Hawaiian Pork Pizza

I made this pizza a couple of weeks ago and it was DELICIOUS!! I seriously LOVED it!! It is fairly easy but you do have to plan ahead to make it. I made it for my family and it was a hit with everyone. I didn't really do step by step photos for this one but it is fairly easy to figure out. The step by step for the dough can be found in my BBQ chicken pizza recipe. It would be best to make the pork the day before you plan on making the pizza cuz it takes quite awhile. Or you could just let it cook overnight. Once the pork and dough is made you just have to add the ingredients and cook it.


This is what it should look like when you stick it in the oven.


This is what it looks like when it comes out and you add the cilantro. YUM! I seriously can't wait to make this pizza again!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Hawaiian Pork:

6 lb Pork Butt Roast
1 & 1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt/ Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp of Mesquite Liquid Smoke Flavoring

Use a skewer to pierce the pork all over. Rub the meat all over with salt and then put the liquid smoke over the meat in the crock-pot. Cover the crock-pot and cook on low for 16-20 hours.
**Side note: This makes A LOT of pork. Feel free to get a smaller Pork Butt Roast and adjust the recipe accordingly or you can just eat the leftovers!

Dough:

3 cups of warm water
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 packet of active dry yeast
7 cups white flour

Put 3 cups warm water in a bowl. Add the sugars and salt and stir until they are dissolved. Sprinkle packet of yeast over water mixture and let it sit for 2-3 minutes before adding the 7 cups of white flour, one at a time. The last cups you will probably have to mix with your hands. Knead it for a minute or 2 and then put it in a greased bowl. Cover it and allow to raise for 30-60 minutes. Once it is done spread it out. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes and then spread it out further. *This makes enough dough for 2 pizzas but sometimes I want my crust thinner and so I don't even use all of it.

Hawaiian Pork Pizza

*These are the ingredients if you are making 2 pizzas

1 cup BBQ Sauce
4 cups Monterey-Jack Cheese
1 cup Hawaiian Pork
1/2 cup chopped Red Pepper
1/2 cup chopped Green Onions
1 cup Pineapple Tidbits
4 Tbsp. Cilantro

Top Pizza dough with BBQ sauce, cheese, and the rest of the toppings- minus the cilantro. Cook for 20-25 minutes on 400 degrees. Top with cilantro and serve.
*To save time you could also use already made pizza dough from the grocery store.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas!! This is a quick, easy, and delicious recipe that I love!! I am confident that you will love it to if you give it a try....and if you like the following ingredients.


Pineapple tidbits, bbq sauce, jalapenos, chicken, cilantro, tortillas (uncooked taste best!), and cheddar/jack cheese (which I somehow forgot to include in the picture even though it is an essential one!) De-seed and chop up and the jalapeno into smaller or bigger pieces, whichever you prefer. Shred the chicken, and pull apart the cilantro.

First cook the tortilla (if it is uncooked) on both sides. Do not let it burn just cook it for a few seconds because you will cook it again later.

Next, top the tortilla with cheese, shredded chicken, pineapple bits, jalapeno chunks, bbq sauce, and cilantro! Then you can fold it over and cook it on the stove again until each side is starting to brown. This does not take long so watch it carefully! Then you can eat it. See how easy that was? They really are sooo good! Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

BBQ sauce
Pineapple Tidbits
Cilantro
Jalapeno
Uncooked Flour Tortillas (cooked work fine too)
Cheddar/Jack Cheese
Cooked Chicken

*Disclaimer: I didn't include portions on here because it depends on how many you would like to make and how much of each ingredient you want on your quesadilla.

Directions:

Cook the tortillas on stove until it is cooked on both sides but is not browning yet. Top one half of the tortilla with cheese, chicken, jalapeno, pineapple, bbq sauce, and cilantro. Fold it over and cook both sides until browning. This recipe is simple! Enjoy!

