Lasagna a la Mr. P

If you are new to my humble little blog, I am a teacher, and as such, being a state employee (and mind you, I absolutely LOVE my job!!!), I am paid once a month.  With that said, I must budget very carefully.  My budget is not overflowing, on the contrary, it is pretty tight.  Therefore, if anything - despite planning ahead - big happens, such as renewing car license registration, renewing auto insurance, etc., the remaining disposable income after bills shrinks exponentially.  Yikes! With that, I am sometimes bound to creating what I call Pantry Budget Meals.  They are not the most exciting, and certainly not the most mundane.  They require basic pantry items most of us have stocked in our pantrys for those rainy day meals.  I grew up on those.  Remember when I blogged about my mom's mini pizzas?  Stuff on Fritos?  Those were all pantry meals bred out of budget necessity, from way, way back to the old days. This has been on my mind for some time, now, and I have decided to dedicate several recipes to a new series, Pantry Budget Meals. I am starting with what I call "Lasagna a la Mr. P".  That's me! This simple, simple lasagna is made up of pantry and freezer items we normally stock up on, and, a fairly new pantry item time-pressed people will really appreciate.  It is nothing really new, but it is a time saver and makes the construction of the lasagna far easier.  Stay tuned!

Here is my starting line up:  

1 pound ground beef

1 large yellow or red onion

3 - 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

fresh or dried oregano and thyme leaves (fresh, finely chopped), teaspoon of each

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I like a little heat)

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 box oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles*

non-stick spray

1 28oz can crushed or tomato pure'  (I Love Cento!)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I Love Cento!)

Mozzarella cheese, grated

(I also had much of a mozzarella round leftover so I used it as well)

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. 

 In a high-sided sauce pan, add the evoo over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to ripple, add the ground beef, salt and pepper and cook about five minutes, breaking up the meat and allowing it to caramelize (brown).  Add the onion and garlic and mix well.  Allow to cook, stirring occasionally for about five minutes more. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and fresh herbs and incorporate well.  *It really does not matter if you add the dried Italian seasoning first. The fresh herbs are strong and will balance the flavors already present; the dried herbs are stronger and will finish off the meal aromatically and with great condensed flavor. All good!  Bring the mixture to a boil and add the red wine vinegar.  Stir vigorously to incorporate and reduce the heat to low.  Partially cover for twenty minutes.  Afterward, let simmer on low for another fifteen minutes.  Actually, the longer you allow the flavors to marry, the better, so IF you have an hour or so to kill, let it simmer low and slow!  

IF NOT, let's assemble.  Using a 9" by 11" baking pan, spray thoroughly with the non-stick spray. Using a ladle, add a good cup or so of the sauce to the bottom of the pan.  Place a layer of the stiff lasagna noodles over the pan.  If you have to break it a little, a tip:  use a knife or food mover and break at that edge.  It is not always a pretty break, but it helps. Recap:  layer of sauce, noodles, now, another layer of sauce. Top it generously with grated mozzarella cheese.  Place another layer of noodles.  Top that with a genrous helping of the sauce.  Top that with much more cheese.  I placed partial discs of ball mozzarella, looking like half circles, and topped that with a little leftover parmesan cheese. 

Showing you the strata, or, layers.  Keep going!

Ready for the oven!  I have not sprinkled on the parmesan yet, in this photo. 

Bake for twenty minutes covered with foil, ten minutes uncovered. 

Piping hot, fresh out of the oven!  You in???

The great thing is, we made this meal with items we have on hand, most all of them, in our pantry, garden, and refrigerator, freezer! There is absolutely No requirement that you use the exact ingredients I did. To be honest, all of the ingredients, except the fresh herbs, which came from my potted patio garden, were on sale at the grocery store.  Each of them! My local grocer happens to carry Cento products, which I love, and I purchase them on sale and stock up!  I urge you to do the same.  Stock up on sale items you often use for budget-friendly meals, whether out of necessity or not.  To just have them at the ready is perfect for those days when you just cannot get out to the store.  Use what you have on hand!  It is less expensive, overall, and your family will appreciate your cooking from them.  Cooking for your family and friends shows just how much you  love them. 

