We had a 3# tenderloin that needed to be used tonight. Decided on this recipe because we LOVE using chipotle peppers/seasoning in our cooking. Used all of the seasonings the recipe called for and then some (added Ancho Chili Powder and a few splashes of Chipotle Tabasco on each side), and let marinate for about 15 minutes. (side note...for next time, we'll let this marinate overnight) For the cooking, we opted to not use the grill tonight. Instead got out the cast iron skillet and seared on Med-High for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Then put the skillet into a 400 degree oven 25 minutes. Temp pork at 140 degrees. Removed from cast iron and let rest for 10 minutes. Carryover heat will finish it off. To make a pan sauce...reheat and deglaze with your favorite wine (water will do, but wine is better!). (the measurements for gravy are approximate) Make a slurry with 3/4 c of wine and 1tsp of flour. Add to your pan drippings. To that, add 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp onion powder, 1tb fresh cracked black pepper, 2 tsp of salt, and a couple dashes of Chipotle Tabasco. Serve over sliced pork and enjoy!! We sure are!! :)

Side Notes - You can find the sponge cakes in the bakery department. They're typically used to make strawberry shortcakes. Also, the can of crushed pineapple did not contain enough juice on our last trip, so I used some of the liquid from the jar that the maraschino cherries came in.

Added fresh cracked sea salt, oil, fresh cracked pepper, cumin, and chili powder to water before boiling. Let boil then added 2 cups of rice. Turned out great when combined with Carne Guisada and Habichuelas Guisadas

Im making these last minute to go with my carne guisada (recipe carne guisada III). Since it was last minute, I made a few small changes. Omitted the oil, used 2 cans of kidney beans, chili powder, cumin, and fresh cracked sea salt and pepper. I plan on serving both the carne cuisada and this dish over rice.

A pot of this is simmering as I type. While living in NYC back in 2000, I had this dish for the first time and instantly fell in love. After moving back to AZ I couldnt for the life of me remember the name of it, but I did remember it was a Latin stew. As always, I rearranged the recipe to fit what types of ingredients I have on hand. Didnt have the sofrito sauce or the adobo and sazon seasonings. Since these are extremely high in sodium, I figured no harm/no foul. For the seasonings..I added minced garlic, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, mrs dash, and fresh cracked sea salt and pepper. For the tomato base...2 cans of tomato sauce, 1 can tomato paste, 1 can diced green chile peppers, and 1 can rotel tomatoes. I added my seasoning mixture to this tomato base and let it simmer in a large pot for 10 minutes. In saute pan, I browned 2 lbs of stew meat seasoned with flour, mrs dash, cumin, and chili powder. I added the meat to the tomato mixture and I'm gonna let it simmer for about a few hours and the last hour add some cubed red potato and some sliced carrots..cooking until the potatoes are tender. Serving with Habichuelas Guisadas and rice. I will update with the taste results once dinner is served! Update - Turned out fantastic!! The fam gobbled it up! :)

Made this the other night for the family. From the second helpings they had, I'd say it turned out pretty good. I did add/omit a few ingredients to the recipe to pep up the meat. 2 cloves of minced garlic. 1/3 onion (diced). Omitted the bouillon since I didn't have it. Added garlic powder, onion powder, mrs. dash, and lots of fresh cracked pepper. I served over bowtie pasta.

I am making a huge pot of beans for a family bbq today as I type this review out. Two things this recipe fails to mention is...1 - make sure your beans are not outdated (yes beans do go stale). And 2 - beans need to be soaked (overnight preferably and depending on the bean) in order to rehydrate them. With both of those said, the older the bean, the longer it takes to cook, that is if it will cook up at all (regardless of soaking). And with soaking, not only does the bean rehydrate (resulting in a shorter cooking time..the 2hours as the recipe suggests for 1 lb of beans), but you also properly clean the beans of any debris and remove the indigestible complex sugars from the outer coating of the beans. End result - shorter cooking time and hardly any flatulence from the family (which I'm thankful for). As always, I usually modify a recipe depending on what ingredients it calls for and what I have on hand. I didn't have any pinto beans, so I am using 2 - 1 lb bags of Great Northern beans. I added 1 can of reduced sodium vegetable stock and 1 can of reduced sodium chicken stock. 2 cans of diced green chili. 1 can of rotel tomatoes/green chili. 1 whole onion (diced). 1 tbs of diced garlic. About 1.5 tsp of Mrs Dash. A pinch of salt. A few turns of the pepper grinder. And about 1 tsp of chili powder. Add water to cover. Check every so often for water evaporation. Add extra water as needed. Family loved these beans!!

