Pulled Pork Tacos

September 2, 2013 By

After Brooke’s recent purchase of a slow cooker, she was determined to make anything that meant she got to use it. With my subtle suggestion of pulled pork, it was a done deal and we were having pulled pork tacos for a late lunch!

There are many variations to pulled pork and we may have gone down a more southern style, but it still worked in taco’s given the various spices this recipe uses.

If you are willing to wait for the meat to cook, this recipe really is one of the easiest things to make – and with the slow cooker makes it even easier! We bought all the ingredients the night before so we could make the pork first thing in the morning. To start you need to make a simple spice rub, and a BBQ sauce (both require similar ingredients). Once you have made your spice rub, simply roll the meat in the rub and place it in the cooker with half the BBQ sauce. We wanted the pork ready in time for a late lunch, so cooked the pork on a higher temperature for a shorter time (still a solid 5 hours).

The beauty of the slow cooker is you can leave the meat to cook, while you can leave the house. While the pork cooked, we headed off to the markets for some fresh ingredients to top off our pulled pork tacos.

When we returned, the house was full of of delicious aromas and the meat was perfectly cooked. All that was left to do was simply pull the pork apart (which really just fell apart it was so tender), and dress with the remaining sauce.

We served our pork with tortillas, fresh avocado, tomato, onion, coriander and sour cream. This is definitely a recipe I will be wanting again! Yummo!

If your looking for other Mexican recipes to accompany the pulled pork tacos then check out our simple guacamole recipe or tomato salsa recipe.

Spice Rub and BBQ Sauce IngredientsPork Spice RubPork Spice Rub and BBQ SaucePulled Pork TacosPulled Pork Tacos

Pulled pork tacos – Recipe Instructions

5.0 from 3 reviews
Pulled Pork Tacos
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Pulled pork tacos with fresh avocado, tomato, onion, coriander and sour cream.
Author:
Recipe type: Pork
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 6
Ingredients
BBQ Sauce
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
Spice Rub
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne
  • 1.5 Kgs boneless pork shoulder or loin, excess fat trimmed
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. For the BBQ sauce: Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, cayenne, red pepper flakes and salt and black pepper in a small bowl.
  2. For the spice rub: Combine the paprika, oregano, black pepper, brown sugar, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl and toss with your fingers to mix. Rub the spice mixture onto the pork on all sides.
  3. Place the pork in a slow cooker insert. Add ½ cup BBQ sauce and cover the slow cooker. Cook on high until the pork is fork-tender, 4 to 5 hours, or on low, 8 to 10 hours. Transfer the pork to a carving board. Let the pork stand, about 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile add 2 tablespoons of the simmering pork liquids to the remaining BBQ sauce. Bring the BBQ sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat, about 10 minutes.
  5. Using two forks, shred the pork and discard any excess fat. Heap the pork onto the buns and top with extra BBQ sauce.

 

Filed Under: Pork Tagged With: , , , ,

Melting Moments with Jam

August 26, 2013 By

Melting moments, which are also known as yo-yo biscuits, and are a shortbread-like biscuit. The traditional biscuits are then sandwiched together using a simple buttercream, and with our recipe with the addition of jam to make these delicious melting moments with jam.

Don’t let the amount of butter scare you off, these tasty biscuits have a light, fragile and crumbly texture that as the name says simply melt in your mouth. This traditional biscuit is perfect for a morning or afternoon tea.

There are a few variations for melting moment recipes, however this recipe will give you exactly 15 biscuits. The addition of custard powered in this recipe also gives the biscuits a nice even colour and sweetness. When choosing your jam, I prefer it to have a slight tartness like raspberry or plum. However, you can use any flavour you want or even not include jam.

To ensure an even bake and colour, it is also advised you bake the biscuits on a low temperature and for a longer time. This should ensure the biscuits don’t brown around the edges, and a uniform colour across the bottom. Another trick Brooke has also picked up along the way, is to pipe the buttercream around the edge of the biscuit before filling it with jammy goodness.

These melting moments with jam biscuits sure are an oldie but a goodie!

If you like biscuits and cookies then try some other tasty treats including our oatmeal and raisin cookies, ginger nut biscuits or florentine biscuits.

Melting Moments Whipped ButterMelting Moments DoughMelting Moments Marking with ForkMelting Moments Piping ButtercreamAssembling Melting Moments with JamMelting Moments with Jam

