Bacon-Onion Dip

So all week-long I kept updating my Facebook that I wanted to make bacon-onion dip, or dip and homemade potato chips. So bad for you, but tastes OH so GOOD! So screw it! I work hard. I felt I deserved it! And I had PMS so there was no stopping me, and I hadn’t had bacon in two weeks! I was going through withdrawals! So I made this dip:

 

Recipe

• 1  (8-oz.) container sour cream
• 1/2  cup  cooked and crumbled bacon
• 2  tablespoons  green onions, sliced
• 3  tablespoons  buttermilk
• 1  tablespoon  horseradish
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  pepper
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• Garnish: chopped fresh chives, black pepper

1. Stir together first 8 ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to serve (up to 24 hours). Garnish, if desired.

Don’t forget the homemade potatoes chips!

I don’t have a recipe for these, I just winged it! Took 3 large russet potatoes peeled them, washed them and sliced them with my kitchen aide slicer thingy:

I put the sliced potatoes in cold water, rinsed them and kept doing this until the water was clear.

Then I laid each potato slice out on paper towels individually to dry.

Then I took a deep pot and poured 1 qt bottle of canola oil in pan and turned it up to medium high heat about 7-10 minutes dropped the test potato in to make sure it was hot enough and started frying the potatoes

cook until potatoes start to turn brown 3-5 minutes, don’t let them get too brown

transfer to a paper towel lined plate and let grease drain, sprinkle with salt as soon as you take them out of the oil

Let them cool and then dip them in the bacon-onion dip

You could also use this dip for a baked potato…

I cut up a potato for lunch the next day and roasted the potatoes when they were all cooked I topped them with this dip and it was fabulous:

 

 

Bacon, Egg, Cheese Sandwich

This weekend I celebrated two birthdays! My mom’s and my sister-in-law Tara’s. I baked a lot of cupcakes, and one BIG one! When it is someones special day, I always try to make something. I think a homemade gift means more. (just me) That is why I LOVE to cook for people. Love to cook them yummy food they like. Or sweets! Who doesn’t like sweets? Or cupcakes? I think when you make something from your heart and you put time and effort into it it’s not just another gift but an experience and I remember experiences more than gifts. Oh I remember gifts too. But experiences mean more I think…

Friday I made my mom Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes: (sorry can’t share the recipe as I sale these cupcakes)

Then we had dinner at Maggianos

Left to Right – Dad, Mom, Bro, Me and Normy (my family)

Then Sunday (today) celebrated my sister-in-law Tara’s Birthday made her Reese’s Chocolate Cupcakes and one giant one:

So after a night of dinner with the family and then drinking with friends and being hung over I made this sandwich:

6 slices of bacon

3 eggs

Mustard Mayo sauce recipe

2 slices of bread (toasted)

2 slices of cheese

Cook your bacon till it is nice and crisp (I bake mine, so no greasy mess on the stove top)

while bacon is cooking toast you bread and spread some mustard may-o sauce on it and cheese slices and set aside

I baked my bacon in a cast iron skillet, when the bacon was all cooked and crisp i put it on a plate covered with paper towels

eat one piece of bacon while you make the eggs and give the other piece to your hubby while he waits too…

pour grease out of cast iron skillet, just have enough so there is just a little to coat the pan, not a big puddle

Preheat burner to med low heat (skillet will already be pretty hot from being in the oven) Crack 3 eggs into skillet, sprinkle garlic salt & pepper over them to taste

Cook for about 5-7 minutes until white part is cooked and yellow is still runny.

Take the 4 slices of bacon and place them over cheese slices and then top with the 3 eggs

top with other slice of bread and cut in half and you got yourself a bacon, egg, cheese sammie…

or just make it for your hubby because he loves the sandwiches you make, and he’s hungry, and hung over too!

Tuna Salad Sandwiches

I used to hate canned tuna! Thought it tasted so nasty and thought the smell was even more nasty! Then I grew up and got over it! Tuna is pretty good for you, 10 grams of protein! I should eat it after I workout!  Course all the stuff I add to it probably isn’t good for you either! oh well makes it taste good! So that’s all that matters!

