Kahlua Pork

I have been getting some requests for my new favorite recipe. I guess I have been talking about it a lot lately. But it is so good, I crave it all the time! The best thing is how easy it is to make. It takes some time and preparations, but it is pretty easy. I make it with a really yummy rice recipe I got from Our Best Bites blog - the only difference is I add a little coconut in the rice too. I cut up a fresh pineapple and make some Coconut rolls (in my next post!) and done! Delicious!
6 pound pork roast

Sea salt

1 Tbsp. liquid smoke

1 bag of shredded cabbage

The first thing I do is cut off as much of the fat off the roast as possible. It is so much easier to cut fat off the roast when it is frozen or cold than when it is warm. When you have gotten as much of the fat off the roast, pierce it all over with a large fork or knife. Rub the Sea salt into the meat with your hands. Then, do the same thing with the liquid smoke. Rub it in as good as you can & if you think it needs a little more, then add some more! Place the roast into the crock pot. You will want to do this the night before you are planning to eat - this meat needs to cook on low for about 20 hours!

After 20 hours, remove the meat and shred it with a couple forks and then return to the crock pot. In the meantime, strain the liquid to get rid of the "floaties" and then pour it back over the shredded meat.

About an half hour before serving, add the bag of cabbage and mix with the meat. I love the cabbage, it adds just the right texture to the pork.

I hope this pork makes you think of your last luau!

Coconut Custard Buns

I got this recipe from my friend Luseane, she is one of the nicest ladies I have ever met!  She is so nice, smart & she is an excellent cook.  This is probably my favorite thing she makes.  I am pretty sure she does it with homemade rolls, but I don't have the time (a little lazy) so I use frozen.  They are SOOOO yummy, honestly.  I choose to eat more rolls instead of dessert. That's how good they are.

1 bag frozen rolls (Bridgeford or Rhodes work well)

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

Shredded coconut

Spray a cookie sheet with Pam as many rolls as will fit (I fit 16 on mine).  Let the rolls raise at room temperature until about double in size.   After they have doubled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the can of coconut milk, sugar, flour and then pour the mixture over the rolls.  Sprinkle shredded coconut over the rolls and bake for 30 minutes.

You are going to LOVE them!

Pull Aparts

This one is good, really good.  This is what I have eaten every Christmas morning since I was a little girl.  And now our family has made it a tradition for Easter and birthdays also, we can't wait to eat it!  Pete asked for this for Father's day and so we just had some again...yummy.

There are other names for this recipe, some people call it Monkey bread or sticky buns.  We call it Pull Aparts because you pull the gooey rolls apart.  But really, we should call it "Rip Aparts" because they get ripped apart so fast they are gone before you know it!  In fact, I didn't get my camera out quick enough and this is all that was left after everyone loaded their plates.

Pull Aparts

1 bag frozen rolls (about 24 rolls)

1 small vanilla non-instant pudding

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but really great!)

1 stick melted butter

Separate the frozen rolls and line them up into a greased bundt pan.  Melt the butter and pour over the rolls.  Then combine the pudding, brown sugar and nuts in a bowl.  After they are mixed, sprinkle evenly over the rolls - like the picture above.

Leave them uncovered on the counter all night long so the dough can rise.  When the rolls have risen well, bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Invert it onto a platter and enjoy!!  
Be careful when inverting onto the platter - all the good gooey drippings come out then, so you don't want to waste any of it!  Seriously, my family watches to make sure none drips onto the counter!

Surprise Peanut Butter Balls

I was on the hunt the other day for something that let me use my powdered milk I had in my food storage.  I had a box that was going to expire soon, and I am tired of it going bad without being used.  But really, I don't drink milk.  And powdered milk just isn't my thing.  Then I remembered seeing a recipe once for a little snack ball (yes, I love to study recipes).  I couldn't find it anymore, so I made it up.  And I have got to say, they turned out great!  I am having a hard time resisting them.
The best thing about this recipe is, you use what is in your pantry.  But, if you planned ahead you could make it pretty healthy without anyone knowing (hence, the "surprise" in the title).  This is what I used...

1 cup Honey

3 cups Peanut Butter

3/4 cup Grape Nuts cereal

1/2 cup Applesauce

1 cup Coconut

1 cup Chocolate Chips

1 cup crushed Corn Flake Cereal

6 Tbls. Powdered Milk

bowl full of crushed Graham Crackers (about 10 full crackers)

Throw all the ingredients except for the powdered milk into the mixer and blend well.  

Then add the powdered milk and mix until it looks like the picture above.  Using a regular spoon, shape dough into little balls.

Roll the balls in the crushed graham cracker crumbs.  You can see that I left mine a little chunky, I wanted to be able to taste the cracker too!

Next time I am planning ahead and going to make them with Bran cereal and some other good for you goodies hidden inside.  When you are done, you can pop them into the freezer or keep them in the fridge.  I put mine in the freezer and they defrost & are ready to eat in about a minute!  Sooo good!  Cold and peanut butter - perfect combination.

Banana Bread

I have been on the lookout for the perfect banana bread recipe for a long time.  I think I found it.  I think this bread is so yummy.  I started making it months ago for the kids to take in their lunch.  My little guy has this thing for what he calls "cake bread" this year.  He wants it every day & that is hard to do!  But guess what, not with this recipe!  It makes 2 loaves and 4 dozen mini muffins with one batch!  And the best thing is that it freezes well.  So, I would make it ahead of time, pull it out in the morning and it was thawed out by lunch time - and tasted like it was just baked.  Just what I need!

I knew this recipe was going to be the one for me when I saw it had the secret ingredient for all good baking - sour cream.  Anytime something has sour cream in it, I love it.  Try this for yourself!

The Best Banana Bread

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 cup butter

3 cups white sugar

3 eggs

6 very ripe bananas

16 ounces (2 cups) sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking soda

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Grease four loaf pans - or two loaves plus some muffin tins!  

 

In a small bowl mix together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon to make a nice mixture.  Dust the pans lightly with the sugar mix.  I usually dump some in the middle of the pan with a spoon and then shake the pan until it is nicely dusted like the picture above.  Do the same with the mini muffin tins.  This is what is going to give you are really yummy and kind of gooey bottom to your bread!

In a large bowl or mixer, cream the butter and 3 cups of sugar.  Then add in the eggs, bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon.  I don't even mash up the bananas first - just throw them in and mix!
Then add in the salt, baking soda and flour.  You can stir in the nuts at this point if you want some in your bread.  The mixer is full and the batter is just a little lumpy - yum!  It even tastes good as batter!  Fill your loaf pans about 3/4 the way full and then fill your muffin tins 3/4 full also.  

Bake the loaf for 1 hour and the mini muffins for 15 minutes.  You could also make regular muffins, but I haven't yet.  
These are the best.  They are the perfect size to pop right into your mouth & perfect to pop in the lunch box!