I'm at work right now with this recipe cooking away on low as I type. For easiness to prepare, I'm giving it 5 stars. Used 3 large chicken breasts (seasoned with fresh ground pepper, Mrs. Dash, garlic powder, and Old Bay Seasoning), 1 can of reduced fat/salt cream of chicken, 1 can of reduced fat/salt cream of mushroom, 1 can of reduced sodium vegetable broth (plus 1 can of water..just enough to cover everything), and a bag of frozen veggies (peas, carrots, and green beans). Gonna add 1 can of regular store brand biscuits when I get home! Time cooked on LOW = 10 1/2 hrs. Tasting/etc update: The family raved about this recipe. I removed chicken breasts and shreadded meat (had to take a taste..and WOW the meat was good!). Before i returned the meat to the crockpot, I checked the consistancy and added a little cornstarch/water mixture to thicken up the liquid a bit, then returned meat to the crockpot. I then tore the biscuits into 4 pieces and placed them on top and cooked it on HIGH with the lid back on for 30 mins. Only used 6 biscuits out of the 10 in the can and baked the other 4 in the oven at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Which once those 4 were done, I shut off the oven and took out the stoneware from the crockpot and placed that in the oven (no lid) for 15 minutes. GREAT RECIPE - The family loved it!

Updated Review - I made these last night for a work potluck. Didnt have the time to bake the sweet potatoes, so I used canned. Everyone is raving about the dish! So if you're crunched for time...Canned works!!! If youre baking your sweet potatoes - 1 1/2 hour at 350 degrees..wrapped in heavy duty foil!! Baking retains the flavor and the skins come off so easily! I modified the recipe a little: 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes (4 large yams ive found = about 4 cups) (If you're using canned - 2 29oz cans + 1 smaller can (I believe its 16oz?), 1/3 cup of condensed milk, 2 eggs beaten, 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp cinnamon. The used the same ingredients and ratios for the topping. Baked in 2 pyrex baking dishes at 400 degrees for 30 mins. SUPER TASTY!! :)

Wow, this is the first time i've given a poor review. With all the rave reviews, I figured it would be a hit. I did a trial run 2 days prior due to I was going to make it for Thanksgiving. BOY am i sure glad i did. I followed the recipe almost to a T, and something was off. Definitely way too much meat. Not enough bread. My mom and granddad who were two of my taste testing guinea pigs (and my granddad who'll eat just about anything..if he's hungry) both disliked it. My mom stated it wasnt too bad, but could be eaten as a meal in itself with as much meat as there was in it. My grandad said the usual when he doesnt care for a dish, but doesnt want to hurt the cooks feelings, "Its alright". Maybe it is the fact that my family is so used to our traditional southern cornbread dressing, but NO ONE liked it. I think i'm sticking with my family tested and approved recipe.

I've made this salad a few times. Just made it again last night to bring in to work today. Would have given it 5 stars but as always I like shortcuts in the kitchen so I modify mine a little. This made a HUGE 9x13 dish. ****It is very important that you let this sit overnight in the fridge and layer in the following order as listed below.**** I used the following ingredients.... 1 head of lettuce (chopped), 1 package of frozen peas (thawed), 1 can of water chesnuts (chopped), 1 bunch of green onion (green portion only - chopped), 2 cups fat free mayo, 1/4 c sugar (mix mayo and sugar together and spread over green layers), 3/4 - 1 cup chopped nuts (i used a small bag of dessert nut topping), 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, and 1 package of real bacon pieces (you can find in the salad dressing isle). Time at work so far - 1.5 hours. Half the dish is gone already. :D

Made these last night to bring into work today. Pretty good! SUGGESTION: Pre-measure all your ingredients before you start!! I used 4 TBS of cocoa, used NO salt, and forgot to add the vanilla (pre-measured sitting right in front of my face and i spaced on adding it). Dont think the vanilla woulda changed the taste much. Still turned out great. I was out of wax paper so instead of making them drop cookies, I spread the mixture onto a non-stick cookie sheet and let it cool overnight. This morning, I cut it up with a spatula (a wet knife just wasnt working) and plated them up. Been at work almost 2hrs - All the cookies are gone! After eating 1 1/2 cookies myself, I wish I had some milk right about now! :)

Giving this only 4 stars as I didnt follow the recipe: I got a 3LB pork butt roast from my local asian market butcher counter. I've found that for a cheaper cut of meat, the asian market butcher counter is the best place to go. Most chain grocrey stores only sell 7+lb bone-in roasts which is too much for my family. Anyway, I seasoned the meat with pepper and mrs dash and placed it in the crockpot with NO liquid. The meat will create its own drippings. Cook on low for 10hrs. Remove meat from crockpot, drain (save drippings), and shred meat removing as much fat from it as possible. Place shredded meat back in the crockpot changing the setting to warm. I spoon the fat off the top of the drippings and pour the remaining back over the meat. I either make my own BBQ sauce (Recipe from Brisket with BBQ Sauce) or heat up some original Sweet Baby Ray's sauce in a saucepan. I let everyone add however much sauce they want on their individual portions. Very tasty and very easy recipe!

