Tag: lime zest

Categories
Crockpot

Get your mojo going with this citrus-forward pork recipe

Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.
Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.

I’ve said before that trying to figure out measurements while Joey cooks is pretty much a herculean feat.

He’s a man who always measures with his heart. And, boy, does his heart love our spice cabinet.

That’s perfectly fine with me, though, because he is great at combining flavors, and he’s also the person you want in the kitchen when you know the dish you made still needs “something,” but you can’t quite figure out what that is.

That’s enough compliments for him, though, because as I mentioned last week, he and I decided to have a face-off on who could prepare the best pork butt, and the recipe I’m sharing this week is the one he decided to try.

The good news is I was hovering behind him, writing down measurements as he cooked so that you can re-create it, too.

This was a combination of a recipe from the website “AllRecipes.com,” which you can find at https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/281144/slow-cooker-mojo-pork/ and from an Instagram creator, Nicole Nelson McLaughlin, who posts under @nicolemcmom. Plus, Joey had some adjustments of his own, of course.

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Slow Cooker Mojo Pork

Slow cooker mojo pork has a bright flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh citrus, that makes it the perfect dinner over some yellow rice and black beans.
Course Main Course
Keyword bay leaves, cilantro, cumin, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, fresh lime, fresh oranges, garlic powder, lime juice, lime zest, minced garlic, orange juice, orange zest, oregano, pork butt, pork shoulder, yellow onion, yellow rice

Ingredients

  • 4- pound pork butt roast
  • 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
  • zest from two large oranges
  • zest from two large limes
  • 3/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 cup lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for serving
  • 8 to 10 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • prepared yellow rice for serving
  • 15- ounce can black beans rinsed, for serving

Instructions

  • If there’s quite a bit of fat on your pork butt, you may want to trim and discard some of it (leave a little—fat is flavor).
  • Add the pork butt to a crockpot, and then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients around it. (You can stir a bit to combine things, if you want, but it’ll combine as it cooks, too.)
  • Cook, covered, in your crockpot for seven to eight hours on high or four to six on low until the pork is cooked through and easy to shred.
  • Discard the bay leaves.
  • Shred the pork in the crockpot, and serve the shredded pork and onions on top of the yellow rice and black beans. Top with some of the juice from the crockpot, as well as some fresh cilantro.

The delicious smell of this recipe just completely took over our kitchen. The citrus came through in a really pleasant way to highlight the pork and give it some brightness.

We just ate this in bowls over the rice and beans, but you could put this into tortillas, too, if you wanted to or scoop it up with tortillas chips.

So, I do think our pork butt competition fully ended in a tie. But the good news is that we ended up with two very different kinds of leftovers over the next week or so.

And I definitely had to refill several of my spice containers afterwards, but that’s the price of a great meal.

This piece first appeared in print April 30, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Cookies Dessert

Don’t let this tasty recipe go in one ear and out the other

Raspberry lime hamantaschen has a light flavor of lime in the cookie part of the dessert and the rich flavor of raspberry jam in the filling. A traditional treat for the Jewish celebration of Purim, its pretty red color makes for a great Christmas cookie, too.
Raspberry lime hamantaschen has a light flavor of lime in the cookie part of the dessert and the rich flavor of raspberry jam in the filling. A traditional treat for the Jewish celebration of Purim, its pretty red color makes for a great Christmas cookie, too.

I have loved our new tradition of sharing holiday recipes from readers in our annual guide that inserted into our newspapers last week.

It’s so interesting to see what dishes everyone makes for their own friends and families this time of year.

One dish that really intrigued me came from Rachel Hindle of Yoder. It was for hamantaschen, something I wasn’t familiar with, but it sounded delicious. (Despite the fact that we messed up and put the wrong ingredients list in the holiday guide. Sorry, Rachel. Don’t worry, everyone, you’re getting it here.)

I decided to look up what hamantaschen is, and while there are several stories about its origin (read the article on the Anu Museum’s website for a deep dive), the most common is that the name comes from an evil character in the Book of Esther named Haman.

In the story, Haman sets out to try to get the king to destroy the Jews, but Esther, the queen, swoops in and saves the day.

