Pork Recipes For the Crock Pot

Friday, December 3, 2010

Oh, you have to love pork! For so many delicious foods to come from one place is remarkable. Pork is one of the easiest foods to prepare, as there is much you can do with it. From barbecue sandwiches to roasts to sausage, pork provides so much variety that making it is not the hard part; it's the deciding what to make next that will present the problem! Cooking pork in the Crock Pot will render some of the tenderest meat found anywhere and you'll want to serve it again and again. If you're in a bind for what to do next with pork, here are a few simple pork recipes for the Crock Pot.

The first suggestion to come to mind has to do with how wonderful pork and apples go together, as though they were made for each other from the beginning. If making something in the slow cooker with pork, whether it's pork chops, a roast or ham, how about using apple juice combined with a small amount of corn starch to pour over it? Make sure to add some chopped apple for some extra flavor. To really dress things up a bit, toss in some fresh cranberries, honey, cloves and nutmeg for an aromatic fall meal.

Another nice idea for pork would be some good-sized ham steaks with pineapple juice and chunked or mashed pineapple on top. Have some cherries ready on the side to add some bright colors to this tasty meal. Kids and most adults as well, love ham. Adding these few simple items will turn a good meal into a great meal! Your family will love you for it and you'll love the ease in clean up following a slow cooker meal. A wonderful substitute for the ham steaks could be a pork roast. The juices from the pork roast will enhance the good flavors emanating from the roast will blend, blending with the other ingredients to help create an appealing gravy for mashed potatoes.

Barbecue pork for sandwiches is always a welcome meal in any household and it's one the whole family will enjoy. This particular recipe, however, will take longer than the usual four to six hours due to the firm belief that any good barbecue, no matter the cut, is best served in the manner of "slow and low". The "slow" in this phrase means over as much time as possible without ruining the meat while the "low" means at the lowest temperature possible, without drying out the meat. In this recipe, start it the night before, on the lowest setting possible, and prepare to abandon yourself to it when you come home the next evening.

In the Deep South, where Elvis and Barbecue is King, great pride is taken in the preparation of their barbecue and recipes are handed down from one generation to the next. When preparing the meat (generally the cut is a pork loin or small shoulder), create a mixture of vinegar, water, Worcestershire sauce, powdered garlic and powdered onion, finely chopped onion and salt and pepper to taste. Cook the pork cut in this for several hours, adding your favorite barbecue sauce only in the last two or three hours, if at all. In the south, it's preferred to add the barbecue sauce to the sandwich, rather than the meat, and a good dollop of Cole slaw on the sandwich is always welcome.

If you are new to Crock Pots, don't let them intimidate you for they can become one of your best friends in today's harried world. With a bit of creativity and a desire to try new things, some of the most delicious pork recipes you've ever had are within your reach.




Lisa Paterson is an avid home cook who loves to share her favorite recipes with the rest of us. Find all her crock pot recipes at http://www.A-Crock-Cook.com. And be sure to try one of her Pork crock pot recipes.

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How to Cook a Delicious Steak Indoors

Thursday, December 2, 2010

When it comes to cooking a steak, the first thing that usually comes to mind is grilling on the barbecue outdoors. However, sometimes it's too cold to go outside and grill a steak, or you might not even own a grill! If you're not even sure how to cook a steak, this recipe will have you and anyone that tastes it thinking you're a top chef!

You need to start with the type of steak that you buy. I prefer to get Angus, because to me it is just more flavorful than they other options. As for the cut, a top round or sirloin works well, and is usually very inexpensive.

The trick to cooking a delicious steak is the spices you use. We're going to be using:

Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Basil leaves (not whole leaves, but the kind that comes in a spice container, chopped up)

How to prepare:

First you're going to want to use a pan that is large enough to hold your steak. Place it on the stove and turn the heat to between medium high and high. Let this heat up as we prepare our steak. Next you'll need to open up the package your steak came in. I just peel away the plastic wrap off the top and put my spices right on. Start with the sea salt. Mine comes in a container that I have to twist and it crushes it as it comes out. Coat the steak with a light to medium coating of this. Next you want to apply the onion powder with a light to medium coating. Next comes the garlic powder, go heavy on this. You don't want to not be able to see your steak, but just make sure that it is covered tip to tip in the garlic powder. Finally, a good medium coating of the basil leaves.

