Mexican Pork Shoulder

What You Will Need: Pork shoulder, onion, bell pepper, lime, cilantro, can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, chicken broth, cumin & chili powder.

Preheat your oven to 250.

Season the pork generously with salt & pepper.

In a large dutch oven, heat 3-4T. of olive oil & sear the pork on all sides.

This part will take a little time because you want a nice crust to build up all around the shoulder.

Add in the sliced onion & bell pepper.

Diced tomatoes goes in next. Stir.

Now pour in enough stock to almost cover the meat.

Bring to a boil, put the lid on it & place it in the oven.

Braise for at least 4 hours.

Using two forks, shred the pork right in the pot. 

Season with cumin, chili powder, plenty of cilantro & a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a bright finish.

Use this flavorful meat for all your favorites..

quesadillas,

pork enchiladas,

  nachos, 

but you can never go wrong with little street tacos!  

But my favorite was using it to take my breakfast to a whole other level!

Mexican Pork Benedict!

Toasted tortilla, plenty of the shredded pork, spicy pepper jack cheese & a poached egg!  

What a way to spice up your morning! 

Enjoy & Always Cook with Love!

Shrimp Scampi

What You Will Need: Raw shrimp (thawed & dried), soften butter, lemon, garlic, onion, dry white wine, fresh parsley & old bay seasoning. 

The key to this dish is speed. You don't want to overcook the shrimp so have everything out, cut & ready.

In a large skillet, melt about a tablespoon of butter. Sauté 3T. of onions & 1T. garlic for about 2 minutes.

Add in the shrimp & 1-2 t. of the old bay seasoning. If you want more heat, add in another 1-2 t.

2T. of white wine goes in next. Bring to bubble & allow the alcohol to cook out. 

The wine is optional, you can make this dish without. 

Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice.  

3 or 4...or 5 pats of butter

Finish with plenty of fresh parsley!

Pile into a large bowl with all the buttery garlic juice! 

With this basic recipe the possibilities are endless for you. 

Serve over your favorite...

pasta, 

grilled chicken, 

seared steak,

salad, 

or keep it simple with just the shrimp & some crusty bread for dipping into that sauce!! 

Enjoy & Always Cook with Love!

Chicken Philly Pizza

What You Will Need: Boneless, skinless chicken breast, bell peppers, onions, scallions, cream cheese, pepper-jack cheese or provolone, pizza crust, worcestershire sauce & grill seasoning. 

Preheat your oven according to your pizza dough. Mine is 425.

Slice the chicken into small stripes or cubes. 

In a large skillet with olive oil, sear the chicken. Season with the grill seasoning & cook 2 minutes. 

Add a couple splashes of worcestershire sauce to the pan. Cook 3-5 minutes. 

Toss in the sliced peppers & onions. 

If the pan gets to dry, add in a little more olive oil or some butter. Cook till tender.

Turn off the heat & set aside. 

Roll out your dough.

This is optional but I like to spread a little softened butter over the raw dough & season with s/p.

Par bake for 5-8 minutes till you start seeing some color on the dough.

Spread the cream cheese all over. 

With the dough being hot, the cheese should spread easily. 

Sprinkle on the scallions. 

Distribute the chicken/pepper mixture over top. 

Finish with the pepper-jack cheese & return to the oven till desired doneness. 

Garnish with some extra scallions.

Cut & serve! 

Enjoy & Always Cook with Love! 

Creamy Pesto Pork

Dinner really doesn't get much easier then this!

What You Will Need: Cut & trimmed pork tenderloin or bone in pork chop, flour, salt, pepper, pesto, half & half. 

Season the pork with salt & pepper.

Coat in the flour.

With olive oil in a large skillet oven medium high heat, sear the pork.

Don't move the pork around once its in the pan. You want that flour to create a nice crust on both sides. 

Turn the heat to medium low & spoon some pesto over each piece of pork. 

Flip the pork over and allow the pesto to sear for about a minute.

Pour in about a cup of half & half. 

Bring to a simmer & cook for 3-5 minutes. 

The oil from the pesto & the cream with separate. You can whisk it to combine & if that still doesn't work, add a little more half & half. 

Serve with your choice of starch & spoon plenty of that creamy pesto overtop. 

I made a batch of gnocchi & garnished with some diced fresh tomatoes for a bright finish. 

I apologize for not having a complete plate (Protein, starch & vegetable) but we started this meal with some crisp, fresh garden salads.

Enjoy & Always Cook with Love!

Roasted Mushroom Risotto

What You Will Need: Roasted mushrooms, onions, garlic, butter, arborio rice, stock, half&half and parmesan cheese.

The first thing you need to do is get the mushrooms roasted. 

You can do this the day before or a couple hours ahead of time.

Preheat your oven to 375. Cut or slice the mushrooms. 

Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Toss.

Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes depending on the size. 

Set aside.

In a high sided skillet oven medium high heat, melt a couple tablespoons of butter.

Add in the minced onion & garlic.

Stir & cook 1-2 minutes. 

1-1 1/2 c. of the arborio rice goes into the butter. Stir.

You want to frequently stir so the rice gets toasted, not burnt. 2-3 minutes. 

Now comes the process that you will repeat for about 30 minutes.

Add in 3 ladles of stock.

Bring to a bubble & stir. 

Once the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, add 3 more ladles of stock. Simmer, absorb, add..repeat. Once the rice starts to look full, taste it to check for tenderness. 

Once the rice is tender, add in the roasted mushrooms. Salt & pepper to taste. 

To finish, stir in about a 1/2 c. of half & half. This will give you a decadent, creamy finish.

Garnish with fresh herbs & some parmesan cheese. 

This makes a great entree or side dish. 

Risotto is hearty, elegant & an easy way to impress your dinner guests. 

Enjoy & Always Cook with Love!