Mexican Pizza

Ingredients

Taco Meat

  • 1 Lb Ground Beef
  • 1 Packet Taco Seasoning
  • 1/3 Cup Water

Mexican Pizza Crust

  • 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 8 Flour Tortillas

Beans

  • 1 Can (15 oz) Refried Beans

Mexican Pizza Toppings

  • 2 Cups Shredded Mexican Cheese
  • 1 Can (10 oz) Enchilado Sauce or 10 oz Taco Sauce
  • 2 Plum Tomatoes – diced
  • 1 Can (3.8 oz) Black Olives – sliced

Directions

Taco Meat

  1. Cook the taco meat in accordance to the directions on the taco seasoning packet.

Mexican Pizza Crust

  1. Heat the oil in a small skillet.
  2. With a knife or fork, poke holes in the tortillas to avoid them from bubbling up.
  3. Fry the tortillas, about 1-2 minutes per side. Be careful not to burn the tortillas.

Beans

  1. Cook the beans in accordance to the directions on the can of beans.

Building Your Mexican Pizza

  1. Pre-heat your oven to Broil.
  2. On a cookie sheet, place one crispy tortilla and top with a thin layer of refried beans.
  3. Add approximately 1/4 Cup of taco meat on top of the beans and top with some cheese.
  4. Place another crispy tortilla on top of the cheese and smother it with the enchilada sauce or Taco Sauce.
  5. Add another layer of cheese and place the cookie sheet into the oven to melt the cheese. Be careful not to burn the tortillas or cheese.
  6. Remove the Mexican Pizza from the oven and top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, black olives, and drizzle with more Taco Sauce.
  7. Serve or top with a side of source cream or crema, your preference. Enjoy and reminisce about the good old days!

Simple Honey Old Bay Wings, Bring a Taste of Maryland to The Party

Ingredients

  • 1 Dozen Chicken Wings
  • 1 Tbs Honey
  • 2 Tbs Old Bay Seasoning (Adjustable based on love of Old Bay)

Directions

  1. Remove the wings from their package and pat them dry. Allow them to sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to dry out more if possible.
  2. Pre-heat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
  3. Spray cooking spray on your basket and place the wings in the basket. Spray the top of the wings with cooking spray. Add a sprinkle/pinch of Old Bay over top of the wings.
  4. Cook the wings at 380 degrees for 25-28 minutes, depending on how crispy you want your wings. Shake the basket halfway through the cooking process.
  5. Place the cooked wings in a large bowl and drizzle with honey. Toss/Mix the wings and the honey in the bowl.
  6. Add the Old Bay, you can always add more than suggested if you are an Old Bay addict. Toss/Mix the wings again in the same bowl. Place them in the serving vessel of your choice. Although these wings are just fine by themselves, feel free to serve with a sauce of your choice.

Delicious Alabama White Sauce Air Fryer Wings

Ingredients

  • 1 Dozen Chicken Wings
  • 1/2 Cup Mayo
  • 3 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Tbs Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbs Horseradish
  • 1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt, Garlic Powder, Ground Mustard, Sugar
  • 1/8 Tsp Cayenne, Paprika

Directions

Alabama White Sauce

  1. Combine all of the ingredients (not the chicken) well in a container. Place the sauce in the refrigerator while you cook the wings. For the best results, allow the sauce to set for at least 1 hour.

Wings

  1. Remove the wings from their package and pat them dry. Allow them to sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to dry out more if possible.
  2. Pre-heat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
  3. Spray cooking spray on your basket and place the wings in the basket. Spray the top of the wings with cooking spray.
  4. Cook the wings at 380 degrees for 25-28 minutes, depending on how crispy you want your wings. Shake the basket halfway through the cooking process.
  5. Place the cooked wings in a large bowl and top with a few tablespoons (or to your liking) of the Alabama White Sauce.
  6. Toss/Mix the wings and the sauce. Place them in the serving vessel of your choice. Serve with a side of Alabama White Sauce for the option to dip the wings with more sauce.

