Jerk Pork and Sweet Potato Stew

My brother is a foodie like me, and so for Christmas he gave me a Crockpot cook book filled with delicious recipes. We sat on the couch after opening and ooh'ed and ahh'ed over the pretty pictures and I mentally made a list of recipes I had to try out... and this was the one that stuck out me the most.

I can list the number of recipes I've made with "jerk" taste on one hand. One finger even... this is my first go at it. I have had things with the taste, so I know I like it at least... so at least I have that going for me, right?

It's also my first time using allspice in a recipe, and it's my first time buying pork shoulder. Lots of firsts! A fair warning though... this recipe is cheap in theory. You only need 1 1/4 pounds of pork shoulder for this recipe, but the smallest one I could find at my grocery store was a whopping 8+ pounds and it cost $15. So... lots of pork in our future!...I also had to buy allspice, which was $2.72 - not bad, considering I couldn't find an offbrand, and I'll probably use it in more things. But besides those two - this is a pretty cheap and amazingly good dinner. Especially with these sort of temps outside!      

I've added a new feature to the blog - printable recipes! Now you can press the Print This Recipe link and it'll take you to my Google Site, where my printable recipes are housed!

Ready to make it? You'll need:
Print This Recipe

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/4 lbs pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 small-medium sweet potatoes
• 1 cup frozen or canned corn
• 1/4 cup minced green onions, green only, divided
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 cups white rice, cooked
• 1 cup chicken broth

1. Chop your pork shoulder into bite sizes pieces. Add flour, salt and pepper to a ziplock-type bag. Add your pork shoulder to the bag, seal, and shake well to coat.

2. Heat your oil in a pot or skillet until hot. Add your pork and brown on both sides. Add this to your crockpot.

3. Chop the sweet potatoes if you haven't already, then add those to the crockpot. Add your corn, 2 tablespoons of the green onions (hold on to the rest for later), mince the garlic and add, mince the jalapeno and add, and add the allspice.

4. Stir in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours.

5. Before serving, prepare the white rice. Also before serving, top the stew with the remaining green onions and lime juice. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the stew over the rice and enjoy! 

My One Word

My One Word for this year: "Again."

Hi all - it's been a while, eh? Life has gotten busy and I've neglected this blog, which is a bummer because it was/is a really fun outlet for me to share my recipes and crafts. So my one word for this year (click here if you don't know what this is all about) is again. Because...

In 2014...

• I want to get back to posting semi-regularly here again.
  • Time FLIES. If 2013 has taught me anything, is that time flies. I started my first full-time job this year and I've been learning time management. So instead of saying I don't have time, I am making time for things I like and love.
    
• I am going to lose the weight... again.
  • In 2013, my weight slowly crept up as I wasn't very active in the winter, and then I found myself out eating more towards the end, and it piled on. My weight is definitely one of the biggest things I struggle with and have struggled with for years. We're joining a gym as of... today, actually, and it's going to happen. I can't just say it's going to happen anymore.
    
• I actually want to have a year like 2013 again. 
• In 2013, the beginning of the year was a bit of a struggle as I worked to find myself, my car decided it was "time" and I had a burning desire to find my career.  But as the year went on, in about the middle of the year, I found my full-time career, which has led to awesome friendships, increased knowledge and more financial freedom - which all leads to happiness. I got to spend lots of time with family and friends. We got a new car after our old one bellied up, my family passed on their car to us and it's been great. Sure, there were some downs, like losing our family cat, whom I had since I was 6-7 and I'm now 26, Christmas with no power (but lots of memories), family members who got sick (but thankfully caught in time) but for the most part, it's been a pretty happy year. And for that, I'm incredibly thankful.
  
• We're going to house hunt again (!)
• Some of our nearest and dearest friends bought their first house this past year and it's been an exciting time for them. We're getting to where we're considering our first house and realistically taking a look at what we are going to do to make it happen.

 So here's my resolutions in a nutshell, and my one word for the year. "Again." What's yours?

Knockoff Earrings for Less!

