Black Bean Puffy Tacos

1 C frozen corn
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 15-oz can of black beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/4 bunch of cilantro or 1 T cilantro paste
Flour or corn tortillas
Oil

Taco toppings such as guacamole, cheese (I like the Kraft with the hint of Philly cream cheese), sour cream, salsa, lettuce, and tomato

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the corn and cook until it's brown and begins to pop. Add the onion and cook another five to seven minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook another two minutes. Open the can of beans and drain the liquid into a bowl. Using a fork, smash the beans, while still in the can, so you have some whole and some smashed beans. Add the beans and the liquid to the pan. Add the taco seasoning and cilantro. Cook until the liquid has simmered down.

Meanwhile, heat two inches of vegetable oil in a pan (I use my cast iron pan) until a drop of water skittles in the pan. Add a tortilla and cook, until brown. Flip over and create a bend in the tortilla to make a shell. Remove and let drain on paper towels. Cook the remaining tortillas.

Build your tacos with the black bean filling, cheese, and other toppings.

The shells will stay good for a couple of days so be sure to eat all your leftovers!

Pulled Pork Sammiches

I'm a vegetarian, but I'll taste meat if we're in a restaurant to see if I can replicate it or when I cook it at home to make sure it's perfect. I don't like the taste after 11 years of not eating...it's, um, grissly. 

That said, this is the most delicious pork I have ever had. And it's so easy!

1 T butter

1 can French onion soup

1 C ketchup

1/4 C brown sugar

2 T garlic

1 pork shoulder or rump roast (I like the rump roast; it's more tender)

Salt

Pepper

Hamburger buns (I use the homemade ones I keep in my freezer; they're worth the time to make)

Melt the butter in a heavy pan (I use a cast iron). Salt and pepper and then brown every side of the pork.

Combine the soup, ketchup, sugar, and garlic in a crockpot. Add the pork on top. Cook on low for eight to nine hours or high for four to six hours.

Remove the pork from the crockpot and let sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Using two forks, shred the pork. Return to the crockpot and mix with the juices and sauce.

Divide the pork between the buns.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Holy cow these are good. And so easy to make. You just need some time and patience. I like to make them and then freeze. They'll keep for three months in the freezer.

3 T warm milk

1 C warm water

2 t instant yeast (I buy a jar and keep it in the fridge; or one package will work, too)

2 1/2 t sugar

1 1/2 t salt

1 egg

3 C bread flour

1/3 C flour

2 1/2 t unsalted butter, softened

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment , combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg.  Mix briefly to combine.  

Add both flours to the bowl, and mix until incorporated.  

Mix in the butter.  

Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes.  The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or a silicone baking mat.  

Divide the dough into eight equal parts.  Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, two to three inches apart.  Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, one to two hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F

Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven.   

Beat together one egg and one tablespoon of water.

Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  

Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown.  

Crock Pot Pork Chops

3 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup


4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1- 1 1/2 Cups warm skim milk (any milk will do, I used skim)
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste


Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning, and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add chopped potatoes and boil until tender. Mash slightly with a fork or hand mixer. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper.


Pile potatoes on to a plate, top with pork chop and the gravy that is at the bottom of the crock pot. 

Homemade Lollipops

It is so ridiculously easy to make your own candy that you should never buy any again.

You need a candy thermometer, a lollipop mold, flavoring, and hard candy coloring (different than regular food coloring). And then you're good to go!

2 C sugar
3/4 C water
2/3 C light corn syrup
1 t flavoring
1/2 t coloring

Mix together and cook, over medium heat, until the sugar is dissolved (about four minutes). Increase heat to high and boil until it reaches 300 degrees (about eight minutes). Add the flavoring and coloring. Pour into the molds (I like to put mine in the fridge for 15-20 minutes beforehand), add lollipop sticks, and let set (30-45 minutes).

Homemade Lasagna

This is going to look like a lot. It's not. Especially if you make sauce and meatballs and freeze them both. It's worth every second of extra time it takes to make it this way.

Lasagna Noodles
1/2 t salt
3 C flour
2 eggs
3 T water
1 t olive oil

You can either make them the traditional way by combining the dry ingredients, making a well, pouring in the wet ingredients and kneading into a ball. OR you can combine everything in your food processor, with the paddle attachment, and voila!

Once the dough is made, cut off pieces and run through your pasta maker. I set it on the highest setting and run it through. Then the lowest setting to get it as thin as it needs to be. Continue until you are finished with the entire ball of dough.

Bring a salted pot of water to boil. Cook the noodles. It takes less than two minutes so watch them carefully. Set aside.

Sugo
I use Big Mama's recipe and freeze it. It's better after it's been frozen and thawed. So take a container out of the freezer and thaw it.

White Sauce
1/4 C butter
1/4 C flour
3 1/2 C milk (do yourself a favor and use whole milk)

Melt butter. Whisk in flour. Whisk in milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium until it thickens.

Cheese Mixture
1 container ricotta cheese
1 C parmesan cheese
1 egg
Salt
Pepper

Combine cheeses and egg together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meatballs
I always have meatballs in my freezer so I just cook them and then crumble into the pan. Or you can make fresh and just cook rather than rolling into balls.

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb sausage (spicy, if you like it)
2/3 C breadcrumbs
3 T minced garlic
1/2 finely chopped red onion
1 t dried basil
2 eggs
2 T water
1/4 C gorgonzola

Mix together everything but gorgonzola. Add cheese at the end and give it a quick mix. Either shape into meatballs (and then freeze) and cook or just cook the mixture for the lasagna.


Assembly
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Spread some sugo across the bottom of the pan. Layer on noodles. Top with the cheese mixture. Top that with the meat. Then top with the white sauce. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Repeat (it'll take three layers) - sugo, noodles, cheese mixture, meat, white sauce, mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook another 15 minutes.

I leave the meat out for me and the other vegetarians in my life.

And there you have it! Super delicious homemade lasagna that will beat every other kind you try from here on out.

Peach Jam

The lady at the farmer's market threw in a bunch of extra peaches the other day, which was really nice of her, but we'll never eat them all before they go bad.

So I decided to make some peach jam.

Ingredients
6 ripe peaches
1 C sugar

Directions
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the peaches and let boil for one minute. Remove and immediately place in a bowl of ice water.

Peel and pit the peaches. Slice.

Using a flat pan (I use my cast iron pan), line the peaches along the bottom. Cover in the sugar. Bring to a boil. Cook down until it's the consistency you like...between 30 and 45 minutes. The juice from the peaches and the sugar create enough liquid (like in the photo above) to boil.

You'll have to mix pretty consistently after about 20 minutes, so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Rather than can mine, I just put it in small, round tupperware. Then I threw some in the freezer and kept one in the fridge. Of course, it's delicious on toast, but I also love it with brie on French bread or a cracker.