French Dip Subs

This recipes is actually from mom.  It is the best one I have tried and all of us love it (kids included).

1 beef chuck roast (about 3lbs.)
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. dreid thyme
1 bay leaf
2 c. water
1 tsp. dired rosemary
1 tsp. garlic powder
3-4 whole peppercorns*
8 French rolls

Place roast in a slow cooker.  Add water, soy sauce and seasonings.  Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender.  Remove meat from broth; shred with fork.  Pour broth into small cups for dipping.  Serve beef on rolls.

When we did this, Bridger got all the peppercorns, and we heard about it every time he got one.  He wasn't a fan of the peppercorns, but loved the sandwich.  Next time I think I will make sure to fish out all the peppercorns before serving...resulting in less noise (from Bridger) at dinner time.

I also thought that there wasn't enough broth, so I would also increase the broth ingrediants--probably one and a half of everything.  That way if we have left over meat, we will also have some left over broth to dip it in.

Key Lime Pie

Another thing I love at Cafe Rio is their Lime Pie.  I almost always get it when we go there.  So this recipe is maybe even better than Cafe Rio's.  Jared loves it so much that he even helps me make it.  Justin claims it is his favorite too, but probably only to get a mention on this blog : )

Key Lime Pie

1 (10 inch) pie crust, baked and cooled (use your favorite recipe or buy a premade one)
1 tablespoon grated lime zest (I usually omit this because I use bottled lime juice, not fesh limes)
1 cup fresh lime juice (bottled lime juice works just as well)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1.In a large bowl, mix together lime rind, lime juice, and condensed milk. Whisk in pudding mix and allow to set up 5 minutes. Fold in 8 ounce tub of whipped topping. Pour mixture into pastry shell. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with additional whipped topping if desired.

Pineapple and Green Chile Pork Tacos

This is the closest thing I've found to Cafe Rio's pork tacos.  It is different because it has pineapple in it but soooo good.  My kids are not big fans of fruit in their meat so they picked it all out.  I also really like to buy the frozen raw tortillas at Sam's and cook them up fresh.  It just tastes more like Cafe Rio's that way, but you can use whatever tortillas you want.  Mom and Dad, this is the recipe you wanted me to email you and I never did.  So now you can try it.

Pineapple and Green Chile Pork Tacos

3 lb. boneless pork roast (boneless ribs would work also, you can even use a bone-in roast but you’ve got to make sure you get ALL the bones out after cooking)

1 (20 ounce can) crushed pineapple with juices

1 (16 ounce) jar tomatillo salsa (green salsa or salsa verde)

2 (4 ounce) cans green chiles, undrained

2/3 cup brown sugar

Possible items for serving: warm flour tortillas (I did corn for me), queso fresco (or feta I just used cheddar), chopped cilantro, lime wedges, more green salsa (We used sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo)

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for four hours or on low for 6 to eight hours. Shred pork, season to taste with salt and pepper. In a colander, drain juices from crock pot. Mix shredded pork with pineapple/salsa mixture that remains in colander and serve in tortillas with desired accompaniments. It also works great to serve as a quesadilla.

Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks

Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks

2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups salsa

1 bag of Fritos chips

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Pour frozen corn into the bottom of the slow cooker and place the frozen chicken breasts on top. Cover with beans and salsa. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir until the chicken, corn, beans and salsa are combined.

Serve on a bed of chips and top with additional garnishes: lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, cheese, etc.

Recipe Source: from My Kitchen Cafe