A Merry Recipe

Take your taste buds on a flavorful journey with Don Pepino Pizza Sauce Picadillo Puff Pastry Empanadas! This is my grand finale for the Don Pepino Pizzeria Bloggers Challenge! Boy, have I had some tasty fun!!! Picadillo Puff Pastry Empanadas are packed with savory ground pork, warm spices, sweet raisins, tangy olives, and robust Don Pepino Pizza Sauce, this Latin-inspired filling is wrapped in light, flaky puff pastry and baked to golden perfection. Crisp on the outside an

Don Pepino’s vine-ripened New Jersey tomatoes, sweet garlic, and signature spices already have the rich depth needed for a fantastic sauce—so I transformed it into a vibrant, crunchy, citrusy cocktail sauce with a kick. By balancing the sweet tomato base with prepared horseradish, fresh lemon zest, snappy celery, scallions, and a pop of fresh cilantro, you get a sauce that’s infinitely more complex and delicious than anything out of a bottle.

While setting up my cameras to shoot an Antipasto Pizza, (the original name) I got distracted by lighting and angles and completely messed up my assembly plan. Instead of artfully displaying the colorful green olives, kalamata olives, artichokes, roasted red peppers, and sliced Fresno peppers on top of the cheese, I layered them straight onto the Don Pepino Pizza Sauce, topped them with Calabrese salami, and buried everything under a solid layer of shredded mozzarella.

Here’s the deal….meatballs aren’t my favorite dish nor does pizza or pot pie call my name! However, Italian Meatball Pot Pie sounded like a great dish for the Don Pepino’s Blogger Recipe Challenge. After all, it had a catchy name and a sense of culinary adventure. The first time I made the meatball pie magic happened! The pizza sauce smothering the homemade Italian sausage and beef meatballs along with the lemon basil ricotta won my palate.This dish is crave-able!

Packed with bold zesty flavors and classic pizzeria appeal, these Don Pepino’s Hot Italian Sliders feature warm, pillowy rolls loaded with savory layers of ham, Calabrese salami, and pepperoni. Melted gooey mozzarella bridges every bite, perfectly balanced by a tangy mix of sweet roasted peppers, fiery Fresno chiles, pepperoncini, and green olives. Brushed with a rich, garlic-and-herb butter glaze and baked until golden brown!

When you are creating a hearty, gravy-filled dish like this Zuppa Toscana gravy, the crust has a massive job to do. It needs to hold up to a rich, heavy filling without getting soggy, while still delivering that light, shattering crispness when you cut into it. That is exactly why Wick’s 6-inch Raw Pie Crust Shells are outstanding for home bakers and recipe creators like me.

Baked to a deep golden brown, these hand-pies boast an incredibly tender, flaky crust and a rich, bubbling berry center that makes them a standout dessert for any occasion.

An innovative twist on classic pecan pie! This Sun-Kissed Almond Date Pie features rich date syrup, slivered almonds, and a citrus-mascarpone whipped cream.

Indulge in these Old Fashioned Smoked Pork Chops, cut thick at 2-ribs for maximum juiciness. This recipe features a flavorful brine that penetrates deeply, followed by an aromatic spice rub. Slow-smoked to perfection using Bear Mountains BBQ Old Fashioned hardwood pellets, the chops are then finished with a sweet and tangy glaze to deliver the very best pork chop I’ve ever eaten!

Enjoy flaky, smoky salmon topped with a flavorful Parmesan-panko ranch crust, cooked to perfection on your pellet grill using Bear Mountain BBQ TrueTimber® Fisherman's Blend pellets. Incredible Flavor!