bacon

Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs

January 30, 2017 by sblades Leave a Comment

Well, I know the Cowboys aren’t in the Super Bowl and the Houston Texans didn’t make it, but the game will be down in Houston and that’s a good enough reason to watch the big game. Since I don’t really have a team to cheer for, I guess I’ll go with Atlanta. Although….Tom Brady is the better looking quarterback. My, my. Decisions, decisions. I may not be able to choose a team easily, but I will be making these savory meatballs to munch on during the game.

These turned out to be two good bites, so next time I’ll make the meatballs a bit smaller – maybe 1 1/2″ instead of 2″. Also, I used thick bacon and I think it would cook a little better with thinner bacon. I liked the combination of beef with a touch of barbecue sauce along with the salty, smoky bacon and spicy jalapeno. I ended up plopping two jalapeno slices on top – one for each bite of meatball. If you don’t like spicy, leave the jalapeno off and put a dab of barbecue sauce on top after they’re finished cooking.

Don’t overwork the beef mixture when forming the meatballs, but make sure they’re compact enough to hold together. Baking them in the mini muffin pan was really nice and they were easy to scoop out to serve. They’re best when eaten warm!

Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs

***Good addition to the appetizer table!

Servings: 16

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 C bread crumbs
1 egg , beaten
2 tsp barbecue sauce
2 tbsp onion , minced
1/2 tsp garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 C shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella)
8 slices bacon , halved
Sliced Pickled Jalapenos
Ranch Dressing (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Gently mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, egg and cheese until combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2" meatballs and wrap 1/2 piece of bacon around each. Place each meatball into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
Bake meatballs for 12 minutes, then turn the pan around in the oven and bake for additional 15-18 minutes or until bacon is cooked and browned. Remove from the pan immediately and put one or two slices of jalapeno on top of each meatball along with a toothpick. OK cooled off a bit, but best warm. Serve with ranch dressing if desired.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff: I didn't use the onion (used onion powder), but I recommend it for better meatballs. Use actual breadcrumbs - not the ground ones from the can. The meatballs will hold together better. Just finely chop up half a hamburger bun or hot dog bun until it's crumbs and that will work. Wouldn't recommend honey barbecue sauce - it would make it too sweet.

Brisket and Bacon Hash

August 15, 2016 by sblades Leave a Comment

We made a brisket a week or so ago and even with freezing half of it, we had to be very imaginative in creating dishes to use it up. To cook it, we get the untrimmed brisket, turn the oven to about 250 degrees, plop it in a roasting pan fat side up and let it cook overnight – 8-10 hours, until a big fork slides in and out easily. No salt, no seasoning – nothing – and it comes out perfect every time!

This time I was determined to do something a little different with the leftover brisket and remembered my Mom occasionally making a hash with diced potatoes and leftover roast beef. She never showed me how to make it (I was just a kid interested in Barbie dolls and, later, boys), so I set out to figure it out.

I also had some leftover bacon, so what better to cook the potatoes in than a little bacon fat? No worry, I drained most of it out.

I like the potatoes and brisket chopped pretty small. They not only cook better, but have a better texture when finished. Added a little beef broth to keep the mixture moist, threw in that chopped up bacon and we ended up with a filling, delicious hash! Comfort food at it’s best.

Bret put a little ketchup on his and it was actually not bad that way. I didn’t want to cover up the bacon flavor, though, so just put a little salt and pepper and enjoyed. If you are looking for a quick and flavorful dinner, try this. I think you’ll like it!

Brisket and Bacon Hash

**** Fairly easy to throw together and creates a filling and delicious dinner.

Servings: 4

Author: Susan Blades

Ingredients

3 slices bacon
2 medium potatoes , chopped
2-3 tbsp chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped leftover brisket or roast
salt , pepper, garlic salt
3/4 C beef broth

Instructions

In a large skillet, fry the bacon until fairly crisp. Set aside to drain. Pour out all but about 2 tbsp. of the bacon grease and turn skillet on medium-high. Toss in the potatoes and cook until lightly browned and fairly soft - this will take a few minutes. Add the onion and stir until transparent. Add the chopped brisket, and salt, pepper, and garlic salt (or powder) to taste. Pour in the beef broth and let simmer until the broth is pretty much cooked off. Chop up the bacon and stir into the potato/brisket mixture. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff: I didn't use the onion because Mr. Bret doesn't care for it, but I recommend using it to complete the recipe. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. If your bacon is salty, ease up on the salt and use garlic powder instead of garlic salt. I served it with a side of cantaloupe and the combination of sweet and salty was perfect. You could leave the meat out and it would make a great side dish.

Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

December 13, 2014 by sblades Leave a Comment

Well, I think the name says it all – bacon, cheese, potato – you really can’t go wrong with this one! For a long time, I’ve looked for THE potato soup and this may be it. Creamy, but full of chunky potatoes, cheese and bits of bacon thrown in there to kick it over the top. (I had a cat and dog ready to step in and help during the cooking bacon part….)

This particular batch didn’t have the onions in it (because you-know-who can’t eat them), but it’s really much better with them. Also, the green onions mentioned in the recipe would be very good sprinkled on top with a bit more cheese and maybe some more bacon. Here’s a closeup so you can see the chunks of potato, creamy soup and bacon.

Hopefully it will be getting cooler here soon so we can enjoy this hearty soup. Being in the seventies in the middle of December just doesn’t seem right – I know it’s Texas, but we could really use just a bit cooler weather to get us into the winter mood. This soup would be good any time of the year, though, so I hope you try it and enjoy it!

Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese
****I will be making this quite a bit. Very filling and flavorful. Makes 5-6 servings.

