Cheesy Pork Enchiladas

By NecessaryIndulg | May 4, 2012 - 11:59 am | Food, Pork

My friends suggested that I share something a little more “kid friendly”.

The funny part about that is that their kids are a lot like our kids. They eat what most people consider to be “grown up food”.

I think these Cheesy Pork Enchiladas are both!

I made it a lot during the week when our kids were young.

You know those nights when everyone needs to go in a different direction?

Those nights.

It is a total cheat meal.

I use precooked Cuban Pork from my local grocery store’s deli, 2 cans of enchilada sauce, cream cheese, shredded cheese, onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and tortillas.

You can use corn or flour tortillas — I use one that is a mixture of corn and flour.

Sometimes I buy pre-shredded cheese. Sometimes I use shredded chicken.

Like most of the recipes I make, it is never the same way twice.

Sauté the chopped onion in butter (or olive oil) until tender. Add chopped garlic and sauté for another second or two.

Add some of the enchilada sauce, cumin, and cream cheese.

Once the cream cheese is melted, add about a cup of shredded cheese.

Or more if you’re like me.

Combine everything together — it will be super cheesy and delicious.

Next, add the shredded pork.

Mix everything together and then fill the tortillas with the pork and cheese mixture.

Add cilantro and roll.

Place them in a 9×13″ baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray and the rest of the enchilada sauce.

Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes and that is it!

Top with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, more cilantro… you get the idea.

It’s embarrassingly easy and perfect for kids of all ages!

Honey Prosciutto Flatbread

By NecessaryIndulg | April 30, 2012 - 12:30 pm | Appetizers, Food

1 Comment

I read about these last week on She Wears Many Hats.

It’s simple, but the flavors are so complex.

Flatbread crackers, a few slices of gouda, thinly sliced prosciutto, slices of red onion, and then drizzled with honey.

I made these for a party this past weekend and everyone went nuts over them.

The flavor combination is superb.

Thank you, Amy!

It’s the perfect party food.

Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs

By NecessaryIndulg | April 24, 2012 - 3:28 pm | Bacon, Big Green Egg, Chicken, Food, Grilling

4 Comments

One of the guys over on the Big Green Egg Forum mentioned bacon wrapped chicken thighs yesterday, so I decided to give it a try.

I stuffed them with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil.

First, you’ll want to wash & dry the boneless, skinless chicken thighs and remove any excess fat.

I really, really, really hate touching raw chicken.

Lay them with the inside up like this.

Crumble goat cheese on all of the thighs:

Add rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes:

And then top with a basil leaf.

Roll up the chicken thighs and secure with skewers, toothpicks, or cooking string.

If you’re grilling these you’ll want to soak the skewers/toothpicks in water prior to cooking to keep them from burning.

I seasoned the stuffed thighs with Krazy Jane on one side and Tony’s Creole seasoning on the other.

Salt & pepper will work too, just use whatever you have on-hand.

Wrap bacon around the chicken making sure to cover the openings so the stuffing doesn’t sneak out.

You could also wrap them in bacon before securing with toothpicks if that’s easier.

I set up my Big Green Egg with a raised grid:

That just means I increased the amount of space between the fire and chicken.

I cooked them for about 45 minutes at 400F.

Turning often.

You could also bake them in a 400F oven for 45 minutes.

Look at these!

They were the perfect combination of smokey, salty, and sweet.

Bacon wrapped stuffed chicken thighs are super easy and the stuffing options are endless.

Give it a try!

Mighty Meaty Pizza

By NecessaryIndulg | April 23, 2012 - 2:09 pm | Food, Pizza

2 Comments

This was one of my favorite pizza topping combinations so far.

Pepperoni, Chorizo, Pancetta, Pesto, Gruyère, Goat Cheese, Sun-dried tomatoes, and Basil.

I brushed the crust with pesto, added shredded gruyère, Boar’s Head pepperoni, thinly sliced chorizo, crispy pancetta, dollops of goat cheese, and rehydrated smoked sun-dried tomatoes.

Then I topped it with fresh basil.

I can’t wait to make this one again!

Here are three more of my favorite pizza combinations:

Spicy Sausage & Caramelized Onion

Leek, Bacon and Goat Cheese

BBQ Pulled Pork

What toppings make up your favorite pizza?

Foodie Does Austin

By NecessaryIndulg | April 21, 2012 - 5:50 pm | North America, Travel

3 Comments

Last weekend went to visit friends in Austin.

Apparently there are more restaurants per square mile in Austin than in any other US city.

As luck would have it our friends love food as much as we do!

We arrived about 7pm Friday night and headed to Chuy’s for Tex Mex.

I ordered the Friday Special which was a pork burrito with tomatillo sauce.

