Pull Apart Pizza Bread

Pull Apart Pizza Bread

Ingredients

2 Cans of pizza dough or biscuits
2 cups mozzarella cheese (or your favorite cheese)
2 tablespoons of a really good Italian seasoning or parsley flakes
⅓ cup olive oil
1 - 8 oz package of pepperoni (we used the turkey)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Optional: Add a ½ teaspoon of fresh garlic or garlic powder (it's amazing)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cut pizza dough or biscuits into quarters
Cut the pepperoni into smaller pieces
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and toss so that the oil is spread evenly on each piece of dough
Bake for about 30 minutes (or until the top is brown and the center is thoroughly cooked) TIP: Be sure to check it in the middle before you pull it out. If the middle is still not cooked thoroughly be sure to leave it in another 5 minutes at a time until it's done.
Flip over on to a plate while it's still hot.
Serve with a side sauce and enjoy!

Orange Chiffon Cake

Light and fluffy with a distinctly orange taste. It's a pretty good size cake so I like to make it when I'm having guests over to make sure that it gets eaten! Or I eat the whole darned thing and that's not good!!!  

Serves 10-12

(See Note at bottom)

Chiffon Cake:

2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 eggs, separated, plus 1 egg white

Zest and juice of 2 oranges (juice should equal
   3/4 cup; add water if necessary)

2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier (I've used
   Orange extract instead)

3/4 tsp cream of tartar


Simple Orange Glaze:

2 Tbls butter, softened


1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 tsp fresh orange juice

1 tsp hot water

1 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract or Grand Marnier

Light and fluffy with a distinctly orange taste.  To serve, top with orange glaze or simply dust with confectioners' sugar.
(See Note at bottom)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Have ready a 10-inch tube cake pan, preferably with a removable bottom.  Do not grease or flour it.

For the cake, sift the flour, 1 1/3 cups of the granulated sugar, the baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.  Whisk the egg yolks with the oil in a medium bowl.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients.  Stir in the zest, juice, and Grand Marnier.

In a large, clean bowl, beat all the egg whites until frothy.  Add the cream of tartar and remaining granulated sugar, and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.  Fold the whites into the batter until just blended

Scrape the batter into the ungreased cake pan.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the cake springs back to the touch.  Immediately turn the cake over onto the neck of a bottle and let sit.  Undisturbed, until completely cool (at least 1 1/2 hours)  before removing from the pan.

For the glaze, cream the butter in a small bowl using a wooden spoon, add the confectioners' sugar, alternating with the juice and water.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in the orange zest and vanilla.  The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle.  if not, thin with a drop or two of hot water.

When the cake is cool, spread the top with the glaze, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Note:  I doubled the glaze recipe because I felt it needed more to cover the cake, but that is just me!
Recipe from "My Nepenthe"

Carrot Ginger Soup

Compliments of Emeril Lagasse! 

Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 to 6 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
Chopped chives, for garnish
Directions
Set a 4-quart stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pot. Once the butter is melted, place the onions and celery in the pot. Sweat the vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic to the pot and cook for 30 seconds. Place all of the carrots in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are lightly caramelized and start to soften, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the stock, salt, pepper and bay leaf to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the soup until the carrots are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf from the pot and using an immersion blender puree the soup directly in the pot or in batches in a bar blender. Adjust the seasoning, add the heavy cream to the pot.

To serve, garnish with 1 tablespoon of sour cream per serving and a sprinkling of fresh chives.

Spicy Beans

This is a recipe from one of my favorite blogger and cook...The Pioneer Woman!  You have to try these, even if you're not a bean person, you need to cook up a  pot of these!!!  Enjoy

Spicy Beans

Ingredients

• 4 cups Dry Pinto Beans
• 1 whole Ham Hock
• 1 whole Onion, Diced
• 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 whole Jalapenos, Sliced
• 2 teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder (optional)
• 2 teaspoons Black Pepper, More To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Rinse beans under cold water, sorting out any rocks/particles.

Place beans in a stock pot with the ham hock and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure the water level is fine. Add more water as needed.

Then throw in diced onion, red bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno. Cover and continue cooking for another hour or two, remembering to check the water level.

Add salt, chili powder (if desired) and pepper, then cover and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until beans are lovely and tender. Serve with cornbread as a meal, or spoon on top of nachos, tacos, etc.

