Arroz Con Pollo with Homemade Tortillas & Guacamole

I live in Yakima. Yakima is one of this country's finest cities to find delicious, authentic Hispanic food. There are so many options, and of course I have my favorites - Antojitos Mexicanos being number 1. The multitude of sauces that they parade to your table, alone, makes it worth the experience. There are some of those sauces that I would love to bathe in. If you live in Yakima, you hopefully know what I'm talking about. If you are ever IN Yakima, you need to stop here.

What makes me fall in love with Hispanic food, any food really, is when it is authentic. The struggle of living in America is that many international foods take on an American flair. I hate that. I want to feel like I am eating the same Mexican food that they are eating in Mexico, the same Italian food they are eating in Italy, and so on.

One of the ways I feel a little bit closer to the authenticity of the Hispanic culture is through homemade tortillas. It's very hard to bite into the store-bought kind once you've experienced the product that starts in the kitchen and ends in the kitchen and is brought to your plate still steaming from just being cooked.

My favorite meal with freshly made tortillas? Arroz Con Pollo. Rice and chicken, with peppers and onions and mushrooms and of course the melted cheese! Every bite is comforting, especially when sandwiched between a piece of hot tortilla and just a little Guacamole.

Here's my take on the dish, complete with a recipe for the Guacamole and Tortillas.

Arroz Con Pollo

Ingredients:
2lbs. Chicken breast, cut into bite size chunks
4 Cloves garlic
1 Tbl. Oregano
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
2 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Green Pepper, diced
1 Small Onion, diced
8 oz. Mushrooms
1 Cup crushed tomatoes
5 Packets Goya Chicken Bouillion
5 Cups White Rice
5 Cups water
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:
Marinate your chicken in the garlic, oregano, lemon juice, salt and pepper for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the green pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Stir fry for about 4-5 minutes, then add your chicken. Stir fry until chicken is browned, about 5 more minutes. Add in the bouillon and white rice, and stir well. Add the water, bring to boil, reduce to low, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered. Add the crushed tomatoes, stir well, and then cover. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Check to see if rice is done, and serve with cheddar cheese.


Cilantro Lime Guacamole 

Ingredients: 
4 Medium Avocados
3 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 Cup diced red onion
1/2 Cup fresh chopped cilantro
Juice of 4 limes
2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Cumin

Core the Avocados and place the meat in a medium bowl. Add the lime juice, and mix and mash well. Add the rest of your ingredients, and check seasonings to your liking!

Fresh Tortillas

Ingredients:
1 Cup Flour
2 Cups Corn Masa
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 1/4 Cups Water

Sift together first 4 ingredients. Add the water, and work with your hands into a pliable dough. If too wet, add a little more corn flour. If too dry, add a little more water. Once you've got a good dough, place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Then divide into golf ball sized rounds, and roll out. Preheat a large skillet on medium high, and cook for 1-2 minutes per side. Enjoy!!

Because Eating Good Is A Calling Of It's Own! 

Lemon Grilled Chicken, Lemon Cream Penne, Grilled Zucchini Spears!

"In simple humility, let our gardener God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life." James 1:21

Tenielle decided a month ago that she wanted a lemon tree. In the past, we have done an amazing job at killing house plants, but we thought we'd give it another shot. We are all about taking risks in life, and when you succeed at killing a cactus which requires virtually no care at all, it is a definite risk to try and maintain something as precious as a lemon tree.

Amazingly though, our friend (Francesca is her name) is thriving! Her branches have filled with beautiful blossoms, filling our home with an unbelievable island, citrus, flowery scent. And she's even produced a little lemon child that we are excited to watch mature into a healthy, normal adult.

Calm down - we don't have kids yet!

Watching things grow is an incredible thing. There's something both human and divine about watching a plant produce flowers and fruit. We can water and tend it, but it's God that brings life to all things. I can't help but be thankful that God does not leave me to take care of myself, but adds His love and power - things that I will never achieve on my own.

