Apricot Pulled Pork on Homemade Kaiser Rolls

Tuesday’s are my crockpot days.  Darling Hubby has his weekly gaming session at the local game store and I take the boys to the local library for the “It’s Elementary” kids club program and to check out some new books.   Darling Hubby usually gets home before the kids and I do and wants to get in and out so he can get to the store and I’m not in the mood to cook a full meal when we get back, therefore, I like to have a meal already ready and waiting for us. Tonight will be Apricot Pulled Pork Sandwiches, served on freshly homemade toasted Kaiser rolls, french fries and baby carrots with dip.  It already smells amazing in here!

Apricot Pulled Pork on Homemade Kaiser Rolls
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4lb boneless pork roast, trimmed of fat

2 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup cold water
1 Tbsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
10-12 kaiser rolls, toasted

Combine first 7 ingredients. Place pork roast in crockpot. Pour apricot mixture over roast and cook on low 8-9 hours.

Transfer pork to cutting board, cool slightly and shred with forks. Skim fat from liquid in crockpot.

Blend water, cornstarch, ginger, salt, and pepper until smooth. Whisk into crockpot liquid. Cook 15-30 mins on high, uncovered, until thickened (sauce can also be done on the stovetop if you are in a hurry.) Return shredded pork to crockpot, mix well. Serve on toasted buns.

I use this receipe for my kaiser rolls.  I use the bread machine method for the dough.  So much better than store bought and I know exactly what is in them!

Enjoy!

Food for Friday! 4/20 – 5/3

I started making a menu and a grocery list while looking at what I thought was the current flyer…only to discover when I’d gone through it twice that the sales don’t start until Sunday…So I had to go online and start again.  Boo.  At least I know what stuff I want/need to get on Sunday…And, I’ve started to make my menus running from Saturday to Friday rather than Monday to Sunday.  It just makes it easier to get something fresh for dinner on Saturday if I want…Maybe now we can occasionally have fresh fish!

Saturday – Bacon & eggs
Sunday – Baked fried chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies
Monday  – Macaroni & cheese
Tuesday – Chili & cornbread
Wednesday – pizza & wings
Thursday – Homemade Chicken Parm over pasta
Friday – Tacos

Saturday – Steak-um sandwiches
Sunday – Rotisserie Chicken with Kale & beans, mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce
Monday  – Sausages on buns with homemade fries and veggies
Tuesday – Shepherd’s Pie (modified from this recipe)
Wednesday – Chicken Pot Pie
Thursday – Spaghetti with homemade sauce
Friday – Pancakes

Food for Friday! 1/14 – 1/27

So once again I got out of the habit of making a grocery list/menu every 2 weeks.  For the past couple months I’ve been scrambling the morning I head to the store to find/print my coupons and put the finishing touches on an only partially functional menu.  I’m going to try to get back on task and start doing a better job of menu planning and house keeping.  Now I just have to keep myself following my menu and each week will go by smoother without me standing in the kitchen trying to decide what I can make with the frozen lump of meat I forgot to thaw…

In the housekeeping department I’m planning to keep up on my kitchen a bit better and put the laundry away rather than let it sit, often times already folded, in the laundry baskets for days.  I’ve already started making the beds each day and trying to get most of my daily chores like laundry done in the morning so I can have more time to knit and spin later.

Here’s the menu for the next couple weeks.  Trying out some new recipes as well as some new family favorites.  I’m also trying to use the meat that I’ve got stored in the freezer rather than buying a ton more.  My grocery list this time around is filled with lots of necessities that I don’t normally buy on a regular basis (things that usually last for a bit like salt, peanut butter, honey and maple syrup…I’m trying to keep the bill down under $250.

Monday – Cheesy Chicken and Rice Skillet
Tuesday – Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Wednesday – Homemade Pepperoni Pizza
Thursday – Pork tenderloin
Friday –  Tacos
Saturday –  Steak-ums
Sunday – Leftovers/fend for yourself

Monday – Homemade Chicken Parmesan served over angel hair pasta.
Tuesday – Spaghetti and homemade sauce
Wednesday –  Cajun Pot Roast
Thursday – London Broil
Friday –  Bacon and Eggs
Saturday – Roast pork chops with cheddar and bacon grits (Paula Deen)
Sunday – leftovers/fend for yourself

Food for Friday! 11/4 – 11/18

I’ve been kinda slacking with keeping up with my menu…half the time I forget to thaw meats and I just haven’t been sticking to what I’ve planned.  Here’s another attempt to keep myself on track.

