Luau Pizza

I had some bbq pork in my freezer left over from my mother-in-law's birthday party, and wanted something quick for supper.  The pork was excellent for sandwiches, and I would recommend it for a party or any occasion!  My husband and I love pizza, so I am always trying different flavors that we can't get at a pizza shop.  This pizza is a combination of bbq pork, pineapple, carmelized onions, and cheese.  I don't normally like fruit on savory foods, but the pineapple is essential for this dish!  It gives this pizza a perfect tang flavor that I love so very much!

First start out by making the dough.  Combine the yeast and warm water.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the salt, sugar, and flour.

With the mixer on low speed, drizzle olive oil in the flour mixture.

Stir the yeast mixture and pour into the dough.  Mix until just combined.  Then coat a separate mixing bowl with olive oil and place dough in bowl.  Turn the dough once to coat completely with the olive oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for one hour or until doubled in size.

Next, make the bbq sauce.  You can also buy some from the store, but I always prefer homemade.  I love the way it makes my kitchen smell!

Caramelize the onions, grate the cheese, cut up the pineapple, and spread it all over the pizza. 

For the pizza dough:

1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 heaping tablespoons Sugar
⅓ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (115-120 F) water.
In a mixer, combine flour, sugar,and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for one hour.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork:
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup ketchup
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato paste
4 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
7 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons black pepper
5 pounds pork butt, cut into 2 pieces
Combine all of the ingredients except the pork butt and the buns in a large slow cooker. Stir together with a spoon until well combined.  Add the 2 pieces of pork and place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook for 8 hours on low or until pork is tender and easily pulls apart from the bone.
Take two forks and shred the pork. Place the pork back into the slow cooker with the remaining sauce. Stir well and serve on rolls or buns.
Serves 25
Source: Two Peas and Their Pod, originally adapted from What's Gaby Cooking?

Barbecue Sauce:
1 1/2 C. Ketchup
1/4 C. molasses
2 T. cider vinegar
3 T. honey
1 1/2 t. Tobasco
1/2 t. liquid smoke
2 heaping T. brown sugar
1/4 t. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small saucepan and cook on low for 15-20 minutes.

Luau Pizza:
pizza dough
1 C. bbq sauce (I like mine saucy, but you can use less or more)
2 1/2 C. pulled pork, finely shredded
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 C. 1/2-in. pineapple chunks
1/2 C. mozzarella pearls or shredded cheese (I used the pearls)
1 C. shredded smoked Gouda cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Drizzle olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat.  Once the skillet is hot, saute the red onion until it has carmelized to a golden brown. 
Grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Use fingers to make small indentations all over the dough to let the sauce and toppings soak in.
Spread bbq sauce over the dough, then layer the pork, onions, and pineapple.  Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top.
Bake the pizza for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.  Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Caramel Rolls

Earlier this week I was seriously craving monkey bread, but I wanted to try something different that tasted like it.  So, I experimented with cinnamon rolls and added a fantastic caramel cream cheese glaze.  The result, a sinful breakfast!  And it does taste like monkey bread!

Can we say party in the mouth?!  I apologize for not documenting the step by step process.  It was a rainy day, and terrible for taking pictures.

Rolls:

3-3 1/2 C. flour

1/3 C. sugar

1 t. salt

2 packages of active dry yeast

1 C. very warm milk (120 F to 130 F)

1/4 C. butter, softened

1 egg

Caramel:

1 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 C. butter

Filling & Coating:

1 C. sugar

2 T. cinnamon

2 T. butter, melted

Glaze:

4 oz. cream cheese
1 T. unsalted butter
3 T. caramel sauce
1 T. milk
½ t. vanilla extract
1 C. confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of the flour, 1/3 C. sugar, the salt and yeast.  Add warm milk, 1/4 C. butter and egg.  Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently.  Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. 

Place dough on lightly floured surface.  Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy.  Grease large bowl with shortening.  Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides.  Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.  Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

In a heatproof bowl, heat brown sugar and butter in the microwave for 3 minutes.  Pour into ungreased 13x9 inch pan. 

Gently push fist into dough to deflate.  Flatten dough with hands into large rectangle on  lightly floured surface.  Using a pastry brush, spread 2 T. butter on the rolls.  In a shallow bowl, mix 1 C. sugar and 2 T. cinnamon together.  Sprinkle the buttered rolls with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Roll rectangle up tightly, and pinch the edge of dough into roll to seal.  Stretch and shape until even.  Cut roll into 1 1/2 in. slices with a sharp knife.  Place each roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture and cover all sides.  Place slightly apart in pan with caramel sauce.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.

