Cafe Rio Syle Sweet Pork; Santa Fe Lime Rice; Tomatillo Dressing

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

CAFE RIO SWEET PORK
Kim Hendricks

3 lb. pork roast
 2 cup brown sugar
 16 oz. chunky salsa
1 (12 oz) can Dr. Pepper or Coke (not Diet)
Put pork in slow cooker and fill halfway with water. Cook 4 hours on high. Drain water, cut pork in thirds, mix together sauce and pour on top. Cook 4 more hours on low. Drain liquid and shred pork. Save a little liquid and mix it in with the pork so it is really moist.
Note: If you’re making a Cafe Rio Pork salad, this is what makes the entire meal. If you don’t feel like making a salad, this is a great meat for burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, etc. It is super easy to make!

Tomatillo Dressing

TOMATILLO DRESSING
Linda Wayman
3 fresh tomatillos or 1 c. bottled salsa verde
5 stalks green onions
2 cloves crushed garlic juice of one lime
½ tsp. salt
1 c. creamy ranch dressing
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ c. sour cream
1 jalapeño, sliced thin (optional if you like more heat)
 1 c. fresh cilantro
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until creamy. Refrigerate one hour. Serve with Cafe Rio chicken (in Poultry section), Santa Fe Lime rice (rice and beans section), black beans, and salad fixins for a Cafe Rio style chicken salad.

Santa Fe Lime Rice

 

This meal is a showstopper.  The vibrant flavors marry together perfectly, and is definitely on my top ten most-craved dinners.  By using a Crock-pot and a rice maker, I could prep this whole meal in advance and just assemble right before dinner time.  Along with my rice, pork, dressing, I added a can of black beans that I stewed with a ladle full of the juice from the pork, some chopped romaine lettuce, and sliced avocado.  Mango salsa, pico de gallo, and a host of other toppings would be amazing, but I didn't have all that on hand, so stay tuned for another post in the future.

One great thing about this pork recipe is that it makes a lot--about 3 pounds of shredded pork.  Considering you only put a few ounces on a burrito or a salad, this will feed a small army.  You can either use it for a big Fresh-Mex party (nobody ever says no to that), or it freezes well.  I, for one, am jazzed that I have two full meals worth of pork happily stashed in the freezer for some future date. 

Bratten's Clam Chowder

BRATTEN’S CLAM CHOWDER

Laurie Fifield

2 c. diced potatoes	2 (6 ½-oz.) can clams
1 c. diced celery	1 qt. half and half
1 c. diced onion	1 tsp. sugar
½ c. margarine ½ c. flour	salt to taste

Combine potatoes, celery and onion in large saucepan. Add liquid from clams and enough water to just cover vegetables. Cook until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile make white sauce: Melt butter, add flour, stir. Add half and half, sugar and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add white sauce to tender vegetables and blend thoroughly. Add clams and heat through. Do not cook clams or they will get tough.

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Story Time: Making this for dinner this evening, my 2 1/2 year old was helping. The cans of drained clams were sitting on the counter and she decided to try one. She chewed for awhile and said, "I don't like clams." I wouldn't either, room temperature and straight out of the can! ;) But, she ate the finished chowder without complaint. It's delicious!

And one note- don't drain the vegetables when adding the white sauce.