How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Recipes the Easy Way

You cannot do slow cooker pork roast recipes of any kind in one hour. Don't fall for it if someone or somewhere you see a recipe for a one hour meal. But you can have some very delicious pork roast that comes from a slow cooker and you do not need to be there to watch over it every minute of the day.

Not very often, but there have been times when we have used a slow cooker for a meal. The advantages are quite numerous, such as:

* you do not need to be present
* cooks all by itself
* does not heat up the whole kitchen
* less clean up (one pot)
* meat comes out wonderfully tender and moist

Now those are some pretty good advantages to using a cooker. Here is how they work: slow cookers operate at low temperatures. And since the lids are kept on there is hardly any evaporation or liquid loss so most of all of it stays in the pot to keep things moist.

In other words, if you were cooking on top of the stove, the liquid in the vegetables, etc. would turn to steam and just rise up and, poof, it's gone. When you cook it this way, it will rise but then hit the lid and fall back down, thereby keeping everything moist and the eventual result will be in more tender foods.

Because of that fact you would decrease the amount of liquid you use when using a slow cooker. Check with your manufacturer to determine the right amount for what you are cooking.

Let's get to some slow cooker pork roast recipes. Pork shoulder can really be a good meal if done right, but not done right will be dry, stringy and tasteless. If you are going to a BBQ flavored dish, you can season the meat real well with your favorite BBQ rub mixed with a half of a cup of ketchup, one half of a cup of firmly packed brown sugar, and one third cup of cider vinegar, or you can use dark beer.

Mix all of these together and pour all over the pork and then cover. Put it into your slow cooker (crock pot) and then cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high.

When it comes out, take a couple of forks and shred it up real good and then mix it with some of your favorite BBQ sauce. Put it back into the crock pot for about thirty more minutes.

Now after this is heated all the way through, pull it out and serve it on hamburger buns and some cole slaw on the side. Maybe some pork 'n beans on the side along with your favorite cool beverage and you have the makings of a good slow cooker pork recipes style meal for an afternoon barbecue.

If you want to check out more free recipes and bbq tips just check out my bbq blog at: slow cooker pork recipes

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Boneless Chicken Thigh Recipes

Chicken thighs are often overlooked in recipes because of the popularity of boneless chicken breasts, which are more in demand. However, chicken thighs are juicier and much more flavorful. They are also very economical and if you are on a tight budget, there are lots of chicken thigh recipes you can make, whether you are looking for something international like easy chicken enchiladas or something for the summer like grilled chicken recipes.

You can use boneless chicken thighs in casseroles and stews and pretty much any dish where you would normally use chicken breast. You might like to use some chicken breast and some chicken thigh, for a contrast in flavors and textures.

How to De-Bone a Chicken Thigh

Bone-in chicken is cheaper than ones are which have been de-boned for you, so it is well worth learning how to take the bones out of your own. Taking the bone out of a chicken thigh is simple and it also means the chicken will have a shorter cooking time. If you are cutting up a whole chicken, you will need a sharp knife to slice through the joint where the drumstick meets the thigh. You will find the cartilage very soft so it is easy to cut.

Bone the drumstick using the same method as you used for the thigh. Cut along the top of the bone and slice deeply until the knife is touching the bone. You will be able to see the white bone in the cut you have made. Pull the bone upwards and away from the chicken thigh.

Cut into the chicken some more, so that you can remove the bone altogether. You will probably have to slice some more of the meat off the bone so you can get it out. Keep slicing away bits of sinew, tendons and skin until you have a boneless thigh.

Recipe for Crockpot Chicken Thighs in an Herby Orange Sauce

This is such a simple recipe and the fact that you can use a slow cooker means that you can leave this recipe to cook by itself all day while you are out. Serve this tangy citrus chicken dish with noodles or rice and perhaps some broccoli or beans on the side. This recipe serves four people.

You will need:

2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, in 1 inch pieces
Juice from 1 orange
Zest from 2 oranges
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
4 slices crumbled, cooked lean bacon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
3 peeled, diced carrots
1 chopped onion
14 1/2 oz can diced peeled tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste

How to make it:

Remove any visible fat from the chicken, then combine it with the orange juice and half the zest, tomatoes and their liquid, oregano, thyme, pepper, garlic, rosemary, onion, carrot, basil and tomato paste in a three and a half quart crockpot. Cover and cook on "low" for about six hours or until the chicken thighs are cooked through. Stir in the rest of the orange zest, the lemon juice, and sugar. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the finished dish.

