I love finding new recipes to use with the ground beef I keep in the freezer. Some nights when I don't plan a dinner, its nice to be able to grab some out of the freezer, throw it in the pan, and brown it up. I saw this Rachael Ray recipe on a blog that I follow. I had most of the ingredients in my pantry so I knew I had to try it. And I love Rachael Ray, so I figured it had to be good! Usually my spaghetti consists of Ragu, ground beef and noodles. That is all fine and dandy, but I love this hearty twist. And let me tell you that the leftovers are even better the next day! The crumbled bacon on top gives it such a great "cowboy" flavor!
1 box spaghetti noodles
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef stock
1 14-oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 16-oz. can tomato sauce
shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
scallions, for garnish (I omitted these)
Cook noodles to al dente according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and bacon. Brown and crisp bacon. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain off a little excess fat if necessary. Leave just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the beef and crumble with wooden spoon as it browns. Drain off excess fat. Add onions and garlic. Stir into the meat and cook until slightly softened, about 4-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add 1/2 cup beef stock and deglaze the pan. Cook 5-6 minutes more then stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes to allow the tomatoes to cook and the flavors to combine.
When ready to eat, place a serving of noodles in the bottom of a pasta bowl or large plate. Top with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, crisp bacon crumbles, and scallions.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Taste and Tell)
I found some ground turkey at Bruno's last week on sale B1G1. I came across this recipe last week and though it sounded different and yummy. I was a little skeptical though. I love all of the main flavors, but combined I wasn't so sure. I tweaked the original recipe a bit and added my own little twist and was very happy with the end result! The cumin really gave it a nice smokey flavor. Clay said, "What's in here that tastes like chili?" After I got finished laughing I told him it was cumin. He said he liked it, he just wanted to know what it was :) The cumin could definitely be left out and the burgers would still be tasty. They were moist and so flavorful. I'm glad I stocked up on the ground turkey because I'm going to have to throw this in the rotation again. Maybe for company next time. A healthy burger? Yes, there is such a thing!
Makes 3 burgers:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 cup coarsely chopped black olives
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (can be adjusted down to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
olive oil
6 slices turkey bacon, crisped
3 sandwich thins
condiments
Combine the turkey, olives, onion, parsley, cumin, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce in a mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated. Shape into 3 burgers.
Heat the grill over low heat. Drizzle the patties with olive oil before placing them on the grill. This was supposed to prevent them from sticking, but mine still stuck pretty bad :) Grill for about 7-8 minutes on the first side. Flip, and grill another 4-5 minutes on the second side, or until cooked through.
Serve on whole grain sandwich thins with mayo, mustard, 2 slices of turkey bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Yummy-yum-yum!
Enjoy!
(adapted from Ellie Krieger)
This was so simple and cute! I have been in love with Annie's Eats lately! I could browse her blog all day. Several of the recipes I'm doing this week I found on her site! She cooks the things that I love. And she loves to bake cupcakes. What more could you want? You should definitely play around her site if you haven't done so already. This recipe was yummy. It took a little more maneuvering that I expected to get the bacon and the bread tucked into the muffin cups but its worth the extra couple of minutes. I ate 2 and really could have had 3. If you have more than 2 adults to feed I would recommend making more. You could just make as many as you need. The recipe is easy to adjust up or down. I think it would be great served with some grilled asparagus to round it out. I didn't think that far ahead tonight. Ella had her first ballet class this evening. She was so stinkin' cute! It brought back so many memories of my dancing days. I told her that we would have to pull my ballet shoes out of the attic so we could "twirl" together. She loved that idea. But she's in bed and the ballet shoes are still in the attic. There's always tomorrow, right?!
6 slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
6 slices of bread
1/4 cup shredded cheese
6 eggs
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 6 wells of a muffin tin with cooking spray. In a frying pan or the microwave, cook the bacon until partially cooked, but not cooked through. If you're using turkey bacon is fully cooked already. I just put mine in the microwave for about 1 minute to warm up. If using real bacon, drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Cut out rounds of bread using a biscuit cutter or a drinking glass. Mine cut it out just shy of the crust. Press the bread rounds into the greased muffin wells. Curl a piece of bacon around the edge of the piece of bread, tucking it between the bread and the muffin tin. Divide the shredded cheese among the center of each piece of bread.
