NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #30: Completed!

Woohoo, a month of NaBloPoMo completed, and a month of no processed-food-eating (with select exceptions) completed as well.  For my last post I am (maybe anti-climatically) indexing all my previous posts, since I either don't like the way Blogger indexes, or I can't figure out Blogger.  Uh, they are both possible.  Anyways!

#1: an intro post by Sarah

#2: Because Applebee's is THE WORST, that's why.

#3: On foods that taste like childhood. #RECIPE - Tsoureki

#4: Musings on flour and sugar

#5: Lunches for the lazy. #RECIPE - Confetti rice salad

#6: What I Ate Wednesday!

#7: Slow cooker love #RECIPE: Slow-cooked ham and bean soup

#8: Musings on dairy

#9: Musings on trying new recipes (subtitle: they can't all be winners, folks)

#10: #RECIPE: Angel food cake

 #11: Disappointments - musings on foods that didn't make the cut.

 #12: Happy Taco Tuesday! #RECIPE - slow cooker pork carnitas

#13: What I Ate Wednesday

#14: Taco Tuesday part Dos #RECIPE - slow-cooker refried beans

 #15: Taco tuesday part Tres (Subtitled: tortilla recipe HALP?)

#16: Food blogs I follow

#17: Making vs. buying #RECIPE - hummus

#18: #RECIPE - pita bread

#19: Taco Tuesday part quatro #RECIPE - taco seasoning

#20: What I Ate Wednesday!

#21: #RECIPE - slow cooker mashed potatoes

#22: #RECIPE - Pumpkin pecan pie

#23: #RECIPE - Lazy pie crust

#24: Martha, I get you.

#25: #RECIPE - Slow cooked red pepper lentil soup

#26: Buffalo chicken salad WITH FRANK'S.

#27: In which I manage to fail at What I Ate Wednesday

#28: Unprocessed Thanksgiving!

#29: Thoughts on no processed food November

 Happy eating :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #29: Thoughts on no processed food November

Well, NoProFoNo is coming to an end tomorrow.  Some thoughts on eating no processed food for a month...

OK, let's be honest, I cheated a bit.  I ate sugar probably every day, I decided that the gelatin and corn starch in my yogurt weren't worth giving up yogurt for, I decided that restaurants don't count, etcetera.

THAT SAID, I think the most important thing that happened was I got in the habit of reading labels at the grocery store, and that was actually pretty fascinating.  I also made some hard and fast rules about things I won't compromise on -- no artificial colors, no creepy preservatives, no corn syrup, no getting duped by things with all-natural hippie-dippie packaging that contain one or all of the above. 

So pretty much, as long as you can read labels and have a modicum of self-control at the grocery store, you can have a lifestyle of eating real food only* (*with a few exceptions), which I am happy with.  

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #28: Unprocessed Thanksgiving!

Happy Unprocessed Thanksgiving! There are a few minor processed ingredients going on here that I'm not sweating.  For the most part everything was from scratch, and even mostly organic *pats self on back*.  MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT WAS DELICIOUS.

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #27: In which I manage to fail at What I Ate Wednesday

Today I had premade yogurt for breakfast, canned soup for lunch, and I think we're going out for dinner?  I did, however, just pull this pie out of the oven, and I have these rolls rising as we speak. So I'm cooking stuff, it's just for tomorrow. Pre-Thanksgiving laziness, yeeeah! To be followed by a flurry of cooking and then by three days of post-Thanksgiving laziness. Oh, what a holiday.

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #26: Buffalo chicken salad WITH FRANK'S.

Tonight's dinner, super-quick and easy because Thanksgiving is coming up, so why exert ourselves now: salad with sauteed buffalo chicken, side of cheese and crackers.  CRITICALLY IMPORTANT NOTE:  Frank's Red Hot passes the kitchen test!!!  You have no idea how excited I was when I found that out.

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #25: #RECIPE - Slow cooked red pepper lentil soup

Red pepper lentil soup is probably the soup I make the most.  From the ingredients list, it doesn't look like much, but I promise you it is tasty (...because when recipes aren't tasty, I never make them again ever).  It's also vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free, which is nice to have in your back pocket for when you dine with someone with dietary restrictions.  AND, it slow-cooks during the day so you don't have to fuss with dinner after work.  ...You can see why I love it so much.