Hot Cakes-My Favorite Pancakes

I am not a big breakfast person but these pancakes are changing that fast! I have tried lots and lots of pancakes but these ones are my absolute favorite! I got the recipe from my neighbor, Paula and they are delicious. They use simple ingredients and are very easy. They are also very tasty! Mix some up for your family. They are sure to be a hit!!
Here are the ingredients: Oil, Flour, Sugar, Eggs, Vanilla, Milk, and Baking Powder. You probably have all of them on hand. Another reason I love this recipe!
Mix all the ingredients up and they should come out looking something like this. I know that this batter looks slightly yellow/orange but I think it must be the bowl! The batter comes out to be pretty thin if you have done it right.
Cook them on a greased pancake skillet. (As long as you grease it before cooking the first couple, the rest of the time the skillet should be fine.) They should take about 30 seconds or so per side. Check them.

You will end up with something like this! They are pretty sweet on their own so I don't usually drench them in syrup but if you are a syrup lover then go right ahead! I actually can eat these without syrup....but maybe I am just weird. I also love them with homemade raspberry jam as shown above! Enjoy!

Hot Cakes Recipe

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3 cups milk
2 Tbsp vanilla (The original recipe calls for powdered vanilla but it tastes fine with the liquid kind too.)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cups flour
1 cup oil
2 Tbsp baking powder

Instructions:

Mix up the eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and sugar. Add flour and oil and mix together. Add baking powder and mix everything together. Cook on lightly oiled grill. Top with fruit, syrup, or anything else that you like on pancakes. Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Ganache

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Ganache. It sounds and is delicious. I discovered this recipe on the How Sweet Eats Website and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite cooking sites! These are easy to make and they taste great! Cupcakes seem to be "in" right now too and they taste much better when they are homemade. However, I should mention that I made a few changes to the original recipe. I could not find dark cocoa powder in the grocery store so I just used regular cocoa and they still tasted great! Also, I discovered that my frosting was not setting up when I followed her directions. Instead, I refrigerated my frosting and then I whipped it with a mixer for a few minutes until the frosting became fluffy and spreadable. I highly recommend this because the frosting is way too runny if you don't! And it is delicious frosting so you definately want to be able to put plenty on! I added sprinkles for a nice little touch!!! Check out How Sweet Eats for this and other great recipes! Her pictures look fantastic too!! Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Soup

In the winter time I am a big soup fan. I have been looking for a good soup recipe lately and I think I found one! It is easy and it tastes great! In fact, the more I make it, the more I like it!

Here are the ingredients. I doubled the recipe when I made it and so I have more pictured here than you actually need if you are making the normal amount. The ingredients include: corn, white beans, black beans, refried beans, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, ro-tel tomatoes, an onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, taco seasoning, chicken, and Fritos.

First you chop an onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Once they are chopped you add them to a pot and let them cook for a little bit, stirring occasionally. You want them sauteed but not burned.

Next add the ro-tel tomatoes, the diced tomatoes, and the refried beans.

Stir them together and it will look something like this! Then you can proceed to add the rest of the ingredients. Add the beans, broth, and corn. Drain the corn but not the beans.

Then add the taco seasoning, lime juice, cilantro, and 1-2 cups of shredded chicken.

Stir together and then cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Place individual servings in bowls and top it with avocado, cheese, Fritos, and whatever else you may like! It looks and tastes delicious! Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 whole onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 10 oz can of Ro*tel tomatoes
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of refried beans
1 15 0z can of black beans
1 15 0z can of white beans
1 15 oz can of chicken broth
1-2 15 oz can(s) of kernel corn
1 packet of taco seasoning mix (1 oz)
3 tablespoons of lime juice
3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 4 oz can of diced green chilies
1-2 cups of shredded chicken

*Optional but highly recommended: avocados, cheese, Fritos (or tortilla chips), and sour cream

Directions:

Saute the onions in a large pot. Add the chopped garlic. Let them soften but not burn. Next add the chopped tomatoes, the Ro*tel tomatoes, and the refried beans. Stir together. Add the beans, chicken broth, and corn. Drain the corn but not the beans. Stir.

