Foodie Friday: Crock-Pot Carnitas , Panini , Snickerdoodle Cookies

                       Crockpot Carnitas

This recipe for crock-pot carnitas is one of my families favorites. When I was working I would season and brown the roast at night, stick it in the fridge and put it all together in the morning , come home from work, shred the pork and voila dinner is served! We usually use the carnitas to make tacos or burritos but it would also make good quesadillas or enchiladas. Lime and cilantro are good toppings for these tacos the flavors compliment the pork very well.

Ingredients

2.5 lb pork roast ( trim all the fat off)
6 cloves of garlic cut in half
Cumin
Dry adobo seasoning
Garlic powder
1 cup chicken broth
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce ( omit if your family doesn't like spicy)
2 bay leaves

Instructions

1.Season pork with salt and pepper
2.Heat oil in a skillet and brown all sides of the roast ( usually about 10 minutes total)
   remove from heat and allow to cool
3.Season the pork with adobo, cumin, and garlic powder-I season pretty generously and then rub into the meat
4.Cut holes with the tip of the knife and insert the halved garlic cloves into the slits all over the roast
5.Add chicken broth, peppers, and bay leaves to the crock pot and set the roast on top cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours
6.Shred the pork using two forks
7.Remove the bay leaves and peppers and adjust seasoning as needed
8.Cook for an additional 15-30 minutes

             Last Minute Meal :Panini

Being stuck in a hotel for two weeks means a lot of eating out and frozen foods. We are stuck in the hotel for the next few days due to a crazy ice storm brrr!Rather than resorting to 3 days of hot pockets I whipped up a little panini for lunch. I have made these for dinner before with whatever ingredients I can scrounge up .
Earlier this week we bought some artichoke dip and pita chips so I substituted the dip for the pesto that I usually use. I have also used Italian dressing in the past when I was out of pesto. This is an easy meal and there are about a thousand different variations you can come up with.

Ingredients

Bread

Provolone cheese

Sliced tomato

Italian Seasoning

Pesto

Deli Meat ( I like chicken or turkey from the deli)

Instructions

1. Butter two slices of bread

2. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the buttered side of the bread

3. Spread pesto on each piece of bread ( un-buttered side)

4. Place one piece of bread ( butter down ) in a skillet

5. Layer bread with provolone cheese,tomato, meat bread

6. Cover the bottom of a smaller pan with foil and place the pan directly on top of the sandwich ( this is your     make shift panini maker)

7. Cook for a few minutes until bread is golden brown then flip sandwich and cook until golden brown

              Snickerdoodle Cookies

 I love snickerdoodles and this is the best recipe I've tried so far.They are nice and chewy and the cinnamon sugar balance is perfect !

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For rolling:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth
2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt ,and baking soda
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well
4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator
5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the topping
6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies
7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more.The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle

Thank you for checking out this week's Foodie Friday post. If you try any of these recipes be sure to leave me a comment and let me know how you like it:)