BBQ Sauce--Sweet & Tangy, Spicy or Smokey

 This is a versatile BBQ sauce that is delicious on grilled meats and added to pulled pork, chicken or beef.  Recipe is suitable for canning

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 c. brown sugar 1 c. cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 2 tablespoons honey 2 cups tomato ketchup 2 Tbls 14-spice dry rub mix (recipe to follow) Directions: Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Stir well. Over medium heat, bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 60 minutes. Stir occasionally as it cooks. Store in refrigerator. Keeps for several weeks. *VARIATIONS: --Sweet and Tangy. Use the original recipe described above. --Smoky. Add 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke per 1 cup of sauce. --Spicy. Add 1/4 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper per 1 cup of sauce (according to how much heat you want). 14-Spice Dry Rub: Ingredients 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup seasoned salt (reduce to 1/8 cup for low-sodium version) 1/4 cup paprika (sweet Hungarian) 1/4 cup smoked paprika (Spanish) 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 tablespoon celery salt 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons black pepper 1 tablespoon rubbed dried sage 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 teaspoon ground mace 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

This is the best Brisket! Slow roasted to perfection. My family loves it and I hope yours does too!!!

Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 bay leaf, crushed
4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
1 1/2 cups beef stock
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.

Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.

Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork

Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork

• For the pork:
• 3 to 4 lb Boston butt pork roast
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• For the rub:
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 225°F.

Prepare the pork:
Prepare the rub by combining the paprika, salt, sugar, mustard, cumin, pepper, garlic and onion powders and cayenne in a small bowl. Trim any large pieces of exterior fat from the pork if desired. Pat the rub mixture on all sides of the pork and place uncovered, in a dutch oven. Roast uncovered for 1 hour.

Remove the pork from the oven, brush with the olive oil, add the water, cover and return to the oven for approximately 5 hours longer. At this point the pork should be very tender and pull apart easily with a fork. Total roasting time runs between 90 and 100 minutes per pound.

Transfer the pork to a large platter and allow to cool enough to handle. With two dinner forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, removing any large chunks of fat in the process.

Creamy Ham and Split Pea Soup

 Leftover ham is perfect for this and add the ham bone too!  This soup is delicious.  Good old comfort food!!!!

Creamy Ham and Split Pea Soup

(without any cream)

2 Tbs Olive oil

1 large onion

2 large carrots

2 stalks of celery

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (or to taste)

1 bay leaf

1 pkg Green Split Peas, rinsed

2 cartons Vegetable stock or Chicken stock

1 Ham bone and any extra ham pieces, chopped

(you can also use 2-3 ham hocks)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat.  Saute onions, carrots and celery until onions are tender, 5 min.  Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and bay leaf, saute 2 min.  Stir in peas and stock and add ham.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 1 hour or until peas are tender.  Remove the ham bone and pull of ham any extra and set aside.  Cool slightly; discard bay leaf.  Blend in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth or leave it a little courser if you like it that way.   Remember to add the ham back in! 

Season to taste  ENJOY!

Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

Love making this because the whole house smells delicious! If you love tender bites of crispy pork in a tortillas with pico de gallo you will absolutely love this recipe.  Enjoy!

Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

Ingredients:

3 1/2-4 pounds boneless pork butt roast (sometimes called boneless pork shoulder or boneless picnic roast)
2+ cups water (enough to cover the pork in the pot)
1 white or yellow onion, peeled and halved
4-6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves salt and pepper
1 orange
For serving: Small corn or flour tortillas, grated cheese, pico de gallo, sliced avocado, sliced white onion,  sprigs of cilantro, fresh lime wedges, etc.

Instructions: Place the oven rack in the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Trim the pork of excess fat and cut into 2″ chunks. Place the pork in a heavy lidded pot like a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the pork and then add onion, garlic, lime juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and the juice from the orange. After squeezing the juice from the orange, toss the rinds into the pork mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 2 hours or until the pork falls apart when poked with a fork. When the pork is fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven.

Remove the orange rinds, onion, and bay leaves. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork from the liquid to the foil-lined baking sheet. Set aside.

Return the pot to the stove top and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil for 8-15 minutes (longer or shorter if necessary) until the liquid is thickened and glaze-y and, when stirred, the spoon leaves a trail in the liquid (you should have about 1 cup of liquid).

Use your fingers to pull apart the pork pieces, discarding any particularly fatty pieces (or removing the fat from them). Drizzle with the cooking liquid. Turn your oven broiler on high and place the pork in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the pork starts to brown and the edges become crispy. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a spatula to flip the pork. Return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes, broiling until the pork is browned and crispy (but not charred, unless that’s your thing). Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings. Makes about 12 servings.