Add the taco mix, lime juice, cilantro, green chilies, and chicken. Cover and simmer for an hour.

Serve with avocados, Fritos, cheese, and sour cream.

*NOTE: Ro*tel tomatoes are spicy! If you want less spice, add less than one can.

This soup tastes great the day after it is made too! Enjoy!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Cracker Dip

I had this dip at a Christmas party recently and it was AMAZING! I could not stop snacking on it throughout the night...and luckily, neither could anyone else! I made it for my family recently and it was a hit with them too. It tastes very fresh and it is easy to make! Enjoy!

Here are the ingredients: White Sugar, Cumin, Jalapeno, Cranberries, Green Onions, Cilantro, and Cream Cheese. It seems like a unique combination, but trust me when I say its good!

First chop up a bunch of green onions and 1 jalapeno pepper.

Combine in the food processor: 1 bag of cranberries, the green onions, the jalapeno, and cilantro to taste. (I usually add about 3 tablespoons.)

It should be chunky when you are done processing it. You don't want it to look like a smoothie when you are done. Chunky is definately better! Put it into a bowl and add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp. of cumin.

Stir it until it looks something like this! It might look a little different but it tastes delicious!

Spread 16 oz of cream cheese onto a platter.

Top with the cranberry salsa like stuff. Serve with crackers and eat! I used ritz and wheats thins and they both were great with it. I know this is a unique combination but I really do love it! Enjoy!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Cracker Dip

Ingredients:

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 bunch of green onions

1 jalapeno pepper

3 Tbsp. cilantro

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. of cumin

16 oz of cream cheese

Directions:

Spread 16 oz of cream cheese onto a platter. Chop up green onions and the jalapeno. Put cranberries, green onions, jalapeno, and cilantro in a food processor. You might have to do 1/2 of the ingredients at a time. Put chopped up ingredients in a bowl. Add sugar and cumin and stir. Put cranberry mixture on top of the cream cheese. Serve with crackers. Enjoy!

Wassail

There is nothing like a delicious drink to warm you up in the wintertime! I especially enjoy this drink around the holidays but it tastes delicious all winter long! One of my favorite parts about this drink is that it makes your whole house (or apartment) smell delicious! This makes a lot but you can always refrigerate it and heat it up later. Enjoy!

Here are the ingredients: 2 1/2 cups sugar, 8 cinnamon sticks, 4 whole allspice, 24 whole cloves, 1 gallon of apple cider, 6 cups of orange juice, 4 cups lemonade, 3 quarts of water.

First you will fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water.

Add the sugar, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and cloves. Stir around until sugar is dissolved. Bring these ingredients to a boil and simmer for 2 hours.


As it simmers it should turn into a reddish color and look something like this!


While it is simmering you should mix up a container of lemonade and a container of orange juice. Just follow the directions that are on the container.

They look like this when you are done. (This picture probably isnt necessary but I took it anyway!)


After the ingredients in the pan have simmered for 2 hours you will strain the ingredients to get out all of the spices.

When you are done straining it return it to the original pan.

Add the apple cider, orange juice, and lemonade. Put it on low heat and stir occasionally until it is all warm.

YUM! It looks so good! I drink mugs and mugs of this stuff whenever we have it at my house! It tastes best when served warm. Enjoy!

WASSAIL

Ingredients:

3 quarts of water

2 1/2 cups sugar

8 cinnamon sticks

4 whole allspice

24 whole cloves

1 gallon apple cider

6 cups orange juice

4 cups lemonade

Cooking Directions:

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours. Strain and remove spices. Pour the liquid back into the pot and add apple cider, orange juice, and lemonade. Heat on low until warm. Serve warm. Enjoy!