Salsa Bean Soup

Cook beans from a bag, follow directions on the back of the bag.  I used a 15 bean variety bag. (you could also use canned beans which would be way quicker, but this way made me feel like I could actually cook without using canned everything!)
I actually didn't do exactly as it directed on the bag, I rinsed the beans really good, then I put the beans in my crockpot around 4 the day before and set it on high until 8 that evening, then I turned it off and let the beans sit overnight.  The next morning the beans were DONE, all I needed to do was add the rest of the ingredients.  I also used half a bag, a whole bag makes A LOT of beans :)  Drain all the water the beans have been sitting in then I added,

(all of these measurements are "about", then I added a little of what I thought it needed until it tasted yummy!)
about 2 cups of salsa
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup taco seasoning
and enough water to make it soupy

You can also add ground or meatballed hamburger, turkey or sausage.
Serve with chips or rolls.
Easy, cheap and Yummy!
Enjoy!!

Cafe Rio Please :)

Thanks to Esther Murdoch for making some delicious Cafe Rio style pork and dressing and letting us sample some.  Good eats, good friends, good talks....don't you wish you woulda come!?!?  Enjoy trying these recipes!

Pork: 

4-6 lb pork roast
2 cup brown sugar
16 oz. salsa
1 can of coke
*optional ingredients: 1 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Cook in crockpot on low for 4-6 hours. Shred and place back in juice in crockpot for about an hour before serving.

Cilantro Lime Rice:

3 c. water
3 c. rice
4 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp butter
3/4 tsp salt
4 tsp chicken boullion granules
lime juice
put next ingredients into a blender: 1/2 bunch of cilantro, 1 can green chilies, 1/2 onion
Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients. Simmer for 30 mins.

Tomatillo Dressing: 










3/4 c. buttermilk
1 can green chilies
1/2 c. cilantro
1 tomatillo
1/2 tsp lime juice
dash of cayenne pepper
1 c. Mayonnnaise
1 clove garlic
1/2 jalepeno (you can used canned ones)
1 tsp salt
dash of Tabasco (optional)
1 pkg ranch mix
Combine in a blender and mix until smooth.

You can eat this several ways: pile the meat onto the rice and add dressing,  eat it on a tortilla shell, add additional toppings like lettuce, black beans cheese, whatever else you think sounds good with this.  Yum, YUM!

p.s.  the pictures were taking from other people's blogs and don't represent the yummyness we had today, but you can get an idea of how it all looks :)

Barbeque Chicken

1 Cup Ketchup
1 Cup Barbeque Sauce
1 Cup Water
1 Large Package Chicken thighs or drumsticks
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Onion Powder (to taste)

Crock Pot on high 4 hours. This works great in a Dutch Oven too.

--Sharon Pearson

Slow Cooker Pineapple Pork

Slow Cooker Pineapple Pork

2 lbs. boneless pork loin, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup honey barbeque sauce
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
3 TBSP cornstarch
2 large green peppers, coarsely chopped
2 large red peppers, coarsely chopped
6 cups hot chopped rice
1/4 cups salted peanuts chopped

Place pork in slow cooker, add BBQ sauce, mix well
Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Add reserved juice to cornstarch, stir until well blended. Add to pork mixture, stir until well blended. Top with the pineapple chunks and peppers, cover with lid.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or on high for 5 hours). Serve over hot rice. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Enjoy! Amanda