Our wedding is quickly approaching.  In fact, it’s quite literally sneaking up on me.  It was like, one day he was pretending to cook me dinner but really proposing, and in a few weeks, we are really getting married.  It’s kind of surreal.  And as we get down to the last few weeks of wedding prep, of course there are some fun things thrown in there.  Like, my bachelorette party.  I can’t even begin to describe the tom foolery that went down.  Just use your imagination. 

Or Lloyd’s upcoming bachelor party.  In Vegas.  I can’t even fathom the tom foolery that will go down.  I will not be using my imagination, because as far as I’m concerned, the fellas are going to Vegas to spend some quality time together over dinner and wine at some of the best restaurants, getting pampered at the luxurious spas, and to take in some shows (Cirque de Soileil, anyone?)

Because that’s what guys do in Vegas. 

Right?

Right.

Lloyd needed some new duds for his trip.  Left to his own devices to shop for clothes, he will come home with 6 gray Adidas shirts, that all look exactly the same.  It should come as no surprise that they also look exactly the same at the other 13 gray Adidas shirts he already has hanging in the closet upstairs.  The boy knows what he likes.  And that exact scenario play out just last week. 

In an effort to be a control freak helpful and loving fiancé, I took the liberty of grabbing him a few new dress shirts when I was at the mall.  I tried to spice it up by adding some color to his wardrobe, and scooped up a few things, including what I think is a nice, plaid button down shirt.  In pink.  I was hesitant to show Lloyd this particular purchase because he “doesn’t like pink stuff.” 

But that’s a lie, because I’ve slowly been buying him shirts with subtle pops of pink that he wears with no problem. 

Slow and steady. 

I showed it to him, nonchalantly adding that I found it to be more red than pink, but making sure not to oversell it and let him decide for himself if he liked it.  I was psyched when it was pretty well received.  But not without he inevitable Lloyd commentary.

“Yea it’s nice.  I like it.  I mean, it’s cool if you’re into the tables at Papa Gino’s.”

I can’t say I disagree:

(Image credit)

And  suddenly, I was craving pizza.

But not just any pizza.  The wheels started spinning.  I had just defrosted leftover pork carnitas, and I decided I would incorporate them into a pizza.  It was amazing in every sense of the word. Although it sounds like an odd combo, it totally worked. The smoky adobe pork paired nicely with the cheese and the pops of fresh cilantro.

Papa Gino’s, be damned!

Pork Carnitas Pizza

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• pizza dough
• ½ C pizza sauce
• 3 C Monterey jack cheese
• 2 C adobe pork carnitas (Click link for recipe!)
• 1 C red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 C red onion, shinly sliced
• ½ C green onions, chopped, plus more for garnish
• cilantro, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven (and pizza stone, if using) to 450F.
2. Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness and cover with a thin layer of pizza sauce.
3. Drain pork carnitas in a colander, ensuring that there isn’t much liquid, as it will make for a soggy pizza.
4. Top with cheese and pork carnitas. 
5. Add pepper, red onions, and green onions. 
6. Place pizza on hot pizza stone using a pizza peel or place baking dish in oven. 
7. Cook for about 8-12 minutes, until pork looks crispy and cheese is melted. 
8. Top with more green onions, and cilantro, for garnish.

**Notes**

• I highly recommend buying a pizza stone for homemade pizza!  It makes a world of a difference. 
• I had frozen leftover pork carnitas, which made this a quick and easy dinner.  A great idea would be to make pork carnitas in the crock pot for dinner one night, and reserve some for pizza the next night.  Pork carnitas are a great summer dish since using the crock pot doesn’t heat the house.