Cafe Rio Salads/Burritos

Meat:
2 1/2 lbs Pork Tender thawed (roast style)
Mix:
1 1/2 C brown sugar with
1 1/2 C salsa
1 can coke
(just do equal parts of brown sugar & salsa - how ever much you think you need/want)
Put pork in Crock-Pot and pour mixture over it. Cook it on low for 7 hrs (or until meat is cooked). Shred pork and cook an additional 30 min minimum. The pork will absorb all the juices.
(I substitute chicken because I like it much better than pork, usually I do about 6 large chicken breasts. I also though it was really sweet at first so I started using diet coke and it helped a lot)

Cafe Rio Rice
3 cups rice
6 cups water
4 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 Tbs. butter
1/2 onion chopped
4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 tsp. salt
Saute onion and garlic with the butter until the onion is soft. Add the rice and water and all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Salad Dressing
1 package dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatillos (skin off)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Put all ingredients into a blender. Chill before serving and it will thicken.

For those of you that haven't had a Cafe Rio Salad.......Serve in a bowl with warm tortilla. Layer rice, beans, pork, romaine lettuce, crushed tortilla chips, and dressing.

Calzones

You will need:
frozen bread dough
pizza sauce
pizza toppings
mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Thaw out the bread dough, but not to the point where it starts rising. Cut the dough into fourths. Roll each fourth out into a long oval shape. Spoon a generous amount of pizza sauce onto half of the dough leaving about a quarter of an inch around the edge. Put your favorite pizza toppings on top of the sauce and then cover with cheese. Fold the empty half of the dough over on top of the cheese and toppings. Take a fork and smash the edges around the half oval, sealing it shut.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Garlic Parmesan Rolls

I got this recipe from my friend at work and decided to use it for out Thanksgiving rolls, they were delicious!
(this is the long method, if you want to do the short method like I did you follow the directions for the "fast method" on the back of the bag. After 30 minutes of rising that way spoon on topping and let rise in oven another 30 minutes.)

1 bag of frozen Rhodes Rolls
Let rise 1 hour

Topping:
1 cup mayo
1 cube butter, melted
dried parsley (as much as you would like)
4 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 small bag of grated parmesan cheese

Spoon mixture onto rolls after they have risen one hour. Let rise another 2 hours (unless doing the quick method)

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Baked Ziti Casserole

1 lb lean ground beef
1 can (26oz) four cheese spaghetti sauce
1 can (6oz) Tomato Paste
No-Stick cooking spray
8 oz dry ziti pasta, cooked according to the package directions
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown the hamburger in a large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and paste, blend well.

Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1/2 cup meat sauce into bottom of dish. Top with half of the pasta, half of the remaining sauce and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers, starting with pasta and ending with cheese.

Bake uncovered, 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Camel eyes

Also known as "eggs in a basket", these are so easy and quick. Easiest breakfast ever.

What you need:

equal amounts of bread slices and eggs

butter

seasoning

Syrup

Griddle or frying pan

Directions:

1. Heat griddle to 325 degrees or frying pan on stove to medium heat.

2. Cut squares or circles in the middle of each slice of bread then butter around the hole on both sides. (My husband prefers that I butter first and then cut so that I can fry the bread squares and he can eat them with his breakfast)

3. Place buttered bread on griddle or pan and crack an egg into the hole. If you don't like runny yolks then break up the yolk with a fork. If you like salt or any other seasoning on your eggs put it on now.

4. Once the egg has set on one side, flip the bread over and let it finish cooking on the other side. (similar to making pancakes)

5. Once done serve with syrup or by itself, both ways are really good!

Baked Donuts

These look like muffins when finished, but they tasted like donuts!


1/3 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 c. flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. milk


Directions:
1. Cream butter and Sugar, add beaten egg and mix well.
2. Mix in dry ingredients and milk.
3. Fill greased muffin tins 1/2 full.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes


After taking out donuts, Dip donuts in:
1/2 c. melted butter


Then roll in mixture of:
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon


Makes 12 donuts

Island crockpot chicken

8 oz can pineapple chunks in heavy syrup

2 lbs chicken part (we just did chicken breasts)

1 can chicken broth

1/4 c vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic minced

1 green pepper cut into squares

3 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Directions:

drain pineapple and reserve liquid. Put chicken parts in bottom of slow cooker. Mix together pineapple syrup, chicken broth, vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce. Heat until brown sugar dissolves. pour over chicken. heat on high 1 hour. Add pineapple chunks, garlic and green pepper. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours (we did high for 4 hours). Half an hour before serving mix together corn starch and water add to slow cooker.

We served over rice and it turned out very good!