Jalapeno Popper Chicken

I love jalapeno poppers.  There is just something about the pepper and the cheese that is amazing.  This recipe came from Skinnytaste, which is an amazing source for healthier recipes.

I made some changes to this recipe like not rolling the chicken up.  It's hard and I can never get my filling to stay inside... so I gave up.

Also, forgive my pictures.  I need a new camera like no one's business. (Santa, are you paying attention?!)

Jalapeno Popper Chicken:
(adapted from Skinnytaste)

Ingredients:
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 jalapeños, seeds removed and chopped
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
4 oz reduced fat shredded cheddar jack
8 thin sliced skinless chicken breast cutlets
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash and dry chicken cutlets, season with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, cheddar, jalapeños, and bacon.

Lay chicken cutlets on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of cream cheese mixture on each cutlet.  Place the breadcrumbs in one bowl and the olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a separate bowl.

Dip chicken in lime-oil mixture and then in breadcrumbs.  Cover both sides of the chicken with the bread crumbs and bake 22-25 minutes.

Bacon & Caramelized Onion Quiche

I love quiche.  It's delicious and is a great holding vessel for all types of wonderful things. I love quiche for breakfast and lunch.  It makes me feel fancy.

Since I love bacon and had an onion laying around I decided to make a quiche with those.  I cooked the onions low and slow until they were nice and caramelized to add a nice sweet flavor to the quiche.

Bacon & Caramelized Onion Quiche:

1 pie crust
4 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon corn starch
3 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup swiss cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 large tablespoon greek yogurt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat melt the butter.  Add the onion and let slowly cook until it is translucent and a caramel color.  It'll take a decent amount of time, I think mine cooked about 15 minutes... but I should have let them go for 20.

Fry the bacon and hold the cooked bacon off to the side until the onions are finished and the custard it finished.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place your pie crust in a pie pan.

In a bowl beat the eggs.  Stir the corn starch into the half and half, making sure it is incorporated well, and add that to the eggs along with the greek yogurt, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Mix well and add the cheese, bacon, and onions.

Pour the egg mixture in the pie shell and make sure the bacon and onions are spread around evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top of the quiche starts to turn golden brown.

Crustless Spinach Bacon Quiche

I took a step out of my comfort zone the other day.  I made a quiche without the pie crust.  I love bread and carbs... however I don't need to eat a ton of them all the time so i'm trying to find simple ways to cut back on them, like using wraps instead of bread, cauliflower instead of potatoes, and trying out this crustless version of a classic.

Crustless Spinach Bacon Quiche:
(inspired by Joy the Baker)

1/2 bag of spinach leaves, stems trimmed
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a pie pan.


In a saucepan cook the spinach and garlic over medium heat.  Cook until the spinach is wilted.  Take the spinach and garlic and squeeze dry.  Let sit for a minute and squeeze again.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs until they are a light color, add the half and half.  Add the spinach, garlic, bacon, cheese, and salt and pepper.  Stir together with a spoon and pour the mixture into the buttered pie pan.

Bake the quiche for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Bok Choy

We got a seriously good deal on baby bok choy at Wards, a local family owned supermarket in town.  We came home with 7 pieces and spent $1.02.  A total win to me.

Baby Bok Choy with Bacon:

2 pieces of bacon, cut into small pieces

baby bok choy (6-10 pieces, depending on the size)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

Wash the bok choy and separate the leaves.  The supermarket we got these from gets them directly from a local farm and they are not washed.  Just make sure they're free from dirt and sand.

Heat up a skillet and add the bacon.  When it gets crispy add the boy choy and the spices.  Stir everything together and cook until the bok choy is bright green but still crisp. 1-2 minutes ~ish.

Ranch Style Chicken

I've been wanting to make this dish for a while.  I love chicken and tend to get in a rut, like most of us I guess, when it comes to making it.  I thought that this was pretty easy to make, and would have been even easier if I had taken the chicken out of the freezer with enough time to properly defrost.  Oh well.

 

Ranch Style Chicken:
(Pioneer Woman)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Thick cut bacon

Bacon grease

½ cup Honey

½ cup Dijon or Country/Grainy Mustard

Juice from ½ a lemon

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon salt

Crushed Red Pepper (optional)

Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Canola oil

Mix together 1/2 cup Dijon or country/grainy mustard with 1/2 cup honey. Add juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne if you like things a little spicy.  Whisk it together until smooth.

Place one chicken breast between two sheets of waxed paper.  Place one chicken breast between two sheets of waxed paper.  With a mallet or a rolling pin lightly pound the chicken breast so that the thickness is uniform. It should be around 1/2 to 3/4″ thick.  Add all the chicken to the bowl with the marinade. You’ll want to cover this with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.

Fry up some bacon while the chicken is marinating.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon grease, and go ahead and clean out the skillet. Otherwise, it’ll get too smoky.

When you’re ready to prepare the chicken, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Remove the chicken from the fridge and pour off excess marinade into the sink. Heat half of the reserved bacon grease with an equal quantity of Canola Oil in the clean skillet over medium-high to high heat.  When the grease is sufficiently heated, add a batch of chicken to the skillet. Don’t overcrowd the skillet, just 3 pieces is usually enough.

Watch the chicken, and when it starts to get brown/black on one side flip it to the other side. Cook just until brown/blackish areas appear. Each side should cook for a maximum of 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Repeat with all the chicken breasts, then set them on a large baking sheet. Go ahead and throw the pan of chicken into the hot oven for about ten minutes to continue cooking. Then remove the pan from the oven and place a couple of pieces of bacon on each piece of chicken.