Recipe

• 2 (7 ounce) cans solid white tuna (squeeze out excess moisture with hands)
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 small stalk celery, finely diced
• 2 -3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise (can use full-fat mayonnaise)
• 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (optional or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper (can use fresh ground black pepper)
• seasoning salt (to taste or use white salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder (optional)
• 2 -3 drops Tabasco sauce (optional)
• 4 -6 bread, slices
• lettuce leaf
• tomato, slices

1 Drain the tuna then hand-squeeze out any excess moisture; place in a bowl then flake with a fork.

2 Add in all remaining ingredients up to the Tabasco sauce; mix until well combined, adjusting all seasonings to suit taste.

3 Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (more is even better!).

4 Divide onto bread slices with lettuce leaves and slices tomatoes.

5 Delicious!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Who doesn’t like Chicken Noodle Soup? It’s that soup you have when you are sick, and the soup you eat when its cold outside. Ultimate comfort food!

Recipe

 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

4 fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

2 quarts chicken stock

8 ounces dried wide egg noodles

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper.

Bay Scallop Pan Roast

So anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE scallops! They are my FAVORITE Seafood. They are so fabulous and melt in your mouth and I can eat them raw, or cooked, sautéed, wrapped in bacon. I love them! When Normy wants to make me happy he can take me out for sushi or buy me scallops! I’m easy! (Not really though) This dish has 3 of my favorite ingredients that I Love Scallops, Mushrooms, and shallots!

So my mom got Normy and I some pans, and I got them last Sunday and my dad called me Monday to see how I liked the pans, then my bro called me yesterday to see how I liked the pans, and then my mom emailed me today and asked how I liked the pans…So I took some pictures tonight so they could see I am using the pans and they are working just fine!

Recipe

1. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
3. Salt and freshly ground pepper
4. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5. 1 1/2 pounds bay scallops
6. 4 large white mushrooms, thinly sliced
7. 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
8. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
9. 1/4 cup water
10. 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the bread crumbs, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the crumbs are golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Scrape the crumbs onto a plate.

Wipe out the skillet. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and let it melt. Add the scallops, season with salt and pepper and brown over high heat, about 2 minutes total. Transfer the scallops to a large, shallow dish.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until their liquid is almost evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook for 30 seconds. Add the water and simmer for 1 minute.

Return the scallops and any accumulated juices to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Spoon the scallops and mushrooms onto plates, sprinkle with the bread crumbs and serve.

Mac Salad

My inspiration for this recipe came from this video: recipe

I watched it a few times and wrote down what all she put in the salad and went with it…

She added in:

May-o

sour cream

cider vinegar

sugar

pepper

onion salt

garlic salt

Dijon mustard

green bell pepper

red onions

shredded cheddar cheese

Pasta Shell Noodles

(I believe I wrote them in the order she added them)

So go grab all this stuff and make some salad!

So this is how much I added, Just guessed…

First I boiled the box of medium shell pasta (you could use elbow macaroni) just the average box on the shelf in the grocery store is what I Used (not sure how much it is)

drain pasta, place the pasta in a big bowl

let it cool a little while you dice 2 red onions, (I added 2 small, if you have 1 big one add that)

Then chop 2 green bell peppers, more like a medium to small dice

set these aside

add to pasta, 2 cups may-o (I didn’t measure exactly) if you need more add more

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 tablespoon onion salt

1 tsp garlic salt (again I didn’t measure exact, so you may need to add a little more of each to taste)

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

then add the chopped onions and Bell Peppers

add one 8oz bag shredded cheddar cheese

and stir, mix as well as you can so everything is incorporated.

Then taste…

add more onion, garlic salt, pepper as needed…

Then chill for about 30 minutes so the flavors can blend a little better. I tasted it when I first made it and then after I chilled it and it tasted better after being chilled for a bit…

Then, DIG IN!

