Slow Cooker Pulled Pork and Root Beer Sauce

This is a super easy and super yummy dinner.  We had a priest friend, Fr. Brian, come to dinner last week and I didn't want to be working in the kitchen.  It was great!  And leftovers to boot (Fr. Brian took some home too!).

Ingredients
1 2 1/2-3 lb pork sirloin roast or shoulder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp oil
1 1/2 - 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
1 cup root beer (not diet)
2 tbsp garlic, minced
3 cups root beer (2-12 ounce cans and not diet)
1 cup chili sauce
several dashes hot pepper sauce (optional)
hamburger buns or sweet Hawaiian rolls

1. Trim fat from meat.
2. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and brown in large skillet in oil.
3. Drain off fat and place met into 4-5 quart slow cooker.
4. Add onions, 1 cup root beer and garlic.
5. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
6. Prior to serving, combine 3 cups root beer and chili sauce in medium saucepan.
7. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat.  Boil gently, uncovered, stirring often, until reduced to 2 cups (about 30 minutes).  Add hot pepper sauce, if desired.
8. Transfer meat to cutting board and shred with a fork.
9. Remove onions with slotted spoon and place on platter and discard juices.  Add shredded meat.  
10. To serve, place meat and onion on buns or rolls.  Spoon on sauce!

Cockeyed cake

I must confess, I'm not much of a baker.  But this recipe is super easy, and you always have the ingredients on hand.  My mom told me it came from the WWII era, when eggs were limited.  It is super yummy, and delicious with ice cream or whipped cream on top!  Seriously, we have made it twice in the past week!!


Ingredients

1½ cups flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

5 tbsp oil (canola, walnut, grapeseed)

1 tbsp vinegar (white, apple cider, etc.)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup cold water

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Put the flour back into a sifter and add the cocoa, baking soda sugar and salt (you can use a strainer if you have no sifter).
3. Sift this right into a greased square cake pan, 8x8 or 9x9.
4. Make 3 groves or holes in this dry mixture.
5. Into one, pour the oil.
6. Into the next, the vinegar
7. Into the third, the vanilla.
8. Pour the cold water over the entire mixture.
9. You will feel like you are making mud pies now, but beat it with a spoon until nearly smooth and can no longer see the flour.
10. Bake for 30 minutes.