Brunswick Stew

Being from the north, I had no idea what Brunswick Stew was until we moved to North Carolina. I saw it on a menu in a bbq place that was near where we lived at the time, in Kernersville. It's a "stew" of sorts that might or might not contain tomatoes. It usually contains lima beans, corn and at least one type of meat. I'm convinced that most places probably use leftovers to make this "stew" because it's never quite the same each time you order it. Nevertheless, I really like it.

Of course, I'm the only member of our family that will eat it...until now. I've adapted a recipe from a cookbook called "Quick Fixes with Mixes" from the editors of Southern Living. Their recipe calls for shredded pork + bbq sauce. Instead, I used leftovers from this over-the-top-delicious Jack Daniel's pulled pork bbq that we'd eaten earlier in the week. The pulled pork was made with homemade Jack Daniels bbq sauce. I bought frozen lima beans thinking that I would add them into my stew since I'm the only one who will eat them....I forget all about them until we were half way through the meal. That was a bummer but it didn't take away from this great-tasting "stoup" (if I can borrow that word from Rachel Ray because this wasn't a soup but it wasn't as thick as a stew, either.) But the biggest change that I made was to omit the cubed hashbrowns and instead, serve the soup over cooked elbow macaroni. I can't remember any of the Brunswick stew that I've eaten at different locations ever having any type of potatoes in it. We didn't miss the potatoes one bit.

We enjoyed this version of Brunswick stew. It was a great way to use up leftovers. The best part was that I cooked it all in my crockpot, staying nice and cool in during this heat wave!

Crockpot Brunswick Stew
adapted from Quick Fixes with Mixes
my version in bold text

3 lbs. shredded cooked pork - I used about 2 lbs from leftover my Jack Daniel's bbq pulled pork (thaw if frozen)
4 c. frozen cubed hash brown potatoes - I omitted these and poured the stew over cooked elbow macaroni
 3 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes wtih garlic and onions
1 (14 1/2 oz) can corn, drained
1 (14 1/2 oz) can cream-style corn
1/2 c. bbq sauce - I omitted this since my pork recipe already contained bbq sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt - I omitted
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c. frozen lima beans - I omitted but would make a great addition to the stew

The original recipe calls for mixing these ingredients together in a large stock pot. Bring the stew to a boil, and then simmering for 45 minutes, stirring often.

However, I stirred all of the ingredients together in my 6 qt. crockpot and cooked it for 2 hours on low and then for 2 hours on warm. 

Serve with warm cornbread. 

Jack Daniel's BBQ Pulled Pork

The idea to create my own bbq pulled pork came from a trip to Sam's Club on our shopping trip for July 4th. Sam's was full of sample givers that day. My kids couldn't wait to get in there to sample all of the foods - funny how they will try foods during this time that they wouldn't normally try at all!

One stand was handing out bites of prepacked Jack Daniel's bbq pulled pork. My kids and even my normally really picky husband all liked it. (maybe the samples work on husbands, too?). I thought that I was good but I couldn't get over the fact that the meat was minced beyond recognition. I cannot stand to eat bbq like this. I like to be able to recognize the meat that I am eating. My husband challenged me to find a recipe that would compare to the taste of the bbq on the minced meat sandwich bites that they were scarfing down.

I searched through many cookbooks at home and at the library, through magazines and on the Internet. I finally found a recipe called "Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce" on the Budget 101 forum by someone with the username BiggerPiggyBank. The recipe calls for simple ingredients cooked together to create a homemade bbq sauce. I think that double cooking it - once on the stove as called for in the recipe and then again in the crockpot on make the pulled pork, really deepens the flavors. I truly believe that this is one of the best bbq sauces that I have ever tasted. **Note** This sauce is on the sweeter side. If you like a vinegar based sauce, I wouldn't suggest this one.

Jack Daniels BBQ Pulled Pork

4-5 lb pork tenderloin, cut in half
1 c. chicken broth
1 recipe for Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce (below)
onion buns

You will need a large crockpot for this recipe. I used a 6 qt. oval crockpot.

Add the pork tenderloin to the crockpot.

Pour 1 c. of chicken broth into the crockpot.

Cover and cook for 3 - 4  hrs. on high. After 3 hrs,., check to see if the pork is done by using two forks to"pull" it apart. It should fall apart easily. If not, continue cooking until the pork has been cooked though. My tenderloin cooked for about 3 1/2 hours.

Remove the pork to a cutting board and shred the entire loin using two forks. My preference is to leave the pork in big pieces. You can also chop it into smaller bits if you prefer.

Drain the broth from the crockpot. Return the pulled pork to the crockpot. Cover with the Jack Daniels bbq sauce and stir to mix well. Cook on low for 2 hrs to blend the flavors. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Serve the bbq pulled pork on onion buns.

  
Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce
from user BiggerPiggyBank@Budget101 forums
my version in bold text

1/2 lg onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped - I used 4 tsp minced garlic
2 c ketchup
1/3 c vinegar
1/4 c worcestershire sauce
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
3/4 c molasses
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 c tomato paste
2 tsp liquid smoke - I used mesquite flavor
1/2 ts tabasco sauce, to taste - I used 2 tbsp
Burbon or whiskey -- to taste - I used 2 tbsp Jack Daniels Whiskey

(In my own words) Combine onion, garlic and whiskey frying pan. Saute onions and garlic.
Combine remaining ingredients, bring to boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This recipe makes 4 cups. I doubled this recipe and used all of it to cover the pulled pork. 

