Slow Cooker Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken

Here is why you should make this recipe:

1. 4 ingredients.

2. Slow cooker.

3. It's delicious.

4. It's versatile.

5. Bacon.

Sound good? Good.

Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken

Ingredients

1-2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet ranch dressing mix

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled

1-2 tbsp hot sauce (optional)

1. Plop the chicken, cream cheese, and ranch dressing in a slow cooker.  Cook 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

2. Shred chicken using 2 forks, add bacon, and mix until all ingredients are combined.

We had this chicken in a sandwich topped with crispy jalapenos.  It would also go great in a taco or served as a dip with chips or crackers.

Kimchi Pork Fried Rice

I was recently gifted some homemade kimchi! Yes, I know, not many of you would be that excited to get a Tupperware of stinky fermenting cabbage. That is why I'm the food blogger, and you are here for the food porn.

Note that the kimchi is not going to make or break this recipe so if your Korean friend's mother didn't whip you up a batch, don't worry.

Kimchi Pork Fried Rice

Adapted from Half Baked Harvest

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp sriracha

1 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground ginger, or 1 tbsp fresh grated

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsp oil, sesame if you have it

3 eggs, beaten

4 slices bacon

1/2 lb pork loin sliced into bit sized pieces* 

4 cups cooked rice

1 cup cubed pineapple

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 cup kimchi

salt and pepper to taste

sesame seeds, optional

1. Mix up the first 5 ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup. Set aside

2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet or wok. Cook eggs until soft and set. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Cook bacon in same skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble when cooled.

4. Cook your meat in bacon fat with about 2-3 tbsp of the sauce you made.

5. Add pineapple chunks, kimchi, and vegetables and cook until heated through.

6. Add rice, eggs, bacon, and remaining sauce. Stir to combine. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

*You can use any meat you like here. I had the pork in the fridge from a previous meal.

FYI: This is a ton of food which is totally fantastic because you are going to love eating it for lunch all week long.

Grilled Pork Burgers

These zesty burgers have bacon inside! Bacon! Inside the burger! Yea, get excited because there are some chilies in there too along with fancy cheese on top.

Grilled Pork Burgers
Adapted from Food52

Ingredients
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp diced green chilies
2 lb ground pork
3 oz smoked bacon, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
6 slices Manchego cheese
burger buns

1. Heat oil in a small pan, cook onions until softened.  Add chilies, garlic, thyme, cumin, and salt and pepper. Cook until another minute or 2.  Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl mix pork, bacon, cooled onion mixture, parsley, and salt and pepper.  Portion into 6 oz burgers,  I was able to make 6 because my pork packages were a little bigger than 1 lb each.
3.  Grill burgers 3-4 minutes on each side.  Top with Manchego cheese and grill until melted. Toast up those buns and eat up!

This is a really tasty alternative to your run of the mill burger that you probably need a break from by the summer's end anyway.

Creamy Corn Pasta with Bacon and Zucchini

Summer time produce is here! I can't stop buying corn and I have accumulated several pounds of zucchini.  Hooray for fresh produce!

Creamy Corn Pasta with Bacon and Zucchini

Adapted from NY Times

Ingredients

salt

1 lb dried pasta

4 slices bacon

2 cups zucchini, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch scallions, sliced

2 ears of corn, shucked (2 cups kernels)

1/2 tsp pepper

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup basil, torn

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, cook pasta according to package directions, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

2. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp, remove and drain on paper towels.  Cook zucchini in bacon fat until softened, remove from pan.  Add some oil, if needed, to cook scallion whites.  Add all but 1/4 cup of corn and 1/4 cup of water.  Simmer 3-5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper and transfer to a blender. Puree until smooth adding water to achieve desired consistency.

3. Add butter and reserved corn to the skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes.  Add corn puree and stir until combined and heated through.  

4. Add pasta to the skillet along with half of the reserved pasta water (adding more if it seems too thick). Stir in bacon, zucchini, green scallions, parmesan, basil, and red pepper flakes.

I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but this really is a simple meal.  Feel free to eliminate the bacon to make it vegetarian, it is definitely not an essential ingredient.

Baked Potato Bar

Last night was our 3rd annual scary movie night!  As per tradition we went with another customize-able dinner.

2014: mac and cheese bar
2013: taco bar

This year baked potatoes were the blank canvas.

I used this recipe for making baked potatoes in a slow cooker by the Kitchn.  It's not much different than preparing baked potatoes for the oven.

Our toppings bar included:

butter

parsley-garlic-butter 

salsa

sour cream

sriracha

caramelized onions

chili

cheese sauce

bbq pulled chicken

Fritos

scallions

broccoli

jalapenos

bacon

cheddar cheese

The possibilities were endless!

I also made a very tasty cocktail, caramel apple cider sangria.

I hope you all have a great Halloween!

Buffalo Chicken with Bacon Blue Cheese Waffles

Buffalo chicken with bacon blue cheese waffles. Do you really need me to say anymore?  

