Keto Chicken, Bacon, Guacamole Salsa Casserole aka “Clean the Fridge” Casserole for 4 people

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-2 1/2 cups of “cooked” chicken.  I used left over rotisserie and chopped into bite size pieces.
• 6-8 slices of cooked bacon…I lean towards LOTS of BACON
• Assorted veggies that were in the fridge that I needed to use up..Brussel Sprouts, sliced, assorted colorful peppers, chopped, broccoli, chopped..you can use spinach, kale, onions you name it…and I sautéed them all together in a pan with bacon grease because you need to cook the veggies
• 1 tbs of mince garlic that I added to the sautéed veggies along with some of my favorite seasonings…your choice!
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese…or you can use whatever you have on hand! I saved 1/2 of cheese to put on top
• 1 cup of Guacamole Salsa that was staring me in the face but the recipe from “Wholesome Yum” suggested a ranch dressing…to time consuming to make and I cut it with 1/4 c of sour cream to make is less spicy (tho if it were just for me, I would not have cut it) and saved about 1/4 c to put on top along with the cheese.

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. PREHEAT OVER TO 375 degrees
2. Mix ALL the ingredients into a large bowl and mix **reserving 1/2 cup of cheese & 1/4 c of salsa
3. Transfer to an 8×8 greased baking dish…
4. Top with extra salsa and cheese and in the oven it goes, uncovered
5. Should be ready to eat in about 20 minutes, when cheese is melted and it is bubbly!

THANK YOU Wholesome Yum for your recipe!!! It was delicious and this fed 4 people

 

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Make My Own Bacon??? Why Not!!

With the price of Bacon going up and up, and the amount that I seem to consume, it only seemed natural that I would try and make my own Bacon…but, how do it, I didn’t have a clue! And now, thanks to the internet, I researched, watched You Tubes and put my big girl panties on…and took the challenge!!

This process is so darn easy…it’s the PATIENCE of waiting for it to “cure”, that is the difficult part!! So, here we go! And, BTW, I made a Maple Flavored Bacon

INGREDIENTS: (this is for a 3 lb slab of uncured Pork Belly)

• 3 lb uncured Pork Belly
• 5 TBS Kosher Salt
• 5 TBS cracked pepper
• 3 TBS Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/2 c Maple Syrup (not necessary if you don’t want Maple flavored)
• 3/4c Distilled water…don’t ask me why but that’s what the recipe called for!
• 1/2 tsp Morton Quick Salt (this is the “curing salt” and available in grocery stores where the Pink Prague #1 is so hard to find unless you go on line)

First thing you need to do is buy some boneless pork belly! I went to Costco and picked this 9.84 pound slab at $3.69 a pound and came home and cut it into thirds.  The magic number of 3lbs/slab seemed to be what most recipes called for…so that’s what i did!

Next you “score” the fatty part and I vacu-sealed the other 2 and put them in the freezer.

Then gather your ingredients:

Kosher salt, Brown sugar, Distilled Water, Pepper, Morton Tender Quick (the curing salt), and Maple Syrup

Mix it all together, then pour on the slab, cover it in a container like this or a gallon zip lock bag, and put it in your fridge for the next 9 days…turning it over every morning!!

When you have “patiently” waited the 9 days, take the slab of pork belly out of the curing fluids and wash gently, taking off any excess remnants of the curing process, dry with a paper towel then put on a wire rack or a plate and leave UNCOVERED, in the fridge for 24 hours…(yup, more dang waiting…this is when I had to triple my ADD medications!!)

And NOW, DAY 10…FINALLY, it is time to smoke this baby!! I used a Traeger Smoker (thanks to my neighbor) and set the temp to “smoke…stuck a thermometer into it and ONCE AGAIN, “patiently” waited for it to register at 150 degrees, internally, but I must admit, it was not that bad to wait because the aroma “tantalized” every golfer that tee’d up their ball (I live on a tee box)…and it took about 2 hours!

