Raise your hand if you are like me… on days when you use the slow cooker, you feel so proud of yourself. It’s like for once, you REALLY have your act together. I absolutely love my slow cooker (this is the one I currently use) and I feel like such a rock star when I remember to put ingredients in it in the morning, and a ready meal appears at night in time for us to sit down for dinner. I don’t often get to feel like a rock star parent (just ask me how many times I’ve put ingredients IN the slow cooker and forgot to turn it on… ooops!), so when I do, it’s a wonderful thing.

Today, I’ve partnered with 8 wonderful bloggers, my friends at The Ohio Pork Council and the Ohio Soybean Council to bring you a roundup of simple slow cooker recipes featuring pork. These recipes are so easy and amazingly good, you’ll feel like a rock star each time you prepare one in your slow cooker to feed to your family….

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OK before we talk about this recipe, can I get one thing out of the way? I can’t think about Nachos without thinking about this joke a man recorded and illustrated after his wife had a little too much wine and told it to him. If you haven’t watched it, do it… I crack up every, single time!

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk Nachos!

So you all know that famous Buffalo Chicken Dip that is the first thing to disappear at book club and football game parties? It’s so good, right? Well, I decided that I didn’t think it was fair that chicken got to have all the glory in that recipe. How about pork? Why couldn’t I use some of that amazing Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (recipe here) I made the other day in the famous Buffalo Chicken Dip? Then, why couldn’t I just turn the whole sha-bang into Nachos? Heck yeah! …

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Autumn, to me, is almost like the New Year. In fact, my dear friend, Pamela, has told me before that she uses October as a kind of new year… a way to start fresh, set goals and get organized for the coming year. We’re both Libras, which means we have October birthdays. Maybe that’s why I feel the need to get my rear in gear a bit every autumn? 41 is approaching quickly… I can’t leave 40 behind in a state of disaster that it currently is, can I?

Lately, I’ve been knee deep in trying to schedule things… making plans, of sorts, for my life and business. This includes getting back to menu planning. Remember when I used to share a weekly menu plan here on Dine & Dish? Those were the days! I don’t know what’s happened with my prior organization skills between then and now, but they seem to have flown out the window….

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Before I start my post, about how much I love Kansas Farmers and share this fabulous Bacon Cheddar Bay Beer Bread Biscuit recipe with you, I wanted to pass on this bit of news with you…

See that banner? Yes, the one that says you can win BACON for a year? Well click on it and find out how to enter the Show Us Your Bacon contest the Kansas Pork Association is hosting over on their facebook page. Can you imagine winning a years supply of bacon? Oh the goodness that will be coming from your kitchen with that much bacon is unimaginable! If you win, you’ll have to share with me, ok? 🙂

Now that you’ve entered the contest (right?), is it possible for me to wrangle you back in with some talk of bacon recipes and how blessed we are to have hard working farmers in our lives?…

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I recently had the opportunity to take part in a Kansas blogger project with The Kansas Pork Association (KSPA). A group of us each chose one KSPA partner farmer to profile on our blogs and we each made their favorite recipe. I’d like to give a very special introduction to my farmer partner,  Jerry Morris from the Morris & Bohrn Family Farm.

Jerry has been working as a Kansas Pork Farmer since 1968, and he continues to have a passion for farming. Jerry’s grandson, Josh, recently joined the family farm after completing his tour of duty in Iraq. Jerry is happy to be working alongside his grandson each day and enjoys that his great-grandchildren are a part of his everyday as well. Pork farming on the Morris / Bohrn is a real family affair.

Jerry shared that the most rewarding piece of being a pork producer is that he knows he does it well and when you take pride in what you do, it shows. The size of the operations has changed over the years and there are fewer and fewer family farms left in Kansas, but Jerry continues to take all the necessary measures to make sure that he is always delivering on his promise of quality. Even though the industry has faced challenges of health problems and issues with bio-security, Jerry does what he can to make sure he does his part to sell a healthy pig, each and every time.

To find out more about Jerry, his wife of 53 years Mable, and Josh and his family, visit their profile on the KSPA website.