One at a time, crack an egg, removing about half of the white and dropping the remaining white and yolk over each piece of bread being careful not to break the yolk. Save your egg whites for breakfast the next day...that's what I'm doing! Once all of the bread pieces have been topped with eggs season each one with salt and pepper. Bake until eggs are cooked through to your liking (about 6-10 minutes) and the bacon is crispy. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Annie's Eats)
This was the first time I've ever had this kind of pizza. I've seen it before on Menus, but I've never given it a try. I knew I was going to have to come up with something different for Clay if I was making a Mushroom Garlic Pizza for me! This one sounded perfect, especially because Publix had the crust, cheese and BBQ sauce on sale this week. I think they had the bacon on sale too! Homemade pizza is so much better than frozen or delivery. In fact, the other week I had a headache from you-know-where, so we ordered some pizza. Ella was shocked when she realized that somebody was delivering it to our house. "They're bringing it to our house??" she asked. "Yes, baby, they do that!" was my response :) I would rather have this pizza than Pizza Hut any day. There is a few steps involved but don't let that deter you from making it. Once its in the oven you can forget about it and get the table set. This would be great for "Movie Night" with some friends. You know they will be impressed when you made the pizza! And don't forget about the other pizza I've made, the Hawaiian Chicken Alfredo Pizza. All different, but equally delicious!
1 14-oz. can Pillsbury Pizza Crust
6 slices bacon
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the dough out over a large baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Pull out and set aside.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion until it has softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and dark brown, about 10-15 minutes more.
Meanwhile, slice the bacon into bite-size chunks and cook over medium heat in a large skillet until browned. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Pour off some of the fat the accumulated in the pan- all but about 1 tablespoon. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and cook in the pan over medium heat about 5-6 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Remove from the pan and shred when cool enough to handle.
Spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the crust and sprinkle with the shredded chicken, caramelized onion, bacon and feta cheese. Top the entire pizza with shredded mozzarella. Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and the pizza is golden brown around the edges, about 15 more minutes.
Enjoy!
(adapted from All Recipes)
This was my first attempt at making scones. I've always shied away from them because I was afraid they would be a little on the dry side. I was under the impression they were sort of like dry biscuits. Not these! I knew that bacon and cheese would straighten any scone right up! Annie's Eats is a fabulous blog that I visit regularly. I was browsing around the other day and ran across this recipe. It was perfect to fix this week for my craving for "breakfast for dinner". I halved the recipe below and it still made 4 big scones which I halved for the picture below! Plenty for us and I still have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced (I omitted these)
10 slices bacon, cut into slivers
1 cup buttermilk (plus extra if needed)
For the egg wash:
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut bacon into bite-size pieces. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper; mix briefly to combine. Add the cubes of butter and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are about the size of small peas. (Alternatively, this can be done in a regular mixing bowl, using a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.) Add in the grated cheese and mix just until incorporated.
Mix in the green onions, bacon and 1 cup of the buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture. Stir by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is to dry to come together, mix in the remaining buttermilk a tablespoon at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat the dough into an 8-inch disk. Slice the dough into 8 to 10 wedges.
In a small bowl combine the egg and water and whisk together. Brush each wedge lightly with the egg wash. Transfer the scones to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I served mine with Scrambled Eggs.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Annie's Eats)
I don't know if I'm just tired, but I just can't think of an intro for this! This was good, but not fabulous. I enjoyed the Italian Sausage Calzones better. The recipe was pretty basic, so you could use additional ingredients to jazz it up a bit. My husband enjoyed it though. He just likes meat and cheese, so that's how I fixed it. Once I had my piece plated, I added mustard and pickle relish. Now, it really tastes like a cheeseburger! Play around with it, and come up with a version that your family enjoys. And if you haven't already, check out the other calzone recipe too. Yummy!