 

Red pepper lentil soup
adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients

Before slow cooking:

1 T olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 red peppers, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or more)

2 t paprika

1 cup dried lentils

5 cups water

After slow cooking:

1 T olive oil

2 t salt

1/2 t fresh ground pepper (I never actually measure this)

2 T red wine vinegar

Instructions

Heat olive oil over medium heat. 
Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring a few times, until they begin to soften (about 3 minutes).

Stir in paprika and cook about a minute more.

Add red pepper and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until softened (not browned).

Scrape all the veggies and oil into the slow cooker.

Add the lentils and the water.
Cook on low, 8 hours (ish).

Before serving, add the additional olive oil, the salt, the pepper, and the vinegar.

This soup makes a fantastic dinner with salad and french bread, though it also freezes well for lunches.

COOK ALL OF THE THINGS: Sweet potato kale hashed browns, red cabbage and sausage soup, sweet potato tots.

I have had a busy couple of weeks that has involved a lot of going out to eat. Weekends are prime cooking times, and last weekend I was in Washington DC for a conference. So here's me playing catch up:

This morning for breakfast, we decided we wanted eggs, but I needed something carb-y. Alas, we have no bread products. What did we have? Sweet potatoes.

So, I decided to make sweet potato hashed browns. aka, sweet browns. To start, I peeled and grated two raw sweet potatoes and chopped large two green onions and  4 cloves of garlic.

Then I added about a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and pre heated it over medium-high heat. Then I added about 2 cups of frozen chopped kale from Costco to thaw it in the oil. After the kale was defrosted I added the sweet potato, garlic, and onion, and about a quarter cup of water, covered and simmered for about 10 minutes to soften the potato. Then I took the lid off, and browned the mixture on high heat for about 5 minutes.

Then I tried to make over medium eggs. I failed mostly. While cooking 4 eggs at once, 1 of them was over medium, the rest were over hard. Riddle me that. Any egg cooking tips would be much appreciated.

Then I continued the cooking extravaganza by making some sausage and cabbage soup, based on this recipe, because I wanted to try my hand at pressure canning. 

Alterations: 

- instead of regular type Italian sausage, I used cudighi, the Yooper variety of Italian sausage obtained from Dick Ross. 

- I only used 1 lb of sausage, because 2 lbs seemed too meaty. 

- I added probably 2 cups of celery

- I only added 6 cups of water rather than 8

- I (surprisingly) didn't get sufficient fat off of the meat, so i added a tbs of olive oil.

- also, somehow I failed at having garlic, so i didn't include any. 

Otherwise I followed the instructions. We ate a couple of bowls before canning and it was delicious. Between all of the cabbage and pork fat, it sort of tasted a little bit like an egg roll to me. I didn't get much tomato taste out of it, but it was enjoyable overall. I might add more tomato if I redo it. 

I also pressure canned some of the leftovers. This is the first time that I have ever used the pressure canner, but it's going well. As far as I can tell you just have to read the instructions on your particular pressure cooker, and to monitor it through the whole processing time. It's REALLY HARD to find a temp that will keep it at the right pressure. 

The canned product: not the red color, due to the tomato and red cabbage bleeding into it. Also the salt line, because I forgot to put the vinegar in the pressure canner. 

And finally: sweet potato tots! I based it off of this recipe with the following alterations: 

- I didn't have brown rice flour, so I used wheat flour. 

- It was REALLY dry after i added the flour, so I added and egg, which made it too watery I think. 

- I cooked them way longer, because of the wateriness. (50 minutes) 

They're all right, but I think I would much rather use a recipe that starts with uncooked sweet potatoes next time, because the texture is really mushy. 

I also roasted and froze a bunch of squashes, since we're leaving for Thanksgiving soon. It was a big cooking day. Looking forward to making au gratin potatoes at Magle Thanksgiving this year. 

P.S. CRAP! I just discovered a drawer full of parsnips and kale that I don't know I will get to before we leave. bummer!

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #24: Martha, I get you.

