Around My Family Table

Sweet Pork Salad with BBQ Ranch

January 27, 2012 2 Comments

When I started supper in the slow cooker the other night I had no idea what I was going to make. All I knew was that we weren’t going to eat out and I had pork spare ribs in the freezer. I figured that as long as I got them going I had all day to figure out what to make with them.

So, 5pm came and went and I still had no idea what to make and was totally uninspired. Then it hit me! Sweet Pork! No time to research a recipe…supper needed to be on the table in 15 minutes. How hard could it really be, right?!?!

Turns out, it was super good and easy. The best part was that the kids freaked out over it. They just kept picking at the meat. I don’t think hubbyman was too thrilled with a salad for super, but he gobbled it up. As for the kids, they ate their’s on a bun.

As for the dressing, I got my inspiration from the concoction I do when we go to Famous Dave’s. I almost always get the BBQ salad and instead of their house dressing, I combine their ranch dressing with my favorite BBQ sauce. YUM!

Sweet Pork Salad with BBQ Ranch

2 lbs pork spare ribs

salt, pepper, garlic powder

4 tbls brown sugar

1/4 cup ranch dressing

1/4 cup BBQ sauce

salad fixings

crushed tortilla chips

Season ribs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water and cook on high for 8 hours. Remove ribs from cooker and shred the meat, discarding any fat and bones. Return meat to slow cooker and add brown sugar. Stir well. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Turn the cooker to low for about 30 minutes.

Prepare salads (baby greens, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, etc). Combine BBQ sauce and ranch dressing in a small bowl.

To serve: Place greens on a plate, sprinkle on additional salad ingredients, crushed tortilla chips, about 3/4 cup shredded pork, and drizzle with dressing.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/01/sweet-pork-salad-with-bbq-ranch/

Kitchari

January 24, 2012 2 Comments

Last week I attended the 2nd annual Kenmore Blogger Summit with about 40 other bloggers. I had such an amazing time and met some great bloggers too. Before I post all about the trip and the cool new innovations from Kenmore, I had to share this recipe with you. Watch for my post later this week!

Chef Suzy Singh, who was on the 2nd season of MasterChef, cooked for us in the morning. She also shared some great slow cooker tips and a wonderful recipe. Of course I took notes and pictures so that I could share this wonderful recipe with y’all. Here are some great slow cooker tips:

Clean the slow cooker with distilled vinegar for a few minutes and then with hot soapy water before every use.
A slow cooker set to low will take 2x as long to cook something then when it is on high.
A general rule of thumb, is that cooked on low for 8hrs, meat will slice and 10 hours it will shred.
Temperature range is 160F on warm to 200F on high.
Using regular rice, put it in at the beginning OR if using a 30min rice variety add during the last 2 hours.

The dish Chef Singh shared with us is one of her favorites, Kitchari. Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic dish. I’ve never heard of it before, but it is super easy to throw together and would make a great side dish or Vegetarian main course or leave the yogurt out and it’s Vegan. I’ve read a little about this dish and it can be made a little heartier by adding diced seasonal vegetables such as squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.

Me and Chef Suzy Singh

Kitchari

2 tsp mustard oil (or olive oil and mustard seeds or just olive oil)

1 onion, diced

1 plum tomato, diced

2 cups yellow split peas (or Mung Dal)

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 tbl fresh ginger, grated

2 cups basmati rice

4 cups water

1 tbl tumeric

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 serrano pepper, finely diced

2 tbls of spice blend (combine equal parts of fennel, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon)

Put everything in the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with plain yogurt and pickled carrots.

http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/01/kitchari/

Bacon and Blue BBQ Sliders

January 20, 2012 4 Comments

If you have figured it out by now, my family loves beef! I know, I know…it’s not the healthiest thing in the world and we don’t eat it every day (only a couple times a week). My husband, is a sucker for a good hamburger. The fancier the better for him! I think he [...]

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Spinach con Queso

January 17, 2012 8 Comments

One of my favorite things to do it recreate our favorite dishes from restaurants into dishes we eat at home. When we find a dish we love, I usually ask the server what’s in it. Sometimes it’s a secret and they will only give hints, but I’ve had the chef come out of the kitchen and [...]

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Not Your Mama’s Pot Roast

January 13, 2012 2 Comments

I love my husband! He is so supportive of everything that I want to do and totally embraces it. He’s always given his suggestions on what he wants for supper, but ever since I started blogging he discusses cooking and recipes with all sorts of people. I think he is secretly trying to get more [...]

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White Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

January 10, 2012 26 Comments

Are your kids like mine? My kids will eat anything if it’s dipped in chocolate. They love pretzels, but they love chocolate even more. So, when I surprised my daughter with this after school snack she was over the moon. I may have even snapped a picture and sent it to my husband at work. He asked [...]