Robin's Random Recipes

1 pork butt or shoulder roast
recipe dry rub
1 bottle beer

In the evening, pat the rub into the roast and cover in plastic wrap.

The next morning put it in the crockpot, fat side up. Add a bottle of beer (I used a stout).

Cook on low for 9-10 hours. It's done when it pulls apart easily.

Shred with two forks, mix with BBQ sauce. I like the vinegar-based Lexington-style: Mix 1/2 c malt vinegar with a half teaspoon each salt & pepper, a quarter teaspoon red pepper flakes, a teaspoon of brown sugar, and a squirt of ketchup.

3 c heavy cream, divided
2.5 c sugar, divided
6 oz butter
4 eggs, room temp
10 oz cake flour (8 oz)
1.5 tsp baking powder
.25 tsp salt

Caramel:

Heat 2 cups of cream to a simmer, either in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Put one cup sugar in a heavy medium size saucepan over medium heat. Let the sugar melt, stirring the melted parts around so it doesn't burn. When it gets a deep amber, take it off the heat and add the cream slowly...it will foam up. Return to the heat, bring to a boil, and cook gently for about five minutes. Any clumps of sugar will dissolve as you cook it.

Keep one cup out for the cake, put the rest in the refrigerator.

Cake:

Heat oven to 325F and spray a 12c bundt pan with Pam w/ flour.

Cream the butter with 1.5 cups sugar; add the eggs one at a time. Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients and add alternately with the caramel, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Bake 35-40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean; let rest for ten minutes on a rack and then unmold and cool.

Whip the last cup of cream and swirl in some of the caramel sauce.

Serve cake with sauce and whipped cream.

NOTE: The original recipe called for all-purpose flour and my mom and I discovered that with cake flour the cake will fall. THIS IS A GOOD THING. The cake comes out dense and delicious. When it doesn't fall it doesn't taste nearly as good. Towards the end of the baking time if it hasn't fallen yet slam the oven door or pick up the pan and drop it a few inches to ensure it falls.

From Cook's Illustrated

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces), plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup vegetable shortening , cold, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup vodka , cold (see note)
1/4 cup cold water

1. For The Pie Dough: Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. (Can also be frozen)

From Good Eats

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more if desired)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 pounds inside skirt steak, cut into 3 equal pieces

1 ripe (red/yellow/orange) bell pepper, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned & sliced

1 avocado, sliced, sprinkled with lime juice, salt, and pepper
sour cream

flour tortillas

AB calls for grilling directly on chunk charcoal. Directly directly...no grate. Here is his recipe if you want to check it out. I've modified the recipe slightly for a gas grill.

In a blender, put in oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, lime juice, red pepper, cumin, and sugar and puree. In a large heavy duty, zip top bag, put pieces of skirt steak and pour in marinade. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible. Allow steak to marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Heat all grill burners on high for 5-10 minutes, scrape down & oil grates. Turn the burners down just a squidge.

Grill steaks for two minutes per side. When finished cooking, place meat in double thickness of aluminum foil, wrap, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

While the meat rests saute the onions, pepper, and mushrooms.

Remove meat from foil, reserving foil and juices. Slice thinly across the grain of the meat. Return to foil pouch and toss with juice. Serve with onion mixture, sour cream, and avocado in flour tortillas.

My sister's favorite, from an old Usenet post.

3 8-oz pkgs cream cheese (room temp)
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp key lime juice
1/4 cup sour cream
zest of one regular lime
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt

Beat cream cheese until smooth and add sugar. Blend well and add eggs, one at a time - blend in sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Slow (at low speed) add key lime juice and blend until smooth. Add zest.

Pour onto prepared crust. (Either graham cracker or animal cracker crust - 1 cup cracker crumbs, 1 1/2 T melted butter, 1 T sugar. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.

Wrap the cheesecake pan in a double layer of aluminum foil and put in larger shallow pan and add boiling water to a 1" level in pan, being careful not to get any water in cheesecake.

Bake at 325 for an hour, turn the oven off and let it rest in the oven for another hour.

Remove from oven and cool for about 1 hours before refrigerating overnighe.