There are many grilled chicken recipes that you can make with boneless chicken. Perhaps you fancy trying an international dish like easy chicken enchiladas and these recipes are so quick and easy. BonelessChickenRecipe.com - Chicken so delightfully moist, you can almost smell it through your monitor.

The Best Low Carb Cheesecake Recipe - Delicious and Healthy

The first step in is always the hardest some say - same can be said when you are doing a low carb diet and are trying to significantly reduce the amount of calories you are eating. If you have been looking for tasty and healthy recipes for your diet with no success - then this low carb cheesecake recipe is worth trying out, as it contains little carbohydrates.

In your many fruitless attempts to look for the perfect recipes, you might have come across some low carb cheesecake recipes - but this particular low carb cheesecake recipe is guaranteed to tingle your taste buds like never before. Being dubbed as the cheesecake to-die-for, the definitive New York style cheesecake with Brazil nut crust is a heavenly treat for both the mind and body - as it contains very little carbohydrates.

To make the crust of this tasty cheesecake, you will need to prepare 2 cups of raw Brazil nuts, 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons of brown Sugar Twin, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Whereas for the filling, prepare 2.5 lbs. of cream cheese kept at room temperature, 5 tablespoons of granular Splenda, 5 tablespoons of granular Sugar Twin, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 2 teaspoon of freshly-juiced lemon, 2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, 2 egg yolks and 6 whole eggs - large one preferably.

The next step is you should have the oven preheated to 350F and line the bottom of at least 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. The paper is an important step to this low carb cheesecake recipe, so make sure you do this in order. If you skip this step, you will have an irremovable cheesecake that's stuck on the pan.

Have the raw nuts roasted for about 15 minutes while you melt the butter. After done roasting them, move them to the food processor until you get finely chopped nuts. Then add the rest of the ingredients for the crust inside and combine them until they are mixed well. Pour them evenly in the bottom of the spring form pan and put in the refrigerator.

For the filling, raise the temperature of the oven to 400F. Beat the cream cheese and put in different bowl, add sweeteners, the sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice and beat until they mixed well. Add the yolks and eggs two at a time and beat until mixed well. Pour the filling over the crust and put on the pan and have it baked for ten minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350ºF and bake until done for 2 hours.

Enjoy your delicious cheesecake made from the best low carb cheesecake recipe.
Jessica Tanady loves to write articles since 4 years ago, both offline and online. While she's keen on topics of beauty, fitness and weight loss, she has demonstrated her writing skills on a wide array of topics. Visit her latest articles on senseo coffee makers which reviews and discuss about single serve coffee maker.

Spinach and Mushroom Strudel, a Great Vegetarian Entree

Here is a fun way to create a great vegetarian entree using puff pastry. Saute two pounds of spinach in olive oil with fresh mixed herbs. When you get it thoroughly wilted, put it in a colander and let it cool and drain. Next take three pounds of sliced mushrooms and saute them until they are soft and de-glaze them with 8 oz. of red wine and a 2 oz. of balsamic vinegar. Cook them until all the liquid is gone. You will be stirring quite a bit as the last of it evaporates now set them aside in a bowl to cool.

Take 2 logs(20 oz.) of Cherve (French goat cheese) and put it into a bowl and mix it with a hand mixer to make it soft. If you do not like goat cheese use domestic "feta" which is cows milk. Add some fresh minced garlic and fresh Italian herbs. Salt and pepper to taste. Now you need a 10" by 15" sheet of puff pastry dough. You can usually get these at your local delicatessen. This will make enough for 6 entrees.

Now you will need a couple of eggs to use as an egg wash to seal the seams and to make the dough shine when you bake it. Put them into a small bowl and add a couple tablespoons of water. Mix them up with a fork and drag out your pastry brush ready for action.

Lay the dough out on your floured cutting board and flatten it out with a rolling pin a little bit more than it already is. Roll it out about two to three inches all the way around. So now you have a sheet that is about 20 inches long by 13 inches or so wide. Now for the filling, the spinach needs to be hand squeezed to get rid of as much liquid as possible. This is necessary so that it does not saturate the puff pastry. Once that is finished the filling is ready to go.

