Pepperoni Recipes

If you thought pepperonis are can only be used for pizza, then you are not being creative with food. Sometime last week I got tired of the usual taste of our red and white pasta, until I discovered a twist to make it more exciting! And it's by adding Hormel Pepperoni Original in the sauce and using it as a topper!

I tried it first with the spaghetti we served during my mom's birthday. Some guests noticed that we used a different kind of sauce, and it was because of the pepperoni topping. They said they never knew it could be added in the sauce and that it turned out good. Well, I just noticed that in the last few months, my imagination is starting to get a bit creative with food. 

Besides using it spaghetti, I also used it as a topper in Pasta Carbonara. This pasta has mushrooms and chicken strips added to it, but the pepperoni, having a bit salty taste, made it even tastier! My husband loved it and he even asked me to put more pepperoni toppings on his pasta.

The day I served the pasta carbonara, I was not able to buy garlic bread to pair with it. I did not know what kind of bread to serve and this one immediately popped in my head. A "Mini-Pepperoni Carbonara Pizza". I just thought about that name. LOL! 

Here's how I did it:

1) Flatten white bread with a rolling pin.

2) Cut the edges if you do not want it, or use sandwich cutter just like I did. You can do just about any shape with this. :)

3) Spread carbonara sauce.

4) Top with pepperoni and cheese. Use whatever kind of cheese you like, I prefer pepperjack. 

5) Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. I only used a toaster oven in this case.

Doesn't it look good? My husband loved my mini-pizzas! He already requested it for breakfast. LOL! I think this would be great to serve as an appetizer during parties too.

I am going to try pepperoni with more recipes next time so stay tuned! ;)

DISCLOSURE

I was not paid in any way to do a review of the product/s mentioned above. I was given a sample to facilitate my review. Everything was based on my honest opinion of the product.

Great Substitute To Cubed Pork Meat

Have you ever experienced a time when you needed only a small amount of meat but the one in your fridge is a whole package, which you have to thaw for more than an hour. You must have also wasted the rest because it's not fresh anymore when you put it back in the freezer. When you're in a hurry, you'll find thawing a pain, but don't give up! I just thought about a solution to that! 

According to the package, Hormel Cure|81 Cubed Boneless Ham is 'great in salads', I'd say it is a great substitute to meals that need chunks of meat! Plus, it's already 'pre-cut'! Less work for you! 

I used Hormel Cure|81 Cured Boneless Ham in two of my favorite recipes. First is for laing, a Filipino dish with dried taro leaves and coconut milk (you can make it spicy by adding red chili peppers). This recipe was my mom's and it was really good! The pork meat cubes, which I substituted with Hormel, was not just good, but great! Good thing the ham was not seasoned that much so it won't interfere with the regular taste of our meals.

I also used Hormel Cubed Boneless Ham as a pork meat-substitute for our sauteed mung beans with horseradish. The Hormel Boneless Cubed Ham didn't crush and it was as tender as the usual boiled pork meat. I think I'd be using it more often with our meals. :)

DISCLOSURE

I was not paid in any way to do a review of the product mentioned above. I was given free samples to facilitate my review. Everything was based on my honest opinion of the product.

Lunch in 10 Minutes!

I am a stay-at-home mom and I cook at least two times a day. Sometimes it's hard to think of what to cook and I lose my sense of creativity.

Yesterday, when I looked at the freezer, I saw a pack of Hormel Black Label bacon. I thought of using it as an appetizer like bacon-wrapped asparagus or maybe incorporate them in my home-cooked macaroni and cheese. But then it hit me, I haven't eaten bacon for awhile and it's one of my kid's favorite viand!

What I like about the Hormel brand is that the bacon has just the right balance of meat versus fat. Some other bacon brands gives you more fat than the meat, or vice versa. With Hormel, you get the best of both. This original flavor is tasty and not too salty.

I decided to thaw and throw them in the pan. Yes, just like that. You know with bacon you don't need to use oil if you want to fry it, right? Because it will naturally secrete it's own fats. I used to put bacon in the microwave with that bacon plate tool that hold fats and separate them from the meat itself. But I miss it so much that I want to prepare it the classic way! :)

Voila! The end-result is garlic rice, some leftover corned beef and fresh crunchy bacon! Doesn't our lunch look tempting? My daughter would have finished it all on her own if I didn't stop her! LOL!

DISCLOSURE

I was not paid to do a review of the product/s mentioned above. As a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger, Mom's Tried and Tested was given samples to try but was not required to do a review of the product/s or service/s they provide. This post was based on my 100% honest opinion.