Next, grab some grated sharp cheddar and sprinkle it over the top as generously as you’d like.  Return the pan to the oven for an additional five minutes, or until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling.

Southern Style Turnip Greens

Mr. T's boss brought us a kitchen trash bag full of turnip greens.  I used some of them to make traditional southern style turnip greens.  This is one of the dishes I was raised on.  If you don't have turnip greens you can use collards, mustards, kale, or anything else.

Southern Style Collard Greens:
(Everyone in the South)

4 pieces of bacon, cut into 1-inch strips
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 turnip roots, cut into small cubes
1 large bunch of turnip greens, cleaned and sliced
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

In a skillet on medium heat cook the bacon until it's cooked through but not crispy.  Add the garlic and turnip root pieces.  Saute until for 1 minute, making sure the garlic doesn't burn.















Add the greens in batches.  Once all of the greens have cooked down and fit in the skillet add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and Old Bay seasoning.

Continue cooking the greens for an additional 15-20 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender.  If the pot starts to get dry feel free to add some chicken stock or water.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

I've never been a big fan of brussels sprouts but I've decided to try them again.  I also wanted to knock something off of my list of 2011 cooking resolutions.  I found a recipe from Ina Garten that looked fantastic, added bacon and garlic, and went to town.  They were really crisp on the outside and still tender on the inside.

Maybe brussels sprouts are back on the rotation.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon:
(adapted from Ina Garten)

½ pounds Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and sliced in half
3 cloves garlic, pressed
½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided
2 slices bacon, chopped


Toss the Brussels sprouts, 3 pressed garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Empty the contents into a ovenproof dish and roast at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.


In a skillet, add the bacon and cook until just crispy.

Add the Brussels sprouts and heat through for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

I made this pizza for my Grandma's birthday last year.  It was a huge hit so we decided to make it again.

Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Pizza:


1 ball of pizza dough.  I get mine from the grocery store bakery.
2 cups cooked chicken breast halves (chopped and seasoned; I seasoned mine with garlic and italian seasoning)
8 slices cooked bacon, thick sliced is best, cut up
1/4 cup red onion, thinly chopped
Chopped tomato
2 garlic cloves
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.

Roll out pizza dough onto your pizza pan or cookie sheet. Prepare sauce.

In saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Mix in the cream cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the whipping cream and garlic powder. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer, stirring often. If sauce is too thin, sprinkle in some flour 1 teaspoon at a time. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. It should be creamy.















Spread the ranch dressing on your dough first then spread the Alfredo sauce on top.

Sprinkle some of the mozzarella cheese on the pizza. Add your chopped chicken, bacon, tomato, and sliced onion. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  I like to have most of my toppings under the cheese but if you like your toppings on top lay all of the cheese down first.















Bake at 425 on the bottom rack of oven for 20 minutes or until crust appears done on the bottom.

Print Me Out

Blue Cheese Bacon Bites

This is another quick and easy appetizer that you can make if guests show unexpectedly. 

Blue Cheese Bacon Bites:(Mom)


Cook six slices of bacon about half done and drain. Chop into small pieces.
1 can of biscuits cut into quarters. Arrange in a baking dish.
1/4 cup soft butter
4 oz blue cheese


Mix cheese with butter and spread evenly over biscuit tops. Sprinkle with chopped bacon.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

These are so good and seriously easy!  I love blue cheese so I usually add some extra when I pull them out of the oven.

Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad

Confession: I'm not the biggest fan of cold potato salad.  I think i'm the only person in the south that feels that way.  I'm learning to love it.  My family on the other hand loves it.  I decided to compromise.  I'd make a potato salad for them and add bacon and ranch for me.

Bacon- Ranch Potato Salad:

Ingredients:

2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed
1 (12 ounce) package sliced bacon
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup + 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 bunch green onions, chopped
¼ red onion, minced
1 pinch Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons ranch salad dressing

Directions:

Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain, cool enough to handle, and cut into cubes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve bacon grease.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, green onions, red onion, Italian seasoning and ranch dressing. Crumble the bacon into the bowl and pour half of the reserved bacon grease over all.  Stir gently until everything is evenly distributed.

Refrigerate over night for the best flavor.

For reals... this is amazing.  I love it and I have spread the bacon-ranch potato salad love to my friends and family.   :)

White Acre Peas

Field peas are a big deal where i'm from.  Field peas include: pink eyed peas, black eyes peas, purple hull peas, butter beans, and white acre peas.  My favorites are the pink eyed and white acre peas.  They are easy to make and freeze well.  Every family has their own way of making them but here is mine.

White Acre Peas:

1/2 bushel of white acre peas (or any other field pea that you'd like)
1 slice of thick ham or 4 slices of bacon (omit if you'd like to make this a vegetarian dish)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash the shelled peas to make sure they're free of dirt or sand
Pour into a deep pot and fill with water.
Chop bacon or ham (I like bacon, but who doesn't) and add to pot of peas
Place a lid on the pot and let boil, stirring occasionally until the peas are tender, about 30-35 minutes

Not So Homemade Baked Beans

Not So Homemade Baked Beans:

1 can of your favorite baked beans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I use a sweeter sauce)
4 strips of your favorite bacon, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Empty beans into an oven safe bowl.  Add in brown sugar and BBQ sauce and mix.  If adding bacon place the pieces on top along with a sprinkle of more brown sugar.  If you put the bacon on top it'll get crispy in the oven.

Bake beans until bacon is crisp and the bean sauce is bubbling.