Alright, that's enough cheese and corn, I'm making myself sick... Onto the food!

With my house becoming the home of a lemon tree, it seems right to offer up a lemon inspired meal. We've been having some incredible weather here in Central Washington, so I fired up the grill and began playing around with some lemony flavors.

I don't know about you, but when it comes to lemon, I am very picky. I feel like most foods with lemon are either too sweet, or too sour. To be honest, I lean more towards the sour, but I think finding a good balance is really important. More than anything, I want the essence of the lemon to really shine, and I think this meal really hit it on the head. There are two things that I think made this happen - 1, grated lemon peel, and 2, Limoncello.

The grated lemon peel gives you the essence of the lemon without the bitterness of biting right into the lemon. The Limoncello, an Italian liquor, is similar. The peel of the lemon is soaked in alcohol for a long time, releasing all of those beautiful oils into the liquor, and then the peels are discarded. I only added a little of both, to really bring out the flavors of the lemon.

So, without further ado, here is lemon grilled chicken with lemon cream sauce over penne, with grilled zucchini spears. I've broken them down into three separate recipes that you can prepare, and then bring together!

Lemon Grilled Chicken 

Ingredients: 
2 Good Sized Chicken Breast, Pounded Lightly
Marinade: 
Juice From Half A Lemon
2 Tbl. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Basil
1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp. Paprika

Instructions: 
Combine the marinade ingredients, mix well, and then pour over your chicken in a sealable bag. Massage the mix into the chicken, and then refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

When ready, preheat your grill to medium high. Grill the chicken, keeping a close eye on it, for about 16 minutes - flipping every 4 minutes. I've found that the key to good grilling is keeping an eye on the food - don't leave it! Play on your phone while you wait or something!

After grilling, give the chicken 10 minutes to rest. If you cut it sooner, you risk losing all of the incredible juices that have built up inside, giving you dry grilled chicken. No fun!

 Grilled Zucchini Spears 

Ingredients: 
3 Small to Medium Zucchini
2 Tbl. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
Juice From Half A Lemon

Instructions: 
Cut the ends off your zucchini, and then slice lengthwise 4 times, to get 4 spears out of each zucchini.

Combine the rest of your ingredients, and then pour over your zucchini, stirring well for coverage. Allow to marinade for 1-2 hours, until ready to grill.

Over a medium high grill, lay down your spears, and don't go anywhere! After a minute, flip the zucchini, and let set for another minute. Do this twice, for a total of 4 minutes. You should have some nice grill marks, but still have a good crunch to the zucchini. You don't want it mushy. If you have to eat vegetables, they should be appealing!

Serve immediately!

Lemon Cream Sauce Over Penne

Ingredients: 
1lb. Penne Pasta
4 Tbl. Butter
2 Tbl. Oil
1 Sweet Walla Walla Onion, chopped
Juice of 3 Lemons
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1/4 Cup White Wine
2 Tbl. Limoncello
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup Capers
Salt & Pepper To Taste
Lemon Zest, Lemon Slices, and Fresh Grated Parmesan To Garnish

Instructions: 
In a large skillet, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is translucent (5-7 minutes). Add in the white wine, Limoncello, and lemon juice. Reduce heat to medium low, and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Add in the cream, capers, salt and pepper to taste, and allow to simmer on low until ready to use.

Cook your penne in salted boiling water for 11 minutes. Drain and serve with the sauce, garnishing with lemon slices, lemon zest and fresh parmesan. Serve with grilled chicken and grilled zucchini spears!

Because eating good is a calling of it's own! 

Trinidad Doubles With Cilantro Chutney

Who's your Trinidaddy?

My wife, Tenielle, is from Trinidad. She was born there, moved to New York when she was 2, then moved back when she was 5, then moved back to the US when she was 8. She hasn't been back since, but I'm hoping one day we will make the trek. I've heard that her family has land where Pirates once buried treasure, so I'm thinking an exploration is in order!