2 tubes pizza crust (I used thin crust)
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
4 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 cup shredded cheese
ketchup
mustard (optional)
pickle relish (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown beef and onion. Drain off excess fat. In a separate skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain and combine with the beef mixture. Add the Worcestershire sauce and cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Roll out one dough and top one half with half of the meat mixture. Top with additional shredded cheese if desired. Squeeze ketchup over the top (no more than 1/4 cup per calzone) Fold over to seal. Crimp edges with your fingers and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with other dough. This could be done carefully on the baking sheet so that the calzones don't have to be transferred (that's what I did).
Cut a slit in each calzone to vent. Brush with olive oil. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine)
I really liked this one! I love cooking with eggs and this was a fresh change for dinner. This would be great served at a brunch though. The colors are very pretty. I did half the recipe below though but used 7 eggs (instead of 6). I also sauteed the tomatoes and spinach for about 2-3 minutes before adding them. This is perfect for Spring. Publix has bacon and eggs on sale this week. I grabbed the produce from my local farmers market. And I got some beautiful plants too. Let's see how long it takes me to kill them!
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 medium red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups, 1 lb.)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (the only salt I use)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (yes, mine comes from a can)
1 cup baby spinach, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes (or 1 medium tomato, chopped)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
12 eggs, slightly beaten
parmesan cheese
additional bacon and tomatoes for garnish
In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, cook bacon pieces until crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from pan.
Carefully add potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Remove from heat.
Top potatoes with bacon, spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella. Pour eggs over mixture. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 15-17 minutes or until center is just set.
Place on wire rack; immediately sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Let stand 10 minutes.
To serve, cut into 8 wedges. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with additional bacon and cherry tomatoes.
Enjoy!
(adapted from a Publix publication)
I love it when things turn out better than expected. Expectations usually equal disappointment for me. Not this morning! The idea for these pizzas has been brewing in my head and finally came together this morning. I knew I didn't want to use tomatoes or regular pizza sauce. I use the Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo for another pizza I do, so I thought I try it with this version. The result was fabulous! The english muffins make a nice crisp crust, and the scrambled eggs are creamy dotted with smoky bacon. Perfection. These are great for a weekend breakfast, but could also be served for brunch with company. There is a great coupon on Coupons & Things by Dede for Free Classico pasta sauce WYB Classico Alfredo. That's a great site to order clipped coupons and whole inserts. Regardless of the coupon, the alfredo sauce is $1.98 at Wal-mart so get some and make these at your house!
4 English Muffins, halved
6 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper
4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce (Classico brand)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Half English Muffins with a fork and lay on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven to allow English Muffins to crisp slightly while the eggs are cooking (about 8 minutes).
Meanwhile, cook bacon in microwave. When done chop and set aside.
In a bowl, beat 6 eggs with 2 tablespoons of milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scramble in a large skillet over medium heat until done. Add in chopped bacon. Take English Muffins out of the oven and spread 1 tablespoon alfredo on each half. Evenly distribute the egg mixture on the 8 halves. Top with the shredded cheese. Bake in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
Enjoy!
BI must admit that Sloppy Joes are usually made with Manwich at my house! This is almost as easy, and much more tasty! I used ground turkey instead of beef and added a bunch of fresh veggies. The bacon gives it great flavor. I did use the bacon drippings to cook the veggies, but you could certainly cook the bacon in the microwave and saute the veggies in olive oil. Its a little healthier that way! Publix had Smithfield Bacon B1G1 this week ($.55/1 coupon). This is a great way to sneak veggies in for your kids too. Husband in my case! Add some carrots and green peppers if that's what you have in the fridge. This was really good and I will be making this one again!
4 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-1/2 lbs. ground turkey (mine was 1.3 lbs)
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 hamburger buns, toasted
In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 7 minutes. Take out to drain on a paper towel. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of drippings. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic to the 1 tablespoon bacon drippings and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Push to the side of the skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up larger pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink, about another 7 minutes. Drain off any excess juice or fat with a baster bulb. Stir in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve on the toasted buns (I like to add yellow mustard and sliced cheese).
Enjoy!
(adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine)
These sliders would be great to make on Super Bowl Sunday. The avocado inside is such a nice surprise. Tamara's has a burger with bacon and avocado and I just love it! So much cheaper though to be able to recreate it at home. Publix has Hass Avocados 2/$1 this week, and Smithfield Bacon is B1G1. These would be great on the grill. The weather is bad, so I cooked them in a skillet like the original recipe said. Next time I will do them outside. These were so yummy. I will definitely make this again. 