With that.....
 

Thank You, gentle readers, for your generous time! I truly appreciate ALL of you who take the time to view and read my recipes.  Immensely grateful!!!

 

Flatbread Pizza with Sopressata and Egg

As a teacher, I get paid once a month.  I oftentimes need to stretch a buck.  I have become quite adept at making pantry meals work.  I have learned to purchase pita bread and flatbread or Naan packages and freeze for those evenings when I just do not want to put forth great effort into cooking, but, I want something really good. THIS, my friends, is one of those meals. Those of you not new to my humble, little blog know that I LOVE sopressata, a spicy Italian thinly sliced sausage. I also threw in on one of the two pizzas I made, a few Spanish Chorizo slices; I'd only had a scant few slices left over. 

Here is the run-down:

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. 

Have at the ready whatever your favorite or on-hand cheeses are.  Since I am mostly off of yellow oil-based cheeses, though I desperately love them, which I why I am taking a break from them as they love me too much, I used mozzarella and jalapeno jack cheeses, which are what I had on hand. I added about three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (evoo) to a small bowl, added a fully crushed garlic clove to infuse the oil with flavor and let it set for a few minutes. 

Next, I set aside the following (some are repeated):

Mozzarella cheese

eight slices of sopressata

four slices of Spanish chorizo (all I had left)

4 sprigs of fresh oregano from my potted patio garden 

4 sprigs fresh thyme (also from my garden, finely chopped)

2 eggs

fresh ground black pepper

1/2 a small red onion, thinly slivered

3 cloves garlic, sliced into chips

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil with one crushed clove garlic added, set aside

 2 tablespoons jalapeno olive oil

 I simply brush a flat bread with the garlic infused evoo, top with the onion slivers and garlic chips, cover that with a half cup or so of mozzarella and rolled up or folded sopressata slices. I bake it for four minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a skillet, I add the jalapeno olive oil over medium-high heat.  I break two eggs into the skillet when hot. I fold the runny egg whites back toward the yolk gently with a spatula and gently cook until the whites are soft but done.  I remove the flatbread pizza and top with the egg and allow it to bake another four minutes.  Eight minutes, total, is all it needs. 

I garnish the flatbread pizza with fresh oregano and thyme and the black pepper. 

 Twins!

And, cut and ready for service!

  This is a non-painful, easy thirty-minute meal. Two pizzas can feed four people, and you will leave your family and guests wanting more!  You can dress them up even more, adding roasted veg (I have made these with roasted broccoli) or Any toppings YOU enjoy.  That is the idea of food, even dishes that require little effort, right?  That YOU and your family  enjoy it!  

As always, I am grateful for your readership, gentle readers!  I hope you try this easy and fast flatbread pizza recipe, make it yours, and have fun with it!!!

 

 

Pasta Gigli with Fresh Aromatic Tomato Sauce and Pan Seared, Oven Finished Chicken

I woke up unnecessarily early Wednesday with the urge, no, the need to make fresh pasta sauce.  Rummaging through the fairly new arrivals to my refrigerator, I pulled out four Roma tomatoes and basil, and from my aromatics bowl, one huge sweet red onion and a head of garlic. From my potted patio garden, I clipped fresh oregano and thyme.  My basil is still making a comeback after a worm attack; my sage is staging a comeback, as well, so I used store bought basil.  While I was cooking only for myself, I found that my ingredients, made enough sauce to feed three easily.  Had I had two or three more tomatoes and had I used three-fourths of the onion, rather than half of it, I could have made enough sauce to feed a family of four.  Easy.  With that in mind, while I am going to list the ingredients as I used them for my simple meal, adjust the ingredients list (it is very short) accordingly to meet your need!  This is my simplest recipe that does not involve the use of Any canned ingredients. I loved it. 