Before serving, spoon approximately half of pulled pork into another container to use for another meal. It is delicious when used in this recipe for Brunswick Stew. Can be frozen in a tightly sealed container.

Our Menu for July 17 - 23

Better late than never with a menu plan, right?

Sunday - stacked tortilla pie with a side of rice

Monday - ravioli and garlic bread

Tuesday - crockpot chicken tetrazinni and green beans

Wednesday - grilled turkey burgers, pierogies and corn

Thursday - my MIL's goulash (making in the crockpot)

Friday - margarita chicken, rice and spinach/carrots for those who don't like spinach

Saturday- manicotti, salad and garlic bread


** For a wonderful dessert at the end of the day, try these**

Orange Berry Cake

Blueberry Bliss Pudding

No Bake Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

Chocolate Chess Pie


Linking up to:

Menu Plan Monday

Secret Recipe Club: Orange Berry Cake

I can't believe that another month has flown by so quickly. It's time for another round up for the Secret Recipe Club. I'm baking from Alessio's blog, Recipe Taster. His blog features beautiful pictures and recipes. Many of his recipes stem from his Sicilian background. Delizioso!

When I saw his recipe for Orange Cake, I knew right away that I wanted to try it because I love the fresh taste of oranges in cakes and pastries. I will admit that some worry and nervousness set in when it came time to convert the recipe from grams to the American equivalents. I don't own a kitchen scale so I knew that I was going to have to rely on any Internet findings to get me through this time. You can imagine my surprise when I realized that there were no exact conversions for this measurements in this recipe. I decided to wing it anyway and I must say, I'm so happy that I did. This was a truly delicious cake. It was very light and moist, showered with a wonderful orange flavoring. The orange zest hits it out of the park. Do not even be tempted to leave it out.

Alessio shows several different ways to decorate the cake on his blog but I choose to use a low sugar real berry jam as a glaze for the top of the cake, along with a sprinkling of orange zest on top.

So simple and pretty! It pairs perfectly with a cup of herbal tea. The recipe will definitely go into my "favorites" pile.

Orange Berry Cake
adapted from the blog: Recipe Taster

7 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
zest of 3 lg. oranges
1 lg. egg yolk
2 lg. eggs
1 3/4 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 c. 100% real orange juice
1 c. all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
4 heaping tbsp. low sugar real berry jam
zest of 1 orange for decoration

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour a 9 inch or 10 inch spring form pan and set aside.

I would recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe, although it could be mixed with a hand mixer.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the butter and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar to the butter and beat until no longer grainy and the mixture is light and fluffy.

Mix in the orange zest from 3 oranges.

Add egg yolk to the mixture and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until everything is mixed together and looks smooth and creamy.

With the beaters still running, stream in the canola oil. Mix well.

Alternate pouring the flour and the orange juice into the wet mixture in the bowl. Mix well after each addition.

Spoon the batter into the spring form pan. Tap the pan on the counter top to release the air bubbles in the batter.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. My cake was perfectly baked at 22 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cake platter.

Melt 4 heaping tbsp. low sugar real berry jam in the microwave or on the stove top. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the melted jam over the top of the cake.

Sprinkle the zest of 1 orange over top of the jam.

My husband and kids, as well as I, really enjoyed this cake so I can't tell you what to do with any leftovers. I would imagine that the cake tastes the best if eaten the same day it was baked.

Time to gear up for next month's Secret Recipe Club event! Click here from more info. on how you can join in on the fun!

You just can't help but to drool over all of these beauties below. We love comments! Let us know what you think!!

Blueberry Bliss Pudding

I found this recipe while searching through some old issues of CBS WATCH magazine. It's a family recipe handed down in Sara Canning's (The Vampire Diaries) family. In her interview, she mentions that it's a family tradition to make the blueberry pudding during the holidays in Newfoundland.

It reminds me a lot of my MIL's recipe for apple pudding. Don't get it confused with bread pudding, it's not. It's more of a cake with fruit baked in it. One major difference between the apple pudding and the blueberry pudding is that the apple pudding doesn't have a sauce that gets poured over it. In the original recipe, the sauce calls for brandy and lemon extract. I made some changes adding more vanilla for the lemon extract and fresh squeezed orange juice for the brandy. I liked the sauce on the blueberry pudding but it would also be really delicious omitting the syrup and serving it with warmed, sweetened cream or topped with ice cream.

Blueberry Bliss Pudding
adapted from CBS Watch! Magazine
 
1/2 c. butter. softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
1/2 c. water

Heat oven to 325*.

Cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until fluffy.

Add flour, baking powder, vanilla and salt.

Stir in enough water (up to 1/2 c.) to make the batter fluffy. (I only used 1/4 c. water).

Fold in blueberries. Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 9 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick stuck into the middle of the pudding comes out clean. While baking, prepare the sauce.

Sauce for Blueberry Bliss Pudding

3 tbsp. butter
2 c. hot water
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with a little cold water
1/8 tsp. vinegar
1/2 fresh blueberries

Stir all ingredients together in a pot. Bring to a boil. Using a potato masher or a fork, smash the blueberries into the sauce and continue cooking until it starts to thicken.

Using a the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the pudding.

Pour the sauce over the pudding. Serve warm.