Dinner tonight - pulled pork and homemade fries

Just hit on another "winner," at least as far as my husband was concerned. The sauce was a tad too spicy for me, but he gobbled down two sandwiches. He ate one, went to the bathroom and blew his nose and wiped his eyes, and then had another one. If you or your spouse likes spicy foods...try this recipe. If you don't care for pork, I'm sure a beef roast or even chicken would taste good, too. Tofu or tempeh could be a good choice if you are a vegetarian - the sauce is what makes it yummy - and best of all, it's made with things that you'd typically find in your house.

INGREDIENTS:

Any kind of boneless pork [roast, several boneless chops, whatever!]
1 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of water
1/8 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper [less to taste; I wouldn't advise more!]
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 small onion, finely chopped

The recipe I used also calls for yellow mustard, but we never have mustard in the house because we both dislike it, and the sauce is just fine without!

Mix all ingredients together; cook in a saucepan on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour over pork in slow cooker - the longer it marinates, the better it is [I usually do it the night before, stick the whole thing in the fridge, and turn it on the next day]. Cooks all day on the "low" setting.

It's really good served on sourdough rolls, toasted with a little butter on them...YUM!!!

THE FRIES...

I have spent years and years trying to make homemade steak fries. I like fries with more substance, and I like not having to buy a bag of Ore Ida fries in addition to potatoes. It takes about 5 minutes more work than cooking the frozen ones...BUT, I never quite got the knack. But I finally hit on it, so I thought I'd share it with anyone who stumbles onto my corner of the blogosphere:

Average about 1-2 [depending on size and your definition of "medium"] medium potatoes per person.

*Cut potato in half.
*Cut each half into four equal pieces.
*Repeat with each potato.
*THE KEY to my success: Pat the pieces dry with a towel.
*Spray a cookie sheet with Pam.
*Place the potato pieces on cookie sheet [Duh].
*Spray potatoes with a coat of Pam.
*Sprinkle with whatever seasoning you use - I use a combination of Lawry's and pepper.
*Cook for 20 minutes, flipping them with a spatula halfway through.

Done!!

Next week, stay tuned...I need to try out a NEW recipe, per my personal challenge. If it turns out well, I will let you know!!!