Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr Pepper Shredded Pork

A few weeks ago we had illness sweep through our house. Sunday morning found three of us (me, hubby and youngest child) unable to go to church. After the other two children went off to church (it's so nice to have another driver in the house!) we settled into some comfy chairs and watched some TV. I was lucky enough to get control of the remote -- better known as the clicker around here -- so I put on Food Network (thankfully, none of us were nauseous).

That day there happened to be a bunch of Pioneer Woman shows on, back to back. I'd never watched PW before, but after a few recipes I decided I liked her. She cooks real food; stuff that kids and cowboys like; down-to-earth meals. One recipe in particular caught my eye: Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork.

A couple weeks later a local store had a sale on the exact cut of meat I needed for this recipe, so I bought it, along with the other ingredients. I must admit, finding chipotle peppers in adobo sauce was a challenge, but now I know where to get them!

After a few hours in the oven, my house smelled heavenly. When it was finally time to take it out and shred the meat, I was starving! If you like pulled pork, you'll really, really like this. We chose to leave the meat separate from the sauce, so we could add the amount of "spice" we each wanted -- yes, the sauce is very, very spicy.

This recipe makes a large amount; we ate about 1/3 and split the remainder into two containers for future meals and stuck them in the freezer. I also split the remaining sauce into two containers and froze that as well. This is going to make a wonderful, quick meal sometime in the next week or two!

Sausage & Spaghetti Spirals

Years ago, there was a jarred sauce called "Pasta Bakes." All you needed to do was mix it with cooked pasta, place it in a 13x9 pan, top it with cheese and bake it. It tasted great, but later in the evening someone was sure to be uncomfortable. I had to stop buying it. :-(

So, I created my own recipe! I have not yet gotten to the point of making my own spaghetti sauce (although I do make my own pizza sauce), so I use Prego. We've found that the combination of ingredients in Prego do not cause digestive problems like some of the other sauces. Feel free to use whatever works for your family.

1 lb Italian sausage
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 box (16 oz) spiral pasta
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. While this is cooking, brown the Italian sausage and green peppers. Drain the meat and add the spaghetti sauce, then mix with the cooked pasta. Place in a greased 13x9 pan, cover with foil, and bake at 350 (F) for 30 minutes. Uncover, add Mozzarella, and bake for 5 minutes more to melt cheese.

This is a great dish for pot lucks, too! Enjoy!