8 2-inch dinner rolls
1 lb. ground beef
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 avocado, cubed
bacon, optional
cheese, optional
ketchup, optional
mustard, optional
In a large bowl combine ground beef, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and salt & pepper. Form into 8 2-inch balls. Cut avocado into cubes. Press an avocado cube into each ball and shape into patties (I didn't even use half of the avocado).
Cook in a skillet over medium high heat until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Split the rolls and assemble the sliders with the patties and desired condiments.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine)
Spinach is not something that I eat often. I don't dislike it, its just not something that I'm full of ideas for! But, it is Super healthy and should be eaten more often. So, to pull myself in, I combined it with pasta, eggs, and bacon! Pasta Carbonara is a pasta dish made with spaghetti, bacon, Parmesan cheese and eggs. Tonight I used fettuccine because I had some Buitoni left over from a previous sale that needed to be used. There are many different ways to make this. Just about everybody has a recipe for it. I chose one from Cooking Light tonight. The original recipe called for the bacon to be cooked in a skillet, and then the onion sauteed in the bacon drippings. I saved a little bit of "healthy" and cooked the bacon in the microwave, and sauteed the onions in a teaspoon of olive oil. The eggs and Parmesan cheese essentially become the "sauce". Very Yummy! I ate this as-is tonight, but it could be served with grilled chicken or asparagus. You could also leave the spinach out (its not traditionally in Pasta Carbonara) and serve a spinach salad on the side!
1 6-oz. package baby spinach
6 slices bacon
1 cup onion, finely chopped (I used about 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 oz. spaghetti (or whatever long pasta you have on-hand)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Saute spinach and a pinch of salt in 1 teaspoon olive oil for 1-2 minutes, until wilted. Remove and set aside.
Cook bacon and set aside. (I cooked mine in the microwave while the onions were sauteing)
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in same skillet and saute onion and garlic until tender, about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken broth; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat. (I read the recipe wrong and added in 1 cup of chicken broth. I reduced it a little longer and it turned out fine!) Once reduced, remove from heat; keep warm.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well, reserving 1 tablespoon of cooking liquid. Immediately add pasta and 1 tablespoon reserved cooking liquid to onion mixture in skillet. Add spinach and bacon; stir well to combine. Place skillet over low heat.
Combine cheese, egg, egg white, salt and pepper (to taste) and stir with a whisk. Add to pasta mixture, tossing well to coat. Cook 3 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat. Add salt and black pepper if needed. Black pepper is really good on this!
Enjoy!
(adpated from Cooking Light)
I love chicken! It is so easy and versatile, and very healthy when you throw it on the grill. Why do I have to mess it up with bacon? Because it gives it great flavor. If you're watching your waistline, just pull the bacon off after it cooks. Me? I ate the bacon. I also warmed up the leftover Mashed Potatoes Gratin tonight, and I enjoyed it more than last night. I might have been too full of rice pudding last night to really enjoy it! We all have chicken in the freezer and bacon in the fridge, so light the grill and try this yummy chicken!
4 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
4 slices of bacon, more if you have larger chicken breasts
salt/pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Trim chicken breasts of excess fat. Season with salt and pepper. Place in large zippy bag and pound slightly with the flat side of a meat tenderizer (if you don't have one, a heavy skillet will do). In a shallow dish, combine oil and Worcestershire sauce. Coat chicken breasts. Fold the thinner side up under the chicken and secure with a toothpick (this helps it to cook evenly). Wrap one piece of bacon around each breast, securing with toothpicks. If its not enough to wrap all the way around (the bacon shrinks while cooking), then use two pieces. It certainly won't hurt anything!
Cook on the grill over low/medium-low heat approximately 5-6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink.
Enjoy!