Monday – Rotisserie Turkey Breast with mashed potatoes, veggies and homemade cranberry sauce.
Tuesday – Mac n cheese with ground beef and mixed veggies
Wednesday – Turkey pot pie topped with biscuits
Thursday – Parmesan crusted london broil, pineapple glazed carrots and rice
Friday – Bacon and eggs
Saturday – Sausages, homemade fries and veggies
Sunday – Pot Roast with carrots and potatoes

Monday – Pork chops, rice and veggies
Tuesday – Spaghetti with homemade sauce
Wednesday – Cheeseburgers on homemade buns, fries and veggies
Thursday – (Game Night) – Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies
Friday – Chicken Salad sandwiches, chips, and pickles
Saturday – leftovers
Sunday – Homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu

Food for Friday! 7/16 – 7/29

This Saturday is super busy.  I’ve either got to go to the grocery store tonight or very early tomorrow morning.  Bug has 2 birthday parties (11 and 2)…I’ve got my knitting group at 2 and then at 4:30/5 we have a BBQ to go to with friends and then a park fest with fireworks after that.   And, it’s going to be 90* with possible thunderstorms tomorrow.  I’m kinda dreading the whole day.

At least the menu is done…

Monday – Chicken Curry (Korma) with basamati rice and broccoli
Tuesday – Quiche (probably with bacon and sausage)
Wednesday – Subs, pickles & chips
Thursday – Buffalo wings and fries
Friday – Tacos with homemade seasoning
Saturday – Philly Cheese Steaks
Sunday – Crockpot pork roast with potatoes and baby carrots

Monday – Cheesy Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Skillet
Tuesday – Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and veggies
Wednesday – Breakfast for Dinner – Pancakes
Thursday – (Game Night) – BBQ Ribs with oven roasted potatoes and veggies
Friday – Spaghetti with homemade sauce
Saturday –  Fish
Sunday – Homemade chicken nuggets (using cornflakes & egg) with homemade fries and veggies

Food for Friday! 6/4 – 6/17

Took me all day to come up with a menu, but I finally did it.  Some items are things we had last week, like the enchiladas and the homemade hamburger buns.  The enchiladas were a hit with my youngest and husband.  Oldest didn’t like them because of the suspiciously green “seasoning” that he found (he won’t eat peppers and try as we might just couldn’t fool him.”  I didn’t get to try them because at the last minute, as I’d finished dumping in the can of enchilada sauce, I saw that there was soy in it!  I ended up with leftovers that night and I had been looking forward to them all day!  This time I’ll be making my own enchilada sauce and will be leaving out the chilis this time, too.  The burger buns, on the other hand, I did get to eat and they were fantastic!  So much better than the store made/bought ones!  I highly recommend them!

Monday – Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas with refried beans
Tuesday – Cheeseburgers on homemade buns (these are delicious!  So much better than store bought!), oven roasted potatoes and veggies
Wednesday – Sawmill Gravy, Sausage and Buttermilk biscuits
Thursday – Macaroni and cheese & hot dogs
Friday – Tacos with homemade seasoning
Saturday – Monte Cristos on homemade bread
Sunday – Baked Fried Chicken

Monday – BBQ Spare Ribs
Tuesday – Spaghetti with homemade sauce
Wednesday – Bacon and eggs
Thursday – (Game Night) – buffalo wings, carrots and chips
Friday – Mustard crusted pork chops, broccoli and rice.
Saturday – Fish Fry
Sunday – Father’s Day Dinner – Chicken cordon bleu, couscous and veggies

Food for Friday! 5/21-6/3

Once again Price Chopper is offering triple coupons…I just wish that the stuff they had on sale were things that I normally purchase…It’s mostly prepackaged crap.  At least they do have a couple produce and meat coupons this week and I’m thankful I’ve been finding 75 cent off any milk coupons that PC has been accepting.  That helps with the fact that we go through about 3 gallons of milk in a little over a week!  I’ve been drinking more 1% milk thanks to the fact that I found a European formula Ovaltine that is soy free.  Tastes a little different from the chocolate milk I had been drinking, but adding a little sugar makes it good.

Here’s this editions menu.  I’ve had a hard time  this time around.  Nothing that we need or normally buy is on sale this week and it made it hard to plan for meals.  The thing that bugs me is that my grocery list is huge.  It’s mostly fresh fruits, veggies and meats, which means lots of $$.

Monday – Turkey burgers on homemade buns, oven roasted potatoes and veggies
Tuesday – BLT’s on homemade bread, chips and pickles
Wednesday – Homemade pepperoni pizza
Thursday – Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas with spanish rice
Friday – Tacos with homemade seasoning
Saturday – BBQ Spare Ribs
Sunday – Baked Fried Chicken

Monday – Baked ziti
Tuesday – Homemade Buffalo Wings
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – (Game Night) Skinny Chicken Parm
Friday – Steak, potatoes and veggies
Saturday – Fish
Sunday – Leftovers/FFY

Food for Friday! 5/7 – 5/20

Coupons and sales aren’t great again this week…Might have be decent if I remembered to print out the Price Chopper triple coupons before I deleted the email…

