Two for One and the SRC

In case you are not familiar with the Secret Recipe Club, here's the low down... Each month we are assigned a new blog, usually one that I have not had the opportunity to discover yet, and we choose one recipe from their blog to create and blog about. That's the quick version! :) It is an exciting thing for me... I love to peruse through new blogs and see what kind of stuff other people are cooking up and if it fits with the kinds of stuff that I like to cook up. Some months are more challenging then others, but it is always fun to try a new recipe and meet a new blogger!

This month was one of those months where I felt like I couldn't go wrong... I usually try out a few different recipes, pick one and continue on my way. Not with this blog!! It was recipe after recipe of "oooh, I want to try this one and oh my gosh, that one sounds good. I felt a great kinship with Tessa, who lives in Arizona as I did for about 7 years and also likes to cook straight from a recipe, even though we both spend a lot of time in the kitchen... Her excuse is her pharmacist background, my excuse? Probably the control freak in my that needs to have everything neat and tidy in a recipe and hopefully not screw it up! :) Doesn't work all the time, but I will keep trying...

So, in my quest for finding a recipe to blog about, I made quite a few goodies that I will be blogging about in the future - pumpkin granola? already made 2 batches! Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken Tacos? Delicious... For supper tonight? Chicken Avocado Pizza with Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars coming up soon! There were so many yummy recipes to choose from that I just had to add her blog to my favorites list and go back there time and time again!

For today's post I decided on Root Beer Pulled Pork, but that seemed a little too easy, so I whipped up a batch of her White Chocolate Oatmeal Crunch Brownies too!

Let's start with the Root Beer Pulled Pork! So simple that there is no way to screw this one up! I didn't even have root beer in the house, so I busted out a bottle of Pepsi and went with it. Super delicious! My husband was super happy with the results and the kids ate it up too... Win, win!

Root Beer Pulled Pork
(recipe found at http://cookinchemist.blogspot.com)

1 pound pork loin
1 liter root beer
barbecue sauce

Trim meat of visible fat and place in crock pot. Add root beer. Cook on low 8 hours. Shred pork and place back in crock pot for 5-10 minutes. Place meat on bun and cover with barbecue sauce.

For dessert that night (my kids were ecstatic - we don't do dessert too much around here) we had the White Chocolate Oatmeal Crunch Brownies. Mine fell a bit in the middle when I took them out, but that didn't stop us from chowing down on the majority of the pan! In fact, I had to get them out of the house and brought a few to my mom and her friends where they also received rave reviews! :) They were super quick to throw together and definitely tasty...

White Chocolate Oatmeal Crunch Brownies
(recipe found at http://cookinchemist.blogspot.com)

crust:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled

brownies:
1 1/2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray or line with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy removal after baking. For the crust, mix all dry ingredients in the first list together. Pour in melted butter and mix to combine. Press into pan and bake for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, for the brownies, melt the butter and white chocolate together and allow to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and egg together until light in color. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combine. Add dry ingredients, milk and vanilla. Stir just until no streaks remain. When the crust finishes baking, add dough to top of crust and carefully spread to cover. Bake an additional 30 minutes. Cool completely.