Cookbook Review: Betty Crocker: Come Home to Dinner

Betty Crocker: Come Home to Dinner
  350 Delicious Recipes for the Slow Cooker, Bread Machine, and Oven
  2004 Hardback ISBN: 1594860173
  
  This book is filled with recipes that utilize your slow cooker, bread
machine and oven. They let you spend 30 minutes or less in the
kitchen. If you work and still want to have a good meal on the table then this
is the book for you. I really enjoy cooking things that take time when
I have time, but during the week it's nice to come home to good smells
in the kitchen, or little time spent there to have something delicious
to eat with minimal effort.
  
  There are lots of color photos, hints, tips, serving suggestions and
ingredient substitution ideas included in this book. Another bonus is
that nutritional information is included for every recipe. Each recipe
has it's own page with side bars for the tips, hints, etc. Titles of
recipe are in colorful oranges and reds with the ingredients and
directions in black.  I enjoy Betty Crocker books and this one is another useful
one with good sounding recipes.
  
  I made the Mexican Pork Roast with Chili Sauce from the slow cooker
section and it was delicious. I used the  leftovers for Cheesy Pork
Quesadillas as suggested and they were fabulous. Harold even liked this and
sometimes he's hard to please. I'll definitely make this recipe again.
I'm including the hints, tips, etc included with each of these recipes
so you can get a feel for this interesting and useful book.
  
  Mexican Pork Roast with Chili Sauce
  
  6 servings with leftovers
  
  slow cooker size: 4 to 7 quart
  Prep: 15 min
  Cook time: Low 8-10 hours
  Finishing cooking Time: Microwave 3 minutes
  
  1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
  1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
  4- pound pork boneless butt or shoulder roast, trimmed of fat
  1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce
(from 7 ounce can)
  2 tablespoons ketchup
  3/4 teaspoon salt
  1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  1/2 cup water
  1/4 cup all purpose flour
  
  Place onion and bell pepper in 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Top with
pork roast. Mix brown sugar, chile peppers, ketchup, salt and garlic;
spread over pork.
  
  Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until pork is
tender.
  
  About 10 minutes before serving, remove pork from cooker, place on
cutting board, and cover to keep warm. Mix water and flour in 4-cup glass
measuring cup or medium microwavable bowl until smooth. Pour juices
from cooker into flour mixture; mix well. Microwave uncovered on high
heat setting 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking, until
mixture boils and thickens slightly.
  
  Cut pork in half, reserve on half of pork and 1 cup of the sauce. Cut
remaining half of pork into slices, place on serving platter. Serve
with remaining sauce.
  
  Shred the reserved pork with 2 forks; place in plastic storage
container with lid. Add 1 cup reserved sauce; cover and label for Cheesy Pork
Quesadillas (page 152) *recipe follows.
  Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months. If frozen, thaw in
refrigerator before using.
  
  1 serving: Calories 330; Fat 18g; Sat fat 6g; Cholesterol 95mg;
Sodium 370mg; carb 9g; Dietary Fiber 0g; Protein 33g
  
  Betty's Success Tip:
  Chipotle chile peppers are actually dried, smoked jalapenos. In
addition to being canned, they are sold dried and pickled. Adobo sauce
consists of ground chilies, herbs and vinegar. Look for chipotle chilies in
adobo sauce in the Mexican foods section of your supermarket.
  
  Serving Suggestions:
  For a more casual meal, wrap the pork in a flour tortilla and top
with the chili sauce.
  
  Leftovers.... What a Great Idea:
  The leftovers form this dish are used in Cheesy Pork Quesadillas
(page 152).
  

Joan's Note: These would be fun to assemble with your children and you could cut them into small triangles for kid sized Quesadillas.

  Cheesy Pork Quesadillas
  8 sandwiches
  Prep: 5 min.
  Cook: 12 min.
  
  1 container cooked Mexican Pork Roast with Chili Sauce (Page 105),
thawed if frozen
  1/2 cup sour cream
  8 flour tortillas (10 to 12 inch in diameter)
  1 cup thick and chunky salsa
  8 slices (1 ounce each) Monterey Jack Cheese, cut in half
  
  Cook pork with sauce in 1 1/2 quart saucepan over medium high heat,
stirring occasionally, until heated.
  
  Meanwhile, spread sour cream over half of each tortilla.
  
  Top sour cream side of each tortilla with 1/2 cup pork mixture, 1
tablespoon salsa, and 2 half slices cheese. Fold tortilla over onto
filling.
  
  Spray a 12 inch skillet with cooking spray, heat over medium high
heat. Cook 2 quesadillas at a time in skillet about 3 minutes, turning
once until filing is heated and tortillas are golden brown. Cut into
wedges. Serve with remaining salsa.
  
  1 sandwich: Calories: 590, fat 30g, Sat fat 13g, Cholesterol 110mg,
Sodium 760mg, Carb 42g, Dietary fiber 2g, Protein 38g
  
  Ingredient Substitution:
  Experiment with different kinds of cheese and flavors of salsa. Try
Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers and garlic flavored salsa,
for example.
  
  Serving Suggestion:
  These cheesy quesadillas make great appetizers. Stack them on a
decorative platter lined with napkins in festive colors. Let guests add
their own toppings such as guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, onions, and
tomatoes.