Pulled Pork with Rootbeer BBQ Sauce

This is one of my favorite things to cook and I know it sounds very strange to make a rootbeer bbq sauce, but it is really good. Although this time I changed it a little bit and used birchbeer and rootbeer. I wanted more of that birch flavor in the sauce. The rub for the pork packs a punch, which to me kind of over powers the sauce when you get a bite with the rub on it. Next time I make this I will try a different rub, maybe with some coffee and brown sugar. Trust me the sauce has it's own punch, so adding some sweetness will not make it overly sweet.

For the rub I used:
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup chili powder
1 TBL dried oregano
1 TBL dried thyme
1 tsp cayenne

This is enough for an 8lb pork shoulder. Sprinkle all over pork and rub it in.

Next place some wood chunks in a foil pack- use two layers. Bundle up leaving a hole at the top so smoke can escape. Place the wood packet on the side of the grill with med-high heat. Next place a foil pan under unlit side for a drip pan. Then place the pork on the side with the drip pan.

Smoking takes 3 hours. Add more wood as needed. Rotate meat 3 times, but no more then three to reduce losing too much heat.

Next wrap the pork in two layers of foil, this is not standard, but help keep the meat moist and shortens cooking time. Cook until the pork reaches a temperature of 180 about 2 hours. Then let it rest for 30 minutes.























For the Rootbeer BBQ sauce:
Makes 3 1/2 cups

1 2-liter of rootbeer ( I used 3 12 oz bottles of birch and 1-liter of rootbeer)
Add and Simmer:
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup ( I also used about 3/4 of a small can of tomato paste)
1/4 cup yellow mustard
2 TBL Lemon juice
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
1 TBL Tabasco
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
(I also added in a couple dashes of liquid smoke)
Finish with:
2 TBL Butter



In a large sauce pan reduce the soda to 1 cup (about an hour) on med. heat. Then add in the next 8 ingredients (or 10 if you add the 2 extras like I did) and simmer for 20 minutes. Finish with butter to give extra body and flavor.


My sauce looks more red then brown because I used birchbeer and tomato paste.

Steak House Salad Pizza

Steak House Salad Pizza
Use your favorite homemade pizza dough recipe, purchase fresh dough from your favorite pizza parlor, or simply use a prepared pizza crust.

Makes: 4 servings; Total time: 15 minutes   

BRUSH:
2 New York strip steaks, trimmed (8 oz. each)
 Olive oil
 Salt and black pepper
DIP:

1 lb. fresh pizza dough
 All-purpose flour
1½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
TOP:

5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1½ cups chopped tomato
1⁄3 cup minced red onion
 Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing to taste
Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grate with oil.

Brush steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill steaks, covered, to desired doneness, 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.

Dip dough in flour and roll into a 16-inch round. Lightly brush dough with oil and season with salt. Grill dough, covered, 2 minutes. Flip dough, sprinkle on mozzarella, cover, and grill until cheese melts and crust blisters and crisps, about 2 minutes.











Top grilled dough with romaine, tomato, onion, and steak slices. Drizzle pizza with Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing.

Nutrition Information
Per serving: 643 cal; 31g total fat (12g sat); 85mg chol; 702mg sodium; 56g carb; 3g fiber; 44g

Zucchini & Yellow Squash Spaghetti

So I am new to all this blogging stuff and it's hard to do much with an almost 3 month old baby, who loves to be held, lol.

I love this one cooking magazine and I have been getting it since about 2003. Well my suscription was up in Feb and I did forgot to renew it. So I just renewed it this month and got in my new issue. I see a few things I really want to make.

Last night for dinner we had Zucchini & Yellow Squash Spaghetti with lemon & Pecorino. Now my kids are not like most where you have to fight with them to get them to eat their veggies, well both my boys kind of are, but my oldest daughter is not bad and really likes veggies. Her favorite is green beans. All my kids go crazy over my stuffed artichokes, even my oldest son, who is the most plain and pickiest eater (he's 19 yrs old).

Anyways, I have another dish I make with Zucchini and squash and they love it. So I thought they would like this as well. Which they did like it. I also made "Very Cherry Shirley Temple" which I got from CouponClippingCook. Being Diabetic I did change the soda and use flavored sparkling water which had 0 carbs.

So here it is

Here is how you make it........

Makes 4 serving

Total time 20 minutes

Cook:

8oz dry spaghetti

Saute:

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 TBL olive oil

Stir in:

4 zucchini, julienned (7 cups)

2 yellow squash, julienned (3 1/2 cups)

2 TBL fresh lemon juice

Off heat, stir in:

1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

1 TBL minced lemon zest

Garnish with shredded Pecorino cheese

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package; drain.

Saute garlic in oil in a large saute pan over high heat until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Stir in zucchini and squash then season with salt and pepper. Cook zucchini and squash until wilted, 1 minute, then add lemon juice; cook until both squashes are fork tender, 2 minutes more.

Off heat, stir in spaghetti, Pecorino, basil, and zest; garnish servings with shredded Pecorino.

Per serving: 396 cal; total fat (4g sat); 10 mg chol; 294mg sodium; 49g carbs; 3g fiber; 14g protein

Here is how mine turned out and my kids loved it, unfortunately I did not get enough to make more as my kids were whinning for. Oh well, next time.

Brown Butter Banana Dessert

Brown Butter Banana Dessert

Very Cherry Shirley Temple with Lime

Very Cherry Shirley Temple with Lime

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i heart baking!: purple ombre petal cake with chocolate butterflies...: My mom likes desserts that are not too sweet.  And, she loves lemon.  So for Mother's Day I decided to make her a lemon blueberry c...

Macaroni Salad

This is a macaroni salad my boyfriend's mother makes. I have never had it before. I have only had my mom's, which has tuna, onion, celery, and peas in it.

For this one you will boil 16oz of macaroni. Once cooked aldente let it cool. Mean while cut up some ham (sandwich meat). Add the ham to the macaroni and a can of pinapple chuncks ( leave out the juice). Add about 2-4 tablespoons of McCormick Mayonesa, this is not regular mayo and you can find it in a Mexican store or in the international isle of a grocery store. It has lime in it and does not need to ne refridgerated. Trust me if you don't use this type of mayo, it will not taste the same. Lastly add some salt and pepper.

 Mix all of it together then refridgerate.

Huevros Ranchros

You will need tomatoes, eggs, corn tortillas cilantro, and Knorr's Caldo Con Sabor de Pollo (chicken flavor bouillon). I don't know why but no other bouillon tastes the same. Also the best tortilla's are El Milagro. I get them from a Mexican store.

Take 2-3 tomatoes and place them in a blender and puree them, then add it to a pan to heat up along with about 1 1/2 -2 tsp of the bouillon, med heat.

Take a skillet and add in about 1/4 -1/2 cup of oil. Take 3, one at a time and fry them in the oil on med-high, just to soften them. Place 2 of them on a plate and the 3rd one on the side. Next fry 2 eggs over easy in the oil, then place them on the 2 tortillas and cover with the one you left on the side. Chop up the cilantro and add it to the sauce, then spoon it over the tortillas.

This is for a serving of one.

Just a little bit about me.

Hello

I am Christine. I am a mom of 4 and a type 1 diabetic with a love for food. Not a great combination. I have always had a love for food but have only been a diabetic for almost 2 years. I do have to say though that if one must be diabetic then for me type 1 is better. The reason I say this is because I control it with a pump and can pretty much still eat what I want as long as I take enough insulin to cover the carbs I eat.

Now for food, I love just about every food there is and what I have not tried, I am willing to try it.