Slow Cooker Pulled Pork n Beans

Hi guys! Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend so far. It's a wonder what 63 degrees and sunny can do for the spirit. My Friday night and Saturday day were spent dog-sitting Adam's parents Greyhound, Buddy. Buddy is a rescue dog who used to race. He's 11 years old, sheds like it's going out of style, loves long walks on the beach (actually, he much prefers the pavement over sand) and is docile as can be. Adam and I took full advantage of his parents back deck while we were there and grilled up some sirloin steaks.

More on our weekend in Quincy a bit later. I still haven't had the chance to share this meal from last weekend - what with quite an inundation of restaurant reviews the last couple weeks, you probably think I eat out all the time! I don't though. I swear. Sometimes I go to cooking classes and sometimes I even cook for myself. If you count cooking as adding pork shoulder, chopped onion, coke-a-cola and BBQ sauce to a slow cooker and turning the dial up to "high" then yep, I've been a maverick in the kitchen. Literally, that's all it took for this recipe! Well that + 7 hours of cook time.

As per usual, I can't take credit for this one. I got the recipe from Iowa Girl Eats as she tends to be my go-to gal for slow cooker / awesome recipes in general. I'm sure this isn't the first time I've mentioned her blog. And I'm sure she wasn't the first one to invent pork simmering in coke+BBQ sauce. I've definitely seen a few other blogs where this goes down and let me tell you, incredible! The measurements can vary, the recipe post I followed didn't have an exact list. Here's a rough idea of what I used (listed in order of how I added it into the crock-pot):

-2 lbs pork shoulder

-1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce (we like Stubbs!)

-enough coke to cover the pork

- 1/2 a large onion, chopped

Stubb's knows his BBQ sauce.

You could probably get away with using any type of cola. (Or coke zero, diet coke, you get it.)I served the pork for dinner on fluffy bulkie rolls with a side of beans two ways!

You've got spice and smokiness from the BBQ sauce and a sweet zing from the coke-a-cola. The depth of flavors that develop over time are incomparable to those of any other meals I make. I'm obsessed with slow cooking!

Oh and when's the last time you had baked beans? Or green beans from a can for that matter?

Honestly, IGE's sides looked so good I went all out and mimicked the entire meal.

For lunch the next day I added some kosher dill pickles to liven up my sandwich. On the side we've got leftover beans, salt & vinegar chips and a Miller High Life. (Hey, it was a weekend lunch!) Tender, sweet, smoky and spicy, the pork definitely benefits from the juicy, salty crunch of a few pickles.

What's your favorite meal to make in a slow cooker? Recipe links appreciated!

Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken

Hooray, I finally purchased a crock pot! This purchase was prompted by a CSN $50 gift certificate that I won last month over on Lizzy's blog. The first recipe to grace the Hamilton Beach 4 Quart Slow Cooker is adapted from here, and boy was it ever making me appreciate the wonder that is preparing an easy, savory meal without much time or energy. Add the ingredients into the pot, turn the dial up two notches and walk away. Clean up is a cinch as well since both the stoneware and lid are dishwasher safe. I must admit, my feelings are mixed regarding the definition of "walk away". Do you leave a slow cooker on all day when you are at work? Or do you only prepare slow cooker meals when you are home to monitor them? I read many blogs where preparing slow cooker meals falls into the former category, but there is still much hesitation on my end to leave an electric appliance on all day. (Seeking all opinions and advice, thanks in advance!)Now, I'll offer some advice of my own. Make this Santa Fe Chicken in your crock pots as soon as you possibly can! Whether, like me, you need a lazy Sunday at home or you feel confident enough to prepare it and set off to work; this southwestern inspired meal of shredded chicken, scallions, tomatoes, black beans and corn seeping in flavors of cilantro, cumin and cayenne is overwhelmingly delicious.

Ingredients

- 2 large chicken breasts

- 1 can chicken broth

- 1 can diced green chilies

- 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

- 8 oz frozen corn

- 1 small onion, diced

- 1 small tomato, diced

- 3 scallions, diced

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp cumin

- salt, to taste

- shredded cheddar cheese

- avocado, for garnish

- sour cream, for garnish.

- flour tortillas, if desired

Combine the ingredients listed from the chicken broth through the salt in the crock pot. Chicken broth was added first, followed by the green chilies. Next, in went the chopped ingredients - the tomato, onion and scallions.Then the spices and cilantro. P.S. how cute are my new starfish measuring spoons? (Thanks Jackie!)

At that point I gave the pot a quick stir.

Then I added the corn and black beans.

And lastly, the chicken breasts are placed on top. The original recipe suggested cooking on low for ten hours or high for six hours. Since this was an impromptu Sunday afternoon cooking session, Adam shopping for the ingredients around 1pm and my prep completed by 2pm, I chose to cook on high for six hours until 8pm. One half hour before serving, I removed the chicken breasts and shredded them. This takes no time at all because the chicken is so tender it practically falls apart on its own. Then I returned the chicken to the pot and gave it another good stir. Just another half hour to go....At this point I decided to make a box of Near East Spanish Rice. 20 minutes on the stove top and the meal was coming together! I served the chicken and rice over flour tortillas with sour cream and avocado. On top I sprinkled shredded cheddar cheese, fresh scalions and a pinchful of fresh cilantro. The result was incredibly satisfying. This is definitely one of the best, most flavorful meals I've ever made! Really, the slow cooker does all the work. It almost feels like cheating!The side of Spanish rice was bold enough to stand up to the flavors in the chicken, but overall it has a mild spice. It's not often I find myself eating just a pile of shredded chicken with all the fixins. Although to call this "just a pile of chicken" isn't really fair. I did contemplate rolling the chicken up inside the tortilla, but decided against it for at least the first round. When enjoyed by the forkful the cheddar cheese melting with the shredded chicken, hearty black beans and sweet corn accented by a bold crisp from the scallions and a bright burst of cilantro was blissful. Finally learning and enjoying the wonders of the appliance that is a crock pot. #winning!