(adapted from my Father-in-law, Bill Ammons)
There are so many different ways to make this. I think, ideally, this was born as a way to use leftover mashed potatoes. So, how the dish turns out really depends on how you do mashed potatoes! I didn't have any mashed potatoes waiting around in my fridge, so I mashed some up tonight. Before I really got into cooking I always made boxed mashed potatoes. I don't know why I thought the "real" mashed potatoes would be so intimidating. They really couldn't be easier, and actually don't take much more time. Sometimes I go the healthier route and mash them with just a tad of butter and use chicken broth instead of milk. Tonight I went all out! I added cheese, sour cream, butter and milk. Make your potatoes however you like them. And I would almost recommend this dish be made with the leftover potatoes. If you are going to go through the trouble to make mashed potatoes, eat them as just that...mashed potatoes! Next time I make this, I will use leftovers. I would have been just as happy eating the mashed potatoes the way they were on the stove tonight :) So, as you can see, this one wasn't one of my favorites.
5 cups leftover mashed potatoes
4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray (use the size that will hold the amount of potatoes you have). Fill the dish with the potatoes. Top with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and bacon. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden (I put mine on broil for a few minutes to get it brown).
Great way to use leftovers!!
Enjoy!
(adapted from BettyCrocker.com)
What a perfect dinner for this COLD day! I have wanted to sit in front of my fireplace at home all day! This soup really hit the spot. I normally make a beef-vegetable-type of soup. If I venture much further than that, it comes from a can. This was a nice change-up to my menu. This soup uses the Bob Evans Home Fries that were B1G1 a few weeks ago at Publix. I had one bag left and wanted to try this. Right now Publix has Smithfield bacon B1G1. I used it for my Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes the other night. You could make this healthier by cooking the bacon in the microwave and sauteing the onion in some olive oil. Tonight, I wasn't too worried about it. The bacon flavor going throughout the soup was great. There was also a little more liquid than I like in a soup, so I drained some of the liquid off as I was serving it. That's what made it look thicker in the photo. You can probably omit some of the liquid by adding 1 cup of milk at the end instead of 2. I don't think it would take away from the flavor a whole lot. With this weather, there is no excuse not to make this hot bowl of goodness!
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 (20 oz.) pkg. Bob Evans Diced Home Fries
1 small leek, white part only, diced (I used 1/4 cup sweet onion)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. In bacon drippings (I poured it out and added 2 teaspoons back to the pot) saute onions until softened, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes, salt and pepper and chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Lightly mash with a potato masher; you still want chunks of potatoes. Add milk, corn, and reserved bacon. Heat until hot, about 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!
(adapted from BobEvans.com)
Who doesn't love Twice Baked Potatoes. These are WAY better than those frozen ones. Publix has a 5 lb. bag of Idaho potatoes for $2.49 this week. I found a 10 lb. bag of Russet potatoes at Allegri's Farm Market today for $1.99. I've even done a recipe similar to this where I used red potatoes. So, use what you've got on hand. Change it up a bit if you need to. I wonder if you could freeze these? I've thought about it before, but never tried it. I usually just half the recipe.
4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
6-8 tablespoons butter (I used Smart Balance)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup milk, or as needed
1/4 cup sour cream (I used light)
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
4-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the potatoes on a rack for 1 hour or until soft. Allow them to cool slightly.
(Or you can cook in a microwave in four minute intervals, flipping over after each one, until soft. Be sure to prick the skins with a fork. Mine took approximatley 24 minutes in the microwave this evening.)
Cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the pulp, and place in a mixing bowl, setting the skins aside. Add the butter, salt, pepper and sour cream. Mash well, adding enough milk to make a fairly stiff mixture. Add the beaten egg yolks and stir well.
Spoon the mixture into the potato skins and top with the shredded cheese. (If I bake 4 potatoes- 8 shells- I usually fill 6 of them because I like them really full. If I bake 3 potatoes- 6 shells- I fill 4 of them).
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or well browned. Top with the crumbled bacon when you take them out of the oven.
We served the potatoes tonight with Grilled Chicken Breasts and green beans.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Junior League Celebration Cookbook)
I love bagels. I love them plain, with cream cheese, or jelly. I love the chewy texture. And, now I love them baked in a souffle style casserole with eggs, bacon and cheese. This is great for a weekend breakfast because you assemble it the night before and bake it in the morning. Try it this weekend or make it for an easy Christmas Morning breakfast. This week Publix has Thomas' Bagels B1G1 and 18 pk. Eggland's Best Eggs 2/$5. Yummy!
