Drip Beef Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

Awwww, Drip beef sandwiches.  

This is my new favorite recipe to stash in the rotation!  I'm a huge fan of French dip sandwiches; I've had one at several different restaurants and I can tell you where some of the best ones are.  I also love a good pot roast.  This recipe is sort of the marriage of the two with a little kick!

First off, this is a Pioneer Woman recipe: I love how she thinks when it comes to food!  (And family:) I can't eat this decadent all the time, but she has amazing down-home recipes for everyday food, or sophisticated fare easy enough for me to make.  Anyway, her husband is a serious cattle rancher and they know their beef!  So I take it from her when she said this drip beef recipe is amazing!

It's slow simmered roast with Italian seasonings, spicy pepperoncinis, and rich beef broth.  Salt and lots of pepper away and it's ready to cook all day, or at least til tender and falling apart.  Shred it up and put the beef back into the savory juices to give it the "drip"!  You can certainly stop there and serve over mashed potatoes or even for a delicious tacos filling, but we made amazing drippy sandwiches!  Pile the beef high on toasted hoagie buns with caramelized onions and provolone cheese and serve with a cup of the drippings (au jus) for a meal worth a standing ovation!  

It's tasty enough for company and easy enough for casual parties.  We're watching the Super Bowl tonight as a family and will eat this with some hot wings and a veggie tray... It smells so good!  I had better get to it! :)

Drip Beef Sandwiches with Carmelized Onions

Slightly Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

• 1 3-4 lb. Roast (I chose rump roast which is leaner) trimmed of excess fat

• 1 jar whole Pepperoncinis with juice

• 1 can (about 2 cups) Beef broth or stock

• 1 c. Water

• 3 Tbsp. Dried Italian seasoning

• 1 Tbsp. Minced garlic 

• Salt & Pepper

• 2 Tbsp. Butter

• Provolone cheese (mozz or Swiss works too)

• Hoagie rolls, buttered and toasted

Season the roast with salt and pepper.  Melt butter in a cast iron skillet or other heavy pot over high heat.  Sear both sides of roast until browned, about 5 minutes total.  (It will smell divine!)

Put your roast in a crockpot set to Low.  Pour in the broth and water and add the Italian seasonings.  Pour in the pepperoncinis with all the juice and add the garlic with a but more salt and pepper.  

Put the lid on and cook for about 8 hours on low. I turned the roast over half-way through.  (If you're interested, you can cook this in a Dutch oven pot by simmering on the stove for 4-5 hours, but I recommend slow-cooking in the crock pot.)

Remove the cooked roast from pot and shred it all up with two forks.  

Then return the meat back to the cooking liquid.  Keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook your caramelized onions: 

Thinly slice and sauté a whole onion in the leftover butter in the cast iron skillet over medium low heat.  Stir occasionally and cook until onion become translucent, very tender and golden.

To assemble sandwiches, pile toasted  hoagie rolls with shredded beef and a cooked pepperoncini if you like, then a layer caramelized onions and a slice of cheese.  Serve with a small bowl of the au jus dipping sauce on the side.

Serves 6-8

Enjoy hot and delicious!

 

Winter Weeknight Taco Soup

It's been a wonderful Saturday with slightly warmer weather and just enough sun shining to refresh the soul!  We went to the movie theater to see Paddington as a family at the early bird showing, and we had a great time together.  What a cute movie!!  Nowadays I'm can be a critic when it comes to kids movies, but we thought this one was just darling!  The kids laughed through it all... We all did!  Going to the movies is a big deal we all get excited for, and I think especially on a winter day it's a great way to stay cozy and have fun being out together!

Right now it's that "crunch time" of the day as I work to get our dinner of pan seared salmon and spiced rice on the table as Mr. Cozy and our son work in the leaves and trimming bushes outside.  He wants to help his daddy anyway he can, and even at 4 years old he can be a really good little helper!  I'm so proud of them both! ( The yard work is another step closer to getting our house ready to sell!). So as I write, I'm juggling cooking, (writing this post), playing babies with my daughter in the kitchen and helping her put on dress up clothes.  (She is so stinkin cute when she pretends!)  This is the controlled chaos that lends to not being a good blogger, nonetheless I am here to share some delicious taco soup this evening. :)

You'll find this is a very easy recipe to put together and simmer away on a cold and blustery winter's day! 

(Yep, that was sing-songy.)

Taco soup is similar to a hearty Tex-Mex style chili and is amazing eaten with corn chips or cornbread.  This night I made Trader Joe's pumpkin cornbread...

