All Purpose Pork Rub - Tractor Approved Recipe

One feature this month through my 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series is that I am sharing some of my family's "Tractor Approved" recipes.  During fall harvest I have a unique situation where I find myself in the field pretty much all day, everyday, along with my husband and kids.  This means that we don't have that much food in our house because I don't have that much time to run to the grocery store or simply to just cook or bake something.  But one thing I always keep on hand is my All Purpose Pork Rub so I can smoke on a "rain day".  (Plus I had to share a pork recipe this month because it is National Pork Month!)  Be sure to check out my other "Tractor Approved" recipes:  Six Week Muffins, The Best Tuna Salad and Sweet & Salty Corn Chips.

Why does All Purpose Pork Rub get the "Tractor Approved" seal?  First, deli meat sandwiches get a little old if you have them daily for a couple of months, so it is nice to make something a little different to switch up the standard lunch-box sandwich.  Second, this pork rub works on everything - loins, ribs, etc.  So whatever pork you have on hand, you can put it on.  It is a great salty rub with a little bit of a kick to it.  Third, the ingredients for the rub are staple spices I always have in my pantry.  I enjoy this rub so much that I even keep huge batches of it on hand so I can smoke with it whenever I find time.  I love smoking all year long.

All Purpose Pork Rub (adapted from Masterbuilt Smokin' Recipes)
1 Tbsp Salt
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
5 Tbsp Chili Powder
3 Tbsp Ground Cumin
4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
4 tsp Black Pepper
4 tsp Garlic Powder
4 tsp Onion Powder

Mix ingredients and rub mixture on meat for at least two hours before cooking, overnight is best.  Allow meat to reach room temperature before smoking.  Store leftover rub mixture for future use.

My favorite pork product to use this rub on is pork loin!

Do you own a smoker?  What is your favorite pork recipe?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post or by following on Bloglovin.  Also be sure to like the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page for daily updates from the field.)

Sweet & Salty Corn Chips - Tractor Approved Snack

One feature this month through my 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series is that I am sharing are some of my family's "Tractor Approved" recipes.  During fall harvest I have a unique situation where I find myself in the field pretty much all day, everyday, along with my husband and kids.  This means that we don't have that much food in our house because I don't have that much time to run to the grocery store or simply to just cook or bake something.  But one thing I do try to keep on hand are snack foods.  Today I'm excited to share my recipe for Sweet & Salty Corn Chips.  Be sure to check out my other "Tractor Approved" recipes:  Six Week Muffins and The Best Tuna Salad.

Why do Sweet & Salty Corn Chips get the "Tractor Approved" seal?  First, snacks are a must for long days in the tractor.  Think about driving in your car for several hours and the sun shining in on you.  You get to a point where you just need a pick me up and a great way of doing that is by having a little snack.  Second, nothing beats the salty and sweet combination of these corn chips.  They help you conquer whatever craving you're having.  Third, this recipe is really simple and fast.  In fact I made a batch tonight when I got home in probably less than five minutes, and that is only because I waited a couple minutes to let them cool before taste testing. :)

Sweet & Salty Corn Chips
1 - 10oz bag Corn Chips
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Corn Syrup
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

Lay corn chips out on a baking sheet covered with wax paper.  Then bring sugar and corn syrup to boil.  Take off heat and stir in peanut butter.  Immediately drizzle over corn chips.  Let cool before putting into Tupperware containers or Ziploc snack sacks.

What are some of your go-to snack recipes?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post or by following on Bloglovin.  Also be sure to like the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page for daily updates from the field.)

The Best Tuna Salad - Tractor Approved Sandwich

One feature this month through my 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series is that I am sharing are some of my family's "Tractor Approved" recipes.  During fall harvest I have a unique situation where I find myself in the field pretty much all day, everyday, along with my husband and kids.  This means that we don't have that much food in our house during harvest because I don't have that much time to run to the grocery store or simply to just cook or bake something.  But I do try to keep some staples in the house so when we do find ourselves at home we can eat something at home.  Last week I shared my Six Week Muffins recipe and today I'm sharing my recipe for my Tuna Salad.

Why does The Best Tuna Salad get the "Tractor Approved" seal?  First, we eat a lot of sandwiches during harvest and I find it really easy to keep staples in my pantry and freezer for "salad" sandwiches - ham, chicken and tuna.  My whole family loves my tuna salad recipe and it is a little "special" or you might even say "decadent," compared to a traditional tuna salad.  Second, you can eat this tuna salad cold or use it in a tuna melt.  It is great to have a batch on hand to make with soup at night or my personal favorite is to eat with Doritos or Cheez-Its as a snack when we come in from the field.  Third, this recipe is really simple to whip up, which is always a plus when you work long hours.

The Best Tuna Salad
1 - 8oz brick of Neufchatel Cheese (or Cream Cheese)
1/2 cup Mayo
2 - 5oz cans of Chunk Tuna in Water (drained)
2 ribs Celery (cut in fourths lengthwise and then diced)
2 stalks Green Onions (diced)

With a hand mixer cream together cream cheese and mayo.  Then stir in tuna, celery and green onions.  Serve on sandwich as you desire.  This recipe is really good as a melt or a panini.

Refrigerate the rest of the batch up to a week (but it'll never last that long!).

What are some of your go-to sandwich recipes or staples?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post or by following on Bloglovin.  Also be sure to like the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page for daily updates from the field.)

Six Week Muffins - Tractor Approved Breakfast

One feature this month through my 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series that I look forward to sharing are some of my family's "Tractor Approved" recipes.  During fall harvest I have a unique situation where I find myself in the field pretty much all day, everyday, along with my husband and kids.  Thankfully I have a wonderful mother-in-law that makes box lunches for us everyday at noon and for supper we usually just send whoever is in the semi-truck to pick up some food from the nearest food establishment from the field.  The downfall of this situation is that we don't have that much food in our house during harvest because I don't have that much time to run to the grocery store, especially since we don't live that close to one that is open 24 hours and on Sundays...  But anyways, I try to keep some staples in the house so when we do find ourselves at home we can eat something at home.  Today I'm going to share one of my go-to breakfast muffins - Six Week Muffins!

Why do Six Week Muffins get the "Tractor Approved" seal?  First, my entire family loves them.  They are a hardy muffin that has a slightly sweet flavor.  Second, they are convenient for you to take on the road (or in the field).  During harvest sleep can become an elusive thing, so there are days that you literally wake up early enough to just put on a pair of clothes and get out to the field.  And when you work long hours you really need a good breakfast to get you going, so these muffins are great to grab on-the-go.  Third, you can keep the batter in the refrigerator up to six weeks so you make fresh muffins as much as you want.  I usually split the batter in thirds and make 18 at a time every couple of weeks.

Six Week Muffins
6 cups All-Bran Cereal (Kellogg's)
2 cups Water, boiled
1 cup Shortening, melted
3 cups Sugar
4 Eggs, beaten
1 qt Buttermilk
5 cups Flour
5 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Salt

Pour boiling water over 2 cups of bran and let stand for 15 minutes.  Then mix in melted shortening, rest of bran, sugar, eggs and buttermilk.  Sift flour, soda and salt - and add to the rest of the mixture.

Bake muffins at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Recipe makes 4 to 5 dozen muffins.

You may cover and refrigerate the batter up to six weeks for fresh muffins as much as you want.

What are some of your go-to on-the-go breakfast foods?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post or by following on Bloglovin.  Also be sure to like the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page for daily updates from the field.)