Oven Corn on the Cob with Molasses Cilantro butter

  Nope... I have drifted off into the wild blue blog-o-sphere.  I'm still here!  I've had a few rough months and blogging is the last thing I've had on my mind.  I've got yet another surgery coming up this Tuesday and hopefully that will bring me some much needed relief from pain.
I'm still facing eating challenges but its slowly improving.  I've not done much cooking... lack of appetite, pain and eating issues just killed my desire.  Unfortunately, its also played havoc on our finances!  Time for me to get my but in gear and start making meals for the family again and staying on budget.
Yesterday was another hot and muggy day... perfect burger weather!  Homemade hamburgers are THE best.  I would rather have a burger cooked on the grill at home than any fast food or restaurant burger.  Maybe its the touch of my husband... man, does he cook a good burger!  I had some corn on the cob and tried a new technique; for me it was a new technique. It was pretty darn good corn!

Keep the corn in its husk and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  I just laid the corn straight on the oven racks; no sense getting more dishes dirty!  Let the corn cook for thirty minutes.  Remove from the oven and shuck.  Easy Peasy.

I was going to leave it like that but figured for my blogging friends I would go the extra mile... hey! You're worth it!  I found a recipe for a Molasses Cilantro Butter and while it looked icky (sorry, brown is just not the eye appealing color for food unless its chocolate!) the flavor was a nice touch to the sweet corn.

I found the original recipe here at delish.com    I had to substitute dried cilantro for the fresh since mine isn't growing too well yet and I really wanted that molasses flavor so I upped the amount.  
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon molasses (it originally calls for 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried cilantro

Combine ingredients to blend completely.  The recipe says it makes enough for eight ears of corn.  We used about a teaspoon on the butter mix per ear of corn.  We really liked the extra molasses addition but I think starting off with the 1 teaspoon and adding more to taste would be ideal for most people.

Secret Recipe Club: Crumbs and Chaos Butterfinger grape salad

 

This month I had the honor of stalking the wonderful blog of Crumbs and Chaos for my Secret Recipe Club assignment. SRC pairs us up with another blog which we must then challenge ourselves to make one of their recipes.

Crumbs and Chaos is a blog created by four sisters.I loved that they had an index for their recipes (look under Crumbs) and spent many an hour browsing through the recipes. I couldn't decide on one recipe, so I actually made two of them for our Fourth of July celebration: Cream Cheese Corn and her Candy Bar and Grape Salad

While we all enjoyed the creamy deliciousness of the corn, it was the grape salad that stole the show. The response went from "What?" To "Oh my gosh this is fabulous!"

I made a few changes: cutting the grapes to make it appropriate for my grand daughter and using vanilla and honey Greek yogurt, leaving out the sugar from the original recipe.



Butterfinger Grape Salad
adapted from Crumbs and Chaos
1 1/2 cups Red Grapes, cut into fourths (I did this because our grapes were HUGE and I had little ones eating)
1 1/2 cups Green Grapes, cut into fourths
4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
3 ounces Vanilla and Honey Greek Yogurt
2 reg. sized Butterfinger Candy Bars

Directions:
Rinse grapes and cut into fourths; Place into a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese and yogurt until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture over grapes and stir, gently, to combine. Coarsely chop the Butterfingers candy bars and divide in half. Combine half to the salad and stir to mix in. Top with the remaining half prior to serving.
As an added note, this recipe did not really keep well since I cut the grapes into fourths. I added the cream cheese/yogurt mixture prior to serving to keep it from having to much liquid..

Cream Cheese Corn

from Crumbs and Chaos

1 pound frozen corn, thawed
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste ( I used scant half teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper)
paprika, optional for topping

Directions:
Cook corn according to package directions ( I like to steam mine in the microwave to retain all the nutrients!). If boiling the corn, drain off excess liquid after cooking. Add cream cheese and butter to cooked corn and stir in to combine. I had to microwave mine for an additional thirty seconds to get everything to cream up nicely. Add cayenne, salt and pepper and mix well. Top with Paprika, if desired. Best served warm.