When Tenielle and I were dating in New Jersey, I ate at her house a lot. It was there that my eyes were opened to some of the best food I've ever had, and where I began to really want to explore foods from other cultures.

Being from Yakima, I had grown up with a lot of Hispanic food but that was about it! All of a sudden, I was having Caribbean food that combines awesome island flavors with a huge influence of East Indian dishes. As this blog continues, I'm excited to share some of the foods we've created based on Tenielle's upbringing - Roti, Pelau, and Trinidad Curry Chicken. It's a good reason keep following this Fat Pastor.

Only recently, in the last year and a half, did I have the opportunity to try a mainstay of Trinidad street food. We had gone to New Jersey for a visit, and Tenielle's mother, Wendy, had found a little hole in the wall cafe serving nothing but Trinidadian cuisine. What she was most excited about was something called "Doubles."

We walked into the restaurant, and were greeted by a very loud and happy man, who was obviously the chef. He was excited to see us, and Wendy, who I am sure had been there plenty of times prior. You could tell he had grown up in Trinidad, with a thick island accent. Now, I don't want you to start thinking of "Cool Runnings," because, as I've learned through trial and much error, all Caribbean accents are NOT the same. I have made the mistake of referring to mother-in-law's Jamaican accent, and learned, with a slap to the head, that she is from Trinidad NOT Jamaica, and they DON'T sound the same.

Within a few minutes, we had placed our order, and this awesome Trinidad gentleman was bringing us our doubles. The smell of curry and cumin filled my nostrils, and my mouth began to salivate. I unwrapped the paper surrounding the Double, and staring back at me was a beautiful sandwich of fried dough, stuffed with chick peas and a rich curry sauce. My first bite was a sensation that I'll never forget - the fluffy dough, sopping up the soft chickpeas, with all of it's curried goodness, and just a little bit of heat. It was like nothing I'd ever had before, and unfortunately, something I can't just go out and buy living in Yakima.

So we began experimenting with creating Doubles. I look forward to the day that I get to eat 10, sitting on a beach in Trinidad with my wife, but for now these will do. And to be honest - they do pretty good!    My favorite addition is that of the Cilantro Chutney. It adds a citrus-y kick to liven up the curry spices. Your tastebuds will definitely light up with the combo of flavors!

This might be something you've never tried before, but if you are a fan of fried bread and Indian spices - do it! You won't be disappointed!

Trinidad Doubles 

Ingredients: 
For The Double Bread: 
3 1/3 Cups Flour
1 Tbl. Cumin
1.5 Tsp. Turmeric
1 Tbl. Baking powder
1 Tsp. Salt
2 Cups Warm Water
1 Tsp. Yeast
1/2 Tsp. Sugar
Oil For Frying

For The Filling:
2 Cans Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans), Drained
1.5 Tsp. Curry
1.5 Tsp. Cumin
1.5 Tsp. Turmeric
1.5 Tsp. Garam Masala
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2 Inch Ginger, chopped
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
2 Tbl. Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro
Salt & Pepper To Taste

For The Cilantro Chutney: 
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 Jalapeño, quartered (if you're brave, leave the
        seeds, otherwise remove them)
1/4 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 Inch Ginger, peeled and chopped
1.5 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cumin
1 Tsp. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Sugar
Pinch of Garlic Powder
Pinch of Onion Powder

Instructions For The Dough: 

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cumin, turmeric, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine the water and sugar. Pour yeast over the top, and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Once your yeast is activated and foaming, combine with the dry ingredients and mix well. You'll find a very sticky ball of dough only barely coming together. This is okay. Pour some oil over the top of the dough, cover with a damp cloth, and allow to sit for 1 hour.

Go chill out for a bit, maybe make some Chai Tea :)

Once your dough is ready, it will be puffed up from the yeast, but might look a little more like a batter than dough. This is okay! You're just going to have to make sure that you keep your hands oiled up REALLY WELL so that you don't have more dough on your hands than in the frying pan.