Blue Cheese Dip

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1/3 Cup Mayo
  • 4.5 oz Crumbled Blue Cheese
  • 1/4 Cup Buttermilk
  • 1 Tbs Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tsp Parsley Flakes
  • 1 Tsp Worcestershire
  • 1/8 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • Pinch of Garlic Powder
  • Pinch of Salt

Directions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  2. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
  3. Adjust any seasonings as needed once the mixture has chilled.

Taco Pizza with St. Louis Style Crust

Ingredients

  • Dough
  • Taco Sauce
  • 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 Cup Shredded Jack Cheese
  • 1 Cup Leftover Taco Meat
  • 1 Cup Chopped Lettuce
  • 1/2 Cup Diced Tomato
  • 1/4 Cup Sliced Jalapenos
  • Optional – black olives and any other topping desired

Directions

  1. Pre-heat your oven and pizza stone to 400 degrees (heat your stone for 30 minutes). Without a pizza stone, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Spoon a thin layer of taco sauce on the pie crust. Spread the layer of taco sauce with a spoon all the way to the edge of the pie crust.
  3. Mix the shredded cheeses and layer the pie crust from edge to edge with the mixed cheese.
  4. Spread the taco meat, lettuce, tomato and jalapenos evenly across the pizza pie. Add your optional toppings at this time (i.e. black olives).
  5. Bake on a pizza stone for 8 minutes at 400 degrees or on aluminum foil on the top rack at 450 minutes for 8 minutes.
  6. Broil the pizza for 2 to 3 minutes to finish the cook.
  7. Remove the pizza, let it cool for 10 minutes and cut into squares.
  8. Serve alone or with a side of sour cream. Enjoy!!

St. Louis Style Pizza Crust, Extra Thin and Crispy

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 3/4 Water – room temperature

Directions

  1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and pre heat the oven to 450 degrees. If using a pizza stone let the stone heat up for 30 minutes.
  2. Place all ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Stir to combine.
  4. Use hands to mix completely.
  5. Dust a surface with flour and roll the mix into a ball. Separate the mixture into two equal portions.
  6. Roll the two portions into a balls and let them sit for up to 30 minutes.
  7. Flour your rolling surface and roll out each ball into a 12 to 16 inch pizza crust at 1/4 inch height.
  8. Using a pizza dough docker or the end of a fork, poke/roll holes throughout the dough in order to prevent bubbling when you par bake the pizza crust.
  9. Place the pie crust on a pizza stone or pan and bake for 8 minutes.
  10. Remove the pie crust and place a sheet pan on top in order to prevent curling on the edge while the crust cools.

Shredded Braised-Beef Melt With Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Horseradish Cream Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 Lbs Beef – Short rib or Denver steak cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 3 Garlic Cloves – smashed
  • 1 White Onion – quartered
  • 1 Cup Carrots – 1 inch pieces
  • 1 Cup Celery – 1 inch pieces
  • 2 Cups Beef Broth
  • 1 Cup Water
  • Fresh Thyme – 4 sprigs
  • 2 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 8 Oz Mushrooms – sliced baby bella
  • 1 Sweet Onion – halved and sliced
  • 2 Tbs Butter
  • Sourdough Loaf – cut into 10 sandwich slices
  • Swiss Cheese – 10 slices
  • Salt
  • Ground Black Pepper

Horseradish Cream Sauce

  • 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1 Tbs Chives – diced
  • 1 Tbs Dijon
  • 1 Tbs Horseradish
  • 2 Tsp Worcestershire
  • 1 Tsp Louisiana Hot Sauce
  • 1 Tsp Garlic Paste
  • 1/8 Tsp Paprika
  • 1/8 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/8 Tsp Salt

Directions

Beef

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Heat up the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  3. Season the beef with salt and pepper and brown the beef in batches on all sides in the dutch oven. Place the browned beef on a plate.
  4. Sauté the white onions in the dutch oven for 3 to 5 minutes.
  5. Deglaze with the beef broth and scrape up all of the tasty bits (fond) on the bottom of the dutch oven.
  6. Add the smashed garlic, carrots, celery, and water.
  7. Add the beef on top of the vegetables and top with the thyme.
  8. Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours.
  9. Remove the beef from the dutch oven and shred the beef via your preferred method (i.e. two forks, tongs, etc.)

Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

  1. Place the sweet onions, mushrooms, and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Season with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper.
  3. Sauté for 20 to 25 minutes until the onions are brown.

Horseradish Cream Sauce

  1. Combine the ingredients for the horseradish cream sauce in a small bowl and mix well.
  2. Chill in the refrigerator until the beef is complete.

Sandwich Compilation

  1. Toast the sourdough slices of bread.
  2. Spread the horseradish cream sauce on the bottom piece of bread.
  3. Add the beef, sauteed onion and mushrooms, top with two slices of swiss cheese. Enjoy!

NOTE: You can wait until the end to toast the bread like a grilled cheese is preferred or use a panini press if you have one.

Italian Chopped Salad, CPK and Olive Garden Hybrid, Great With Herb Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 1 Head Iceberg Lettuce – halved and chopped into thin slices
  • 2 Romaine Hearts – halved and chopped into thin slice
  • 12-14 Pepperoncini
  • 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes – halved
  • 1 Can (6 Oz) Whole Black Olives
  • 2 Cups Salami – chopped
  • 2 Cups Mozzarella – freshly shredded
  • 1/2 Cup Red Onion – sliced into thin strips
  • 1/4 Cup Basil Leaves – chopped
  • 1 Bag Croutons

Optional Additions

  • 1 Can (15 Oz) Chickpeas – drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 Cup Ham – chopped
  • 1/2 Cup Pepperoni – chopped

Dressing

Directions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Apply the dressing as desired and toss the salad to mix well.
  3. Continue to dress the salad until satisfied. Add ground black pepper and freshly grated parmesan if desired. Enjoy!

Herb Mustard Vinaigrette, Copycat CPK Italian Chopped Salad Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 Cup Olive Oil – not Extra Virgin
  • 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 3 Tbs Parmesan – Grated
  • 2 Tbs Dijon Mustard
  • 2 Garlic Cloves – Minced
  • 2 Tsp Dried Parsley
  • 1 1/2 Tsp Oregano
  • 1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients in a medium-size bowl and whisk to combine all of the ingredients.
  2. Chill if not using right away. Dressing will last a day or two in the refrigerator.

Mexican-Style Street Corn Dip (Elote Dip), You Can’t Just Have One Chip

Ingredients

  • 11 Oz Can Mexican Style Corn
  • 1/2 Cup Red Onion – diced
  • 2 Jalapenos – seeded, diced
  • 1 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1/4 Cup Mayo
  • 1 Lime – Zest
  • 2 Limes – Juice
  • 1/3 Cup Water
  • 1 Cup Shredded Monterey Jack – fresh is better than prepackaged
  • 1/4 Cup Cotija Cheese – crumbled
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
  • 1 Tsp Cumin
  • 1 Tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 Tsp Cayenne
  • 1 Tsp Paprika
  • 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt

Directions

  1. Drain the can of corn and sauté in a pan on med-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes with the diced red onion, diced jalapenos, 1/4 Tsp cumin, and a pinch of salt and ground black pepper.
  2. Set aside the sautéed corn mixture to cool and place it in the refrigerator to chill (about 1 hour).
  3. Combine the chilled corn mixture with the remaining ingredients and mix well (save a little cilantro to top before serving).
  4. Chill in the refrigerator before serving (2 hours to overnight), the longer the better.
  5. Adjust seasonings to your taste after it sets.
  6. Place in your choice of container, top with remaining cilantro, serve with your favorite chips and enjoy!