Shredded Pork

Continuing with my current love affair with the ciabatta rolls I made, here is another stellar use for them...or really any bread for that matter. Or just a fork. Heck, finger food. Being a person who normally tends towards vegetarian meals, one might find it odd that I adore shredded pork sandwiches. Or pulled pork, whatever you want to call it. But for real, I love it. There is just something about it. And this recipe is a little bit sweet, a little bbq'y, a little just plain awesome. Its one of those slow cooker meals. Put it all in  in the morning and by the afternoon your house smells so good you want to eat the air. I slathered on a little homemade jalapeno mustard that made this one tasty sandwich. (2 parts yellow mustard to 1 part dijon mixed with some chopped jalapeno and a dash of garlic powder....yum!)

INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tbls cider vinegar
2 tbls Worcestershire
1 teas chipotle pepper
2 tbls brown sugar
1 teas cumin
2 teas garlic powder
1 tbls dry minced onion
1/2 teas salt
1 teas black pepper

*Trim off any large chunks of fat on the outside of the cut of meat. There's plenty of marbled fat to give you nice flavor, no need to keep excess fat on there.
*Place pork into slow cooker. Smoother with all the other ingredients. Turn to coat. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
*About an hour or two before you're going to serve, shred up the pork-while still in slow cooker-with a couple of forks. This way the meat can soak up even more of the awesome sauce juice it's sitting in.
*Serve and enjoy!

Spicy Potstickers

Today I am thankful for my husband. I saved the best for last. Al is the most amazing person to ever come into my life. We are so close, I never imagined loving someone and sharing so much with someone. In the   15 months of dating, 6 months of engagement, and almost 11 months of marriage...I have found out more about who I am suppose to be, because of him. He's also hilarious, intelligent, considerate, and genuine.

Perhaps I'm thankful for him today too, cause I made dinner for one tonight. And I made something that Al looooves! I have some ready to go for a snack when he gets home from school. This is a favorite of mine too, I think its because it reminds me of being back in China. This was street food. I love street food!! Ha! The key to these bad boys is the crispy bottom. It makes the dish. I'm not gonna fry them in tons of oil to get it though. The way I have this recipe it makes about 20, depends on how much you stuff in, I usually shoot for about a tablespoon. Anyway, enough jabbering-lets get to the potstickers!! Oh! First, I will say that I usually pair it with a little dippin' sauce. I mix a couple tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce with a dash of rice vinegar, a sprinkling of brown sugar and some crushed red pepper...it gets the job done. :)

INGREDIENTS:
potsticker wrappers
1/2 lb of ground pork
3 green onions, chopped
1 fresno pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
splash of rice vinegar
1 teas hoisin sauce
1/2 teas chinese five spice
cooking spray
water

*In a bowl mix pork, onions, pepper, garlic, vinegar, hoisin, and chinese five spice. Make sure everything is well incorporated.
*Take a wrapper, lay it flat in your hand. Pile in the middle, about a tablespoon of the pork mixture. Dab finger tip in water, wet the edge of half the wrapper. Fold in on itself and crimp the edges. Making sure it's all sealed. Place wrappers on a sheet with a damp towel and cover as you keep forming them.
*Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, spray cooking oil and then place in, edges up, your potstickers. Cook for about 4-5 mins cover on, making sure the bottom gets crispy brown, but not burnt. 30 seconds before removing from the skillet, pour a few tablespoons of water into the pan and cover quickly with a lid. Let the steam finish off the potstickers and then remove from skillet.
*Eat them right away, they don't hold heat too well, but trust me, they eat up fast anyways!