Bacon Cornbread

I served this with fried eggs and homemade applesauce for dinner.  It was yummy, but not as amazing as I anticipated.  It was lacking a little something, but I still haven't figured out what it is.


adapted from this recipe

6-8 slices of bacon, diced and fried until crispy
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 15oz. can whole corn kernels, drained
1/2 can cream-style corn
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated


Preheat oven to 350 and grease two standard loaf pans.  The original recipe only says to make one loaf, but there was a lot of batter so I went with my gut and made two.  It worked.

Fry bacon bits until crispy.  Drain grease and set aside.

Sift all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  In another bowl, beat together eggs, butter and milk.  Pour into the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Fold in the corn and bacon.  Pour batter into prepared pans, splitting evenly.  Sprinkle grated cheese over loaves.

Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  If the top is browning too much, cover loosely with foil.

Remove from oven, allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from pan.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Orzo with Kale, Corn, and Sausage

We all really enjoyed this.  Using a spicy sausage would add more depth and interest, but the mild flavor was perfect for little mouths.

Adapted from this recipe.

1 450g package orzo pasta
six links sausage, casings removed (I used mild Italian flavored)
1 large bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped into small-ish pieces
2 cups corn
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
salt
pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the orzo, cooking until al dente, or about 5 minutes. Drain well and put it back into the pot it was cooked in. 

While the orzo is cooking, heat a large skillet and add the sausage meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. When the meat is no longer pink add the kale and corn and continue cooking until the sausage is cooked through, and the kale is wilted. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Pour the sausage mixture into the pot of orzo, add the parmesan cheese and lots of fresh ground pepper. Stir to combine. Check the seasonings and add salt if desired

Too Much Chocolate Cake

I think this might be my new favorite chocolate cake.  It was rich, but not overly so, and very moist, perfected only by a large scoop of french vanilla ice cream.  My husband says I can't really take credit for it being so good since the recipe hinges on a cake mix.  So I won't take any credit.  I'll fully admit to loving something made from a box.  It was that delicious!


1 devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream (I used greek yogurt)
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, beat eggs.  Add cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, and water.  Mix well.  Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12cup bundt pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.  (It took my cake a full 60 minutes)  Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate.  If desired, dust with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream!

Indian Flavored Chicken and Lentils

Yum!  I love one pot meals!  We ate ours over rice . You could definitely add two or three more thighs if they'll fit in your pot.  There are more than enough lentils from this recipe.

4 chicken thighs

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, chopped (I use a splash of juice from a jar of pickled jalapeños)

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 cups lentils

1 large carrot cut into chunks

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In Dutch oven, heat 2 tsp of the oil over medium-high heat and brown chicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Chop together onions, garlic and jalapeno and set aside.

Heat remaining oil in pan; cook remaining salt, garam masala and cumin, stirring, until browned, about 1 minute. Stir in onion mixture and cook, stirring, until browned, about 6 minutes. 

Add the lentils and carrots, stirring to coat. Stir in chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups of water.Add chicken back to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 25 minutes. 

Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookies

Make a batch of these to help you get into the Christmas spirit - they were great!  The cookies were very light and a bit crumbly, but that didn't stop us from finishing them.


1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup whits sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping cup chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped/crushed candy canes


Preheat oven to 400.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts.  Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until all of the dry has been absorbed.  Mix in chocolate chips and candy cane.  Form spoonfuls of dough into balls, and place them 2-inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven.

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

We thought this was delicious!  It was more prep than I typically am willing to do for a casserole-type dish, but the wild rice and cheese sauce made it taste more special than your standard casserole.


3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
2 cups cooked white rice (that's two cups of already cooked rice)
16 oz. wild rice, cooked (I only had a 4oz. box to prepare, so I added two more cups of white rice - just guessing!)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Cheese Sauce
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a little gruyere I had left and mostly cheddar)
top with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese


Preheat oven to 350.  Heat oil in a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 7 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  Turn off heat.

To prepare cheese sauce: melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick and nearly boiling, then stir in cheese until melted.  Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Top with additional cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.  Serve hot.

Linguine with Bacon and Spinach

This was delicious!  I'll leave out the added salt next time, though.

12 ounces bacon, chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts (totally forgot about these!  I had them in my cupboard and they would have been a great addition)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 pound linguine
4 cups baby spinach, chopped
Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently to avoid burning. Once the nuts are golden, set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the turkey bacon, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, until the turkey bacon and mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the chicken broth and let the mixture simmer for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt to the water in the pot and cook the linguine until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining the noodles, reserve 1 cup of the pasta wter and set aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the spinach, mushroom/bacon mixture, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine, adding additional pasta water, if needed.

Serve immediately, topping the pasta with the toasted pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

BBQ Chicken Quinoa

photo found here

The different textures in this yummy salad-esque lunch enhanced the flavors and made the dish more interesting.  We all enjoyed it!  I used the crock pot for my chicken, making it that much easier to throw together when it was time to eat. 

1-2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup corn
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded BBQ chicken*
1 avocado, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
cheddar cheese, shredded
2-4 Tbsp BBQ sauce 


In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, corn, black beans, chicken and avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer mixture into a bowl and top with shredded cheese, BBQ sauce, scallions and cilantro.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

*I put 6 chicken tenders in the bottom of my crock pot and then added one onion, sliced.  On top, I added a few squirts of BBQ sauce - enough to make a nice layer over everything.  The meat was ready to be shredded after five hours on low.  

Fudgy Brownies with Cookie Butter Frosting

We celebrated Jessie's birthday while she was visiting and she let me pick what to make for the special dessert!  I chose chocolate, for obvious reasons.  And was excited to try out this frosting, which ended up being delicious.  But next time I would double the amount for one square pan of fudgy, gooey brownies.  Seriously.  We needed way more frosting.  For obvious reasons.

Update: Jessie made these again and said that doubling the frosting recipe was perfect.

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour

for the cookie butter frosting-
3 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons cookie butter, also known as Specaloos
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a glass 9×9 square pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a small pot, melt butter, chocolate chips and cocoa together over medium low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Stir in eggs, 1 at a time and vanilla. Gently stir in all dry ingredients until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and bake 20-30 minutes or until just set. Mine was done right at 20 minutes, but my oven is also hotter than the sun. Set aside to cool.

For the frosting, stir butter, cookie butter, vanilla and powdered sugar together until a thick paste forms. Stir in milk carefully and then mix vigorously to smooth out any lumps. Spread over brownies, cut into bars and serve.

Cheesy Jalapeno Pull Bread

This was just as amazing as I hoped it would be when I pinned the recipe!  Three of us ate the entire thing for lunch.  Granted, that's all we ate.  But we polished off every bite while playing Cribbage! 


1 rustic loaf of bread, unsliced, either Italian or French
12 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (less or more to taste) pickled jalapeños, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, including greens, chopped
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the bread almost all the way through (not all the way) in a cross hatch pattern, spacing an inch between the slices.

Place the shredded cheese in a large bowl. Toss with the green onions and jalapeños. Pour over with melted butter and use your clean hands to toss, to distribute the butter evenly through the cheese.

Place the bread on a large sheet of aluminum foil (large enough to wrap the bread) on a baking sheet. Stuff every crevasse with the cheese mixture. Wrap up with the aluminum foil. At this point you can make ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Then uncover the foil from the bread and cook for 10 minutes more, until all of the cheese has melted.  It took ours longer to cook.  Maybe it depends on how large your bread loaf is??  I'd say leave it covered for 20 minutes, then uncover for another 10-15 minutes.  

Place on a serving board or plate to serve.