Baked Shredded Pork Flautas

I love Mexican food, and growing up in California, is probably the main reason for that.  I try to make Mexican food as often as my family allows.  We can't have Mexican food too often since my son's will only eat one Mexican dish, quasadillas.  My sister Jenifer lived with us for a short time, when we lived in our first house in California, and she introduced flautas to me.  She made them with mashed potatoes. I have filled them with mashed potatoes and with shredded chicken. The potato flautas I made were fried, but I have learned they are just as yummy baked.  This recipe uses shredded pork, and they are baked.  What is the difference between a flauta and a taquito?  Flautas are made with flour tortillas and taquitos are made with corn tortillas.  

 This is how to feed a craving for Mexican food, so yummy.

Ingredients for this Recipe:

8 large Flour Tortillas
1 pint Enchilada Sauce (I used my homemade sauce, recipe found here)
1 lb. Pork Sirloin Tip Roast
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
3/4 cup crumbled Queso Fresco Cheese
Vegetable Oil

Process:

 Combine garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl.  Mix.

 Butterfly the roast and rub all over with spice blend.

 I used a rotisserie to cook mine.  Place in the kabob basket.

 Cook pork in rotisserie for 35 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 Fahrenheit

 Shred the pork with your hands or two forks.

Pour enchilada sauce over shredded pork in medium sauce pan on medium heat.  Stir, cover
with lid and cook for five minutes after it boils.

 Hers is the crumbled queso fresco, so yummy.

Using tongs, place 1/4 cup shredded pork on the tortilla along one of the sides and add 1-2
tablespoons cheese.

Brush vegetable oil on a cookie sheet.  Roll the flautas in the oil on the pan so all sides are
coated with oil.

Sprinkle smoked paprika and garlic on the flautas.

 Bake the flautas for 10-15 minutes, until brown on the edges.

Dip in the remaining enchilada sauce, enjoy with some homemade guacamole like the recipe
I posted here or maybe some sour cream.

Enjoy!

Baked Shredded Pork Flautas
Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

8 large Flour Tortillas
1 pint Enchilada Sauce (I used my homemade sauce, recipe found here)
1 lb. Pork Sirloin Tip Roast
1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
3/4 cup crumbled Queso Fresco Cheese
Vegetable Oil

Process:

Combine garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl.  Mix.

Butterfly the roast and rub all over with spice blend.

Cook pork in kabob basket of a rotisserie for 35 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 Fahrenheit

Shred the pork with your hands or two forks.

Pour enchilada sauce over shredded pork in medium sauce pan on medium heat.  Stir, cover with lid and cook for five minutes after it boils.

Using tongs, place 1/4 cup shredded pork on the tortilla along one of the sides and add 1-2 tablespoons cheese.

Brush vegetable oil on a cookie sheet.  Roll the flautas in the oil on the pan so all sides are coated with oil.

Sprinkle smoked paprika and garlic on the flautas.

Bake the flautas for 10-15 minutes, until brown on the edges.

Enjoy!

German's Chocolate Cake

On June 3, 1957, the recipe for German's Chocolate Cake appeared in the Dallas Morning Star "Recipe of the Day" submitted by Mrs. George Clay.  The recipe is named for the brand of chocolate used in the recipe, German's chocolate.  German's chocolate was created by Sam German for the Baker's Chocolate company in 1852.  German's chocolate is similar to semi-sweet chocolate in taste.  I first made this cake for my husband's birthday a few years ago.  Since then my youngest daughter has requested it for her birthday.  I made this cake for my daughter Haley's 10th birthday this weekend.   This recipe is completely homemade.  

Yummy cake, half frosting and half cake! Awesome!

Ingredients for Cake:

1 cup Butter

1 1/4 cups White Granulated Sugar

6 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup Boiling Water

2 cups Cake Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 cup Buttermilk

4 Egg Yolks

4 Egg Whites

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Ingredients for Coconut Pecan Frosting:

3 cups Cane Sugar (White Granulated Sugar can be substituted)
1 3/4 cups Butter
2 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
8 Egg Yolks
1 12 Ounce Can Evaporated Milk
2 cups Pecans
14 ounces Shredded Sweetened Coconut

Process for Cake:

Preheat Oven to 350 Fahrenheit

 Place butter and sugar in stand mixer bowl and mix with a whisk attachment until fluffy.