First, take the spinach and make a fat 1 inch tall by 2 inches wide row down the pastry starting about 3 inches from one end and stopping about 3 inches from the other end. This is done by placing handfuls of spinach on the dough and forming it into a long line, about 2 inches wide and evenly dispersed. Next do the same thing along side of the spinach with the sauteed mushrooms. Go end to end leaving the last three inches on both ends empty. I think the quantities should be just right to fill the space.

Now if you are using goat cheese you will need a pastry bag with a large round tip. Squeeze out a line of cheese on top and down the center between the spinach and the mushrooms. With feta you can simply crumble it over the two fillings evenly to cover them and add your seasonings after you have finished. Now it is time to make the envelope.

First brush the egg wash around the entire outside edge of the dough. Now fold each end of the rectangle back over the filling even with where the filling stopped. Next brush the newly exposed dry spots on the dough with egg wash (this is the sealing glue). Now for the sides, take one side and fold it over the filling. It should be just enough to cover over the filling without draping onto the other side. Once again brush with egg wash and fold the final side on top of the other side. This exposed side does not need to be egg washed because it will be the bottom of your creation.

Now you can roll the entire log over onto its double side. Gently brush off any large accumulations of flour from the newly exposed side. Now it can be transferred to a cookie sheet. At this point it should be 4 inches wide and about 14 inches long the cheese will be on the bottom covered by two layers of pastry to keep from burning. Once you have transferred it to the cookie sheet brush the top and sides with the egg wash. Now turn your oven to 400 degrees and let it preheat. The final step is to take a knife and make a series of diagonal slices across the top about two inches apart.

When the oven gets to temperature put your strudel in for about 20-30 minutes until it rises and turns a nice golden brown. This makes a great vegetarian entree and it will serve 6 people easily. Enjoy!!

Michael Brown, blogs about having fun in the kitchen with emphasis on the chef's knives and gadgets toolbox. Tips and techniques for creating garnishes and making food look pretty. The Cutting Edge Blog at http://greatcookingtoday.com/. A long time chef he loves to share his knowledge about his craft and presenting food in an eye appealing manner.

Easy to Make Ahead - Beef Stew

This quick and easy beef stew is so simple to throw together and has become a staple recipe for our family. I love that it only take a few fresh ingredients and very little prep time to come out with a great tasting dinner. Comfort food, no hassle, and a toasty stew for dinner. What more could a girl want?

The Ingredient List:

• 1.5 lb. stewing beef
• 1/2 C. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 3 Tbsp. cooking oil
• 1 1/2 C. water
• 2 onions, sliced and separated
• 3 potatoes, cubed
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
  

* A note about the beef - you can buy anywhere from 1 pound to 2 pounds depending on how "beefy" you want things to be. I find that for us around 1.5 pounds is a good measure. Also, it does not have to be the pre-cut stew meat package. I honestly just buy whatever is on sale that day. If it needs cutting up, no big deal. Get what's fresh and looks the best at the time.

Cut meat into bite-sized pieces if you need to.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl or bag. Put pieces of meat in bag or bowl, a handful at a time, and shake or toss to coat. Reserve flour.

Brown meat in oil on all sides. Add water, cover, and cook over low heat until tender, generally about 2 hours. Add vegetables to pan and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, about another 30 minutes. If desired, thicken with reserved flour or a bit of cornstarch.

Serve with your favorite side salad, some flaky biscuits or a nice crusty bread for a complete and delicious meal.

Did you know that planning your meals ahead of time can save you hundreds of dollars on groceries and reduce the amount of time you spend in the kitchen?

Claim your Free Menu Planning Basics Report and Printable Resources right now at JustNotMartha.com!

How to Prepare a Cabbage Soup Diet

A good weight loss program is the cabbage soup diet. This diet is a good way to start your way into a more fit and healthy body. Generally, a diet should be able to help you lose around 5 to 30 pounds easily. The Cabbage soup diet is extremely popular among weight loss aficionados because it very easy to prepare. Its weight loss capability has also been well tested. This diet is high fiber and low in both fat and calories. It is also very nutritional which makes it a good choice for a lot of people.