So. Good. 

I hope y'all will continue to give me grace as I intermently blog in this season of life with little bitties underfoot as we're about to make a big move in a few months.  Please do your family a favor and make this easy taco soup, because I think you're going to love it!  Let me know what you think.

Taco Soup

Serves 4-6

1 lb. ground sirloin 

1 onion, diced

3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 1/2 c. Water (more to thin out if needed)

1 small can diced green chilies 

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 pkg. ranch style dressing

Salt & pepper to taste

Brown meat and onion in a skillet.  Drain off any extra grease.  Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water chili seasoning and ranch seasoning and salt and pepper.  Stir together and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer med-low heat for another 30 minutes. Taste for any additional salt or pepper before serving.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream or diced avocado and corn chips.  

This recipe would also be great cooked in a crock pot after browning the meat.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Comforting Baked Ravioli

I'll start off by saying it was difficult to narrow down the title for this post.

Shall it start with...

Amazing!

Elegant 

Easy

Fast

Delicious

Savory

Hearty

Family favorite

The list goes on but ultimately it's all of those things which make it comforting to me!

Let me intoduce you to your new favorite go-to meal!  This is truly Italian-esque comfort food in everyway possible way.  It's the perfect easy meal for a busy mom who needs a few trademark simple meals on hand everybody eats, yet it's tasty enough for company.  This baked ravioli tastes absolutely divine, looks made from scratch (but so isn't), only calls for a handful of ingredients, and is soooo easy to make!  It's a cross between simple ravioli with sauce and lasagna, which is delish but so time consuming.  

You could dress this recipe up as much as you like.  Maybe adding fresh chopped spinach, olives or fresh basil.  You could even add some ricotta cheese for an even creamier dish.  This is the outline to a very basic, easy, amazing recipe!  You really can't go wrong with here.  

I made it last when my family came in to stay with us, and it was a big hit.  Our children gobble it up every time!  We enjoy eating it with a fresh salad and hot garlic bread.  Your family will love me, errr, you for this delicious baked ravioli!

Baked Ravioli

1 pkg. frozen beef ravioli (or cheese) We like Kroger's brand.

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella 

Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Italian seasoning

Salt 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.  

Pour a little sauce in the bottom and spread out to evenly coat the pan.  Line up the frozen ravioli to make an even layer.  Next layer 1 c. mozzarella cheese.  Next about 1/2 of the remaining sauce.  Repeat layers ending with the mozz cheese.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top and Italian seasoning and salt to your liking.

Bake covered with foil for about 40 minutes and uncovered for another 15-20.  Done!

Leslie's Easy Eggplant Parmesan

Our family LOVES chicken or eggplant Parmesan when it's done really well!  

(Pssst... Tyler Florence has the best recipe.)

This eggplant parm is delicious too, and something I can throw together quickly.  Granted, I tend to make homemade marinara sauce a lot so it doesn't take me long, but here I use "semi homemade" because I also add in a jar of marinara sauce.  If you're very short on time, just use the jarred sauce and it's still really good.  No judging here! ;)

This may recipe may sound like it should be complicated, but when using already sliced and breaded eggplant, that eliminates all the work that goes into preparing it.  This sauce is hearty and full of flavor!  Let it simmer on low or put in the crock pot on low to meld together in richness and flavor all afternoon!  It would smell great to come home to after church or work.  If you cook the eggplant and pasta while the sauce simmers, it saves a lot of time.

Good timing is essential when cooking! 

We enjoy this meal with a salad and sometimes salty garlic rolls, but last night I chose sautéed summer squash instead.  Delicious!  Enjoy for yourself!

Heads up:  This recipe is original to The Cozy Little Kitchen, and those of you who have followed long enough know most of my recipe ingredient portions are somewhat guesstimated.  It's just how I was raised to cook, so adjust seasoning to your own liking!

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

Serves: 4-6

Sauce:

1 jar of favorite marinara sauce (no meat please) I happened to have Prego Garden Veggie

1 large can of diced tomatoes undrained or crushed tomatoes (depending if you like a chunky or smooth sauce)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Or 2 cloves Minced Garlic (I used pre-minced in the jar.)

1/2 medium onion or about 3/4 c. diced (I used pre chopped frozen onion.)

1 Tbsp. Tomato paste

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Dash of crushed red pepper

1 tsp. Sugar

Salt & Pepper

1 lb. pasta, cooked according to directions (I used more like 2/3 the box, but we like saucy pasta!)

