Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull Bread (Adapted from Plain Chicken)

• 1 unsliced round sourdough bread
• 8 oz block of cheddar cheese, sliced into thin slices
• 1/4 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp dried chives
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp dill weed
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp seasoning salt
• pinch black pepper

Using a sharp knife cut a cross-hatch pattern into the bread.  To do this slice the bread into 1/2 inch slices, making sure not to cut into the bottom crust.  After you make the cuts in one direction, it is easiest to get an extra set up hands to squeeze the loaf together to cut it in the other direction.

Place the bread onto a large piece of aluminum foil and curve up the edges to form a packet.  Then place the thin slices of cheddar cheese in between the cut slices.  Then sprinkle the top with the crumbled bacon.

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.  Then add the dried herbs and spices. Mix everything together and let it sit for a minute.

Pour the butter/herb mixture all over the bread.

Wrap the foil all the way around the round of bread and place onto a baking sheet.

Slide the baking sheet into the preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Then unwrap the bread and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Remove the bread from the oven and place onto a serving plate.

Have your guests tear pieces off to eat.  It is quite honestly the tastiest bread appetizer that I have ever eaten.

Spinach, Bacon and Swiss Quiche – (Adapted from Paula Deen)

• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
• 1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 1 /2 cups Swiss cheese
• 1 (9in) pie crust

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Fit the pie crust into a pie pan or pie plate.  If you are using a pie crust that is in a disposable pan, it will be fine. Remember that if you use a dark colored pan or aluminum pan to check for doneness 10 minutes sooner.

Cook the bacon until crisp.

I find that if you slice the bacon before cooking it, you get a more even brown and altogether crispier pieces.

Cut the spinach into evenly sized pieces.

Layer the spinach, bacon and cheese into the pie crust.

I did two layers but feel free to do more.  You will find that it will float to the top of the quiche, but do your best.

In a blender combine the eggs, salt, pepper and cream.  Blend until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust over the top of the bacon and spinach.

Place the quiche into the preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the egg mixture is set.

This will all depend on your oven, pie tin and thickness of your quiche.  I found that mine took almost an hour to set.

If you see that your quiche is starting to brown too much on top, feel free to cover it with foil after about 20 minutes in the oven.

This quiche was delicious.  The eggs were light and fluffy and the bacon made it sing.  It was one of the best quiches that I have ever made.

Bacon Chicken Kabobs

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 12 oz bacon
• your favorite bbq sauce
• 6-10 skewers, bamboo or metal

Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch cubes.  At this time it is easiest to take the bacon and lift it into individual strips.  It is a lot harder getting them strips apart when your fingers are covered in raw chicken.

Side Note – If you are using bamboo skewers make sure that you soak them for at least 30 minutes before you use them.

Skewer one end of the bacon.  Then add a piece of chicken.  Then bend the bacon over half the chicken and skewer it.  Then add a piece of chicken and then bend the bacon back over the chicken.  Basically you are making a ribbon of bacon with chicken pieces in the middle.

Continue to fill up the skewer and move on to the next.  You may need more than one piece of bacon per skewer.  Go hog wild.  The more bacon the better.

Preheat the grill to medium/high.

Grill the skewers directly over the heat, turning every couple of minutes.

After the chicken has started to brown.  Start basting with sauce.  Sauce the chicken and turn.  Do until all sides are coated and the juices of the chicken run clear.

Serve with your favorite side and enjoy!

I have found that the bacon keeps the chicken moist and tender.  Plus the added bonus of the crispy bacon.

Dana did not like the non-crispy bacon pieces between the chicken.  She discarded those portions but agreed that the chicken was flavorful and tender.

Bacon, Lettuce and Grilled Tomato Salad - (Adapted from Weber’s Charcoal Grilling)

• 1/2 pound bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 tbs minced shallots
• 1 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, stemmed
• 1 large crusty sandwich roll
• 12 oz mixed salad greens or mixed lettuce

Dice up the bacon into bite size pieces.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp.

Remove the bacon from the pan, making sure to reserve the bacon grease.  Pour the grease into a measuring cup to determine the amount of oil you have remaining. You need a little more than 1/3 cup.  If you have less than that, add a little olive oil to top off the mixture.

In a medium bowl, mix the shallot, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper.  Slowly add the bacon grease to the bowl while whisking.  This will make a nice bacon flavored dressing.

Add a little bit of the dressing to the tomatoes.  Grill the tomatoes over medium heat in a grill basket.  Cook until the skins begin to crack and char.  Roughly 4-5 minutes.

While the tomatoes are cooking, cut the roll in half.  Then brush the cut side of the roll with a little of the dressing.

Then grill the roll over direct medium heat until the bread begins to char and develop nice grill marks.

Remove the bread from the grill and cut into large croutons.

Combine the tomatoes and bread into the bowl of dressing.

Toss the mixture.  Arrange a bed of lettuce into bowls and top with the lettuce, bread and dressing mixture.  Spoon a little of the dressing over the top.

