Cafe Rio Pork Salad and Snickerdoodles... an interesting combination

I've been busy baking and making new things lately, because it seems like I go through phases. I won't have all the pictures to post that Nicol does, though. Really, all of this didn't last long enough to attempt pictures. I was making the cookies for a potluck at work and we ate the salad for a dinner on the fly one night.

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa
about 4 lbs. pork, any cut
1 C. salsa
1 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika

Put meat in crockpot (we used pork shoulder, but you can use anything boneless). Mix everything together and pour it over meat. Cook on low 6-8 hrs, or until done. Drain juice into saucepan and thicken with flour or cornstarch to desired consistency. Shred meat and combine with sauce.

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

1 packet (0.4 oz) buttermilk Ranch dressing
1 C. buttermilk
1 C. mayonnaise
2 tomatillos, peeled and cored
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 lime (just the juice)
1 jalapeno

Prepare ranch as directed (I think the buttermilk and mayo amounts are correct, but I threw the packaging away without writing it down). Put tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and lime juice in food processor and chop finely. Add ranch mixture and blend until well combined.

The jalapeno adds a lot of spice and I'm not sure about it, but Alan and Mason really liked it. The texture is also a little thicker than the dressing at Cafe Rio, so I might play with the recipe a little in the future, but it was pretty good overall.



Snickerdoodles
1/2 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. shortening
1 1/2 C. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. white sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 C. sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in the flour, vinegar, baking soda, and salt. Mix 3 Tbsp. sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Shape dough into approx 1 Tbsp. balls, roll in cinnamon sugar mixture, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 mins or until set but not too hard. Remove from cookie sheet immediately to cool.

*Usually snickerdoodles use cream of tartar but I didn't have any on hand the day I was making these. I found white vinegar as an equal substitute, and I actually like the cookies better with it instead so I have continued using it.

Enjoy!