Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes We’re a banana-pancake kind of family. Rarely does a regular-old pancake grace a plate in the RecipeGirl house. Bananas are pretty much always sliced up and cooked right on in there with the batter. It’s the way we do our pancakes around here, plain and simple. I was feeling a little wild and crazy last weekend though, and surprised my husband with a new kind of pancake- one where bananas were nowhere to be found: Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes. These pancakes were stuffed with corn, crumbled bacon, onions, chives and Monterey Jack cheese. The truth was… I wasn’t exactly how these would go over either. As a true bacon lover does, I saved some extra crispy bacon to serve on top. And then I covered it all with a massive downpour of warm maple syrup. And then… we sampled. So what do you think… are you up for sampling some Griddle Cakes? Yield: Eight 4-inch griddle cakes Prep Time: 25 min Cook Time: 25 min Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes These unique pancakes are stuffed with bacon, corn and cheese.
Corn Chowder with Chilies This is to die for. It’s just a regular corn chowder made with fresh corn shaved off the cob, which is yummy enough as it is. But throw a little bacon in with the onions as its base and add in a couple of different kinds of chilies? Takes it over the top. I also stir in a little secret ingredient to thicken the soup—I’ll show you what it is in a second. Make this soup soon. Your happiness depends on it. Start with some bacon pieces. You want to wind up with very small pieces of bacon—1/2 inch or smaller. Grab some corn. Use a very sharp knife to slice off the kernels. You could easily use frozen corn if that’s all you can get your hands on. Chop up some onion. Now throw the bacon into a pot or dutch oven. Throw in the onions… Stir and cook the bacon and onions for a couple of minutes When the onions start to get soft, throw in a pat or two of butter just for a little flavor. Next, throw in the corn! Crack open a can of chipotle peppers. They’re packaged in adobo sauce and smell really smoky.
Not Your Everyday Pasta..Mexican Baked Penne at Family Kitchen (photo courtesy of RecipesToRunOn.com) Sometimes the best meals come from a combination of two different cultures. I am Italian and grew up eating lots and lots of pasta. I didn’t really start eating Mexican food other than (gasp!!) Taco Bell until I was a little older and realized how simple and full of flavor Mexican cooking could be. Since I’ve discovered my love of fresh Mexican food, I have to admit we eat at least one Mexican inspired meal every week. A meal like this can always be made ahead (say like the day before) and quickly popped into the oven before your meal. Baked Mexican PenneRecipe from Aggie’s Kitchen 6-8 servings 1/2 box of whole wheat penne 1 lb of lean ground beef 1 TB olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large bell pepper, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp chili powder 2 jars of salsa (I used 2 16oz jars of Newman’s Own salsa) 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed salt and pepper 2 cups of shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cream and Avocado Before we talk burgers, let me tell you what I’m doing. I’m eating some blueberry yogurt pretzels (which are oh-so awesome… but would be even awesomer if they were really coated in yogurt and not white chocolate disguised as yogurt) and drinking a san pellgrino aranciata that is spiked with um… vodka, malibu and tequila. With those pretty perfectly square ice cubes. I know. I just couldn’t decide! I just kept adding things to the soda until I got a taste that I liked. But what is up with all of these flavors? I mean, it was great, if you’re into that sort of thing that includes plastering yourself to the couch for so long that your body forms an identical indentation that’s semi-permanent, and ordering pizza Friday night which not only was dinner, but then also became lunch and then uh, dinner again on Saturday. Now don’t go getting all excited thinking that my husband ate these for dinner. Welcome to my life. Print Save Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cream and Avocado Chomp.
Easy Truffles This is the fastest and easiest recipe for making delicious, perfectly flavored chocolate truffles. Customize the flavors and toppings to suit your exact tastes. You'll get hooked on trying to come up with the perfect combinations, and your friends and family will be more than happy to help judge their favorites! Today I share with you my experience making a recipe from the Martha Stewart website. A small box or bag of truffles makes a great gift. Homemade Pasta | The Pioneer Woman Cooks Make Ryan’s homemade pasta this weekend! It’s the right thing to do. First, I must say this: there is NOTHING like homemade noodles with a hearty, meaty sauce. Nothing. Now, I’d never pass up pasta of any kind. Let’s start this tutorial with Ryan’s words. “Two eggs per one cup of flour. Got it. Now let’s see it in action! Make a well in the flour. This is how Marlboro Man’s great-great grandmother started any baked good, and she’d do it right in the flour bin. Once they’re cracked in… Start mixing it lightly with one hand… Until it’s all combined. Turn it out onto a floured surface… And begin kneading it, rolling and punching and pushing, until it’s done. See the texture of the surface at this point? Do you see how it’s “tacky” and not very smooth? There’s no right or wrong way to knead. Just be sure to take it out to dinner first. It’s all ready when it looks like this! Smooth, not sticky or tacky. When you’re ready, roll it out on a floured surface as thinly as it’ll go. I just love Lindy. Mmmmm.
The Perfect Pancakes source: Simple Organized Living On busy weekday mornings, we often settle for a quick bowl of cold or hot cereal. However, if you stop by our house on any given Saturday morning, you will most likely be greeted by the smell of warm pancakes, maple syrup, and hot coffee. We LOVE pancakes!! I have to confess though, when we first got married, I made pancakes from Bisquick mix. This recipe only requires a few common baking ingredients, and the only dishes you’ll have to wash are a bowl, a fork, and 2 measuring devices! This recipe makes about 15 small pancakes, but is easily doubled or tripled to feed larger groups. source: Simple Organized Living.com Ingredients: 1 c. all-purpose flour1 T. brown sugar1 T. baking powderpinch of salt1 large egg1 c. milk1 T. oil or melted butter3 T. sour creamblueberries, raspberries, chocolate chips or your favorite mix-in {optional} Directions: In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. What are your favorite weekend breakfast foods?
Hash-brown casserole This hash-brown casserole is the perfect side dish. I served it last night with my chicken pot pie to a crowd. It’s cheesy comfort food at its best. The parmesan gives it a tangy flavor, and best of all it’s really easy to fix. Its got five ingredients you mix together and pop it in the oven. Start out by adding 1 – 32 ounce bag of hash-browns to a large mixing bowl. Next add 2 – 10 3/4 ounce cans of cream of potato soup. Followed by 16 ounces of sour cream. Now comes the cheesy part. And 1 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese. Next add a good-sized pinch of salt and pepper, and that’s it. Put the mixture into a buttered Pyrex. Run this wonderful concoction into a pre-heated oven at 350′ for 1 hour See…..brown and crunchy. You may wonder why I’ve taken such a close-up picture. It’s because I almost forgot to take a photo at all. Enjoy! the wanna be country girl – Caroline
Authentic Tacos On Friday I posted my usual tacos that Mandi and I make most Thursdays. This past week however, we were trying to be healthy. We still wanted tacos, so we decided to make a more authentic Mexican version of tacos from the cookbook "Authentic Mexican" by Rick Bayless. I've had this book for a few months and we had yet to make anything from it, seeing him on top chef last week prompted me to finally open it up. While what we made isn't healthy, it is better for you then the tacos we usually make, and since it was different, we would be more conscious of not stuffing ourselves. I couldn't believe they had all these dried chiles at the store. I seeded them all. Put them into a hot pan just to sort of wake up the flavors and add a little char. Chunk of chuck and i look like a chipmunk After searing all of the chiles, pour boiling water on them and let them sit for a half hour. Didn't need to dice the garlic and onions because they are going into the blender. With some oregano And cumin