We can’t get anything close to this good at home.

They also have a creamy jalapeño sauce that you’ll want to drink.

The next morning we picked up kolaches from Lone Star Kolaches.

Kolaches originated in Eastern Europe. It is a slightly sweet pastry filled with deliciousness.

John had a couple stuffed with chorizo, egg, and cheese:

I had a bacon and cheese:

And a jalapeño and cheese:

After breakfast Jeff and Mindy took us for a drive and showed us a little bit of Austin.

Our first stop was The Oasis on Lake Travis.

It has the largest outdoor restaurant in the state of Texas and is located on a cliff 450 feet above the lake.

From there we went to Mount Bonnell, the highest point in Austin.

We checked out the food trailers on South Congress for lunch, or as the locals call it, SoCo.

Everything smelled so good and it was hard to decide which one to choose.

We ended up at Coat & Thai for shrimp spring rolls and chicken wings.

There isn’t a picture of the wings — we inhaled them before I even thought about it.

That night we went to Austin Land and Cattle for Jeff’s Birthday Dinner.

We started with beef prosciutto with capers, onions, and shaved parmesan:

And escargot:

Their steaks were delicious!

Unfortunately none of those pictures turned out so you’ll just have to take my word for it — they looked and were amazing!

They claim to have the best steaks in Austin and I’d place a bet that says they’re right.

Breakfast the next morning was the kind you’d expect after celebrating a friend’s birthday Downtown Austin.

We started with chips and queso at Torchy’s Tacos.

John had chorizo, egg, and cheese breakfast tacos.

I went straight for lunch and ordered the Crossroads Taco with smoked beef brisket, grilled onions, jalapeño, cilantro, jack cheese, and a slice of avocado.

I wish there was a Torchy’s Tacos near us. I would be their best customer.

After lunch we went to Bull Creek for a casual hike.

We called that our exercise for the weekend and headed to Salt Lick for BBQ.

You may have seen Salt Lick on Man v. Food or The Food Network’s show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”.

John and I both had the Pork Ribs and Brisket Burnt Ends.

The burnt ends are a delicacy in my opinion.

Seriously good eats!

I can’t wait to go back and try all of the other must-do BBQ places.

On Monday morning we went to Gourdough’s Food Trailer for breakfast.

I was told there was a bacon donut there that I had to eat.

Well, okay… if I have to.

I was expecting a bacon donut but I wasn’t expecting THIS bacon donut.

The Flying Pig is a donut with the best maple icing I’ve ever tasted on top, and then 6 slices of crispy bacon on top of that.

Heaven. On. Earth.

John had the Slow Burn — Habanero Pepper Jelly with Cream Cheese.

It was good but the Flying Pig blew it away.

They have several interesting donuts on the menu but I doubt I’d ever order anything else.

We flew in and out of San Antonio and had a couple of hours there before our flight home Monday afternoon.

We went to the Alamo and walked around the Riverwalk.

A good friend of ours went to school in San Antonio and recommended Boudro’s for lunch.

They prepare a Guacamole for Two at your table.

Diced avocado, roasted tomato and serrano pepper salsa, cilantro, and fresh lime and orange juices.

Yes. It was as good as it looks.

I had the Gulf Coast Seacakes with fresh lump blue crab, roasted corn sauce, jicama slaw and serrano aioli.

John had Ropa Vieja — Braised beef flank steak with sofrito, capers, matchstick radish, cilantro and grilled pineapple on fresh mini corn tortillas.

Another delicious meal and a great way to end our short visit to Texas.

There are so many places we still need to try and I can’t wait to get back there and do just that.

Huge thanks to Jeff and Mindy for showing us around Austin, and to Meisje for recommending Boudro’s in San Antonio.

This was my first trip to Texas and I can see why Texas loves Texas.

It’s the food!

Discovery’s Final Flight

By NecessaryIndulg | April 17, 2012 - 11:23 am | Life, North America

2 Comments

As a native Floridan raised on the Space Coast, I grew up with the Shuttle Program.

There is just something about a shuttle launch that gets me every time.

The emotions are hard to explain but there is a noticeable tug on the heartstrings.

This morning I joined thousands of others on the beach to witness Space Shuttle Discovery’s final flight.

It was the perfect morning for saying goodbye.

Thank you for the memories, NASA!

Bacon & Gruyère Burgers

By NecessaryIndulg | April 12, 2012 - 11:44 am | Bacon, Big Green Egg, Burger, Food, Grilling, Sandwich

6 Comments

I haven’t been very creative in the kitchen lately. The weather has been perfect for sitting outside so that is exactly where we’ve been most nights.

Some of you are thinking not another bacon cheeseburger post!

But guess what?

It is!

