Happy Birthday Dad!
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Quick Italian Fix.

I love Italian food, but was led to believe it takes hours to prepare. Not true, my quick fix Manicotti is fast, easy, and delicious!
I make a marinara I call Pantry Marinara, it comes from ingredients I keep as pantry staples. In a saucepan combine a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes with a half teaspoon each, salt, black pepper, onion powder and one teaspoon garlic powder and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Adjust these seasonings to your taste. You can add a can of sliced mushrooms if you'd like. Simmer until it reaches the consistency you like.
Boil 8 manicotti noodles until al dente, drain and cool.
Mix 15 ounce tub of Ricotta, 16 ounces of shredded Mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and 2 eggs. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Pipe cheese mixture into noodles and arrange in a 9x13 baking pan. Top with marinara, cover with foil and bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with more shredded Mozzarella and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes. Cheese will be melted and bubbly. Serve with tossed salad and cheesy garlic bread.

More Butt.

My Mom makes meat pies out of "whatever's in the icebox", so I figured I'd try them with the butt. I just took some of the pork butt and chopped it up, I added some spices, some of the pan juice, and shredded cheese. I then put the mix in pie crust and baked it until it was golden. I used chili powder and pepper jack cheese, so the addition of sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream was just the ticket. Use your imagination and enjoy the versatility of this wonderful and inexpensive cut of meat!

Chicken Fried Chicken.

This is my favorite way to fry chicken! Take boneless chicken breasts and pound them out to tenderize and even them out. Season with salt and pepper. I do a triple dip because my favorite part is the crust! For 2 breasts, make an egg wash out of 1 egg and 1/4 cup of milk in a pie pan or similar dish. In another pie pan put 1 cup of flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Take the breasts and dip them in the flour then the egg, repeat 2 or 3 times ending with the flour. Fry the coated breasts in oil turning once or twice until golden. Serve with cream gravy.

My Butt.

The pork butt I put on with the chicken was left on about 3 hours. It got good and crusty on the outside. I then took it off and put it in my Crock Pot on low and forgot about it. Around 8-10 hours later, I had a beautiful piece of meat. You'll know it's ready when it falls off the bone! The 3 hours on the grill left a wonderful smoke ring and a great taste! The Crock Pot cooked it low and slow, key to moist and tender BBQ. I only used a rub at this point, so the meat can be used as a roast, in tamales, as sandwiches, or any number of ways. The juice that comes off in the Crock Pot makes a great gravy.
I chose in the picture above, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Just take a hunk, chop it up as fine as you like and add your favorite BBQ sauce. Serve it on a bun with a slice of cheddar cheese and you have an easy way to satisfy any BBQ craving