Culinary Face-Off!

It is a very rare occasion when I can get my husband, Ryan, to cook. He's very timid in the kitchen and wants to know every single little step in the process. He doesn't quite have the intuitiveness of cooking, but we're working on it. So when we went to HEB to get my prescription, Ryan found a bottle of Beano's Classical White Pizza Sauce with Basil on clearance and he wanted to get it and try it out. Correction: he wanted ME to try it out. However, I didn't really trust it and told him I could make my own that would taste much better. But being the man that he is, he was fixated on the Beano's and really wanted to try it. So I offered him a challenge. We would make 2 pizzas. I would make my own sauce and make a shrimp pizza, and he would use the Beano's to make a cheese pizza. Amazingly, he actually took me up on it. I already had a bag of pre-cooked frozen jumbo shrimp, so we got the rest of the stuff we needed and headed home for our cook-off! We both made our pizzas and though they were both, somewhat surprisingly, good....mine won!! The sauce was much more flavorful because the herbs hadn't been sitting in a bottle for who knows how long. I was very proud of Ryan's pizza, though! I normally don't care for plain cheese pizza, but it was good. I definitely like pizza better without the red sauce. So I hope you make these pizzas soon!



The Champ!: Pizza Frutti di Mare
a Lauren Hanson original

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried rosemary
2-3 tsp. basil & garlic seasoning
1 Mama Mary's pizza crust
1 lb. pre-cooked frozen shrimp. (You can use any size you want. I used Jumbo.)
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella
1-2 cups shredded parmesan
additional oregano, rosemary, basil & garlic for topping

Directions:
In a colander or strainer, run cold water over the frozen shrimp for about 3 minutes, until no longer frozen.
While the shrimp is thawing, make pizza sauce. Pour olive oil into small bowl and add oregano, rosemary and basil & garlic. Stir with a fork until combined.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
With a pastry brush, spread the sauce over the entire top of the pizza crust. Then add your shrimp and top with cheese. Sprinkle more spices on top, as much as you like.
Turn oven down to 425 degrees, place pizza on either a baking sheet or pizza stone and bake for 7 1/2 to 10 minutes. (I cooked mine for 10 because of the amount of shrimp on the pizza.)




The Runner-Up!: Pizza Due Formaggi
a Ryan Hanson original



Beano's Classical White Pizza Sauce with Basil
1 Mama Mary's pizza crust
1-2 c. shredded mozzarella
1-2 c. shredded parmesan

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Brush pizza crust with as much pizza sauce as you would like.
Top with shredded cheese.
Lower oven heat to 425 degrees and bake for 7 1/2 to 10 minutes.

I'm strong to the finish!

I never thought I would cook anything that contained spinach. As a kid, spinach was one of those foods that I stayed far, far away from. It just seemed to always be overcooked, slimy and (mostly) flavorless. Needless to say, I was not a fan. So no one was more surprised than me when I was flipping through my Taste of Home cookbook and found a recipe for Spinach-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and it actually looked tasty. I was still a little hesitant, but I figured why not give it a try. After all, I am an adult, and I can try new things! And I am glad I tried this! It was delicious! Perfectly tender and sooooooooo yummy! I adapted the recipe a little because I couldn't find provolone cheese (I think you have to get it from the deli, and that's too expensive), so I swapped that for white American and I didn't have celery salt or garlic powder, so I improvised and used garlic salt! Hey, I cut out the need for 2 different seasonings! By the way, Ryan thought this was divine, so you need to make it....now!







Spinach-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
adapted from Taste of Home Cookbook

1 pork tenderloin
5 slices white American cheese
garlic salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh spinach
4-5 thin slices deli ham

1. Cut a lengthwise slit down the center of the tenderloin to within 1/2 inch of bottom. Open tenderloin so it lies flat. On each half, make another lengthwise slit down the center to within 1/2 inch of bottom; cover with plastic wrap

2. Flatten to 1/4 inch thickness (with a meat mallet). Remove plastic wrap; sprinkle pork with garlic salt and pepper. Layer with the cheese, spinach and ham. Press down gently.

3. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Tie the roast at 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch intervals with kitchen string. Sprinkle with more garlic salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan.

4. Bake, uncovered at 425 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Transfer to a serving platter. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.