Re: "Someone needs to tell Martha Stewart her food tweets are disgusting" :

OK, her pictures are disgusting, but I sympathize.  Martha, it's called "natural light" and it's very very hard to find in winter, or inside a restaurant.  SOB.  (Luckily, I don't have a reputation for perfection that I'm ruining by posting crappy pictures.  ...PHEW.)

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #23: #RECIPE - Lazy pie crust

 Full disclosure: Pat in pan pie crusts don't turn out as good as kind you roll out.  So, if I were bringing a pie to a Thanksgiving dinner that someone else was hosting, this is not the pie crust I would use.  BUT, if you're making up an entire Thanksgiving dinner, I think pie crust is a legitimate place to cut corners because who really cares as long as the filling is delicious, right?  (I'm not that into pie crust, obviously).  

Anyways, here is a pat in pan pie crust recipe that is cheaper and less processed than a store-bought crust, and ridiculously-super-easy for when you have about 20 other things to cook that you care about more than pie crust.  (How's that for a "damning with faint praise" endorsement, yet I use this recipe almost every year!)

Lazy pie crust
From a Penzey's catalog

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 c oil
3 T milk

Mix all ingredients in 9-inch pie pan with a fork until well blended.  Pat into the pan, pushing up the sides and forming a nice edge with your fingers.  Prick the crust with a fork to prevent bubbling. Use as directed in any pie recipe.

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #22: #RECIPE - Pumpkin pecan pie

Thanksgiving is coming! So, let's play pie +pros and-cons.  Pumpkin pie: +Delicious, -Homogenous texture.  Pecan pie: +Delicious, -Creepy corn syrup layer.

Pumpkin-pecan pie conveniently contains both delicious flavors while getting rid of both problems I have with the texture (which are, admittedly, subjective, but this pie is objectively delicious). 

Pumpkin pecan pie

Adapted from a Penzey's catalog

 

For pie

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t powdered ginger

1/8 t salt

1 t vanilla

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 c milk

 

For topping

1/4 c butter

1/2 c brown sugar

3/4 c chopped pecans

For pie shell

Any 9 inch pie shell.  I'll post my lazy pie crust recipe at some point.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350C.  In a bowl combine all of the ingredients on the "pie" list and mix until well blended.  Pour into the pie shell and bake at 350C, setting a timer for 40 minutes. 

In the meantime, combine all the ingredients in the "toppings" list until crumbly (protip: you can shred the butter with a box grater to make this easier).  When the timer goes off, sprinkle the topping mix over the pie and bake an additional 25 minutes.  Cool for at least a few hours before serving -- I always make this the day before.

 

PIE ME PIEFACE.

 

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #21: #RECIPE - slow cooker mashed potatoes

It's T minus one week from Thanksgiving!  Recipe bloggers often post slow-cooker Thanksgiving recipes under the premise that it conveniently frees up a spot in the oven or stove for something else -- which is true.  But in my experience the hardest part of cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner is coordinating all the hot foods to actually be hot at the same time, so the "keep warm" feature of slow cookers is pretty much AMAZING. 

Which brings me to: nobody wants cold mashed potatoes!  Nobody wants to be frantically mashing potatoes right before dinner! Slow cooker mashed potatoes to the rescue!

The basic recipe is: cut up desired amount of potatoes, submerge in desired cooking liquid, cook in slow cooker until tender, mash with desired liquids/fats, keep on warm setting until serving.  So, this recipe can be adapted for any pre-existing mashed potatoes recipe.  The one below is the one I always use -- it's not super-indulgent but we smother our potatoes with gravy anyways, so it doesn't really need to be.  I get this going after I wake up on Thanksgiving, come back a while later to do the mashing, and then don't think about it again til mealtime.  YAY.

Slow cooker mashed potatoes
Adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook

4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 T garlic, chopped (or more)
2 bay leafs
4 cups chicken broth (or water)

1 cup milk
4 T butter
1 t garlic powder
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste (~1 t-ish?)

Put the potatoes, chopped garlic, and bay leaves in the crock pot.  Add broth or water, adding more if potatoes aren't completely covered.

Cook on high for 4 hours.

Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving the liquid.  Discard bay leaf.

Return potatoes to slow cooker and mash with milk and butter.  Add back the drained liquid to get your desired texture.  Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.  Keep on Warm or Low for up to two hours before serving.