Heat about a 1/4 cup of oil over medium to medium-high heat. Once it's hot and your hands are well oiled, take a chunk of the dough, about the size of a golf ball, and form it between your hands into a small flat pancake. You might have to do some pulling and stretching, but once you've got it flat, lay it down in the oil. It's gonna cook pretty fast, about a minute and a half per side. When it's nice and golden brown (golden from the turmeric!) drain it on a paper towel and keep warm in the oven on it's lowest setting. Repeat, until you've finished your dough, making sure to refresh the oil when necessary.

Time to move on to the filling!

Instructions For The Filling: 

Mash your garlic and ginger together in a small bowl to make a paste. Set aside. In another small bowl, combine curry, cumin, turmeric and garam masala with 1/4 cup of water. Mix in your garlic and ginger paste.

In a medium pot, over medium heat, add your 2 Tbl. Olive Oil. When hot, throw in your pinch of garlic and onion powder, and stir for a couple seconds. Then add your spice and garlic/ginger mix. To that add the onions, and stir fry until translucent, 7 minutes or so. Now it's time to add the chick peas. Stir them in to coat with the onions and spice mixture, and then add about a cup and a half of water. Bring to a boil, and then allow to simmer over medium low for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the simmer seems to strong, reduce to low.

After 20 minutes, take a potato masher and lightly mash some, and only some, of the chickpeas. This helps to create a really nice gravy consistency. Add in your chopped cilantro, and then salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Instructions For The Cilantro Chutney: 

Place all ingredients in a food processor, and blend until smooth. I use my magic bullet for this, and it works awesome!

To serve the Doubles, place your fried bread on a plate, and then spoon the chick pea filling over the top. Add some cilantro chutney and then place another piece of the fried bread on top. The two pieces  of fried bread are what make it a "Double." Originally, this meal was served with one piece of bread, but everyone wanted more. Thus "The Double" was born.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my wife and I do! And watch for more Trinidad Recipes here at The Fat Pastor.

Because eating good is a calling of it's own! 

Bacon Popper Bites & Bacon Fried Chicken

 Sometimes I like to make food the way I study my Bible. As I pour over the pages that I've spent most of my life reading, I look and pray for insights I haven't seen before. I love it when I find a passage I've read thousands of times, and something new pops up.

In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines have captured the Ark of the Covenant. This was a bad idea because the Ark represented God's presence with the Israelites. So bad things began happening to the Philistines. In most translations, you'll read that the Philistines began getting tumors. But the most accurate translations  read "Hemorrhoids." I had read about the tumors many times, but when I discovered the actual malady, it opened up my eyes! Don't be a pain in the butt to God's people, because what goes around, comes around! 

Okay, I realize that wasn't the most appetizing introduction to a new recipe... 

Anyways, in the same way I read the Bible, that's sometimes how I like to approach food. In this case, it starts with a Jalapeño popper. A glorious fried jalapeño stuffed with cream cheese, dipped in sweet chili sauce. Now, considering this is another component in the Bacon Fest files, we had to pork this thing up. So we decided to deconstruct the idea a little bit. 

What we ended up with was a delicious single bite of bacon, cream cheese, jalapeño, and sweet chili sauce, topped with a bite size piece of bacon fried chicken. These are great appetizers, but I promise you - they won't last long, so make plenty! 

Bacon Popper Bites

Ingredients: 

Thick sliced bacon, cooked, and cut into 3 inch  strips

8 oz Soft Cream Cheese

2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped

3 Tbl. Sweet Chili Sauce

2 Tsp. Sriracha

Bacon Fried Chicken, cut into bite size pieces (See Recipe Below)

Cook your bacon, and set aside on papers towels. 

Combine the cream cheese, jalapeños, Sweet Chili Sauce and Sriracha. 

Construct the bite, by using your bacon as the foundation. Place a tablespoon of the cream cheese mix on top of the bacon, and finish with a piece of bacon fried chicken. 

Grab some napkins! The goal is to eat the whole thing in one bite, but I'm not making any promises that some won't end up on other parts of your body...