Also, before I get to Jerry’s favorite pork recipe, make sure to head over to the KSPA Facebook page for a really great tailgating giveaway they have going on right now! And if you aren’t from Kansas or aren’t a KSU / KU fan, please make sure to spread the word to your Kansas friends. This $800 giveaway includes (4) tickets to the KSU vs KU football game, a Weber Q 300 grill, 4 fold-able lawn chairs, a Coleman cooler, grilling utensil set, digital probe thermometer, digital pocket thermometer, marinade injector, rib rack, 6 different types of rub, 2 types of BBQ sauces, a ton of other stuff and $50 worth of pork coupons.This is one game they won’t want to miss!

And finally, please make sure to visit the blogs of my Kansas friends for more great farmer profiles and favorite pork recipes!

• Kelly has a really delicious Low and Slow Pulled Pork Recipe
• My mouth is watering thinking about the Pork and Bacon Sliders Alli is sharing
• I bet Amy’s kitchen smelled amazing when she made these Carolina Country Style Ribs
• This recipe for Sante Fe Cured Pork Roast that Jenn shared is going on my next weeks menu
• These Autumn Glazed Pork Chops Amy shared has me ready for fall
• The Honey Pecan Pork Cutlets over on Beki’s blog sound so good

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Pork Chop and Cajun Sausage Picante

A delicious one pot Pork Chop recipe straight from the Morris & Bohrn Family Farm in Central Kansas. As shared on the KSPA website

Ingredients

• 6 Pork chops-deboned I left mine bone-in
• 1 lb. smoked Cajun sausage links cut in 1 to 2 in. pieces
• 1 medium size chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp of chopped garlic
• ½ chopped green bell pepper
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
• ¼ cup of vegetable oil
• Parsley
• Green onions tops optional

Instructions

• Start with ¼ c. of vegetable oil in the pot. When hot, add onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté. Add a little water if necessary so that garlic doesn't burn.
• Then add pork chops, sausage, tomato sauce, mushroom soup and 1 can of water from soup can. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature and let simmer and cook. When the meat is almost cooked, you can add the parsley and green onions tops. Cook a little longer until done. Approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours. Serve on cooked white rice. Sure to be a hit.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Kansas Pork Association. I was compensated for my time however all opinions expressed are my own.

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When I do go to the store, I want to go to only one store. I don’t want to shop all over town looking for what I need. I want to be able to buy what I need in amounts that will enable me to not have to go to the store all that often (aka – reducing the amount of public store meltdowns I have to endure). That’s my plan, and honestly, my two year old is the reason why.

Since visiting Sam’s Club last summer in Arkansas, I discovered that “bulk” doesn’t necessarily mean buying for huge restaurants and institutions. Buying in bulk can be very useful for my family too. I can buy a lot of something, and Sam’s Club often will have it packaged for smaller, family size, use. For my family, shopping at some place like Sam’s Club is the solution to my “I don’t love going to the grocery store because of my 2 year old” problem!

My friends at Sam’s Club challenged me to buy one of their Whole Boneless Pork Loin’s and wanted to see how I could stretch it out into several meals. I first decided to tackle dinner and created this Asian Style Pork Loin. Check it out, let me know what you think, and come back in a couple of days to see what else I created with the same Pork Loin – stretching out our meals so I can reduce trips to the grocery store. Woo-hoo!

I’m hosting a Twitter party tonight (December, 13, 2011) with Sam’s Club from 7pm-8pm CST. There will be plenty of giveaway opportunities as well as great tips for planning your holiday meal. Follow the hashtag #SimpleSavings for all the great tips and several chances to win!

Recipe: Asian Style Pork Loin (adapted from AllRecipes)

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Photo used with permission from The National Pork Association

Last week I had the opportunity to have coffee with Jodi, one of the Industry Relations talents with the Kansas Pork Association. I love working with brands, but I really love working with brands when I can truly get to know the person / people behind the brand. To me, my blog has always been about personal connections. Anytime I can develop a friendship with someone I am working with, it means that much more to me. I choose the brands I work with many times based on the potential for relationship building. I don’t want just a one off partnership. I want to work with people who care about me and my family and I likewise share the same sentiments.

