Spiced Carrot Muffins

My kids loved these!  I added walnuts - pecans would be delicious also.  I didn't use the freezer option, but baked right away.

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¾ cups plain yogurt

• 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

• 1 large egg

• 2 cups peeled, shredded carrots (about 5 medium)

  1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped

Directions

1. Line 12 cups (each 2 1/2 inches wide) of a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, pumpkin-pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, butter, and egg. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add yogurt mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in carrots.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. (If desired, muffins can be baked immediately in a 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes.) Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes, then cover tin with plastic wrap, and freeze until ready to bake, up to 3 months.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake muffins (still frozen) until a toothpick inserted in center of one comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

"Smoked" Pulled Pork

Versatile pulled pork with good flavor.  I used bone-in, which typically gives more flavor in the cooking process (and it's cheaper), and the bones easily pulled right out.

• 3 1/2 lbs pork carnitas meat, shoulder or butt roast
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I used Liquid Aminos)
• 2 Tbsp liquid smoke
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

1. Quarter the pork and then place pork in bottom of Instant Pot or the slow cooker. Pour all the other ingredients over the top of the pork.
2. For the Instant Pot: Cover and make sure valve is on “sealing.” Set the manual button for 70 minutes. When the time is up let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Release any extra pressure by gently pushing the valve to “venting.” For the Slow Cooker: cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours, or until meat is very tender.
3. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and shred with a fork. It should be ultra tender.  You can also put the meat in a Ktichenaid bowl and use the paddle attachment to quickly shred.
4. Serve meat plain, on sandwiches, in a salad, in a taco or however you want! If you want to add bbq sauce to make it more flavorful you can do that too.