Heat oven to 350 F.  Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand 2 to 3 minutes.  Place heatproof tray or serving plate upside down onto pan; immediately turn tray and pan over.  Let pan remain 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over rolls; remove pan. 

To make the glaze, combine the cream cheese and butter in a small heatproof bowl and microwave in 15-20 second intervals until it is warm enough to whisk together.  Whisk in the caramel sauce, milk and vanilla extract until smooth.  Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.   Swirl the glaze over the top of the cinnamon rolls.  Let cool at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Source: the dough, Betty Crocker Cookbook Bridal Edition, the glaze, Annie's Eats

Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Brownie Bits

I have tried to make ice cream in the past on occasion, and it only ever turned out okay.  I saw a recipe for chocolate ice cream with brownies and thought I would make another attempt.  Boy, am I glad that I did!  My husband claimed this to be some of the best ice cream he's ever eaten, and I would have to agree.  I was surprised when he said that, because he is not one to like rich desserts.  This decadent ice cream almost has a whipped cream or mousse consistency, and it pairs well with the dense brownies.

Here is your ingredient line-up:

For the brownies:

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Whisk in the chopped chocolate.  You only want to stir until the chocolate is just melted.

Remove the chocolate from the heat.  Whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla

Stir in the flour and salt.

Fold in some semisweet chocolate chips.

Line an 8x8 in. pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.  Spread the batter in the baking dish.  Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

For the ice cream:

Combine the milk chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl.  Place over a pan of simmering water. 

Stir until chocolate is melted.

In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk, sugar, and salt.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.

In a medium bowl, whisk together four egg yolks (I saved the egg whites and scrambled them up for hubby's breakfast).  Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks whisking constantly, so the eggs do not cook.

 

Return the milk mixture to the saucepan and heat, stirring constantly.  The mixture will get thick and should reach about 170 F on an instant read thermometer.

The mixture should slightly coat the spoon or rubber scraper. 

Pour custard through a strainer into the milk chocolate mixture.  Then cover and chill mixture in the refrigerator for two or three hours.

In the meantime, cut the brownies into small bits.  Only use half of the batch (I froze the other half).

Freeze batter in the ice cream maker.  Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container and fold in the brownie bits with a spoon.  Freeze.

Enjoy!

 My husband bought me these cute ice cream bowls one year for my birthday.  We have ice cream in them every Tuesday night while watching The Biggest Loser (kind of weird, I know), but we sure do love our ice cream!

Tyler likes his ice cream plain, but I always end up putting gobs of chocolate in mine...kind of embarrassing, but true.  You can't even see my ice cream!  This ice cream doesn't need anything extra, because it is so good on it's own.

Here is the recipe:

Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Brownie Bits

Ingredients:

For the brownies:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1¼ cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

½ cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

For the ice cream:

8 oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped

1½ cups heavy cream

1½ cups whole milk

¾ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

4 large egg yolks

Directions:

To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil with nonstick spray.

Add the butter to a small saucepan and melt.  Whisk in the chopped chocolate and stir just until melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Stir in the flour and salt.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.  Smooth the batter into the prepared baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes, until the center feels just set.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely.  Cut into small bits to be mixed into the ice cream.  (Only half of the brownies are needed for the ice cream.  The remainder can be eaten whole or frozen for later use.)

To make the ice cream, combine the milk chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and set a mesh sieve over the top of the bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and salt.  Heat until the sugar is dissolved.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  When the milk mixture is warm, slowly add to the bowl with the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens just slightly and coats the back of a spoon (170-175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer).  Remove from the heat and pour the custard through the strainer into the milk chocolate mixture.  

Cover and chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  Freeze the batter in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Once frozen, fold in the brownie bits with a spatula. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Sweet and Spicy Egg Salad

Egg salad is not an exciting or new meal, but this recipe I came up with is way to good to keep to myself.  My husband doesn't like plain old egg salad, so I've been playing around with a new recipe every time I make it.  I went to town in the kitchen and kicked it up a notch!  It's very zesty!

I put green pepper in the egg salad only because I didn't have celery, and it tasted really good!

This pepper relish is fantastic.  I only ever mixed it with cream cheese before to make a dip.  I found it in my cupboard and thought it might be good with egg salad...it was good, and would be good with pretty much anything in my book.

Sweet and Spicy Egg Salad

Serves 4
Six hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
one small onion, finely diced
1/2 C. mayo (I used light mayo)
1 T. prepared mustard
1/2 C. green pepper, diced
1/8 t. cayenne
1/4 t.salt
1/4 t. pepper
Sweet n' Hot Pepper & Onion Relish
lettuce
eight slices of bread

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, onion, mayo, mustard, green pepper, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Stir until combined.  Scoop egg salad onto bread and top with the pepper relish and lettuce.  Devour.