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #20: What I Ate Wednesday!

Breakfast: Pumpkin blueberry granola.  My least favorite of the three granolas I bought at our bulk natural food store -- too much puffed rice!

Lunch: Egg salad on toast with an orange.  Mayo is store-bought and processed because I kind of hate mayo (yes, I realize the fact that I like egg salad makes no sense) and it will therefore never be worth the effort to handmake.  I am, at least, not the only unprocessed person who makes an exception for mayo.
 















Dinner: Dino's fancy family spaghetti recipe and spinach salad.  Forgot to take a picture until the middle of the meal, so oops. Long day, was super-excited to eat.  The sauce was something we made ahead in bulk and froze -- I LOVE doing that, even though we frequently run into freezer space issues.

Also, I ate 2 donuts at work.  I swear I don't do that every day, just the past two Wednesdays.  Deeelicious

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #19: Taco Tuesday part quatro #RECIPE - taco seasoning

I generally find it annoying when bloggers talk about how something is sooooo easy to make you'd have to be craaaaazy to buy it pre-made.  BUT, if I were ever going to say that myself, it would be about taco seasoning. (Although I still won't say it because: annoying!)

When I make ground beef tacos, I generally make 2 lbs of meat at once and immediately freeze half to have around for taco-mergencies.  Which happen.

Taco seasoning mix
Adapted from here

For a single serving batch

Combine the following:

1 T all-purpose flour

1 t garlic powder

1 t cumin

1 t paprika

1 t chili powder

1 t onion powder

1 t salt

1/4 t cayenne pepper

To make tacos, brown 1 lb of meat and drain.

Stir in seasoning mix.

Add 3/4 cup water.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer for about 10 minutes or until whenever dinnertime is.
 

To make up a bulk batch of mix (enough for 12 lbs), the proportions are:
 

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup garlic powder

1/4 cup cumin

1/4 cup paprika

1/4 cup chili powder

1/4 cup onion powder

1/4 cup salt

1 T cayenne pepper

To make tacos, follow above directions but using a heaping 3 T of the mix per pound of meat.

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #18: #RECIPE - pita bread

What's hummus without pita???

The pita situation in my local grocery stores is seriously sad -- not just the kitchen test thing, it doesn't even taste good.  So I've been searching for the perfect pita recipe for a long time, and I am very happy with what I now use as my go-to recipe.  It's even quick enough to be made in between work and dinner! One less thing to make ahead on the weekend, phew!

Quick pita
From here and here

Combine in a large bowl:
 2 cups warm water
2 T yeast
3 T white sugar

Stir in:
2 cups white flour

Cover bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add in: 
1 cup white flour
2 cups wheat flour
1/4 cup oil
2 t salt

Mix with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.

After you're done kneading you're ready to cook!  Set your oven to 500F and stick a heavy baking pan (or pizza stone) inside. Divide the dough into about a dozen pieces. Roll flat and place on baking pan (in batches, whatever fits).  Bake for 2-4 minutes until the pita is puffed and just starting to slightly brown (the timing is actually very forgiving).  Remove from oven and keep under a towel until ready to serve.

YUM!

 

 
 

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #17: Making vs. buying #RECIPE - hummus

When it comes to what to make from scratch vs. what to buy pre-made,  I have three main considerations:

-Consideration 1: Time. Making something is rarely (if ever?) quicker than just buying it, but is it at least quick enough to make in between work and dinner?  If not, can it be made on weekends and stored?  And if it takes a long time to make, is it at least fun?  ...If not, does it rank sufficiently high in the next two considerations to be worth the effort?

-Consideration 2: Price. Homemade is sometimes cheaper than storebought, but not always. I'm OK with it costing more as long as it ranks highly in the third consideration...

-Consideration 3: Taste. Does the homemade version taste better than the storebought version?  ...I am not too proud to say that's not always a given. 

Which brings me to...hummus!  Hummus is quick to make from scratch, way cheaper than pre-made, and also tastes better.  Win!Win!Win! (That said, on days when I just can't be bothered, I have no qualms buying store-bought hummus that passes the kitchen test...which, unfortunately, is pretty hard to find around here. Unprocessed availability is apparently another consideration).

Onwards to the recipe!

