Braised Pork Torta

There's no real recipe for this. It was an impromptu kinda thing that turned out amazing!



















Here's what you'll need.

Braised Pork Torta
Shredded braised pork
Refried beans
Red enchilada sauce
Chipotle sour cream
Guacamole
Shredded lettuce
Nice rolls, split, cut side toasted

Heat enchilada sauce in a small skillet.
Dip toasted side of the bottom part of the bun into the enchilada sauce.
Please sauce side up on a plate.
Spread a spoonful of refried beans over enchilada sauced bun.
Top with shredded pork.
Drizzle or dollop on some chipotle sour cream.
Add shredded lettuce.
Spread guacamole on toasted side of the top part of the bun and cover sandwich.
Devour!

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I threw a pork loin roast into the crockpot with some fajita seasoning my mom got me in New Mexico and some chicken stock. I put it on high and cooked it all day.

If my brain had been just a bit faster than my body, I would have used beer instead of chicken stock. Oh well... it was still wicked tasty.

Shred that.


I had some Cellone's Hard Rolls. I love those for sandwiches.

I split them in half and toasted the cut side in the toaster oven.


I had about a quarter of a bottle of Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce leftover in the fridge. I poured that into a small skillet to heat it up. Then dipped the bottom, toasted side of the bun into it.


Use whatever enchilada sauce you like.

Spread a generous spoonful of hot refried beans over the sauced bun.


Homemade refried beans, canned, whatever... that was Taco Bell canned refried beans plus taco sauce & lime juice.

Add some moist delicious shredded pork.


Now for the Chipotle Sour Cream.

I was going to make it with canned Chipotles in Adobo sauce. But when I opened my last little can, it kind of exploded a little. So I thought I'd pass on the botulism and just mixed sour cream with Chipotle Tabasco.


Put a nice dollop of chipotle sour cream over the pork.


That's where I wish I had a selection of plastic squeeze bottles.


That would be way more fun for applying sauce to sandwiches or whatever needs saucing!

Anyway... added some shreddy lettuce.


A generous spoonful of guacamole on the top bun.


Cover it up and devour it!


I totally had shredded cheese to put on this. I LOVE cheese. But while assembling them, I completely forgot about it. But ya know what? I think these were perfect without it!!

The pics and directions aren't so great here. But the sandwich was AMAZING!

Chicken Philly Sub

The first time I had a Chicken Philly Sub was walking through the food court at the mall. I was walking by Charlie's Grilled Subs and they were giving out samples. I tasted that little slice of sub and went straight to the register. I was hooked!

Then recently I was thinking... I make Steak & Cheese Subs fairly often, why don't I ever make Chicken Philly Subs?

I couldn't come up with a single reason and started making my shopping list!




Chicken Philly Sub
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, sliced very thin
Onions, sliced thin
Bell Pepper, sliced thin
Mushrooms, sliced thin
a little oil
Provolone Cheese, slices
Sub Rolls
Mayo
Lettuce, shredded
Tomato, sliced

Slice chicken breast very thin, then cut across too, so you have very small thin pieces.


Slice up your veggies.


While you're slicing veggies, might as well slice the lettuce & tomato too.


Since you're slicing things... slice those rolls too... not all the way through.


Preheat a skillet with a little bit of oil. Add chicken, onions, peppers, and mushrooms.


Cook until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.






Meanwhile, spread desired amount of mayo on sliced sub roll. I like a generous slather. Then add tomato slices and shredded lettuce.

Scrape chicken and veggies into a sub roll sized pile and place slices of provolone cheese on top.


Let the cheese get melty.

Now with a long spatula, scoop the chicken & veggies & cheese into the sub roll.


You might be thinking.... "Ummmm... Spryte? Where's the lettuce and tomato?"

Yeah... I totally forgot it! But it sure did look nice on the cutting board didn't it?

Time to dig in. I just love these and my family seems to groove on them too. Even when I forget the lettuce & tomato!

These are wicked fast and easy to make and so much better than any sub shop!

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!

As soon as I saw them I knew I had to make them! And I saw them a lot!! They were all over the interwebs!

Anyway... these are amazing... but if you're watching what you eat, save this one for a day when you have a little wiggle room... ok, a lot of wiggle room, because this is definitely an indulgence!



Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

sourdough bread
softened cream cheese (about 2 TBLS per sammie)
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded jack cheese
sliced jalapeno peppers, sliced lengthwise
tortilla chips, roughly crushed
butter

First for the jalapenos. You can use either canned jalapenos (not the little pickled slices) or fresh. If you use fresh, char the peppers on the outside using your broiler or grill. Turn until all side are blackened (about 10 minutes more or less) Immediately place them into a sealed container. Let them rest for 10 to 20 minutes. Now the skins should slip off easily.

Butter one side of each piece of bread.

Place one slice of bread, buttered side down in skillet over medium lowish heat.

Top with shredded cheddar and jack cheeses.

Add crushed tortilla chips.

Top tortilla chips with jalapeno slices.

Spread cream cheese on plain side of remaining slice of bread and place it on top of sandwich with buttered side up.

Cook on medium lowish heat until golden brown. Then carefully flip sandwich.