1 lb. bacon
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. flour
3 C. chicken broth
3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces (about 1/4″)
2 C. shredded cheese
1 1/2 C. half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
chopped green onions

Cook bacon and chop into small pieces – set aside. Save 1 to 2 tbsp. of the bacon grease.

While the bacon cooks, boil the potatoes in a large pot until fork tender. Drain them and lightly mash about 1/2 of them with a fork or potato masher. Set aside in a separate bowl for later.

In the large pot the potatoes were cooked in, put about 1 to 2 tbsp. of the bacon grease. Add the onion and saute for 6-8 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a couple of more minutes. Add flour, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Slowly add in 1 cup of the chicken broth, while stirring well. Add in the remaining chicken broth and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the 2 cups of cheese 1/4 cup at a time and stir until almost melted.

Add the potatoes and 3/4ths of the bacon to the soup and stir well. Add the half-and-half , and then salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on very low for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Serve and top with bacon, green onions and grated cheese.

Tips and Stuff:
If you prefer creamy potato soup, go ahead and mash all of the cooked potatoes before adding to the broth.
I used a cheddar/jack blend for the cheese, but you could use all cheddar or whatever you prefer, as long as it melts smoothly. Don’t worry if it doesn’t melt completely when you add it to the broth – it will blend in later.
I used russet potatoes (5-6) the first time I made this and then small yellow potatoes (about 8) the second time – both were equally good.
After refrigerated, you may want to thin it out with a bit of half-and-half while warming so it won’t be too thick.

Cream Cheese and Pecan Stuffed Dates

November 9, 2014 by sblades Leave a Comment

This has been a staple party appetizer for us for over ten years. It’s fairly easy to make and very popular on the buffet! It’s difficult to find a savory appetizer that doesn’t have to be warm when served, so I really like this recipe because it’s best when cooled.

I took it to a club Christmas party one year and one of the guys ate I bet nine or ten of them. I was glad he liked them, but was a little worried what all that bacon and those dates would do to his tummy.

These stuffed dates are the perfect combination of sweet, salty and a little crunchy. I used medjool dates for this batch and they were huge! Since they were so big I also used thick-sliced bacon and ended up with quite a substantial two bite snack. You can use regular dates and the thinner sliced bacon and they come out as perfect pop-in-your-mouth appetizers.

Here’s a photo of them when sliced. You can put as much or as little stuffing as you want and even use walnuts or almonds instead of pecans. After baked, the bacon gets almost caramelized. Oh my, they’re good.

Cream Cheese and Pecan Stuffed Dates

**** the best appetizer! Be sure and let them cool completely before serving - they just taste better cooled down.

Servings: 30

Ingredients

1 container of pitted dates
30 pecan halves
10 slices bacon
Cream Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Stuff each date with 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of cream cheese and then push a pecan half into the cream cheese. Cut each slice of bacon into 3 pieces. Wrap 1 piece around each stuffed date and secure with a toothpick. Bake until bacon is crisp, 14 to 16 minutes. Turn on their sides after 7 or 8 minutes. Drain the grease, let cool and serve.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff:

To shorten cooking time, sometimes I microwave the bacon for a minute or so to speed up the process.

The first time you make these, watch them carefully - you don't want the bacon crispy. With thinner bacon - bake for less time.

Neufchatel cream cheese (1/3 less fat) would work just fine on these.

Next time I'll try stuffing a little goat cheese in there in place of the cream cheese. That just sounds very very good to me.

For Christmas parties, I replace the toothpicks with green and red toothpicks to look more festive!

Apple Bacon Coleslaw

July 31, 2014 by sblades Leave a Comment

I’ve got a confession – I’ve never made coleslaw before. I didn’t even know if coleslaw was one word or two. Apparently that’s not very important when you make it, but is fundamental in writing about it.

This recipe originally came from ghettofoodie.com, but I can’t trace it down to the original author as it’s been so long since it was posted on Pinterest (you know how sometimes those links disappear). The photo was divine and I love good coleslaw, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Am I glad I did! This is the best coleslaw I’ve ever had! Although it has vinegar in it, it’s more of a creamy and little bit sweet dressing with nice crunchy ingredients.

Here’s my version of it, changed up quite a bit from the original. Just a warning – it makes a TON of slaw! Luckily Bret had made the Oven Roasted Rack of Pork (a do-not-miss recipe, by the way) and we shared it along with the slaw for dinner with some dear friends. By now my friends know that what they’re eating is probably a photographed, reviewed and new recipe for the site and will be honest with me about the taste. It was a definite hit and a considerable portion of it was left at their house!

Apple Bacon Coleslaw

***1/2 Excellent example of a fine coleslaw. Originally from ghettofoodie.com, but changed up quite a bit. Crunchy, sweet, tangy and creamy - great dressing!

Servings: 8 -10

Ingredients

1/4 C. cider vinegar
1 1/4 C. mayonnaise
1/4 C. honey
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 C. pulp-free orange juice
juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
1 tsp. black pepper
1 medium cabbage cored and shredded
1/2 pack of bacon fried crispy then chopped up
4 medium Granny Smith apples cored and diced

Instructions

While frying the bacon, in a medium bowl, stir the first seven ingredients together, blending until relatively smooth. Prepare the cabbage and apples and scoop them into a large, and I mean large, bowl. Pour the dressing over the cabbage/apple mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover with aluminum foil or lid and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff:

If you have a mandolin, use it on the cabbage and if you want, on the apples, too.

The original recipe had fennel and scallions, but I don't think it needs it at all.

If you don't have time to refrigerate overnight, 3-4 hours would be fine.

You may want to hold back a fourth cup of crispy bacon to add just before serving, as the bacon does tend to soak in the juices and is not crispy after refrigeration.

Next time I will use a tablespoon or so of sugar instead of the honey. It was great with the honey, but I think would be a bit better with sugar instead.

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