Mexicorn Grits

Erin and I found this recipe in the Taste of Home magazine and, because of our love for Iowa corn, Erin's love of Mexican food my love of grits, decided that we had to try it. It was quick to make and we were very happy with the outcome. (Note: This recipe calls for Mexicorn which, I think is the Green Giant brand. A different brand we found calls it "Corn'n Peppers." It is basically just canned corn with some diced sweet bell peppers mixed in.)

• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup butter, divided
• 1 cup quick-cooking grits
• 2 eggs
• 1 can (11 oz. or 15 oz., depending on brand--either will be fine) Mexicorn, drained
• 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican cheese blend (or just plain cheddar is good too)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper (black works fine too)
• Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, bring milk and 1/2 cup butter to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir a small amount of hot grits into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Melt remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir into grits. Add the corn, chilies, cheese, salt and pepper.

Transfer to a greased 2- or 2 1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 10 servings.

Sweet 'n' Tender Cabbage Rolls

Picture from Taste of Home magazine

Erin and I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine. We made it together and it is one of my new favorite meals! Basically, they are meatballs wrapped and cooked in cabbage and a delicious sauce. The hardest part about making them is wrapping them in the cabbage leaves, but it is also kind of fun. It is cooked in a crockpot and so it works perfectly if you prepare them the night before and cook them the next day. If I were feeding a family, I would probably make two batches. For just the two of us, Erin and I made one batch but only cooked half of them. We froze the other half and cooked and ate them several weeks later. They froze well and tasted great even the second time around!

By the way, the reason I say the mushrooms are optional is because I don't like mushrooms. I don't think that I'm a picky eater, but after nearly three decades of trying things and trying them again, there are a couple of foods that I am confident that I don't like (e.g. mushrooms & olives).

• 1 large head cabbage


• 2 eggs, beaten


• 1/2 cup milk


• 2 cups cooked long grain rice


• 2 jars (4 1/2 oz. each) sliced mushrooms, well drained (OPTIONAL)


• 1 small onion, chopped


• 2 tsp. salt


• 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes


• 1 tsp. dried oregano


• 1 tsp. dried basil


• 1/2 tsp. pepper


• 2 lbs. lean ground beef

Sauce:

• 2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce


• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar


• 2 T. lemon juice


• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook cabbage in boiling water just until leaves fall off head. Set aside 14 large leaves for rolls. (Refrigerate remaining cabbage for another use.) Cut out the thick vein from the bottom of each reserved leaf, making the V-shaped cut.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, rice, mushrooms, onion and seasonings. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Place about 1/2 cup on each cabbage leaf, overlap cut ends and fold in sides, beginning from the cut end. Roll up completely to enclose filling.

Place seven rolls, seam side down, in a 5-qt. slower cooker. Combine the sauce ingredients, pour half over cabbage rolls. Top with remaining rolls and sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Pulled Pork Barbecue with Hot Pepper Vinegar Sauce

I love barbecue! I found this recipe for pulled pork in Weber's Big Book of Grilling. I cooked it in the crockpot because it's not barbecue weather here in Iowa yet. It's extremely easy to make and tastes great! This recipe, when served with the Hot Pepper Vinegar sauce, is considered "Carolina-style barbecue." Carolina-style barbecue uses a vinegar-based barbecue sauce, as opposed to the tomato-based sauces most commonly used elsewhere. Erin prefers the vinegar-based Carolina-style. To me, it's not true "barbecue" if there isn't smothered in a thick, tomato-based sauce, but I also like the kick that the Carolina-style adds. So, when making my sandwhich, I usually try to get the best of both worlds and put them both on!

The best meat to use for pulled pork is a pork shoulder roast (interestingly, it is also sometimes called a "Boston butt.") A 4-5 lb. roast serves about 10 people.

The Rub:

• 1 T. paprika
• 1 T. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 boneless pork shoulder roast ("Boston butt"), 4-5 lbs.

The Hot Pepper Vinegar Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 tsp. tabasco sauce
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt (to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Hamburger buns or other rolls.

I usually start the night before by making the rub (mix all the rub ingredients together) and rubbing it all over the pork roast (although it would be just fine to do this about 30 minutes prior to cooking). Put the roast into a crockpot and begin cooking on low ~6-8 hours before you want to eat.

There is no need to put water or anything else in with the roast, but I like to put about 1/2 a cup of the vinegar sauce in with it to add a little more flavor. As it cooks, you will notice that fat and it's own nature juices make a sauce that the meat cooks in.

To make the vinegar sauce, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

When the meat is done (~6-8 hours on low setting; doneness can be verified when a meat thermometer inserted into the roast reads at least 185-190 degrees), it is time to pull the pork! I usually remove the meat and place on a pan or cutting board. I scrape off as fat as I can, and then I use a fork and my hand to shred the pork. It comes apart very easily and I think it is fun to do! I put the shredded meat back into the pot so that it can soak up the juices and oils that came out during cooking, but it would be fine to dump out the juices and serve the meet more dry.

Serve the meet on the rolls and top with the vinegar sauce and/or other favorite barbecue sauces.