Frozen breaded Eggplant Cutlets (I used Trader Joes brand.)

Mozzarella cheese, about 1 1/2 cups

Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup

Basil leaves for garnish

Set a large pot over medium heat and add a couple swirls of oil around the pot. Once hot, add the onion and cook until soft and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute before adding the canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  Stir together until tomato paste is blended.  Add the Italian seasonings, crushed red pepper, sugar, and generous salt and pepper (to taste!).  Allow this to simmer for a few minutes before adding the entire jar of marinara sauce.  Stir together and taste to see if anymore salt or pepper needs to be added.  Sometimes here I add a splash of EVOO for good measure and extra richness. Put the lid on a simmer for about 25-30 minutes on med-low heat.  Stir occasionally.  I use a heavy glazed cast iron pot to ensure it doesn't scorch.

While that simmers, preheat the oven according  to directions on the frozen eggplant box.  Place the eggplant on a sheet tray lightly sprayed with oil or lined with parchment paper.  

Bake the eggplant according to directions.  Mine was about 18 minutes.  Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven to get them crispy.

Once the eggplant is done, spoon some of the finished marinara sauce right over the eggplant while still on the sheet tray.  Sprinkle with cheeses and place basil leaf on top.  Bake another 3 minutes or until melted.

While that's in the oven, add cooked and drained pasta to remaining marinara sauce in the pan and stir together.

To serve it up, ladle a portion of saucy pasta in your large bowl, and place 2 eggplant Parmesan on the top!

Voila!  Enjoy.

Easy Pizza Pockets

Our family loves pizza!  I try not to eat it too often since it's a splurge, but I think making it at home is always a little healthier than going out for it.  At least I know what ingredients go into what my family eats!  Why am I even mentioning health in the same blog as pizza pockets, anyways!? 

These pizza pockets are fast and simple to make, depending on the ingredients you use.  Here I simply used shredded mozzerella cheese and turkey pepperoni. Yuuummmmy!  I added lots of extra cheese to a few for the cheese lovers... ME!  My little secret ingredient to make them easy to make and taste so good is frozen bread dough.  It thaws and rises in just a few hours, but once it's ready these pizza pockets can be assembled and baked in no time at all!  I also like making calzones filled with a parm, mozz, ricotta mixture with turkey Italian sausage, onions and peppers, but that's for another post.  I got the idea for all of these delicious things from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, who is very familiar with pleasing her sweet family with easy meals.  I love watching her cooking show, because it feels so real and heartwarming.  The farm life and the way she cooks reminds me of my childhood.  Amazing memories of a simpler time.

The inside of the pockets are filled with gooey cheese, pepperonis, and dried oregano.   The pockets are made of golden, crisp crust with a shower of herbs & spices that make them delicious!  Everyone has their own bowl of luscious, zesty semi-homemade marinara sauce that we dip them in, and it's what makes them taste that like your favorite pizzeria!  Complete the meal with an yummy Italian salad and everybody will be asking for this meal again very soon.  Friday night pizza just got a lot more fun!!

Easy Pizza Pockets

Serves 2-3**

1 loaf frozen bread dough, such as Rhodes

1 1/2 c. shredded mozzerella cheese

21 turkey pepperonis 

Dried oregano

Garlic salt

Pizza Seasoning**

1 egg

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Crack the egg into a small bowl and add about a teaspoon of water.  Whisk together with a fork and set aside.

Allow the frozen bread dough to thaw and rise as if you were about to make bread. Once risen, divide the loaf into thirds by pulling it apart.  Pat into a round shape and place on a floured surface.  Roll,out into a circle(ish) shape.

On one side, sprinkle 1/2 c. Mozzerella cheese, a dash of Oregano, and 6-7 pepperonis, keeping the edge of the dough exposed.  Take the egg wash, and using a brush or your finger, brush the egg around the edge of the dough to help the pocket glue together when folded.

Carefully fold over making a pocket.  Press the edges together, fold them up, and roll or crimp as you would pie crust.  You want the edges to be sealed, but it doesn't have to look pretty.

Place the pizza pockets on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush the pizza pocket with olive oil, and generously shower with garlic salt and pizza seasoning.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Allow the pizza pockets to cool for a few minutes before slicing. Or serve whole with a side of zesty marinara sauce.

