Friends Food Family

Slow Cooker Mustard Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Grapefruit Coleslaw

I've been meaning to get this recipe posted, I guess I'm just suffering from writer's cramp. 

And I shouldn't be having difficulty writing this post because this sandwich is really good! We served these delicious pulled pork sandwiches for last year's Super Bowl game when the New England Pats got CRUSHED. In the midst of the depression of the game and the excitement of the food, I didn't get to take pictures and before I knew it, the food was gone and the plates were empty.

We wanted to serve pulled pork sandwiches for the Super Bowl and started looking through our many cookbooks. Jeff came across this recipe, Slow Cooker Mustard Barbecued Pork in the Southern Living 2012 Annual Recipes Cookbook. It was under the Slow Cooker Winter Barbecue and it had some great suggestions for side dishes. We figured we'd give it a try. Getting the pork ready for the slow cooker was very easy, and very yellow. The first time we made it, I kept looking at the pork butt sitting in the slow cooker with the mustard glaze (yes, bright yellow). I'm not a big mustard fan. I will use mustard in recipes because I understand the importance of the flavor in a dish, but to put it on a sandwich...I'll pass. I kept thinking that the mustard would overwhelm the dish, but it didn't. It makes the dish very flavorful. You get hints of the mustard and the sweet and sourness of the other ingredients which allow the entire dish to balance perfectly. 

Now, how about some grapefruit coleslaw to go on that mustard barbecued pulled pork? When we found the pulled pork recipe, there was a recipe for three different types of coleslaw: Simple Slaw, Lone Star Slaw (with the grapefruit) and Lowcountry Slaw (made with simple slaw, 1 cup of sliced pickled okra and 2 tablespoons of pickled okra juice). I definitely wanted something different and the Lone Star Slaw was calling me. It was perfect for the pulled pork. It had a sourness from the grapfruit, yet, the sweetness of the cabbage gave it balance. I kept thinking, this is going to be amazing on the pulled pork.

It's time to put the sandwich together.

Jeff makes these amazing rolls which we butter glaze and sprinkle with a mixture of kosher salt, sugar and dill. That was our roll of choice and one of these days, I will blog about the rolls. So, until then, grab a sandwich roll of choice and place some of the mustard barbecued pulled pork on the bottom bun half. Make sure you dip the pork in the wonderful sauce. Place a heaping spoonful of grapefruit coleslaw on top and cover with the bun top. Grab with both hands and take a big bite. OK, I'll wait until you finish and can take a big deep breath to comment on the deliciousness of your sandwich.

Wasn't that good? (Just nod...) I told you. 

(So, quickly check the recipe ingredients and get your pork butt in the slow cooker...you still have time to enjoy this for Super Bowl Sunday!) And may the best team win!

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Mustard Barbecued Pulled Pork

1/3 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
2-1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1-1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoons of paprika
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground red pepper
1 (4- to 5-lb.) bone-in pork shoulder roast (Boston butt)
1 cup of yellow mustard
1/3 cup of honey
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:
1. Mix the first 6 ingredients together. Rub this brown sugar mixture over the roast; place the roast in a lightly greased 6-qt. slow cooker.
2. Whisk together the mustard, honey, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Pour mustard mixture over the top of the roast.
3. Cover and cook on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours (or on the high setting for 4 to 6 hours) or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
4. Let stand 15 minutes. Shred pork with a fork; stir until sauce is incorporated.

Ingredients for Lone Star Grapefruit Slaw
Simple Slaw
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of canola oil
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 teaspoon of celery seeds
1 (16-oz.) package of shredded coleslaw mix

Preparation:
1. In a small bowl. mix together all the ingredients but the coleslaw mix.
2. Once well blended, add to the coleslaw mix.

Stop here if you only want a simple coleslaw.
If you would like to make the Lone Star Grapefruit Slaw version, add the following -

1/2 teaspoon of grapefruit zest
2 tablespoons of fresh grapefruit juice (which you can obtain after sectioning the grapefruit)
1 grapefruit, sectioned
3/4 cup of pecans, chopped and toasted
1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro, chopped

Mix and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Victory Casserole - Rice, Hamburger, Spinach, Cheese and Tomato Sauce

I love going into our bookcase of cookbooks and finding family favorites in older cookbooks.

One of our staples, when we first moved to Easton (almost 10 years ago), was a dish called Victory Casserole. It came from a cookbook, The Big Book of Casseroles by Maryana Vollstedt. My kids have always liked this recipe. It's a bit like shepard's pie, that mixture of meat, potatoes and vegetables and there is a sauce that holds it all together.

My son, Brian, was home on semester break and one of his requests was for Victory Casserole, for two reasons. First, it's one of his favorite comfort food dishes and second being away at school and living off campus means he makes dinner on a regular basis. He was looking for the recipe on our site and I kept telling him to just type in "Victory Casserole" in the search bar. Come to find out, for all the years we have been making this dish, it didn't make it onto the Friends Food Family site.

As I was photographing the dish, Jeff said, "What a great dish for a football party, it's better than making a big dish of lasagna." I was thinking, he was right. Many of the football gatherings we have attended always contain a large pan of lasagna as a meal choice. What a great one meal dish that can mix up the traditional food offerings.

What's great about this Victory Casserole is the flavors of beef, rice, spinach and cheese tied together with a tomato sauce. The dish is flavorful without many spices. This gives you the opportunity to spice it up if you are adventurous. Think Mexican - maybe some oregano, cumin, chili powder and a salsa for the tomato sauce. Just a thought.

