Posole

My little boy is obsessed with Pixar movies. He has every line and song memorized. It's funny how much these flicks have influenced him, from food to athletics. I can thank Ratatouille for peaking my son's interest in Paris and soup, Linguine soup to be exact.  If you've seen the movie, you'll recall when Alfredo Linguine and Remy add their own touch to the restaurant's soup and a food critic likes it. My son held on to that and now refers to all soups as Linguine soup and asks for it. That's cool with me. I'm happy anytime my son wants to eat something that's not pepperoni pizza or m&m's.  

I haven't had a soup post on The Good Life, well, not too many savory posts at all. I do love baking so much. :)  However, the cold winter weather has been begging me to make soup, so has the Mr.  I got to thinking that my mom makes great posole for Sunday night dinners and my little family really enjoys it. I love it too but I skip the hominy. Since my mom never makes it the same way and makes it up as she goes, I did a little web searching. I found Emeril Lagasse's recipe on Food Network's website and decided I would use it but make my own modifications based on my pantry.  

This is my successful attempt at making posole (Linguine Soup.) This recipe is easy, straightforward, and doesn't require any weird ingredients. Those are pluses for me. Also, this recipe makes enough soup to feed three families for two nights. Really, it's a lot. If you don't have storage for leftovers, consider halving the recipe.  Me? I love leftovers so that doesn't apply.

I butchered this pork shoulder and one more. That was the most difficult part of the recipe. You could skip this and purchase stew meat already cut up but it's more expensive.

I did it! I butchered pork shoulder! It might be the last time though.

This is my pile of onion. I used a box grater to "chop" onions. You can see there are some bigger pieces and I tried to get them smaller with my knife but was satisfied with uneven pieces.  It didn't make a difference in the finished product.

After the meat is browned and the onions have softened, add in your two cans of diced tomatoes. Easy.

Emril's recipe calls for pork broth but this is what I had on hand. I also made some pork broth with the bones of the shoulder I butchered. Add 12 cups of water, 4 tablespoons salt, 4 celery stalks, 4 carrots, and 6 cloves of garlic to the pork bones. Boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or longer if you have the time. 

Posole! I garnished with cilantro, sour cream, and shredded cheese. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 7 pounds pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes. I think they come in 14 ounce sizes. 
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Pinch of cumin
• 2 chopped chipotle chilies in ancho sauce
• 4 quarts pork or chicken or vegetable stock. Whatever you have.
• 1 29 ounces can of hominy
• Salt and pepper
• Garnishes: cilantro, shredded cheese, radishes, hot sauce, raw chopped onion

Directions

• Butcher the meat. Here's a tutorial. Good luck. Or you can buy the meat already butchered.  Look for stew meat.
• Combine the paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne, and oregano. Rub into the pork. You'll have some leftover. Save it or toss it.
• Heat the oil in a large pot, like one that takes up two burners, over medium high heat. 
• Sear the meat on all sides.
• Add the chopped onions and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, chipotle chilies and stock.
• Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes. 
• Season with salt and pepper. 
• Add hominy and cook for another 20 minutes. 
• It is now ready to serve and garnish. Let me say though, this soup is even better the next day.

Enjoy!!!

Low Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza

This is one of my low carb go to recipes. I know that many people could easily be skeptical simply because the crust is made of veggies and not real pizza dough. Let me reassure you though, if you have been low carb dieting and are getting bored and burning out, this kind of meal will provide you with the variety you need. Best of all, this is a cinch to make and it's delicious.

I've probably made ten of these over the last year. And I think I've finally got it perfected, at least my picky not-on-a-diet husband says so. What made the difference this time was wringing out the cooked grated cauliflower. Removing the moisture gives the crust more of a bread like texture.

I made this in a greased spring form pan. If you don't have one, just use your 9 inch round cake pan or you could do this on a cookie sheet with some parchment paper to keep it from sticking.

This makes enough for two people but my husband says he could eat the entire thing. :)

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower

1 beaten egg

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons pizza seasoning (use whatever Italian herbs you have)

2 tablespoons marinara

1 cup of shredded cheese (I used cheddar and feta)

Feel free to add any other toppings. I had leftover meatballs I cut in half and added. (but not in the photo I used above.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F.

Grate the cauliflower and microwave it for 3 minutes.

Let it cool down so you can handle it without burning yourself.

In your hands or in a cheese cloth, wring out all of the water from the cauliflower.

Add the egg, parmesan, and pizza seasoning and combine.

Prepare your pan by greasing it.

Add the cauliflower mixture to the pan and press it in evenly.

Cook for 18-20 minutes or until it is golden.

Add your marinara, cheese, and toppings and put it back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until cheese is all melted.

P.S. my friends, I will be reposting this entry after New Years. You'll appreciate it. Enjoy!!

Tumi T-Tech Wallet at Costco

My very first Costco post on this blog was about a Michael Kors wallet. Well, I found another high quality wallet for only $9.97. This time it's a Tumi T-Tech. Tumi.com has a wallet called T-Tech Merge that's $39. It's a little different but purchasing it at Costco would save you $30 and the recipient will be none the wiser. :) I love a good deal!

I figured this would work well for a guy's Christmas gift. All you would need to do is add a little $5 gift card to Starbucks or In N Out and you've got yourself a nice little present for less than $20. That's not easy to come by lately.

This little treasure is at the Mission Valley location. Happy shopping!