Bacon Fried Chicken - Easily A Meal By Itself! 

I don't know if this has ever been done before, but if it hasn't - why not??? Enjoy this recipe with the recipe above, or with a good sweet, smoky barbeque sauce or in a sandwich, or just by itself with some french fries. 

Ingredients

2lb Chicken Tenders

1lb Thin sliced bacon, cooked

1.5 Cups Flour

1.5 Cups Plain Bread Crumbs

1/2 Tbl. Salt

1/2 Tbl. Garlic Powder

1 Tsp. Pepper

6 Eggs

Seasoning Salt To Taste

Oil For Frying (Canola or vegetable)

Cook your bacon SUPER Crispy. This is important - we don't want soggy bacon for this meal! Combine your flour, bread crumbs, and spices in a food processor. Break up your bacon into smaller pieces, and then add to the food processor. Pulse everything together, until you've got an even, consistent mix of flour, bread crumbs and bacon. This is your coating! Genius, right???

Place your eggs in a bowl, and lightly mix. Take your chicken, and dip each piece, first in the egg, and then in the coating mix. Once you've got all your chicken coated, it's a great idea to let them sit for at least half an hour. An hour would be better, but it depends on what kind of time frame you're working with. 

Heat your oil, about 2 inches, over medium high heat in a deep skillet or pot. Test that it's ready by throwing in a pinch of the coating mix. If it sizzles, you're ready! 

Carefully place your chicken, a little bit at a time, in the oil. Flip the chicken every 2 minutes, until done, for about 8 minutes. Place on some paper towels to let drain, and sprinkle with some seasoning salt. 

NOTE: You don't have to, but I love adding the bacon grease to the oil for frying the chicken. It's a bit over the top, but who cares??!? It's bacon! 

Because eating good is a calling of it's own! 

Pigs In An Italian Briefcase

What?

I don't know - It just seemed right. This is much more mature than pigs in a blanket...

The first thing we made at Bacon Fest 2013 was this amazing combination of crescent rolls and bacon. It's extremely simple, but was definitely one of the favorite items on our man-u (instead of menu? See what I did there?)

The bacon, of course, was the star - but to the bacon we added crescent rolls, cheese, and our Italian friend - Pepperoni.

I feel like I'm gaining weight just TYPING this. But oh, was it worth it!

If you're a man - you need to try this recipe.

If you're a woman who appreciates bacon - you need to try this recipe.

If you're a mom with boys - you need to try this recipe.

Okay, if you're breathing... you really should try this recipe. It'll take you 20 minutes probably start to finish. That's nothing when you get to consume some of God's greatest gifts to people who eat food: Bacon, Pepperoni, Cheese, and Bread.

Good Lord, I'm getting hungry just writing about it!

Pigs In An Italian Briefcase

Ingredients: (makes 8 rolls)

1 Can Of Crescent Rolls
16 Slices Bacon, Cooked
24 Slices Pepperoni
Shredded Italian Cheese Mix (Mozzarella, Parmesan, Asiago, Romano...)

Check the can, and heat the oven to the required setting.

Roll out the crescent rolls on a greased cookie sheet. On each roll, sprinkle some cheese. For the next layer, add 2 slices of bacon. On the next layer, add 3 slices of Pepperoni. Add a little more cheese. Roll them up, sprinkle some cheese on the top, throw em in the oven and cook according to the directions on the crescent roll can. You can thank me later!

You  might also want to pray before you eat. I'm not sure how much it's going to help to ask God to "bless it to the nourishing of your body," but it's worth a shot!

Because eating good is a calling of it's own!

The Bacon Fest Bible Study - Swine Swag 2013

Romans 14:2 - "One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables."

I have the privilege of leading a guys group on Tuesday afternoons. I've been meeting with this group of guys for a little over a year, and last year we began a tradition that will forever hold a special place in our hearts. And I mean that in the most literal sense, in that our arteries will probably never be the same. 

