Bacon Deviled Egss

I have always believed that bacon makes everything taste better and this is no exception. How have I lived 40+ years and never experienced / thought of this?!? Let me tell you, this is amazing. You will be a bacon god if you serve this at your next picnic, potluck, or get-together. You will be loved. And you will be the most popular person there!

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

5-6 cooked bacon slices, 3 finely chopped and the rest roughly chopped for garnish

1 Tbs chopped parsley

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp dried mustard

Pinch ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place eggs in a single layer of saucepan. Add approximately 3" water. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, remove for heat, and let stand 10 minutes. Drain. Submerge eggs in cold water. When eggs have cooled, peel under cold running water.

Slice eggs in half lengthwise, carefully remove the yolks, keep egg white halves intact.

Place yolks in a bowl and mash with mayonnaise until creamy. Stir in finely chopped bacon, parsley, salt, mustard, and black pepper.

Spoon yolk mixture into egg white halves (use a teaspoon or a small scoop). Garnish with bacon. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 12

Derived from HGTV Gardens

Tortilla Chicken Casserole

I'm always looking for dishes that will give me the most bang for my effort, i.e., very little effort, enough for lunch the next day, and it has to reheat well. This does not disappoint!  You can also see from my ingredients, I used as many shortcuts as possible :-)

Ingredients:

8 flour (of any variety) or whole wheat tortillas

3 cups cooked chicken

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
19oz black beans (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups corn (frozen, canned, fresh)
1tsp Mexican blend seasoning ( can sub chili powder for more heat)
3 cups salsa
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbs finely chopped cilantro (can sub parsley)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray casserole dish large enough to fit tortillas, with cooking spray. Heat olive oil, sauté onion and red bell pepper for 5 minutes, until softened. Mix in seasoning, remove from heat and stir in black beans and corn.

Serves 12

Derived from FoodieFamily.com

Parmesan Tilapia

I've made this a couple of times once with frozen this time with fresh. Fresh fish is a must! I've also found that cod or red snapper holds up better than tilapia.

Ingredients:

2 lbs tilapia (can be cod or red snapper)

2 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (I used shredded which I had on hand and it worked just as well)

4 Tbs butter, at room temperature

3 Tbs mayonnaise

3 Tbs finely chopped green onions (optional)

1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/4 tsp dried basil

Black pepper to taste

1 dash hot pepper sauce (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat broiler. Lay fillets flat on nonstick broiler pan. Brush fish with lemon juice. In bowl, combine cheese, butter, mayonnaise, onions, and seasonings. Mix well with a fork.

Broil fish 3-4 minutes or until almost done. Add cheese and broil another 2-3 minutes or until browned.

Serves 4

*Derived from Food.com 

Pizza Pasta

Clearly, this was written last week, which just proves my exhaustion point!  I'll go ahead and say it out loud, when Benjamin Franklin thought day light savings would be fantastic, he didn't have kids. The result has been one very long week for kids and parents. Could I be anymore exhausted?? Being this tired means sometimes a step or two might be over looked. In this case it meant I completely over-looked the baking portion. And it has nothing to do with the teeny tiny print of the recipe, with my glasses upstairs. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni

1/2 lb 90% lean ground beef

6 fresh mushrooms, quartered

1/3 cup chopped onion

8 oz tomato sauce

3 1/2 oz sliced pepperoni

2 Tbs sliced black olives

1 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup part - skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In large skillet, cook beef, mushrooms, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, pepperoni, olives, sugar, Italian seasoning, and pepper.

Drain macaroni; add to meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheeses, stirring to mix.

If you choose to bake, this is what you need to do: transfer to a 1 1/2 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 4

Derived from Sam's Club



New Orleans Gumbo Wanna Be

This is my very loose interpretation of a New Orleans Gumbo. The kids couldn't get enough of the shrimp and the flavors were wonderful!

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked converted rice

2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 lb smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/2" slices
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cold water
1 lb uncooked medium peeled and deveined shrimp
1 large green pepper chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Preparation:

In rice cooker, stir in rice, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook according to rice cooker directions.

In a Dutch oven, combine the tomatoes, chicken, kielbasa, thyme, pepper, bay leaves, and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into chicken mixture. Stir in shrimp and green pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and gumbo is thickened. Discard bay leaves.

Stir rice mixture into gumbo and serve immediately.

Serves 8

Derived from Sam's Club



Banana Bread

Bananas are such a loved commodity in our house that I hate to see any go to waste. Banana bread is the perfect use for those few that have gotten a little too ripe. The banana is not overpowering and is heavan with a cup of coffee.  It also got the happy dance from Daniela!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (approx 4-5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 recipe Streusel-Nut Topping

Streusel-Nut Topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
2 Tbs butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of 9x5x3" loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.

For streusel-nut topping: in a small bowl combine brown sugar and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in walnuts.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel-nut topping over batter.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (if necessary, tent with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent over browning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on rack.

Serves 16 slices

Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Creamed Corn with Chipotle Chilies

Wow, if you like heat, this is your side dish! The flavor was so rich. And just opening the can of chipotles in adobo sauce made my mouth water. I'll make this again and again.

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh or frozen corn

2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 white onion, finely diced
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

In large sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chipotle chiles , adobo sauce, corn kernels, oregano, and sugar. Pour in the water and add a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender but still has a bit of crunch, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the water has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the cream to the pan, raise the heat to medium-low and cook until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer corn to a warm bowl and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Derived from Williams-Sonoma