Cafe Rio Recipes

Chicken
5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small bottle zesty Italian dressing
1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. cook on high 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Pork
5 lbs. pork roast
1 small bottle honey BBQ sauce
1 T. honey
1 liter Dr pepper or Coke
Place all ingredients in large crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove pork and shred with fork. Place the meat back in the crock pot and leave it on low.

Lime Rice
In a sauce pan saute:
2 T. butter
1 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
In a large pot bring the following to a boil:
6 2/3 cup water
8 tsp. chicken bullion
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
2 small cans diced green chilies
2 T. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
Add onion and garlic to boiling water. Add 3 cups long grain rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pico de Gallo
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. pepper
Comibne ingredients in medium bowl.

Cilantro Lime Dressing
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tomatillos, peeled
1 garlic clove
1/3 bunch cilantro
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 small jalapeno, seeds removed
Blend ingredients together in a blender. Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated.

Serve in the following order:
Tortillas, shredded cheese, Chicken or Pork, Black or Pinto beans, Lime rice, Red and Green leaf lettuce (shredded), Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Parmesan Cheese, Cilantro Lime Dressing.

Enjoy!

Wow, this was amazing! It was a lot of work but totally worth it. And this makes a TON of food. For us we didn't like all that cilantro so I would maybe add it to one component next time and that's it. It's very strong. It was so fun to cook with new ingredients! Like tomatillos. That dressing is so good. Would be delicious on a taco salad or burritos. The pork wasn't as sweet as from the restaurant but I've seen lots of different recipes that use brown sugar. Six Sisters' Stuff has a good one.

Root Beer Ribs

Root Beer Ribs

2 racks baby back ribs 
1 bottle (2 liters) root beer 
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 

Root Beer Barbecue Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped 
1 cup ketchup 
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
1 tablespoon light brown sugar 
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 
1 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon chili powder 
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1.  Place ribs in large baking dish (I use my big roasting pan. I also generally cut each rack in half so I can get everything nestled in the pan easier). Pour all but 1 cup root beer over ribs. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons salt over ribs; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight, turning once if possible.

2.  Preheat oven to 350°. Remove ribs from root beer and pat dry with paper towel. Discard root beer in pan; wipe pan dry. Place ribs back into pan. Add 1 cup water; cover tightly with foil. Cook 2 hours or until meat is nearly falling off the bone.

3.  Meanwhile, make Root Beer Barbecue Sauce: In small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is soft, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients (including reserved 1 cup root beer and 1/2 teaspoon salt); heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

4.  Just before ribs hit the 2 hour mark in the oven, preheat grill for indirect grilling over medium-high heat. Put bones on cooler side of grill, bone side down. Brush with some Root Beer Barbecue Sauce and cook 10 to 15 minutes, then flip. Brush with sauce again and cook until ribs are lightly charred and meat is falling off bone. Serve with any remaining sauce. Bring wet-naps to the table.

Oh. My. Gosh. I loved, loved, loved these! This was our first time making ribs and it was surprisingly simple! There's a lot of prep work and clean up that is time consuming but, not that bad! And they turned out very tender and fell off the bone easily. I was afraid of them being tough and dry. We used pork ribs this time but want to try beef ribs next time.

And I made barbecue sauce! Sean said it was a little too sweet for him but I could drink that stuff. 

Oh, and if you have any stoneware, don't use it for this. I've scrubbed mine 4 times now and had to use a baking soda paste and it still didn't come all the way clean. Sad.

Creamy Ranch Porch Chops & Rice

Creamy Ranch Porch Chops & Rice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 boneless pork chops, 3/4-inch thick (about 1 pound)

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

3/4 cup milk

1 package (3 tablespoons) ranch salad dressing mix

Paprika Ranch-Style Rice

1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until well browned on both sides. 2. Stir the soup, milk and 1/2 package salad dressing mix in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the pork is cooked through. Sprinkle with the paprika. 3. Serve with the Ranch-Style Rice. Ranch-Style Rice: Heat 2 1/4 cups water and the remaining salad dressing mix in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.  Stir in 1 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice and cook according to the package directions. Makes: 4 servings.  Yum! Yum! Yum! The ranch rice is SO good. And you know I love anything that has ranch on it or in it or whatever! I use Minute Rice so I just made enough for 4 servings and added 1 1/2 tablespoons of dry ranch mix to the water. This was SO easy too. You could also make this with chicken. ENJOY!!