dish. Put cheeses and small amount of sauce in tortilla, roll and place in baking dish. Spread sauce and remainder of cheese on top. Bake 30 min. at 350 degrees.

Serve with rice and vegetable.

Didn't snap the picture until it was leftover time; they're very tasty reheated!

Burritos de Huevo con Chorizo

Mark and I used to attend an adult Sunday School class where each family was on a rotation to bring in a breakfast treat to share. You can imagine that we got the typical pastries, doughnuts and fruit breads so it was a big hit when one day these Mexican Breakfast Burritos were brought in and shared. I knew right away my husband would want the recipe! We don't eat this very often, but once fall campouts begin in Boy Scouts, Mark breaks out this recipe to share with the other Dad's. He's always kind enough to leave a few behind for me when he heads to the hills.

Burritos de Huevo con Chorizo

Ingredients:

2 T. oil
1 lb. sausage (Logan’s Mexican style chorizo)
1 T chopped onion
6 eggs
salt to taste
6 flour tortillas (or up to 10-12, see hint below)
1/2 bag of frozen hash browns (*our addition, you can leave it out)

Heat the oil in a skillet, add the chorizo and onions and sauté for about 5 min.

In a bowl, beat the eggs lightly and add the salt. Pour into skillet and mix with chorizo. Cook for about 3 min or until eggs are set, stirring occasionally.

At the same time, cook the frozen hash browns according to the package directions.

Heat a dry skillet (large enough for 1 tortilla) over moderately high heat until hot. In skillet heat tortillas, 1 at a time, turning frequently, 30 seconds, or until softened, and transfer to a work surface. Divide filling AND potatoes between tortillas and roll up burritos.

You may spread refried beans on the tortillas before adding the chorizo and egg filling.

Recipe Given By: Judith Rivera
Hint: We make a double batch and use 1lb. spicy chorizo and 1 lbs. mild chorizo and combine for an extra tang. Just freeze and enjoy for a quick on-the-go breakfast. **We get 20-24 out of a double batch that includes the added potatoes so be prepared to make more than 6 burritos.

Ranch Fajitas

Ranch Fajitas
Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken or flank steak
1 C red and green pepper strips
1 Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
2 T water
flour tortillas

Cut chicken or steak into 2” x ¼” strips. Brown in a non-stick skillet 3-5 min, stir in 1 C red & green pepper strips and cook 1-2 more min. Stir in Dressing Mix and 2 T water, cook 1 min., and serve in warm tortillas.

Serving: 4
Recipe Given By: Hidden Valley

Hint: serve with rice pilaf, beans, sour cream & cheese

(made with chicken)