Serve and enjoy!

This was a fabulous salad.  It was full of flavor and the grilled tomatoes and bread added an extra level of flavor.

Baked Eggs with Spinach – (Adapted from Bon Appetit September 2010)

• 6 slices bacon
• 5-ounce bag of spinach
• 2 English muffins halved
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tbs heavy cream
• 1/4 cup jack cheese

Cooking the components

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Halve the English muffins and toast them.

Dice up the bacon, add it to a large skillet and cook it over medium heat until crisp.  Remove the bacon and reserve the bacon grease.

Add the the spinach to the skillet.  Season with salt and pepper and then cook for about 1 minute.

Assembly

Brush four 1-cup ramekins with the bacon grease.

Place one English muffin, split side up in each ramekin.

Then divide the spinach and bacon between the ramekins.  Top with Jack cheese.

Using the back of a spoon make a well in the center of each ramekin.   Gently crack 1 egg into the center of each ramekin.  Spoon 1 tbs of cream over each egg. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake until the egg whites are just set but still have runny yolks.  14-16 minutes.

These were amazing.  The spinach, bacon, egg and cheese all together in a single dish.  The English muffin absorbed the runny yolk perfectly.

This is a must breakfast treat the next time you have guests in town.  It is quick, simple and a little fancy.  Perfect.

Bacon Waffles

• 1 lb bacon, cooked
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 egg whites

The Bacon

The easiest way to cook the bacon is in the oven.  It comes out perfectly flat and all of the strips are done at the same time. Also it gives you plenty of time to make homemade waffles.  Preheat your oven to 400, place the bacon on a rack over a sheet pan and cook for 25-35 minutes.  This all depends on how crispy you like your bacon.

The Batter

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In another medium sized bowl beat egg yolks slightly. Stir in milk, vanilla and oil.   Add the egg mixture to the  dry mixture. Stir just till moistened.

Just a little bit more mixing

In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight up).  You can use a mixer, but if you are about to eat 3 waffles like I do, you may want to do it by hand.  A little exercise can’t hurt, right?

Mixing by hand is not that hard

Gently fold the egg whites into the mixed batter, leaving a few fluffs of egg white, Do not overmix.   The key to light and airy waffles is to not over-mix the batter.

Fold in the egg whites, almost there in the pic. A few more folds and the batter is ready. Remember do not over mix.

Spoon waffle batter into your waffle iron, making sure not to overfill it.  Then criss-cross two pieces of bacon over the filling.  Then top with a bit more of the waffle mix.

Next cook the waffles until they are done.

This varies with each waffle iron.  Check your manufacturers instructions for details on cooking times.  When done remove and serve.

Look at a bite.  These are amazing!!

These were some of the most delicious waffles ever!  They were ridiculous.

You definitely need to try these or the original bacon pancakes.

Dana’s friend Kristy came to visit and we wanted to try something new.  So I searched and found a new fish purveyor.  M. Slavin & Sons, which is located on Glebe in Arlington.  It is awesome!!  Basically candyland for adults.  So I picked up a couple dozen oysters and a couple pounds of mussels.  Yep, this Memorial Day is going to be Seafood, Seafood, Seafood.

Oysters on the Half Shell

I looked and the Oysters looked delicious!  Luckily Dana bought me an Oyster Shucker a couple of months back.  It was for a bushel of Oysters that I ordered, that happened to come pre-shucked.  Creepy, I know.  So I finally got the chance to use it.  Shucking Oysters is rather simple.  It was a little menacing until I actually tried it.  It was simple.  Here are the quick and easy steps to opening an oyster.

Make sure the oyster is alive!  Make sure the shell is tightly closed, if it is a little open, tap it to see if the shell closes.  If it does not, throw it away.  Next rinse the outside with cold water.  Using a glove or a towel, grab the oyster.  Position the oyster so that the rounded bowl shape side is down toward your palm and the flatter half of the shell is up.

Insert the knife into the shell near the hinge.  It may take a couple of tries, but keep going until you find the opening. Once the knife is in the opening, twist to pop the oyster open.

Then using the knife, scrape the meat from the top shell into the bottom shell.  This will make sure that you have fully detached the muscle.

Serve with a little lemon, hot sauce and/or cocktail sauce.

Moules Fromage Bleu

With the mussels I wanted to make a dish that Dana and I had at Granville Moores.  They have an amazing Fromage Bleu Moules.  Basically a blue cheese mussel with bacon and spinach.  I know, Super tasty sounding.  I wish the internet allowed you taste and smell these mussels.  They were amazing!!

Blue Cheese Mussels – (From Teddy Folkman)

Add the mussels

The pizza browned nicely and allowed the eggs to finish setting.  The best way to start the morning.