Jodi and I hit it off instantly over our coffee date. She’s a Florida native, a horse lover, and lucky her… she gets to live in Kansas now 😉  She is passionate about her job and the quality of work the Kansas Pork Association is doing across the state. The work she is doing with farmers is important, and I am so happy to partner up with them.

The Kansas Pork Association currently has a grand giveaway going on over on their facebook page! If you are a resident of Kansas or Missouri, simply go “like” the Kansas Pork Association Facebook page to register for one of TEN Holiday Ham gift baskets! It’s an awesome promotion going on now through December 16th.

If you are looking for an awesome recipe to place on your holiday table this year, this Sweet Ale Glazed Pork from the National Pork Association is one of the best you’ll find. Enjoy!

Recipe: Sweet Ale Glazed Pork (Recipe and Photo Courtesy of The National Pork Association)

• 7-8 pounds bone-in ham half, spiral-cut, cooked, with Honey Glaze Mix included
• 3/4 cup brown ale, OR porter beer
• 1 teaspoon mustard, grained
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place ham, face down, on rack in shallow baking pan. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake in heated oven for 1 3/4 – 2 1/2 hours or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion (not touching bone) registers 135 degrees F. (about 15-18 minutes per pound).
2. Meanwhile, pour beer in small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until beer is reduced to 3 tablespoons, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in glaze mix, mustard and pepper.
3. Remove ham from oven. Increase oven heat to 425 degrees F. Spread glaze mixture over ham. Bake, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes to set glaze until 140 degrees F. Remove ham from oven and cool slightly. Loosely cover with foil and refrigerate until serving time or up to 1 day in advance. Serves 14 to 16

This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Kansas Pork Association. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

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I do not deal well with rejection. Honestly, who does? I have yet to meet a person who actually likes rejection. Some sales people feed off of rejection and it pushes them to try harder, but I really doubt that they actually enjoy being rejected.

This week I started sending my resume out for a new job that I can do from home. This is the first time I have had to do the whole resume thing in my entire 12 year career. I created a resume when I graduated from college and landed a nice little job in the Human Resources / Staffing field. From then on out, the jobs I have had have been based on referrals from other people. New opportunities have just landed in my lap and I have been blessed because of them. Even once my first child was born and I decided to become a stay at home mom, opportunities came forth in the recruiting field that enabled me to be a stay at home mom while earning a bit of money on the side. As of this past January, I ended up resigning from my home based recruiting position because being on the phone so much was becoming too difficult with three very loud children in the background. It is hard to remain professional when you have a toddler tugging on your leg to hold her, or a three year old wanting to talk to whomever you are trying to hold a professional conversation with.

The problem is…we are really missing the money I was making. My husband referred to the fund that we put the money into as an “Oh Shit” fund while I referred to it as an “Ocean” fund. The contribution I made helped to pay the bills, but it also allowed us to play more… go on dates, vacations, buy higher quality ingredients for recipes I was trying out, etc.

I know I could return in a heartbeat to my recruiting job working from home again, but I need a change. My life has changed and the dynamics at home have changed. My number one reason for being at home is my children and, wishful thinking, I need a job that will not be a huge interference in my family life (I know…me and every other SAHM in the universe is wishing for just that!). That leads us to me branching out on my own…networking, sending out resumes, and facing the rejection that is sure to come.

One area I rarely get rejected in is with cooking. The kitchen is my domain and no matter what I make I typically have at least one grateful person on the receiving end of my trials. Sometimes, with those kitchen disasters, it has been our dog…but even then he would gobble up whatever I ruined with his tail wagging and a twinkle in his eye. I rarely feel rejected in the kitchen which is why I think I feel so comfortable there. I know that no matter what, the kitchen will always feel like my safe haven away from the world.

For a hit of your own and to feel accepted in the kitchen, give this recipe from the August 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine a try. Not a hint of rejection will be felt after you watch your recipients lick their plates clean.

Gourmet
July 2007

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