Cafe Rio

Pork

6 lbs pork
1-16 oz jar salsa
1 can coke
1-2 C brown sugar

Put pork in crockpot and fill with water halfway up the pork. Cook on high for 5 hrs. Drain liquid. Cut pork into 3rds and put back into crockpot. Combine salsa, coke and brown sugar ( mix in blender or food processor if you want it smooth) and pour over meat. Cook for 3 more hours on high. Shred meat. Leave crockpot on low until ready to serve.

Dressing

1 Buttermilk Ranch Dressing packet ( made according to directions)
2 tomatillos ( peeled, washed, and quartered)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalepeno

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate.

Rice

3 C water
4 tsp chicken bullion
4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green chilis
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs butter
1/2 onion
3 C rice

Blend cilantro, green chilis and onion in food processor. Bring water to a boil. Add all ingredients and cook until rice is done.

French Fries

potatoes, cut into fry-sized pieces
1 C flour
seasonings of choice

Put flour and seasonings in a large bowl. ( I used seasoned salt, garlic salt, salt, and black pepper. About 1 tsp of each except I put more seasoned salt and pepper because I wanted them a little spicy. You could also use Cayanne pepper, paprika... basically anything you want. Some people have even put a packet of ranch dressing mix for ranch flavored fries.) Add enough water to the mixture to be able to drizzle it from a spoon. ( The thinner it is the less coating you will have on your fries.) Put the potatoes into the bowl and stir them around to get them evenly coated. (I used a tupperware bowl with a lid and shook it.) If baking them, put them out onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at about 375 until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside ( abt 45 min. depending on thickness of fries). They will stick together because of the batter, I cut them apart with kitchen scissors. If frying, place into the oil one at a time to prevent them from sticking to each other. These reheat really well in the oven so don't throw away the leftovers. :)

We like them with fry sauce. Ketchup, Mayo, and a little Worchestershire sauce.
[If you cover the potatoes with water after you chop them it will prevent them from turning brown while you make the batter.]

Pizza Quick

Cream Cheese
Pizza Sauce
Cheese

In a dish for layered dips (microwave safe), spread the cream cheese on the bottom, ( make the layer as thick or thin as you want), followed by a layer of Pizza Sauce, (Pizza Squeeze is really good), and a layer of grated cheese on top. ( Whatever kind you like best. ) Microwave covered until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve with slices of French Bread. Great for an appetizer or main dish. My girls love it!

Baked Salmon with Tomatoes, Spinach and Mushrooms

4 salmon fillets
2 C chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 C sliced mushrooms
1 tomato, chopped
1/3 C sun-dried tomato dressing

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place fish fillets, skin-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Combine remaining ingredients; spoon over fish. Bake 20 to 25 min, or until fish flakes easily with fork.


I haven't tried this yet but it sounded really good to me.

Peachy Chicken

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbs oil
1/4 C chicken broth
1/4 C creamy poppyseed dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can (15 1/2 oz) peach slices, drained
1 C peas

Cook chicken in hot oil in large covered skillet on medium high heat 5 min. on each side or until browned. Stir in dressing, broth and seasoning until well blended. Bring to simmer; cook an additional 3 min. Add peaches and peas; stir to combine. Cook 2 to 4 min or until heated through.

Prep and Forget Turkey

1 lb ground turkey
1 med onion, finely chopped
2 C frozen mixed veggies
1/4 C Zesty Italian Dressing
1 tsp A1 Original steak sauce
1 can (16 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
1 pkg (6 oz) turkey stuffing

Combine turkey, onion, veggies, dressing and steak sauce in small slow cooker. Top with cranberry sauce; sprinkle with dry stuffing mix. Cover with lid. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours ( or on high 3 to 4 hours)

You can mix turkey mixture as directed in slow cooker container the night before and refrigerate it covered. Then just add the cranberry sauce and stuffing in the morning.

Saucy Pork Medallions

1 large pork tenderloin (1 1/2 lb)
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 C frozen peas
1 can (10 oz) turkey gravy
1/4 C Zesty Italian Dressing
1 pkg (6 oz) chicken stuffing, prepared

Cut pork crosswise into 3/4 inch thick slices. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium high heat; add pork. Brown 5 min., turning once. Stir in peas, gravy and dressing; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Spoon prepared stuffing around edge of skillet; cover. Simmer 10 min. or until stuffing is heated through and pork is cooked through.

Beef Noodle Bowl

8 oz linguine, uncooked
3 C broccoli florets
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/4 C Zesty Italian dressing
1/4 C teriyaki sauce
1 tsp ground ginger

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli and carrots to the cooking water for the last 2 min. of the pasta cooking time. Drain pasta mixture. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, teriyaki sauce and ginger; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Toss pasta and meat mixtures in large serving bowl.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

1 can (14 1/2 oz) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/4 C shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 C chopped fresh basil
1 pkg (6 oz) Stuffing mix for chicken
8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 C Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare stuffing, combine tomatoes and their liquid, 1/2 C cheese, basil and dry stuffing mix, stirring until just moistened. Put 2 chicken breast halves in a large, freezer weight resealable bag. Pound the chicken with the side of a heavy can, rolling in or meat mallet until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Repeat process in the same bag with remaining chicken breasts, 2 at a time. Place pounded chicken breast, smooth side down, on a cutting board. Spread with 1/8 of the stuffing mixture. Roll chicken breast, starting at the narrow end, as tightly as possible around stuffing mixture. Place in 13x9 baking dish with seam side down. Pour dressing evenly over chicken and bake for 40 min. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 C cheese and bake 5 min longer, or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.