Ok, I'll say 1 more thing. It's a total piece of cake to prepare! Yay!

Buffalo Chicken with Bacon Blue Cheese Waffles

Adapted from Pillsbury

Ingredients

buffalo chicken fingers, I used Tyson and made 2 pieces for each of us

1 can crescent rolls

1/2 cup cooked chopped bacon

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup apricot preserves

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1. Prepare chicken as per package directions.

2. Unroll crescent rolls. Press bacon and blue cheese on to 4 triangles.  Top with the other triangle dough pieces and press to seal.  Bake in a waffle iron for about 3 minutes, until golden brown.

3. In a small bowl mix jam and mustard.  Heat in the microwave until warm, stir to combine.

4. Serve waffles topped with sauce and alongside chicken fingers.  Do yourself a favor and cook up a vegetable too.  I sauteed some garlic-y spinach.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god this was a great night! I want to travel back in time!

Don't skimp on that waffle drizzle, it is really everything.

The perfect bite!

Loaded Baked Potato Lasagna Rolls

This meal is not for the faint at heart.  

Carbs, wrapped in carbs, topped with bacon and cheese. 

Helllooooooo, have you seen a better ingredient list!?

Loaded Baked Potato Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients

3 cups mashed potatoes, how ever you like 'em

12 lasagna noodles

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

chopped parsley for garnish

sour cream, do-do a dollop 

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Spread about 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes on to each lasagna noodle.  Place seam-side down in a greased 13x9 casserole dish. *I used the bacon grease! ACK! I'm horrible!
4. Top rolls with cheese and bacon.  Cook until cheese is melted and bubbling.  Top with chopped parsley and serve with sour cream.

Top it with a dollop of sour cream and you got yourself the best damn baked potato you ever did eat.

Serve this up with a gigantic salad because you need some damn nutrients to counter act this wonderful cheesy carb-fest.

Bacon Ritz Fried Chicken

I'm not sure if you are all aware, but there are boxes of bacon Ritz crackers waiting for your at your supermarket.

Go get some!

All I did here was crush up the Ritz crackers so that they were fine like breadcrumbs.  Then just prepared them like any other chicken cutlet; egg first, then crackers.

Oooooooh baby these cooked up nice! I highly recommend you go get yourself a box of bacon flavored Ritz to coat some cutlets in!

I bet these would go really nice on some fried shrimp too....hmmmmm....

Honeymoon Cruise Food Fest!

A few weeks ago I went on my honeymoon.  We cruised to Aruba, Colombia, Panama Canal, Costa Rica, and the Cayman Islands.  The scenery and adventures were incredible, but we know what you guys are here for...the food!

Princess Cruises did not let us down with their menu choices.  If you want a little run-down of a typical food filled day it goes a little something like this:

Breakfast at the buffet
Iced coffees/lattes at La Patisserie
Lunch at the buffet, or pizza, or the grill
Formal dinner: 3 courses, plus dessert each night
Post dinner snacks: a visit to the buffet, popcorn, ice cream, possible room service

Created with flickr slideshow.

Some of my favorites were:
Grilled calamari steak, I had it for a dinner entree and it was just incredible
Goat cheese and apple soup, served chilled, so interesting
Pistachio Chocolate Journey dessert, this is a limited edition 50th anniversary Princess cruise dessert. It was gorgeous and easily the most delicious dessert we had on the cruise.
Popcorn! All the time! It was like dreams coming true.

It was the trip of a lifetime, food and adventures all rolled into one.

Mac and Cheese Bar

The initial title for this entry was "I'm sorry you weren't invited" because really, I am sorry.

This was an incredible dinner party meal and you should all do it for your friends and family.

P.S. I totally wish I could take credit for this idea.

The concept here was to make a large batch of mac and cheese, and then have everyone add their own mix ins.

We mixed in some festive Halloween pasta for the occasion.

Toppings included: chicken, bacon, sausage, "lobster," mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, brussel's sprouts, broccoli, gorgonzola, tomato sauce, crispy onions, Ritz, siracha, and bbq sauce.

The possibilities are endless!

Above is my (first) bowl of mac and cheese.

I placed the cooked and cheesed-up pasta in the slow cooker so we could eat at our leisure.

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

Smothered Pork Chops

I made this recipe ages ago and now here I am looking longingly at the pictures.

Also, little known fact: I had no idea that gravy is delicious.

Now, for the recipe!

Smothered Pork Chops

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook

Ingredients

3 slice of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

2 tbsp flour

1 3/4 cup beef broth

4 center cut pork chops

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, sliced thin

2 tbsp water

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme, minced

1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1. Fry bacon in a small sauce pan over medium heat, until lightly browned. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat and whisk in flour.  Cook, whisking frequently, until mixture has browned. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and cover.

2. Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet. Add onions, salt, and water.  Cook until onions are browned and softened.  Stir in garlic and thyme. Place chops in the skillet and cover with onions. Pour in the warmed sauce.  Reduce heat to low, cover, cook about 30 minutes, until pork is cooked through.

