Mountain Man Breakfast

This is from the Camp Dutch Oven Cooking 101 Cookbook.  We've always loved Mountain Man breakfast, but had had it with bread instead of potatoes.  Both Shawn and I agreed that we like it with potatoes much better!  This recipes is quick, easy, and great! I'll give you two ways to make it, first you'll see the directions for real dutch oven campfire cooking.  Second, you'll get directions for cooking it in your dutch oven in the oven.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sausage

2 lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes

8-10 eggs, beaten with 1/4 c. water

2-3 c. cheese, grated

Directions - Campfire:

1. In a 12-inch dutch oven, over a full bed of hot coals, fry and crumble sausage.  Remove cooked sausage and drain on paper towels.  

2.  Using the sausage drippings in the pan, brown potatoes, and spread them evenly in bottom of dutch oven. Place cooked sausage over potatoes.  Pour eggs over sausage layer.  Sprinkle top with cheese.

3.  Cook with 8 coals underneath and 16 on top for 20-25 minutes, until eggs are cooked.

Directions - In Home Oven:

1.  Preheat oven to 350*F.

2.  In a skillet, fry and crumble sausage, remove cooked sausage and drain on paper towels.

3.  Using the sausage drippings in the pan, brown potatoes and spread them evenly in bottom of seasoned dutch oven.  Place cooked sausage over potatoes.  Pour eggs over sausage layer.  Sprinkle top with cheese.

4.  Cook in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until eggs are cooked.

Fejoada

My friend, Darci Clark, lived in Brazil for many years as a child, and she has worked for a bit to get these recipes the way she remembers them.  Fejoada is a fabulous bean and meat dish from Brazil, and it's sure to fill you up.  Thanks for the recipe Darci!

Ingredients:

2 c. black beans

1 lime

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 green pepper

1 ring of kilbasa

1 ham hock (or a couple chunks of ham)

Olive Oil

Water

Directions:

1. In your crockpot - soak 2 cups of black beans overnight. Rinse beans in the morning and add enough water to cover beans maybe a few inches more. 

2. In blender blend juice of one lime, handful of cilantro and half a green pepper and a couple Tbs of olive oil. Pour on top of beans.

3. Add 1 ring of kilbasa (cut into portion pieces). Add a ham hock or a couple chunks of ham.

4. Let it simmer for the day. (In Darci's words, "Usually I open it 5 hours in and take the bone out from ham and add a bit of corn starch/water mixture.")

Slow Cooker Carnitas

We made this recipe for our dinner group awhile back, and it was a huge hit.  So yummy, and so easy.  I found this recipe at allrecipes.com, submitted by Erin Parker.  Using some of the suggestions, I doubled the seasonings that were originally listed and made a few other adjustments.  Below is the way I did it.  Or you can click on the link I included above and find the original recipe.  You won't be sorry - this is a fabulous recipe.  Serve it in tortillas and with all your favorite toppings (we had lettuce, tomato, cheese, limes, cilantro, and rice and beans).

What You'll Need:

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 (4 lb.) boneless pork shoulder roast

4 bay leaves

3 c. chicken broth 

What to Do:

1.  Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl.  Coat pork with the spice mixture.  Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the port on the top.  Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.

2.  Cover and cook on low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 8 hours.  Turn the meat after is has cooked for 4 hours.  When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks.  Place on baking sheet and put into a preheated 400* oven for 5-10 minutes.  (This give it a crisp "fried" feel without frying it!).  Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat when serving.

Yummy Potato Soup

I created this recipe mixing a few other recipes together.

Ingredients:

5 cups Chopped Potatoes (about 7 medium potatoes)
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cups Milk
1 cup Buttermilk
2 cups Water
4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese (shredded or cubed)
8 oz. Sour Cream
3 thick Slices of Ham, chopped
2 Tb. Dehydrated Onions

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours (or High for 3).