Ingredients Starting Line-Up

1 1/4 cups Gigli pasta (bells)

4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 large red onion, coarsely chopped 

3 large garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped

2 sprigs fresh oregano, pull leaves and finely chop with the thyme

4 sprigs fresh thyme 

6 - 8  basil leaves, torn or chiffonade 

2 teaspoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice or, one tablespoon of red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil, three tablespoons plus two more, separated

In a medium sauce pan or skillet, even, add three tablespoons of evoo, about three rounds of the skillet or sauce pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil begins to ripple, add the onion and half of the garlic.  Stir and keep it moving.  You do not want the garlic to brown. Add a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper and stir.  The salt helps the onion sweat, releasing its sweet goodness. 

When the onions just begin to become translucent, add the tomatoes and the rest of the garlic. Stir and let cook at medium-high about three or so minutes.  Add the lemon juice or red wine vinegar and the fresh chopped herbs.  Stir to incorporate and allow the mixture to come to a bubble. Add a quarter cup of water, if needed. Different stove tops, different heat levels.  If the mixture begins to dry out, add the water.  You want the flavors to have the time to marry, as you will be reducing the heat to low for twenty minutes to simmer and break down the tomatoes further.  

Started with onion and garlic, then added the tomatoes. 

Meanwhile, as all of this aromatic goodness is breaking down and those flavors marry, bring three of four quarts of water to a boil.  Liberally salt the pasta water and add the Gigli (bell) pasta or whatever small pasta, such as Penne  or Fusilli that you would like. The Gigli catches the sauce in its little ripples and bell shape so you enjoy the fresh sauce along with a generous but not overpowering mouth full of pasta and sauce. I am getting ahead of myself!  Back to the pasta!  As I said, liberally salt the water, as it is the only chance you will have to season the pasta.  Follow the directions (if you can read them, as the bag I buy is imported from Italy and I can make out only some of the Italian directions, but not all), and so I follow my experience and boil, stirring occasionally for eight to ten minutes.  Stirring immediately prevents the pasta from sticking the bottom of your pot. 

While the pasta is boiling away, it should be time to break down the pasta sauce.  I wanted mine to be smooth, as opposed to chunky.  I put the hot, but cooling, mixture in my Ninja blender (Thanks, friend Spinner!  Such a fantastic gift!) along with the remaining evoo in the bottom, and blended all of it until smooth.  Seconds is all that thing takes!  I placed the sauce back into my skillet until time to toss with the pasta. 

I used a handled strainer utensil instead of a colander to scoop up and add the pasta to the sauce skillet.  I added a small amount of the starchy pasta water and thoroughly tossed the pasta with the sauce until the pasta was fully coated with the fresh pasta sauce.  The aroma was incredible, if I don't say so, myself!

I served my pasta with chicken coated with garlic and seared in Jalapeno olive oil and oven finished.  So delightful!  

 Sorry for the fuzzy shot.....Here is a better one.....

Enjoy!

Once again, Thank You, gentle readers, for your time and readership

Meatless Monday Meal (on Tuesday, but who's counting?)

Cheesy Couscous Stuffed Baby Bells with Marinated Summer Salad and Garlic Cheesy Bread

I have joined the "Meatless Monday" bandwagon of a late and have been looking for recipes that will be filling and satisfying.  I say that because, as you already know, I am carnivoric by nature, so being perfectly happy with a non-animal protein meal is difficult. I have been experimenting and enjoying a few meals and I do believe I have a winner!  Let's get to my starting line-up!

Ingredients for the couscous and bells:

1 box of your favorite coucous (I used garlic pearl couscous)

extra virgin olive oil (evoo) 2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon for the skillet

1 cup parmesan cheese

fresh chopped rosemary, thyme and oregano

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

4 baby bell peppers

1 1/4 cup water or chicken stock (I used chicken stock)

fresh ground black pepper

Summer Marinated Salad 

1/4 cup evoo

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I love Cento)

1 tablespoon Mirin (my new favorite)

1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning or fresh chopped herbs (I did use fresh herbs)

1 tablespoon stone ground spicy mustard with white wine 

3 Roma tomatoes, slivered

1 mostly peeled cucumber, thin discs on grater or mandolin

1 red onion, sliced into thin crescents

Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly.  Add the tomatoes, onion and cucumber and toss liberally.  Cover and let marinate as long as possible.  