At long last, I removed the long adorned “Smoked Gift from the Pork Gods” and brought it to my kitchen where, freaking ONCE AGAIN (lord Jesus, Mary & Joseph), I had to put it in the fridge to harden it so that cutting it would be easier!!!

I sliced the Bacon and then put it on a large 1″ cookie sheet, lined with aluminum foil into a COLD oven…then set the temp at 400 degrees and in a matter of minutes (about 10-15 to be exact) I took it out and no, it was NOT crispy NOR should it be, but some little burnt areas around the edges…

And proceeded to make the MOST delicious BLT Sandwich on lightly toasted white bread, lettuce and tomatoes….and remember those golfers??? well they came back and wanted their very own BLT sandwiches!! So, that 3 lb slab was gone in a nano-second and the two in the freezer…they are defrosting as we speak!!  SOOOOO worth the “waiting”!!

 

 

 

Spicy & Sweet Sriracha Chicken with Bacon & Brown Sugar

INGREDIENTS:  (this fed 6 of us very well)

• 2 boneless chicken breast cut into 1′ bite size pieces
• 1 lb bacon with each slice cut into 3 pieces
• 2 TBS Sriracha Chili Sauce (if you don’t have it, GET IT…one of my favorite condiments!!)
• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1/2 cup of canola oil.
• 1/2 or more of brown sugar on a plate or bowl to roll your chix/bacon wrap

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 degrees

Spray Pam or whatever you prefer on a large baking pan

Whisk the Sriracha, lime juice & canola oil in bowl and then put n gallon size zip bag.

Chicken breast cut into 1″ pieces and marinated in 2TBS Sriracha, 2 TBS lime juice & 1/2 c canola oil. Whisk those 3 ingredients, then pour into a gallon zip lock bag and add the chicken pieces and put in fridge for 30″ to an hour.

Take the bacon and cut each slice into 3. Then take a piece of the chicken, roll it up and then use the toothpick to keep it together. Now, take the Sriracha sauce and brush some on that and then roll in the brown sugar. The sauce helps the brown sugar stick AND gives it a little more kick Place on a greased baking pan and put into a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for 25-30 mins. Put it in the middle of the oven. If you want to add some “crisp” you can turn on the broiler, but keep the oven door, ajar..and DON’T go to far..you would hate to burn these delicious masterpieces!

Then find a really pretty serving dish and watch them vanish in a Nano-Second!!!

Mac & Cheese with Broccoli & Bacon

This I made from the May issue of Cooking Light. So EASY and SOOO darn good!

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked large or regular elbow macaroni
• 3 cups prechopped broccoli florets
• 6 bacon slices, cooked crispy, then cooled and then crumble and put in bowl and put aside
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic from a jar is just fine!
• 1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk…or whole milk..or better yet, 1/2 & 1/2
• 1 cup chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour $
• 10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/4 cups) and i also used some blue cheese that I had on hand!! That was yummy!

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. 2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add broccoli to same pot  during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain both
3.  While pasta cooks, place bacon in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, drain then crumble; reserve 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan.
4. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add chicken to drippings in pan; cook 4 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with turmeric; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
5.  Combine remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, milk, stock, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Add pasta mixture and 2 ounces cheese; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 3 ounces cheese and bacon. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts and just begins to brown.
6. Let cool about 5 mins and then dish it up!! You will see nothing but empty plates and people asking for more!!

This feeds 4 people with a little extra for seconds…and there WILL be seconds!!!

