Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast burritos are always a slam dunk meal in our household. I take everything we love about breakfast, cook it up on the stovetop and wrap everything in a flour tortilla. The result is a warm and hearty breakfast that keeps you satisfied throughout the morning. The best part about a breakfast burrito is that anything goes. For us, we always start with a flour tortillas, eggs and cheese. From there we add in whatever we have leftover in the refrigerator. Ham, vegetables, sausage, bacon, etc. For breakfast or for dinner...breakfast burritos are a winner. (Can you tell I have Guy Fieri on the television right now!!)
Breakfast Burritos for Two
2 flour tortillas
4 eggs
2 Tbs. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheese
2-4 slices of cooked bacon
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
3-4 Tbs. butter
2 potatoes, peeled and shredded
salt/pepper
cherry tomatoes, halved
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt/pepper and set aside. In a large skillet, melt butter and add shredded potatoes (aka hashbrowns), onion and green pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until crispy brown, flipping occasionally. In a small pan, melt a little butter and add egg mixture. Cook and stir over low heat until scrambled, add shredded cheese. Take flour tortillas and heat them briefly in the microwave to make them flexible. Spoon hashbrowns, eggs and cooked bacon to tortillas and top with cherry tomatoes. Roll up and enjoy!
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Craisin Coleslaw

When it comes to coleslaw people, either like it or they don't. I think a lot of mediocre restaurants have given coleslaw a bad wrap with their so-so soggy sidedish. When you do it right, coleslaw is tangy and crunchy and oh-so-good. I like to add different things to mine such as sesame seeds or craisins. If you do not want to make your own dressing there are plenty of prepared ones available that you can use and then add your own touches to. Try this craisin coleslaw with your next barbeque.
1/2 c. mayo
2 1/2 Tbs. cider vinegar
4 Tbs. milk
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 c. craisins
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
salt/pepper
16 oz bag cabbage-carrot coleslaw blend
In a medium bowl whisk mayo, vinegar, milk, sugar, poppy seeds, salt and pepper until smooth. Taste dressing and adjust seasoning as you see fit. Add cabbage blend and craisins. Refrigerate for an hour and enjoy!

Carnitas with Homemade Tortillas

After watching Diners, Drive-Ins & Drives I wanted to give homemade tortillas a try. I had also never made carnitas but they always look so good on the show. I made mine in the crock pot since it is the easiest way to cook a roast. The meat came out fork tender and was packed full of flavor. My brother-in-law Eric and I had fun making the tortillas. I rolled them out paper thin and Eric cooked them in the cast iron pan. Together we were able to make a dozen tortillas in about 20 minutes which wasn't too bad for our first try. We sat back and enjoyed our delicious carnitas in our warm tortillas.
Crockpot Carnitas
3-4 lb. pork roast (shoulder or rump roast)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 c. water
4 oz. green chilies
Trim excess fat off or roast and set aside. Pour water and green chilies into a medium crock pot. In a shallow bowl combine all seasoning and place roast in the rub. Pat all seasoning into the roast and then set into crock pot above green chilies. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove roast and shred. Return a small amount of liquid to the roast to keep it moist. Serve warm on tortillas.
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Homemade Tortillas
Since I had never made these before I followed this recipe exactly on allrecipes.com. Click this link for recipe: Tortilla Recipe

Salmon & Carmalized Onion Pizza

Pizza is the ultimate favorite food in our household so we were so excited to attend a cooking last year that was all about this American classic. We walked away from the class so enthused about making homemade pizza dough that we came home and started our dough at 10:00 and enjoyed a slice by midnight. We were also inspired after eating some salmon pizza. Isn't it amazing that pizza can be topped with just about anything?! As long as you have great crust and bubbly cheese you know you are in for a fabulous meal. I have already posted my crust recipe of choice but there are plenty of great dough recipes out there. Find which one works for you and have fun perfecting it.

Salmon & Caramelized Onion Pizza

Pizza dough
Smoked salmon
Onions, sliced
Olive oil
Salt/pepper
Rosemary
Mozzarella cheese
In a small saute pan, add olive oil, onions and salt/pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until caramelized.
Roll pizza dough out thin, and top with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Sprinkle with a little rosemary. Top with cheese, chunks of salmon and caramelized onions. Bake at 500 F for 7 minutes or grill.

