Costa Vida Sweet Pork

3 lb. (give or take) boneless pork roast
1/2 can of Dr. Pepper or Coke (NOT diet)
1 sm. can of green chilies
1 can (around 12 oz.) red enchilada sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and plop your thawed-out meat on top. Cook on HIGH for about 4 hours. At this point, take 2 forks and shred the meat into a million small pieces. Stir a little, and continue to cook on LOW for about 2 more hours.

We made ours into salads (my favorite thing to order at the restaurant) but you can put this on a bun and make a shredded pork sandwich, roll it up into a burrito, ANYTHING. In case you want, here's the tortilla recipe I made at the same time.

TORTILLAS:

3 cups flour
1/3 cup oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup warm water

Stir/knead all ingredients until JUST combined. Let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 12 balls. Let rest for 20 minutes. Roll them out on a floured counter and cook on hot skillet until nicely browned on each side. (The secret is in the RESTING! The dough will not stretch properly if you don't wait the given amount of time. While it is resting, cover the bowl with a damp towel.)

Homemade Maple Syrup

My grandmother and mother always made homemade syrup and I took it for granted. I fixed this often for my family and added some twists. Easy to make and so much better than store bought syrup.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Put in sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Put in one Teaspoon of maple flavoring and you have syrup. I have also substituted almond extract for maple flavoring and it is so good. You can also add some jelly of any flavor and have a great syrup as well - apricot, strawberry, and so forth. This recipe makes about 3/4 cup syrup which is good for about three people but it can easily be doubled or tripled. Use your imagination and make something great to go with your waffles or pancakes.

Jeri's Sour Cream Waffles

I love to make these for my family on special days! That could be anyday and for dinner as well. The leftovers can be frozen and heated in the microwave and they are almost as good as fresh.

3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the above together with a fork in large bowl.

Stir in the following -
1 cup sour cream
3 egg yolks (save whites in small cooled bowl)
1 to 1 1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon oil or melted butter

Take the egg whites and beat until stiff and then fold into the batter. You are ready now to put in heated waffle iron. This makes good Belgian waffles as well. Cook for 3-5 mins, depending on your waffle iron.

Apple Fritters

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's website. It IS the most wonderful concoction ever known to man.

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 whole large eggs

3/4 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 Tablespoons melted butter

2 whole granny smith apples, peeled and diced very small (pretty much any variety of apple is fine)

Powdered sugar (for dusting, optional)

Canola oil, for frying

In mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

In separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add other wet ingredients.

Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix!) Fold in apples. You will want a very chunky batter.

Heat a couple of inches of canola oil over medium heat. Drop in a little bit of batter to test the heat. If it immediately sizzles and rises to the top, the oil is ready. If it darkens quickly, turn down the heat.

Drop heaping teaspoons of batter into the hot oil, several at a time. Flip them over as they begin to brown. You don't want them too dark, but cooked long enough that the centers are done. (About 2 - 2 1/2 minutes total.)

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm!

Pumpkin Pancakes

My SIL, Holly, shared this recipe with me and it's really good. What makes it even better is topping each pancake with some nutella. DIVINE!

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cooked pumpkin
1 3/4 cup Bisquick
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all ingredients well and cook on hot griddle until golden brown.