Nice buns!

I've been making these yummy homemade rolls A LOT lately. They're great for burgers, sliders, sloppy Joe's, etc. and you can even shape them into hot dog or brat buns. These buns are a little bit sweet (they're milk based, rather than water based), and have a wonderfully light interior that complements their crispy exterior. They're easy to make, and you can even make extra for sandwiches the next day. 

Yields: 6 hamburger-sized buns


Ingredients:
1/2 egg, beaten (just beat an egg then divide it approximately)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. melted butter
3 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cups warm milk
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast


Egg wash:
1 egg white, beaten
1 tbsp. cream (opt.)


Assembly:
Pour yeast into milk and allow to sit for about five minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients using a dough hook (add extra milk if needed) until dough comes together. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit for 2-4 hours. Roll out using extra flour (1/2 in. thick). Use a water glass (spray the edges with nonstick spray) to cut out six rounds (you may need to re-roll the dough). Microwave a cup of water for two minutes, then place it on a baking sheet with the rounds and allow it to sit for 30 minutes in an unheated oven or microwave. Preheat oven to 350. Brush with egg wash ingredients that have been beaten. Bake 8-10 minutes. Slice and serve!

Potato Skins

I love appetizers so much that sometimes my husband and I will make a meal out of them! Potato skins are one of my go-to dishes~ they are simple and delicious and, if you make them at home instead of eating them in a restaurant or buying them frozen, you are actually eating much less saturated fat! This is a super simple recipe that is great for game day, a lazy Sunday or casual entertaining. The skins are cripsy and delicious, filled with gooey cheese and smokey bacon. Enjoy!
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
5 small Idaho potatoes, scrubbed
4 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup of shredded colby-jack cheese
Kosher salt/black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, chopped

Assembly:
Bake potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes (or until fork tender). Remove and allow to cool. Slice potatoes lengthwise and remove about half of the insides (great for mashed potatoes later!). Place the halves on a baking sheet with the insides facing upward, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove potatoes from the oven, sprinkle with cheese and crumbled bacon, then return them to the oven for about 5-8 minutes (or until cheese is melted and bubbly). While potatoes are cooling, place sour cream in a bowl and add chopped green onions (I like to mix the onions right in, depending on how much my guests enjoy them). Arrange the potatoes around the sour cream bowl and serve immediately.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I'm pretty sure that it's impossible to go wrong when you are combining cream cheese with bacon! These tasty little mushrooms are filled with a delicious mixture of cream cheese, bacon, green onions and some other little tidbits to give you big flavor in every bite. I love serving these for guests or as part of a "bar food night" (this is when I cave in and serve buffalo chicken dip, salsa, and skins for an actual meal! Not so healthy, but still better for you than getting it a restaurant). Most of the time, recipes suggest using larger mushrooms (usually labeled "Stuffing Mushrooms"), but I like to use baby bellas or white mushrooms so that you can just pop them in your mouth without making a huge mess. I don't think the picture below quite gives these delicious bites justice, but you get the idea! So yummy! Serving: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 package baby bellas or button mushrooms, stems reserved
6 oz. softened cream cheese (use that extra two oz. to amp up mashed potatoes!)
1 green onion, chopped finely
2 slices of bacon
salt, black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Assembly:
Cook bacon over medium heat until done. Chop mushroom stems and brown them in the bacon fat. Allow bacon and mushroom stems to cool. Crumble bacon and mix it and all other ingredients together. Stuff into mushroom caps and line them on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until tops are slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

This is hands-down my favorite potato recipe. These potatoes are a great compliment to steaks (as you can see in the background), chicken or chops. They are hearty and delicious, bursting with bold flavors. The bacon and paprika lend a fabulous smokiness, while the cheese is gooey and just a little salty. The green onions on top give these potatoes a nice bite that is a perfect compliment to the richness of the filling. You will LOVE these!

serves 2

Ingredients:
2 large Idaho potatoes
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 strips of cooked bacon, chopped
1 green onion, diced
1/8 cup warmed heavy cream
3 tbsp. butter, melted
salt, black pepper
1 tsp. paprika


