Superbowl Week – Carnitas

My favorite Superbowl food?

Hands down….

These Carnitas!

We love football around here.

dinner   Superbowl Week   Carnitas

We love our Pats.

We love Superbowl Sunday with snacks and the whole hood gathered round.

We love these carnitas.

Want to feed a crowd easy?

dinner   Superbowl Week   Carnitas

Make these carnitas and a taco bar.

Make a lot though.

My boys can rifle through these things in no time flat.

Big thanks to Girlichef for this amazing, slimmed down recipe.

So easy

Sooooo good!

Pork Carnitas

WHAT YOU NEED:

Serves 8

6 pounds country style pork ribs

kosher salt

water

corn or flour tortillas

chopped onion

chopped cilantro

guacamole

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Liberally salt your pork on all sides with kosher salt and lay in a 11×13 baking dish.  Space them out so they are not touching.  You may want to use 2 dishes.

Add 1/3 cup water to each of the pans.

dinner   Superbowl Week   Carnitas

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for one hour.

After an hour remove from oven and turn the oven up to 450 degrees.  Remove the foil from the pans.  Bake uncovered at 450 until all the water is gone and all that is left is the fat that has run off the pork, about 30 minutes.

Continue to bake an additional 20 minutes while returning to baste the meat at least twice in it’s own fatty delicious juices.

dinner   Superbowl Week   Carnitas

Remove from oven and chop up pork and sprinkle with salt.

Serve on tortillas with onions, cilantro and quacamole.

Game on!

LETS GO PATS!!!!

 

Holiday Gift Week – Soup in a Jar

Back by popular demand…

Some of our favorite make at home gifts.

Looking for a new and unique gift idea?

Something different for neighbors, friends, teachers, coaches, and anyone else on your list this holiday?

How about a home cooked meal?

appetizers   Holiday Gift Week   Soup in a Jar

Beef Noodle Soup in a Jar

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes

Mason Jars

Ribbon

Colored cloth/fabric

Decorative paper for instructions

¼ cup red lentils

¼ cup green split peas

¼ cup barley

1/3 cup beef bouillon powder

¼ cup dried onion

2 T. parsley flakes

1/3 t. thyme

1/3 t. pepper

1 t. basil

1 t. garlic powder

½ t. celery seed

S&P

3 cups tri color pasta, separated into colors.

appetizers   Holiday Gift Week   Soup in a Jar

Layer ingredients neatly one by one into a large mason jar.

appetizers   Holiday Gift Week   Soup in a Jar

Close jar tightly and cover with fabric.  Tie with ribbons.  Affix instructions:

1 jar holiday gift soup

1 22 ounce can crushed tomatoes

8 cups water

Bring water and tomatoes to a boil in a large stock pot.  Add soup mix.  Simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until noodles are tender.  Enjoy.  Happy Holidays.

appetizers   Holiday Gift Week   Soup in a Jar

Let the kids help you with writing the instructions and be sure to let them sign their names!

Quick and Easy Dinner – Baby Pizza Pies

Ok, so this was a direct result of watching too much TV.

The boys and I were lounging around last weekend and we caught a Pillsbury biscuit commercial.

They made little pizzas out of the biscuit dough.

dinner   Quick and Easy Dinner   Baby Pizza Pies

We were all over it!

Now we’ve taken our biscuit dough and turned them into

Upside Down PIzza

Always a crowd pleaser…

But they were all over this new idea they saw on the commerical.

When hockey practice runs late and there’s still homework to do…

This is a great and quick go-to!

Baby Pizza Pies

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 tube Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

dinner   Quick and Easy Dinner   Baby Pizza Pies

WHAT TO DO:

Preaheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Break open your biscuit tube and separate the biscuits.

Pat out each one a bit to flatten out and spread evenly on a baking sheet.

Top each pizza with a spoonful of spaghetti sauce and a handful of shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Dinner is served.

dinner   Quick and Easy Dinner   Baby Pizza Pies

With applesauce in this case.

On paper plates!

Totally WTing it this evening…

I told you hockey practice ran late!

 

Football Week – Irish Nachos

What’s football without some nachos?

And how do the Fitzpatricks do nachos?

Irish style!

How do you make nachos Irish Style?

With potatoes of course!

dinner   Football Week   Irish Nachos

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 russet potatoes, washed and dried

1/2 T olive oil

S&P

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 lb bacon bits, cooked and drained on paper towels

scallions, chopped

jalapenos, sliced (optional)

sour cream

WHAT TO DO:

I like to think of this as a healthier version of potato skins, since you bake them and not fry them, but round these parts we just like to call them good!  Here’s how you make Fitzpatrick Irish Nachos….

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Slice your potatoes into either round disks or long planks depending on what your favorite shape is.  Just make sure the slices are about 1/4-1/2 an inch thick.

Put the slices on a sheet pan and douse with olive oil, and S&P.  Mix with your hands to coat well.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese.

Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with bacon, scallions, jalapenos, and sour cream.

Enjoy at kick off!

dinner   Football Week   Irish Nachos

Let’s go Pats!

Sangie Week – Spanish Grilled Ham & Cheese

This ain’t your typical grilled cheese.

God forbid I ever do anything normally, right?

So when the boys wanted some grilled cheese sangies I had to go to the extreme.

Ole!

dinner   Sangie Week   Spanish Grilled Ham & Cheese

WHAT YOU NEED:

8 slices seedless rye bread

1 T margarine (I like I can’t believe it’s not butter…yes I use margarine for this kind of thing….I know I know.)

1 t garlic powder

8 slices manchego cheese

8 slices serrano ham

optional: marinated peppers

WHAT TO DO:

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.

While the skillet heats up, assemble your sangies.

Spread each slice of bread on one side with margarine.  Sprinkle with garlic powder.

Put the buttered side down on the skillet and add one slice of cheese, then the ham, then another slice of cheese, and peppers.

Top with remaining bread, buttered side up.

Grill until golden brown and cheese begins to melt.

Flip and grill until golden brown.

I tent my sangies with tin foil to help the cheese melt faster and smoothy.

Enjoy with some gazpacho!

These are a great idea for a party as an app if you make them on small slices of baguette!

Sangie Week – Brady’s Favorite

Brady has become a good eater.

A really good eater.

He loves spinach.

He loves seaweed.

featured   Sangie Week   Bradys Favorite

He loves clams and fish.

And he LOVES this sandwich.

That’s why we call this…

Brady’s Favorite Sangie

featured   Sangie Week   Bradys Favorite

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 hard roll

3 ounces Boar’s Head hard salami

1 slice fresh mozzarella

handfull of mixed greens

sliced tomato

mayonnaise

WHAT TO DO:

Split your hard roll in half.

Spread a bit of mayo on both sides.

Stack up your salami, then the cheese, then the greens and tomato.

Top the sandwich.

Hand to Brady.

Watch it disappear.

featured   Sangie Week   Bradys Favorite

 

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