bacon

Loaded Baked Sweet Potato Soup.

Loaded Baked Sweet Potato Soup serves about 4, can be easily multiplied 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (I had 2lbs total after peeling and cubing) 2 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 tablespoons flour 1/2 sweet onion, diced (about 1/2 cup chopped) 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 1/2-3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock 1 1/2-2 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika for garnishes: bacon, mascarpone cheese, crumbled goat cheese & crispy shallots Prepare potatoes: peel and cube sweet potatoes, then add to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high power for about 10 minutes or until fork tender, tossing 2-3 times during cook time. If you do not want to use the microwave, throw the potatoes on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper (you can omit/add less salt and pepper later if this is the case) and roast at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Using the microwave will help this soup come together in 30 minutes. Roasting the sweet potatoes adds a bit more “caramely,” deep flavor. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add butter and diced onions and cook for 5 [...]

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End of Summer Chicken Skillet.

End of Summer Chicken Skillet serves 3-4 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 slices of bacon, chopped 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 zucchini, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 10 small yukon gold potatoes, quartered 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 ears of grilled corn, cut off the cob salt & pepper Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Tenderize meat (by pounding it with a tenderizer or skillet) and pat completely dry with a paper towel. Set aside. Chop potatoes and vegetables (except for garlic) and add to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Heat a cast iron (or oven safe) skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add chopped bacon and cook until almost crispy and fat is rendered. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel. Add vegetables and potatoes to skillet and cook for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove veggies and potatoes from skillet. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until golden on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side. [Note: if the skillet is drying up feel free to add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil [...]

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Fresh Corn Chowder with Barbecue Shrimp.

Fresh Corn Chowder with Bacon + Barbecue Shrimp adapted from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette serves 4-6 4 slices of bacon 1 small onion, diced 1/2 red pepper, diced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 teaspoons flour 1 cup of diced potatoes (2 yukon gold potatoes worked) 4 cups of fresh corn cut off the cob (this took 7 medium cobs for me) 2 cups of chicken stock 2 1/2 cups milk 1/4 cup cream or half and half 1/2 pound of raw peeled and deveined shrimp 1/3 cup barbecue sauce salt & pepper Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon slices and cook until crispy and golden brown. Remove bacon and let drain on a paper towel. Add onions and peppers to the pot with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Whisk in the flour, cooking for 1-2 minutes or until flour becomes golden in color and smells a bit nutty. Add chicken stock, potatoes, and corn. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. While soup is simmering (or before or after or whenever is [...]

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Crispy Shrimp Sandwiches.

Crispy Shrimp Sandwiches makes 4 sandwiches & is easily multiplied/halved 1 pound of peeled and deveined raw shrimp 1/2 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 3 slices bacon 1/2 avocado, chopped lettuce for garnish (I used butter lettuce) 4 sandwich rolls/breads/buns of choice, preferably toasted Combine flour, paprika, garlic and chili powder in a large bowl and mix. Set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add bacon and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is golden and crispy. Remove and let drain on a paper towel. Do not turn off heat. Quickly salt and pepper the shrimp, the toss in the flour mixture (I actually “tossed” mine and this went much quicker and just as successful as dredging it). Working in batches, add shrimp to the skillet and cook until golden on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and let drain on a paper towel. Combine shrimp, avocado and crumble the bacon into a bowl and lightly mix to create a sticky “salad” of sorts. Spread bread of your choice with parmesan mayo, garnish with lettuce, then stack on [...]

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Whole Wheat Fontina Portobello Pizza.

Whole Wheat Fontina Portobello Pizza dough: [I used my standard dough, use whatever dough you'd like.] 1 cup all purpose flour + 3/4 cup regular whole wheat flour 3/4 cup warm water 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet) 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt toppings: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms 3 slices bacon 3 garlic cloves, minced 6 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated 4 ounces provolone cheese, freshly grated 1/4 cup grated parmesan + a bit more for topping fresh parsely, chopped for garnish Combine water, yeast, olive oil and honey and mix with a spoon. Let sit for about 15 minutes until yeast becomes foamy. When I made this pizza I actually used my stand mixer + dough hook for simplicity, but you can also do it by hand. Add in flour and salt and mix until a ball forms and dough comes together (with the mixer, I mixed for about 5 minutes). Using your hands, knead dough for 1-2 minutes until it is somewhat smooth. Place in an oiled bowl (in a warm spot) and let rise for 60-90 minutes. Punch down the dough, then let rise [...]