Assembly:
Poke holes in the potatoes then bake them for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow them to cool for 25 minutes before slicing the top off each potato (don't cut them in half, just slice off the top). Scoop the insides into bowl and mix them with the bacon, cream, butter, salt and pepper. Stuff the mixture back into the potatoes and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until tops are golden and crispy. Using the back of a fork, press down on the tops of the potatoes to form a well in each. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Warm Bacon Spinach Salad

We adore bacon in our house! I keep a package in the fridge and a package in the freezer and use it in so many different recipes. Typical dinners at our house include a mixed salad of baby greens with my standard balsamic vinaigrette (search sidebar for recipe). I wanted to switch things up a little bit one night when I was making barbecue, and I thought that a warm bacon spinach salad would be perfect. It's also a great lunch or dinner salad and pairs really well with a crusty baguette. Not only is this salad really tasty, but it's a surefire way to get your family to eat raw spinach and, yikes, enjoy it! Even if you're not a big fan of raw mushrooms, give this one a try. The mushrooms soak up the dressing and are so tasty. This vinaigrette is simple to prepare, and the salad sweet and tangy with the smokiness of the bacon perfectly contrasting with the freshness of the vegetables. This is one of my new favorites!
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
4 strips of uncooked bacon
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1 package (5oz.) of washed baby spinach
2 tbsp. thinly sliced red onion
6 diced mushrooms

Dressing:
rendered fat from 4 strips of bacon
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
salt
black pepper
a little splash of olive oil (opt.)

Assembly:
Arrange spinach and vegetables on salad plates. Cook bacon and reserve the fat. Crumble the bacon over the spinach and vegetables. Once the bacon fat has cooled a bit, whisk in cider vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper (and olive oil, if you choose). Taste it and adjust by adding more cider vinegar (if you like it tangier) or sugar (if you like it sweeter). Pour the warm dressing over the salad and allow it to wilt the spinach for a minute or two before serving.

Honey Dijon Grilled Chicken Wraps

My husband is a huge fan of these chicken wraps which really surprised me at first because they are completely loaded with raw vegetables! This is one of my favorite things to make for a quick dinner~ it's got all sorts of crunchy, fresh vegetables, but it also has deliciously marinated chicken, pepper jack cheese and, of course, bacon! It's one of those great sandwiches that everyone will like, even if they swear up and down they don't like raw veggies. You can just go right ahead and forget that you're eating bacon, cheese and mayo (they're cancelled out by the veggies, of course). Because I'm posting this on Thanksgiving, I wanted to mention that you can easily swap out the chicken for turkey. You can also combine some cranberry sauce with mayonnaise instead of using the mayonnaise/dijon blend. YUM. Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the wrap:
2 large flour tortillas

4 strips of cooked bacon

2-4 sliced mushrooms

julienned red pepper

julienned red onion

a small handful of greens (I prefer spring mix)

sliced avocado

sliced pepperjack

For the mayonnaise: mix 3 tbsp. mayonnaise with 1 tbsp. djion mustard

For the chicken:
1 chicken breast

juice of 2 lemon

3 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

salt

black pepper

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

Assembly:

Grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side over medium heat. Let the chicken rest for about 5-10 minutes then slice it on the bias. Using a spoon, smear the mayonnaise/dijon mixture on the tortilla then add a few slices of chicken and each of the vegetables. Be careful not to overfill the tortilla, otherwise you will have problems closing it, and it might rip. Wrap one side over, then wrap the bottom and roll the tortilla over (burrito-style). Slice in the center and serve.

Bacon Cheddar Barbecue Burger

This is my go-to burger for days when I think my husband and I need a pick me up. It's quick and easy and is sinfully delicious. This burger satisfies any beef craving and is a fun alternative to a plain cheeseburger. It's also very inexpensive to make, so it's great for casual entertaining. Enjoy!
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb. ground chuck

3 tbsp. worchestershire sauce

black pepper

salt

marbled cheddar cheese (four slices)

4 slices cooked bacon

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

4 kaiser rolls

sliced red onion

Mix chuck with worchestershire sauce and form four equal patties. Liberally sprinkle both sides of each patty with salt and pepper. Grill burgers 5-6 minutes over medium high heat on the first side then flip. Add cheddar and bacon then grill 2-3 minutes. While the cheddar is melting, place the sliced rolls on the grill for one minute then remove to a plate. Mix mayonnaise and barbecue sauce and spread on top of each roll. Top with a patty then add sliced red onion. Cover with top roll and serve. Use leftover mayo/bbq as a dipping sauce for fries.

