Slow cooker Carnitas

This dish is to die for!! And so incredibly easy to make. DH called it "The best pork EVER!" and wants me to make it every week. What's more, the very next day he bought another shoulder roast for this purpose, though we still had plenty leftovers. In fact, we got 3 meals out of it: one day's dinner, 2 days' lunch.

I followed some of the suggestions in the reviews of this recipe, and I added those changes in this post. Feel free to check the original recipe and decide if you want to make any changes at all.

Slow Cooker Carnitas - Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chicken broth

Directions

1. Mix together salt, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut meat into big chunks and coat them with the garlic and the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and pile the pork chunks on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.
2. Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours.
   
3. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven preheated to 375ºF for 20 minutes. Shred the meat with two forks and serve.

Burrito, anyone?

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce

I got this recipe from a dear friend, Chris, aka Code. I thought it sounded great when she mentioned she made this for dinner, but I had no idea. DH loves this so much, I would be making this every week inf he had his way!

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce - Found by my friend Code, from CDKitchen.com


Ingredients

• 1 can (10-3/4 oz size) condensed cream of chicken soup (I use Healthy Request)
• 1 cup sour cream ranch dip (Premade or dry mix with fat free sour cream)
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken **I use 2 chicken breasts, and get just a bit under 3 cups
  
• 3/4 cup purchased buffalo wing sauce **or whatever you need to coat your chicken
  
• 12 flour tortillas (6" size) **I can only fit 9 in my pan
  
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese **I use monterey jack, not a fan of cheddar
  

Directions

-Heat oven to 350F. Spray 13x9" glass baking dish with cooking spray.
-In medium bowl, mix soup, dip and 1/3 cup of the onions.
-In large bowl, mix chicken and buffalo wing sauce until coated.
-Spoon 2 Tbsp soup mixture down center of each tortilla; set remaining mixture aside.
-Reserve 1/2 cup cheese for garnish. Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture and scant 1/4 cup cheese.
-Fold sides of tortillas over filling; place seam side down in baking dish.
-Spoon remaining soup mixture over filled tortillas. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 40-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
-Remove from oven. Uncover; sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese and remaining 1/3 cup onions. Return to oven; bake uncovered about 5 min longer or until cheese is melted.

**Honestly, I'm lazy. I followed the baking directions the first few times, but now I prepare the enchiladas, top it with the cheese and onions, bake it uncovered for 20 minutes, and I'm done. I didn't notice any difference, and neither did DH. It's fabulous!

Chimichito

This is easy, especially when you have to go shopping and after all that you don't really feel like cooking, and the rotisserie chicken is staring at you, calling your name. And honestly, anything that's baked instead of fried is good stuff... or lets say better stuff.

From Discovery Health's Just Cook This

Ingredients
2 cups cooked (rotisserie) chicken, shredded
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
3/4 cup red salsa
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
Four 8 inch flour tortillas
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Light Sour Cream
Cilantro

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a non-stick pan, combine chicken, salsa sauce and green chiles, mix until just heated through. Heat tortillas in microwave about 30 secoonds to make them pliable.

Spoon 1/4 of the chicken mixture on each tortilla and roll up—sides in first then over the top to keep everything in. Place on a greased baking sheet and very lightly rub top of burrito with vegetable oil.

Bake until just starting to get golden brown,15-20 minutes. While they cook, warm the enchilada sauce.

Spoon warm enchilada sauce on a plate, place baked chimichito on top, add a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.

Serves 4.