I love a good crock-pot recipe. Tonight I made a beer-braised pork and black bean soup that is pretty good and adds a little variety into our usual menu. One thing I like about it is that you just throw everything into the pot; there is hardly any prep time. It has a kick to it, too.
I adapted this from a recipe I found in Real Simple.
Beer- braised pork and black bean soup
2 12 ounce bottles of lager (I used Yuengling)
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce.
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed
1 ½ pounds boneless pork roast (butt or shoulder)
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups water
chopped tomatoes
fresh cilantro
sour cream
tortilla strips (find these with salad toppings)
Throw everything into the crock-pot bowl, except the tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream and tortilla strips. Put crock pot on high, cover and cook for 5-6 hours, or put on low and cook for 8-9 hours. When pork is tender enough, pull it apart (I actually took the roast out of the pot to do this, but you can do it in the pot). Divide into bowls and top with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream and tortilla strips. Yum!
We only ate about a third of this and I divided the remainder in half, put it into freezer bags and into the freezer. That’s three meals – voilà!
Care to share a crock-pot recipe? I'd love to try some new ones!
Childrens Portraits
My favorite people to photograph are my children. My daughter asked me during her three year-old portrait session yesterday, "Mommy, why are you always taking pictures of us?" I answered her with the obvious answer, "because I love you so much and you are so beautiful." Later, though, I was thinking that I better be careful not to overtake photographs of my children. They will either grow to hate it or become obsessed with their own images. Something to think about on this lovely Friday afternoon! More photos from McG's session coming shortly! Have a wonderful weekend!
