BBQ Pork Pizza

I don't often try out a different topping combination for pizza night since my children only like pepperoni and cheese but my refrigerator had left over Rotisserie Carnita's that were seriously needing to go on a BBQ Pork Pizza.  My friend Whitney and I created this recipe together. 

 This was the best use of my left overs ever!

Ingredients for this recipe are:

1/2 lb. Spelt Tipo 00 Pizza Dough 9 I used my homemade recipe found here)

1 3/4 cups BBQ Sauce (I used my homemade recipe found here)

1 cup Left Over Rotisserie Carnitas (I used my homemade recipe found here) 

5 oz. Shredded Gouda Cheese

Cornmeal

Preheat Pizza Stone in Oven to 500 Fahrenheit

Roll out pizza dough to a thin 12 inch round.

Sprinkle cornmeal on pizza peel or inverted cookie sheet.

Place pizza round on cornmeal, make sure the pizza round can slide on the cornmeal.

 Mix Carnitas with 3/4 cup BBQ sauce.

 Pour 3/4 cup BBQ sauce on pizza dough round, spread around dough (or drizzle since my sauce 
is in a squeeze bottle) leaving the outer 1 inch clear of sauce.

 Sprinkle cheese on pizza.

 Sprinkle Carnitas on cheese.

 Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce on pizza.

Slide pizza onto stone in oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, remove when cheese is bubbly 
and starting to brown.

Place pizza on large cutting board and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

BBQ Pork Pizza

Printable Recipe Found Here

1/2 lb Spelt Tipo 00 Pizza Dough

1 3/4 cups BBQ Sauce

1 cup Left Over Rotisserie Carnitas 

5 oz Shredded Gouda Cheese

Cornmeal

Preheat Pizza Stone in Oven to 500 Fahrenheit

Roll out pizza dough to a thin 12 inch round.

Sprinkle cornmeal on pizza peel or inverted cookie sheet.

Place pizza round on cornmeal, make sure the pizza round can slide on the cornmeal.

Mix Carnitas with 3/4 cup BBQ sauce.

Pour 3/4 cup BBQ sauce on pizza dough round, spread around dough leaving the outer 1 inch clear of sauce.

Sprinkle cheese on pizza.

Sprinkle Carnitas on cheese.

Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce on pizza.

Slide pizza onto stone in oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, remove when cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

Place pizza on large cutting board and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Spelt & Tipo 00 Pizza Dough

I have been working on a good pizza dough recipe that includes Spelt, but isn't heavy, and still has the chewy texture of a good New York pizza.  Last week I tried a new combination of Spelt and Tipo 00 flours.  Tonight I mad the dough again and I think I found the right combination.  The pizza was amazing!

 This was a wonderful dough.  It makes great pizza.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

2 3/4 cups Lukewarm Water (microwave for 45 seconds)

1 1/2 tablespoons Instant Yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons Salt

1 tablespoon Honey

1/4 cup Olive Oil

3 cups Spelt Flour

4 1/2  cups Tipo 00 Flour

Mix all ingredients together in bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook on low until combined, 
then increase speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes.

Place dough in oiled 6 quart lidded container.  Allow to rest on counter for 2 hours before 
making into pizza.  

Dough will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

This recipe makes 3 lbs. of dough.

Use 1/2 lb. of dough to make a 12 inch pizza.

Enjoy!

Spelt & Tipo 00 Pizza Dough

Printable recipe Found Here

2 3/4 cups Lukewarm Water (microwave for 45 seconds)

1 1/2 tablespoons Instant Yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons Salt

1 tablespoon Honey

1/4 cup Olive Oil

3 cups Spelt Flour

4 1/2  cups Tipo 00 Flour

Mix all ingredients together in bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook on low until combined, then increase speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes.

Place dough in oiled 6 quart lidded container.  Allow to rest on counter for 2 hours before making into pizza.  

Dough will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

This recipe makes 3 lbs. of dough.

Use 1/2 lb. of dough to make a 12 inch pizza.