Hummus

Combine in a food processor or blender:

1 lb cooked chickpeas

2 T chopped garlic

1/4 c water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tahini

1 1/2 t kosher salt

1/2 t parsley

4 T lemon juice

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t onion powder

Blend, adding more water to get desired consistancy.

OMG SO EASY.  Adding a generous drizzle of olive oil on top is optional:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pita recipe tomorrow!

 

*I cook large batches of chickpeas and then freeze in 1-lb aliquots, because we REALLY love hummus.  I cook them in my pressure cooker, but since most people don't have one of those, here's a slow cooker recipe for cooking up one lb dried, which will give you a bit over 2 lbs cooked.

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #16: Food blogs I follow

I follow a lot of food blogs in search of that perfect new-recipe-worth-tweaking-and-adding-to-the-rotation. And, I have to say that I have a newfound respect for the biz.  I'm going as quick and dirty and "yeah it's a crappy picture but whatevs" as possible and I can still see how blogging is a pretty big time commitment, much less if I were expected to develop completely new and original recipes all year long, and respond to comments, and take pretty staged photos, and maybe moderate a facebook page, and arrange corporate sponsorships to pay for it all.  Speaking of corporate sponsorships, I hereby vow not to roll my eyes out of my head when I see that a blogger has, for example, a new Dole banana bread recipe that you should totally use Dole-brand bananas to make, because if they didn't do stuff like that they would probably stop posting. ...Even if it does come across rather grating at times.

Anyways! To share the love, here is the list of food blogs I follow via facebook as of today (I frequently add and occasionally take away).  Some are better than others, some I use recipes from all the time, some I just ogle the food pictures, etc. I'm always open to suggestions for new stuff to follow, too.

HipPressureCooking
Two Peas and Their Pod
My Little Expat Kitchen
Eating Rules (creator of the October Unprocessed challenge)
Just Bento
Sally's Baking Addiction
[No Recipes]
Table for Two
Macheesmo
Simply Scratch
smitten kitchen 
Feast for the Eyes
1oo Days of Real Food
Budget Bytes
Love & Olive Oil
Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Skinnytaste
The Little Kitchen
Brown Eyed Baker
Sugarcrafter
Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #15: Taco tuesday part Tres (Subtitled: tortilla recipe HALP?)

Well, so far in this unintentionally taco-themed week I've posted taco meat, fixins, and refried beans, but one key element is missing...tortillas!

Yeah, I don't have a flour tortilla recipe.  I've tried multiple ones and my tortillas always turn out too thick and not bendy enough.  Sort of more like a pita, or maybe a gordita.  (I've never tried my hand at corn tortillas, although honestly I don't like them as much).

Most store-bought flour tortillas don't pass the kitchen test, and maybe more importantly, my husband hates the way store-bought tortillas taste.




I discovered the Tortilla Land uncooked tortillas at Safeway and they actually do pass the kitchen test, plus they are husband's-tastebuds-approved, but I'd really prefer to be making them from scratch.

 Someone with an awesome flour tortilla recipe and/or tortilla-making tips. heeelp!  (Uh, important note, I refuse to bake/cook with lard or shortening....butter or oil only.  So that might be the source of my problems, but I'm not sure).

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #14: Taco Tuesday part Dos #RECIPE - slow-cooker refried beans

Refried beans!  So delicious.  So unphotogenic.  You guys, just trust me, these are DELICIOUS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are also cheaper than store-bought, tastier (in my opinion), and pretty simple to  make.  The only potentially tricky thing is that thanks to the overnight soak and the fact that they are slow-cooked, you can't get home and decide you want tacos and just make these impromptu.  So, I do keep a can of refried beans (our cheapo store brand passes the kitchen test which is nifty) in my cupboard for tacomergencies, but for the most part we eat these. 

 

Slow cooker refried beans

Adapted from an amalgam of Budget Bytes and Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

Add before slow-cooking

1 lb dry pinto beans, soaked overnight

1  onion, roughly chopped

1 T chopped garlic, or however much you want to chop

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 t cumin

1 t chili powder

Ground black pepper (as much as you want)

Add after slow-cooking

Salt - about 1 to 2 t, or to taste.

Instructions

Add the drained pinto beans, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, and black pepper to the slow cooker.

