Oh, The Things You Can Do With Bar-B-Que: Part IV

Sweet potatoes have become a popular food trend over the past ten years, in various forms like sweet potato fries and sweet potato tator tots. Many factors in our society contribute to the setting of a new food trend such as immigration and weather conditions. Over the past several years healthy eating has become an influential factor for many of today's food trends. The sweet potato is one of them. They are a good source of beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin C. They are also a good source of dietary fiber, which helps the digestive track in preventing colon cancer and are high in potassium. Potassium helps to prevent heart attack and stroke. Sweet potatoes are good for regulating blood sugar, by stabilizing and lowering insulin resistance. They are high in folate content, which is necessary for healthy development of fetal cells and tissue in pregnant mothers. The health benefits of sweet potatoes are remarkable. Sweeten up your health with this Sweet Potato & BBQ Pork Hash recipe, it is SWEET DUDE!

Sweet Potato & BBQ Pork Hash

Ingredients:
- 4 ounces Shredded BBQ Pork (Our May Saturday Special: Check it out!)
- 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, cubed
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1 jalapeno, optional


Directions: 
In a large skillet, preferably a wok, place the sweet potato cubes. Add a cup of water, once evaporated (approximately 10 minutes) add another cup of water steaming the potatoes to a tender, but not mushy, texture. Once the water has evaporated for the second time, add oil to cook the cubes until golden. Add green pepper, onion and jalapeno, cook until tender. Add shredded bbq pork until heated through. Serve over cornbread.

ENJOY!!!

Beefy Pasta Salad

Who knew that Triple T's Beef Snack Stick ends could be used for more than just a snack? Beef up your pasta salad by adding our beef snack stick ends, on special this week for our Beef Month promotion - Check it out! It is so easy and sooooo good!!!

Beefy Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

-12oz package of garden rotini pasta
-8 ounces of zesty Italian salad dressing
-6 ounces of cheddar cheese, cubed
-1/3 cup of baby carrots, thinly sliced
-6oz can black olives
-6oz jar of green olives
-1/2 pint grape tomatos
-1 package of Triple T's Beef Stick Ends, cut into 1/2" chunks (ON SPECIAL THIS WEEK)

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package, drain and let cool. Pour cooled pasta in a large bowl, add salad dressing and the other ingredients. May serve immediately, but recommended to refrigerate overnight.

ENJOY!!!

Oh, The Things You Can Do With Bar-B-Que: Part III

Here is another great recipe using Shredded BBQ Pork. I learned something new with this recipe, use gloves when cutting fresh jalapenos. I have cut fresh jalapenos in the past without any problems, but during this occasion I had an extremely hot pepper and my fingers burned for hours. It was dreadful, but the quesadillas were amazing!

Shredded BBQ Pork Quesadillas

Ingredients:

- 4 tortilla shells
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
- 8 ounces of shredded bbq pork (On Special this Saturday - Check it out!)

Directions:

Heat the Shredded BBQ Pork. Non-stick spray a small skillet and warm over medium. Place tortilla in warmed skillet. Add the BBQ Pork on one half of the tortilla, then add jalapenos or your choice of vegetables, if desired. Then top with cheese. Fold plain half of tortilla over the ingredients. Gently press with a turner, then flip over and press again with the turner. Make sure that the cheese is melted, then place on cutting board, cut into four triangular shaped pieces. Repeat steps, makes 16 pieces.

ENJOY!!!

Dried Beef Gravy Recipe with Asparagus

Dried beef gravy over toast is an all time family favorite, but have you ever tried adding vegetables to it? Try it, I guarantee that you will love it!

Dried Beef Asparagus Gravy

Ingredients:

-1 pound of asparagus, 1" pieces
-2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
-3 tablespoon butter
-1 tablespoon flour
-2 cups milk
-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-1/4 lb. Dried Beef (On sale this week - Check it out), torn into pieces

Directions:

Cook asparagus by boiling until tender, but not mushy. Drain and set to the side. In a medium sized sauce pan melt the butter, add onion. Cook until tender. Remove from heat and add in flour. Stirring until no chucks are visible. Cook over heat until it begins to bubble, remove and stir in milk. Heat to a boil and stir continuously for a minute. Add cheese, dried beef and asparagus. Lower heat and cook until the cheese is melted and the other items are heated through.

Serve over toast or my favorite, cornbread.

ENJOY!!!

Oh, The Things You Can Do With Bar-B-Que: Part II

Have you ever been in a situation where you craved two different menu options and didn't know how to choose? Well, my friend, this is how new recipes evolve, just like this recipe. It combines two favorites making one perfect dish.

Shredded BBQ Pork Pizza

Ingredients:

12" pizza dough (homemade recipe below)

8-12oz pizza sauce (homemade recipe below)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb. shredded BBQ pork (Triple T's Saturday Sale Special - Check it out!)

Directions:

Roll out dough onto a 12" pan (round metal pizza sheet or pizza stone). Spread sauce on top of dough, adding as much or as little sauce as you prefer. Add mozzarella cheese, then BBQ pork. Bake for 15 minutes at 500 degrees. Take out and add cheddar cheese, then bake for 5-10 minutes more. 

ENJOY!!!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt

Directions:

Put warm water in a small bowl and add in the yeast, stir until dissolved. Set to the side until the mixture begins to bubble in approximately 5 minutes. Shift the flour and pour it into a large bowl. Mound the flour and in the center make a hole, similar looking to an ant hill. After the yeast has begun to bubble, pour it in the center of the mound, followed by the olive oil and salt. Mix the ingredients with a spatula until all ingredients are wet, then using your hands form the dough. Sprinkle flour onto a large cutting board or counter, then place dough to begin kneading. Continue to knead, folding dough over and pushing it, and add pinches of flour until your hands no longer stick to the dough. Place dough into a greased bowl and cover with a tea/dish towel. Let the dough rise for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size. 

Once the dough has risen, push out all air pockets with your fist and then transfer back to flour covered surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten out. Depending on the size of pan and your preference of thickness, you can make a three 12” thin crust pizzas or one thick 12.5” x 17.5” x 1” pan. 

This crust along with topping should be baked at 500 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

6oz can of tomato paste

6oz warm water

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese 

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

pinch of salt

Directions:

Combine ingredients into a small bowl and mix well so that no clumps are seen. Let the flavors of the ingredients marinate while the dough is rising. Then spread over rolled out pizza crust. 

Grilled Beef Bacon Omelet

Beef up your breakfast with beef bacon. As part of Triple T's Beef Month Promotion, we have our beef bacon on sale, click here to check out the special offer and download a coupon. Then try this recipe. If you love grilled food, you will love the grilled flavors in this omelet.

Grilled Beef Bacon Omelet

Ingredients:

1 green pepper, cut into 1" chunks
1 white onion, cut into 1" chunks
16 oz package of mushrooms
1 cup shredded American and Cheddar Cheese mix
8 eggs
16 oz package of Beef Bacon


Directions:

Place beef bacon on a skewer and vegetables on a separate skewer (Note: It is important to keep these separate as the bacon will not take as much time to grill as the vegetables). Place all skewers on the grill, grilling the beef bacon for approximately 10-12 minutes and leaving the vegetables on for approximately 5-7 more minutes. Keep a close eye on these as different grill models cook inconsistently.

Place baking sheet in a 200 degree oven.

After grilling, take beef bacon and vegetables off the skewers. Slice the mushrooms. Place all grilled items in a bowl. Beat two eggs in a small bowl and add a splash of milk. Non-stick spray a small skillet and warm over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Frequently pick up and rotate the skillet using your wrist, causing the egg mixture to circle around the skillet, cooking evenly. Once egg is no longer runny, add 1/4 of the beef bacon and vegetables on one half of the cooked egg circle. Top with 1/4 of the cheese. Fold the other half of the egg on top of the cheese, creating a half circle pocket. Place omelet onto the warmed baking sheet to keep warm while you cook the other omelets. Repeat steps, makes four omelets.

ENJOY!!!

Oh, The Things You Can Do With Bar-B-Que: Part I

Triple T's Saturday Special, for the month of May, is our Shredded BBQ Pork. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share some creative BBQ menu ideas. This one is perfect for an easy meal at the end of the week, when you just want to kick up your feet, watch some good television and are craving something "naughty" as I would call it, because it is not exactly the most nutritional meal selection, but everyone deserves to cave into temptation now and again.

Bar-B-Que Nachos 

Ingredients:

1 large bag of corn tortilla chips
1 8oz jar of mild nacho cheese
1 8oz jar of mild/spicy salsa
1 half pint of sour cream
1 lb of shredded bar-b-que pork (Just a reminder Triple T's is on sale this Saturday)
Jalapeno slices, optional

Directions:

Dump the contents of the nacho cheese jar into a large microwavable bowl, microwave until all of the cheese is fully melted, add the salsa. Place chips onto four medium sized plates. Pour the cheese and salsa mixture over the chips. Warm the shredded bar-b-que pork in the microwave, then scoop 1/4 onto the cheese mixture of each plate. Top with sour cream and jalapeno slices.

ENJOY!!!

Stay tuned for next week's creative BBQ Pork Recipe...

The Best Mother's Day Gift

Make this Mother's Day one that she will remember by preparing her a flavorful dinner. In this post I have included a main course and two sides. These are of my favorite recipes!

As a mother, I believe the greatest Mother's Day gift is spending time with my family, relaxing and enjoying a delicious meal that I did not have to plan, purchase the ingredients, prepare and most importantly clean up. Make sure you clean up your mess and do the dishes. An additional bonus would be waking up to a clean house and bathed children. 

Steak De Burgo Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 or 4 Ribeye Steaks (Check out Triple T's Mother's Day Special and download the coupon by visiting our Special Offers tab on our website)

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 ounce sherry/red cooking wine

8 ounces heavy cream

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Directions:

Sautee butter and garlic. Add parley, oregano and basil. Cook for a few minutes, add sherry, cook for a few more minutes, add heavy cream and parmesan. Reduce heat until sauce is creamy. Keep on low heat until steaks are ready, stirring occasionally. 

Sides:

Green Onion and Parmesan Orzo

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups of chicken broth (have extra on hand in case it gets too thick and need to add more later)

1 pound orzo 

3 green onions

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best, but can substituted with pre-shredded bag of parmesan)

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Pour the 3 1/4 cups of chicken broth into a large sauce pan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add orozo, only cook slightly so pasta is still firm. Remove from heat. Thinly slice green onion and add to pasta along with the parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. This mixture gets thick quickly, you may need to rewarm and add chicken broth just before serving. It is best to serve hot. 

*Note: I usually grill the green onions with the steak to add more grill flavor to this dish

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients:

2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4" thick slices

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4" thick slices

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin slices or torn into little pieces

Directions:

Arrange the tomato slices and mozzarella slices overlapping and alternating around a platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle the oil over each slice and then place basil on top.