Navajo Tacos

i've actually never tried navajo tacos...i don't know if the way we made them was legit or not, but they were pretty dang tasty nonetheless! rory was frustrated that i called them tacos. he thinks they don't fold well...i don't think you're supposed to fold them, hun. anyways, the bread was a snap to make and easy to cook as well. filling, inexpensive, and easy! three of my favorite words. ;) i just made some taco meat and added a can of pinto beans, to top them off. and of course, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, and lettuce. 
  Navajo Tacos
from Chocolate on my Cranium

2 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 - 1 cup hot water
oil for frying

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in mixing bowl. Add the water a little at a time to make a soft dough. Knead a few times then let rest. You can actually let this rest for up to an hour but we cook them right away.

Pinch off balls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll out each ball on a floured surface with a rolling pin until dough is about 1/8 thick. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a deep pan to about 375 degrees. Fry dough one piece at a time until golden. Turn to cook other side. Drain on paper towels. If done correctly the fry bread will puff up with several bubbles in the dough. Makes about 7 pieces of fry bread.

Pile them high with chili or beans, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sliced olives, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa. For dessert you can slather them with honey and butter. YUM!

Olive Oil Pizza Dough/Garlic Chicken Pizza

so when i was a teen, friday nights, my brother and i would go to papa murphy's and get a huge garlic chicken pizza to split...and eat it all! (pretty evenly too, i might add) i always said that their garlic chicken pizza was the thing i would choose to eat if someone made me choose only one thing to ever eat again. yumm. so of course, i had to try and recreate it at home! and this was pretty darn close.


Olive Oil Pizza Dough
from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

(makes about 4 pizzas)

2 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the water, yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil in a 5-quart, lidded container (or bowl).

Mix the flour in, without kneading. Use a wooden spoon, a stand mixer, or a food processor.

Cover, not airtight, and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, until the dough rises and then flattens on top.

Store in the fridge, keep it covered, but not air tight, and use within 12 days.

On the day you are going to make pizza, bring the dough out of the fridge. Dust the surface of the dough with some flour and pull off a one pound chunk (using a serrated knife or kitchen shears), a about grapefruit size. Put the rest of the dough back in the fridge to be used another day. Using floured hands quickly shape into a ball and then roll out to the thickness you like, just like you roll any other pizza dough. Using flour when needed to keep it from sticking. There is no need for it to rest, you can proceed directly with your pizza recipe!

so...it seems their garlicky sauce is a combo of ranch dressing and garlic! huh. so simple. so, mix up your sauce of ranch dressing and chopped garlic (whatever amount you need...rory doesn't eat this so it's just me, and janae if she's over. she always manages to make it over on pizza night. hmmm...) spread it on your dough, and top with cooked diced chicken (i use canned stuff to make it super easy), chopped tomatoes and green onions, and mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 525 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. then....devour! yumm...

Black and White Bean Dip

yum.

Black and White Bean Dip
from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

1 can black beans

1 can white beans

1 can of corn

7 oz. salsa verde

2 cups shredded co-jack cheese

4-6 chopped roma tomatoes

garlic salt to taste

avocado – optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Rinse and drain both cans of beans. Drain the can of corn. Squeeze the liquid out of tomatoes before chopping so the dip doesn’t turn runny. Put all ingredients except avocado in a bowl and mix together. Spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick spray before spooning in the bean mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese on top. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the dip is heated through. Remove from the oven and top with diced avocado. Serve with tortilla chips.

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

since all i've been blogging about lately is fabric and sewing (can you blame me?), i thought i'd break up the cycle a little and post that root beer pulled pork recipe i talked about last week.

this is also for the guys who read my blog. well...i know my dad and rory and my brothers do...not sure about anyone else. so, if you're a guy...who likes meat...and reads my blog...you're cool. way to stick around through the pink.

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches
from all recipes.com

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer 1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite

barbecue sauce 8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Directions: Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

**we liked how tender the pork was...and you got a hint of root beer once in awhile but it wasn't overpowering. i think i'll keep trying out pulled pork recipes though. if you have any great ones, send them my way!