It has been touched on before in the blog. These webpages have been scrawled with tales of the days of ole when I was a super picky eater.

Seriously, Diet Coke, Caesar salad and cheesecake were my three food groups.

I’ve always loved Mexican food, but until I was in high school I would eat nothing but crispy shredded beef tacos. Not chicken. Not ground beef. Not soft. Crispy. Beef. Tacos.

And there is still a beautiful place in my heart for my old favorite.

But these days, I find myself craving pork carnitas more and more.

I finally decided it was time to get in the kitchen and try my hand at this tasty shredded pork treat.

Mexican places are great, but they ain’t got nothing on my carnitas.

You will need…

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

20 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas, warmed on the stove or grill

1 cup pineapple, diced

Your choice of toppings (shredded jack cheese, diced tomato, diced onion, cilantro, avocado)

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

In a roasting pan, rub the pork down with the oil and chile powder. 

Season with salt and pepper and fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock and roast for 1 hour.

After the hour, scatter the pork with the garlic and jalapeno and bake for another 2 hours. Rotating once.

Up the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop the pork into large chunks and then use 2 forks to pull apart the pork.

Add the shredded pork back into the roasting pan. Remove the peals from the garlic and add it back to the pan.

Roast for another 30 minutes until well browned and crisp.

Stir the pork and continue to roast for a final 30 minutes.

Pour the drippings from the pork to a medium saucepan and add in the orange juice.

Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. About 4 minutes.

Drizzle over the pork and serve with pineapple, & your favorite toppings on a warmed tortilla.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Garlic and Jalapeno Carnitas Tacos

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

20 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas, warmed on the stove or grill

1 cup pineapple, diced

Your choice of toppings (shredded jack cheese, diced tomato, diced onion, cilantro, avocado)

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

In a roasting pan, rub the pork down with the oil and chile powder.

Season with salt and pepper and fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock and roast for 1 hour.

After the hour, scatter the pork with the garlic and jalapeno and bake for another 2 hours. Rotating once.

Up the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop the pork into large chunks and then use 2 forks to pull apart the pork.

Add the shredded pork back into the roasting pan. Remove the peals from the garlic and add it back to the pan.

Roast for another 30 minutes until well browned and crisp.

Stir the pork and continue to roast for a final 30 minutes.

Pour the drippings from the pork to a medium saucepan and add in the orange juice.

Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. About 4 minutes.

Drizzle over the pork and serve with pineapple, & your favorite toppings on a warmed tortilla. 

By this time, I’m pretty sure that summer is in full swing for most areas in the northern hemisphere. And I don’t know what summertime produce gets your juices flowing, but for me it is all about the watermelon and the heirloom tomatoes.

As soon as the season starts watermelon is my go to snack. I basically purchase a watermelon every time I head to the store. Which I’m sure you can imagine is often.

While I probably consume more watermelon in the summer than I do anything else all year, heirloom tomatoes are the true summer star.

They usually end up being the inspiration for most of my summer dishes.

Here they are enhanced with some extra crunch and tang for warm weather perfection.

You will need…

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 celery ribs, thinly sliced

½ cup candied walnuts, roughly chopped

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the vinegar and the walnuts in a small bowl. Set them aside and let them pickle for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a large bowl or on a platter, combine the tomatoes, blue cheese and celery.

When the nuts are tangy and pickled, add the oil and mustard to the nuts and vinegar.

Season well with salt and whisk until completely combined.

Drizzle the tomatoes with the dressed walnuts and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Heirloom Tomato and Pickled Walnut Salad

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 celery ribs, thinly sliced

½ cup candied walnuts, roughly chopped

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the vinegar and the walnuts in a small bowl. Set them aside and let them pickle for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a large bowl or on a platter, combine the tomatoes, blue cheese and celery.

When the nuts are tangy and pickled, add the oil and mustard to the nuts and vinegar.

Season well with salt and whisk until completely combined.

Drizzle the tomatoes with the dressed walnuts and serve.