Pulled Pork King Ranch Casserole

King Ranch Casserole is a classic in the state of Texas. Typically it is made with chicken, but today I am sharing a new version with you! Pulled Pork King Ranch Casserole. It's basically a mash up of some of my favorite things. One of my main loves is a good pulled pork sandwich with a drizzle of some classic Texas BBQ sauce. Combine that with my love of King Ranch Casserole and we have a winner. The pulled pork is easy to make in the slow cooker. I made mine the day before and just had it shredded in the refrigerator. If you do this you can either reheat the meat by giving it a trip to the microwave or you can just toss the cold pork into the cream mixture and stir it up. It will cook and heat in the oven; it just takes a bit more to stir it all together since it's cold. In most recipes for King Ranch Casserole you will see cans of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom being used. I typically will try to find ways around these ingredients. I don't have anything against them, it's just a preference I have. I like to make things from scratch if I can and time permits. So for this recipe we're going with a basic roux. Butter and flour and then a stock. This makes a thick, creamy mixture. And of course we have all of the other goodies in there too, some red onion, bell peppers, garlic, chili powder, cumin. All my favorites. You can add different peppers if you like, a poblano or even a jalapeño. Just make sure you de-seed them, or if you want the heavy hit of heat leave 'em in! The basis of the King Ranch Casserole is that it's layered, almost like a lasagna. Except instead of noodles we will use crispy corn tortillas layered with our creamy pulled pork mixture and cheese. Lots of cheese. This casserole is just like all other casseroles, complete comfort food.  Print Save Pulled Pork King Ranch Casserole Recipe Embed Ingredients 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter 1 cup Chopped Red Onion 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced 3 cloves Garlic, minced 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin 1 tablespoon Chili Powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour 1 3/4 cups Beef Broth, or mushroom, veggie, or chicken broth 1 10 ounce can Chunky Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles, drained 1 1/2 cups Sour Cream, plus more for topping 2 pounds Pulled Pork 4 cups Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese 18 Corn Tortillas, white or yellow 1/4 cup Canola Oil Fresh Cilantro, optional Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted add the red onion, and bell peppers. Allow to cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned. Add in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat the veggies in the seasonings. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet. Stir to coat the veggies in the flour; you will end up with a thick paste. Pour in the beef broth and stir. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring and let simmer while stirring for about 2-3 minutes until thick. Remove from heat, allow to cool for about 2 minutes and stir in the diced tomatoes with green chiles and the sour cream. Stir to combine. Add the shredded pork and stir until mixed. Set aside. Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Brush the tortillas with the canola oil on both side and heat on the griddle until crisp and browned on each side. Once all tortillas are browned, layer 6 tortillas on the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the tortillas to cover as much of the dish as possible. Top with half of the pork mixture then one third of the cheese. Repeat by layering 6 more tortillas, the remaining half of the pork mixture, and .one third of the cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas and the rest of the cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven allow to cool for several minutes then serve warm. Can serve with additional sour cream and fresh cilantro. Enjoy some traditional Mexican Rice and Beans as a side dish! Serve and enjoy! Notes Try this recipe with my favorite pulled pork! Recommended 360 Bakeware Baking Pan Le Creuset Revolution Spatula Lodge Cast Iron Skillet via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2ope4Hu Food Fanatic

Ham, Egg and Cheese Pretzel Rolls

So this recipe happened a little bit by accident. I love it when new favourites happen that way. I wasn't actually planning on making these ham, egg and cheese pretzel rolls. I was trying thinking of what to make for supper one day, and it had to meet many criteria. It needed to be portable because we wouldn't be home. It needed to be made ahead of time because we had to be at the dentist between school pickup and suppertime. And it needed to be a full meal that I could easily pack for 5 people, that all five of those people would actually eat, and that would be okay warm or cold because all 5 people would be eating at different times in between the dentist, skating lessons, a hockey game and swimming. Why is it that all of the activities have to fall on the same night? For some reason this seems to happen a lot. This is why my kids are only allowed to do one thing at a time! I don't think it would be possible to fit anything else into one evening. Not while keeping my sanity, at any rate. These ham, egg and cheese pretzel rolls fit the bill that night. Everyone loved them — but really, what's not to love? Scrambled eggs, ham and melty cheddar cheese all rolled up in a salty pretzel braid. These portable, hand-held pretzel buns are a full meal all on their own. Plus, everyone was fighting over the leftovers to bring for lunch the next day. I'm pretty sure that means that this accidental meal was one that will be made on purpose many more times! Print Save Ham, Egg and Cheese Pretzel Rolls Recipe Embed Ingredients For the Dough: 5 cups All-Purpose Flour 3 teaspoons Instant Yeast 1 teaspoon Salt 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, melted 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar 2 cups Warm Water For the Rolls: 2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese 1 cup Diced Cooked Ham 8 Eggs, scrambled 1/2 cup Warm Water 2 tablespoons Baking Soda Coarse Sea Salt, or kosher salt, for sprinkling 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted, for brushing after baking Directions In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or in a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, salt, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, brown sugar and 2 cups of very warm water. Once the ingredients are combined, knead for 5-6 minutes by machine, or 10-12 by hand. The dough should clear the sides and bottom of the bowl and be very soft and smooth, but not overly sticky. If it's too sticky add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time, if it's really dry and not tacky at all, add a little more water a tablespoon at a time. Move the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let rest for 30-60 minutes, the bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the cheddar cheese, ham and scrambled eggs. On a lightly oiled surface, roll out the dough to an 18x16 inch rectangle. Slice the dough into twelve 6x4 inch rectangles. Spread about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture in the middle of each rectangle, leaving a one inch space on each of the long sides. Cut the long sides into 1-inch diagonal strips, and fold these strips over top of the filling, alternating sides to form a braid. Pinch the ends to seal the dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough rectangles. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the warm water and the baking soda. Dip each braided roll into the baking soda solution, turning it to coat (whisk it together again in between every couple rolls as the soda tends to settle quickly) and place it on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse or kosher salt.   Bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. When they come out of the oven, brush with the melted butter. Serve warm. They are best immediately after baking them, but they also reheat well, and are very good cold, so there are options!  Recommended KitchenAid Stand Mixer Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls 360 Bakeware Large Cookie Sheet via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2omoHeG Food Fanatic