Have you ever shopped at Shopko? I will admit, when I first checked the store out, I thought it was a little weird. To me, it feels like a mix between a Kmart and a Big Lots... they've got all you'd need, but it's often at a premium for sometimes not-so-great quality, unless you're shopping the ad or clearance. It's a weird little mix of a store but I secretly think it's pretty fun to shop the clearance, because when they go to clearance, they really go to clearance.

Enter these earrings:

It's funny, because in this picture, they don't look so bad - I like that color yellow. But in reality, the jewel was NEON yellow, not Big Bird yellow. Neon yellow isn't really my speed anymore... but I had seen these earrings on the Young House Love blog before (they're apparently a Sherry favorite):

Kendra Scott Jewelry - Danielle Earrings in Green - $60.00

and couldn't help but notice how these were almost exactly the same earring shape and size... but not with a $60.00 price tag:

...but with a $1.40 price tag. I can make a $1.40 work. Here's what the back looked like... they actually look and feel like a high quality earring (and you can see they are more neon in this picture):

I knocked out the jewel part...

which was easy to do... it was only being held in two spots on the sides. Easy!

I grabbed my Rust-oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, and gave the jewels two light coats so they wouldn't drip.

Ironically, used the Shopko ad to catch the paint...

Looking good! I had to make sure to let them dry for a while as plastic doesn't absorb the paint at all.

I used hot glue to put the jewel back in, but will use Krazy Glue gel formula to really secure the jewel when I get some more :)

Pushed the jewel back in with a hint of glue, and they came out gorgeous! Much more my "speed", and a pretty color for fall! They remind me of these ones by Kendra Scott as well!

Kendra Scott Jewelry - Danielle in Black - $60.00

These are a great testament to always keep an open mind when shopping - a lot of things can be changed to fit your taste! Thanks for reading!

Low Carb Mock Danish with Cinnamon Glaze - An Alternative for Low Carb Breakfast

Good morning all!
When a some following a low carb breakfast has had eggs the past 5 days in a row, the thought of having eggs for day 6 leaves their faces looking something like this:

D:

So, I've got a low carb alternative for you, low carbers! Enter the mock danish - an easy to cook, mildly tastes-like-you're-eating-desert-for-breakfast treat. I found the recipe here and thought it was so good, that I wanted to share it with you all.

You'll need:
2 ounces cream cheese (I used Neufchatel cream cheese - slightly less carbs (cream cheese has 1, Neufchatel has less than 1. Oooo.) and less calories.
1 egg 
2 teaspoons granulated Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
Pinch of cinnamon

In a small, shallow bottomed glass bowl (I used an Anchor Hocking/Pyrex type bowl), add the cream cheese and microwave for 30 seconds. It should look something like this once mixed:

Now, add the egg and beat until relatively smooth. It's best to do this while the cream cheese is still hot. Add the Splenda, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.

Beat until well mixed.

This is about how shallow my bowl is, which made for a perfect cook up. I've tried this before on a Corelle plate, it doesn't really ever cook correctly.

Once mixed, Microwave on HIGH 30 seconds; rotate the bowl (do not stir) and cook another 30 seconds, unless you have a microwave that has a turntable, then turning the bowl is not necessary. 

If the center still looks too runny, cook another 30 seconds. It may take up to 2 1/2 minutes total, depending on your microwave. The center should be a bit soft for the danish filling effect. Run a small rubber spatula around the danish, then under it to release from the bowl and put it on a plate. It'll probably fall apart a bit like mine, but it still tastes great. :)

Now, if you want to make the cinnamon glaze, melt 1 tbsp of butter, a teaspoon of splenda and a bit of cinnamon together. I wouldn't really recommend it, as I didn't care for the taste, but you might like it!

So there it is! A low carb, mock danish. According to Genaw.com, this recipe has:

With granular Splenda:
Per serving: 283 Calories; 25g Fat; 11g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 279 Calories; 25g Fat; 11g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

If you use Neufchatel cream cheese, you can knock another half carb off of there. Enjoy!