Lime Cilantro Rice and Cafe Rio Pork

For our baby Davis' blessing, we had everyone over after church for a late lunch. I needed something we could cook ahead of time, that would also be a crowd pleaser. I thought a Cafe Rio style meal would be perfect! We have some family recipes that we used for the meal. Lime Cilantro Rice and Cafe Rio Pork. Serve with cooked tortillas (the ones from costco), and all the salad/burrito fixings you can think of. The meal was a success and we had a lot of fun entertaining family and friends.

Lime Cilantro Rice

2 TB oil

4c. long-grain rice

8c. water

1 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of 2 limes

2 tsp. crushed garlic

Heat oil in large skillet. Add rice, cilantro and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. You can use a rice cooker. Serves 20

Cafe Rio Pork

6 lbs Pork (tenderloin is best)

1 (16oz) bottle salsa (we use 1/2 salsa and 1/2 chili sauce)

Coke (1-12oz can)

2 c. brown sugar

Place pork in crock pot and fill it 1/2 way up the pork with water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together sauce ingredients and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

Beef Brisket with Mop Sauce

I went to the farmers market last week and ran into a guy who sales grass feed beef. I totally want to buy half of a grass-fed cow from him and split it with some families and have all that good beef on hand. We will see if it happens. I was going to buy some fillets, but the guy talked me into brisket. I have never cooked brisket before, so I figured why not? I checked the family cook book and lo and behold... there was a brisket recipe! This turned out delicious. I did it in the crock pot, so I had to guess how long to cook it. I put it in on high for about 2 hours and then turned it down to low for the next 4 hours. It was perfectly cooked. I bought some really yummy honey wheat rolls at the farmers market and we made these sandwiches.

Beef Brisket with Mop Sauce

1/2 c water

1/4 c cider vinegar

1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. ketchup

1/4 c. dark corn syrup ( I didn't have this so I used agave nectar)

2 TB vegetable oil ( I didn't even use this)

2 TB mustard

1 (3lb) beef brisket

Combine first 7 ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 min, stir constantly. Remove from heat. Place brisket in shallow roasting pan (or you can use a crock pot like me if you wish). Cover brisket with sauce. Cover and bake at 350 for 2-2.5 hours or until meat is tender. Let stand for 5 min. Thinly slice meat against the grain.

Sweet and Spicy Crockpot Chicken

Since I work full time I am all about the easy meals. One of my favorite kitchen essentials is the crockpot. I love my crockpot and what I love even more then my crockpot is amazing, delicious, recipes that I can make using my crock pot. This chicken is divine. So good! Perfect for taco night, burrito night, chicken salad night, basically any night you feel like chicken!

1 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Coat the inside of your crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours or until chick shreds easily with fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in corn or flour tortillas.

Crockpot Swiss Steak

I LOVE cooking with the crockpot!!! I made this dish on a busy day when Haws had the day off and I had a list of things I wanted us to do! We worked around the house, went to the Railroad Park in Irvine (that place is amazing!) for a picnic with some friends, headed out to the Nixon Library (free on Presidents Day) and then came home to dinner being practically ready! All I had to do was cook up the noodles and make a salad and wa-lah! This was really yummy and the meat was very tender. I would definitely make it again.

Crockpot Swiss Steak with Noodles

1 med onion, separated into rings

1 (4oz) can mushrooms, drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I always use the 98% fat free kind)

1 (8oz) can stewed tomatoes

1-2 lbs round steak, cut into pieces

1/2 c. Swiss cheese

Cooked noodles

Combine first 4 ingredients in crockpot.

Place meat on top and bury in mixture. Cover and heat on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Just before serving, remove meat and mix in cheese.

Add meat back in and stir. Serve over cooked noodles.