Saturday, August 11, 2012

Super Easy Pork Roast and Cornbread





So I contemplated whether this was share-worthy because it's so easy, but then I convinced myself that easy is what I'm looking for most of the time, so I'll share this simple meal with you. It will likely be more of a staple for us once the weather gets cooler and we're longing for something easy to make and savory, but I can tell you, neither of us minded that it wasn't cold outside when our tummies were full the other night.

The most hassle you will have with any kind of roast is going to be planning ahead. The longer something like this cooks the better it's going to taste. For me, my husband (who often works from home) had a lengthy day-trip to make and so I put this in the Crockpot after breakfast as he was leaving and it was more than ready by the time he got home that night. This is one of those meals that the leftovers can be just as good heated up a couple of days later as it was that first night you make it. So, if you've got some time and a slow cooker, I really recommend this recipe that cooks for you and leaves you free to do other things. 

Pork Roast in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients
1 Boneless Pork Sirloin Roast
1 lb of baby carrots
1/2 five lb bag of red potatoes, quartered
1 tsp of Cilantro
dash of Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp of salt

For this recipe I needed a larger, 6 quart slow cooker - which I thought would be too big, but really was just barely enough room. I really could have done with a larger one, but I had to work with what I got. :)

Go ahead and put your pork sirloin roast in first, to make sure it has a good spot in the center of the pot. Then scrub and quarter your potatoes, dropping them in as you go. Rinse carrots and add them to the pot. Toss the vegetables to make sure they are evenly distributed, then fill the pot the rest of the way with water making sure that your meat is completely beneath the water's surface. Turn the cooker on High and walk away.

Let the mixture cook for several hours (this is not a science, so just use your own judgment and when you get a second to take a look), coming periodically to stir a little and inspect the progress. Eventually, about four or five hours later, your meat will start to fall apart. Feel free to use your spoon to help its progress a little. Once your meat begins to fall apart, go ahead and add the cilantro, lawry's, black pepper, garlic powder and salt. Stir and recover.

Let the pork roast marinate and cook in its own juices for another hour or so. Taste to see if the mixture is to your liking. Add more seasonings if necessary. Switch the slow cooker setting from High to Warm. Your pork roast is ready when you are.




Homemade buttermilk Cornbread (White Lily Recipe)


*As you will quickly learn about me, I am a huge fan of recipes that are on the back of the bag. Since I've been married and cooking, I have learned that many of my favorite "homemade" recipes are on the back of some kind of food bag. My nanny's recipes for cornbread and biscuits are both identical to the recipes on the back of the White Lily flour and cornmeal bags. I don't know who copied who, I'm just glad someone knows the proper way to make delicious cornbread and biscuits.

**P.S. I have some other great "off the box" recipes to post about later. Like Pecan Pie from the Karo syrup bottle (identical to my aunt's homemade Pecan Pie Recipe), World's Best Spinach Dip from the box of Knorr's Vegetable Mix, Oatmeal cookies from the Instant Oatmeal Canister, and German Chocolate Cake from the back of Bakers German Chocolate (My husband's aunt's famous recipe as a matter of fact, haha!) But that's for another day. On to the Cornbread!

Ingredients
1 egg
1 3/4 cup of buttermilk
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 cups corn meal 




Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 8-10 inch skillet or cake pan (I use a cake pan). Combine all ingredients and stir together in a large bowl. Mixture will be thick but liquidy. Pour into the pan, and bake for 25-35 minutes until fork comes out clean. Be careful not to burn, there's nothing worse than burnt cornbread!












Now to combine for this meal, cut a heaping piece of cornbread and break it up on your plate, then spoon the pork roast on top, the more of the broth you get from this the better, because you want to eat this almost like a soup. If it's dry, it's not going to be as yummy. 

Cornbread is one of my favorite things to make because it is pretty simple and really good. And if you have some leftover, you can always break it up in some milk for breakfast in the morning. One of my favorite things to do even though it makes my husband shudder. We're still teaching the poor boy how to eat! :) My grandfather is a bit of a cornbread connoisseur, having grown up on the farm where corn meal was freshly ground. He rates the quality of cornbread by his ability to squeeze it into doughy balls shaped like footballs and the like. It was one of the ways he used to get us all to eat as babies. He likes the fresh stuff obviously, and he likes the kind you can buy in Cracker Barrel's Old Country store, which I buy him for special occasions (because it ain't cheap). Thankfully, the rest of our palates are no where near as sensitive as his. However, he is also known to say that anything will work if drowned in soup beans or black-eyed peas (the man knows how to eat!). ANYWAY, for us, good ole White Lily does the trick. Enjoy!

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