Pizza Dough (makes two crusts)
1 pkg. rapid rise yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. sugar or honey
1 c. warm water (105 - 115 F)
1 tsp. salt
2 3/4 c. flour plus extra for kneading
Mix yeast, sugar and 1/4 c. warm water in a measuring cup and allow to stand until mixture is foamy, 10-15 minutes. Stir together the salt and flour in a large bowl. Pour yeast mixture and remaining 3/4 c. warm water and stir until dough just comes away from the side of the bowl. Knead on a lightly floured surface about 5 minutes and place dough in a separate bowl that is lightly brushed in olive oil. Cover with
plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Deep Fried Tacos & Elephant Ears

Deep fried tacos are a family favorite. My mom used to make these every year during the fair so we could all get our favorite fair food fix. They are delicious and fun - the perfect combination for entertaining guests. First we pile deep fried bread dough with taco toppings and enjoy. Then for dessert, we slather on vanilla frosting and sprinkle cinnamon on top of the fried bread and call them elephant ears. No one can come to an agreement on which is better. The beauty of it all is that you don't have to decide. One recipe with two toppings are sure to make you say "uff-da" after enjoying them.
Deep Fried Tacos
1-2 Frozen bread dough loaf
Taco toppings
Vegetable oil
Take frozen bread dough out of the freezer and let thaw in a short rimmed pan or large plate according to directions (or approximately 4 hours). Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer to 400 F. Using a serrated knife, cut loaf into 8 sections. Using your hands, stretch dough into 4-6" circles. Using tongs, place dough in deep fryer, turning occasionally until golden brown (about 2 minutes). Remove dough and let drain on paper towels. Top with seasoned ground beef and all of your favorite taco toppings.
*Note: when we first started making these we used frozen bread dough like stated above, I prefer using a basic homemade bread dough when I have time.
Vanilla Frosting for Elephant Ears
1/2 stick butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 Tbs. milk
In a medium bowl, beat above ingredients until smooth adding more milk or powdered sugar to achieve the right consistency as needed. Spread frosting on fried bread dough and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Tip: Deep fry outside or in your garage if possible to keep your house from smelling like grease. : )

Fancy Sauce (for burgers)

I spent the past weekend Up North - an extremely relaxing get away to my hometown. While I was there we soaked up a perfect Saturday on Cable Lake. The weather was beautiful, the lake, like glass and to end the perfect day, everyone gathered around the fire pit. Since I was too busy playing with my 10 month old nephew, I could not waste any time in the kitchen. I did contribute one thing to our fabulous meal at the lake: fancy sauce. (I hope you are picking up on my sarcasm.) Fancy sauce is the perfect topping to any burger. It is simple and easy - a must for any Minnesota barbeque.
Fancy Sauce
1/4 c. mayo
4 Tbs. ketchup
3 Tbs. dill pickle, minced
1/4 tsp. black pepper
In a small bow, mix all ingredients. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Spread on burgers and enjoy!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I love the lettuce wraps at P.F.Chang's and after several failed attempts to eat there in the past couple of weeks I decided to make my own version at home. I am so glad I did! Lettuce cups are the perfect house for the slightly sweet, garlic, ginger chicken. The chicken filling is packed full of great flavors. About a year ago, I had never purchased real ginger root from the grocery store. Now I try to think of more meals that I can make with ginger. These chicken lettuce wraps could be a great appetizer, but they also make a light and delicious mid-week dinner.
Note: I added stir fry rice noodles to this dish but we didn't love the texture in the lettuce wrap so I am leaving them out of the recipe below.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 Tbs. olive oil
salt/pepper
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c. mushrooms, chopped
8 oz can water chestnuts, chopped
4 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. sweet and sour sauce
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. ketchup
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
Crisp lettuce
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet, add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add onions, ginger, garlic, mushrooms and water chestnuts and saute for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together: soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, rice wine vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, ketchup and mustard. Pour sauce in pan with the sauted vegetables and add chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes and then scoop into large pieces of lettuce.
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