Back to the bells!  In a sauce pan, add the two tablespoons evoo and a tiny amount of fresh grated or finely chopped garlic over low heat.  Allow the garlic to infuse the evoo with its flavor for five or so  minutes.  Elevate the heat to medium-high and add the couscous when the garlic begins to sizzle.  Stir to coat the pearl couscous thoroughly.  Add the water or chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Basically, follow the directions on the box of your favorite couscous, then add the fresh herbs and stir to thoroughly incorporate. The aromas will be stunning! Cover, reduce the heat and allow it to finish cooking.  When the cooking time allotted by the box directions has expired, add two heaping tablespoons of the parmesan cheese.  For extreme freshness, fresh grate parmigiano-reggiano and add. Because I added this cheese, I did not add salt to the list of ingredients. 

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. 

In the meantime, while the couscous is cooking and cooling a bit, prep the bells.  On a cutting board, slice off the lumpy bottom of the bells.  This will help them stand up.  Next, slice off the top about a half inch from the stem. Rib and seed the peppers, noting that most all of the seeds will be under the stem cap. Add the rest of the evoo to a skillet to coat. (Another tip I thought about, but for a large scale process, if you are feeding a family of four or more, use a muffin tin sprayed with non-stick spray, which will help the peppers stand up better). Stand the peppers, cap side down in the skillet. 

The following is a visual progression of my stuffing the peppers.  

 

 I add a little cheese to the bottom of the bell, stuff it, rounding the top with couscous, and top it with more cheese.  Remember, there is Parmesan in the couscous already!

Ready for the Parmesan topping!

 Ready for the oven!

 Bake at 350-degrees for twenty to thirty minutes!  Cool away from heat for ten to fifteen minutes before handling to allow the cheese to set and the pepper to maintain its form. 

Plate with the bells front and center, perhaps over greens or basil, as I used, and add some of the marinated summer salad and garlic cheesy bread to top it off with brisk texture.  Make it your own.  Plate it your way.  Either way, no matter what, this is healthy and delicious!  Hope you make it and enjoy!

 

 Thank You for your time and readership, gentle readers!  Much Appreciation!

 

 

Happy Anniversary to my little, humble blog!

I just realized that a very important anniversary has passed! Embarrassingly, it must not have been That important to me since I forgot about it during the closing of my school work year.  But it is important to everyone who is me!  My little blog just turned three years old!!!  I wrote my first blog post, my introduction, on Thursday, May 31, 2012.  

I reflected back today, looking back at many photos and recipes:  the good, the really good, the bad and the terrible disasters.  I told you all in the very beginning, my blog is a learning blog, and I will reveal it all, even to  my own detriment!  My goal has been to share with folks that Anyone can learn to cook, we ALL make mistakes, even the big names, and we can learn from them, and, hopefully others can learn from mine and maybe have a laugh at my expense along this learning path. 

The very first recipe I blogged about was a basil chicken pasta on Friday, June 1, 2012.  In hindsight, knowing that the very first dish I learned to cook after recovering from an earth-shattering flu was Rachael Ray's "Cowboy Spaghetti" (Originally titled on her "30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray":  "Spaghetti Western Man Spaghetti"), which started me on this path, you would Think I would have made That dish. No. But it is okay. In fact, I have not made nor blogged that dish at all.  It's coming next month!!!  I need to bring it full-circle.  

I would like to publicly thank myriad people for helping me along this journey.  It has truly become one of my passions in life, along with teaching.  First, two chefs who took me under their wings when I first began blogging and Tweeting on Twitter (I am @grnmn1 on Twitter) are Chef Charlie Ayers (@chefcharlie on Twitter) who gave me extraordinary advice which I STILL have on my phone, even demanded that it be transferred from one damaged phone to the new one a year ago) and Chef Adam Hinojosa (@I_am_chefadam on Twitter). These two amazingly talented Chefs shared their knowledge, skills and time with just a novice home cook;  their generosity and giving spirit is something I will always remember and be adamantly grateful for.  Thank You, Chefs!

