cafe rio sweet pork

People go nuts for Cafe Rio.  One opened down the street from me and it is always packed.  There are some die hard Cafe Rio fans out there.  I am not one of them.  It is not that I don't like Cafe Rio.  I do like it but, I actually love the Mexican restaurant a few doors down.  The other Mexican restaurant loves me.  They know the kids when they walk in and promptly give my son a horchata.  They have our order down.  The food is great which is why I have only tried Cafe Rio once.  What our place does not have is sweet pork.  My kids like sweet pork and will eat large portions of it so, when I was planning Campbell's birthday menu this seemed like a meal that would be enjoyed by both kids and adults.  I googled Cafe Rio recipes and there are so many variations out there.  They have such a range of ingredients and with having only tasted it once I had to come up with flavors I thought we would like.  Most recipes used a crockpot but, mine died back in the spring.  So the plan was to use my dutch oven and hope for the best.  It is hard to screw up a pork butt. The meat came out tender and sweet.  I would have loved a little heat behind the sweet but, I knew the kids wouldn't eat it.  Next time when I shred the pork I am going to put it in two pots for the remaining low cook and add a few chipotle chiles in adobo sauce.  I think the sweet and spicy combination would be out of this world.  I am actually drooling a bit thinking about it.  I am looking forward to going to Cafe Rio to do a taste test and see if this even comes close.  Hard for me to call it Cafe Rio pork but, guest that know Cafe Rio said this does taste like.  I also tried the Cafe Rio cilantro rice and black beans copycat recipes.  I was not wowed by either of those.  What I did like is the cilantro dressing (recipe to come). 

cafe rio sweet pork

source: sweetflours

6-7 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt
3 cans Coke 

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder

salt/pepper
1 can diced green chilies
1 14oz bottle red enchilada sauce (I used trader joe's)
1 cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300.

Generously season pork with salt, pepper.  Sprinkle dark brown sugar and garlic powder on both sides of the seasoned pork.  Gently rub the spice mixture into the meat.  Put the pork fat side up in a dutch oven sprayed with cooking spray or oiled. Add two cans of coke around the pork.  Put lid on the dutch oven and let the pork cook for 6 hours.

Remove pork from the oven and drain the liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.  Return pork to dutch oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 250.

In a food processor or blender, blend one can of coke, green chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining cup of brown sugar.  Pour sauce over shredded pork and return pork to the oven in covered dutch oven.  Cook for an additional two hours.

fresh corn and asiago cheese bread pudding

I don't like bread.  I said it.  It is out there and my friends think it is beyond weird.  Bread basket I am not interested in you unless there are warm corn muffins under your napkin veil.  I don't remember a time in my life when I liked bread.  I use to tell my mom it hurt my teeth to get out of eating it.  People often say I wish I didn't like bread.  Well my dislike for bread is easily filled with quick breads, muffins, cakes, and brownies.  Don't worry I get my share of carbs people.  As I get older and more adventurous in the kitchen with an expanding palate I am making some exceptions for my ban on bread.  I have found if you cut bread into small cubes, soak it in whole milk and heavy cream, and toss in some fresh sweet corn and asiago cheese then bake it I am a fan.  This is a great summer side dish to go along with grilled meats.  It is decadent but, if you serve it with a grilled lean protein and vegetables it feels ok to indulge.  Oh boy did we indulge!

fresh corn and asiago cheese bread pudding

adapted: southern living

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (12-oz.) French bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes (8 cups)
4 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded asiago cheese

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add bread, tossing to coat.  Stir corn and cheese into bread mixture.   Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
  
Preheat oven to 375°. Spoon chilled mixture into a well-buttered 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until set and golden brown.

s'mores cookies

We had a fantastic summery weekend.  We were on our beach cruisers, at the beach, barbecuing with friends, soaking up sun and visiting with family.  The whole weekend screamed summer.  To make it even more summery we ate a whole bunch of these s'mores cookies.  What is it about a s'more that just makes you feel like a kid on summer break.  The first two weeks of July have been awesome.  I feel like this is the first summer in a long time I can enjoy.  Not pregnant, don't have a newborn and the weather doesn't suck.  All of this fun has me feeling like just as we are getting into the swing of summer fun it is going to be over.  There are 63 days of summer left.  I am going to pack it with as much fun (and s'mores) as possible.

Carter came home from his camp themed camp today and said mommy we made s'mores at camp today but, they made them wrong I like yours with the chocolate on top not inside.  So cute!  We all loved these cookies but, honestly I think Campbell was the true fan.  She would walk over to the cookie jar in the morning and ask for "cookie cookie".

Enjoy summer and make these today.  Your kids will love you and you will feel like a kid all over again.

Looking for more s'mores (that is fun to say)!  These are both really good.  Promise.

s'mores ice cream 

s'mores bars 

s'mores cookies

adapted: ice cream before dinner

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temp

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp cinnamon

2 ½ cups flour

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

2  ½ regular sized hershey’s bars, broken into pieces

1 ½  sleeves of graham crackers, broken into squares

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with both sugars until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed.

Fold in chips and marshmallows. 

Lay out graham crackers side by side on a 13x9 rimmed baking sheet as close as possible.  Touching is fine.  Place tablespoon scoop of dough in the center of each graham crackers square.  Press down slightly with small spatula.

