Orange-Scented Nutella Cannoli recipe

If you live in the US and you've had Nutella countless times, chances are you've been eating the North American-made one (made in Canada or Mexico). I admit, that's what I've been eating spoonfuls of until recently. I decided I wanted to try the real deal. I found a Poland-made Nutella at a grocery store but I wanted the original so I searched and searched online before I finally chose who to order it from. When the jar came in I still had a little bit of American Nutella left so I taste-tested them and oh my goodness! I threw out the American Nutella in a blink of an eye. I'm not gonna list all the differences because there are so many blogs that have already done so and I would just be listing the same things. But you must try Italian Nutella!

I created this recipe specifically using Italian Nutella. If you choose to use American Nutella, you may have to add salt to offset the sweetness. I would recommend sea salt or kosher salt. If you're feeling adventurous, try fleur de sel or Himalayan salt. This recipe fills all 12 mini cannoli shells, plus a spoonful leftover for your licking pleasure or spread it on a toast/bread.

Printable Recipe

Orange-Scented Nutella Cannoli

ingredients:
• 12 mini cannoli shells, store-bought
• ½ cup Nutella, Italian-made
• ¼ cup mascarpone, softened
• ¼ cup white chocolate chips + more for garnish
• 1 orange, zested
• powdered sugar for garnish

instructions:
1)  Add Nutella and mascarpone in a bowl; whisk until well combined. Fold in white chocolate chips and orange zest. Scoop the filling into a zip top bag, seal the bag, and cut off one corner tip.
◘ tip: The hole should be fairly small -- big enough to let chocolate chips pass through but not so small that chips clog the hole.
2)  Pipe filling into cannoli shells. Garnish the edges with white chocolate chips. Dust with powdered sugar over the top.
3)  Serve and enjoy!
◘ tip: For firmer filling, refrigerate the cannoli for 2 hours max after piping in the filling, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
   

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Wings recipe

I had a bite of chocolate-covered bacon at a festival once, and let me tell you, I was not a fan. Even my husband who loves bacon wasn't too thrilled to finish the whole thing. But he sure is a fan of these bacon-wrapped wings! The grocery store we usually shop at used to have chicken wingettes and drummettes mixed in a pack, then all of a sudden it was all drummettes! If you ask me and my husband, we like the wingettes better. Of course you can get chicken wings and just cut them yourself. You can even save the wing tips for stock.

Printable Recipe

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Wings

ingredients:
• 20 pieces chicken wingettes/drummettes
• 10 bacon strips, cut in half crosswise
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chipotle chile pepper
• 1 tsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru/kochukaru)
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted & divided use
• 20 toothpicks
• sea salt for sprinkling

instructions:
1)  Preheat oven to 425° F.
2)  In a zip top bag, combine the following ingredients: flour, cornstarch, paprika, chipotle chile pepper, Korean chili flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. Seal the bag and shake to mix the ingredients.
3)  Add the wingettes/drummettes to the flour mixture and seal the bag. Shake well to coat.
4)  Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up and place a wire rack over it. Wrap 1 bacon strip around 1 wingette/drummette, secure with a toothpick, and put it onto the wire rack. Continue wrapping until all the wingettes/drummettes are wrapped.
5)  Using a brush, apply the melted butter on the chicken using a dabbing motion. Bake for 30 minutes.
◘ note: Turn on the range hood, it may get smoky.
6)  Flip the chicken and brush on the the rest of the butter in a dabbing motion. Bake for 10 minutes.
◘ tip: If the chicken is on the larger side, bake for 15 minutes instead of 10.
7)  Sprinkle sea salt over the chicken as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing the toothpicks. Serve and enjoy!
  

Crepes recipe

Ahh, crepes. So many recipes out there! You can go sweet or savory. This recipe is sweet, though. When I come up with a savory version, I'll make sure to share that with you as well!

I let the batter rest in the fridge overnight because, well, I make it at night and we eat it at brunch the next day. If you're in a hurry, let the batter rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

This batter makes 8 crepes. You can serve it stacked, rolled, or folded. Your choice!

Printable Recipe

Crepes

ingredients:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• ¾ cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp Grand Marnier orange liqueur
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp grapeseed oil
• ¼ cup water
• unsalted butter for coating

instructions:
1)  Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
2)  Scald milk and butter in a small saucepan over very low heat. Swirl the pan around to help butter melt. Turn off the heat once butter is melted completely, and let cool down for a bit.
3)  Make a well in the flour mixture. Add eggs in the well, orange liqueur, vanilla extract, and grapeseed oil; whisk vigorously just until the mixture comes together.
4)  Slowly pour in the milk-butter mixture while whisking the batter (it will still be a bit lumpy). Pour in the water while whisking, and whisk just until the batter's texture becomes uniform, but do not overmix.
5)  Strain the batter through a strainer (not a fine mesh sieve) into another bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
6)  Before cooking, give the batter a stir. Place a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat and coat with butter. With one hand, add ¼ cup of batter to the center of the pan while the other hand swirls the pan around to get the batter to lay evenly on the pan.
◘ tip: Use a ¼ measuring cup, rather than a ladle. This batter yields 8 crepes.
7)  Cook crepe 2 minutes on one side. Just before flipping, shake the pan to loosen the crepe from the pan. Flip crepe and cook for 1 minute. Slide the cooked crepe to a plate. Repeat the process until the batter is gone, coating the pan with butter after each crepe.
◘ tip: If the crepe is browning too fast, reduce heat to low.