Perfect Winter Stew

3/4 C Italian Dressing
2 lbs stew meat
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 C sliced mushrooms
3 C sliced carrots
3 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can beef broth

Trim excess fat from meat and cut into even 1 inch chunks using a sharp knife. Place dressing and beef in large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate 30 min to marinate. Cook bacon in large pot on medium heat 5 min. or until crisp. Remove bacon from pot using slotted spoon. Drain excess bacon fat. Add onion and mushrooms to pot; cook on medium-high heat 10 min or until softened. Remove beef from marinade; discard marinade. Add beef, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes with their liquid, broth and bacon to pot. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour 15 min. Uncover; continue to simmer 15 min or until meat is tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

Hunter's Steak

Never tried, just looked good.

2 1/2 lbs beef round steak
1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes
1 pkg (8 oz) presliced fresh mushrooms
1 C frozen sliced carrots
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 1/2 C beef broth
1 C cream of mushroom soup
1 packet beef stew seasoning mix

Cut steak into 6 serving-size portions; set aside. In a 5 qt slow cooker, combine undrained tomatoes , mushrooms, carrots, and celery. Place steak on top of veggies. In a medium bowl, whisk together beef broth, soup, and beef stew seasoning mix. Pour over steak. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 to 10 hours. Serve with cooked egg noodles.

Italian Chicken

Never tried, just looked good.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, drained
2 pkg (8 oz each) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 pkg (8 oz) presliced fresh mushrooms
1 box (1.4 oz) vegetable soup mix
1 can ( 10.75 oz)cream of chicken soup
1/3 C Italian salad dressing

Trim fat from chicken; set aside. In a 5 qt slow cooker, combine tomatoes, artichoke hearts, beans, mushrooms, and vegetable soup mix. Add chicken. In a small bowl, combine soup and salad dressing. pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 5 to 7 hours. Shred or cut chicken breast halves into bite size pieces and serve over cooked pasta.

Chicken Paprika

Never tried before, but thought it looked good.

1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 pkg (8oz) fresh sliced mushrooms
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 1/3 Tbs paprika, divided
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup
1/2 C sour cream

In a 5 qt slow cooker, combine onion and mushrooms. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and one tsp paprika. Place in slow cooker on top of the veggies. In small bowl, stir together soup and remaining paprika. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2- 4 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from cooker and keep warm. Strain and defat cooking liquid. Stir sour cream into liquid and serve hot over chicken.

Taco Soup

1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 C. chopped onion
2 cans stewed tomatoes (16 oz), cut up
2 cans kidney beans with liquid (16 oz)
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
3 C. water
4 tsp. taco seasoning

Brown ground beef and drain. Sauté the onions and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer 2 hours. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, chopped onions, and tortilla chips (Cheesy Doritos are our favorite.)

White Bean Chili

5 ( 10 oz) Great Northern White Beans
3-4 C. shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 Tbl. Olive oil
2 Medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 ( 4 oz) chopped mild green chilis
2 tsp cumin
1 (16 oz) carton sour cream
1 1/2 tsp oregano, crumbled
1/4 tsp Cayanne Pepper ( I leave this out)
6 C. chicken broth
1 1/2 C. monteray Jack Cheese, grated

Boil chicken in broth, then remove and shred. Set aside. In sauté pan heat oil and sauté onions then stir in spices. Add this to broth, add beans and green chilis and cook for 30 min. Add chicken, cheese and sour cream, stir until cheese and sour cream melt. Don’t Boil. This can simmer until you are ready to eat. Serve with tortilla chips or white cheddar crackers.

Stuffed French Bread Pizza

1 loaf French bread (day old)
2 C. mozzarella cheese, grated
10 thin slices pepperoni, quartered
1 lb of meat (I used ground beef)
1 can tomato soup
3 Tbl. Italian Seasoning

Cut the top off of the French bread and dig out most of the bread inside. (Keep crumbs) Mix soup, seasoning, meat and pepperoni. Stuff shell and sprinkle cheese over filling. Replace bread crust on top. Wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 min. or until heated through and cheese is melted. Slice and serve.

Busy Day Chicken

6-8 chicken breasts
6-8 slices bacon, partially cooked
1 pkg chipped beef ( I used ham)
1 pint sour cream
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup

Grease the bottom of an oblong baking pan. Wrap each chicken breast with one slice bacon. Lay chipped beef on bottom of pan under each chicken breast. Mix sour cream and soup, pour over chicken. Cover pan and refrigerate for 12-24 hours ( Not necessary but you can.) Bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours.

Creamy Crockpot Tacos

1 lb ground beef
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilis
1 pint whipping cream
1 can chili beans
1 large box velveeta
fritos

Brown beef and drain. Put in crockpot. Add cream, chili beans, tomatoes and stir. Cut velveeta in chunks and put in cooker. Stir. Cook on low 1-2 hours. Serve over fritos with sour cream, olives, onion, lettuce and salsa.