Twice Baked Bacon Cheddar Potatoes

So my roommate came downstairs last night as I was cooking dinner, looked at me and said, “You know, you’ve been cooking with bacon a lot lately.”

I didn’t know how to respond, was this a bad thing?

“I’m sorry,” was my immediate response (although I really wasn’t).

He looked at me, shocked. “No, it smells better than that apple wax burner thing in the bathroom.”

Oh. So apparently bacon overrules apples in my house. Who knew?

Anyway, the reason I was cooking with bacon again was because we wanted twice baked potatoes for dinner. And to be honest, I only really knew what they were from the frozen food aisle and had a faint notion on how to do it. So with a working theory, I whipped up what turned out to be an amazing side dish – with some casualities along the way.

Turns out scooping out the insides of microwaved potatoes is a bit harder than I expected. After the fourth attempt, I was making mini canoes instead of ripping apart the skin and losing what was meant to be the “bowl” for the remixed insides.

Basically, a twice-baked potato starts with a regular spud. Microwave it until it’s soft, then cut it in half and scoop out the insides, leaving enough of it left to serve as a bowl.

Mix the insides with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, black pepper, garlic powder, and a splash of milk. You basically have mashed potatoes. Spoon it back into the potato skins – it’s ok if you spill over – and cover with a sprinkling of cheese. Put in the oven to bake and voila! Twice baked potatoes.

Gather:
3 Russet Potatoes
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
4 strips of cooked and crumbled bacon
3 tablespoons of milk
5 tablespoons of margarine
Black pepper
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. Microwave potatoes until soft, about 8-15 minutes. Cut in half. Scoop insides of potato out, creating a “bowl” and placing potato insides into a large mixing bowl with 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and bacon. Set “potato bowls” in a glass baking dish.

Stir bacon/cheddar/potato with margarine, milk, and black pepper and garlic powder to taste. Once mixed, scoop back into potato “bowls” and sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and top is slightly crisp.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

Peppermint Fudge

Are you in candy cane overload yet?

No? That’s good, because I’ve got a recipe for you for a last minute gift. Peppermint fudge. I know what you’re thinking. Fudge? Come on, let’s be more creative than that. Well, I’ve never made fudge before, so this was an experiment all on its own. So I scoured the Internet until I found something that seemed easy enough that I could tweak to fit my needs. 

Then I went peppermint crazy. And I got some pretty sweet chocolate goodness. All with just a simple double boiler (a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water) and some chocolate to melt. Yum!

Gather:

1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 candy cane, crushed into small pieces for topping

Line an 8×8 inch pan with a piece of wax paper.

In a double boiler, melt butter. Then add chocolate chips, condensed milk, and salt. Stir until mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts and stir until combined.

Remove bowl from heat and pour into prepared pan. Careful, the bowl will be hot. Use a rubber spatula to evenly spread the fudge to the edges and smooth the top. Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces over the top.
Refrigerate the fudge for about 2 hours or until firm enough to cut. Remove from pan. Using a heated knife (run under hot water and dry), cut fudge into pieces. Refrigerate.

No Monkeying Around: Recipe

Spent a fabulous Saturday cooking and crafting yesterday with two of my favorites. When we get together, we’re always looking for something to do in the kitchen. And since my oven is working again (!) we decided we had to bake something. That’s when the term “monkey bread” came up.

I have a confession to make. I’ve never made Monkey Bread before. I feel like it’s a New England thing or New Hampshire thing or something, but all of my friends around here know what it is and know how to make it. I did not grow up eating Monkey Bread, so it’s been one of those things that I’ve always wondered about.

What is it? Basically it’s cinnamon and sugar doughy baked goodness. So not good for you. That, however, did not stop us.

Want to make your own? Follow this:

Gather:
1 can of 16.3 oz PIllsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of brown sugar
6 tablespoons of melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease or butter a glass baking dish. In a large bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Separate biscuits and cut into quarters. Place in the cinnamon-sugar bowl. Mix until biscuits are completely covered. Place into baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and melted butter. Pour over biscuits.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer doughy in the center. Let cool for 10 minutes. Pull apart and serve.

You’ll see that the biscuits fall apart all delicious and flaky when you eat them:

Enjoy!

Sweet Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

First off, I was actually able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with a few friends this year. My mom’s gift did not go uneaten and I’m so grateful that she sent it. However, when I was invited to my friend’s Thanksgiving and I asked what I should bring, I got a shock.

“Bring the stuffing.”

Bring the stuffing? Bring the stuffing? Are you kidding me? That’s like saying “Bring the turkey.” Sacred ground not to be walked on unless you’re the hostess.

I laughed, “really?”

“Yes, really.”