Cheddar Ale Spread

I made this spread for my mother-in-law's surprise 60th birthday.  The party was at my house, and I wanted to make easy party food.  This spread is definitely quick to whip up, and who doesn't love cheese and crackers?!  Everyone will munch on it all day long!

See!  Someone was already into it before I could take a picture.

Here are the ingredients you will need.  You can probably use any kind of beer.

Combine the cream cheese, mustard, cheddar cheese, Tabasco, salt, and heavy cream in the food processor.  Pulse for 30 seconds.

Add the beer and pulse until smooth.

Spread the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and lightly toast in the oven for five to ten minutes at 350 F.

Add the toasted hazelnuts and fresh parsley to the cheese.  Pulse the mixture until the hazelnuts and parsley are just mixed in.

Serve immediately.  I bought Flip Sides and wheat Toasteds for my cheese spread, but any cracker or pretzel is good.  I think the pretzels were the best!  

Cheddar Ale Spread
8 oz cream cheese
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 ½ cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
2 TBSP heavy cream
¼ tsp Tabasco sauce
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup flavorful beer
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
½ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
Combine the cream cheese, mustard, Cheddar, cream, Tabasco, and salt in a food processor. Process for about 30 seconds, add the beer, and continue processing until very smooth. Pulse in the parsley and hazelnuts until just dispersed.
Can be stored in fridge for up to 4 days. You will want to take it out an hour before serving if you do refrigerate.
Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Ultimate Baked Beans

If you are looking for some hearty baked beans, these are it!  I've made these beans two weeks in a row for two different parties and everybody loved them.  They would be great for any party or carry-in, and can be prepared the day before.

Here are the ingredients you will need.  I modified a few things in the recipe.  You can see my version below the original recipe.

Brown the ground beef and add the onion.  Drain.

Add the beans, garlic, onion soup mix, water, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar to the cooked meat and onion.

Stir all the ingredients together and spread in a 9x13 in. dish.

Fry up some bacon, break it up into small pieces and sprinkle on top of the baked beans.

Cover the beans with aluminum foil.  Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 15 minutes.

Delicious!

Here is the original recipe.  I added my version below it.



Ultimate Baked Beans

2 (15 oz) cans Van Camps pork & beans
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 lb mostly cooked bacon

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients except bacon together and spread in a 9×13 dish. Top with cooked bacon. Cover with aluminum foil and bake covered for 30 mins, then uncovered for 15 mins. (Makes one 9×13 dish)

Source: Kevin and Amanda

Ultimate Baked Beans

3 (15 oz) cans Van Camps pork & beans
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 lb mostly cooked bacon
Preheat oven to 350. Brown ground beef and onion.  Drain.  Mix all ingredients except bacon together and spread in a 9×13 dish. Top with cooked bacon. Cover with aluminum foil and bake covered for 30 mins, then uncovered for 15 mins. (Makes one 9×13 dish)

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

I never made plain old spaghetti and meatballs for supper because it always seemed boring to me, but then I saw a recipe for homemade meatballs with cheese in the middle.  Who could pass that up?!  For all you meatatarians out there, make this quick and easy meal today! 

Here is your list of ingredients.  The recipe calls for Panko bread crumbs, but any kind would work.  I also used extra lean ground beef, and it tasted really good.

First, chop up some onion and throw it in a large bowl.

In the same bowl, add the meat, seasonings, milk, tabasco, Worcestershire, bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan, and garlic.

Mix the meat with your hands until combined.  Separate the meat into ten equal pieces.  Then with your hands, enclose the mozzarella with the meat so no cheese is showing.  I used the mini mozzarella pearls and put five in each meatball.

Place in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.  Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes.

The cheese will ooze, and that my friends is a wonderful thing.

Serve with spaghetti, marinara, and Parmesan.  I also made meatball sandwiches with shredded mozzarella melted on top (yes, more cheese).  Both ways are delectable.

Mozzarella Stuffed Homemade Meatballs

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large egg
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Ten 1-inch Mozzarella balls

Preheat oven to 35o degrees F. and grease 9×13-inch baking dish with oil.
Place beef, egg, onion, bread crumbs, Parmesan, milk, garlic, Worcestershire, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper and garlic salt into a large mixing bowl, stirring until just combined.  Take 1/4 cup beef mixture and press into center with your thumb to make room for cheese ball.  Place cheese in middle then with hands enclose the cheese with the beef, making sure the cheese is completely covered.  Place meatballs into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cooked through.

Source: Picky Palate