Breakfast Pizza

• 1 pizza dough – (recipe for Basic Pizza Dough)
• 3/4 cup salsa – or 3/4 diced tomatoes
  
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk or cream
• 1/2 pound bacon – cooked
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

The first step is to make the pizza dough and let it rise till it doubles.  Here is a simple and easy pizza dough. If you are running short on time, almost all grocery stores have pre-made pizza dough in the deli section and/or freezer section, or you can always stop by a local pizzeria and purchase the pre-made dough.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  If you have a pizza stone have it preheat with the oven.

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl.  Add the cream and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Whisk until light and fluffy.  The more air you get into the eggs now, the lighter the scrambled eggs.

Place a skillet over medium heat.  Once the skillet is preheated, add a dab of butter or vegetable spray and pour in the egg mixture.  Using a spatula form the eggs into a partial scramble.  You do not want to fully cook the eggs, but you don’t want them too runny either.  When the eggs are scrambled but still a little runny remove them from the heat.

Roll out the pizza dough and cover with the salsa.  If you don’t have salsa add 3/4 cup of diced tomatoes seasoned with a little salt and pepper. Next place dollops of scrambled eggs over the entire pizza.

Cover the mixture with Parmesan cheese and then top with the bacon broken into bite sized pieces.

Finally top with the cheddar cheese.

Place the pizza in the oven and have it cook for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese and crust are browned.

Let it cool for 1 minute before slicing.

This was the perfect start to a snowed-in morning.  It helped me get the energy that I needed to shovel my car out.

Doesn't look that bad, but the car to the right is camry not a SUV.

With Dana helping it only took 2 hours.  Supposed to get another storm tomorrow.  Wish me luck.

This quesadilla is quick, easy, portable and totally delicious.

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla

• 2 cups chopped chicken – from a roasted, boiled or grilled chicken
  
• 1 red onion – diced
• 1/2 pound bacon – fried and crumbled
• 1 tomato diced
• 8-10 oz cheese
• 8 flour tortillas
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• sour cream and salsa for serving

Preheat a large skillet that is bigger than your tortillas to medium/high heat.   I have a large round grill pan that I use to make quesadillas.  They make tortillas in many shapes and sizes.  Make sure to purchase tortillas that are sized and shaped to fit into your pans.

Place a tortilla on the preheated skilled.  Cover with a handful of cheese. Then sprinkle on the onions and tomatoes.

Top with 1/4 cup of chicken.  Layer on 1/4 of the bacon.

Drizzle on some bbq sauce.  A little goes a long way here.

Finally sprinkle on another handful of cheese and cover with another tortilla. By adding cheese to both the top and bottom we will be nice and secured.  You don’t want the ingredients to fall out as you eat it.

Check the bottom for doneness.  If you see the bottom is starting to get nice and brown, it is time to flip.  Place a large spatula under the quesadilla, using your hand to steady the top, flip over.  Don’t worry if you loose a little bit.  Flipping a quesadilla takes some skill that can only be learned by flipping a lot of them.

When the cheese if fully melted and the bottom is browned, remove the quesadilla to a cutting board.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla into 6-8 wedges.

Serve with a little sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole for a perfect football Sunday treat.

Maple Brown Sugar Bacon

The bacon was so tasty, 1lb was not enough for me.

Maple Brown Sugar Bacon

• 1lb Thick Cut Bacon- (Apple, Maple or any type will work)
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 tbs Grade A Maple Syrup

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Usually I bake bacon on a rack, but if you try to cook this bacon on a rack all of the sugar will fall off.  The only real way to do this is flat on a cookie sheet.  Line a cookie sheet with Aluminum foil.  This step can be skipped, but this will make cleanup a heck of a lot faster.

Next line up the bacon side by side on the cookie sheet.  If you have any left over, place it on the bottom lengthwise.  Don’t worry if the bacon touches, just try not to overlap the slices.

Line them up

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and maple syrup.  This will form a paste.

Best paste around... If only the stuff in kindergarten tasted like this.

Next using a brush, glaze the bacon with the paste.

Brush the glaze on to the bacon - Use it all up

Place the bacon in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  Depending on the doneness that you desire.  Make sure to check the bacon throughout the cooking process to see if there are any hot spots in the oven.  You want all of the bacon slices to come out perfectly done, so you may have to rotate the pan.  My oven is not the best so I had to rotate my bacon a couple of times.

When the bacon is done you need to remove the bacon from the oven and then remove it from the pan.  Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a brown paper bag or on a cooling rack.  Since we cooked the bacon directly on the cookie sheet there will be a ton of oil and the bacon will not crisp up unless it is removed from the oil. Let the bacon cool on a rack or a brown paper bag for 1-2 minutes before eating.

If you use a rack, place some foil or parchment under the rack to catch the drippings.

- On a side note, do not place the bacon on a paper towel.  Since the bacon was glazed with sugar, it will stick directly to the paper towel.  You will end up with bacon/paper strips.  Totally not cool.

This bacon is amazing.  It is perfect for breakfast, BLT’s or even salads.  Try it out the next time you cook bacon.