I apologize right here and now for the long and lengthy post. I was originally going to make this a two part post but the days got away from me and before I knew it, it was already pretty much the 5th of the month. So read, take and break,and come back and enjoy some more!
March is my one year blogging anniversary!!! I can’t believe that I have been writing and creating in this little, I mean big blog world for a year! I also still can’t believe that I have regular readers of my blog that check in, write comments, send e-mails, and just overall show their love, support, and encourage me.
And whether or not if I have any readers or not I enjoy blogging. I love making and documenting my recipes, taking a stab at photography, writing, and of course reading other blogs.
So for the month of March, my anniversary month, (please if you go back and look at my first few month’s of blogging don’t judge me too harshly, I was just a newbie back then) I thought I would feature some recipes and blogs that inspire me and started my interest in blogging (and a few other blogs that I have found along the way).
Since I am paying tribute this month, to blogging and blogs that inspire me; my natural choice for cookbook of the month was “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl,” by Ree Drummand. I am sure most of you avid blog readers already read ‘The Pioneer Woman’ blog and if you don’t I am sure you have heard of her.
The Pioneer Woman Blog has not only has great recipes, but stories about life on an Oklahoma cattle ranch; home and garden tips, a ‘how-to guide’ to stay sane while homeschooling AND living on a cattle ranch; and photography lessons. Not to mention some pretty awesome giveaways on a regular basis. Ree’s blog is funny and light hearted and she updates the blog on a daily basis.
Pretty much all her recipes are her own, are from her friends and family, or classics with her own adaption. The recipes on her blog can be printed on 3×5 or 4×6 recipie cards, or on full size 8 1/2 x 11 paper. Each recipe has cooking times, serving size and the level of difficulty listed. Ree not only shows pictures of the final product but she also includes step by step photos of the cooking process for each recipe along with a photo of the ‘cast of characters’ (or ingredients to be used in that recipe).
Ree’s cookbook, “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl,” which came out back in October, has the same step by step photos and format of her blog (including the cooking times, serving size, etc.). She includes appetizer, breakfast, super, dinner, dessert recipes and recipes for entertaining. The cookbook also has stories and pictures of her family and their life on the ranch. This cookbook is very well put together and P-Dub (The Pioneer Woman) obviously put her soul into it.
The one disappoint I had with this cookbook, though, was that approximately 95% of the recipes in the cookbook were ones already featured on her blog. Now don’t get me wrong, in this high tech world I still love having a good, well put together cookbook with tons of photos; to read, cook from, and flip through. But I was hoping for some new recipes from The Pioneer Woman.
I still love this book and would recommended it to those who don’t even obsess in this blog world; considering all the recipes are what good home cooking should be; simple, tasty, and not to mention the step by step pictures.
This first recipe was absolutely delicious. Eric and I love tacos and eat them on a regular basis. This shredded pork was the perfect filling for tacos, enchiladas, and as a topping for nachos. I hate leaving my oven on for long periods of time so I adapted this recipe for the crock pot. This pork turned out perfect in the crock pot which was great because I didn’t have to babysit it and I could leave and go run errands and not worry about my stove being on for hours.
The picture below totally does not do this pork justice. Like I said this pork was perfect because it is easy, full of flavor, and can be used for so many different dishes with great results.
Spicy Shredded Pork
Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 4 Hours Difficulty: Easy Servings: 8
1 (5 To 7 Pound) Pork Shoulder or Pork Loin
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 tablespoon Chili Powder
1 to 2 teaspoons Salt
1 to 2 teaspoons Black Pepper
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
4 Cloves Garlic
1 whole Onion, chopped
2 cups water
Lime Wedges, for serving
Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder.
Combine the dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar and brown sugar.
Place pork loin into crockpot. Pour olive oil over pork loin. Add spice mixture and thoroughly rub spice mixture all over pork loin.
Add the 2 cups of water. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for 6 to 7 ours; turning once every hour or so. When it is fork tender crank up the heat to high, and roast it, skin side up for another 20 to 30 minutes to get the skin crispy. When it’s done let it rest for 15 minutes before shredding.
Shred the pork shoulder (two forks work well). When it’s all shredded be sure to pour the juices all over the meat. Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatillo salsa …
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl
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