Hawaiian-Style Pizza with BBQ Pulled Pork

Oh the weather is finally changing! It feels like spring is here! We have been spending the last several days soaking in the sun and enjoying the sudden spike in temperature. Paul even got his first sunburn of the year - it's tough having a bald head when you're out under the beating sun. I might have to insist that he wear a hat in the future because his poor scalp is paying for it!

Emma has been loving being outdoors. The first time I took her for a walk this year, she loved it so much, she was positively giddy. However, I think she was a little angry with me for not taking her out sooner (as if it could be helped!). Whenever I made eye contact with her while we were out, she kept glaring accusingly as if to say: "How dare you keep this glorious new world hidden from me all this time!"

I'm trying not to get too excited about the weather. The forecast predicts more snow tomorrow. Still, the warmth and sunshine of the past few days have started to make us all crave summertime fare: salads, grilled burgers, and ice cream.

But, for now, we still have a ton of leftover pulled pork to eat...and that's where the pizza comes in.

When my siblings and I were little, my parents would often take us out to Pizza Hut following dance recitals and sports championships. Us kids always preferred the pizza with the most meat and cheese we could have packed on as possible. My favorite was always the meat lovers. Ham, Pepperoni, Sausage, Meatballs, AND bacon all together on one pizza!?! Heaven! However, our mother would always require that at least one of our pizzas be "Hawaiian style" with Canadian bacon and pineapple. We all vehemently protested her modest request, finding that combination to be "boring" or, to the more dramatic members of the family, "disgusting". Well, she usually got her way and other than Michael (who pretty much ate anything),the rest of us never stooped so low as to try a bite of that combination.

Fast forward about 15 years and I was dating a certain guy name Paul who happened to love Hawaiian pizza. While on a date, he insisted that I try that combination.

"What's so great about it? Pineapple on a pizza?" I skeptically asked him.
"It's just good! A little sweet, a little salty. It's amazing." was his reply.

I took my first bite and was hooked. Absolutely hooked. Ironically, it's pretty much the only way I like pizza now. That and BBQ Chicken pizza. I pretty much can't stand pepperoni or sausage anymore. Must be my old lady tastebuds kicking in!

Since we still have an abundant of leftover pulled pork, I decided cash in on our Sunday dispensation from our Lenten fasting and make pizza. Paul was oh-so-happy to hear that! I chose to combine my two favorite pizza combinations and make a Hawaiian-Style BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza. I tossed the pulled pork in our favorite BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's) and spread that evenly over our favorite pizza dough, then covered the entire surface with thinly sliced red onions, chopped fresh pineapple, shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese. It was a delicious combination that everyone loved. Even Matthew, the purist who normally insists that a pizza is not a pizza unless it is topped with pepperoni, loved it.

Hawaiian-Syle Pizza with BBQ Pulled Pork

1 recipe pizza dough
1-2 cups BBQ sauce (depends how saucy you like it)
3 cups leftover shredded pork
4 cups shredded cheese (we used a combination of cheddar and mozzarella)
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 ripe pineapple, cored and cut into small wedges

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone set on the middle rack.

Divide the pizza dough in two (if using my recipe- it makes enough for two pizzas). Roll out/stretch the pizza dough into a 12-inch circle. Place dough circle on a piece of parchment paper set on a large cutting board.

Combine the pork with the BBQ sauce. Spread half all over the surface of the pizza. Cover with half the onion, cheese, and pineapple. Carefully slide the piece of parchment from the cutting board onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings.

Let pizzas cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Ridiculously Easy Bunny Cupcakes for Easter!

Here is an easy Easter-themed cupcake craft that has been tested and approved by a hyper 4-year-old and his grumpy baby sister. This week, we wanted to bring cupcakes into the lady at the YMCA who does such a good job watching Matthew and Emma while I work out. Her birthday is the Monday after Easter, but we wanted to surprise her this week with some treats. Matthew suggested that we make some bunny cupcakes, so that's just what we did! I'm sharing this today just in case you also have an hour or two to kill while watching the clock slowly tick towards the kids' bedtimes.

First, bake a batch of cupcakes. We made carrot cake cupcakes. Delicious.

While the cupcakes bake, cut out ear shapes from card-stock. Ours were all so even and neat thanks to Matthew's mad skills with the scissors. We pasted some pink pieces of paper onto our white ones to try to make them look a little cuter. I'm not so sure it worked. In reality, it doesn't matter how neat or cute they look as long as they sort of resemble bunny ears.