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Grilled Corn Summer Breakfast Hash.

Grilled Corn Summer Breakfast Hash serves 3-4 4 slices of bacon, chopped 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, chopped into cubes 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 medium zucchini squash, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 red pepper, chopped 2-3 ears grilled corn on the cob, cut off the cob 1 teaspoon olive oil (you may not need this) 2 green onions, chopped 3-4 large eggs smoked sea salt + pepper Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chopped bacon and cook until crispy and fat is rendered – about 4-5 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Add potatoes with a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the bacon fat and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring and tossing every few minutes. While potatoes are cooking, heat another skillet on medium high and cook your eggs as desired, then set aside over low heat. Add peppers and onions (and another little sprinkle of salt and pepper) to potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring. At this time you may need to add the additional teaspoon of olive oil depending on how much bacon fat is left. After 5 minutes, add in the [...]

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BLT Salmon Tacos.

BLT Salmon Tacos serves 2 4-6 4-inch tortillas 2 3-4 ounce salmon filets 2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled 1 tomato, chopped (I used an heirloom tomato… love) 1 avocado, chopped shredded lettuce for garnish salt & pepper Heat the broiler on your oven and position the oven rack as need be. Sprinkle your salmon with salt and pepper liberally, then broil for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until pink and flaky. [This is my favorite way to make salmon, but you can easily bake it as well.] Once salmon is done, flake it with a fork. Set up an assembly line with tortillas, salmon, lettuce, tomato, bacon and dressings of your choice. I combined 1/4 cup of my favorite mustard (Bone Suckin’ mustard!) with 1 tablespoons of sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika. It was fabulous drizzled on top!

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Grilled Corn with Bacon Butter and Cotija Cheese.

Grilled Corn with Bacon Butter and Cotija Cheese makes 6 ears 6 ears of corn 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 tablespoons butter, softened 2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled (very small crumbles!) 3-4 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled fresh cilantro for garnish black pepper Preheat your grill on the highest setting. Shuck corn ears and brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Wrap each in a square of aluminum foil – just so there is one layer cover the corn. Grill for about 5 minutes each “side” – rotating corn 4-5 times during grilling. While grilling corn, combine softened butter with crumbled bacon. Crumble cotija cheese on a large plate. Once corn is finished, let sit for about 5 minutes to cool a bit before serving. The corn will still be very hot. Serve with a brush for the bacon butter, the plate of cotija to roll the corn in, and a bunch of fresh cilantro for garnish. Note: there are so many ways to grill corn and this is what we have found to work best for us – feel free to grill your corn another way if you’d like. Also, if you can’t find cotija cheese I’m [...]

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Roasted Potatoes To Change Your Life.

Roasted Potatoes with Bacon, Gorgonzola, Cilantro and Other Stuff makes one full baking sheet’s worth 3 pounds baby yukon gold potatoes, quartered or halved 2 slices of uncooked bacon, chopped (he used canadian bacon, I didn’t have that on hand) 1/2 vidalia onion, chopped 1 teaspoon olive oil 2-3 ounces of gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (you can sub cheddar if you don’t like blue) 3 tablespoons chopped chives 2 green onions, chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley salt and pepper Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray. Add potatoes and onions to a large bowl and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil (do not use more as the bacon will release fat when cooking) and a bit of salt and pepper. Toss with your hands and try to coat most of the potatoes. Lay them on the baking sheet and top with chopped bacon. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for 15 more. Flip one more time and cook for 15 minutes longer. Bacon should be crisp at this point. Remove potatoes from oven and immediately sprinkle on crumbled gorgonzola. Let potatoes sit [...]

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Clams Casino Pizza.

Clams Casino Pizza makes 1 pizza dough: 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 packet of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup warm water In a large bowl, add warm water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Stir and let sit until yeast gets foamy, about 15 minutes or so. Once yeast is foamy, add 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup wheat flour and salt to the bowl. Mix well until a ball forms, then continue to mix with your hands until a ball forms. If dough is too sticky, add remaining flour. If too dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time. Flour your counter and knead dough 20-30 times with your hands. (I also have used an electric mixer to make this dough.) Lightly oil the same bowl, add the dough back in, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2-2 hours. Once dough is ready, flour your counter again and use a rolling pin (or a bottle of wine!) to roll dough in to a circle, or shape of your [...]

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