Cafe Rio's Pork

Jamie told me how to make the Cafe Rio sweet pork that everyone loves! Take your shredded pork and put in a sauce pan with 1 cup of salsa and 1 cup of brown sugar and simmer. OR you can put in crock pot if your pork isn't cooked. We tried it and it was DELISH! I happened to have chunky salsa on hand, I think it would have been better with a more blended salsa though.

Titled "Best Brownies Ever"

Found online and want to try so posting here.

Ingredients

3 C sugar
3 squares of butter-softened
6 egg
3 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 C flour
3/4 C cocoa
dash of salt

Combine butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together and then combine with batter. Spread batter into greased cookie sheet (This is a large recipe).

Bake @ 350° for 20 mins

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

(I just found this recipe online and don't want to lose it so I'm posting here.)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (i used almond extract)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 2 cups confectioners' sugar. Beat in the vanilla and coconut extracts and salt. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork dipped in confectioners' sugar.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until a light golden brown. While cookies are still warm from the oven, dust with the remaining confectioners' sugar.*I put mine in the fridge for a bit after cooking so the chocolate wasn't so gooey***This recipe makes a TON (96 cookies). I halved it and made my cookies extra big. I got about a dozen cookies out if**

Mom's Christmas Ham Soup

In my family, we had a ham every Christmas. And after the ham was about gone, my mom would make this yummy soup. It has been years since I have had it, but since I had a leftover ham in the refrigerator, I had her email me the recipe, and it is cooking as I type! It already smells delicious. Jared has it in him mind that he doesn't like soups even though he refuses to even try any of them? He will be missing out on dinner tonight. I can't wait.

Leftover ham bone
1 bag great northern white beans
chopped celery
chopped onion
chopped carrots

In large pot pour beans and place ham bone over top. Add water until ham bone is covered. Let it simmer (gentle boil) until ham falls off the bone. Add veggies and let cook 20-30 more minutes. Season at the very end with salt and pepper - the ham usually salts it enough though. Serve with warm bread. Who knew something so simple could be SO yummy??

Rice Salad

One of my girlfriends emailed this to me a long time ago. I made it once at a BBQ and my sister-in-laws and I loved it. I came across this as I was cleaning out my computer files. It will be safer here.
1 box Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice
juice of 1 lemon
3 cooked and diced/shredded chicken breasts
4 scallions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 small avocados, diced
handful sugar snap peas, i cut them in half
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Dressing:1/3 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs dijon mustard1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
Prepare rice as directed on box. Combine dressing ingredients and gently toss with rice salad. It is so good either at room temp or chilled.