Next, make a batch of frosting. We were super original and made a cream cheese frosting to go with our carrot cake cupcakes.

Finally, place some sweetened coconut flakes in a pie plate for the fur, pick out some pink jelly beans for the nose, and some chocolate chips for the eyes.

Frost the cupcakes, dip in the coconut, and decorate with the jelly beans, chocolate chips, and paper ears. You're done!

I think they look kind of cute. Matthew was quite happy with them. Emma ate two without complaint, so I think she approved. And now that it's finally bedtime (it's been a long day), they are all sticky, hyped up on sugar, and bouncing off the walls. Perfect.

Baked Green Chile Chicken Flautas

For Emma's Uno-themed Mexican fiesta, we tried to serve food that would both be pleasing to adults and easy for little hands to eat and enjoy. These flautas were immediately added to the menu since they are always a hit at parties and can be made well in advance and simply thrown in the oven shortly before guests arrive. Plus, they are usually loved by little kiddos since they are creamy, cheesy and super-flavorful while not being overly spicy.

This recipe is all over the internet and I can see why - the flavor is absolutely delicious. I like to make them with flour tortillas (and call them "flautas") rather than with corn tortillas (at which point they would be "taquitos") simply because my picky husband balks at corn tortillas. He claims they are too chewy or something ridiculous like that. Normally, I would ignore Paul and his whining but Matthew shares this sentiment. So, in order to avoid a hunger strike, I went with the flour tortillas.

We made about 200 flautas and stuffed the freezer to capacity with them in preparation for the party. Paul was such a good little sous chef during the flauta-making project. After the kids went to bed, we made our filling and then had a little flauta-rolling party in the kitchen. I scooped, Paul rolled, and together we drooled over the flautas we will be unable to enjoy until Lent is over and our cheese fast has been lifted. We're almost there! 

During Emma's party, about 125 flautas were consumed and I am convinced that the only reason I have 75 left in my freezer is because I did not bake more during the party. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure they would have all been completely devoured. Not that I'm complaining - having a freezer full of leftover delicious chicken flautas is a good problem to have!

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
adapted from from Our Best Bites

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup green salsa
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 can diced green chilies, drained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
10-12 small flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and beat on low to combine.  Gently stir in the chicken, cheeses, and drained chilies.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla and roll tightly.  Place seam side-down onto the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the flautas lightly with cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown.

To Freeze: Place the baking sheet with the flautas in the freezer and let them remain there until firm. Wrap each flauta individually in plastic and then place in a freezer bag. Bake from frozen in a 425 preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until browned on the edges. This is a great make-ahead meal to have on hand for busy weeknights!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Mango-Lime Slaw

Pulled pork is a lifesaver when it comes to serving a crowd. It is relatively cheap (I can normally snag a large pork butt for less than 99 cents a pound!) and requires relatively few ingredients to transform it into something delicious. Plus, if you have a massive amount of it leftover, it freezes beautifully.

I chose to make pulled pork to serve at Emma's birthday party precisely because of its simplicity. We served it alongside baked black beans, cilantro-lime rice, and a large variety of other condiments so that our guests could build their own taco salads. We made too much food, as usual, and now have lots and lots of pork leftover. Our freezer is stocked full of it!

Thankfully, the whole family really does enjoy this recipe - even the kiddos! We enjoyed taco salads for dinner the first couple nights following the party, but after that Paul was anxious to shake things up a bit. I decided to just revert back to using the pork the traditional way: in a sandwich! However, I had to add a refreshing mango-lime slaw for topping. The slaw both brightens and freshens the sandwiches. The cilantro and lime flavors in the slaw are also a really great compliment for the sauce coating the pork. Delicious!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

For the Pork and Marinade:
2 pounds pork (rib meat or loin)
¾ cup coke
¼ cup brown sugar

To Cook the Pork:
1 cup coke
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon onion salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder

For the Sauce:
¾ cup coke
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
10 ounces mild red enchilada sauce

Place pork in a zip lock bag. Add the 3/4 cup coke and 1/4 cup brown sugar and seal bag. Let marinate overnight.

The next day, add pork to slow cooker and discard marinade. Add the 1 cup coke, water, garlic salt, onion salt, and chili powder. Cover and cook on high 3 hours. Drain slow cooker and shred pork with two forks.

Make the sauce by blending the coke, brown sugar, chili powder, green chills, and enchilada sauce together in blender. Pour sauce into slow cooker. Cook at least 30 minutes longer. Serve on sandwich buns with slaw.