** I bought my pizza seasoning in the food section at T. J. Maxx.  It has yummy spices like garlic, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, salt, etc.  You can always substitute pizza seasoning by sprinkling some Italian seasoning and crushed pepper instead. :)

**This recipe can easily be doubled for a bigger family.

Zesty Marinara Sauce

1/2 Jar of Marinara Sauce, I used Tomato-Basil

2 Tbsp.Extra Virgin Olive Oil (a couple swirls around the pan)

1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

Black Pepper

Set a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil.  Once hot, add the garlic and oregano (crushing in your hand with your fingers as you add it in).  Cook for a couple minutes and then add the marinara sauce and a black pepper to taste.  Stir everything together a let simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavor together.  Pour into small bowls for each person to dip their pizzas pockets in.  Yum!

Comforting Tator Tot Casserole

So yesterday was, one of those days.

The kind of day I'm really glad is over.  Please tell me y'all have experienced this kind before!  It was a day where supper was the last thing on my mind, because all I wanted to do was curl up in my bed with a bag of chocolate chips and call it a day.  At like 2:00pm!

Having a family, that just wouldn't cut it... or be very nice, for that matter. :-|  SO... I was racking my brain to think of a comforting, easy meal using ground beef since that was thawing.  It dawned on me what I saw Mrs. Duggar make a while back to feed and satisfy her kids.  

Tator tot casserole!  

I mean, if she was feeding it to her family of 20 and calling it easy to make, then surely I could make it easy enough for 4!  

I confess to you.  I'm guilty of judging this casserole in the past.  I once only thought of it as fattening and unhealthy, and probably made by a person who doesn't cook well. Sorry!! :(   I was wrong...  This casserole  is hands down delicious!!

It kind of reminds me of America's version of shepherd's pie.  The base is browned ground beef and onions mixed with a cream soup, topped with tots and cheese then baked till golden and bubbly!  Yum!!  I added green peas and diced red bell pepper to the meat for a little nutrition and color.  We loved it!  Especially if you have kids, don't deprive them from this "cheeseburger and fries" tasting cassarole!  My own little Tots asked for seconds, so I know it's a winning recipe.  

Folks, I think you arrive to parenthood on the day all calories and preservatives fly out the window just so you can make a yummy, simple meal...due to shear exhaustion. Lol!  I never doubted tator tot casserole would taste good with these ingredients, and it honestly is!  I'll sure make it again when I need an easy, go-to dinner.  I'm not above this meal...no ma'am!

Here's to having terrific tasting and hearty recipes for those days! ;)

Tator Tot Casserole

Serves 4-6

1 lb. Ground beef

1/2 c. Onion, diced

1/2 c. Green peas

1/2 c. Red bell pepper, finely diced

1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup, undiluted

1/2 bag of Tator tots, frozen

1 c. Colby jack or cheddar cheese, grated

Paprika

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a skillet, brown ground beef with the onions and bell pepper, over medium high heat, until the veggies are soft.

Strain off the fat in a colander,and put the beef mixture back into the skillet.  Add the peas.

Add the soup (undiluted), salt, pepper and stir everything together.

Pour into an 8x8 in. dish.

Spread out the tator tots on the top.  (I sprinkled some garlic salt and a little cayenne pepper over the tots, too.)

Put in the oven to bake for 30 minutes until tots are crispy.

Pull out and sprinkle the cheese and some paprika over it all.

Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes till bubbly.

The cheese is melted and the tots are crispy.  Oh, yum!

 

We enjoyed it with green beans. Eat up!

Fresh Tomato-Basil & Garlic Linguine

One of my all time favorite things to eat is pasta!  I love Italian food as a whole but especially pasta.  I bought some fresh herb linguine at the farmer's market this week.  Because it's more expensive (about $2.00 a person), it's real treat!  Seeing as I've only made it for my husband and and I, it's a luxury that easier to afford every once in a while.

The freshness of it makes it more tender and SO delicious!  There's a big difference from the usual dried kind.

Tonight I wanted to use it in a way the pasta shines through.  I didn't want to smother quality pasta in a heavy sauce, so I made one of my go-to easy and scrumptious pasta recipes!

This recipe only has 5 main ingredients: pasta, grape tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and onion.  Everything was cooked in a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and butter, seasoned simply wth salt and freshly ground pepper and finished with grated Parmesan cheese.  You can always add more like crushed red pepper, olives or mushrooms for even more flavor.  I came up with this "recipe" myself, so it's a loose one that can be tweaked to your liking. I used a lot of garlic, but it really makes it savory and the basil gives it a sweet burst of freshness! This dish would be delicious with crust bread on the side!  

Simple, easy, fresh, and lovely.

