Cafe Rio Burritos

Sweet Pork
2 pounds pork
2 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup - you can add a little more or less to taste). Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Mexican Ranch
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalepeno (remove the seeds)
Mix all ingredients together in the blender.

Lime Rice
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice and sugar. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Black Beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained.
2/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, corn, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through.

**These are the recipes I used for the cooking group this month - I forgot to point out that my recipes don't have the cilantro in them. I've tried to like cilantro, but it just has too strong of a flavor for me - sorry to you cilantro lovers! If you want Robyn's original recipe with lots of cilantro go here.

Erin's Cafe Rio Recipes

Café Rio Chicken
5 lbs chicken breasts
1 small bottle kraft Italian dressing
1 T. Chili powder
1 T. Cumin
3 cloves garlic-minced
Cook all together in crock pot on high for 4 hours. Shred meat. Cook 1 more hour.

Sweet Pork
3-4 lb roast (pork shoulder or loin - don’t trim the fat. Salt and pepper and brown each side in a pan.)
Fill crock pot ½ way with water. Add roast.
Cook on high 5 hours. Drain water - cut into 4 large pieces.
Add:
16 oz salsa
1 can coke
2 c. sugar
cook 3 more hours on high - shred.


Café Rio Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos
½ bunch cliantro
1 clove garlic
1 lime, juiced
1 jalepeno
Use food processor or blender to blend well.
Refrigerate

Café Rio Rice
Blend the following in food processor or blender
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chilies
½ onion
Add the following:
4 cloves garlic minced
4 tsp chicken bullion
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 T. Butter
Juice from one lime

Bring to boil the amount of water. Rice directions call for when using 3 c. uncooked rice. When water boils add all the ingredients and rice. Stir to combine - simmer covered for 30 minutes. If you use bullion cubes stir until they dissolve before you cover and simmer.

Clone of a Cinnabon

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS :

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle.

Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls.

Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

***Don't have a bread machine? Here's how:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Then pick up with rolling out the dough.

Toscana Soup (Olive Garden)

1 lb Italian sausage
4 medium baking potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
2 to 3 slices bacon, diced
3/4 cup onions, diced
1 medium to large clove garlic, minced
1 cup escarole, chopped or kale, cut in half, then sliced
2 Tbsp chicken base
3 cups water
1/2 cup whipping cream

Remove sausage from casings; brown in a skillet, breaking up, until cooked through. Place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add chicken base, water and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes. Add sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.

(Cindy)

Wendy's Chili

2 lbs ground beef
29 oz can tomato sauce
29 oz can kidney beans - with liquid
29 oz can pinto beans - with liquid
1 medium onion, diced
8 oz diced green chilies(2 small cans)
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
3 Tbsp. Chili powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 cups water

Brown ground beef and drain off the grease. Crumble the beef into pea size pieces. In a large pot combine beef and all other ingredients. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes for 2-3 hours.

Also good to make in a crock-pot as long as you stir occasionally.

(Shanna)

Cherry Limeade (Sonic)

12 oz. Sprite (1 can)
3 lime wedges (1/8 of a lime each)
1/4 C. cherry juice (Libby's juicy juice is best)

1. Fill a 16 oz. glass 2/3 full with ice.
2. Pour sprite over the ice
3. Add the juice of three lime wedges and drop them into the drink.
4. Add the cherry juice and serve with a straw.

(Mandi)

PASTA FACTORY ALFREDO SAUCE

(Cara, what a cute blog layout you have for this!  I usually just use blog reader so I don't see this very often... but so cute!)

Here is my copy cat recipe.  LOVE this recipe.  Very easy and so good.

This does make a lot so I usually freeze half (or more) of it to use another time.  This is great on pasta and also works really well if you want to make an alfredo/chicken/spinach pizza. Yum!  But then anything with this much fat in it has to be good... right?!

PASTA FACTORY ALFREDO SAUCE

Ingredients:
       Pam                                             
       1 1⁄4 c. Butter                 
       8 oz. Cream Cheese              
       5 T. Flour
       3⁄4 c. + 2 T. Heavy Cream
       2 1⁄2 c. Whole Milk
       6 T. Grated Parmesan Cheese (this is the real parmesan cheese)

Directions:
       1. Spray pam in saucepan.
       2. Combine over medium heat butter and cream cheese.  Heat and mix.
       3. Add flour, heavy cream, and 1 1⁄2 c. + 2 T. whole milk.  Stir until smooth.
       4. Add grated parmesan cheese and 3⁄4 c. + 2 T. whole milk.
       5. Mix until desired consistency.

Cheesecake Factory's Pumpkin Cheesecake

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon sugar

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1 tbsp sugar in a medium bowl. Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the mixture into paste.

Put foil partway up the outside part of an 8-inch springform pan. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. You don't want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until you are ready to fill it.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes. The top will turn a bit darker at this point. Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool.

When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.

Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1-1/2 tbsp light corn syrup

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

Put the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, stir just to combine the ingredients and then put the pan over medium-high heat. Heat, without stirring , until the caramel turns deep amber (5-10 minutes). Lower the heat a bit and, standing back from the saucepan add the cream and butter. When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps.

Credit goes to http://workingwomanfood.blogspot.com/ for this recipe

Homemade Asphalt Pie

2 packages of Oreos
12 oz. Cool Whip
16 oz hot fudge
1 container of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Crush each pack of Oreos in separate bags. Set some of the crushed Oreo aside. In a 9x13 pan start layering ingredients. Do one layer of Oreos as a crust. Cut ice cream into 1/2 inch slices and layer them on the Oreos. Apply a second layer of Oreos and place upon that a layer of the fudge (warm fudge to make it easier to spread). Spread Cool Whip as your last layer. Sprinkle the crushed Oreos, that you had set aside earlier, on the Cool whip. Place in freezer. Serve and enjoy.

(This is a copycat for Winger's Asphalt Pie)