I’m behind on my posts.  It’s been a busy and fun week and I have been doing a lot of other things during Blake’s nap.  See, that is the time I have to blog, clean and do the odd job and/or chore.  This week has been hectic and the blogging has been put aside.  But, I made Pork Carnitas for this past Tuesday night dinner and they are definitely worth posting.  I slow cooked them for 10 hours and when they were ready, they were tender, moist and extremely flavorful.

Tuesday night dinner this week was awesome.  This is my Mom’s b-day week, so I ramped up the menu and we had some extra people at the party which is always more fun.  Katy and Makenna came by and Shannon’s friend Andy stopped over too!  I had plenty of food, since the store had a huge sale on pork butt and the smallest one they had was 12 pounds!  I fed an army and had leftovers to boot!  We also celebrated with a Tres Leches cake which was fabulous, although I really should have made it a day ahead.  The “Leche” part needs that time in the fridge to make the magic of that cake come to life.  So, without further adieu, here is this weeks Tuesday Night Dinner Line Up…

Slow Cooked Carnitas Tacos

Corn and Avocado Salsa

Refried Beans (I took help from the store on this one)

Queso Fresca

Corona Light

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas Tacos with Corn Avocado Salsa

Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake with Fresh Berries

The Carnitas was an inspiration from watching an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins  and Dives.  They featured Los Taquitos in Chandler and the way they made their pork was with cola and evaporated milk…well, this sounded delightful so I had to test it out in my kitchen.  Here is my own version of their pork carnitas.

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Pork Butt – Any size between 8-12lbs

1 Can of Coke

1 Can Evaporated Milk

2 Cinnamon Sticks

1 tsp of each of the following – Nutmeg, Cumin, Oregano and Chili Flakes

4 Crushed Garlic Cloves

2 Bay Leaves

1 Orange – The Rind and Juice

2 Tbsp Chicken Base

Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a separate bowl mix evaporated milk, cola, nutmeg, cumin, oregano, chili flakes, chicken base, orange zest and juice from 1 orange, crushed garlic, salt and pepper.

Put Pork Butt in the Slow Cooker.  Add cinnamon sticks and bay leaves.  Pour marinade over the pork butt and put lid on slow cooker.  Put slow cooker onto the lowest setting and let it cook for 8-10 hours.

When cooking is done, take out of slow cooker and shred with a fork and put a little bit of the cooking liquid on the shredded pork to stay moist.  Serve immediately as a taco or burrito with either corn or flour tortillas.

Corn and Avocado Salsa

1 package frozen Corn or 4 ears of fresh corn off the cob

1 Jalapeno – small dice with seeds and membrane discarded

1/2 small red onion – small dice

Handful of Cilantro – diced

6 – 8 Radishes cut in half, then into small half-moon shapes

1 Avocado – Diced

Juice of two limes

3 tbsp White Vinegar

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a small bowl mix the juice of two limes, vinegar, oregano, cumin, garlic powder,  salt and pepper…set aside.

Put your diced jalapeno and red onion in a medium bowl.  Add the sliced radishes and corn.  Sprinkle in the chopped cilantro and lightly toss.  Add the vinegar, lime, spice mixture to the medium bowl and mix.  Take a small taste and readjust seasoning.  Right before serving, stir in chopped avocado.

Tres Leches Cake

Adapted Tres Leches Cake Recipe By Chelsie Kenyon, at About.com

• 1 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 5 eggs, large
• 1 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup plus 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 1 pinch salt
• optional garnishes- fresh berries or cinnamon

Preparation: