Football Feeding Frenzy!

With football season in full swing this Sunday turned into a major food fest at our house. Well, actually my brothers house but that is besides the point! LOL! Since it was such a beautiful warm day we started everything off with a nice jaunt around the area on the bikes. Ahhh so relaxing and a great way to build up the appetite! Once we were thoroughly famished back home we went for our food fest. It consisted of several chips and dips (veggie dip, hummus, homemade corn and chipotle salsas and nacho cheese and chipotle sausage dip), calzones, steaks and chicken wings. It was pure gluttony and man was it good. The newest recipe was the chipotle sausage dip. Our local market has a fantastic meat counter and they always have unannounced sales so I feel compelled to check it out every time I go in. This past weekend they had a mystery sale on house made chipotle sausage. This was something new and, being a huge fan of their Italian sausage, I felt compelled to try it. Then the gears started to turn as to how I would prepare it. I came up with this recipe and, yes, I realize it is a tad Sandra Lee-ish with the use of canned soup but I have to say it was delicious and went perfectly with beer and football and all of the other things we had going on. I did have a few beers in me when I put it together but I think I remember how I made it. LOL!

Warm Nacho Cheese and Chipotle Sausage Dip

2 cans Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup
1 8 oz container soft cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound chipotle sausage, crumbled and browned
1-2 cans milk

Mix soup, cheeses and sausage in a large sauce pan over low heat. Add milk to desired consistency. Stir frequently until well mixed and warmed through. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

I honestly can't remember if I put the sour cream in or not when I made this but I know I fully intended to so I included it in the recipe. I will have to check my brothers refrigerator and see if I actually did. LOL! Regardless, hubby LOVED this stuff and so did I! The nacho soup is rather hard to find though and I think I came across it at Walmart. I definitely will be going back to get more so I can make this again and again. Hopefully the market will continue to make the chipotle sausage or will make it on request. They may. Small town life is cool like that.

Meatloaf Monday

Yesterday I was let off of the hook when it came to dinner. Hubby made a request! Sunday evening he asked if we could have meatloaf for dinner Monday. Absolutely! I even had ground beef in the refrigerator begging to be used up. It also gave me all day to contemplate what kind on meatloaf I wanted to make. I love playing around with meatloaf recipes. No matter what it usually comes out ok. It really is difficult to wreck a meatloaf so bad that a little ketchup couldn't resurrect it, LOL! Since I still had bacon on the brain from my Bacon Jam I decided to make this meatloaf a twist on one of my favorite burger combinations: mushroom, onion and swiss - with bacon! I didn't have any bacon thawed so I used a little bacon fat to add flavor to the meat. I think cooked chopped bacon would have been better and shouldn't have been so lazy but now I know not to take short cuts next time around. This recipe makes a gigantic meatloaf and can easily feed 4-5 hungry people.

Meatloaf (V.2) mushroom, onion and swiss - with bacon!

4-5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
3 pounds ground beef (more or less)
1 box chicken stuffing
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 C swiss cheese, shredded or chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 eggs
1-2 tsp kosher salt
1-2tsp black pepper
1/2 C ketchup

Mix everything except ketchup together in a large bowl until well incorporated
transfer mix to a roasting pan and shape into a log
brush with ketchup and bake 350 for 1 hr.

Husband said this was his favorite meatloaf yet so I will definately be making this again. The use of prepared ingredients also add to the ease of preparation which is great on a busy weeknight. You could easily adapt this to make it from scratch too.

We're Jammin'

So this weekend I decided to try a new recipe out since I was planning on going to a big breakfast party Sunday morning. I had read about the recipe on the Foodie with Family website and Evil Chef Mom website. Both sites were raving about it and, in my opinion, anything with bacon in it can't be bad, so I gave it a shot. The recipe in question, you ask?? Why it's BACON JAM! A sweet and smokey concoction that tastes great on toast or on a spoon! I think it might even be good on ice cream but I cannot attest to that personally! LOL! Anyway, here is how you make it!

Bacon Jam (Adapted from Foodie with Family)

3 pounds bacon
4 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a knife or a pan and peeled
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cups very strong brewed black coffee
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cut the bacon slices into one inch strips. Add the bacon to a Dutch oven or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until the bacon is browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings into a heat-proof jar with a tight-fitting lid.*

Add the onions and garlic. Stir well and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook for about 8 minutes, or until the onions are mostly translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients, stir well.

Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil hard for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stir the browned bacon.

Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally to make sure things aren’t sticking, adding a little water if it seems to be drying out. When the onions are meltingly soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy, remove the dutch oven from the heat and let cool.

Transfer the jam to a food processor that has been fitted with a blade and process until it is a spreadable consistency.

Store in a container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Can be served cold, room temperature or warmed.

Garden Pickin' for my Chicken

My tomatoes have finally decided to let themselves go and ripen! it's about friggen time! Seriously, I can feel the chill in the air at night and I know that frost will be upon us sooner than later. I spent last week on vacation and was thrilled to come home to ripened tomatoes. Hubby had his first garden tomato sandwich of the year (he was so very happy!) and I finally go to do some cooking with them. This time around it was my first attempt and chicken cacciatore. I know it's hard to believe that I have never made this before but it was never one of my favorites due to the green peppers that are usually in it. I like green peppers but prefer them raw. My motivation for this dish was the fact that I had EVERYTHING I needed on hand so it seemed that fate was guiding me to make this dish. I used red peppers instead on green and boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of cut up fryer pieces. I know using pieces probably would have lended more flavor to the dish and is more authentic but I have to say going this route really showcased the fresh tomatoes. It was delicious. I am so happy we have leftovers! Here is the general method I used. As usual, all measurements are relative since I am a throw it in and taste as you go kind of cook!

Erika's Chicken Breast Cacciatore

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, filleted into 2-3 thin cutlets each
Flour for dredging
3-4 Tbs oil, for frying
1 C white wine
1/2 large Vidalia Onion
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red bell pepper cut into strips
2-3 medium to large tomatoes, cored and rough chopped
4-5 baby portobella mushrooms, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Once chicken is filleted, dredge in flour and fry in oil in a deep pan until browned on both sides. Fry in batches if need be. Remove chicken and reserve on plate. If chicken is not completely cooked through it is OK it will be returned to the pan later.

Deglaze pan with wine, scraping off and bits from the bottom of the pan,

Add onion and peppers to pan and saute until almost cooked through.

Add mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes. Continue cooking until tomatoes begin to break down.

Return chicken pieces to pot and cover. Allow to simmer over medium-low heat for 10-20 minutes. Add water if sauce appears too thick (Use pasta cooking liquid if available).

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta with generous amounts of Parmesan and/or Romano Cheese.

In a Pickle

What I mean is, I am being overrun by cucumbers! I have already made three batches of refrigerator pickles and if I eat any more I just may turn into one. Who would have thought the darn things would be so prolific in my little garden. Now, I am not going to offer you a recipe for pickles today since I have been using the commercial pickling mixes that my mom gave me (thanks mom!). She gave me two different brands of dill pickle seasoning mixes and both were delicious. What I will give you today is a recipe for a cucumber salad that I have been eating since I was a kid and has always been one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. It really is a delicious treat on a hot summer day and goes nicely with grilled meats and corn on the cob. Again, I apologize for the lack of precise measurements here!

Cucumber Salad

2-3 cucumbers sliced thinly. (I recommend using a food processor, mandolin or box grater for this. Peel or not is up to you)
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
2-3 Tbs white vinegar
1-2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp dill
salt and pepper to taste
1/2-3/4 C sour cream (optional)

Mix it all together and let sit for a few hours to let flavors meld. Serve chilled. Enjoy!

Completely Baked

So this weekend was the annual BAAC rodeo, rally and adoption event. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we really depend on it to generate revenue that we donate towards the veterinary bills of abused and neglected animals all over the country. You can check us out at www.bikersagainstanimalcruelty.org. In addition to working the kitchen for the event I also volunteered to make stuff for a bake sale. Since I didn't get a lot of others volunteering to make stuff at first I made a LOT of stuff. I should have known better though because our group ALWAYS manages to pull it together and they did not disappoint. Right before the event all sorts of things were being brought to the table (Thanks guys!). I made a variety of things, mostly cookies and cupcakes (5 batches each). But I also made mini cheesecakes and zucchini bread. I had a hard time getting the bread out of the house because it's hubby's favorite thing in the whole wide world. But I assured him that I would make more now that the garden is producing zucchini as fast as we can eat them. I use Paula Deen's recipe, which is a fantastic one for sure.