1/2 lb. bacon
4 bagels, plain
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 eggs
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the bacon and cut into small pieces. Set aside. Cut the bagels into large chunks and put in a greased 9 X 9 casserole dish. Cover with the bacon and cheese. Mix slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt & pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the bagels. Mix slightly making sure the bagel chunks are covered. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Uncover the chilled bagel dish and bake in the preheated oven 30-35 minutes, or until eggs are firm in the center. If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil until done. Serve warm.
My family really enjoyed this one this morning. I will definitely be making this again. It looks like its time to get more bagels at Publix!
(adapted from AllRecipes.com)
Can you tell that I'm trying to use the opened bacon in the fridge? This kind of dish is perfect for late nights, or nights when you forget to thaw some meat out. Bacon and pasta are both B1G1 this week at Publix. I always have eggs and cheese on hand. I tweaked this recipe from Rachael Ray and made it more "pantry-friendly". You can eat it hot or cold. I slice up the leftovers and put it in zippy bags and eat it cold for breakfast on the way to work.
8 oz. spaghetti noodles (about half of the 14.5 oz box)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (I used marbled cheddar)
8 large eggs
6 slices bacon
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Add pasta and cook until al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in frittata. Drain and reserve.
Cook bacon, crumble or chop, and set aside. (I cook mine in the microwave)
Heat a large nonstick skillet with oven safe handle over medium high heat. If all of your skillets have rubber handles, cover handle tightly in foil to protect it. Add oil and butter to the skillet and melt together. Add milk and heat for about 3 minutes. Add cheeses and salt and pepper. Keep stirring so the cheese melts, and doesn't clump together too bad. (Some clumps are good because it creates pockets of cheese when the frittata is sliced). Toss sauce with cooked pasta to coat. Add beaten eggs to the skillet and stir gently to combine. Allow the eggs to set up on the bottom of the pan and become firm. Sprinkle the top with the crumbled bacon. Transfer pan to hot oven and bake 10-14 minutes, until golden. Serve from the pan or transfer to a platter. Serve hot or cold, cutting frittata into wedges.
**Be very careful when removing the pan from the oven. The handle will be HOT! I try to cover it with an oven mit to remind myself. I cannot tell you how many times I have burned myself trying to move the skillet, forgetting that it just came out of the oven. I did it tonight, in fact!
(adapted from Rachael Ray on Foodnetwork.com)
Enjoy!
I bought some of the Aunt Jemima French Toast when it was on sale at Publix. Ella and I had some for breakfast one morning, and I wasn't impressed. But I had a fabulous idea to make it into a egg sandwich with bacon and maple syrup. Now, that was something that I could enjoy! So, it was born.
2 slices Aunt Jemima French Toast (toasted)
2 eggs
2 slices of bacon
maple syrup
cheese
Toast 2 slices of the Aunt Jemima French Toast in the toaster. Pull out and drizzle with maple syrup. Cook 2 slices of bacon. (I cook mine in the microwave).
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Crack 2 eggs in the skillet and start to scramble with a spatula. When the eggs start to firm up, shape to the size of the bread. Flip like a pancake and cook the other side. Top with cheese.
Assemble sandwich with the egg and bacon. Top with the other slice of French Toast.
For a little something extra, sprinkle with powdered sugar and extra maple syrup!
Enjoy!
Get this ready for breakfast in the morning! Publix has Oscar Mayer bacon on sale 2/$6 and Bisquick Pancake Mix 2/$4. (Print a coupon for Bisquick HERE). We had my Dad over one Saturday morning and made this. All I can say is Yummy...
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup maple-flavored syrup
5 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease and flour (I used PAM) a 13 X 9 baking dish. In a medium bowl combine biscuit mix, half of the cheese, the eggs, milk, and the 1/4 cup syrup. Beat until nearly smooth. Spread in prepared baking pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center come out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the bacon. Bake for 3 additional minutes. Cut into squares. Serve with additional maple syrup if desired. Makes 6 servings.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Better Homes & Gardens)