Now, many Jews enjoy hamantaschen, or “Haman’s ears,” on Purim, a celebration of Esther’s bravery.

But these are also going to be a delicious addition to your Christmas treat table, so be sure to save this one for later.

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Raspberry Lime Hamantaschen

Raspberry lime hamantaschen has a light flavor of lime in the cookie part of the dessert and the rich flavor of raspberry jam in the filling. A traditional treat for the Jewish celebration of Purim, its pretty red color makes for a great Christmas cookie, too.
Course Dessert
Keyword Christmas cookie, cookie exchange, easy cookies, fresh lime, holiday cookie, lime zest, Purim treats, raspberry jam, raspberry preserves, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons water if needed
  • 3/4 cup red raspberry jam

Instructions

  • Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract and lime zest; beat to combine.
  • Add flour and salt; beat until combined and crumbly. Knead the dough into a smooth ball (if the dough is too dry, add water, one teaspoon at a time. Be careful that the dough does not become sticky).
  • Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for about 30 minutes until the dough is firm enough to roll; chilling for too long will make the dough hard to roll out.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly flour a smooth surface; roll dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Dust with flour and flip. Roll out more, if needed.
  • Using a cookie cutter or other round object about three inches in diameter, stamp out cookies. Lay cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
  • Place about one teaspoon of jam in the center of each cookie. Fold each circle inward on three sides to enclose the jam, forming a triangle with a small opening in the center. Pinch the corners and smooth out the seams to ensure the jam doesn’t leak out.
  • Bake for about 18 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

“The original version of this recipe came from a magazine and turned out to be so good that I make these cookies at least once a year for Christmas,” Rachel wrote when she sent this in.

I see why. They are a pretty cookie, even though several of mine overflowed a bit. (In my normal enthusiasm, I may have added rounded teaspoons of jam.)

I don’t think these really look like ears—or at least it’s a pretty loose interpretation—but I do love the idea of honoring Esther’s faith with a delicious cookie, whether it’s during the March celebration of Purim or during the Christmas season. Either way, these are best eaten alongside a good cup of coffee or cocoa and a great group of friends.

This piece first appeared in print Dec. 4, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Look cool at your next gathering with an icebox cake

Carlota de limon is an icebox cake that is really easy to make with fresh limes and yummy vanilla cookies.
Carlota de limon is an icebox cake that is really easy to make with fresh limes and yummy vanilla cookies.

We attended a high school graduation this past week, and since I only knew one graduate, I had a little time to let my mind wander during the ceremony.

I thought about how making friends has changed for me in the 20-plus years since I was in high school. It used to be so easy: you all went to the same place every day for nine months of the year.

Recently, we had a wonderful dinner at some friends’ house. The only reason it happened? We put it on the calendar almost a month in advance.

It used to be a lot easier to keep up with people when I just saw them in my fifth-hour class every day.

Regardless, I was so excited to be able to break bread with these friends, as we’ve been talking about making plans for about forever and finally managed to make it happen.

Plus, they were making a spread of Mexican food, which is always on my thumbs up list.

I offered up my dessert-making abilities to contribute to the meal and immediately started looking for a new recipe to try.

I landed on an icebox cake from Nancy Lopez at the blog “Mexican Made Meatless.” You can find the original post at https://mexicanmademeatless.com/carlota-de-limon-mexican-lime-icebox-cake/. I added extra vanilla in my version.

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Carlota de Limon

Carlota de limon is an icebox cake that is really easy to make with fresh limes and yummy vanilla cookies.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword evaporated milk, fresh lime, icebox cake, lime juice, lime zest, Maria cookies, summer dessert, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, vanilla wafers

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk
  • 12 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • about 14 ounces Maria cookies or Nilla Wafers
  • fresh lime zest from two or three limes

Instructions

  • Pour the freshly squeezed lime juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove any small particles.
  • Add the strained lime juice, evaporated milk, condensed milk and vanilla to a blender or food processor and blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
  • Pour just enough of the mixture into the bottom of an eight-by-eight-inch baking dish to create a thin layer.
  • Cover the entire bottom of the dish with a single layer of cookies, breaking them to fill in gaps, if you need to.
  • Pour a layer of the milk mixture on top. You want enough to cover the cookies. Spread it out evenly.
  • Repeat with another layer of cookies and then another layer of the milk mixture, continuing until all the mixture is used up. Make sure the final layer is the milk mixture.
  • Sprinkle lime zest, to taste, on top, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
  • Slice the cake and serve it, and make sure to refrigerate the leftovers.