Pour some of the extra virgin olive oil in the pan and pick it up and swirl it around so it covers all areas and there's still a bit of a pool of it in the middle. Place the steak so that the side we just seasoned is down in the pan. The un-seasoned side should be facing up. Have your spices ready because as soon as put the steak in the pan we want to apply the same seasoning to this side as we did to the opposite side.

You want to cook the steak hot and fast, you should be able to see the color change roughly half way up your steak. Grab your tongs and flip it over onto the other side. You can add some more olive oil so it doesn't burn up. I usually sprinkle a bit more garlic powder on top of it now. Let the other side cook till the color changes and meets up with the other side. At this point you just have to watch it and flip it and continue to let it cook to how you desire. You can check it easily by grabbing a knife and cutting into it (but not through it) to see how "done" it is. I like mine right at the point where it's no longer pink. This shouldn't take too long.

Have a plate ready and pull it out of the pan! There will be a lot of wonderful juices, and what probably looks like black flakes. Those black flakes are pieces of the spices that came off got cooked. These taste absolutely incredible, so when you cut your steak, dip it in the juices and those flakes. You'll be amazed at how good it tastes!

That's all there is to it, enjoy!




Building websites is my passion. My newest sites are about Shower Curtain Rods and Tips To Sleep.

Thanks To : all clad masterchef 2 10 piece cookware set

Healthy Salmon Recipes

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

To say "healthy salmon recipes" is, of course, a bit redundant. Wild Alaska salmon is naturally healthy; one of nature's miracle foods, it is delicately flavored and bursting with essential vitamins and minerals. It's simply that salmon is so good for you that the adjective bears repeating. Cooked as the main feature of a meal, salmon is guaranteed to be a wholesome entrée, but there are also many great grilled salmon recipes that use salmon as just one part of a more complex, healthy meal.

To some extent, deciding how to cook salmon steaks depends on what you want to use it for, and certainly depends on the method used to cook it. The guidelines for how to grill salmon steaks generally recommend 10 minutes per inch of thickness, over a medium-hot flame. Start with the skin side up, and flip only once. Don't forget to rotate 90 degrees once per side, if you want the aesthetic crosshatch marks.

Once it has been grilled, salmon makes a sumptuous addition to salad. It works well in a lettuce based salad like a Caesar, for example, or in other creative salad dishes, like those that are pasta or bean-based. Salmon adds important protein and omega-3 fatty acids to a healthy food - salad - that otherwise would lack these essential nutrients. Learning how to cook salmon steaks is super simple, and they make a great addition any dish!

Grilled salmon also makes a superb sandwich. Buy some rich ciabatta or fresh panini bread, and whip up a savory sauce for seasoning. Pesto or yogurt dill sauces go well with Alaska salmon, as do more unusual spreads like curry or orange vinaigrette. Various salmon varieties carry vitamins A, C, D, and E, packing any sandwich with excellent benefits.

As a main course, salmon also invites a wide array of complementary ingredients that contribute to a well-rounded meal. Fresh asparagus tips go well with a simple, buttery salmon, while pineapple chunks make a great companion to teriyaki salmon filets. An astounding variety of grilled salmon recipes can be found online if you need inspiration. In no time at all, you'll know how to cook salmon steaks!

The important thing is to use your creativity to pair naturally healthy Alaska salmon with other nutritious ingredients. The diverse possibilities allow for endless gourmet meals that will leave you satisfied in terms of taste as well as nutrition.




Great tasting Alaska seafood is a healthy way to feed the whole family. You'll find a ton of great nutrition information at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's website.

See Also : kitchenaid gourmet distinctions 16 1 2 inch