Continue cooking until cheese is melty and bread is golden brown.

Enjoy!

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Ok... here's what you need...


Buttered side down, topped with cheddar cheese...


Then jack cheese... mmmm... so creamy and melty!!


Next you really should put on the tortilla chips... however I put on the jalapenos.


Ah... now there's nothing for the chips to kinda stick to... so I put the cream cheese on the other slice of bread and kinda stuck them on there...


Then I had to flip that onto the rest of the sandwich without losing my chips! But I totally got lucky have mad skillz... so it totally worked out...


Carefully flip it and continue cooking until the cheese is melty and the bread is golden.



These are wicked good! Gooey, cheesy, melty, spicy... YUM!!

You'll want to control the heat in your sandwich to your liking. Some of family thought they were a little too spicy... some thought they were just fine. Instead of the slices... you might even want to dice the jalapenos. Then you can really control just how much you have in there. I couldn't really pick out the flavor of the tortilla chips, as the crunchy coating on a jalapeno popper. Maybe I needed more? I'm not sure. But it definitely didn't ruin overall jalapeno popperness of the sammie.

I loved these... and I have no idea why I haven't made them again, because these pictures are pretty old!

If you love grilled cheese sandwiches and jalapeno poppers, you must put these on your short list of things to make!

English Muffin Bread

Yeast breads typically intimidate me. I don't really know why, because when I actually start, there's nothing to be afraid of. But still, it always gives me pause.

Anyway... am I ever glad I didn't let my fear of yeast get the better of me when I found out about English Muffin Bread!

I think I found this while browsing Pinterest. It's from a website call blisstree.com.

This is wicked easy and soooooo good!!



English Muffin Bread
5 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/4 cups warm milk
butter and cornmeal for greasing and dusting the pans

Mix the yeast, honey, and water. Set aside.
Sift the salt, baking powder, and flour.
Add the milk and one cup of the flour to the yeast mixture. Blend well.
Add the remaining flour and beat. You should have a very soft, goopy dough. (she really said goopy... and it totally is!)
Spoon the dough into 2 loaf pans that have been greased and dusted with the cornmeal. Set aside in a warm place until the batter has doubled and is at the top of the pans, or a little above.
Preheat the oven to 425F
Dust the tops of the loaves with cornmeal and bake for 15 minutes or so. Loaf will sound hollow when tapped. Bake for 20-25 minutes if you want a crisper, more golden crust.
Cool and slice.
Yield:2 loaves.

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Ok, so mix the yeast, honey and water and set it aside.

You can see it grow and come to life in my glass measuring cup.



Now right up to the spout.


mmmmm.... yeasty....

Anyway... whisk your flour, baking powder and salt.


That didn't really make for a very interesting photo, did it?

Add the milk and one cup of flour mixture to the yeast mixture.

Blend well; add remaining flour and beat.

This will be a loose sticky gooey dough.


Butter your loaf pans and dust them with cornmeal.


Spoon the dough into the loaf pans.


No kneading at all, because you don't want to squish all those voluptuous air pockets that will totally cradle the silky melty butter when you toast it.

Let them rest in a warm place until batter has doubled and is at least to the top of the pans.


Now pop them into the oven, preheated to 425F. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Loaf will sound hollow when tapped. If you want a crisper more golden crust, bake 20 - 25 minutes.



Doesn't that look beautiful?

Be sure to let it cool before slicing.

Look at those big nooks and crannies!


Now since this made two loaves, I was totally going to give one to my friend Erin across the street.

But look at this toasted golden goodness!!


And it made the BEST breakfast sandwiches!!


We rolled through both loaves in no time at all!!

Sorry Erin!!

But I didn't actually tell her that I'd planned to give her a loaf, so it's not like she really missed it or anything!

This was crazy easy and so totally delicious!!

What are you waiting for?! Go make some!

Caramelized Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

The first time I saw these on Closet Cooking, I knew I had to make them! Kevin is a culinary genius, and if you don't frequent his blog already, I can't recommend it enough. You won't be disappointed!



Caramelized Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
bread
butter
cheese, grated

Heat a pan over medium heat.

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Just like a regular grilled cheese...

Place one slice in the pan, buttered side down, cover with half of the cheese and any other fillings you might want to add, and top with the remaining slice of bread, buttered side up... ya know, like a grilled cheese...

Turn down the heat a little and cook until golden brown.

Carefully, flip the sandwich and cook the other side until golden brown.

Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese on the empty side of the pan, place the grilled cheese on top and cook until the cheese is melted and caramelized.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the empty side of the pan and flip the grilled cheese on top of the cheese and cook until the cheese is melted and caramelized.

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So here's my extra-sharp New York cheddar with green onions on rye.



Top with 2nd slice of bread... buttered side up.


Flip when golden (I like mine dark)


Add a lovely pile of sheddy cheese next to your sammie.


When that gets a bit melty, place sandwich on top of the shredded cheese in the pan.


More shreddy cheese...


And flip the sandwich onto the remaining melty cheese.


When that's melty & caramelized, it's time to eat!!



This is so amazing, I know you'll want to immediately bite into it. But you have to try to restrain yourself! Cheesy mouth burns are no fun!

But this sandwich is great!! You MUST try it!!