We call that tradition "BaconFest." Yes, I realize that this is a fad that takes place in many ways and in many places. Yet it is very serious to us, and we try to be as original in our creations as possible. 

Our last BaconFest took place on April 23. We had planned for weeks, and the day finally arrived. We gathered together, and created a feast that was manly and yet mature. Crazy, yet cultured. 

15 Pounds Of Pork Belly!

It started the week before when I purchased 15 pounds of pork belly from Fiesta Foods, an incredible grocery store here in Yakima, emphasizing mainly hispanic foods. Their deli is a wonderland of Mexican specialties, and their meat department is loaded with meats and cuts that most grocery stores don't carry. In fact, of all the places I tried to find Pork Belly in Yakima, this was the only place that was willing to help me out. 

I got the pork belly home, and went to work cutting it into slabs, and getting it ready for the curing process that would take about a week before I would be able to smoke it. If you have the ability to smoke your own bacon, let me just say: You need to! You can do it in a regular smoker, or you can set it up on your grill at home. But there really is nothing like curing, smoking and frying up your own bacon. It's going to make it hard to enjoy store bought bacon from now on. 

Here is the process I went through, but I highly recommend playing with the seasonings to make it your own. As long as you finish up by smoking it over hickory wood, you should end up with something you'll love! Feel free to follow this process though if you're wanting something already tried and tested! 

To Smoke Your Own Bacon

Depending on how much pork belly you plan on cooking, you'll want to divide it up into 2-3 pound slabs. I recommend taking the skin off, and you can do this fairly easily with sharp filet knife. If you want to leave the skin on, it may impart some extra flavor, but it's going to take more time for your cure to sink into the meat. You may also want to trim some of the thicker fat areas, unless you're like me and you really enjoy that part once it's fried up...

Here's what you'll need for the cure (for each slab of pork belly)

Mix Together:
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Salt
2 Tbl. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbl. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Curing Salt (This is important! No substitutes!) 

Rub this mixture all over your pork belly. Really lay it on. Then put your slab into a trusted freezer bag and throw it in the fridge. You might want to bag or even double bag it so that the liquids that form don't leak out into your refrigerator. 

Let it hang out in the fridge for 7-10 days, making sure to check it daily, and flip it over so that the liquids continue to work through the pork. When you're ready to smoke it, take it out and give it a good washing. Dry it very well with some paper towels, and then get ready to smoke that sucker. 

After 7 Days Of Curing

Heat your smoker to 200 degrees. Get your hickory chips in there and smoking, and then throw in the bacon. You'll want to let it smoke for at least 2 1/2 hours, 3 at the most. For the first hour and a half, make sure to keep adding wood chips every 30 minutes (3 times). Don't do any more than that because too much smoke is definitely a bad thing. 

After 2 1/2 hours, take a look. If you're happy with what you see, call it good! If not, give it another half hour!

I'll never forget the first sight of that beautiful home smoked pork belly. It almost brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't help but be thankful that God told Peter that every animal was now okay to eat. I can't imagine not having bacon in my life!

Just Out Of The Smoker!

Let the bacon cool down, and then wrap it up and refrigerate it. When you're ready to fry it up, you can slice it as thin or as thick as you want, and fry it just like bacon!

Over the next few days, I'll keep adding pictures and recipes from our "Bacon Fest," where we used nothing but the homemade stuff! Let me know if you make your own bacon, and if you tried some other spices that worked out great, I'd love to hear about it!

Because good food is a calling of it's own!

Salami, Pepperoni & Chorizo Pizza

1 Corinthians 10:31 - "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 

Welcome to The Fat Pastor! My name is Shawn and I'm a pastor. Am I fat, you ask? Well, I'm no Sheldon Cooper, that's for sure! I call myself The Fat Pastor because I'm incredibly fond of good food, that, when eaten in extreme portions might just make the scale somewhat afraid to see you coming. For me, it's not the quantity of the food, but the quality. My goal is to make mouthwatering food, eaten with wisdom and moderation.

That's the politically correct explanation. The truth is there are times when the food is so good that you just don't know when to stop... I guess that might end up making me a fat pastor.

I love to experiment with food, and I hope this blog encourages you to do the same! One of my greatest joys is to eat a really good meal, and then try to recreate it at home, maybe even give it a little extra flair. And there are also the times where the meal wasn't that great - but something says with a little lovin' it could be made into something fantastic.

On this blog, I'll do my best to inspire you to make some incredible meals at home. Sometimes it will be something simple, and at other times, it may take you some time to truly make something fantastic. I'll keep experimenting with amazing eats, and I'll be sure to share what I discover!

In the meantime, here's a recipe for a fantastic pizza. Tenielle and I were out enjoying an afternoon of wine tasting in the incredible Rattlesnake Hills of south central Washington. One of the wineries was featuring Guerra's pizza, which we had never had before. It was definitely one of the best pizzas we've ever had, taking into account that we've enjoyed pizza along the canals of Venice in Italy, the coast of Sicily, and in the heart of Rome. Yes, the pizza was THAT good! And what was fantastic was that it combined Italian and Mexican flavors, flavors that carefully complemented each other wonderfully! My first mouthwatering bite delivered an explosive punch to my tastebuds of Pepperoni, Salami, and Chorizo with just a hint of red onion. The crust was thin, flaky, with just enough wood-fire taste to make me wish we hadn't ordered a pizza to share.

This weekend I had to work at recreating this incredible masterpiece. Unfortunately, there is no creating the wood fired taste without an outdoor brick oven. Nonetheless, I was pleased with the outcome and I hope you will be too! Give yourself some time to make this tasty treat, and you'll be well rewarded!

Salami, Pepperoni, and Chorizo Pizza

For The Crust: 

Ingredients:
4 cups unbleached wheat flour
1 ¼ cups beer (or water)
1 packet active dry yeast
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
¼ teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Beer makes the dough flakier and lighter, but if you prefer, water can be used in its place. Heat beer to 110 degrees, add yeast and wait 5 minutes to be sure it is activated (foamed). Add olive oil, egg and salt. Mix with a spoon or whisk.

In a bowl, combine the liquid with the flour. Stir with a fork until it begins to come together, and then knead with your hands for about 5 minutes, until a nice big ball forms. Place mixed dough on lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 2 hours or until double in size. Remove from bowl, cut into 4 equal pieces, form into balls and place on lightly oiled tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Each dough ball yields a 14 inch pizza.

For the Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbl. Olive Oil

1/4 Red Onion - chopped

8 Roma Tomatoes

7 Cups Of Water

3 Cloves Garlic

Small Can of Tomato Paste

2 Tbl. Chopped Fresh Basil

Salt & Pepper To Taste

In a medium saucepan, boil the water. When water is boiling, add the Roma tomatoes, and watch for the skin to begin to loosen in the boiling water. Once you see this, remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place in an ice bath. When cool, cut off the tops of the tomatoes and remove the skin. Chop two tomatoes and set aside. Blend the others together in a food processor. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and garlic, and cook until onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and fresh basil, and combine well. As soon as the mix begins to simmer, reduce to low. Allow to simmer for at least 15, add salt and pepper and adjust according to taste. 

Pizza Toppings:

Italian Dry Salami

Pepperoni

Chorizo - cooked

Mexican Cheese Mix, shredded

1/4 Red Onion, very thinly sliced

Greek Olives for garnish

Assemble your pizza! Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the dough to about 14 inches. Add 1/3 - 1/2 cup of sauce and spread on the dough. Then add your cheese, as much or as little as you like! Top the cheese with your cooked chorizo, Pepperoni and Salami. Garnish with red onion and greek olives. 

Cook in the oven for 6-7 minutes, more or less depending on how you like your crust. More time will the crust more brittle, less time will give you a doughier crust. I like mine right on 7 minutes. 

Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts once you've tried the recipe!!!

Because eating good is a calling of it's own!