THANK YOU Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light (with a little adaptions of my own!)
MAY 2014

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

feeds 4-5 people

Voila…Ready to Serve

INGREDIENTS:

• 25 Tater Tots thawed at room temp 30 mins before using
• 1/2 lb of bacon with each strip cut into 3 pieces
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1TBS Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Chipotle Powder (optional..I like things spicy)

DIRECTIONS:

Gather all your ingredients

 

1 LB bacon cut into three pieces

 

Tater Tots thawed at room temperature

 

Wrap bacon around tater

 

Roll the bacon wrapped tater in the brown sugar mixture

 

Put Taters on parchment or foil lined cookie sheet and cook for 15 mins (or until bacon is crispy) in preheated 375 oven

 

Take out, let cool, stick a toothpick and serve

 

**** I also made these the day before and froze them, then took out and put them on lined parchment and cooked for 25-30 mins at 350 until the bacon was crispy!!***

Bacon Pancakes

 

 

Bacon Pancakes

Start with the bacon and cook in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 mins until crispy

 

Just follow the “all you do is add water” directions for the amount of pancake mix you are going to use

 

Just put the cooked bacon in the pan and add the pancake mix on top

 

How easy is that. Now wait for the bubbles to appear, and then flip over

 

30 seconds later….

 

VOILA!…and you can add fruit to make it sooo HEALTHY!! hahaha

 

 

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Ingredients

•  Meatloaf:
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 6 slices White Bread
• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 3/4 teaspoons Salt
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
• 4 whole Eggs, Beaten
• 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
•  Sauce:
• 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
•  Tabasco To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Serve with mashed potatoes. Yummy!

Thank you Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, for your delicious recipe!!!

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Bacon Wrapped Scallops in Maple Marinade

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/4 c Hoisin Sauce 24 large sea scallops,

12 slices smoked bacon, halved 12 toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Stir together maple syrup, soy sauce, Hoisin Sauce and Dijon mustard in a bowl until smooth. Add the scallops, and toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate at least one hour.
2.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of aluminum foil.
3.	Arrange bacon pieces on baking sheet so they do not overlap. Bake in preheated oven until some of the grease has rendered out of the bacon; the bacon should still be very soft and pliable, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon from the baking sheet and pat with paper towels to remove excess grease. Drain or wipe grease from the baking sheet.
4.	Wrap each scallop piece with a piece of bacon, and secure with a toothpick. Place onto baking sheet. Add marinade sauce to each scallop then put in oven.
5.	Bake in preheated oven until the scallops are opaque and the bacon is crisp, 10 to 15 minutes, turning once.

Bacon Wrapped Turkey!!!

The final product!!!!

INGREDIENTS

• One 12 pound turkey
• lots of kosher salt
• a plastic bag from the grocer

• Take the turkey, clean out the insides and make sure you remove the neck giblets and anything else in the cavity.  Clean it off thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel .  Next add kosher salt all over and then put into a grocery bag, close it up and put in the fridge for at least 12 to 24 hours.  This is called BRINING the turkey.

After it has Brined, take it out of the bag and rinse it under water and again, pat dry with paper towel….now the fun part.

First, preheat your oven to 500 Degrees 

Next take:

• 2 sticks soft butter
• 1 /2 cup poultry seasonings (sage, thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary or poultry seasoning alone…your choice!)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound bacon to use with butter

• Put all ingredients into food processor and mix until ingredients are smooth

 

• Now, SLOWLY, rub the mixture under the skin with the breast and the legs & thighs doing your best not to tear it.  Then take the rest and spread it ALL over the turkey so it looks like a kindergarten project!!

• Put this in a 500 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes and then remove from oven.

Once removed from the oven, take your bacon strips and put it on top of the turkey and make whatever design you want!!! I did a lattice look like one does with pie crust, but it makes no difference.  Once the turkey has the bacon all over it, reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  You can tent it with an aluminum foil  and make sure you have a meat thermometer on hand and check it until you have an internal temp of 160 degrees.  Then take out of oven and let sit for 20 mins before carving.

The final product!!!!

Once I take it out of the oven, I put it on the cutting board and cover with the foil and let sit while I go back to the pan and start making the gravy!!!

When I carve it, I do take ALL the bacon off and I saved it and put it in the fridge to use at breakfast the next day.  But you can also serve the bacon with your meal!!  Again, YOUR CHOICE!!!!

This truly was the BEST turkey I ever made and I think my guest can attest to that!!!!  Everyone went back for seconds!!!!!!

*****Thank you the Daily Meal & the Runawayspoon for your guidance in making this meal!!******