Creative Suppers!

One of my passions is being creative in my kitchen. I rarely go out and buy a lot of supplies that I will only use once. Typically, my creativity comes from using what I have. So, that means when I find a recipe that I would like to try, I usually have to switch a few things around. :)

I also love to be able to find ways to use something more than once. For instance:

I had to make some food to take to our church this week. I made a huge pot of Cheesy Mashed Potatoes. When I cook for others I try to make enough to serve both my family and those I am serving. It makes it so much easier to cook once and my husband really appreciates that. :)

While boiling the potatoes I use chicken broth ( water + bullion) to give it some extra flavor. When the potatoes were done, rather than throw the broth away, I put it in the crock pot with my roast.

That day we had many errands to run so we were off by 10:00 am, not to be back till after 2:00 pm. We came home to a wonderful aroma of roast pork. The chicken broth made it so tender and moist.

When the roast was done I drained the liquid off the meat,cut off the fat, cut out the bones and began to shred the meat. It went back into the crock pot. I added garlic, salt, pepper,rosemary, thyme and oregano. I also added some water and a little olive oil. Turned the heat on low and waited, anxiously till supper.

It was superb! We had roast pork, cheesy mashed potatoes and baked beans along with a delicious macaroni salad.


There was quite a bit of meat left over after our supper. :) Hooray! That is my favorite thing to work with. Sometimes, I will make a stew or soup with my left over roast, or maybe a yummy pot pie. A simmered BBQ made with shredded roast, is absolutely divine. ( especially served on some home made rolls) :)


Yesterday I took my left over shredded roast pork and made fajitas! They were awesome! I love when I can throw a meal together in minutes and it is absolutely scrumptious.

Here are my recipes! Enjoy!!

Roast Pork

1 3-5 lb. pork roast

2-3 c. chicken broth

Water

Seasonings to taste:

I used salt,pepper, thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic

Olive Oil.

Place roast in crock pot; add chicken broth. Cook till done ( I had mine on high for about 6 hours.) When cooked through, remove meat. Cut off fat, bones, any extras you don't want in your dish. Discard the broth. ( if you want you can save back a little of the liquid to keep in the meat) Shred the meat and place back into the crock pot.

Add water( this keeps the meat moist and keeps it from burning) a little olive oil and your favorite seasonings. Cook till heated through.

Serve with any of your favorite toppings, on buns or just as it is. My husband loves to drizzle BBQ sauce on top.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

8-10 potatoes, peeled and diced

water to cover ( I add chicken bullion to the water approx 1 cube per cup)

Cook till done. Mash potatoes but do not add milk or butter to the potatoes.

Add 1/2 c. chopped onion. ( I use minced onion with great success)

Melt 1/4 c. butter, 1 c. sour cream and 1-2 c. cheddar cheese( I use Velveeta) Add to the potatoes, mixing well.

Put in a casserole dish and bake for 30 min. on 350.

Macaroni Salad

1-2 c. macaroni

1-2 cucumbers

1 c. cubed Colby cheese

1 tomato, diced

1 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp vinegar

Cook macaroni according to directions. Chop vegetables and set aside.

Mix the mayo, sugar and vinegar. Mix the noodles, veggies and cheese together with the dressing. Chill before eating.

Shredded Pork Fajitas

2 c. shredded pork

1/4 c. lime juice

1 Tb. olive oil

1 green pepper, sliced ( adding red is a lovely touch too)

1 onion sliced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

Pepper

1 can stewed tomatoes

In a skillet, saute vegetables and add the meat, along with the lime juice, olive oil and seasonings. Add the stewed tomatoes last and heat through.

Serve on warm tortillas with sour cream and guacamole. :) yumm!