Zucchini Bread ala Paula Deen

Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Yes, the recipe uses a LOT of sugar but it's good. Trust me on this. I always leave the nuts out; I just don't care for them in sweet breads, but I have been toying with the idea of adding a streusel topping to the loaves. That can't not be good, right? If I ever get around to trying it I will let you know how it came out but for now I am completely baked out.

Luau Weekend

So this weekend a dear friend of mine held a suprise luau birthday party for a mutual friend of ours. Her actual birthday is in October but we can never seem to surprise her so SS decided the only way to do it was to have it so early she would never suspect anything. It worked! LOL! Now, I LOVE a good party so, of course I offered to help with the cooking. I made three items - Sweet and Sour Kielbasa, Sriracha Crab Rangoon Dip and Pineapple Upside Down Carrot Cake. The latter two recipes I found on the Foodie with Family blog and they sounded perfect for such an occasion.

Sweet and Sour Kielbasa
For this recipe I pulled in ingredients from a bunch of recipes I viewed online. I was very pleased with the results although if I make this again I will skim the fat before serving. Even after I thickened the sauce it would separate and looked pretty gross. The taste, however, was quite yummy. I didn't really measure and just tasted as I went so I am approximating everything here.

3 rings kielbasa
1 C brown sugar
1 C ketchup
1 large can pineapple chunks in juice
2 Tbs onion powder
1/4 C molasses
1/4 C cider vinegar

Cut kielbasa and place in crock pot

Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan and heat over stove until sugar is dissolved.

Pour sauce over Kielbasa and cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Skim fat, Thicken with cornstarch and water if desired.


Sriracha Crab Rangoon Dip
I REALLY liked this dip and will definately be making it again! If you don't want to buy sesame oil special you could omit it without really hurting the recipe. Add more sriracha if you want it spicier. For a crowd I thought the kick was perfect. I served the dip with wide chow mein noodles but it was also quite good with tortilla chips!

1 (8 ounce) brick cream cheese, brought to room temperature
1 tablespoon Sriracha
6 ounces drained, flaked crab meat
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
4 green onions, green part only, minced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Use a wooden spoon or stand mixer to beat together the softened cream cheese and Sriracha until it is an even color.

Stir the crab meat, soy sauce, garlic, green onions and sesame oil into the cream cheese mixture

Chill, tightly covered, until served.

Pineapple Upside Down Carrot Cake



I am still on the fence as to whether I liked this cake or not. It was good but, I don't know, it wasn't what I expected. I am thinking a good spike of rum might have helped it tremendously or a drizzle of caramel sauce. The texture and was good and it was very moist. I just think maybe a little more sweetness would have helped. The pineapple and sugar on top wasn't as sweet as I was anticipating it to be.

Ingredients for cake batter:
1 pound finely grated then chopped carrots (see notes)
4 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
finely grated zest of one orange
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground cloves

Ingredients for pineapple caramel layer:
4 tablespoons of butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup raw (turbinado) sugar
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained of juice and squeezed lightly to remove more juice

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare the Pineapple Caramel Layer:
Spray a bundt pan (or six individual sized bundt pans) with non-stick cooking spray.

Break off pieces of the softened butter and dot the bottom of the pan evenly. (If using mini bundt pans, divide the butter evenly between them.)

Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the butter. (Again, if using the individual bundt pans, divide the sugar evenly between the pans.)

Evenly distribute the pineapple over the sugar.

To prepare the Carrot Cake batter:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated and brown sugar, oil, vanilla extract and orange zest.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all the spices in a large mixing bowl.

Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon until there are no more pockets of dry ingredients.

Add the carrots all at once and fold into the batter.

Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan(s). The batter should rise no higher than 2/3 of the way up the pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes for mini-bundt pans or 60-70 minutes for a regular bundt pan, or until a straw inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (If using mini pans, test each cake.)

Let the cake rest in the pan(s) for five minutes before turning onto a serving platter.


The party was a HUGE success and SS did an awesome job with he organizing and decorating. Everybody had a wonderful time and we all gained about 20 pounds. LOL!