Enjoy!

Guacamole

I love Guacamole, funny thing is my children sing a song "We love Guac, we love Guac, we love Guacamole."  The funny part is they don't love guacamole and only one of my four children will even eat avocados.  To round out our Carnitas burrito we needed some Guacamole.  This is a very easy guacamole, I don't add very much.  My friends Bridget and Whitney came over to help us eat the Carnita's, beans, rice, and they helped make the guacamole.

Doesn't this look amazing?  A beautiful supreme burrito, homemade.  The tortillas were not
homemade but they are whole wheat.  You can see the yummy guacamole.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

4 ripe Hass Avocados (one of my Avocados was brown, yucky)

1 small Yellow Onion

1/2 Jalapeño

Juice of 1 Lime

Salt

 Cut and remove pit.

 Scoop the flesh out of the avocados and put into a small bowl.

Peel and finely dice onion and add to avocado.

Cut and remove seeds and white veins of jalapeño.  Finely dice the jalapeño and add to avocado.

Roll and press lime on counter to release juice.  Cut lime and squeeze juice onto avocado mixture.

Lightly mash avocado mixture with potato masher.

Stir in salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Guacamole

Printable recipe Found Here

4 ripe Hass Avocados

1 small Yellow Onion

1/2 Jalapeño

Juice of 1 Lime

Salt

Remove pit and scoop the flesh out of the avocados and put into a small bowl.

Peel and finely dice onion and add to avocado.

Cut and remove seeds and white veins of jalapeño.  Finely dice the jalapeño and add to avocado.

Roll and press lime on counter to release juice.  Cut lime and squeeze juice onto avocado mixture.

Lightly mash avocado mixture with potato masher.

Stir in salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Lime Cilantro Brown Rice

Have you had the lime cilantro rice at Chipotle?  It is delicious.  This is my take on that wonderful side dish and perfect addition to the burrito you are building with the Rotisserie Carnitas and Not Refried Black Beans.  This is a simple way to add flavor to your steamed brown rice.

 This was delicious with the Rotisserie Carnitas and Not Refried Black Beans.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

3 cups steamed Short Grain Brown Rice

1/2 bunch Cilantro

1 Lime

Cut stems off Cilantro and roughly chop and add to rice.

Roll and press lime on countertop, cut in half and squeeze juice onto rice.

Stir rice, lime juice, and cilantro together and serve.

Enjoy!

Lime Cilantro Brown Rice

Printable Recipe Found Here

3 cups steamed Short Grain Brown Rice

1/2 bunch Cilantro

1 Lime

Cut stems off Cilantro and roughly chop and add to rice.

Roll and press lime on countertop, cut in half and squeeze juice onto rice.

Stir rice, lime juice, and cilantro together and serve.

Enjoy!

Rotisserie Carnitas

Yesterday I received my set it and Forget it Showtime Rotisserie from Ronco.  I picked a smaller model that can be collapsed.  I bought a Pork Butt Roast to make into Carnitas for burritos/tacos.  I was under a time crunch, so I decided to use my rotisserie for the pork.  Pork Butt Roast isn't usually cooked in a rotisserie, especially a countertop rotisserie.  Basically I was guessing how to cook this roast based on what I had read and using some deductive reasoning.   

 Can you see how the meat wants to fall off the spit?  Good stuff.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

5 lb. Pork Butt Roast

1 Dried Costeño Chile

1 teaspoons Ground Cumin 

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

2 teaspoons Dried Onion Flakes

2 teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

 Grind chile and all the spices together in spice/coffee grinder or blender.

 Rub spice mixture all over pork roast.

 Skewer roast on rotisserie spit and tie meat with butcher twine.

Roast pork for 2 hours with the roast setting.

Remove pork from rotisserie and using forks shred the carnitas.  

Enjoy!

Rotisserie Carnitas

Printable Recipe Found Here

5 lb. Pork Butt Roast

1 Dried Chile

1 teaspoons Cumin

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

2 teaspoons Dried Onion Flakes

2 teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Grind chile and all the spices together in spice/coffee grinder or blender.