It's a fast meal to make and easy to make for just a couple of people or a whole table full!  This beautiful Tomato-Basil Linguine will make you look like a home chef!

Fresh Tomato-Basil & Garlic Linguine

Serves 2

2 servings of linguine, fresh if available, cooked 

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise 

Bunch of fresh basil (about 20-25 leaves)

4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced (minced, if good but whatch to make sure it doesn't burn.)

1/4 c. Red onion, sliced thinly

Extra virgin olive oil

Butter

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Parmesan cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, add approx. 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. butter.  

Add the onion and cook for a minute.  

Add the tomatoes and some salt, and cook for another minute. 

Add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes until everything comes together and the tomatoes are softened and onions are tender.

Pour in the cooked linguine, the rest of the basil, and add about 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, black pepper and salt to taste.

Divide up in bowls, and finish with a little more cheese and pepper, and a sprig of basil.

Enjoy!

Savory Herb Crusted Chicken with Tomato-Garlic Cream Sauce

 

In case this picture doesn't do the trick, let me explain to you just how amazing this chicken recipe is! 

 

This was actually the first time to make this recipe that I found on Pinterest and decided to make in the very last few minutes before starting to cook!  I just happened to have most all of the ingredients needed for this mouthwatering chicken that's covered with a veil of cream sauce filled with roasted tomatoes and garlic. 

 

Oh. my. goodness, I want seconds nooooow!!

(Sorry for channeling the bratty girl from Willy Wonka.)

 

 

Ahem.

 

The flavors in this dish are incredible!  The chicken is seasoned well and pan fried with a light breading.  The base of the sauce comes from the "good bits" from the pan, chicken broth, cream, garlic and tomatoes that I quickly oven roasted.  It all comes together and marries like any well done recipe really should!  I decided to make some spaghetti and toss a little of the sauce and use that as a bed for the chicken breasts that's smothered with the rest of the tomato cream sauce.I did make some changes from the original recipe.  Here are the main ones:  

 

I used EVOO instead of butter.  (Other than adding a tiny bit to the sauce.) 

 

I didn't have any canned Italian tomatoes, but I did have Roma tomatoes that I needed to use.  I seeded and chopped them, tossed with EVOO, minced garlic, dried Italian seasoning salt & freshly cracked pepper and roasted them at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Easy and incredible.  This could even be done ahead of time. 

 

Unfortunately I didn't have fresh basil , so I did use dried Italian seasoning.

 

All of the changes were scrumptious.  I think either way this dish is perfection.

My mouth is seriously watering as I type!

 

I mean look at how the hot piece of chicken is soaking up the warm herb cream sauce?

The camera was loving this dish, but a girl can only take so many pics when she's drooling!!

 

 

To be honest, I knew the recipe looked good, but it tasted even better than I expected .... Way better!  This chicken is restaurant quality.  This would be a perfect meal to treat family and friends with!  It may look like it would be difficult, but it's really not.  It didn't take me long at all to make this and it came together so beautifully with the French green beans (haricot verts) I roasted.  You can substitute the pasta for mashed potatoes for a more home style option that would be a really comforting meal!

 

Please, for the love of your taste buds make this recipe!!   The whipping cream does put it in the very infrequent rotation of recipes for us, but you know that makes this dish even more special.  I'm already trying to think of a reason to make it again.  If you need a new chicken dish to try out, this is the recipe to make!   

 

 

Herb Crusted Chicken in Tomato-Garlic Cream Sauce

  Adapted from Our Kind of Love

Serves 2

 

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded thin

1/4 c. Milk

6 dashes of Hot Sauce

1/2 c. Italian Dried Bread Crumbs

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Garlic Salt

1 tsp. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 c. Chicken broth

2/3 c. Whipping Cream, I didn't use "heavy" 

1/4 can of Italian diced tomatoes, drained and finely chopped

That is where I substituted for fresh roasted ones. Instructions above.

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Fresh Basil

(Please note that this is the recipe after I tweaked it to make it my own, other than the canned tomatoes.  The seasonings may not be precise, but they are very close.  I love the taste of hot sauce in the milk and please feel free to play with the sauce adding more less cream or additional spices if you like doing that!)

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Pour milk in a shallow dish and add the hot sauce and salt and pepper.  Go ahead and put your chicken in there to soak while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients.

 

Place breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic salt and pepper in another shallow bowl or plate.

 

In a large skillet, heat EVOO on medium heat. 

 

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the milk and place directly into the breadcrumb mixture.  Make sure it's thoroughly coated with crumbs.

