Cafe Rio Burritos

Sweet Pork:
3lbs pork roast (boneless)
16 oz salsa
1 can Coke
1 Cup brown sugar (I like it less sweet so I only put 1/2 cup)
water

Put roast in crock pot and fill half way with water. Add salt and cook on high for 4 hours. Drain the liquid and remove the roast. Shred the roast and put back in crock pot. Pour the salsa, coke and brown sugar in and mix with pork. Cook on high for 2 more hours.

Creamy Tomatilo Dressing:
1 pkg dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 green tomatillos
1 jalapeno (seeds removed, or leave this out if you don't want it too spicy)
1/2 bunch cilantro
juice from 1 lime

Put chopped up tomatillos and jalapeno in a glass dish with a splash of olive oil, salt and garlic salt. Roast for 25 minutes at 350. Then place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Burrito prep:
Get large tortilla and add black or pinto beans (or a mix of the two) then add sweet pork. Roll it up and top with plenty of Tomatillo dressing and then Mexican blend cheese. Put it in the microwave just long enough to melt the cheese and then add tomatoes, onions, sour cream, or guacamole according to your own personal tastes.

Guacamole

(See picture above with the Cafe Rio Burritos)
Ingredients

* 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup diced onion
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

Applebees 3 Cheese Chicken Penne

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Italian salad dressing
penne pasta
jar of alfredo sauce
bag of shredded Italian cheeses
can of Italian diced tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil

Marinate cubed or stripped chicken in Italian salad dressing for at least 30 min in refrigerator
Grill or fry chicken (whichever you prefer)
Cook 2 cups penne pasta then stir in alfredo sauce
Drain Italian diced tomatoes and add 3tb of olive oil
Serve with noodles on bottom topped with chicken, tomatoes and then melt cheese on top. (or just mix it all together like I did!)

Chocolate Frogs

Just for Fun I thought I'd show the Chocolate Frogs that we made (we're big Harry Potter fans around here.) You can buy the frog candy molds on Amazon for $2 each. They make 11 frogs each and can be reused over and over. I just melted white chocolate and dyed it with food coloring.

Quinoa with Garbanzo Beans and Tomatoes

I know I said I would never use ingredients that I couldn't pronounce, but since I recently learned how to pronounce Quinoa (Keen-wa) I'm using this recipe. I signed up for the Iron Chef Challenge with my health insurance company. They tell me a "secret" ingredient to use during the week and I have to give it a try. The first week of the challenge was Quinoa. Turns out Quinoa is hard to find here in town. But Fresh Value does have it and I'm pretty sure any Whole Foods type store would have it as well. It can be found near the rice, since it is also a grain. Quinoa is also Gluten free for anyone on special diets for Celiac problems. Quinoa is cooked just like rice. I did mine in my rice cooker and it turned out perfectly.

This can be made as a side dish or a vegetarian main dish. The lime juice gives this a really fresh taste.



Ingredients

* 1 cup quinoa
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 3/4 cups water
* 1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
* 1 tomato, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 3 tablespoons lime juice
* 4 teaspoons olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, and rinse under cold, running water until the water no longer foams. Bring the quinoa, salt, and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Or do this step in a rice cooker.)
2. Once done, stir in the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, garlic, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro to serve.

Eldorado Cheese Casserole

1 lb. Hamburger or Turkey Burger
Brown meat and add:
2 Tbsp. minced onions
1/2 Tsp. garlic salt
1 15 oz. red enchilada sauce

Simmer for 5 minutes then add:
1 Cup sliced olives
1 Cup sour cream
1 Cup cottage cheese, or ricotta cheese
1 small can green chilies

Spray a 9X13 pan and layer tortilla chips, then meat mixture, then grated cheese. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

25 Common Cooking Mistakes

I found this article about the mistakes we all tend to make while cooking. Maybe you have never made any of these mistakes, in which case, you have truly earned your chef hat! I for one have made several of these mistakes. Though, I'm a really fantastic measurer!

25 Cooking Mistakes