This was delicious, and it was really easy, too. If you’re not familiar with icebox cakes, the cookies basically melt into the filling a bit while in the refrigerator to create a slice-able dessert.

If you’re a fan of key lime pie, you’ll like this, too. It’s a great summer dessert. And if you’ve never tried Maria cookies, they are delicious. They’re basically a very thin vanilla wafer.

And now we need to get busy with our friends to get another dinner on our schedule. If we act quickly, we may get to see them again before the summer is out.

This piece first appeared in print May 15, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Salad Side Dish

There’s a kernel of summer flavor in this pasta salad

Mexican street corn pasta salad uses lots of fresh vegetables to create a flavor profile reminiscent of elote. It’s an excellent side dish for a summer meal.
Mexican street corn pasta salad uses lots of fresh vegetables to create a flavor profile reminiscent of elote. It’s an excellent side dish for a summer meal.

When the Mexican American Fastpitch Softball Tournament rolls into Newton every summer, Joey and I try to make it out to watch a few hours of the action.

The games are definitely entertaining, but if I’m being honest, I’m mostly there for the food. Trying to pick what to eat from the various vendors is sometimes tough to do. Everything looks and smells amazing.

A couple summers ago, I decided to get elote, which is a roasted ear of corn, slathered in seasoning and mayonnaise and crumbly cheese. Trust me. It’s delicious.

I was thinking about that elote when I ran across this week’s recipe for a Mexican street corn pasta salad. It features a lot of the same flavor profiles, but it’s a bit easier to eat without making a huge mess.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Female Foodie” by Tyler Anastasio. You can find the original post at https://www.femalefoodie.com/recipes/mexican-street-corn-pasta-salad/#recipe. I added extra jalapeno, cheese and garlic in my version and changed up the instructions just a bit.

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Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Mexican street corn pasta salad uses lots of fresh vegetables to create a flavor profile reminiscent of elote. It’s an excellent side dish for a summer meal.
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword adobo peppers, chipotle peppers, cilantro, cojita, ditalini pasta, fresh cilantro, fresh corn, fresh garlic, frozen corn, green onions, jalapeno, lime juice, lime zest, mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, queso fresco, sour cream

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces ditalini pasta or another small pasta
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 3 cups fresh or frozen corn
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 jalapeno seeds and ribs removed, diced
  • 1 bunch green onion sliced thinly
  • 1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
  • 10 ounces queso fresco or cotija cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sour cream I used fat free
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
  • 2 to 3 whole chipotle peppers packed in adobo
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  • zest from one lime
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain it and rinse it with cold water, and set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once it’s hot, add the corn to the skillet and stir regularly, getting a light char on the kernels. Add the garlic into the pan and saute for just about a minute, and then remove the skillet from the heat. Set it aside to cool.
  • Prepare the jalapeno, green onion and cilantro and add it to a large serving bowl. Crumble in almost all of the cheese, keeping back a handful to top the salad when you’re done.
  • Combine all of the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until it is smooth.
  • Add the pasta, cooled corn and dressing to the serving bowl, and stir it well. Stir in any additional salt and pepper, if desired. Refrigerate the pasta salad until it’s completely chilled. Just before serving, top with the reserved cheese.

I really liked this, and even Joey, who is a notorious mayonnaise hater, liked the dressing, so you know it had to be pretty good. This will be an especially good pasta salad to put together once everyone’s gardens begin producing this summer.

And if you’re afraid of the jalapeno, you can easily leave it out. It does add a very nice crunch, though.

I’m also not going to pretend that this pasta salad is a perfect recreation of elote, but it does scratch the itch. You can bet, though, once July rolls around, I’ll be on the lookout for the real thing once again.

This piece first appeared in print on May 23, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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