The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - McCormick® Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Buy a packet of McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning, throw it in your crock pot with a pork tenderloin and 3 other ingredients - Voila! You have a zesty pulled pork sandwich the whole family will enjoy!  A shout out to my high school BFF, Sue, who told me all about it and has been talking about this recipe forever.  I finally gave it a try last night.  Easy, to say the least.  Yummy, totally!  The hubs AND kids enjoyed it immensely!  Thank you Sue...and McCormick®!

McCormick® Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Makes 10 servings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed (I used a pork tenderloin)
1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1. Place pork in slow cooker.

2. Mix Seasoning Mix, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.

3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.

4. Shred pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker. Mix and heat with sauce before serving. Serve on sandwich rolls, if desired.

Buon Appetito!

Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Chicken with Lemon-Caper Sauce

I love chicken with lemon!  Love it!  Add a little white wine (in the recipe and a glass for you) and you've got yourself a delightful meal!  Ready in 30 minutes! Original Recipe

Chicken with Lemon-Caper Sauce

1 pinch salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 lemon wedges



Directions

1. Mix together salt and flour in a small dish or plastic bag, then coat chicken and shake off excess. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Shake excess flour from chicken, then brown in hot oil until both sides are golden-brown, and the inside has turned white and firm, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
2. Remove the chicken, and set aside in a warm place. Pour white wine into the skillet, and allow to boil as you dissolve the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice, and allow to come to a boil, cook for a few minutes until reduced by half.
3. Sprinkle the cubed butter into the boiling sauce. Swirl and shake the pan vigorously to dissolve the butter, thus thickening the sauce. The butter must never come to rest, or the sauce will separate and become oily. Once the butter has completely incorporated, remove from heat and stir in capers.
4. To serve, pour lemon-caper sauce over the chicken, and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Buon Appetito!

Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Penne Pasta Bake

Thanksgiving Eve...Christmas Eve...Or even when all the turkey and leftovers are gone this Sunday, turn to this quick and easy, very satisfying Italian meal.  Add another 1/2 lb of beef if you've got meat lovers in the house.  Serve with salad and garlic bread.  This is another recipe direct from my mom's kitchen, I changed it just a little from her original.  This is also a great dish to make ahead, freeze and then reheat.  A perfect solution to feed your family this holiday season or anytime of the year!  And don't forget the red wine!

Penne Pasta Bake

12 oz. penne pasta

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped

1 T oregano

1 bay leaf

15 oz. tomato sauce

14 oz. canned tomatoes, pureed

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Cook meat and onion in large skillet until browned. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce, pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, spices and 1/2 cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf.  Layer half pasta, half sauce and half cheese in 13x9"" baking dish. Repeat. Cover and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Buon Appetito!
Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops

Flavorful!  Autumny!  Comforting! 

I stumbled upon this recipe last week just one day before our grocery run.  I was actually going to try my parmesan-dijon chicken recipe with pork chops (recipe found in the book Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics: Learning to Cook with Confidence).  Luckily, the pork chops and apples recipe jumped out at me!  I had apples (it's fall, after all) and I had just bought brown sugar for an appetizer I made for a Halloween bash.  It was as easy and delightful as I could've hoped for.  On this rainy and chilly evening, we paired it with stuffing, green beans and mashed potatoes for that wholesome, all-American comfort food meal. 

Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops

2 medium apples (we used Gala)
3 T packed brown sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
4 pork chops
cooking spray

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the apple into fourths, and remove the seeds.  Cut each fourth into 3 or 4 wedges. Place apple wedges in the casserole dish.  Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the apples.
3. Cut and discard most of teh fast from the pork chops. Spray the skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes.  Cook pork chops in hot skillet about 5 minutes, turning once, until light brown.
4. Place the pork chops in a single layer on the apple wedges. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake about 45 minutes or until pork is slightly pink when you cut into the center and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.

Buon appetito!

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement – Kathy’s Classic Roman Pasta with Lemon Chicken

The pasta portion of this recipe came from my Aunt Kathy (click this link to check out her products with Avon).  I immediately fell in love with the lightness of the dish, with the kick from the red pepper flakes and the crunch from the nuts.  To make it a meal, we compliment it with this delightful lemon chicken recipe.  For the kiddos who aren’t into spicy, separate a portion of the pasta before adding the red pepper flakes.

Kathy’s Classic Roman Pasta with Lemon Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 lb. pasta (I like to use thin spaghetti)

½ teaspoon (generous) fresh ground pepper

½ teaspoon (generous) red pepper flakes

1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese

½ cup pine nuts

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Salt and pepper chicken breasts.  In a skillet, cook the chicken in 2 tablespoons of butter until juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Add remaining butter to skillet; stir in lemon juice; heat through. Simmer.

Prepare pasta.  In last five minutes of pasta’s cooking, heat oil and pine nuts.  Mix together Romano cheese and peppers.  Drain pasta.  Quickly add nuts & oil mixture and cheese mixture.  Toss and serve with chicken. 

 (The biggest challenge with this simple dish is to keep the pasta hot between draining and getting to table.  It cools quickly.) 

Buon appetito!

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement ~Chicken Paella

Trina's Chicken Paella is my version of the original dish.  The hubs and kids really enjoyed it, even though it's chicken and not beef...not a single thing is deep fried, and there's no potatoes. Yes folks, it's not even a southern dish and it was a winner at our house!! So, you know it must be good.

3-Chicken Breasts, fat trimmed & cut into 1/4 or 1/2 inch pieces
3- Teaspoons Olive Oil
1- Onion Chopped
1-Green Bell Pepper Chopped
1 1/4- Teaspoon Chicken Bouillon mix (I use Maggi Brand now courtesy of a friend.  It's SOOO much better than the original cubes.  It's in the hispanic food aisle of the grocery store and is in a yellow plastic container)
1-Cup Brown Rice
1 1/4- Cup Water

Heat 1 tsp oil in a large skillet, then brown chicken, till cooked through.  Remove chicken, then put in two teaspoons oil, and cook the onion and green bell pepper until crisp tender.  Mix the water & bouillon together, then pour in with the vegetables.  Add the rice and chicken back into the mixture, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, simmer covered for 25 minutes or until rice is completely tender.



This meal is very easy, and it's great with a loaf of sour dough bread and/or your favorite salad.  Happy Eating Friends!