Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits

• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¾ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ cups Vegetable Shortening (crisco, Etc)
• 10 Tablespoons Milk (whole Milk Is Best)
• 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 whole Egg
• 10 slices Thick Cut Bacon, Fried And Crumbled
• 1 cup Finely Diced Onion
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in shortening until all combined.

Combine milk, oil, and egg in a separate bowl. Whisk together.

Combine flour mixture, milk mixture, bacon, onions, and cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Stir gently until all combined.

Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes on 375 degrees until golden Remove from pan and serve warm.

Recipe

Slow-Cooker Pork Stew

I made this for my hubby for his birthday. He loves pork so I thought it would be perfect! He loved it!

 

• 1 pound fingerling potatoes
• 3 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch chunks  
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 bone-in pork shoulder or pork sirloin roast (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

 

Combine the potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic and ginger in a slow cooker. Toss in half of the flour and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the bay leaves over the vegetables.

Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the thyme and allspice and toss with the remaining flour to coat. Place the pork over the vegetables in the slow cooker. Add 2 cups water and the tomatoes, cover and cook on low 8 hours.

Discard the bay leaves. Remove the pork roast and slice or pull the meat off the bone into large pieces. Serve in bowls with the vegetables and broth.

Recipe

Slow-Cooked Salmon with Creamy Leeks and Red Wine Butter

1 cup red wine
2 shallots (1 roughly chopped,
   1 finely chopped)
8 tbsp. unsalted butter (6 tbsp. softened,
   2 tbsp. diced)
2 tsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley plus
   1 tbsp. thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,
   to taste
3 medium leeks (white and light green parts only),
   julienned and washed
1⁄2 tbsp. finely chopped marjoram
1⁄2 tbsp. finely chopped thyme
1 tsp. crushed fennel seeds
1⁄3 cup dry vermouth
2 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4  8-oz. skinless boneless salmon filets
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1. Combine red wine and roughly chopped shallots in a 1-quart saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to 1 tbsp., about 13 minutes. Strain the wine through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard shallots. Let wine cool. Add softened butter and chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir with a fork until well combined. Transfer red wine butter to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll tightly into a 1″-thick cylinder about 5″ long. Twist ends of plastic wrap to seal tightly. Chill until firm. (The red wine butter may be made and refrigerated up to 1 week in advance.)

2. Heat remaining butter in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, marjoram, thyme, and fennel, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add the cream and lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft and the cream has thickened, about 25 minutes. (Add a little water if leeks become dry.) Season with salt and pepper. Keep leeks warm, covered, over low heat.

3. Heat oven to 275°. Arrange the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the remaining shallots, olive oil, and garlic. Rub salmon with the shallot mixture and season with salt and pepper. Roast the salmon until medium rare, about 12 minutes. Cut four 1⁄4″-thick slices of the red wine butter, place 1 on top of each filet, and let melt slightly in the oven, about 3 minutes.

4. To serve, spoon some of the leeks onto the center of 4 plates. Using a spatula, place a salmon filet atop each. Garnish with remaining parsley.

Recipe

Phyllo Pizza with Feta, Basil, and Tomatoes

 

• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) finely crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 10  (18 x 14–inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• Cooking spray
• 2  cups  thinly sliced plum tomato
• 1/3  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4  cup  fresh basil leaves

 

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl.

3. Cut phyllo sheets in half crosswise. Working with 1 phyllo sheet half at a time (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), place phyllo sheet on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat phyllo sheet with cooking spray. Repeat with 2 more layers of phyllo. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese mixture. Repeat layers 5 times, ending with 2 phyllo sheets. Coat top phyllo sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese mixture. Pat tomato slices with a paper towel. Arrange tomato slices on top of cheese, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with onions and the remaining 6 tablespoons cheese mixture. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

Recipe

Mongolian Beef

• 2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  cornstarch
• 2  teaspoons  dry sherry
• 2  teaspoons  hoisin sauce
• 1  teaspoon  rice vinegar
• 1  teaspoon  chile paste with garlic
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  teaspoons  peanut oil
• 1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1  tablespoon  minced fresh garlic
• 1  pound  sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain
• 16  medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

 

1. Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.

2. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; sauté for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces; sauté 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Recipe

Hot Cocoa

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cocoa (I used Hershey)

Dash of salt

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

(got this recipe right off the box for Hershey’s Cocoa mix)

 

Egg Salad

Every recipe I find online for egg salad calls for Mayonnaise. Well my mom used Miracle Whip when I was a kid and to this day I still make it the way she does but (of course) I add a twist…

4 eggs boiled

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1/2 red onion, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped carrots

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1 teaspoon paprika

dash of sugar

dash of cayenne pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste

celery salt to taste

Boil Eggs. Chop.

Mix all ingredients into a medium/large boil and taste, adjust seasoning as need. Chill for 15-20 minutes and serve.  

 

 

Butter Bits

These are super easy and super yummy, and super bad for you! Basically all they are is Sugar, Butter and Vanilla. You won’t be able to eat just one of these…they are that good!

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix all ingredients.  Place walnut-sized ball of dough on parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheet.  Flatten in criss-cross pattern with floured fork.  Bake for 15 – 18 minutes. When completely cooled, lightly sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Recipe

 

Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

• 3/4  cup  Dijon mustard (I added whole grain mustard)
• 1/2  cup  mayonnaise
• 1/4  cup  honey
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  garlic salt

 

Stir together first 5 ingredients. Serve with fried chicken strips.

Recipe

Eggnog Muffins

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups eggnog
• 1/3 cup oil (or melted butter, cooled)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 regular muffin cups or 6 jumbo.
2. Place flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggnog, oil, egg, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix or your muffins won’t rise properly. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over each. Bake in preheated over at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe