Megan's Pulled Pork

A while back, Meg made pulled pork for a regular Saturday night at Mom's house. It was delicious. Her secret was cooking the pork in a slow cooker soaking in root beer. It turns out that this method is not so secret, but in my book, Meg gets credit for it. Be sure to use regular root beer because the sugar, as opposed to artificial sweetener, is what is soaked into the meat.

The key to this recipe is time, not effort. Just put the pork in a slow cooker with root beer for a few hours, shred the pork, then add barbecue sauce. Pulled pork can be eaten on its own, as a sandwich, on a salad, or any other way you want. Because the slow cooker can be set on warm, this is a great recipe for a party.

Megan's Pulled Pork 

• 3 to 4 pound pork shoulder
• 1 can root beer
• 1 bottle (18 oz) barbecue sauce

Place the pork and root beer in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for about 4 hours. Remove the meat and discard the cooking juices. Using forks, shred the pork. Return the meat to the slow cooker, add barbecue sauce and cook on low for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Mint Pesto

As I've mentioned before, Mom's mint plants have taken over her garden. So, with the abundance of mint, I have been making this mint pesto. It is amazing how much mint it takes to make just a little bit of pesto. Rather than complaining about too much mint, I'll just keep making this pesto recipe to use up all the mint. This pesto is delicious on crackers, but I have been adding it to salads instead of salad dressing. However you serve it, you'll enjoy this pesto.

Although pesto is traditionally made with basil, you can just substitute mint for an excellent pesto. The name pesto originates from the Italian word that means to pound or crush. Back in the day, pesto was made using a mortal and pestle. Luckily for us, we have food processors that take so much of the work out of making pesto. Also, I substituted slivered almonds for pine nuts, which are more commonly used in pesto. The amounts listed below are approximate amounts; you may need to adjust to suit your preferences. The pesto will last about a week in the refrigerator or several months in the freezer.

Mint Pesto

• 2 cups mint leaves
• 1/2 cup nuts, such as almonds or pine nuts
• 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup olice oil
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• dash of salt

Add all the ingredients to a food processor. Blend until the ingredients are broken down and blended to your desired consistency. Enjoy!

Mint Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This recipe is not a family recipe, although zucchini bread is a favorite especially when made by Jenny. But this recipe uses the fresh mint that is prolifically growing in Mom's garden, so I think it qualifies for sharing here. I wasn't sure that that mint chocolate chip would go with zucchini, but this recipe proves that it does.

The mint leaves blend in well with the zucchini in this bread, so you won't notice the actual mint leaves too much. But the mint flavor comes through nicely. The next time I make this recipe, I might use even more mint. I might also use fewer chocolate chips. As much as I love chocolate, I think I added too much, so I adjusted the recipe below.

 Mint Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread 

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup finely shredded zucchini
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Blend in the sugar, zucchini, cooking oil, and egg until well mixed. Fold in the mint and chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 8x4 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool bread before slicing. Enjoy!