David's Delicious Insta-Barbecue

But seriously, folks, do I have a talented husband or what? Not only a scholar, a decent squash player, a knower of ridiculous sports facts, and an amateur coffee snob, this man made some mad-delicious barbecue two nights ago in approximately 12 minutes flat.

The technique came from an issue of Cook's Country I freeloaded a couple months back when I attended a "focus group" at their tasty headquarters. You are crazy if you think that, when they said, "Sure, take whatever magazines you like," I didn't swipe every single copy of every single issue on display. My near-embarrassment was outweighed by the bazillions of good dinners I knew would come from it. I should start carrying a bigger purse for times like these.

Another thing about David you should probably know is that he is a marketer's dream. This is the man advertisements were made for. Commercial for McDonald's? He's out the door for a Big Mac. Checkout counter batteries? He probably needs more. Ad in the paper for enchanting travel location? He's already bought tickets. So when we witnessed a barbecue-off on TV recently, it was all he could do to wait until dinner time to eat.

Alright the genius of this meal is twofold: (1) store bought barbecue sauce of your choosing [we really liked Stubbs] and (2) pork tenderloin. This cut of the pig goes a long way toward approximating the tenderness of slow-cooked meat without all the time needed to achieve it.

Faux Pulled-Pork Barbecue

(Adapted from Cook's Country; serves 2; start to finish - 20 minutes or less)

1 pork tenderloin

1 tsp chili powder (less if your chili powder is super hot)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

S&P

1/2 cup (or so) bottled barbecue sauce

1. Trim silver skin and visible fat from the pork tenderloin and cut into 1-inch slices. Whisk together spices and toss pork slices in mixture. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place pork slices in a single layer and cook 5 minutes; flip and cook 5 minutes more. Remove to a large plate or bowl.
2. Reduce heat and add barbecue sauce (to warm). Meanwhile, take two forks and shred the tenderloin into bite-size pieces. Return to sauce and stir altogether until heated through.
3. Serve over a big piece of toast or on buns with cole slaw.

Homemade pizza in 20 minutes (no yeast required!)

Tonight we discovered a good, last minute stand-in for pizza crust if you don't feel like (or secretly fear the awesome and inexplicable power of) yeasted crust made from scratch. Instead of yeast, it uses a combination of baking powder and beer, which also adds a nice kick. It cooks on the stovetop, right in your hot pan. Could not be simpler.

Except that there's a food processor involved. As usual, you can absolutely make this recipe processor-less, just do some stretches before hand.

Pizza night (like salad night and pasta night) is usually my excuse to clean out the vegetable drawer and dump it on a tomato-ey round of dough. Tonight was no exception. Take yesterday's leftover barbecue pork, throw on some cabbage, green onions, sliced zucchini, and sprinkle it all with zesty jalapeno monterey jack. Maybe your leftovers don't sound like mine, but rest assured, a jarred tomato sauce and cheese will do you just fine. But let this be a lesson, you can put anything on a pizza. This crust recipe makes 2 individual-size pizzas (or one big mother if you have the badass, 80-lb. griddle/grill we do).

Speedy Stovetop Pizza Crust

(c/o Cook's Country)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup beer (a nice, light lager)

1 Tbsp olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, powder, sugar, and salt. With the motor running, add the beer and olive oil. Let run until it starts to clear sides and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Take it out, wrap it in plastic, let it rest 10 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a little bit of oil. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and roll each into a 9-inch circle. Place one circle at a time into the pan and cook 3-4 minutes, popping any bubbles that might appear with a fork. Flip 'er and layer your toppings, then cover with foil or a lid to the pan. In a mere 5 minutes, you will have delicious pizza! (Then you have to do it all over again with the second one, but it'll be just as good, promise!)