I served mine with Creamy Red Pepper Soup, Turkey Sammie, and the mac salad…

Creamy Red Pepper Soup

Not sure why, But I have this obsession with wanting to make Red Pepper Soup. Don’t ask me why? I made it before and I guess I made it wrong because when I made this recipe it tasted fabulous. So silky, smooth and creamy. This recipe calls for mascarpone cheese and I am sorry but mascarpone cheese tastes like absolutely nothing…I got this recipe from Food Network (one of my most favorite places that inspire me to cook the recipes I do) I am in love with Giada De Laurentiis, she’s so neat and pretty and makes yummy food!! I like her cooking style. She cooks like I do, NEAT and clean!! I can’t stand messy! I think that is why I have issues with people in my kitchen! Because to my standards, everyone is messy (except my mother in law) Even Normy is messy…I clean as I go and most people don’t do that. Yes I have a case of O.C.D., and proud of it! I am the cleanest person I know, along with my mother in law! I also have a paper towel obsession! I love using them, LOTS of them! Windex, Fabuloso and Paper towels are my cleaning friends!

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• (I also added 2 stalks of celery to mine, give it some extra flavor)

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 (12-ounce) jars roasted red bell peppers preserved in water, drained

• 1 russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and thyme and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, bell peppers, potato, wine, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool the soup slightly.

Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup in the pot until it is smooth. Alternately, working in batches, puree the soup in a regular blender, taking care while blending warm liquids. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Dollop a tablespoon of  mascarpone in the center of each bowl and top with croutons. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Dinner is served!

Smokies with BBQ Sauce and Football

Today Normy and I were invited to our friend James house for some football watching and stuffing your face, drinking beer, hangout with your friends fun! Actually It was dudes hanging out at James to watch football and hangout. I was the only girl. Eeeek talk about feeling out-of-place. Ah its ok, the guys were awesome, and didn’t make me feel like that at all!

Always nice to be invited over to someones house for some yummy food. I’m always doing the cooking, so it’s always nice to get invited to go somewhere else… James made some BOMB chilli and I am happy to say I ate beans and all! I am REALLY trying to get over this hating beans thing because they are so good for you! So I have discover Black Beans, and um I like them!! James put black beans in his chili and this is the 1ST time they weren’t picked out!

my 3 Favorite things to put on top of my chili:

Sour Cream

Cheeeeese

and Onions!

YUM! Sorry no Recipe for the Chili, James just said he threw a bunch of stuff in and there you go! I do know there is cilantro in it, cause he  told me and was all proud!

Normy made his Holy Cow Dip that I taught him how to make. So now I call it Normy’s Dip: Recipe

Best Dip ever. You can’t stop eating it!

Then I made Smokies with BBQ sauce. This will be the easiest recipe you will EVER have to make in your lifetime!

2 packages of Smokies

2-3 Cups BBQ sauce, I pour enough to cover smokies. (Of course I used homemade BBQ sauce) Recipe

Place smokies in crock pot on high heat and then pour BBQ sauce over them to coat all of the smokies, cook until heated through then turn down to low heat

Have some toothpicks on the side so people can dive in and poke a smokie and try its deliciousness!

James kitty Spot posses so nice for the camera, then he attached it after I was done taking his picture.

MMMMMMM James makes the best grilled Green Bell Peppers. I think he just adds garlic salt to them, but I LOVE Them!

The guys hanging out watching the game.

There was more beer than food in James fridge! lol Yep there are men here!

Not enough room in the fridge so you put beer in the Crisper!

Was a good time! I ate so much! Thanks for having us over James!

 

Asian-Style Orange Chicken

Recipe

1. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
3. 2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate
4. 2 garlic cloves, minced
5. 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
6. 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
7. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
8. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
9. Four 1/2-pound bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin

Preheat the oven to 500°. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce with the brown sugar, orange juice concentrate, garlic, orange zest, ginger, salt and pepper.

Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish, skin side up.

Roast the chicken in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, basting with the sauce 4 times, until the chicken is just cooked through and nicely glazed. Turn on the broiler and broil the chicken until browned, about 2 minutes.