Little to their knowledge, I don’t do Stovetop for big events. I don’t even make stuffing myself. That’s my aunt’s job. So I did what any good volunteer stuffing bringer would do, I looked up recipes. But I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to make, so I combined a few recipes. Picked up both stuffing bread and cornbread at the store, then decided I wanted sweet Italian sausage, and snagged a red onion and some celery from the produce department. What can I say, when all else fails, just pick the food you want, cook it together, and hope for the best.

I kinda followed the recipe. I diced the bread up and toasted it (burning only a portion of it), browned the sausage, and mixed it all together. And then the big moment came. The tasting. I have to admit, my heart stopped a bit while I waited for the response. . . all fantastic! They loved it. For my first go, I have to say, I’m impressed and I can’t wait to make it again.

Gather:
1 pound loaf of stuffing bread (white bread), cubed
1 pound loaf of cornbread, cubed
1 pound of sweet Italian Sausage
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 red onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 teaspoon of rosemary
1 teaspoon of basil
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of parsley
2 cups of chicken broth
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place diced white bread on one cooking sheet, the cornbread on another. Bake white bread for 20 minutes or until toasted, turning half way. Bake cornbread for 25 minutes or until toasted, turning halfway. Set aside in a large bowl and let cool.

Adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a saucepan, brown sausage. Remove and drain fat. In the same saucepan, melt the butter. Add onions, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together broth and eggs. Pour over the bread. Add vegetables, sausage, and herbs; toss to mix.

Transfer stuffing to a baking dish. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 20 minutes or until top is browned. Remove, serve, and enjoy.

S’more Cupcakes

The smokey smell of pallets burning over a backyard campfire, the sweet taste of marshmallows that have been over-charred from being in the fire for too long, and an evening tolerating all your friends in a confined space. Oh, winter bonfires. Okay, I’m just kidding about tolerating people, I actually really enjoy group activities. Especially when there is food involved. And while the snow hasn’t quite fallen yet and the winter bonfires are still a few weeks away, I’ll just bake.

That’s ultimately what led to these s’more-inspired cupcakes. They still need a little work, but for my first go, I think I succeeded. Simple, cute, and a little rough painstakingly roasting mini marshmallows over an apple cider scented candle. Yeah, that last part happened.

Anyway, all you really need is a yellow cake box mix, chocolate frosting, graham crackers, and mini marshmallows. You’ll also want on hand some toothpicks for the roasting part, you’ll see what I mean.

Gather:
Yellow Cake Mix (and the eggs/oil/butter, whatever the manufacturer says you need)
Chocolate frosting (from a can, cause I’m lazy)
Cinnamon graham crackers, crushed
Mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Using the manufacturer’s instructions, mix together your cake mix. Now, I tried poking a mini marshmallow into the center of each one, but when it baked, well… those mini marshmallows disappeared. So it’s your call if you want to take the effort to see if they’ll survive a time in the oven.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted in the cupcake and removed clean. Set aside and let cool completely.

In a Ziplock bag, place four to five graham crackers. Seal bag, leaving as little air in it as possible, and a corner open. Take a rolling pin and roll over the crackers until crushed. Leave a few little bits, try not to make it a complete powder.

Light a candle (or use your gas stove top if you have an open flame, candle works fine though.) Carefully place a marshmallow on the end of a toothpick and heat over flame. I purposely burned them just a bit to give them a campfire look, but you can be patient and toast them until golden brown, your call. Remove from toothpick and set aside until you’re ready to decorate cupcakes. This is tedious, but the end result is adorable.

After cupcakes are cooled, frost with chocolate frosting and sprinkle graham cracker powder on top of cupcakes. Place a single toasted marshmallow on each cupcake. Serve and enjoy.

Buffalo Chicken, Bacon, and Cheddar Bites

Oh! An oven that works. How I took the for granted all these years. I house sat for a friend (ok, cat sat, the house was fine) and had access to a working oven. So happy that I decided to make some goodies for a group of friends. Nothing better than a guest who shows up with snacks, right?

Anyway, all I knew was that I wanted something with bacon. And so when I was standing at the meat counter asking for four slices of bacon, I notice some buffalo chicken tenders marinating in the case. Lets just say a few came home with me.

I tossed some cheddar in the cart and a container of pastry dough.  A little slaving over the stove and bam, we had a winner.

It ended up being a hit. Not surprising, since the roll ups had bacon, cheddar, and buffalo chicken in them. Like a trifecta of love.

 

Gather:

4 oz. extra sharp cheddar, shredded
4 slices of apple smoked bacon, diced
4 buffalo chicken tenders, minced*
1 can of Pilsbury refrigerated dough sheets

Preheat oven to 350. Unroll dough sheet onto a cookie sheet, allow to reach room tempature.

In a sauce pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and let cool on paper towels (to remove some of the grease). There will be some fat rendered in the pan, remove half then add diced chicken to pan. Cook chicken thoroughly. Remove from pan.