The recommended span of time for the diet is around seven days. The idea behind the program is for the soup to become your staple food throughout the week. It is not advisable to stave yourself during the diet. You have to eat. The deal though is, you only consume the soup. You also have to regularly drink water. Your bowel movements will change after a few days. This is an indicator that the cabbage has successfully triggered the body's cleansing. You will need the following ingredients to prepare the cabbage soup:

• Water (around 3 liters)
• Cabbage
• Spring onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Green Peppers
• Mushrooms
• Bouillon powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin oil

Soup Preparation

Using extra virgin oil, begin sautéing all the ingredients together except the peppers and the cabbage. After a few minutes, put in the peppers. Make sure that all the seeds are taken out. After some time put in the cabbage (peeled and cut into pieces). Pour in water and boil. The consistency of the soup depends on your preferences. Once the desired consistency is achieved, you can now begin your diet. Make sure to consult someone who knows about the program before starting.

Dennis enjoys writing and sharing articles on topics like Cabbage Soup Diet and Cabbage Soup Recipe. Visit for more details.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dennis_Moore_Hopkins

Best Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

How to Bake Muffins

Baking muffins is fairly easy - All you have to do is decide just what kind of muffins you want to bake. My muffins are very popular with the guests at our B&B. Here is what you will need. It takes around 20 minutes to make up a delicious batch of muffins. Do NOT try to bake two batches at the same time or one will come out overcooked!

You need:
* plain flour
* one large egg
* sugar
* baking powder (to make it rise)
* flavouring

This is my easy recipe for my own chocolate chip muffins (makes 12 small or 6 big ones.) Most people find this foolproof. You will need the following on your kitchen table. It really helps to assemble everything first.

* Large Mixing Bowl for the dry ingredients (My Victorian bowl is still the best!).
* Fine metal sieve
* Smaller mixing bowl for the wet ingredients (I use a pyrex bowl)
* Cup or mug for butter One teaspoon dessert spoon
* Non-Stick muffin tray with paper cases place in holes. (paper cases are MUCH easier to use and the muffins will not stick to them)
* Wooden spoon balloon whisk (or fork)
* Packet of chocolate chips (100 g)
* Good quality vanilla essence
* 8 oz milk (just over 200cc)

Measure out the following:

* 10 ounces (250g) of PLAIN FLOUR
* 3 teaspoons (15g) (heaped a little bit) of BAKING POWDER
* 1/2 teaspoon of SALT
* 3 ounces (85g) of granulated SUGAR (I use demerara sugar but white is fine too)
* Soften 3 ounces of butter in cup in oven or microwave (on low or it gets messy) just until liquid is ok
First light your oven (around 5 to 6 is best for a gas oven).

Pour the sugar and the chocolate chips into the big bowl. Sieve above the big mixing bowl on to the sugar and chocolate. chips Pour through the sieve the flour with the salt and the baking powder (I like to sprinkle salt & Baking powder over the flour so it mixes better.)

Take the balloon whisk or fork and mix well till it all looks fairly well mixed. (Do not wash the balloon whisk you will need it again now!)

Crack the egg into the smaller bowl whisk until it is pale yellow pour in the milk and whisk again till well mixed.

Take butter out of microwave. Light oven to gas mark 5 to 6 (depends on your oven!) Pour molten butter into small bowl with egg/milk mix. Whisk like crazy or the butter will solidify and go lumpy. (they will still taste good )

Whisk into wet mixture TWO teaspoons Vanilla essence. Pour wet mixture on to dry mixture and with a wooden spoon mix well - again as fast as you can.

With dessert spoon half fill paper cups in muffin tray. Top up muffin cases with mixture till it is all evenly placed in cases. Now put tray of muffins on middle shelf of oven. Set timer/watch for 11 minutes.

After 10 minutes peek into oven press on a muffin - it should be firm to the touch. If they are still soft then close oven and come back again in a couple of minutes.

Eat your yummy muffins!

I Hope you love these muffins as much as I do. My waist shows how much that is.
Please visit my website for more recipes at http://www.squidoo.com/howtobakeacake
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Jones

Try This Tangy and Spicy Beef Soup and it is Okay For the Diabetics, Too!

I am a person who could eat soup everyday all-year-round. If you like soup, too, try this Tangy and Spicy Beef Soup for something new. This soup is made with steak, vegetable broth, vegetables, pasta, spices, etc. Served with a crusty bread, cornbread, or assorted crackers, it is good no matter how you serve it. If you have family members, like my husband, who think they need steak instead of soup, well here you go. They get their steak in their soup! For a healthier soup, or if there are diabetics in your group, I recommend you use whole-wheat pasta.