3. Transfer chops to a serving platter.  Increase heat to medium high and simmer sauce rapidly, stirring frequently, until thickened. Pour sauce over chops, garnish with bacon and parsley.

Check out those fresh herbs from my garden!

I served these smothered chops with some mashed potatoes on the side.

Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this recipe.

Cheesy Corn Dip

This corn dip is loaded up with cheese and bacon, and it looks damn good in my new chip and dip bowl too!

Cheesy Corn Dip
Adapted from Damn Delicious

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into small pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
8 oz cream cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp chipotle pepper, minced
2 tbsp chives, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients, except for the chives, in a mixing bowl.  Place dip in an 8x8 pan and cook until bubbly, about 20 minutes.  Stir cooked dip, transfer to serving bowl, and garnish with chopped chives. Serve with chips.

You like that fresh chive garnish don't you? Totally in love with my herb garden.

Make this for your next party, it makes plenty for a crowd!

Bacon-Herb Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

This recipe is fancy enough that you could serve it for company, but simple enough that you can prepare it on a weeknight.  Have company coming over on a weeknight? Here ya go!

I am so happy with my herb garden this year.  I have been so excited to add fresh herbs to everything!

Bacon Herb Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Adapted from Bobby Flay

Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin
salt and pepper
2 tbsp fresh thyme
12 fresh sage leaves
2 cloves garlic
6 slices bacon
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Place garlic cloves on cutting board and sprinkle salt on top.  Mince garlic and using the side of your knife, mush salt and garlic together to make a paste.  Mince herbs and mix together with garlic salt paste.  Rub herb mixture all over the pork tenderloin.
2. Drizzle olive oil onto a baking sheet.  Place pork on sheet and wrap bacon slices around it.  Cook 20-30 minutes until pork reaches 165 degrees.

Looks fancy doesn't it?

Yum!  Don't be shy about the herbs here guys, load it up!

Cauliflower Bacon Mac and Cheese

I'm deciding that this post will be more of a photo food journey rather than an actual recipe.  Mainly because me cooking mac and cheese involves no measuring and lots of improvising.  I don't want you to get the impression that this can be recreated.  

Who knows how much cheese I used?  I used half and half instead of milk.  Weird choice?  Maybe, but that's what I had laying around.

Speaking of things I had laying around, 4 different cheeses!  Cheddar, American, Swiss, and mozzarella.

I pan roasted some cauliflower in the bacon grease and sprinkled a Creole rub on the whole lot.

There ya have it folks.  Even you can throw some moderately random ingredients together to make some darn good mac and cheese at home.

I do have a mission to follow an actual baked mac and cheese recipe someday so keep your eyes peeled for that. 

Everything I Ate For My 30th Birthday

On Wednesday I turned 30.  I'm really not too torn up about it though because 30 is going to be a pretty incredible year for me, buying a home and getting married!

I celebrated my birthday the only way I know how....lots of FOOD!

To begin with I had an apple fritter at Dean and Deluca that basically blew my mind.  I could have had nothing else the whole day and still been in a happy place from this fritter.  It's totally packed with nutrients because it has apples in it and they cancel out all the sugar and deep-fried bad stuff.

For lunch I dined at the famed Ippudo. I had the akamaru modern which is described as "a more bold, modern translation of the original pork broth; thin noodles topped with Ippudo's secret "umami dama" miso paste, pork chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms, scallions, and fragrant garlic oil."  It most definitely lived up to all the hype I had been hearing.  And I surprised even myself with my chopstick noodle skills!

After a total mind-blowing Aladdin experience, we got dinner and craft beers at Tink's.  This little lower east side restaurant serves comfort food style tapas.  It was pretty damn incredible for my introduction to the world of tapas, as nontraditional as it may have been.

We had the chocolate pig sliders with cabbage slaw.  These might have been the winner of the evening: braised pork butt, chocolate mole sauce, brioche bun, cabbage slaw.

These are the pretzel crusted chicken fingers served with a chipotle honey dipping sauce and cornichons. Loved them.

This won the most challenging to eat award, making it no less delicious I assure you.  "A lotta buratta"  consisted of buratta, sliced baguettes, tapenade, chili honey oil, balsamic vinegar, and sliced tomato.

I think this was my favorite of the night. The naan pizza was topped with goat cheese, red wine braised figs, bacon and arugula.  Surprise, it was fantastic!

To top the night off right I had my long standing birthday cake flavor: strawberry shortcake.  We went to this little Asian bakery, Panya, and you guessed it...it was delicious!

So there you have it folks, my 30th birthday food fest.  I hope you were able to live vicariously through me a bit here.  If you weren't then I highly recommend you eat at each and every one of these restaurants I visited.

P.S. Did anyone know they sell 32oz beers in Penn Station, and they have 20 different kinds!  That was the real finale of the evening and it was a welcome surprise.