Rub spice mixture all over pork roast.

Skewer roast on rotisserie spit and tie meat with butcher twine.

Roast pork for 2 hours with the roast setting.

Remove pork from rotisserie and using forks shred the carnitas.  

Enjoy!

Not Refried Black Beans

I like burritos, I think it all started with a great fast food place in my hometown of Redlands, Cuca's. My California family and friends know what I'm talking about.  You can see what I'm talking about at their site here.  They make homemade refried pinto beans.  My husband does not like pinto beans, he likes black beans, if you really can even say he likes beans at all.  When I make beans for burritos I make black beans.  A few Sunday's ago, my friend Whitney and her husband Johhny came over with soaked red beans and the fixings for tacos/burritos.  We joined forces and I prepared her beans in my pressure cooker.  Her husband had found a recipe and told us the ingredients and we remembered some of them.  Those beans turned out amazing.  Tonight I recreated those beans, but I used black beans instead.  I really like all the flavor in these beans.  

 These beans are great as a side dish or inside a burrito or taco.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

1 lb. Brined Black Beans (recipe found here for brining)

1/2 lb. Bacon (not pictured)

1 Yellow Onion

1/2 a Bunch of Cilantro

1 tablespoon whole Cumin

1 tablespoon Salt

Water

 Peel and dice the onion.

Cut off extra stems of cilantro and roughly chop.

Slice bacon into 1 inch pieces.

Pour beans into pressure cooker pot or a large stock pot.

Add bacon, onion, cilantro, cumin, and salt to beans.

Add enough water to cover beans by two inches.

Add lid to pressure cooker and set to high for 30 minutes. 

After cooking is done and pressure has been released remove lid and serve beans.

Enjoy!

Not Refried Black Beans

Printable Recipe Found Here

1 lb. Brined Black Beans

1/2 lb. Bacon

1 Yellow Onion

1/2 a Bunch of Cilantro

1 tablespoon whole Cumin

1 tablespoon Salt

Water

Peel and dice the onion.

Cut off extra stems of cilantro and roughly chop.

Slice bacon into 1 inch pieces.

Pour beans into pressure cooker pot or a large stock pot.

Add bacon, onion, cilantro, cumin, and salt to beans.

Add enough water to cover beans by two inches.

Add lid to pressure cooker and set to high for 30 minutes.  

After cooking is done and pressure has been released remove lid and serve beans.

Enjoy!

Bacalhau com natas

We are celebrating a favorite recipe from Portugal. According to Wikipedia "Bacalhau com natas (literally "cod with cream") is a popular way of cooking salted cod (bacalhau) in Portugal. It is an oven-baked dish consisting of layers of bacalhau, onion, diced fried potato and cream. Using dairy products such as cream or cheese is not common in traditional Portuguese main courses, however the popularity of this dish—in households and restaurants—make it a classic. The origin of this dish is unclear, but a similar one using cod and cream was invented by chef João Ribeiro in the 1930s." The reference can be found Here.  I used fresh cod for my recipe, supposedly this recipe used dried salted cod because it was more widely available than fresh.

 Bacalhau com Natas, not sure how to say this, but it was yummy.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

2 lbs. Fresh Cod

1 Yellow Onion 

1 3/4 cups Milk

2 cups Heavy Cream

4 Large Thin Skinned Potatoes (Eastern or Red Potatoes)

2 tablespoons Flour

6 tablespoons Butter

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Freshly Ground Pepper

Salt

Preheat oven to 450 Fahrenheit

 Clean potatoes and thinly slice.

Peel onion, cut in half and thinly slice.

Preheat 10 inch skillet, add 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil.  Sauté onions and 
potatoes until tender.

Place potatoes and onions in oven proof dish, 12 inch oval ceramic if you have one or 9x13 glass dish.

 Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in pan that you just emptied potatoes and onions from.  

 When butter stops foaming add flour and whisk.  Cook flour for 3 minutes.