Melting moments with jam – Recipe Instructions

Melting Moments with Jam
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Melting Moments are a shortbread-like biscuit. The traditional biscuits are then sandwiched together using a simple buttercream, and with our recipe with the addition of jam!
Author:
Recipe type: Baked Goods
Cuisine: Australian
Serves: 15
Ingredients
Melting Moments
  • 250 g butter, room temperature
  • ½ tsp vanilla bean pasta
  • 250g plain flour
  • 85g icing sugar
  • 40 g custard powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
ButterCream
  • 75g butter, room temperature
  • 150g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • pinch salt
  • jam
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160C (140C fan-forced) and line two baking trays
  2. Place the butter and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat together until smooth and creamy
  3. Sift the remaining ingredients into the bowl and gently mix together until you form a soft dough (you can use a wooden spoon or your hands).
  4. Using your hands roll the dough into small balls, and place onto the prepared trays ensuring you leave an inch or two between each ball.
  5. Using a fork, press the fork onto the centre of each biscuit leaving an indent.
  6. Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool on baking trays for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Whilst the biscuits are cooling, make the buttercream.
  8. Place the butter into a large bowl and beat together until smooth and creamy, then slowly add in the icing sugar little at a time, beating until fully combined. Once you have added all the sugar add the vanilla and salt and beat together until light and fluffy.
  9. To assemble the biscuits, place the buttercream in a piping bag and pipe a circle of buttercream around the edges of half the biscuits. Fill the hole with some jam and top with a second biscuit.
  10. These will keep well for around three to four days in an airtight container.
Notes
Brooke likes to pair her biscuits before filling to ensure an even fit.

 

Filed Under: Baked Goods Tagged With: ,

Creamy Chicken Linguine

August 19, 2013 By

On a relaxing weekend down south Brooke and I had some time to make ourselves a proper meal. After stopping in the small town of Kirrup, on our way to Bridgetown. We picked up some quality produce at a small grocer which sells all locally grown fruit and vegetables. With the ingredients we picked up, and a couple of other things we bought in town. We decided to make our own version of a classic creamy chicken linguine.

To enhance the flavours some more, Brooke roasted off the vine ripened tomatoes and capsicum. While the vegetables were in the oven, you need to also brown the chicken before adding to the pasta later as it seals in the juices and keeps the chicken moist. If we were making this dish during the week, we wouldn’t roast the veggies first. However, with the luxury of a little extra time we decided to oven roast the tomatoes and capsicum which definitely took the recipe to another level in terms of flavour.

Not only is this dish full of colour, there is something about a creamy pasta dish that is so comforting – it’s a perfect dish to have on a cold winters day. This creamy chicken linguine paired with a glass of Shiraz, was definitely a great way to finish off a relaxing day down south!

If you love your chicken like I do then try these recipes for chicken, bacon and leek pies or chicken pakora.

Fresh Ingredients for LinguineFresh baby Roma tomatoes and capsicumOven roasted baby Roma tomatoes and capsicumFresh SpinachCreamy Chicken Linguine in FrypanCreamy Chicken LinguineCreamy Chicken Pasta

Creamy chicken linguine – Recipe Instructions

5.0 from 2 reviews
Creamy Chicken Linguine
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Creamy Chicken Linguine made with fresh local ingredients including spinach, baby Roma tomatoes, capsicum and red onion.
Author:
Recipe type: Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Capsicum
  • ½ Red onion, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 large boneless/skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
  • Bunch of cherry tomatoes (approx 20 tomatoes)
  • Bunch of fresh spinach
  • 250 ml cream
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Handful of fresh basil leaves
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 200 grams linguini or pasta of choice, cooked al dente according to package directions
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Wash tomatoes,capsicum and spinach well.
  3. Cut the capsicum in half. Scatter the tomatoes and capsicum on a baking tray. Cook for approximately 15 minutes. Allow to cool before removing the skin off the capsicum and slice into long strips.
  4. Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
  5. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pan and sauté the onion until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  6. Add the chicken and cook until it has a nice brown colour and is no longer pink.
  7. Add the cream, milk and garlic to the chicken and onions.
  8. Once the cream/milk is simmering, add the fresh spinach, capsicum strips and some of the roasted tomatoes.
  9. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Toss in the sauce to coat. Add the fresh basil leaves and toss to combine.
  10. Serve immediately, with the remaining tomatoes, some freshly ground black pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
The combination of cream and milk makes the pasta dish a little lighter, however this can be substituted with carnation milk also.

 

Filed Under: Pasta Tagged With: , , ,

Choc Chip Snickers Cookies

August 12, 2013 By

What’s not to love about a snickers chocolate bar? They are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. They have the satisfying crunch of the salty peanuts and then the sweet gooey nougat. Then when added to a classic choc chip cookie recipe, they make for the most addictive cookie ever! Here comes the test of my will power again! These choc chip snickers cookies are too tough to resist.

The base to this recipe is a classic choc chip cookie recipe that is very straight forward. To start you need to cream the butter, eggs, sugars and vanilla well. This kept Brooke happy as it meant she got to use her kitchen-aid again! After beating the ingredients for about 5 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined before adding the snickers and choc chips.

The beauty of this recipe is you can choose to substitute the snickers with any other chocolate (Mars Bar, M’n’Ms, Milky Way etc) however, our personal favourite is making choc chip snickers cookies. The trick to keep in mind though is, before baking add extra snickers pieces to the top and sides of the cookies for extra lava explosions as I like to think of them.