Cover with water by an inch or two.

Cook on low for at least 8 hours, or all day -- you can't really overcook beans you are going to mash :)

After slow-cooking, set a colander above a bowl.

Drain entire mixture from slow-cooker, reserving the bean-water in the bowl.

In a food processor or blender, blend entire bean mixture (I have to do this in 2 batches in my fairly-large food processor).

Return blended beans to the slow cooker (I set mine on Warm) and stir in bean-water until you reach your desired consistency.  For me, this is about half a cup.

Stir in salt.

VOILA, you are done.  You can leave the refried beans warming in the slow cooker until you're ready to eat.

This recipe makes enough beans to freeze for future meals, which solves the whole "need to know ahead of time" dilemma.  I've contemplated doubling it so I can freeze even MORE but haven't ever tried it.  I'm only about 90% sure that my slow cooker is big enough...

Huzzah for Taco Tuesday!  And subsequent leftover Taco Thursdays! Never not awesome.

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #13: What I Ate Wednesday

Breakfast:
 Apple blueberry granola.  Seriously, obsessed with the bulk granola thing.

 Lunch: Avocado/tomato/lettuce/ranch sandwich on toast and a mandarin orange.  Mmmmm...

 Dinner: Leftover swedish meatballs that my husband made from scratch on Sunday, corn.  Random mix of egg noodles and penne because that's what we had. Almost all store-bought pasta passes the kitchen test, very handy.

I LOVE leftovers.  Have I said "cook once eat twice" yet on this blog? Because if I don't get at least two meals out of something I've cooked, I'm pretty sad. Cooking is kind of fun, but kind of a lot of work.  And the dirty dishes, ugh.  Definitely cook once and eat twice.


Full disclosure: I don't bring my camera to work or I'd just show it, but I totally also ate two donuts at work.  NO REGRETS.  I don't turn down food other people are offering me: that's just rude, guys.  (I mean, I technically could have stopped at one donut but...)

NaBloPoMoNoProFoNo #12: Happy Taco Tuesday! #RECIPE - slow cooker pork carnitas

It's Taco Tuesday!  We don't make tacos EVERY Tuesday for fear of getting sick of them (and man do I love tacos, so that would be sad).  We do make them a lot though, a couple of times a month. There is a ton of flexibility in both the taco base -- beef, fish, beans, pork, whatever -- and also in the fixins platter (more on that later).  But today I'm posting a recipe for slow-cooked pork carnitas tacos because they are one of my favorite things, and boneless ribs are frequently the cheapest meat at my grocery store at 1.99/lb (huzzah!).  I consider my pork carnitas tacos company-worthy, so if I ever serve this to any of you, pretend you don't know how easy they were, please.

TACO MEAT:

Slow-cooker pork carnitas
Recipe adapted from Cook with Sara, who adapted it from somewhere else.

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless pork country style ribs
 1 large onion
 3 tsp. salt
A bunch of fresh ground black pepper (I never measure, I just grind pepper til I'm bored of it)
6 tsp. oregano
4 tsp. cumin
Chopped garlic: at least a few cloves worth, or more

Instructions:

Chop boneless ribs into chunks -- maybe about 2" wide, or so.  It's not super-critical since you shred them later.  Toss in the slow cooker.

Chop onion roughly into chunks. Toss in the slow cooker.

Add the salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and garlic to the slow cooker and mix it around with your hands so it's coating the meat evenly-ish.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  (Note: you do not add liquid.)

We serve the meat in chunks and just shred-as-we-go into our own tacos (and also add the cooked onions, which are tasty).  Since ribs aren't the kind of meat you can trim before cooking, there will be little bits of fat and such that we just pick out.   

FIXINS PLATTER:

You heard it here first: every meal that can have a fixins platter, should have a fixins platter. For tacos, there are a million possibilities.  I always include avocado and lettuce, and then depending on what's in the fridge I also add shredded cheese, chopped green onion, red cabbage, tomato, red onion, cilantro, or whatever else seems awesome. 

TORTILLAS AND REFRIED BEANS:  Also requried for a successful Taco Tuesday. But this entry is getting long and already contains a recipe, so I'll discuss these on Thursday (tomorrow being what-I-ate-Wenesday, of course, DUH).