Giving this only 4 stars as I didnt follow the recipe: I got a 3LB boneless pork shoulder or butt roast (whatever is available) from my local asian market butcher counter. Dont waste your $$ on an expensive cut of meat - The crockpot will make the meat tender anyway. I've found that for a cheaper cut of meat, the asian market butcher counter is the best place to go. Most chain grocrey stores only sell 7+lb bone-in roasts which is too much for my family. Anyway, I seasoned the meat with pepper and mrs dash and placed it in the crockpot with NO liquid. The meat will create its own drippings. Cook on low for 10hrs. Remove meat from crockpot, drain (save drippings), and shred meat removing as much fat from it as possible. Place shredded meat back in the crockpot changing the setting to warm. Some may let the drippings cool, even putting it in the freezer to make skimming off the fat easier. But since I've got a hungry troop to feed, I dont wait and just spoon the fat off the top and pour the remaining back over the meat. I either make my own BBQ sauce (Recipe from Brisket with BBQ Sauce) or heat up some original Sweet Baby Ray's sauce in a saucepan. I let everyone add however much sauce they want on their individual portions. Very tasty and very easy recipe!

My uncle has been making this dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas for the last few years. I personally dont care for yams/sweet potatoes, but after tasting this creation - I'm a yam fan (at least when they are made this way)! With the sweet potatoes smoothe as silk and the sugar/nut topping for a nice contrast in textures, it became a family favorite for holidays. Make it and your family with fight over the last spoonful!

Rewrite of Review - I used fresh dill and thinly sliced english cucumber for garnish. Doubled the batch and took to a wine/fondue gathering (spring 2007). Was VERY WELL RECEIVED, except the crackers ended up getting soggy before the end of the night. They were all eaten though, soggy cracker or not. Next time I'll serve separately using a decorative bowl with a butter knife so people can spread on the crackers or bread themselves.

My family has been making these cookies for decades. Never knew the true name as we always refered to them as "butter balls". Instead of walnuts we use chopped pecans, due to us having a pecan tree in the front yard. Love these cookies though! =)

Rewrite of review..again :) - I've been making this recipe since 2002 and its always a winner! Its gone to work potlucks, quite a few luaus, and for a different change of pace for Christmas (2008), I made some kalua pig instead of ham or turkey for the family. 8lbs of meat (2 - approx 4lb bonesless porkbutts w/out skin...the asian markets have great butchers!) in 2 crockpots. My family was a little peeved cause we werent having turkey or ham, but once I started shredding the meat...the buzzards (my family) started hovering around the kitchen sneaking tastes of this delicious shredded pork when I wasnt looking. My tips for this recipe - If you have an asian market in your city, go there for your meat. Get a bonesless cut (I paid a little more than $11 for 8lbs of meat!). Pierce meat and rub with sea salt and smoke. I eyeball the amount and never measure. But I will tell you, do the smoke first and then the sea salt. Go easy on the sea salt as the liquid smoke already has a high sodium content. Cook low for 10 hours. Drain/shread meat and put back in crockpot to keep warm. Try to keep your family from eating all the meat before mealtime. For my grandad, I heated up some homemade bbq sauce (he has problems swallowing and needs everything coated to do gown easier), but everyone (including him) said that the meat was fantastic just on its own. Great recipe!!!

3 words.... Double the sauce!!! My family begs me to make extra and bottle the stuff up for them. : ) All in all a great recipe and I wouldnt change a thing...except (I couldnt help it!) I added a few dashes of Tobasco to the sauce..my family and I like things hot! : )

Made these Sunday afternoon. Took them to work yesterday. Everyone couldn't get over how soft they stayed. Few things I altered: 1. Half the batch. Changed 6 doz to 3doz and there was plenty for my family and my co-workers. 2. eggs room tempature 3. 1tsp baking soda (for 3 doz cookies) 4. 1/4 tsp salt (for 3 doz 3 cookies) 5. 1TBS vanilla (for 3doz cookies) 6. cream sugar/butter/spices/etc together with a hand mixer 7. Cook at suggested oven temp for 11-12MINS! To Alter for next time: Reduce the chocolate chips to 1Cup for 3 doz cookies. The first cookie i tasted almost made me want to gag from all the chocolate(Just being honest). The second one i tried, had less chips in it and was MUCH better!