 Add milk, cream, salt, pepper, and whisk until thickened.

 Place filets on potatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper on filets.

 Pour cream over fish and potatoes.  

 Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Bacalhau com batas

Printable Recipe Found Here

2 lbs. Fresh Cod

1 Yellow Onion 

1 3/4 cups Milk

2 cups Heavy Cream

4 Large Thin Skinned Potatoes (Eastern or Red Potatoes)

2 tablespoons Flour

6 tablespoons Butter

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Freshly Ground Pepper

Salt

Preheat oven to 450 Fahrenheit

Clean potatoes and thinly slice.

Peel onion, cut in half and thinly slice.

Preheat 10 inch skillet, add 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil.  Sauté onions and potatoes until tender.

Place potatoes and onions in oven proof dish, 12 inch oval ceramic if you have one or 9x13 glass dish.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in pan that you just emptied potatoes and onions from.  

When butter stops foaming add flour and whisk.  Cook flour for 3 minutes.

Add milk, cream, salt, pepper, and whisk until thickened.

Place filets on potatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper on filets.

Pour cream over fish and potatoes.  

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Freshly Ground Pan Fried Bacon Cheeseburger

My hamburger buns needed a ground beef patty on them, which means I get to share a recipe with you. After reading about how to cook a hamburger, sans a grill, I learned a few things, such as, one - freshly ground beef produces a tender moist patty, second - don't mess with the meat too much, third - choose a chuck and or sirloin cut for the beef, fourth - cook the meat cold on a hot cast iron skillet. With my ground beef patty knowledge I am ready to share my recipe with you.

 Look at that magnificent burger.  It has it all.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

2 lbs. Beef Sirloin Roast (Or pre-ground)

2 lbs. Beef Tender Chuck Roast (Or pre-ground)

4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

1 lb. Bacon

Sliced White Vermont Cheddar

Spelt Hamburger Buns

 Cut beef into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

 Push beef through grinder.  Skip this step if you used pre-ground.  If using pre-ground, try to buy
 it the day you will use it and keep it cold.  Starting with freshly ground beef you will notice a more 
moist and tender burger.  Keeping the beef cold right up to the point of cooking will insure you 
don't overcook the beef.

 Lightly mix ground meat with spoon, adding Worcestershire sauce, Salt, and Freshly Ground Pepper.

 Taking a baseball size piece of beef, pat into a flat disk with an indentation in the middle.  When 
beef cooks it puffs up in the middle.  With the indentation already there it will puff up but the
 overall patty will be flat still. 

Pre-heat oven to 425 Fahrenheit

Pre-heat 12 inch cast iron skillet over media-high burner.

 Place patties in pan and brown on both sides.

 Move hamburgers to oven on a cookie sheet if making more than will fit in pan.

Sauté bacon on griddle until brown.

Pile the burger on a bun with cheese, bacon, lettuce, and condiments. We had homemade ketchup 
on our burger, recipe can be found Here.

Enjoy!

Freshly Ground Pan Fried Bacon Cheeseburger

Printable Recipe Found Here

2 lbs. Beef Sirloin Roast (Or pre-ground)

2 lbs. Beef Tender Chuck Roast (Or pre-ground)

4 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

1 lb Bacon

Sliced White Vermont Cheddar

Spelt Hamburger Buns

Optional Toppings:

Mixed Spring Lettuces

Ketchup

Honey Mustard

Cut beef into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

Push beef through grinder, skip this step if you used pre-ground.

Lightly mix ground meat with spoon, adding Worcestershire sauce, Salt, and Freshly Ground Pepper.

Taking a baseball size piece of beef, pat into a 1 inch thick flat disk with an indentation in the middle.

Pre-heat oven to 425 Fahrenheit

Pre-heat 12 inch cast iron skillet over media-high burner.

Place patties in pan and brown on both sides, move hamburgers to oven on a cookie sheet if making more than will fit in pan.

Sauté bacon on griddle until brown.

Pile the burger on a bun with cheese, bacon, lettuce, and condiments.

Enjoy!