Cook Once - Eat Twice : Pork Edition

Looking for an easy dinner or two? A pork shoulder is the way to go. They are inexpensive per pound and are very versatile.The below instructions are just a base to get your other meals going. See below for ideas/recipes for the cooked meat. But experiment with some of your own ideas too.

Crockpot Version

1 (3 pound) pork shoulder

1 tbs of Adobo seasoning - Goya sells this. I use the one with the green cap.

1 bottle or can of light beer or lager

Directions

1.    Please the pork shoulder in the ceramic bowl of the Crockpot.

2.    Season the pork with the adobo seasoning  and pour in the beer.

3.    Place the bowl into the base of the slow cooker and cook on High until the pork is tender and falls apart easily, 8 to 10 hours.

4.    Carefully remove the pork to a cutting board; shred the meat into strands using a pair of forks. Remove and discard any excess fat and bone.

Divide the pork for 2 meals.

Meal  Ideas

Basic BBQ Pulled Pork

This recipe is very easy. Simmer the pork in a pot with a half cup of your favorite bbq sauce and half a cup of beer. I am partial to Wegmans brand Brown Sugar sauce. Cook for about 20 minutes or until your desired consistency. Or to keep it extra simple: heat the pork and add to roll with some bbq sauce on top. This is a great summer-like dinner.

Shredded pork tacos

Another easy recipe. Grab your favorite taco seasoning packet and follow the directions on the back. The preparation for this will be ever faster because your starting with cooked meat.

Cook Once - Eat Twice : Chicken Edition

I am a huge fan of cutting corners with dinner but still have a great and healthy meal. If you want to do the same....read on!

We eat a lot of chicken in our house. So, I like to cook a large chicken and make multiple meals from that same chicken. Sunday night works great for this. You get a fabulous Sunday night chicken dinner and unlimited options for the next meal. Not a chicken family? Stay with me. I've got some pork for you!

Sunday Night Chicken Dinner

·        5 to 6 lb roasting chicken

·        Kosher salt

·        Freshly ground black pepper

·        Small bunch fresh thyme (dry will work fine too)

·        2 lemons

·        3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise (or 1 tablespoon minced in jar)

·        3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the olive oil and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Squeeze half a lemon over the chicken. Sprinkle some thyme of the chicken.

Cook the chicken for 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 180 for thighs (taking the reading in the thickest part).

Monday Night Chicken Enchilada Dinner

·        1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup or Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup

·        1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

·        1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

·        2 teaspoons chili powder 

·        2 cups chopped cooked chicken

·        1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

·        10 Fajita Size Flour Tortillas, warmed

·        1 medium tomato, chopped

·        1 green onion, sliced

Directions

Mix soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder. Mix 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese. Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in 3-quart shallow baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over enchiladas. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until hot. Top with tomato and onion.