Favorite utensils : Perfect Brownie Baking Pan

My husband surprised me with this thing maybe 6 years ago.  I like to make brownies just for the heck of it and I was always massacring them when cutting them.  I tried out the pan on the next batch of brownies and I was hooked.  I don't use any other pan when making brownies any more.  They all come out perfectly chewy and a perfect size.  The brownies take a few minutes longer to bake than the box directions say, and you will go through a lot of cooking spray, but it's worth it.  Our favorite boxed mix is Betty Crocker.  It's definitely worth it to pick one up if you like to bake brownies.



Perfect brownies in the Perfect Brownie Baking Pan

Coconut Bundt Cake

Anyone who has ever invited us over for an event knows about my Coconut Bundt Cake, aka pina colada cake.  I make it pretty often. I was watching Down Home with the Neelys one Saturday and decided I wanted to try this cake they made.  I made it the next day.  I've probably made this 20+ times since then.  This is my go to cake because it is so easy to make and it's so good!  It's a coconut pound cake with a glaze made from pineapple juice and powdered sugar. My sister-in-law, Liz, will fight people for this cake.  I'll just leave this picture here and let her lick the screen...  The link to the recipe is down below...

Coconut Bundt Cake

Spicy Chipotle Chicken

I decided to go out on a limb and make something spicy.  My husband isn't a spicy food fan, but my boys and I are.  I've had a can of chipotles in adobo in my cabinet and I've been looking for a good recipe to use it in.  I'm glad to say that I found one that was super easy and tasty!

I found this recipe where else but at Pinterest!  It was very spicy but very good!  We ate wrapped in tortillas and mixed into white rice.  Definitely follow the recipe to reduce the liquid to make the sauce.  We used that sauce to mix into the rice for more flavor.  I will definitely be doing this again for an easy Friday night meal for the boys and I. 

What did the girls and the husband eat?  French fries.  I'd say we had the better meal!

Spicy Chipotle Shredded Chicken

Crazy Pork Concoction

I call this a crazy pork concoction because it has some weird ingredients, but they surprisingly work very well together.  I didn't tell anyone, especially my husband, what was in it until they tried it tonight.  I wish I took a picture of it before, but I forgot.  This was the aftermath...

So what was this recipe you ask?

I love Pinterest!  This dish turned out so flavorful!  So much more flavorful than any pre-marinaded pork tenderloins I have paid $8 or $9 for.  Plain old pork tenderloin is much cheaper.  It even got the husband "I'll eat that again" seal of approval.  Everyone enjoyed it so it will definitely be added into my rotation.

Sloppy Cubanos

It's been a very long time since I've blogged!  I've had requests to get back into it but life has a funny way getting in the way.  I'm still marathon cooking every weekend, along with being head chauffer and laundress.

I've found lots of new recipes on Pinterest so I'll try to post as many as I can.  You can follow me on Pinterest as well.  I've wasted spent many hours looking for recipes there!  I've pinned more than I've tried but I'm starting to work through what I have. 

So, on to the title of this post: Sloppy Cubanos.  This is actually an oldie but a goodie recipe that I pull out for my crew every once in a while.  It's a Rachel Ray recipe that I've tweaked a little.  You can do it as is, but I eliminated things and cut down on others.  My changes are in blue.



Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

• 1/4- 1/3 pound chorizo, casing removed, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

• 1 pound ground pork

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

• 2 teaspoons paprika (about 2/3 palmful)

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander (about 2/3 palmful) (--I used about 1.5 teaspoon)                       

• 1 teaspoon allspice (about 1/3 palmful)  (--I didn't use this at all.  Me no likey allspice) 

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it)

• Grated peel and juice of 1 lime  (--I used one of those little plastic limes full of juice so no zest.  The juice of 1 lime is about 2 tablespoons)                       

• 1 cup chicken stock                        

• 1 8 ounce can  tomato sauce

• 4 Portuguese rolls or submarine rolls, split (--I use hamburger buns) 

• 4 deli slices Swiss cheese

• 3 - 4 large dill or half-sour pickles, chopped   (--Claussen Kosher dill burger slices are perfect!) 

• 1 bag plantain or other chips

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, until browned, 2 minutes. Add the pork and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the onion, garlic, paprika, coriander and allspice; season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lime peel and lime juice and mix well; stir in the chicken broth and tomato sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes.
2. Lightly toast the rolls under the broiler. Pile the meat mixture onto the roll bottoms. Cover with the Swiss cheese and broil until melted, about 30 seconds. Scatter the pickles on the sammies, cover with the roll tops and serve with the plantain chips alongside.