Topping Suggestions:
○ Nutella (Italian-made), dusted with powdered sugar
○ Nutella (Italian-made), almond butter, sun-dried goji berries, dusted with powdered sugar
○ Almond butter, fresh berries such as strawberries, drizzle of honey such as acacia, dusted with powdered sugar
○ Chocolate spread, crushed graham crackers, whipped cream, dusted with powdered sugar and/or cocoa powder
○ Mascarpone, fresh berries such as strawberries, chocolate drizzle or caramel
○ Nutella (Italian-made), nuts such as walnuts, scoop of ice cream, drizzle with hot fudge or caramel
○ Drizzle of honey such as orange blossom, chocolate chips or shavings, orange segments
○ Nutella/Chocolate spread/Almond butter, banana, dusted with powdered sugar
○ Cannoli Cream, orange zest
○ Et cetera!
      

Carnitas recipe

2 recipes in one post?! You bet! And, you're welcome ☺

You can use carnitas in burritos, tacos, tortas, tamales, and tostadas to name a few. But if you're weird like me, your favorite way to serve carnitas is in a burrito bowl with guacamole and pico de gallo, and the occasional rice, sour cream, lettuce, and cheese. Never with beans of any type!

FYI: Whenever you see the word 'onion' in my recipes, it always means that I used yellow onions. If I used any other onions, it will be specified (like red onion or Vidalia). Use red or white onions for pico de gallo and guacamole, if desired.

Printable Recipe

Carnitas

Carnitas
ingredients:
• 3 to 3.5 lbs whole pork shoulder blade roast, bone-in
• ½ lb lard (half of the box or about 1 cup)
• ¼ tsp kosher salt + more for sprinkling
• ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or any neutral oil)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chipotle chile pepper (McCormick)
• 1 tsp ancho chile pepper (McCormick)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican, if available)
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 whole jalapeño, diced
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 1 orange
• 1 lime

instructions:
1)  Place lard in the slow cooker, put the lid on and turn the temperature to "High". Let the lard melt while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.
◘ tip: For smaller slow cookers, use ¼ lb lard to avoid spillovers later on.
2)  Wash the orange and lime because the whole thing is going in the slow cooker. Depending on the size of your cooker, you may need to halve or quarter both the orange and lime to make it fit.
3)  Mix the spice paste in a bowl: grapeseed oil, cumin, chipotle chile pepper, ancho chile pepper, chili powder, ground coriander seed, dried oregano, and dried thyme. Set aside.
4)  Depending on the size of your cooker, you may need to cut the pork shoulder in half to make it fit. Liberally season the pork with salt and pepper on all sides and every crevice. Then, rub the spice paste all over the pork.
5)  Add half of the onions in the bottom of the cooker, then the pork. Add the rest of the onions, garlic, jalapeño (seeds and all), and bay leaves. Squeeze orange and lime juice over the top and toss the rinds in the cooker. Cover and cook on "High" for 5 hours, or "High" for 4 hours plus 2 hours on "Low".
6)  Line the broiler pan with foil. Preheat broiler. Scoop the meat out of the cooker and transfer it to the broiler pan, shredding it as you lay the meat in a single layer. Remove citrus rinds, bay leaves, and bone. Pour the meat juices left in the cooker to a fat separator.
◘ tip: If you don't have a fat separator, pour the meat juices into a bowl and scoop the fat off the top.
7)  Place the broiler pan on the top rack and broil carnitas for 3 minutes.
8)  Transfer carnitas to a dish or large serving bowl. Pour in the meat juices all over the top and season with ¼ tsp salt. Mix well and serve.

Serve Carnitas with:
○ Warm tortillas, taco shells, pico de gallo, guacamole (recipe follows), sour cream, Mexican crema, cheese, cilantro leaves, beans/refried beans, corn salsa, diced onions, rice, shredded lettuce, lime wedges, etc. Or in a sandwich, quesadillas, on top of fries or nachos.

Guacamole
ingredients:
• 3 avocados, seeds removed
• quarter of an onion, finely diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeds & pulp removed, diced
• 1 lime, halved
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided use
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

instructions:
1)  Using a knife, make cross-hatch cuts into the avocado flesh. Squeeze the flesh out into a bowl. Mash the avocados using a potato masher. Squeeze half of the lime juice over the avocados to prevent it from turning brown. Season with ½ tsp salt, then stir.
2)  Add onions, tomatoes, the rest of the salt, cilantro, and squeeze the rest of the lime juice over the top. Stir well and serve.

Serve Guacamole with:
○ Tortilla chips, burritos, tacos, tortas, tostadas, nachos, fajitas, sandwich, etc.

Carnitas
    

Guacamole