Bacon & Gruyère Cheeseburgers to be exact.

We buy our ground chuck from a local meat market who grinds their meat in-house. No pink slime for this girl!

The meat is so good that it doesn’t need anything mixed-up in it.

Just a little seasoning on top.

I put Krazy Jane and pepper on one side and course salt and pepper on the other.

Once the Big Green Egg is hot and ready I toss them on.

After a couple of minutes I flip them.

I love grill marks, don’t you?

After a few more minutes I add bacon:

And gruyère.

At this point I close all of the vents and the lid and let the burgers dwell.

During this time the burgers finish cooking, the cheese melts, and something magical happens.

I wish you could smell this:

I loaded mine up with onion, pickle, and ketchup:

They were so juicy we went through about 10 napkins.

Each.

It might be simple, but it’s so satisfying.

Go outside and cook — it’s good for you!

Skiing Squaw Valley

By NecessaryIndulg | April 9, 2012 - 5:38 pm | North America, Travel

Shrimp Boil

By NecessaryIndulg | March 31, 2012 - 12:20 pm | Food, Seafood, Shrimp

1 Comment

Last night we had friends over for a Shrimp Boil.

Our friend Kurt brought over his cooking contraption and walked me through the process.

We used potatoes, corn, onion, sausage, lemon, garlic, seasoning packs, and shrimp.

I love this meal!

I love that everyone crowds around the table to eat it. I love that utensils aren’t required.

And the cleanup in a cinch!

Happy weekend, Y’all!

Rome and Amsterdam

By NecessaryIndulg | March 27, 2012 - 4:31 pm | Europe, Travel

3 Comments

Like most of our trips, our decision to go to Rome and Amsterdam was based on an airfare that was too good to pass up.

When we booked the trip we had no idea that it would end up falling just six short days after we moved.

If you’ve ever moved you know that it will drain you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Our goal for the trip was simple — Eat, drink, and recharge.

We are going back to Rome in May with our kids so there wasn’t any pressure to conquer the city.

The only sightseeing we did was on the way to our next meal or while walking one off.

It was exactly what we needed.

Our room wasn’t ready for us when we arrived so we went to the hotel bakery and ate cake for breakfast.

After a nap we went to Bar Ornelli for pizza and wine.

It wasn’t the best pizza but it was one of the only places open at 3pm.

Most restaurants are closed between 3-7pm.

The Colosseum was only a few blocks from our hotel.

We ordered espresso at a small cafe and watched the day turn to dusk.

For dinner we went to a restaurant that first opened in 1899.

The menu at Trattoria Antica Hostaria da Angelino depends on what the chef finds at the market that morning.

We were the only non-locals there and you know how much we like that!

The food was authentic and the staff was fun and friendly.

The next day we woke up in time for lunch and ended up at Trattoria al Varesino, a family owned pasta restaurant.

We ordered wine and watched the locals pour in on their lunch break.

You could tell many of them frequent this little gem.

I had Spaghetti alla Carbonara — a Roman classic made with pecorino cheese, guanciale or pancetta, parmigiano cheese, black pepper and eggs.

John had Bucatini alla Amatriciana — the second most popular pasta from Rome made with guanciale, pecorino Romano cheese, tomatoes, chili peppers (peperoncini), black pepper and a little wine.

After lunch we went to the Spanish Steps.

This monumental stairway of 138 steps is between Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Trinità die Monti.

There was a neat vibe at the top with a healthy mix of locals, tourists, and artists.

Before going back to our hotel for a nap, we went to the Trevi Fountain.

That morning our daughter reminded us that we weren’t allowed to toss a coin into the fountain without her.

We kept our promise and ate gelato instead.

After reading a few reviews on TripAdvisor we walked to a restaurant known for their lasagna.

It lived up to its reputation and so did their house wine.

I can’t remember the name of the place but I love this poem on their menu:

The next morning — I guess I should say afternoon — we walked through Ancient Rome towards Trastevere in search of a recommended pizza place.

Trastevere is on the west bank of the Tiber and south of Vatican City.

It is a charming area with narrow cobblestone streets and medieval houses.

Unfortunately the pizza place we were looking for was closed but we found another one that looked promising.

La Scaletta is a tiny restaurant on Via della Scala and well worth finding.

We weren’t on a schedule and didn’t have anywhere to be so we hung out there for a couple of hours.

After lunch we walked to Piazza Navona.

The square is built on the former Domitian’s stadium, built by emperor Domitian in 86 AD.

Later that night we went to Gaetano Costa for dinner.

We ordered the Tasting Menu and were blown away by every course.

The website says, “Strong technique, high creativity and Mediterranean spirit are the main features of an original style that combines excellent Italian ingredients.”