BBQ Stuffed Baked Potatoes

There are two schools of thought when it comes to supper.  There are those who must make sure that no foods touch each other on their plate...and then there are those, like me, who love to combine everything on their plates into one big mess.  The more it looks like pig slop, the better it will taste.  Case and point: Taco salads.  By the time you have the guacamole mixed in with the beef and lettuce, it looks like slop...but it is delicious!  I love combining flavors and textures together, so it only made sense to top my baked potato with BBQ.  If you still like using partitioned plates, you will hate this recipe.  If you appreciate discovering new complimentary flavor and texture combos, this recipe is for YOU!

| I N G R E D I E N T S |

For the BBQ

2 lbs pork loin

1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbls Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

For Potato Assembly

Baked Potatoes

BBQ

Cheese

Sour Cream

Chives

Your favorite BBQ sauce (we really like Stubbs)

| M E T H O D |

For the BBQ: Pour balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire into slow cooker.  Coat the pork loin with the garlic and onion powders then place in slow cooker.  Cook on low 8 hours, then take meat out of slow cooker and pull between two forks. Pour about half of stock left in slow cooker into container with the shredded pork.


What I love about this recipe is that it gives you creative control.  You get to decide how much of what goes into or onto your potato based on your tastes.

Take however much shredded pork you want on your potato and combine with your favorite BBQ sauce.  You want meat to be just a little saucy.

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out potatoes from skin and mash with a little bit of sour cream and chives.  Place potatoes back in skin then top with shredded cheddar cheese and pile high with BBQ.  I finished my stuffed potatoes with a drizzle of Alabama White Finishing Sauce for an extra tang. You can find my recipe for the sauce here.

These BBQ Stuffed Baked Potatoes are amazing.  They are so easy for weeknights because you can do a lot of prep beforehand (such as cooking the pork ahead of time and having it pulled and ready).  I like using the individually wrapped potatoes that are meant to be microwaved.  They are super helpful during weeknights when there is not a lot of time to get supper on the table.  You will not use all 2 lbs of pulled pork, so the left overs will make great pulled pork sliders for supper the next night...Or you can just make more BBQ Stuffed Baked Potatoes just because they are that amazing!

Happy Eating, y'all!

Coconut Lemongrass Soup

I will never forget the first date hubs took me on after having Bubba.  Bubba was about 6 months old and we were desperate for a night out.  We took our son to his grandparents and then drove to Newnan to try out a Thai restaurant.  At the time, hubs had never tried Thai food before and I had eaten at Thai restaurants maybe 5 times, but every time I only ordered Pad Thai...which is such a cop out. 

So here we were, two newbies stumbling upon a true authentic Thai restaurant down on the square in Newnan, GA with absolutely no clue what to order.  I don't remember what all we ordered, I just remember it changed our lives.  Thai instantly became one of our favorite food cultures.  We have begun to venture into the world of Thai cooking and I have to say, some dishes are insanely easy to make.  One of our favorites is the super easy and quick coconut lemongrass soup. This soup is #allaboutthatbroth.  The broth is so deliciously intense...to the point where I could care less about the chicken and the rice that is also in the soup.  Take a risk and try this soup, even if you have never had Thai before, this soup is the perfect introduction.

| I N G R E D I E N T S |
I was able to find all the ingredients for this soup at our local Kroger

2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

3 Tbls fish sauce

Juice from 1 lime

1 box of chicken broth

3/4 Cup water

3 Tbls ginger (I used the stuff in a tube)

3 Tbls lemongrass (Again, the stuff in a tube)

1/2 Cup Jasmine Rice ( do not rinse)

1 can lite unsweetened coconut milk

Garnish with:

Cilantro

Jalapeno

red pepper flakes

lime

| M E T H O D |

Marinate the chicken strips in the fish sauce and lime juice and set aside

Bring chicken stock, water, ginger and lemongrass to a simmer.

Add rice and simmer for 15 minutes, until rice is nearly done.

Add coconut milk and bring soup to just when it is starting to boil, then lower heat to medium low

Add chicken with marinade and cook until the chicken is done, about 10 minutes

Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro, lime, jalapeno and red pepper flakes to taste.

The only downside to this soup is that the fish sauce can stink up your kitchen, and your house...so it may not make the best soup for entertaining if you care what your house smells like when you have guests over like I do!!! You can make this dish as mild or spicy as you like it with the jalapeno and pepper flakes, which is the beauty of this dish. Basically, just try the damn soup.  It is delicious and you will thank me.

Happy Eating!