Does that look like fluffy sugar?  I always assume yes, since fluffy and sugar just don't make sense to me truthfully. Fluffy can be used to describe sugar spun into cotton candy but mixed with butter I don't get it.  Anyway, whip it good until it looks like this.

Place chocolate chips in a bowl and add hot water.  Allow to sit for 1 minute.

I used my electric water kettle to heat up the water.

 After the minute has ended, stir the chocolate until it looks uniform in appearance and texture.

 Add egg yolks to butter sugar mixture and beat on low until combined.  Add flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and mix until combined.  Mix in egg yolks.  

 Pour melted chocolate, buttermilk, and vanilla into cake batter and mix.

Whip egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.

 Gently fold in 1/3 of egg whites, and repeat until all egg whites are in the batter.

Now this looks light and fluffy, right?  I think so.  This is a beautiful chocolate batter.  I want to
 eat it all right now, but I will cook it first.

Prepare two 9 inch round cake pans by rubbing butter on the inside and placing parchment paper
 on the bottom.  Divide cake batter between the two prepared 9 inch cake pans.  I used my kitchen
 scale to measure and make sure both of these pans had the exact same amount of batter.  Yes I can
be that picky and obsessive compulsive.  When I was a kid, and people asked me why I was the
way I was, I told them, what do you expect, I have two perfectionist parents.  Of course, they
would have a child like me.  We didn't call it Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  Does that make
me old?  I started being OCD before OCD was PC.  The term used in my home was being a perfectionist. I'm distracted, sorry.  Now bake your cakes in the middle of the oven for 24-28
minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Allow cakes to set in the pans for a few minutes and remove to cooling racks.

When cakes have cooled, place on parchment paper.

Process for Coconut Pecan Frosting:

                                      

Combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, egg yolks, and vanilla extract in medium saucepan 

over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes or until thick.  

 Strain through a sieve.

 Stir in coconut and chopped pecans.

Chill frosting.

Look at all that frosting.  Yes, I doubled the frosting for my recipe and I am okay with it. 

Process for German's Chocolate Cake:

I placed a large plate on my cake and began slicing through with the knife butted up against the
plate to evenly cut the cake in half.  Cut both cakes, now you have four layers.

With the cut side up for the first layer, scoop some of your cooled frosting in the middle.  I started
with about 1 1/2 cups of frosting.  If that seems like too little, add more.

 Spread frosting evenly over cake.  Repeat until all four layers have been stacked together.

 Last step, take the remaining frosting and cover the whole cake.

Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

German's Chocolate Cake

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients for Cake:

1 cup Butter

1 1/4 cups White Granulated Sugar

6 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup Boiling Water

2 cups Cake Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 cup Buttermilk

4 Egg Yolks

4 Egg Whites

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Ingredients for Coconut Pecan Frosting:

3 cups Sugar

1 3/4 cups Butter

2 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

8 Egg Yolks

1 12 Ounce Can Evaporated Milk

2 cups Pecans

14 ounces Shredded Sweetened Coconut

Process for Cake:

Preheat Oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Place butter and sugar in stand mixer bowl and mix with a whisk attachment until fluffy.

Place chocolate chips in a bowl and add hot water.  allow to sit for 1 minute.

After the minute has ended stir the chocolate until it looks uniform in appearance and texture.

Add egg yolks to butter sugar mixture and beat on low until combined.  Add flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and mix until combined.  Mix in egg yolks.  

Pour melted chocolate, buttermilk, and vanilla into cake batter and mix.

Whip egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.

Gently fold in 1/3 of egg whites, and repeat until all egg whites are in the batter.

Prepare two 9 inch round cake pans by rubbing butter on the inside and placing parchment paper on the bottom.  

Divide cake batter between the two prepared 9 inch cake pans. Bake for 24-28 minutes.

Allow cakes to set in the pans for a few minutes and remove to cooling racks.

When cakes have cooled, place one of the cakes on a parchment paper lined cake stand.

Process for Coconut Pecan Frosting:

Combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, egg yolks, and vanilla extract in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes or until thick.  

Strain through a sieve.

Stir in coconut and chopped pecans.

Chill frosting.

Process for German's Chocolate Cake:

Cut both cakes, now you have four layers.

With the cut side up for the first layer, scoop some of your cooled frosting in the middle.  I started with about 1 1/2 cups of frosting, if it seems to little add more.

Spread frosting evenly over cake, repeat until all four layers have been stacked together.

Use the remaining frosting and cover the whole cake.

Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Super Size Samoa Cookie

My daughters are Girl Scouts, and our troop leader's birthday was this week so I promised her an oversized Samoa Girl Scout cookie to celebrate.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep my promise, since my oven was broken, but thankfully it was fixed today.  After eating a couple of Samoa cookies for testing purposes, I was able to pinpoint the flavor components.  Then I thought about how to execute my giant cookie recipe and well I think I might have created a monster cookie to end all cookie cravings.  This is for our troop leader Meredith, who whole heartedly agreed with my crazy plan to super size a Samoa cookie in honor of her birthday.

This is the ultimate Samoa cookie!

Ingredients for Shortbread:

2 cups 00 Tipo flour (or Cake flour)
1 cup (2 sticks) Butter
1/2 cup Cane Sugar (or white granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon Lemon Extract
1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

Preheat Oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Beat the butter and sugar in stand mixer with beater attachment until combined.

Mix in flour and salt.

Divide batter into two 9 inch cake pans and press down flat.  I used a piece of plastic wrap to push flat.  

Bake for 15-20 minutes or lightly golden brown.

Allow shortbread to cool in pans for 10 minutes in pan.

Remove shortbread from pans and place on parchment paper.

Ingredients for Coconut Caramel Topping:

1/2 Half & Half
1 cup Turbinado Sugar (or Brown sugar)
4 tablespoons Butter
Pinch of Sea Salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
3 cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes

Toast coconut on sheet pan for up to 10 minutes in 350 preheated oven.  Be sure to stir coconut every two minutes to help evenly cook.

Pour half & half into medium sauce pan, add sugar and butter.

Cook over medium/low burner.

Whisk occasionally and cook for 7 minutes.

Add vanilla and cook for another 1 minute.

Turn off heat and add coconut, stir.  Allow to cool.

Ingredients for Chocolate Base & Topping:

2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Place a small sauce pan on stove with two inches water, then set a small metal or glass bowl over pan.

Set burner to medium on stove.

Pour chocolate chips into bowl.

Stir chocolate chips occasionally until melted.

Using a spatula spread a thin layer of chocolate on parchment paper the size of the cookies.

Place cookies on chocolate.

Spread equal amounts of coconut caramel on top of both cookies.

I put the remaining chocolate in a squeeze bottle for this next step,  I kept the chocolate squeeze bottle in warm water to keep it from getting solid and cold.

Squeeze chocolate or drizzle chocolate with a spoon onto cookies.  I tried to be traditional and make them like the actual Girl scout Samoa cookies but you may decorate with the chocolate however you wish.

Refrigerate cookie until chocolate becomes solid.

Enjoy!

Super Size Samoa Cookies

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients for Shortbread:

2 cups 00 Tipo Flour (or Cake flour)

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (or White Granulated Sugar)

1 teaspoon Lemon Extract

1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

Process:

Preheat Oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Beat the butter and sugar in stand mixer with beater attachment until combined.

Mix in flour and salt.

Divide batter into two 9 inch cake pans and press down flat.  I used a piece of plastic wrap to push flat.  

Bake for 15-20 minutes or lightly golden brown.

Allow shortbread to cool in pans for 10 minutes in pan.

Remove shortbread from pans and place on parchment paper.

Ingredients for Coconut Caramel Topping:

1/2 Half & Half

1 cup Turbinado Sugar (or Brown sugar)

4 tablespoons Butter

Pinch of Sea Salt

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

3 cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes

Process:

Pour half & half into medium sauce pan, add sugar and butter.

Cook over medium/low burner.

Whisk occasionally and cook for 7 minutes.

Add vanilla and cook for another 1 minute.

Toast coconut on sheet pan for up to 10 minutes in 350 preheated oven.  

Be sure to stir coconut every two minutes to help evenly cook.

Turn off heat and add coconut, stir.  Allow to cool.

Ingredients for Chocolate Base & Topping:

2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Process:

Place a small sauce pan on stove with two inches water, then set a small metal or glass bowl over pan.

Set burner to medium on stove.

Pour chocolate chips into bowl.

Stir chocolate chips occasionally until melted.

Using a spatula spread a thin layer of chocolate on parchment paper the size of the cookies.

Place cookies on chocolate.

Spread equal amounts of coconut caramel on top of both cookies.

Drizzle melted chocolate using a spoon or squeeze bottle onto cookie in either lines or a pattern of your choice.

Refrigerate cookie until chocolate becomes solid.

Enjoy!