TANGY AND SPICY BEEF SOUP

3/4 to 1 lb beef round tip steak
1 can (approx. 14-oz) vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup julienned carrots
3 tbsp lite soy sauce, divided
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper or red pepper flakes
1 oz uncooked angel hair pasta, (about 1/4 cup broken up)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Cut the steak lengthwise in half then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips.

In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the broth, 1 1/2 cups water, mushrooms, carrots, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the vinegar and red pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet in 1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed, stir-fry the steak pieces to brown lightly.

Add the angel hair pasta to the broth mixture and simmer for another 5 minutes. Mix the cornstarch and the 1/4 cup water until smooth; stir into the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the beef to the soup and remove from the heat. Cover the saucepan and let stand for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the remaining soy sauce and the green onions. Serve immediately while still hot.

Yield: 4 servings.

For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com For her old fashion recipe collection visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Carol_Wilson

How to Make Steamboat Soup

You need a good steamboat soup for an enjoyable steamboat feast. There are many ready-made soups that you can buy from the supermarkets, but there is nothing that beats the real thing. Here is a simple recipe that you can use to make a delicious steamboat soup.

This serves around 4-6 people.

You will need:

• 10 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon of tamarind pulp
• 150 ml of boiling water
• 1200 ml of water
• 2 tablespoons of Thai fish sauce
• 8 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of caster sugar
• 1 small pineapple, cut into huge chunks
• 170g of tomatoes, cut into 4 pieces each
• 8 spring onions
• 250g of prawns
• 3 squids, cut into thick rings
• 250g of fish fillets, preferably cod fish
• some coriander leaves
• 2 chillies, sliced thinly

Here are the directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan and when it is hot, deep-fry the garlic until it is golden-brown to bring out its fragrance. Drain the oil away and leave the garlic on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

2. Put the tamarind pulp into a mixer bowl with the boiling water and leave it to stand for 20 minutes. Allow the pulp to dissolve. Strain the liquid through a sieve and discard the residue. Put the liquid into a saucepan with the water and mix it with the sugar, pineapple, tomatoes, spring onions and fish sauce. Cook until it boils.

3. Pour the mixture into the hot pan and add in the garlic, prawns, squid rings and fish fillets. Allow it to simmer for 6 minutes.

4. Serve the steamboat while it is hot.

This is a delicious soup base and you can add in all the seafood that you need for a fantastic family gathering. Top it up with coriander leaves and chillies for added flavour.

Banana Bread Recipe

There can be no substitute for the banana bread. Soft, moist bread with the sweet taste of bananas is just the right snack to go into a child's school snack box. This is one snack that's enjoyed by children and adults all over the world. And it's so easy to make too. You don't have to go searching for ingredients. Whenever you have bananas that have become over-ripe, you could bake a batch of sweet bread. Leave alone the taste and the flavour; I bake bread habitually because I love its aroma.

Bananas have a long freezer life. You can store blackened bananas in the freezer for as many as six months and use them to make bread whenever you want. This fragrant bread is said to have been found in the eighteenth century by housewives who experimented with pearlash as a leavening agent. The recipe was revived in the 1930's when baking powder became popular. Now, banana bread is popular throughout the world as a comfort food. Australia has a special fondness for this bread; they even celebrate a National Banana Bread day every year on Feb 23rd.

This bread has in it the goodness of bananas; potassium, found in bananas helps to regulate blood pressure and helps to calm down frayed nerves. You can make your homemade banana bread healthier by adding raisins and nuts. If you've never made this dish before, you'd be surprised at how easy this is. Just bake many loaves and store it in your freezer to use whenever you want.
Here's my recipe for banana bread.

You'll need -
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 1/2 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Brown sugar 3/4 cup
Beaten eggs - 2
Overripe banana pulp - 2 1/3 cups

Instructions -
1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a bread pan, 9 x 5 inches. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

2. Take another bowl and fold in brown sugar with softened butter. Blend in eggs and mashed bananas and keep mixing till the mixture's uniform. Now, pour this mixture into the flour bowl and mix. Transfer this batter to the bread pan. Keep this in the oven and bake for one hour. The banana bread is ready if it passes the toothpick test. Let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack.

Your banana bread is ready. Serve this with butter and a cup of hot tea.

If you would like to see the photo of this final bread, please visit: http://www.homemaderecipes.org/featured-food-photo-gallery/banana-bread-by-ginnerobot/