In addition, several other Chefs have been instrumental on steering me correctly with quips, advice, sharing Tweets and Facebook posts, messages and chats in person, a couple of them.  HUGE THANKS to the ever supportive Chef Oz of Cueva Bar in San Diego (best Tapas and most friendly guy!), Chef Adrian Cruz of #Cartel Kitchen (which I am a proud and surprised member of), the incredibly talented and driven Chef Chad Kilgore (who I hope to meet next month at an event)! I have picked the minds and experiences of four other indomitable chefs whom I am indebted to for their generosity and mentoring:  Brian Emmett and the hysterically funny and talented Paul McCullough, along with Chef Dustin Morrell and, one whose advice rings in my mind still, Chef Jacob O of Florida. In addition, much gratitude to the ever energetic, supportive and wonderful Chef Vincenzo of Vincenzo's Plate (see him on Twitter at @vincenzosplate and on Youtube). Awesome and genuine presenter, Vincenzo is.  Equally important to me, Chef Kurt Colgan, who personally befriended me and helped teach me many skills, from making pizza from scratch to the BEST homemade pizza sauce Ever, greatly enhancing my knife skills and "frenching" rack of lamb.  Such good times with my bestie, Miss Maria Paz, one of my two greatest supportive friends, who joined us, and Chef Kurt.  

In my original draft, I recoiled in dread because I had left out a tremendously powerful supporter and teacher of mine:  Jason Horn (@thdivewhisperer on Twitter and The Dive Whisperer on YouTube; you Must see his videos!  Incredible!), who continuously presses me to experiment with flavors, challenges me to understand and describe flavors, tastes, textures, aromas and much more. I am driven much because of his unwavering support. He, like my friends mentioned a little later on, is always honest in his critiques and enthusiastically and intelligently supportive. 

There's a major plethora of incredible Chefs who have helped me along the way, and if I name them all, Starbucks, here, where I am typing, will close, open and close again repeatedly before I can name and thank them all.  Regardless, I am truly and ferociously grateful for their unflappable support and patience with me.  One of those is Chef Chris Hill, who has been a patient, supportive collaborative mentor, one whose comments, tips and constant encouragement push  me, challenge me and sparks my creative instinct and passion. A million Thank You's Chef Chris!!! (You can find Chef Chris Hill on Facebook and Instagram at @thechefchrishill).

I want to take a moment to express my undying adoration for and gratitude to my friends Anne, Maria and Erin.  Without Anne, in a former life, you might say, my very early years of practice in the kitchen, which graduated to our "Standing Wednesday Night Dinners" at her house, my place, at her aunt's and our friend, Erin's, house, I would never have gained the courage to start my little blog.  With their encouragement, I began to blog.  Thank You, my dear friends, Aunt Deb and Pete for offering me the chance to practice, learn, fail and learn more at your homes! Maria began cooking with me as my supporter and sous chef, but she has surpassed me and I am eating her dust, and I cannot be more proud of her!  Get your kitchen on, Maria! 

I have a bazillion Twitter and Facebook friends who have been undying pillars of support and I cannot be more grateful to them for their daily support.  I want to name them ALL, but again, it will take forever.  But I want to thank some who are, virtually, anyway, in the kitchen with me every day:  My British bestie, Jack, Mr. Jason, Kim and Morgan of SweetnSavory, Eric P, griller extraordindaire, (look for his and soon my food articles on the very cool www.stuffdudeslike.com!), Tony N, Drake, Nicky D, Mark P, the two grillin' Daves, Nick (aka Gooders) and Martin. There are so many more good folks who support me daily.  I am sorry I cannot list everyone, but you all influence and amaze me on a daily basis.  Much Foodie Love and Gratitude!!!

