Sweet Baby Rays Pork BBQ Sandwiches

2-3 lbs pork roast
2 cups beef broth
16 oz Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
8 buns


Put pork roast and 2 cups beef broth into crockpot. Cook for 4-6 hours on high. When done, lay out pork roast on cutting board. Use forks to shred pork apart. Put pork in 9x13 pan and pour sauce over meat. Stir until thoroughly covered. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Put on buns and enjoy!

From Frozen: Bake meat for 20 min at 350 to heat through. Put on buns and enjoy!

Pasta Primavera with Sausage

1 box uncooked pasta
1 bag frozen veggie combo
1 jar Prego Italian Sauce
2 Italian Sweet Sausage

Brown sausage in pan, then add Italian Sauce. Heat through until warm. Now add frozen veggie combo until all veggies are heated through. Cook pasta. Pour mixture over pasta and enjoy!

From Frozen: Defrost sauce in fridge overnight. Cook pasta. Heat up sauce and pour over pasta. Add cheese and enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese

• 1 pound short pasta, such as cavatappi or macaroni
• Coarse salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups shredded (12 ounces) sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup finely grated (2 ounces) Parmesan cheese
• 3 cups very coarse fresh breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water 1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add milk, cayenne, nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons salt; bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in cheeses until smooth. Pour over pasta; toss to coat. Divide among baking dishes.
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; toss with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over pasta. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; freeze up to 3 months.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen dishes on a baking sheet; remove plastic. Cover with foil. Bake until bubbling, 60 to 70 minutes for large dishes, 40 to 50 minutes for small. Remove foil; continue baking until golden, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Macaroni and Cheese - Martha Stewart Recipes

*I omitted the breadcrumbs.

Pineapple Salsa Chicken

*Note: this recipe is so adaptable. I used a can of black beans and a can of white beans because that is what I had in my pantry, but feel free to substitute the type of beans you like or have on hand.


6 fresh or frozen chicken breasts
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, like Great Northern, rinsed and drained
2 cups mild or medium salsa
Tortillas or tortilla chips and garnishes, like sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Place the chicken in the crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Using tongs, remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred into bite-size pieces. Mix the chicken back in with the rest of the ingredients. The mixture will be fairly soupy – I like to drain off some of the excess liquid before serving, especially if we are eating it in tortillas, so it doesn’t make everything soggy.
Serve with tortilla chips and garnishes, like tomatoes, cheese, avocado, sour cream, etc.

*Freezable Option: I freeze the leftovers in freezer-safe ziploc bags and either place the frozen portion in my crockpot for a few hours the day I want to serve it or thaw the night before in the refrigerator and reheat on low in a saucepan.

Taken from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cafe Rio Sweet Beef

(I substituted Beef for the pork in this recipe)

2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork rib meat)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness but any will work)
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

From Frozen: You can thaw this right on the stove in a pot until the meat is heated through. Serve on taco salad or in tortillas.

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish

Directions

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

From Frozen: Thaw in refrigerator, then heat in a pot on the stove until heated through. Be sure to garnish with sour cream, cheddar, and green onions.