Monday – Rotisserie chicken with couscous and corn on the cob
Tuesday – Pancakes or waffles with fresh whipped cream and strawberries
Wednesday – Chicken Quesedillas
Thursday -Steak with sweet potato fries and veggies
Friday –  Tacos
Saturday – Crescent Chicken – still haven’t gotten to make this yet
Sunday – Happy Mother’s Day!  Chicken cordon bleu, rice and veggies

Monday – Cheesy Shepherds pie (modified from this recipe)
Tuesday – Spaghetti and homemade sauce
Wednesday –  Homemade pizza
Thursday – Game Night –  Mini meatloaves, mashed potatoes and veggies
Friday – pork chops, rice or couscous and veggies
Saturday – Fish, picked up fresh
Sunday – Sausages and fries

Food for Friday! 4/23 – 5/6

Coupons and sales this week kinda suck, so I’m sure I’m going to spend a zillion dollars this time.  At least I have most of the meats for meals on hand in the freezer.  I’ll just have to hope for good sales so I can stock back up at some point.

Monday – Monty Cristo Sandwiches
Tuesday – Baked Ziti
Wednesday – Homemade pepperoni pizza
Thursday –Crescent Chicken – still haven’t gotten to make this yet.
Friday –  Steak with sweet potato fries and veggies
Saturday – Spaghetti with homemade sauce
Sunday – Pork Chops

Monday – Rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies
Tuesday -Chili
Wednesday – Pancakes and sausages
Thursday – Game Night – Chicken Curry with broccoli and rice
Friday – Turkey Burgers
Saturday – Fish, picked up fresh
Sunday – Italian Sausages

Early Edition! Food for Friday! 3/26 – 4/8

I got a super early start on my grocery list/menu this week.  Mostly because I listened to the Coupon Lady on WGNA this morning on my way home from dropping Bug off at school.  I’m still looking for the .75 cents off any gallon of milk coupon she mentioned, though.  She pointed out that Price Chopper is now accepting competitors coupons (like from Target and Walmart) and I went on a search to find coupons for items that I could use this week.  I’m not sure if Price Chopper will allow one competitor’s store coupon and a manufacture’s coupon like they do with their own store coupons, but I’m trying to find out.  According to the Coupon Lady, they do accept both, but the policy written on their website indicated they do not.  I’ll update when I find out.  Update: They do not accept both.  😦  I was really hoping they did cause I’ve got some Target coupons and manufactures coupons for things I’d like to use together!  I’m really trying to stay well under budget this week.  I think so far I’ve got about $20 in coupons and e-coupons, plus whatever advantage savings I get from sale items.

I’m still continuing to make dinners without soy, which, I’m sure I’ve said before, makes my grocery bill higher.  It’s been nearly 2 months that I’ve been off soy and I haven’t had even the slightest twinge of my usual stomach pain and I’ve even found that I wake up in the morning without that queasy feeling I so often had.  There are still the occasional things that I’ll make for the boys or for Darling Hubby that contain soy, but I just avoid them.  I mostly do this since we still have the things in the pantry or the freezer and I want to use them up.

I’m trying some new recipes this time.  A few weeks ago, I made the Skinny Chicken Parm and it was delish!  Definitely a keeper recipe!  The Italian Chicken Bake, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired in my book.  It took longer than necessary to cook and just wasn’t what I was expecting…well, they can’t all be keepers.

This time around I’m trying (and modifying) a Cheesy Pot Pie recipe to be soy free and making it into a shepherd’s pie.  I’m going to make the Velveeta filling with the ground beef and instead of using the canned crescent rolls, I’m going to use mashed potatoes instead.

I’m also trying out a Pinterest recipe called Crescent Chicken which is chunks of chicken and cheese rolled up in a crescent roll.  I’m going to make my own crescent rolls (hopefully I’ll have the recipe down as I’m making several dozen to bring to Easter Dinner this weekend so I know I’ll be able to eat one thing at the family gathering.  lol) and I’ve found an organic cream of chicken soup that is soy free.  And, speaking of making my own bread, I’ve still got to make the homemade hamburger buns.  Fingers crossed they come out well!

Monday – Rotisserie Chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies
Tuesday – Chicken Ceasar Wraps
Wednesday – Spaghetti with homemade sauce
Thursday – Homemade hamburgers with homemade buns, tater tots (for the boys) and sweet potato fries for me and Darling Hubby.
Friday –  Crescent Roll Chicken (made with homemade crescent rolls)
Saturday – Homemade pancakes
Sunday – Steak and potatoes

Monday – Ham, mashed potatoes and veggies
Tuesday – Cheesy Shepherd’s Pie (modified from Cheesy Pot Pie)
Wednesday – Homemade macaroni and cheese with ham
Thursday – Game Night – Bacon and eggs
Friday – Chicken Curry, rice and veggie
Saturday – Fresh Fish (I’ll pick up some fresh when I go shopping this day)
Sunday – Cheeseburger Roll-up