PAULA DEEN'S PULLED PORK (adapted)

Ugh!  I decided I wanted the original picture bigger so I zoomed in and took this picture and deleted the original.  Did not realize that the iPhone borders would show up! Annnnnd.....I did not realize I had over 3000 pictures on my iPhone.   Oh well, at least you can see how tender and how this roast shreds easily after cooking.

I am calling this the adapted recipe because she does give a recipe for the meat rub but I like TexJoy BarBQue seasoning.  I think it is not worth the extra effort and expense to get a ton of ingredients when you can just get one bottle of seasoning that does it all.  If you do not have TexJoy seasoning in your area then just use your favorite barbeque dry seasoning or rub.  I have been making this recipe for about 3 years and have made it several times using pork roasts and briskets.  I am telling you....you cannot mess this recipe up.  It is one of my family's favorites and I think you will find it one of your go-to recipes whether for a holiday, or to bring to someone, or when you need a no-fuss recipe. 

The meat can be rubbed down the day before and put into the refrigerator.  The next day, take the roast out, put in a pan, pour the marinade over, cover and put in the oven.  Could not be easier!

Hope you try it soon and I hope you try my homemade barbeque sauce that I will be posting tomorrow.  It goes perfectly with this recipe! 

PAULA DEEN'S PULLED PORK (adapted)

4 pound trimmed Pork Roast (I have also used a brisket)

 

I am cooking double the amount of meat called for in this recipe but it is not necessary to double the marinade.

 

 

Cover meat with TexJoy BarBQue Seasoning and.....

 

Of course, garlic powder too and rub it all over the meat

 

Place in a large Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight or for at the very least 2 hours

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Marinade

2 cups apple juice

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder (I, of course, add more)

 

Pour 2 cups of apple juice in a bowl

 

Add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to the juice

 

 Add 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

 

Pour in 1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke

 

The recipe calls for 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder but I add way more than that. 

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. 

 

Place brisket or roast in the pan (I doubled the amount of meat but not the amount of marinade)

 

Pour marinade over meat and cover with Heavy Duty Aluminum foil or a tight fitting lid

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 4 hours for a 4 pound roast or until it shreds easily with a fork

 

Baste every hour to keep meat from drying out. 

 

Remove from oven and shred.

 

My New Year's Day plate with the adapted Paula Deen's Pulled Pork and my Homemade Barbeque Sauce!

If you are shredding, use a fork or tongs until the meat is reduced to bite size pieces.

Serve on hamburger buns topped with your favorite BBQ sauce.  

I have a recipe for a absolutely divine sauce that I will post soon.

6 servings.

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BOSTON MARKET CORNBREAD

I love Boston Market restaurant but I do not remember ever having their cornbread.  I will say though, that if I had ever eaten some I do not think I would have forgotten it. I pinned this recipe a while back from The Sister's Stuff blog.   I made this recipe tonight and it was seriously the easiest thing ever to make.   My family loved it and I will definitely be making it again soon!

BOSTON MARKET CORNBREAD

 

1 Box Jiffy Yellow Cornbread Mix

1 Box Jiffy Yellow Cake Mix

 

OR

 

2 Boxes Jiffy Yellow Cornbread Mix

1 Box Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake Mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix up each box separately according to directions on the box and then combine in a large bowl.
Pour into a greased and floured 8 X 8 pan if you are using the Jiffy Mixes Only. (I used Baker's Joy)
Pour into a greased and floured 13 X 9 pan if you are using the Duncan Hines and Jiffy Cornbread
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you cannot find Jiffy Yellow Cake Mix the recipe says you can use Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake Mix ONLY.

FANTASY FUDGE (it never fails)

 

I love CHRISTmas baking and cooking...it is one of those things that if I don't do then it just doesn't feel like CHRISTmas!  This fudge recipe is one I have been making for years and years and the reason is because it absolutely NEVER fails!   I change up the treats I make every year but fudge is always on the list.  

I made two batches this CHRISTmas season.  It is quick to make and it has such a smooth, rich, milk chocolate-y flavor!  I think I could eat an entire batch all by myself so I try to give most of it away so I don't gain 20 pounds over the holidays!

This year someone broke into my home and took half of my fudge.  My friend, Melissa Miller, called it a "fudge-muggin'"!  We had a description of the suspect...female, mid-twenties, long, brunette hair and a little pregnant round belly!  It sounded like someone I know....haha!

I hope you try this and I apologize for not posting this before Christmas but it's not too late for New Years! 

And one more little side note....I have thought about making a chocolate cake and icing it, then drizzling it with this fudge all around the edges...can you say "divine"?  I am going to do it...maybe for my 50th birthday in a few months!  Half a century deserves something really amazing and this would definitely be beyond amazing!!

FANTASY FUDGE

1-1/2 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1-12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-7 ounce jar marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter a 13 X 9 dish

Melt butter in a medium saucepan

Add sugar and evaporated milk

Bring to a full rolling boil.  Stir constantly to prevent scorching. 

 

Boil for EXACTLY 5 MINUTES!

 

SET YOUR TIMER

 

 

Turn off heat and add chocolate chips

 

Stir until all of the chocolate chips are completely melted

Add Marshmallow crème.  Use the hot spoon to scoop the marshmallow crème out of the jar.