The other thing I love about this recipe, is chewy texture of the cookies that is always a crowd pleaser. Through adding corn flour to this recipe, it helps keep the cookies soft and light. However, the most important thing to remember is not to over bake the cookies. To ensure you have a soft chewy cookie, bake your cookies for 8 or 9 minutes. Do not bake the cookies for more than 10 minutes, even if they don’t look cooked. I guarantee the cookies will crisp when you take them out of the oven an leave to cool.

As I said before, these cookies are extremely addictive. I recommend for those who have no will power like me, that you make the cookies then distribute to friends and family once you have had your fair share.

If you like biscuits and cookies then try some other tasty treats including our melting moments with jam, oatmeal and raisin cookies, ginger nut biscuits, afghan biscuits or florentine biscuits.

Choc Chip Snickers Cookies DoughChoc Chip Snickers CookiesChoc Chip Snickers Cookies

Choc chip snickers cookies – Recipe Instructions

Choc Chip Snickers Cookies
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These Choc Chip Snickers Cookies are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Adding Snickers to a classic choc chip cookie recipe takes indulgence to the next level.
Author:
Recipe type: Baked Goods
Cuisine: American
Serves: 20
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons corn flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch salt, optional and to taste
  • 1 heaping cup Snickers, diced small and loosely piled in measuring cup (or any alternative chocolate)
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to a moderate temperature.
  2. Combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).
  3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
  4. Add the Snickers, chocolate chips, and beat momentarily to incorporate, or fold in by hand. (Keep extra snickers pieces to add to dough mounds on tops and sides).
  5. Scoop the mixture into heaped tablespoonfuls on a lined baking tray. Flatten mounds slightly.
  6. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool.
  7. Store cookies in a airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
If you have time, refrigerate your dough for 2 hours before baking. If you bake straight away like we did, your cookies will tend to be slightly thinner.

 

Filed Under: Baked Goods Tagged With: ,

Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

August 5, 2013 By

Pumpkin soup has got to be up there with some of the tastiest foods ever (and something Brooke would eat every day if she could). When winter rolls around, the cravings for soup inadvertently comes with it (not that winter is overly cold in Perth). With the barometer dropping to a freezing (16 degrees Celsius) in Perth, we braved the chilling conditions to visit a local farmers market to collect the necessary ingredients for Brooke’s roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup recipe.

This delicious recipe is so simple, plus it has some easy steps that save you some time and add loads of flavour.

This flavour-packed soup is adapted from a Donna Hay recipe and it is roasting the pumpkin and sweet potato first that I think makes this recipe so good.

A tip when you are roasting your vegetables. You will know the pumpkin and sweet potato is done when the pumpkin has caramelised and is soft enough to scoop away from the skin. If you think your sweet potato has cooked faster then your pumpkin, don’t stress. Just remove from the pan and keep to the side while the pumpkin remains cooking.

If you wish to season the soup, following Brooke’s family recipe, she likes to season with Clive of India curry powder. Other alternatives are nutmeg or cumin, or simply leave just how it is! This roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup recipe is a must for winter lunches or dinners.

If your looking another soup recipe to try then why not give our Creamy Cauliflower Soup Recipe a go or our Healthy Vegetarian Zucchini Soup Recipe. 

Pumpkin and Sweet Potatosautéed leeksRoasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup IngredientsRoasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato SoupRoasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

Roasted pumpkin and sweet potato soup – Recipe Instructions

5.0 from 2 reviews
Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This delicious recipe is so simple, plus it has some easy steps that save you some time and add loads of flavour.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Australian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1Kg butternut pumpkin (left in half)
  • 500g kabocha pumpkin (Japanese pumpkin)
  • 500g sweet potato
  • 1 onion
  • 1 leek
  • olive oil, for drizzling
  • sea salt
  • 3 ½ cups (875ml) chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • cream to serve
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
  2. If the pumpkin is whole, cut the pumpkin in half (lengthways) and scoop out the seeds.
  3. Peel the sweet potato, and cut into large chunks
  4. Place the pumpkin and sweet potato and a halved onion in a roasting pan. Be sure to cook the pumpkin skin side down.
  5. Drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with salt.
  6. Bake for 55–60 minutes or until the pumpkin and sweet potato is just soft and starting to brown.
  7. While the roasted vegetables cool down, you can slice the leek into 1 centimetre rings, and wash thoroughly.
  8. Before you cook the leeks, you can begin to scoop the roasted pumpkin away from the skin. Add to the leeks once they are sautéed.
  9. After heating a large pot you can sauté the leek with a drizzle of olive oil.
  10. Once the leeks are soft, you can add the roasted pumpkin and sweet potato to the pot.
  11. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock at a time and blend until smooth.
  12. Once the vegetables have broken down and cooled slightly, you can blend the soup in a blender or just use a stick blender.
  13. Pour the mixture back into a saucepan, add remaining stock if required
  14. Season the soup with curry powder and add honey.
  15. Place over medium heat until soup is heated through.
  16. Serve with a dash of cream.
Notes
I would recommend blending the soup in the pot using a stick blender (bar mix) to avoid more washing up.

 

Filed Under: Soups and Stews Tagged With: , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »