This is one of those favorite-all-time refreshing spring or summer toppings for dishes, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, or toasted fresh bread.
This is so easy to make and flavors get better the longer it sits. Whether you grow your own tomatoes or buy them at the market, you’ll love the freshness of this topping.
Start out with fresh tomatoes. Romas work great in this dish but beefsteak, campari, or really variety you enjoy the most. Freshness counts!
Chop the ingredients
There aren’t many ingredients in pico de gallo so this step is an easy one. Depending on the volume you’d like to make, start out with a few tomatoes. For this recipe, I used 3 good size roma tomatoes and roughly chopped them.
For this amount of tomatoes, I used 1/4 jalapeno (seeds included) and finely chopped it. While it seems small, it was the right amount of heat for the amount of tomatoes. If you like it spicy, go for the whole jalapeno. No judgement here!
Then, I like to use red onion. The flavor of the red onion compliments the other ingredients. You’ll want to finely chop the red onion as well.
Cilantro. I know there are some strong opinions out there on cilantro! Personally, I love it and goes really well with this dish. If you’re on the other side of the fence with cilantro, just don’t use it. Again, no judgement here! LOL.
And the final piece…lime. The lime ties everything together. I love using fresh squeezed lime juice here. If you want to get fancy, add in some zest. It gives it that extra dash of flavor. De-lish!
Bring it all together
Mix all the chopped ingredients together and squeeze that lime juice! Set it in the fridge and let the flavors come together. I swear the next day is the best but it’s still delicious immediately after you make it. I love adding it to tacos, sandwiches or just on top of freshly baked or toasted bread.
Enjoy!
Pico De Gallo
Classic pico de gallo recipe made with delicious vine ripe, fresh tomatoes.
I’ve been making this recipe for my family for years. It’s one of those go-to easy, one dish meals you can put together in 30 minutes or less. And…it tastes great!
This recipe is so versatile. In this version, I’m using broccoli. But, you can use what you have in the refrigerator. I’ve often switched it up with spinach, zucchini, squash. Whatever is on hand! The sweetness of the tomatoes combined with the garlic and onions compliment the chicken so well.
I’ll typically cook up some brown rice, white rice, or pasta as a base to soak up all that delicious sauce. Pair it perfectly with a side of garlic bread or fresh garden salad.
Prepare the ingredients
For this recipe, I’m using 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts. This feeds our family of 3 with a little leftover. We love our leftovers! Serve the next day for lunch on a slice of bread with all the juices, YUM! I digress.
I like to make strips of chicken for this recipe but feel free to cut you chicken into chunks.
Next, chop the onion, garlic and broccoli. I like using fresh broccoli but if you have frozen, that works too! You can always substitute your favorites here. Zucchini works beautifully with this dish, as does spinach.
Cook the Chicken
Now, preheat a large skillet with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Add the sliced chicken and cook thoroughly. Sprinkle 1 tsp italian seasoning and the garlic on over the cooked chicken. I used a premixed dry blend here. But, feel free to use fresh seasonings if you have them on hand. Lightly salt and pepper.
While the chicken is cooking, start your instant rice or pasta. Whichever you prefer to have soak up all the sweet sauce from the tomatoes. Today, I used Uncle Ben’s Instant Brown Rice.
Add Tomatoes and Veggies
Next, add your chopped onion, broccoli and can of diced tomatoes to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover your pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low. Let cook for about 10-12 minutes or until your broccoli is steamed and the flavors combine.
Serve and Enjoy!
This is a great meal on it’s own or served over rice or pasta. Pair it with a slice of garlic bread or fresh garden salad.
One Dish Chicken and Tomatoes
Easy, healthy, sweet and flavorful dish made in 30 minutes. Serve over your favorite rice or pasta.
This is a delicious version of the classic slow cooked pulled pork recipe right in your dutch oven in 2 hours. Perfect combination of sweet from the pineapple and tangy from the BBQ sauce.
If you’re skeptical about the dutch oven or partial to slow cooked pulled pork, not to worry! This dutch oven recipe has all the flavor and juiciness of its slow cooked brother.If you don’t have a dutch oven, I highly recommend the Amazon Basics Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. It’s a quality product at a reasonable price.
Preparation
For this recipe, I used a 2.5-pound pork roast, fully trimmed of excess fat. You can leave some fat – it does hold that delicious porky flavor. But, you’ll want to trim off any thick portions of fat so you don’t end with a mouthful of fat and instead just delicious, shredded, sweet and tangy meat.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil around the dutch oven and heat over medium heat. After you’ve trimmed the pork, slice the pork into large chunks.
While the oven and dutch oven are heating up, prepare the sauce. Chop about 1/2 cup of pineapple into rough chunks. Canned pineapple works here too! Just drain the juice and chop!
Next, roughly chop a medium onion. Then, mix the pineapple, onion, and 1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce. I happen to love Sweet Ray’s BBQ sauce, but what ever brand you love, will work perfectly here. If you’re using a larger cut of pork, be sure to increase the amount of sauce mixture here. Or, if you like your pork a little saucier, add some more! It’s all to your family’s liking.
Searing the pork
When the dutch oven is good and hot, sear all sides of the pork. This part only takes a few minutes. We’re looking to lock in the juices before moving the pork to the oven. Just a quick browning on all sides.
Now, add in the secret sauce to this incredible recipe! The pineapple, onion, and BBQ mixture! Be sure it’s not missing any portion of those porky chunks.
Into the oven
Now, put the lid on the dutch oven and place in the 350 degree preheated oven for 2 hours.
Pulling the pork
Here’s where the magic happens! The meat just falls apart! The pork is so tender, you could practically pull it with a spoon. So, to pull the pork, take 2 forks and pull apart each chunk of pork. Continue pulling to your liking. If you like thick chunks of pork, great! If you like thin strands of pork, pull a little more.
When you have the pork pulled the way you like it, you’ll want to use a silicone spoon or spatula and gently mix any char that may have developed on the side of your dutch oven. This char has so much BBQ flavor it mixes in great with the sauce.
Enjoy!
I always sneak a few bites at this point in the recipe. No shame and no judgment here! It is deliciously sweet and tangy. Here are a few ways to enjoy this pulled pork recipe. Let me know how you served it in the comments below.
Pulled pork sandwich – Pile high on a fresh baked bun with your favorite choice of cheese. Grill a pineapple slice and top the sandwich for some added sweetness. Also pairs great with fresh coleslaw either as a sandwich condiment or on the side.
Pulled pork nachos – Pile on a bed of nacho chips, sprinkle with added chunks of pineapple and your favorite nacho toppings.
Pulled pork tacos – Grill up a corn or flour tortilla and top with pulled pork, shredded cheese and your favorite taco toppings.
Dutch Oven BBQ Pulled Pork with Pineapple
Full of sweet and tangy flavor made easy in the dutch oven. 1/2 the time of the slow cooker and no less the flavor!
Add extra virgin olive oil to the dutch oven and preheat over medium high heat.
Roughly chop 1/2 cup of pineapple (or drain a can of pineapple chunks).
Chop 1 medium onion.
Combine pineapple chunks and onion with 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce.
Remove any excess fat from the pork roast. A little fat is okay.
Cut the pork roast into large chunks. About 6 chunks for a 2.5 pound roast works great.
Sear all sides of the pork roast in the heated dutch oven. About 20-30 seconds per side.
Add the BBQ mixture to the pork chunks and thoroughly coat each piece.
Add the lid to the dutch oven and place in the oven for 2 hours.
Carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Using 2 folks, shred each chunk of pork. The meat should shred easily and fall apart. Shred to your liking (either leaving big chunks or shred to thin strips).
Using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, carefully run the spoon along the sides of the dutch oven to include any charring that may have occurred during cooking. There's great flavor in that char!
Serve immediately or transfer to a dish and refrigerate for later.
Notes
This recipe is full of flavor! Sweet from the pineapple and tangy from the BBQ. Try topping with a grilled slice of pineapple on a fresh-baked roll with your favorite cheese or serve at a party on mini rolls or top on a bed of nachos with your favorite nacho toppings.The options are endless with this fall apart shredded pork recipe.
Oh, are you in for a treat! This is one of my family’s absolute favorites and a regular request on the weekends.
For this recipe you’ll want to get out your dutch oven. This was a fairly new purchase and one I wish i had done sooner. I can’t believe I went so long without one. If you haven’t added this piece of equipment to your kitchen yet, I highly recommend it. Not only for this recipe but many more I’ll add to this blog. I found the Amazon Basics Enameled Cast Iron 6-quart Dutch Oven to be the best quality for the cost.
This is an easy recipe compared to many of the bread recipes out there. It doesn’t require the endless kneading of dough but does require a little bit of time. So be sure to plan ahead.
Prepare the ingredients
To start, you’ll want to prepare by chopping and removing the seeds from 2 of the 3 jalapenos. You’ll see I found a couple good size jalapenos. If the market or your garden don’t have plump peppers like these, feel free to add an additional pepper. It’s all to your liking.
You’ll notice I’ve left some of the seeds here since we like the added spice in my family. But adjust to your family’s taste.
Jalapeno spice comes from the capsaicin chemical trapped in the seeds and the ribs of the pepper.
For this recipe, the heat is in no way overwhelming. It’s very subtle.
For the final pepper, slice it into rings. You’ll set this aside until just before we put the dough into the oven. Again, we like the spice so the ribs and seeds are left on here. You could always core the jalapenos if you don’t want the heat.
Making the dough
Next, set aside 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese for the dough topping later. Now, you’ll need 2 large mixing bowls. In one bowl, mix the bread flour, salt, cheddar cheese and chopped jalapenos. until well incorporated.
Then, in the second bowl, pour the warm water and active yeast together.
Now, carefully add the flour mixture to the water mixture. Stir with a wooden or silicone spoon until dough forms. The dough should be thoroughly moist with no remaining loose flour. Then, using the spoon, start folding the edges of the dough to the center of the dough. Do this while rotating the bowl until a ball of dough forms, about 8-10 times.
Rest the dough
Set the dough aside covered with a kitchen towel for 1 hour while the dough rises and doubles in size.
Next, using the spoon, fold the edges of the dough to the center as you did earlier. Repeat this about 8-10 times as you rotate the bowl. Then, set aside again for 30 minutes.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven and the dutch oven to 450 degrees . It’s best to place the dutch oven with the lid directly into the oven.
After 30 minutes, lightly flour a clean surface and your hands. Carefully remove the dough and transfer it to the floured surface. Flip it over, dusting off any excess flour. Fold the edges of the dough toward the center as you did earlier, rotating the dough with each fold. Flip the dough again onto a sheet of parchment paper.
Preparing the dough
Brush the dough with olive oil to help the cheese stick to the dough. Then, sprinkle the remaining Cheddar cheese.
With a sharp knife, cut an x shape into the top of the dough. Scoring the dough like this will prevent the dough from cracking or rupturing as it bakes.
You’ll now have 4 quadrants to place the jalapeño rings. Press them lightly into the dough so they stick. I use a triangular pattern with 1 ring closest to the top of the scoring and 2 to 3 rings just below.
Now, pick up the dough with the parchment paper and place into your preheated dutch oven. I like to cut any excess parchment paper from sticking out of the Dutch oven. This prevents it from burning during the baking process.
Baking the dough
Place the lid on the Dutch oven and bake covered in the oven at 450 degrees for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Cooling the bread
Carefully lift the bread out of the Dutch oven and place on a cooling rack. If you don’t have a cooling rack, that’s OK. You just want to remove it from the hot dutch oven so the bottom doesn’t burn.
The longer you let the bread cool, the easier and cleaner the bread will slice. I recommend at least 1 hour of cooling.
So many delicious options for this bread. Simply toast it up with butter and enjoy, add a slice of Cheddar for a delicious grilled cheese, top with sliced turkey and spicy chipotle mayo, or top with bacon, eggs, and cheese for a delicious breakfast sandwich.
You’re going to love it! Let me know how you enjoyed it in the comments below!
Jalapeno & Cheddar Bread
Delicious, moist homemade bread with a kick! Your friends and family will think this came from the bakery. Avoid the endless kneading of traditional bread recipes. Follow these easy step-by-step instructions to incredibly perfect bread straight from your kitchen!
Remove seeds and ribs from 2 jalapeños (if you like a little kick, include some seeds) and roughly chop.
Combine 4 cups bread flour, 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, roughly chopped jalapeños and salt in a large bowl.
In a 2nd large bowl, combine 2 cups warm water with 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast.
Carefully add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and mix until dough forms.
With a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, begin folding the edges of the dough to the center while rotating the bowl. Do this about 8-10 times.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside for 60 minutes.
With your wooden spoon or silicone spatula, fold the edges of the dough to the center as you did before. Do this about 8-10 times. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
While the dough rests, place your dutch oven (with lid) in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
Prepare a clean work suface and sprinkle with flour. Also flour your hands. Carefully remove the dough onto the floured work surface.
Flip over the dough and dust away any excess flour.
Fold the edges of the dough to the center as you've done before. Do this 8-10 times.
Flip the dough onto the parchment paper. The folded part of the dough should now be on the bottom.
Brush the top and sides of dough with olive oil to help the cheddar cheese stick to the dough.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese onto the top and sides of the dough.
Using a sharp knife, score the dough with an X shape on the top of the dough. This will prevent cracking or rupture during baking.
Add the jalapeño rings to the dough by pressing them into the sides. I like to add 1 at the top of each section on the dough and 2-3 just below.
Carefully lift the dough with the parchment paper and place in the dutch oven and cover.
Bake the dough covered for 25 minutes.
Remove the cover and continue baking for 20 minutes.
Carefully lift the bread out of the dutch oven and place on a cooling rack.
Let the bread cool for about 1 hour before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
This is an all-time favorite in my household. Try using these delicious options with the bread!
Grilled Cheese-Toast up two slices of Jalapeño Cheddar Bread with a slice of melted Cheddar cheese. Pairs great with tomato soup!
Patty melt- Toast up two thick slices of Jalapeño Cheddar Bread and wrap them around a delicious juice burger with cheese and grilled onions. Yum!
Sandwiches-Delicious paired with your favorite sandwich meat. Adds just the right kick to spice up your sandwich.
This is one of my all time favorite sandwiches. I suppose I say that about all these meals but this is one of the best-o with pesto!
The key to this sandwich is the pesto. Now, you can always use store bought pesto but its pricey and doesn’t have the flavor of my fresh basil pesto. If you haven’t made it, check it out here. It’s full of that delicious basil, parmesan, and garlic! And, most importantly, super simple! It truly is the star of this sandwich.
The other critical component is the soft kaiser roll. Toasting the sandwich in the oven for a few minutes keeps the exterior crispy and the bready interior light and fluffy.
And, nothing compliments a basil pesto better than tomato. For this sandwich, I sliced a Campari tomato but, really, any tomato will do. Now, I do have to say, if you haven’t tried a Campari tomato, you should. I believe the tagline on a Campari is “the tomato lovers tomato” and it’s true. They are so juicy and flavorful. My son will eat them whole with his lunch or dinner. Now, with kids, it’s tough to get those veggies in so you take wins wherever you can get them! Another tip I’ve learned with this recipe is to swap out a regular chicken breast for the frozen chicken tenders breaded with veggies and it works perfectly for the kiddos! You can get a few more veggies in the sandwich and the kids are none the wiser. Still absolutely delicious!
Building the sandwich
So let’s start building this sandwich. Slice the fresh kaiser roll in two and spread both halves with the fresh basil pesto.
Add the sliced tomato next. I typically can fit 3 to 5 slices of tomato. Not too thick but just enough to know there’s a delicious juicy tomato to compliment the pesto. Then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. You can keep it light here since we’ll add more to the other side before putting it in the oven.
Next, you’ll want to add grilled or breaded chicken tenders, fully cooked. You can certainly shave a few calories by going grilled and, don’t worry, all the flavor will still be there! But if you want breaded, no judgment here. That’s how we do it!
Then top with some more mozzarella shredded cheese.
Baking
Pop this in a preheated 350 degree oven for no more than 10 minutes. You’re really just melting the cheese over the sandwich.
The sandwich will be toasty on the outside of both halves. Carefully put the two halves together and slice in half. Oh how your family will love this sandwich and request it ALL THE TIME!
Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments below!
Pesto Chicken Sandwich
Soft baked kaiser roll perfectly paired with delicious pesto, chicken, tomato, and mozzarella.
For my first post, I couldn’t imagine talking about anything other than pesto. Yes, it is the besto! I mean really. Is there anything better than fresh basil, parmesan cheese, garlic and pine nuts?
I always try to have multiple fresh basil plants to pick from so I can whip up this recipe anytime the feeling hits one of us in the house. And, to be honest, the urge for some pesto hits us pretty often in this house. So, really, I’m constantly whipping up a fresh batch.
To get started, you need fresh basil leaves. Whether you buy them at the grocery or have them on-hand, fresh is best. In the spring time, I like to collect all the fresh vegetable and herb seeds I can to plant in my suburban raised garden.
This past year, I had the joy of introducing my son to gardening fresh vegetables and herbs. We currently live in the suburbs so we’ve made due with a raised garden to plant our vegetables and a few pots around the deck for our fresh herbs. My son loved seeing the different sizes and colors of the seeds for each different type of vegetable and herb. We planted everything together, watering them everyday, and then seeing them mature into edible plants.
He quickly learned which plant was basil and would ask if he could pick the leaves each time he saw the plants. It was a new, fun, task that was just his!
Now, like I said earlier, fresh is best. From time to time, I’ve needed more basil than my little deck plants can produce so I supplement with grocery basil leaves. Be sure to check your leaves are fresh, especially if they are in a sealed package. Last thing you want is to find your leaves have grown mold in that sealed package. Especially, when you’re ready to start making a deliciously pesto-y meal!
So, let’s start walking through how to make this classic basil pesto. Now, everyone’s palates are different so if something looks to be a little too much for your taste (or not enough) this is one of those recipes where tweaking is just fine!
The easiest and quickest for this recipe is to use your food processor. If you don’t have one, I recommend the Cuisinart here. I’ve had it for many years and it’s standed the test of time. Reliable, easy to operate, easy to clean, and at a reasonable price.
Picking the leaves
Again, for all my recipes, I welcome the kiddos to help! This is a great one to have kids pinch the leaves off the basil plant or stalk if you bought it at the grocery. I also have my son help measure the ingredients and put them into dishes ready to add to the processor.
Using the food processor
My son is still very young, so I will work through the next steps operating the food processor. First, load the processor with the fresh basil leaves. Be sure they are dry when putting them into the processor. Top the basil leaves with the pine nuts and pulse until well combined.
Next, add the parmesan cheese and garlic to the processor and pulse several times. You may need to pause and scrap the sides of the processor to incorporate all ingredients.
Lastly, slowly pour the extra virgin olive oil into the processor as you pulse the processor. This will help prevent the olive oil from separating. Once well mixed, use immediately or transfer to a container. You can store fresh basil in a sealed container. Fresh basil pesto can turn brownish when exposed to air so it’s best to store in an air tight container. You can also use plastic wrap ensuring the plastic wrap is touching the pesto in the container and preventing air from reaching the pesto.
Be sure to check out my other recipes using this delicious pesto.
Add the pine nuts and pulse the blender several times until well chopped and combined
Add the parmesan cheese and garlic to the food processor and pulse again several times until well combined. You may need to scrap the sides of the processor to combine all ingredients
Slowly pour the extra virgin olive oil while pulsing the processor to keep the olive oil from separating
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container
Notes
This is one of those all-time classic basil pesto recipes. There are so many possible variations or additions that make this recipe great. Here are some ideas on a few variations. But, I’d love to hear your ideas. Please share below!
Variations:
Walnuts instead of pinenuts
Combine with parlsey, spinach, or other leafy green
Mix in some lemon
Add crushed red pepper
…the options are endless!
Did you make this recipe or have a variation? Share your comments here!
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