Finally, I cannot close this commemorative never-ending post without thanking the two people who I have come to love and call my friends, Agents, and greatest supporters, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel (photo of Mr. Daniel is posted with Maria's son, Jesse, when we all worked the Wine and Food Pairing last September, but I only recently posted it!) who gave me my big break in catering last May 30th!  It was so special to me, a day when I get choked up just thinking about it, because it was the first time both of my sons and I worked in the kitchen together. Best moments Ever!  Without Mrs. Daniel and her daughter, my videographer extraordinnaire, Miss R, I would Never have summoned the courage to apply for "Chopped: Educator's Episode".  The jury is still out on that application. Stay tuned!

Amazing how things come full-circle.  I am truly honored to know all of you and I cannot be luckier to have you ALL in my life.

With That, THANK YOU for three incredibly flavorful, memorable and delicious (mostly!) years!!!!  Love to you All!!!

Martin

In-House Cook

Fritos Taco Pizza

I have not even checked, generally because I have several versions of similar recipes scattered throughout the history of my humble, little blog, to see if I have written about this recipe before, but I happen to love this one extra special.  It is absolutely NOT a secret that I LOVE tacos and pizza, and I love my family's "Ancient Family Secret", aka "Stuff on Fritos", so why not combine them to satisfy my craving????  Stop the madness, you say?  No, let's START the Madness!!!

There are only a few basic pantry items you will need, and chances are, you have them in your pantry and refrigerator, already!

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large red or yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

2 Fresno chiles, seeded and ribbed and sliced into discs or finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 sprigs fresh oregano, minced

6 sprigs fresh thyme, minced  *Note:  you can, of course, use dried herbs for this!

1 4-ounce can diced roasted green chilies

1  12-16 ounce can refried beans (Your favorite frijoles; I like the jalapeno version)

2 cups cheese, your favorite

1 bag of your favorite fresh pizza dough 

Salt and Pepper

1 teaspoon coriander and cumin seeds, ground

1 bag Fritos  (I used the Chile seasoned Fritos)

*My mom likes lettuce atop hers, and I do not.  You can decide on any condiments you like, such as sour cream or Mexican crema, greens; just whatever good things you like.  I, personally, like to put halved grape or cherry tomatoes, more diced green roasted chiles, Tapatio sauce, cheese, or a garlicky, spicy salsa atop mine with fresh cilantro).  

 

 The first time I made this, for expediency sake, I used all dried spices.  If this is something you are making because your kids invited their friends over for dinner without really asking, this is a really filling meal, and, you probably have many of the ingredients already on-hand. Using fresh spices is not necessary!  You could use granulated garlic and granulated onion, dried oregano, dried chile spices and coriander and cumin seeds (shown above) rather than go raid the garden or have to go to the store!

Well, the hard part is over!  After you have prepped the onion, garlic and herbs (if you are going to use all granulated spices, then this is the Really easy part!!!),  it is time to assemble!  Add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil begins to ripple, add the ground beef. When much of the beef has begun to caramelize, add the fresh herbs, onion and the garlic.  Add a little salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate and let cook for about four minutes, until the onions just begin to turn translucent. Add the can of frijoles and combine completely. Add the Fresno chiles and some of the diced green chiles and stir to incorporate.  Reduce the heat to low and allow the simmer, so the flavors can marry. Bet your kitchen smells FANtastic!

In the meantime, it is pizza shaping time.  I cheat.  I admit it!  I have used my awesome pizza stone which my great friend, Miss Maria, who I hope will be featured again soon! gave me a few years ago, but I find it SO MUCH EASIER to use my cast iron skillet to make this pizza.  It just fits and cooks Evenly.  Cast iron skillet cooking is versatile and it makes everything much simpler. I spray the bottom of the cast iron skillet with non-stick evoo spray.  (Whatever spray is fine). Remove the pizza dough, add a slight drizzle of evoo to it and spread it out in the bottom of the cast iron pizza, pressing the sides up a little to form a lip around the circumference of the bottom of the skillet. Next, add half of your cheeses. Atop that, add the beefy frijole mixture. Top with more cheese, more roasted diced green chiles, top with a little cheese, a lot of the Fritos, and sprinkle more cheese atop that.  