As you get ready to enjoy two more big football weekends, what a great dish to bring or serve at a party. I would suggest doubling it for a larger group, you can probably get 12+ servings out of this delicious Victory Casserole.

Ingredients for Victory Casserole
1 pound of ground beef (85%)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped - about 1 cup
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 package (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze out water
3 cups of cooked long-grain white rice
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese 
3 large eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups of Quick Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute beef, onion, and garlic until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Transfer to a 4-quart casserole dish lightly coated with cooking spray or oil. Add the spinach, rice, and 1 cup of the cheese. Mix slightly.

4. In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Stir into meat and rice mixture and mix well.

5. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Top with 1 cup of Quick Tomato Sauce and remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 15 minutes longer.

6. Serve victory casserole and top with additional tomato sauce.

Feeds 4-6 people.

Ingredients for Quick Tomato Sauce
2 (15 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried marjoram, crumbled
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and simmer,
uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes.

Makes about 2 cups.

Written by Tricia White

Bon Appetit's Chicken and White Bean Chili

Finally, we are back up and running. I can upload photos and make the blogs look beautiful again!

Last Sunday, we decided to make chili for the big New England Patriots game against the Buffalo Bills. As I was looking for a recipe, I definitely wanted something with chicken and lots of beans, and a little different from our White Bean Chili.

I took out my iPad and used my Epicurious App and found a Bon Appetit Chicken and White Bean Chili recipe with a tomato base from 2005. That's what I love about some of these applications. They don't necessarily give you the most up to date recipe but it does give you lots of recipe opportunities. I read the recipe and figured it was easy, it could simmer during the game and then dinner would be served.

I adapted a few of the ingredients from the original recipe by using chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. I also cut back on the chili powder. For those who like a hot chili, go with the original recipe that calls for 3-1/2 tablespoons (or more) of chili powder. Lastly, I used fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes. I like the heartier flavor of the fire roasted, which worked perfectly.

This chili was delicious, and perfect when the Patriots lost and we had a table full of grumpy people. We had homemade rustic bread and butter which finished the meal. It had the perfect amount of heat and flavor which pleased the chili lovers as well as the picky eaters.

Tomorrow starts another round of college and professional football games for the weekend. Mix up a batch and have it ready for your fans. Oh, and it tastes even better the second day. Enjoy!

GO TEAM!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of olive oil
1-1/3 cups of chopped onion
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-1/4 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2-1/2 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
2- 15 to 16-ounce cans of white beans with juices
2- 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes, fire roasted in juice
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until chicken is no longer pink outside, about 5 minutes. Mix in chili powder, tomato paste, cumin, and oregano.

Add beans, 1 cup reserved bean juices, and canned tomatoes. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and chili is thickened, about 25 minutes.

Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in cilantro and serve.

Checklist for a Football Gathering or Tailgate Party

This past summer, we did a Checklist for a Great Cookout. It did surprisingly well as a resource both within the Friends Food Family Community and the internet. Over the past few weeks, we have been putting together some great recipes which we can tie together for a checklist for a football gathering or tailgate party.

 

Let's start with dessert first. No football event is complete without Chocolate Covered Football Oreos. These were easy to make and disappeared quickly. We covered them in both dark chocolate as well as Symphony Milk Chocolate with Almonds and Toffee Bits.  We'll give you a heads up...the milk chocolate go faster than the dark chocolate. The other dessert which is great for a large group is the Apple Slab Pie. The pie can travel in the sheet pan, it's easy to cut and eat with your hands. The nice thing about this pie is it uses ready made crusts which cuts your prep time in half.

Let's start with a few appetizers:

1. Sticky Chicken Wings - They are addictive. We normally make 5 pounds at a time because they go quickly. If you have a large crowd, we would suggest doubling the recipe. Another recipe we use for chicken wings is a little sweet and more sour. Try this one, too!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings

1 cup of dark brown sugar

1 cup of zesty italian dressing

1 cup of cola

1 cup of ketchup

1 - 5 pound bag of frozen chicken wings

Mix together in a bowl until well incorporated. Place frozen chicken wings in a large roasting pan. Pour this marinade over the chicken wings. Stir the wings so that they are evenly covered with the marinade. Cover with aluminum foil.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place in oven for one hour.

At the end of the first hour, remove the foil. Turn all the chicken wings over. They will be floating in the sauce. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until the wings become golden or slightly blackened. remove from oven and pour 1/2 of the liquid from the pan. Turn over the wings and cook for another 30-45 minutes to a dark golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

2. Killer Guacamole - What can we say! It's a staple for any party.

3. Our favorite for any party or gathering, Asparagus and Proscuitto.

 

And for the meal time filler, we would suggest chili. We have two we make on a regular basis, Al Roker's Spectacular Beef Chili and White Bean Chili with Chicken. Both chili recipes are delicious, filling and always enjoyable on a cold day. Real comfort food.

 

If you want to serve something other than chili, try the Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas. These you can prep ahead of time and they take a few minutes to put together and cook. We have also substituted the chicken and spinach with pulled pork (covered with your favorite barbecue sauce) and red onions. These can be served as both a meal or appetizers because you can pick them up with your hands and eat them.

To end, we will leave you with Muddy Buddies. Though we highlighted them as a cool summer treat, take them out of the freezer and place them in bowls around the room. They are great little snacks for those looking for "light" sweets after a day of great food!

Enjoy this combination of favorites and pass them on to your friends and family!