Dinner Tonight: Pulled Pork with Sweet Corn Cake

​In my last post, I talked about the great pulled pork I made.  Here is another dinner I made with it, and it was another winner.  What this shows more than anything is that some base proteins can be used for endless meals if they are versatile enough to be re-seasoned to fit the flavor profile of the type of food you want to prepare.

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Review: The perfect Party Cup?

Not long after I started FatBoyHeaven I posted a review of some great permanent solutions to replace popular disposable cups.  Last night I received a new entry with a great twist.  Red Cup Living has an interesting story and a great product. They started their company after looking for a way to continue their neighborhood parties without using so many disposable cups.  Their story is a great one, and it makes this company something different.

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Ingredient quality will KILL your food - Beware

OK, this isn't the first time a meal hasn't gone the way I wanted it to, but it went so bad that I ended up having to run out to McDonalds to buy dinner last night.  I was making chili, and made a base of sofrito using onions, garlic, bell peppers and tomatoes.  I was in a hurry and, and made a critical mistake....I didn't taste the sofrito before I comined everything in the pot.  I'm not sure if it was one of the bell peppers or the onions, but something was bad.  I took one taste to check my seasoning and realized that I had killed my dinner.

Let this be a warning to you all, bad ingredients make bad food.  There is no way around it.

Review: Cafejo "My French-Press"

The first french-press to use K-cups, and the cheapest keurig brewer on the marketI had the opportunity to get ahold of the Cafejo My French-Press, and I am impressed.  Taking the flexibility and ease of use of both a Keurig Coffee maker and a traditional french-press and merging them into a handy and portable gadget, this is a great coffee maker for anyone short on space or money.  There are several things that make this actually better than a Keurig, the most desireable of which is the ability to use any liquid (including spirits and milk) at any temperature.  Since many traditional coffee makers brew too hot and scorch coffee, and while wide ranging, K-Cups for Keurig brewers have limited variety the My French-Press really is the best of both worlds.  Pick this up using the link above from Amazon, you won't be sorry.

Dinner Tonight: Ribs and Kraut

A southern comfort food staple - Pork Country Style Ribs with KrautThe wife is out of town this week and I was looking for some good old fashioned comfort food for dinner tonight.  I decided to go to an old standby, Ribs and Kraut.  This is super simple in the Crock-Pot, and is a great tasting dish.  Traditionally it is served with mshed potatoes on the side, but I tend to stay away from heavy carbs during the week.  This is a winner with the kids, and one of my favorites.

Southern Ribs and Kraut

 

YIELD
 4-6 servings
ACTIVE TIME
 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME
 6 hours, 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    • 3 lbs. Boneless Country Style Ribs
    • 32 oz. jar of Sauerkraut
    •  Salt and Pepper to taste
    • 3 Tbs. Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Add oil to large frying pan and heat to medium-high
    2. Season ribs with salt and pepper on all sides
    3. Brown ribs and transfer to crock-pot
    4. Cook on Low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours
    5. Drain kraut and add to crock-pot, continue to cook for 2-3 hours
    6. Serve and enjoy!

Dinner Tonight: Corndog Muffins

Great Pinterest find for a quick mealI was looking around on Pinterest for creative ideas and ran across this one.  They came out great and were super simple.  The original post was for mini-muffins, but I was looking to do these for dinner so used normal muffin tins.  I should have doubled the recipe, as everyone wanted more!  These work well, and will be a big hit for your Super Bowl parties.

 

Dinner Tonight: Oven Roasted Sausages, Potatoes, and Peppers

Great Pinterest find, was a huge hit at our house

This was an interesting find on Pinterest, and the ease of preperation was a definate plus.  This will be an easy winner in any kitchen.  The great flavors combined to make a very comforting dish with an italian flare that was a winner at our house.  I could have made two pans and it would have all disappeared.

 

Source: lilasapron.com via Drew on Pinterest

Dinner Tonight: Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

Unique ingrédients kick-up frozen meatballs

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

 

YIELD
 4-6 Servings
ACTIVE TIME
 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME
 2 hours, 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    • 2 lb bag of Frozen Meatballs
    • 1 can (8 oz.) Jellied Cranberry Sauce
    • 1/4 cup Siracha chili sauce
    • 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
    • 2 tbs. Brown Sugar
    • 2 tsp. Lemon Juice

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Thaw meatballs
    2. Combine remaining ingredients in crock-pot on low, mixing thoroughly.
    3. Add meatballs. Cook for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes

NOTES

Serve alone on toothpicks as an appetizer, or for a meal over white rice

FatBoy Creations: Fatboy Cheesesteak

Fatboy's Take on a steak sandwich!I love a nice steak sandwich, but get tired of philly-style cheesesteaks. I wanted something cheesy and full of flavors I love, and this is what I came up with. It was a hit in my house, see how your family likes this little piece of FatBoy Heaven.

Fatboy Cheesesteak

YIELD
 4-6 Sandwichs
ACTIVE TIME
 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME
 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    • 1 lb. Bacon
    • 2 lbs. Thin-cut Carne Asada Steak
    • 1 tub Philly Cooking Cream - Italian Cheese and Herb flavor
    • 1 lb fresh whole leaf spinach
    •  Hard hoagy style rolls

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Brown bacon in large deep cast iron skillet until crispy, drain on paper towels and set aside
    2. Cut steak into 1 inch wide strips on the bias
    3. Fry steak in bacon grease until cooked through medium-rare, drain grease
    4. Add Cooking Cream and stir into steak, coating well and cooking until cream starts to brown
    5. Cut rolls
    6. Layer fresh spinach, then steak, then top with chunks of Bacon and serve