Ready for the cheese and Fritos!

Ready for the oven!

Into the oven we goooooo!

Fresh out of the oven and out of the skillet!  Ready for a slice???

Thick, hearty, full of flavor and history, too! This is a great, easily put together skillet meal for the family and friends!  

Thank You, Gentle Readers, for your time and viewership!  I always appreciate your time!

Easter Dinner Fiesta!

I know this is quite belated, but as they say, whoever They are, better late than never!  Once again, my family decided to go against the norm, as we have for a couple of years now, and have a Taco Bar for a major holiday.  Tacos are right up my alley, so I immediately went to work. Marinated, seared and braised pull pork, ground beef (my mom's request) and sides, such as my Green Chile, Refried Bean and Cheesy dip. This is not a recipe-by-recipe blog post as my varied pulled pork taco recipes are littered throughout my entire blog.  

I marinated two pork shoulder butt roasts in a mixture of fresh orange and tangerine and grapefruit juices (to make a citrus Pibil), along with fresh crushed garlic, grated onion and fresh chile ancho paste, mirin and extra virgin olive oil.  I let that work its tenderizing and flavoring magic overnight before searing the roasts.  I placed the roasts in two dutch ovens over a bed of thick sliced onions (which you can see I saved some and placed them in the Pibil) and topped with fresh orange discs. The balance between savory, heat and sweet and tart juices was just incredible, if I don't say so, myself.  I felt that I had done "good".  In in small, taco truck sized corn tortillas, they are awesome with fresh made salsa verde!

My mother, as I mentioned, above, loves hard shell tacos, and she has fallen in love with the flat-bottomed shells.  I made her ground beef tacos, at her request. I used my Mexican Spice Blend with fresh onion, garlic, diced, roasted green chiles.  My Mexican Spice blend is a mix of smoked paprika, chipotle powder, pasilla powder, dried, crushed oregano, ground time leaves, salt and pepper, granulated garlic and granulated onion and crushed cumin and coriander seeds (which I grind in my spice grinder or my mortar and pestle).  I toasted my spice blend before grinding it and using it in my taco meat. 

This photo was taken before my spice blend was added, except for salt and pepper. 

Next, a dip recipe my mom and I concocted together.  My family loves our "ancient family secret" recipe, which I have blogged several versions of:  "Stuff on Fritos".  Started off back in the old days as venison with wild onions and wild garlic on corn bread.  Its other incarnation is currently "Indian Tacos" on fry bread (which I have blogged; you can find the recipe here!) and for modern times, Stuff on Fritos.  For the fun of it, I call it our Ancient Family Secret. With that said and aside, mom and I decided to mix refried beans with diced green chiles, two heaping tablespoons of my Mexican spice blend, onion and garlic.  We layered it.  In a bread baking pan, I placed a layer of the refried bean mixture, a layer of cheddar cheese (I would have used Oaxaca or a Mexican white cheese, but my mom wanted cheddar) and repeated until it had all been used.  Finally, we topped that with a thick layer of cheddar, green chiles that had been left over, and a mix of my spice blend and lemon pepper.  We baked it at 350-degrees for forty minutes.  Wonderful dip for Any occasion!

 The Layered Bean Dip

And now for a short narrative of the entire spread.....

 Other than the usual condiments, tomatoes, sour cream and cheddar cheese, I made guacamole with cilantro, red onion and oregano.  I also made my citrus salad with mozzarella and balsamic drizzle.  In the center are two small dishes.  One is my layered bean dip, and the other is shredded chicken with chipotle in adobo, onion, garlic, thyme, cilantro and my spice blend for tacos. 

Easter Spread is complete!

I love it when my family, who, for fifty years, was stuck in tradition, steps and thinks out of the box and enjoys colorful, flavorful non-traditional dishes on holidays!  Perhaps YOU can start your own traditions, too!

Thank You for your time and readership, gentle readers!