Stuffed Bacon-Bleu Burger

For those of you who are fans of bacon and bleu cheese, it doesn't get a whole lot better than this! I am a huge bleu cheese fan, but throughout my pregnancy was not allowed to eat this delectable cheese. After a few days home from the hospital, I stuffed myself silly with a bleu cheeseburger...talk about heaven! When you bite into this burger, you're not only getting back and bleu on top, but you're getting it in all of its melted goodness oozing out from inside this burger. Try this with my guiltless oven fries and you're in for a real treat!

Just a few words about the burger itself...Please use 80-20 chuck for your burgers! Your belly will thank you. More on what cuts and blends to use for which dishes in an upcoming technique Tuesday post.
For four burgers:

Ingredients:
1 package Danish Bleu cheese crumbles (you can also buy a brick and crumble it yourself)
6 slices of bacon
1.5 lbs. ground chuck (80-20)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
3 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
4 kaiser rolls (brioche rolls are also delicious)
sliced red onion, lettuce, tomato or any other "accessories" you'd like

Assembly:

Preheat grill to 350. Bring chuck to room temperature. Add Worchestershire sauce and form four patties. (Optional step: place 1 tbsp. of bleu cheese crumbles and an extra 1/2 slice of crumbled bacon in the center of each patty and form meat around the filling. Flatten into patties.) Liberally sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder (as usual, 1 part pepper to 3 parts salt should be perfect). Sear on grill without moving the patties for 4-5 minutes. Flip and sprinkle the other side with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add cheese to the top of each patty. Cook 3-4 minutes or until there is a slight give in the center (for medium). While patties are cooking, toast buns on the grill (it only takes a minute for the buns to be ready). Remove from grill, add bacon and any other toppings you would like. Make sure you let your patties rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Bacon and Mushroom Quiche

Quiche is one of those wonderful things that seems fancy but is really super simple. Once you get the hang of making the crust, it's an easy go-to meal that is really satisfying. You can use just about any meat, cheese or vegetable in this dish and, paired with a simple green salad, have a declious meal for your family and friends. It also reheats well and makes great leftovers. It's always great when you can cook something once and eat it again the next day with no hassle...that is, if there are any leftovers to be had!

Ingredients:
1 pie dough (see previous posting for recipe; use search function in sidebar to locate)
3/4 cup heavy cream
7 eggs
small pinch of nutmeg (opt.)
salt (I would estimate about 1/2 tsp.)
pepper
1/3 cup shredded cheese (swiss or colby-jack and great)
3/4 cups chopped baby bella mushrooms
6 strips cooked bacon, chopped

Assembly:
Roll out pie dough into a greased pie pan. Sprinkle bacon, mushrooms and cheese into the bottom of the pan.
Beat eggs, and heavy cream in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over cheese, bacon, mushroom mixture.

Place quiche on a cooking sheet and bake at 350 degrees approximately 1 hour (or until top puffs up and begins to brown). Remove from oven and allow quiche to cool 15-20 minutes. This dish is best served warm, not hot.

Slice and serve. Voila!

Super Loaded Mashed Potatoes

I love making all different types of smashed and mashed potatoes! I'm not such a big fan of a creamy, smooth plain mashed potatoes; I prefer them when they have a little texture and love enhancing them with different flavors like roasted garlic, cheeses, etc. The recipe below is a variation on my twice-baked potato recipe and includes all kinds of yummy ingredients like bacon, green onions and marbled cheddar. If you're counting calories, you can always substitute chicken stock for the heavy cream, reduced fat shredded cheese, and turkey bacon. I typically make these potatoes to accompany steaks or BBQ. It's a stick-to-your-ribs dish that is just as yummy as leftovers the next day.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized Idaho potatoes (Yukon Gold are great for mashing too), washed and diced
1-2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/8 cup shredded cheese (I recommend cheddar or jack)
3 tbsp. melted butter
1/8 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper

Assembly:
Place potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are fork-tender (approximately 15 minutes). Drain and place potatoes back in empty pot (this helps them dry). Add butter, cream, salt and pepper. Smash potatoes with a large fork or potato masher. Stir in bacon and cheese, then top with diced green onions (or chives).