Bake for 6 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top.  Bake for 6 – 8 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

mocha chip angel food cake

 

I like angel food cake a lot.  I love the light, squishy, sweet cake with the slightly crusty top.  As much as I like it I have never made it from scratch.  The recipe does not look overly difficult although inverting the pan right out of the oven seemed out of the box for me.  The issue was the 12 egg whites.  That is a whole lot of left over yokes.  I surely could make ice cream but, with 12 yolks that is still a whole lot of ice cream.  I am not phased by recipes with 4 sticks of butter but, the 12 whites really deterred me.  In need of a lighter dessert coming off the fourth of July food fest I got over my fear and dove right in.  The result was delicious.  The addition of the mocha flavoring and the chips made this slightly denser then your standard angel food cake.  Now that I think of it I am not the best folder and I could have lost some air during my scoop, incorporate, scoop, incorporate portion of the recipe.  The recipe had a mocha ganache to drizzle over the top but, we did not feel like this cake needed it.  The mocha flavor and the chips really bring a new twist on a classic.  The mocha ganache and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream would make this simple cake something special.

mocha chip angel food cake

source: everyday food

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 large egg whites, room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup cake flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a small bowl, stir together espresso powder, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water until powder dissolves.

Using the whisk attachment beat egg whites on medium-high until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form, 4 minutes. Continue to beat, gradually adding sugar, until stiff glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Place cake flour and salt in a fine-mesh sieve and sift over egg-white mixture in three additions, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. Gently fold in espresso mixture and chocolate chips. 

Gently spoon batter into an ungreased angel-food cake pan with a removable bottom. With a knife, cut through batter to release air bubbles, then smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes.

Invert pan on a baking sheet; let cake cool in pan, 1 hour. Run a thin knife around pan and tube, then unmold cake. 

 

soft frosted sugar cookies

See I really do love the 4th of July.  I had high hopes of making several different patriotic treats for the weekend.   My kitchen did not produce several treats.  It is hard to stay in the kitchen baking when there are pitchers of watermelon margaritas to drink, beach cruisers to ride, waves to splash in, sun to bathe in, kids to giggle with, burgers to barbecue and friends to laugh with.  I did not want to miss out on a minute of the fun this weekend.  I did make these sugar cookies and boy were they good.  A perfect combination of soft, chewy, sweetness covered in a layer of creamy colorful frosting.  They were fun and festive.  Perfect to package up and bring to a barbecue, the beach or snuggled up on the couch with your kids.  Hoping everyone had a fun, safe, and sunshine filled weekend.  Happy 4th!

soft frosted sugar cookies

adapted: all-recipes

    * 2/3 cup shortening
    * 2/3 cup butter
    * 1 1/4 cups white sugar
    * 2 large eggs
    * 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    * 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    * 2 teaspoons baking powder
    * 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside. 

Cream together the butter, shortening and sugar for ~ 4minutes.

Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. 

Scoop dough.   Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

frosting

1/2 cup shortening
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
optional: sprinkles and food coloring

Sift the powdered sugar.
In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the shortening and powdered sugar. Add in milk. Mix.  Add in the vanilla extract. Mix on medium high speed until smooth.

Frost the cookies with frosting and top with sprinkles.

french martini

I have not posted all week.  It has been one of those weeks.  I am so glad it is Friday.  I should be posting some amazingly yummy and adorable patriotic sweet treat but, I am not.  Instead I give you something that is not even American.  I promise I love this country.  I promise you I will be out celebrating this weekend.  The fourth of July is my favorite holiday.  Because it has been a craptastic week I give you this non-American amazing martini.  When 5:00 hits I will have one of these in hand.  I will relax and be completely prepared to tie one on this weekend.  A happy and safe holiday to all.   Is it 5:00 yet?

french martini

adapted: barefoot contessa

    * 2 ounces fresh pineapple juice
    * 2 ounces GOOD cold vodka (kettle one or grey goose)
    * 12 ounce chambord

yields: two amazing martinis

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill a martini glass with ice and pour the cocktail over the ice.

green goddess dressing

I obsess.  I get obsessed with a food product and I use it every day and then out of the blue I am over it and I can't have one more bite.  I have been that way with galeos salad dressing for as long as I remember.  Even after the nutritional label was challenged and discovered to be incorrect I still did not part ways.  It took making this dressing for the lobster party to open my eyes to how delicious homemade dressing can be.  It is not only tasty it is so beyond easy to make.  I could not get enough of this.  Lucky for me there were left overs.  I dipped veggies in it, used it as a sandwich spread in paninis and of coursed dressed a salad.  My only issue is it is not exactly light but, I think that can be changed.  This dressing can be lighted by using light mayo and light sour cream or even substituting greek yogurt.  The basil can be swapped for tarragon or a mix of other fresh herbs on hand.  I can't wait to experiment.  Thanks Ina for making me fill the mason jars rather then buy the bottles.

My adorable nautical, preppy, east coast influenced table.  Used all those lobster items we got for our wedding that we never registered for and Brad wanted to throw out.  I knew someday they would come to use!

green goddess dressing

source: barefoot contessa

1 cup good mayonnaise

1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (6 to 7 scallions)

1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sour cream

Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sour cream and process just until blended.

Refrigerate the dressing until ready to serve.