In a bowl, toss bacon, chicken, and cheddar. Meats should be cooled, so cheddar will not melt into the mixture. Spread evenly on dough sheet.

Along the long edge, slowly roll up the sheet, making sure to have mixture between dough. You would end up with a spirl if you were to look at the side when cut open. Leave sealed and place on cookie sheet into oven.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. You might see some cheese melting out, that’s fine. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 to 40 minutes.

When loaf is completely cool, slice into rings and serve.
*If you can’t find some at your supermarket meat counter, just marinate chicken tenders in 1/2 cup of Frank’s Red Hot sauce and 1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter overnight.

Maple Ham and Cheddar Pinwheels

I recently was asked to bring something to a potluck lunch. Since I still can’t bake in our oven at home, I knew I had to make something I could bake in the office kitchen. Something quick I could prep the night before. So I spent about an hour looking through Pinterest until I came across pinwheels. Most were spinach, but I saw one with lunchmeat ham and cheddar.

I can do better, I thought. So, I bought a ham steak and went to work.

One cup of water, one tablespoon of brown sugar, one tablespoon of white sugar, and half a pound of diced ham steak into a pan and we got ourselves the makings of good food. Not to forget the two tablespoons of maple syrup I dropped into the mix as well. As the kitchen filled with the glorious scent of maple, I rolled out the crescent roll dough and smothered it with shredded cheddar cheese.

Ham mixture all boiled down until it was sticky, then I put that on top of the cheese. 

Nom, nom, nom. If the dough wasn’t raw, I would have ate it just like that.

Rolled up the mixture the long way, wrapped it in plastic wrap and let it stay in the fridge overnight.

The next day I cut it up into one-and-a-half slices, placed them on a baking sheet, and then baked them at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Basically until they were golden brown and cooked through. So good. I should have made more.

Livin’ the Life

I truly am blessed to have the people I have in my life. Not only are they kind and amazing people, they think of me when they are going out for the day. Yup, that includes boat rides on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Yeah, you see that picture of the sailboat? That was taken from the boat. Gotta love it. I’m so grateful to get opportunities like this, especially knowing there are people who will live their whole lives never seeing the ocean, feeling the salty water on their skin, or have the chance to ride along the water.

I ended the day sunburned, yes. But it’s ok.

We even enjoyed lunch while docked up at Newburyport and could watch the people on land staring back at us. A few kids waved, others I could see climbing the trees in the park. One of the snacks we dined on was apples and yogurt dip. Delicious, light, and perfect on a hot day.

All we did to make the dip was gather up some Faye Total 0% Greek Yogurt, honey, and Reese’s peanut butter chips. Mix about three tablespoons of honey into the yogurt and a quarter cup of chips. Mix. If you feel it needs more chips or honey, go ahead and add it in. There is no wrong way to make this. It’s all about what tastes good to you! And it’s portable, so it’s perfect for a boat ride. Yum!

300 Plus Miles And Avocado To Go

It’s been a few months since I really sat down and added up how many miles I’ve run this year. I keep a calendar in my room. Every day I write down how many miles I ran that day, even if it’s nothing. My goal, to remind everyone, is to run 365 miles in 2013. That’s a mile a day, which I think is a reasonable goal. It gives me time to take days off and other days to kick it into gear.

So back to the point. I sat down and added up how many miles I’ve run so far. I completely shocked myself. I’ve run 302 miles and there is still four months left! Totally doable, especially when I have two more 5Ks to go. Incredible, since a year ago I would never have been able run on a regular basis. So excited!

Seeing that has kept me on track with my healthy living goal. Meaning for lunch yesterday I made myself a 550 calorie lunch that packed a ton of vitamins, protein, healthy fats, and a bit of carbs. It may seem like a lot, but when you take into account how full it kept me, I’m not complaining. Also, came in under $5 and left me with half a tomato and 2/3 of an avocado.

Cut the bagel in half, topped each half with even amounts of turkey, then topped one half with sliced tomato, the other half with sliced avocado. A little mozzarella, into the broiler and you’ve got yourself a very filling sandwich. Delicious:

Turmeric Spinach Spice Turkey Burgers

The spice rack in our house is more like a spice drawer, it’s also overflowing. Unfortunately I’ve never really looked at everything in there. That’s how I ended up making my dinner a bit more Indian and less the typical Italian or Mexican dish I tend to make. I got bored, sifted through the jars, and found turmeric in the cabinet and had no idea what it was. But I felt it probably could go well with ground turkey. And I dumped in some spinach too because I need vegetables and vitamins.

Gather:
1/2 pound of ground turkey
1/4 cup of frozen spinach, thawed
2 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix ingredients and form into patties. Grill or cook with a bit of olive oil in a saute pan.