Mango-Lime Slaw
A Nistler Family Original

1 fully ripened mango, small dice
1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup minced cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large salad bowl, whisk together the mayo, honey, cider vinegar, and the lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the coleslaw and toss multiple times until moistened. Add the mango and green onion. Toss again. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Chill for about an hour before serving, tossing every so often.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie Bars

I'm still on my peanut butter kick and there is no end in sight. After hating the stuff for the first 23 years of my life, I guess I am just making up for lost time.

In preparing the menu for Emma's birthday party, I tried to think of treats that fit into our Uno Fiesta theme while appealing to both young and old palates alike. What is more nostalgic than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? These bars are a homage to that favorite lunchtime staple of childhood. In fact, while making these, I was reminded of the phase that Matthew and his friend Sophia went through about two years ago where both of them pretty much refused to eat anything other than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. At least it was a cheap meal made with materials we always have on hand. This phase was followed shortly by Matthew's hot dog phase where he consumed between 2-3 hot dogs a day for about 6 months. Thankfully, that obsession has also passed and he has not had a hot dog since August. He's now into eating raw cucumbers and tomatoes - weird, but healthy!

Anyway, THESE BARS. Amazing. A pastry crust is topped with a peanut butter buttercream, a generous slathering of your favorite preserves, and then topped with a cinnamon-spiced oatmeal streusel. Delicious! It's like a grown-up, slightly sophisticated, dessert version of the classic PB&J. I chose strawberry preserves this time. Next time, I would love to make these with my White Chocolate Peanut Butter paired with sweet orange marmalade to emulate my favorite PB&J sandwich combination.

Little Miss Emma definitely approved of these. She sampled plenty while I was cutting these into neat little bars.

Simply amazing.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
adapted just slightly from Baked: Explorations

For the Pastry Dough:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 egg

For the Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1¾ cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Crumb Topping:
¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup traditional rolled oats
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

For Assembly:
2 cups preserves (we used strawberry!)

First, make the pastry dough. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light-colored metal 9x13-inch pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, using enough parchment to hang over the sides of the pans. Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse until sandy (about 6-10 quick pulses). In a small bowl, whisk the egg and pour into the food processor. Pulse just until the dough begins to hold together.

Dump the dough mixture into the prepared pan. Using your fingers, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the pan from the freezer, line it with aluminum foil, and fill it three-quarters full with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

To make the peanut butter filling,beat the butter until it is completely smooth in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again. Turn the mixture out onto the cooled crust and, using an offset spatula, spread it into an even layer. Put the pan in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the crumb topping.

To make the crumb topping, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the brown sugar and use your hands to rub it in until the mixture is uniform in color. Stir in the oats. Place the dry mix in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and beat on low speed until loose crumbs form.

Spread the preserves in an even layer over the peanut butter filling. Sprinkle on the crumb topping, covering the preserves.

Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until the top is brown.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. To cut into neat bars, pop the pan in the freezer for about an hour. Cut into bars and serve.

The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

The BEST Chicken Nuggets

When you have little children around, it is imperative to have a really, really good recipe for chicken nuggets in your arsenal. All kids love them and a plate piled high with crispy nuggets guarantees that there won't be any bribing/fighting/generalized anxiety come mealtime. 

We like our nuggets served alongside some honey mustard or ketchup. Matthew definitely prefers the ketchup. Maybe it has something to do with me eating it by the cupful while pregnant with him. That was a strange phase.

When I placed this plate of perfectly browned little chickadees on the table, Matthew grabbed one, dipped it in the sauce, and took a big bite. As he chewed that first bite, his face took on a look of complete surprise and confusion...

APRIL FOOLS!

These "chicken nuggets" are actually pieces of pound cake that I dipped in glaze and then coated in finely chopped peanuts. I dyed vanilla pudding yellow and burgundy red to look like ketchup and mustard. Even Paul was completely fooled. The only thing that tipped him off was the color of the ketchup. Despite my best attempts to get the hue just right, it looked a little too red.

"What's wrong with that ketchup?!?" Paul asked, quite alarmed.

"Oh I just picked up a cheap-o bottle from the dollar store! You're just used to the color of Heinz," I said in reply.

Lame as it was, Paul seemed to buy my excuse because he just shrugged and proceeded to try a "chicken nugget" dipped in the faux ketchup. As he popped it into his mouth, he gagged and cried: "What the heck is this?!"

It's really unnerving to bite into cake when you are expecting a savory piece of chicken.

It was a fun little prank for April Fool's Day. Paul wanted me to mention that the faux nuggets taste fantastic. In fact, he took the leftovers to work as a snack because he enjoyed them so much. However, he was not a fan of the dyed pudding. It creeped him out a bit too much.

Welcome to the month of April! Here's hoping it brings us better weather than this past March!

Fake Chicken Nuggets for April Fool's Day

from Taste of Home

For the Nuggets:

1 loaf pound cake, store-bought or homemade

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons water

4 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped in a food processor

For the Sauce:

2 snack-size cups (3.5 oz each) vanilla pudding

2 teaspoons dark corn syrup (I used light corn syrup)

2 drops yellow or red food coloring

Cut cake into 12 slices (approximately) and then cut each slice in half. Cut into irregular-nugget shaped pieces and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, water, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla; beat on low speed until sugar in moistened. Beat on high until smooth. Dip cake pieces into glaze, then roll in peanuts. Let stand until set.

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Serve with nuggets.

TWD: Potato Lefse

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie challenge featured a wonderful recipe for potato lefse. I had never before heard or eaten lefse, so this was definitely an experience for me! Lefse are essentially crepes made with potatoes in addition to flour, cream, butter, and sugar. Once made, they can be rolled with sweet or savory fillings.

I veered from the recipe a bit. I did not cook the potatoes as dictated in the recipe, choosing instead to utilize some of the leftover potatoes I had from our dinner the previous night. I did this for a couple reason. For one, lefse seems like the sort of recipe you would use when you had leftover potatoes lying around, so I wanted to see if it would work with my leftovers. Also, I really did not feel like purchasing and boiling potatoes. I'm lazy.

So, I took my leftover red potatoes (I had enough for half a recipe of lefse), peeled the skins off as best I could, and then pushed them through a ricer. I then added the cream, butter, sugar, and salt and mixed it up until it was as smooth as I could get it. I skipped the chilling process and proceeded to add my flour, little at a time, until a cohesive dough formed.

Rolling them out proved to be quite simple, provided that I kept my counter floured as much as possible. I was able to get them rolled out really thin. Again, being lazy and in a bit of a hurried mood, I did not work really hard at getting them into a perfect concentric circle. They were kind of oblong shaped, but still looked great. We tossed them on our hot skillet and they cooked for about 1-2 minutes on the first side. After being flipped and cooking for 30 additional seconds, they were transferred to a kitchen towel while the remaining lefse were rolled and cooked.

Since I only made half a recipe, I got six lefse. I think they looked quite pretty! Paul was hovering as they were coming off the heat. He loves everything potato and could not wait to get his hands on one. He read the serving suggestions for the lefse in my cookbook and chose to simply baste them in butter, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, and then roll them up! He was so eager to eat one, I think he was quite angry at me for taking pictures as he worked on his snack.

We loved the taste of these. Paul said they reminded him of making latkes while growing up. It was one of his favorite snacks - especially when covered with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar. He made me promise to make them again and I definitely will! I'll have to keep this recipe in mind whenever we have cooked potatoes hanging around the fridge because leftovers work really, really well!

Potato Lefse
adapted from Baking with Julia

1 1/2 pounds leftover baked potatoes, warmed, skins removed and pressed through a ricer
1/2 stick (2 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (more or less as needed) all-purpose flour

Combine the potatoes with the butter, cream, sugar, and salt. Mix until very smooth. Add in 1 cup of lour and mix with your hands. Gradually add additional flour (anywhere from 1/4 - 1/2 cup) a tablespoon at a time until a dough forms. The mixture should feel like a real dough. When you can pinch a piece of dough without having it stick to your fingers, it is perfect!

Preheat an ungreased 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium high heat on your stovetop. Prepare a terry cloth towel for stacking the cooked lefse.

Divide the dough into quarters and the quarters into thirds. Working with one piece of dough at a tie and keeping the remaining dough covered, form the dough into a ball with your hands. Put the dough on a well-floured surface and pat into a round. Using light pressure, work with the rolling pin to roll into  dough into a large round that is as thin as you can possibly roll it. Keep everything well floured (including your rolling pin!). Carefully roll/drape the lefse over your rolling pin (similar to how you would pie dough) and transfer to skillet on the stovetop. Carefully place in skillet and bake for 1-2 minutes or until the top bubbles and the underside is speckled with brown. Using a wide spatula, flip the lefse over and cook for an additional 30-45 seconds or until speckled brown on the bottom.

Remove from the griddle and place on the terry cloth towel. Cover with plastic. Roll out and bake the next lefse as before.

Serve warm with cinnamon sugar and rolled up!