i believe in miracles.. and tacos al pastor

i can't seem to get that song by hot chocolate "i believe in miracles.. you sexy thang" out of my head today!! augh..

i went to savers the other day.. i actually work right by it and have only been once when i had to get something vintage for jessie's shower.. but the other day, not sure why, but i honestly had this urge i need to go to savers.. last week i went to get some plates out of the garage that were my grandmas.. and i couldn't find them.. pete and i went through everything and it was determined he donated them.. *super sad face* but if you can believe it while at savers i saw  them.. they were there.. at least they're the exact same thing.. could they possibly be my grandmas.. maybe.. am i going to believe that they are.. yes.. am i going to tell people that they are .. absofrickenlutely!! was i feeling blue this past week about my grandparents passing yes.. do I feel 100% BETTER NOW...YES!! :) i believe in miracles..  not to mention the other things i got... i love savers.. gawd help me i might go once a week now.. the stuff i got was awesome some of it was brand new and of course it was all kitchen stuff.. look foward to them being props in my photos he he ..

here are the plates.. they aren't that common.. they are pewter on a wooden charger.. they were 2.00 bucks!!

I was so excited to see them.. I had passed them up twice before i saw them.. i am so glad i went to savers..

this past sunday we had ollie and amelia for the day.. (pictures from that will be posted tomorrow) so for dinner (because i wasn't sure how much time i would have) i decided to make something pretty easy.. tacos al pastor.. someone had pinned this recipe here..  and then another here on pinterest and it peeked my curiosity.. i had never had or made tacos al pastor but it looked so good. so i googled it and found this recipe here... i ended up using a bit from each recipe.. let me tell you i think this might be my new favorite taco.. it was so good. the spice from the marinade with the sweetness from the pineapple.. perfection.. i honestly can't wait to make this again..

tacos al pastor

prep time: 30 minutes
cooking time: depending on how you cook it.. 8 hours in a crock pot and about 20 minutes or so in a screaming hot wok..
servings: 4

i actually ended up cooking it 2 ways i had a 6 lbs pork roast so i cut it in half and did 1/2 in the crock pot and 1/2 diced up in a wok i will give you the recipe for both..

ingredients:

3 lb. pork "butt" roast

marinade:

3 guajillo chiles
2 ancho chiles
1 cup crushed pineapple with juice (+plus 1/4 cup to be used later)
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 tblsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper

serving:
corn tortillas
chopped onion
chopped cilantro
crushed pineapple (without the juice)

rehydrate the peppers in hot water just enough to cover them.. once they have re hydrated remove the stems and seed and put them plus the liquid and everything else for the marinade in a blender and blend until smooth.. so here is where i did it 2 different ways i took the other half of the onion and sliced it up put it in the bottom of my crock pot put 1/2 the roast fat side up (which was about 3 lbs) in the crock pot and poured about a cup of the marinade over the top.. set it to low and let it cook for about 8 hours.. every hour i would spoon the juice from inside the crock pot over the top of  the roast.. in the last hour i poured 1/4 cup of crushed pineapple over the top.. when ready i removed from the crock pot shredded it and put back in the crock pot for about 20 minutes while i got my tortillas ready... now since i don't like shredded meat i took the other half of the roast diced it up into chunks put it in a ziplock and poured a cup or more of the marinade in the ziplock.. i squished it around to make sure it all go evenly coated and put in the fridge until ready to cook.. about 6-8 hours.. when i was ready to cook it i got my wok hot (over medium high heat) added 1/2 of the meat and cooked until brown and caramelized.. about the last 5 minutes i added some crushed pineapple and let it get caramelized too.. removed from the wok and put in a dish to keep hot.. then i did the rest of the cut up pork..

for your tortillas heat your corn tortilla's according to package directions.. i fried them this time... take about a 1/4-1/2 cup of canola oil.. heat on high in an iron skillet.. when oil is very hot gently put your tortilla in and then with tongs fold one side over making the taco shell.. turning over several times to make sure both sides get cooked.. cook until the desired crispness.. or you could get your griddle screaming hot and cook them on each side about 2 -3 minutes..

to assemble:

put some meat (either shredded or cubed) in your tortilla top with onion, cilantro,  crushed pineapple and a little extra marinade if you have any.. (i had about a cup left over so i heated it up and drizzled it over the tacos meat that picture is not shown..)