 

Cook the chicken until brown and cooked through.  Since your cutlets will be thin, it won't take too long.  Remove and keep warm in aluminum foil.

 

In the same skillet, add garlic (I also added a smidgen of butter) and saute for almost a minute.

 

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan to loosen all the good bits.

 

Stir in the cream and tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes.

 

Reduce heat to low and add the cheese.  Reserve some for plating if you wish.  Add fresh basil, pepper and stir the sauce until heated through and thickened.  This will just take 3-5 minutes.

 

I served the chicken by slicing it on a cutting board first.  Plate the chicken--I did this over pasta--and generously pour the sauce over the chicken. 

Divine!  You're ready to eat!

 

 

Linking up with:

 

 

 

 

 

 



Mouth-Watering Crock-Pot Pork BBQ Sandwiches with Homemade BBQ Sauce

Maybe it's a regional thing, but I adore BBQ!  Kentucky has some BBQ joints that could stand up to Memphis any day, in my opinion!  The tomato based sauce is usually most popular here, although I've had a really good mustard-based one, too. 

 

Western Kentucky brings the crowds with their BBQ festivals.  The one I'm the most familiar with is in Paducah, and it's usually during the first weekend of fall, at the end of September.  Tents and smokers galore are set up and the aroma of savory smoked BBQ wafts throughout downtown-riverfront area.  It's fun to eat from different places from year to year, although we usually don't stray too far from our favorites.  There are a couple places that have all the right things going on like... perfectly smoked, tender, lean meat that's pulled with a kickin' flavorful sauce that will make you wish you ordered a large lemon shake-up!!

 

Awe ..... the days of warmer weather...

 

What you may not know is that you can easily make juicy and flavorful pork BBQ at home in your crock pot.  This melt in your mouth BBQ is based on a recipe that Mom loves to make, and we love to eat!  Usually a pork "butt" or shoulder is the traditional cut of meat to use and that's incredibly delicious, but since I found it's leaner counter-part pork tenderloin on sale last week, that's what I used.  Also, I didn't have a bottle of BBQ sauce, but I tweaked this easy recipe I found online and came up with incredible spicy BBQ sauce that's delicious in this recipe!  Of course, you can use whatever your favorite sauce is.  This recipe, like most of mine, are easy and flexible fitting to your taste!

 

 

 

The aroma of this cooking all day in the kitchen makes you anticipate supper-time even more!  I serve this incredible homemade BBQ like Mom always does on warm, soft Hawaiian buns and with bread & butter pickles...those are a must!  Coleslaw would be amazing with this, but this time I just served my homemade oven french fries.  It was so good to have BBQ pork sandwich on a cold dreary night as a reminder there are warmer, brighter days ahead!

 

 

Crock-Pot Pork BBQ Tenderloin Sandwiches

Serves about 6

 

2 Pork Tenderloins (about 2.5 lb. total)

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Homemade BBQ Sauce (see below for recipe) or large bottle of your favorite sauce

6 Hawaiian- Style Buns

 

 

Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe

I recommend doubling this recipe if you like lots of sauce.  Add half to the crock pot with the pork and cook the other half over medium-low heat in a saucepan for extra in the sandwiches.  So good!

 

1 c. Ketchup

1/4 c. Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Mustard

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp. Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp. Chili Powder

1/2 tsp. Chipotle Chile Pepper (In the spice isle. This adds amazing smokey flavor!)

1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)

1 tsp. Onion Powder

 

Mix all of this up really well in a bowl and it's ready.

 

 

Cut the pork tenderloins in half, width-wise.  Now you'll have 4 pieces.  Salt and pepper the pork well.

 

In a large cast iron skillet over med-high heat and drizzled with olive oil, pan sear the tenderloin to get some brown color on all sides. Remove from the pan directly to the crock-pot already set on low heat.

 

Pour the sauce over the top.  If you doubled the homemade sauce recipe, then pour about half over the meat.

 

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours.

 

 

Remove the 4 tenderloins that are now tender and cooked and set on a cutting board. Cut and shred the pork.  Don't shred way too much, because the more you stir and work with the pork the more it will naturally shred. 

 

Place back into the crock pot and stir around in the sauce that it's been cooking in all day.

 

 

Serve on warm buns with extra sauce poured over the pork BBQ.  Top your sandwich with pickles or eat on the side, but whatever you do...

 

Don't look away or your sandwich will be eaten up!  ;)

 

Leftovers store well in the fridge and would be delicious in tortillas for pork carnitas!

 

 

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Thursdays Treasures