Stir until totally blended

Add vanilla and nuts

Pour into buttered dish.

Cool and cut into squares!

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SOCK IT TO ME CAKE

 

I would love to know who originally penned this recipe!  I got this from my Mom who had it for ages.  She had it so long that she forgot where she got it from or who wrote it down for her.  I thought it was my Grandmother's recipe.  Sock It To Me cake was my very favorite cake that she made so I was really hoping that it was hers.  However, my Mom said it did not look like my Grandmother's handwriting and I reluctantly have to agree.  I would love to find out whose handwriting this is so I am on a mission!  UPDATE:  I found out from my cousin, Sharon, that it was her mother's recipe card with her handwriting.  So happy to find that out....I loved my Aunt Telle.  My favorite memory of her...She actually talked my mom, who I begged and begged and only got "no" like 100 times, into letting me get my ears pierced.  She actually pierced them herself because she was a nurse...so do I even have to explain how angelic she became in my 13 year old eyes?!?!  Now it was back in the day of freezing my ear lobes with ice and pushing through the earring but that is different story and hilarious!!!

Anyway, I asked my kids what dessert they wanted for Christmas.  Christopher said he didn't really care and Crystal said she didn't want a dessert (can you believe?) but Holly gave me three suggestions...Apple Pie, Texas White Sheet Cake or Sock It To Me Cake!  They all sounded yummy but the Sock It To Me cake won out!

I could just kick myself because we got busy in the kitchen and eating some really good food and I forgot to take a picture with the icing...ugh! So this photo was taken right out of the oven without the icing drizzled over.   But it was so pretty!! 

However, I did take pictures as I was making the cake so I am gonna get busy sharing those with you and the recipe too!!!  So, here we go!

SOCK IT TO ME CAKE

1 - Box of Yellow, Butter Recipe Cake Mix
3/4 cup of cooking oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 - 8 ounce carton Sour Cream
4 eggs

FILLING: (I actually doubled this but next time I would double everything except the pecans)
3 tablespoons light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup chopped Pecans
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

ICING:
1 heaping cup Powdered Sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES

 

 

Place cake mix and sugar into the large bowl

 

Make a "well" and pour in oil

 

Add the sour cream and mix slowly.

 

Add eggs, one at a time beating after each addition.

 

 

Spray a bundt pan with Baker's Joy or grease and flour the pan.

 

Pour half of the batter into the pan.

 

 

Combine pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

 

Spread the mixture over the batter

 

Pour the remaining batter over the top of the cinnamon, pecan, sugar mixture

 

Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

 

Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Flip out on a cake plate and let cool.

 

Drizzle with icing.

This is a recipe that I will definitely be making again!  It was scrumptious!!!!

 

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HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Yesterday, I tried a new recipe out of Cook's Illustrated Soups and Stews, Winter 2010 Magazine.  They are the best magazine for perfecting recipes.  It was originally supposed to be a crock pot recipe but I didn't have time to use a crock pot so I just made it on top of the stove.

The recipe is different from other chicken soup recipes mostly because of the way the chicken is incorporated into it.  The thighs are browned in butter and the chicken was supposed to be wrapped in foil and then placed in with the liquid to cook.  I really did not like the idea of foil being boiled with the soup. It just did not seem very safe to eat after boiling the foil so I decided to wrap the chicken in foil but bake it in the oven for an hour and a half, then take off the bone, chop and add to the soup.  It was really yummy that way because you can season the chicken which brings more flavor to the soup and keeps the chicken from being too tough.

I also added more veggies because I wanted my little grandson, who is scheduled to arrive in March, to get as many as I could fit in this recipe!  You can exchange your favorite veggies for the ones I used.  That's what is great about this recipe, it is really adaptable to each persons likes.

So, without further adieu, here is a great recipe to warm you up on a cold day!

**Sorry there are just a couple of pictures.  I just was not thinking about blogging this recipe while I was cooking it.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

6 - bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
      Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
6 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
4 celery ribs, sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 quarts chicken broth (I used 10 cans of Campbells Chicken Broth)
2 bay leaves
4 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
8 ounces egg noodles
1-16 ounce frozen baby lima beans
1 can Great Northern Beans or any other white bean
1/2 small bag of fresh baby spinach, rough chopped

1.  Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook until skin is deep golden brown, turn over and repeat.  Remove thighs from dutch oven.

2.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.  Add carrots, celery, and onions to now-empty pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, thyme, bay leaves and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add 1 cup of broth to pot and scrape up any browned bits with wooden spoon.  Add the rest of the broth.

3.  Season the chicken breasts.  I used garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Wrap in foil and place in  a 350 degree oven on a cookie sheet for 1-1/2 hours

4.  Remove chicken from oven.  Take chicken out of the foil and place on a tray or plate until they are cool enough to handle.  Shred the chicken and set aside.  Discard skin, bones and excess fat.

5.  Stir in lima beans and cook for 40 minutes.

6.  Add the can of beans and the shredded chicken.

7.  Add egg noodles and cook for specified time on package.

8.  Add the spinach, stir and turn off heat.

9.  Discard the bay leaves.  Serve.

ENJOY!!

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