Korean Pork and Slaw

One good thing.... well, two since one of them is having the problem resolved... is that I've been able to get my recipes organized and a meal plan completed for the month.  Since I'm going to continue on with the  WW plan it will allow me to know how many points I have set aside for dinner, therefor making it easier for me to plan out lunch and breakfast.  An added bonus is that it will also keep me on budget :-)

While these chops were good... it was agreed upon that for our tastes it wasn't "great."  So, you may ask, Why am I blogging about them?  Well, because this is a Lets Try blog and some things will be successful and others not so much.  I also believe that not everyone may not have the same taste as us and they may find these to delicious.  Which side will you be on? You won't know unless you give them a try.  

Korean Pork and Slaw

adapted from eatingwell.com

4 servings, 1 pork chop & 1 1/2 cups slaw each | 4 points per serving

Ingredients

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided  (I used olive oil)

3 small cloves garlic, minced, divided

4 teaspoons chili powder, divided

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon fish sauce or reduced-sodium soy sauce  (I used soy)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon lime juice  (We thought it needed more of a tang so made this addition)

6 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage   (I only had red cabbage on hand so used that)

4 radishes, cut into matchsticks

4 scallions, thinly sliced into 2-inch lengths

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 bone-in pork chops, 1/2-3/4 inch thick (about 2 pounds), trimmed  (I used boneless, leaner and what I had on hand)

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium.

Whisk together the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 teaspoons chili powder, sugar, soy, cayenne pepper, radishes, lime juice and scallions; toss to coat. Set aside

Take the remaining garlic and 2 teaspoons of chili powder, salt, 1 teaspoon of oil, and make a paste.  I just threw it all in my small Cuisinart.  Divide paste in half; rub each side of the chops with half of the rub.

Grill the pork chops, turning once, until cooked through, it was about 4 minutes per side on our grill. 

Make the slaw: Chop, or slice your cabbage and toss with the dressing.  Serve with pork.  We found that it produced the best flavor when it was a bit with both pork and slaw.

Nutrition

Per serving : 304 Calories; 17 g Fat;  8 g Carbohydrates; 29 g Protein; 3 g Fiber;

Dilled Carrot Puree

Another recipe from the 5 ingredient 15 minute WW magazine was the Dilled Carrot Puree.  My grand sweetie just gobbled this stuff down!  It got thumbs up on flavor, but we all agree that we would have preferred it, texture wise, with it being a "mash" rather than a puree.  At only 88 calories, this was something I could eat without guilt. It did make a lot and so we had leftovers that got used in rather clever ways.  My mom slathered some across a tortilla, added some turkey meat and cabbage mix.  She's pretty clever at times!

Dilled Carrot Puree
adapted from best of weight watchers; 5 ingredients 15 minutes

1 cup cubed peeled russet potato

1 cup fat free, chicken broth

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound baby carrots

1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill

Place everything but the dill into a 2 quart sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and let cook until carrots and potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.  remove from heat.

Add half the mixture into a blender ( I love using my vitamix !!!) and process until smooth and pour into a bowl; repeat with remaining mixture. Stir in dill and serve.  Like I mentioned earlier....I won't puree mine again just because texture wise it wasn't favored.  A good mash would work just as well.

Note:  Putting hot foods into a blender takes some precaution.  Be sure not to fill too high and cover the lid with a paper towel to prevent splatters.  Never start off on the highest power.... trust me, this is info from the experienced!

SRC: Betsylife Pasta with Asparagus

The best part of SRC (secret recipe club) is getting to experience all the fabulous blogs out there.  The worst part.... deciding which of their fabulous dishes I want to try.  This month I had the privilege of getting Betsy's blog, Betsylife.  She also is working on food styling and her blog clearly shows her talent in that.  I'll patiently pause here so that you can view her blog and see for yourself how accurate of a description that is :-)   Gorgeous pictures and many healthy choices to choose from.

I needed to take a dish to a family gathering so decided on making her Pasta with Asperagus I made a few changes but nothing too drastic.  While this was delicious as it was, I had to add bacon (sorry, it was written in the marriage vows that all meals must include bacon)  it really didn't need it.  But while I'm thinking of it,some added chicken breast would make an meat lover happy in this dish.  Betsy used this as a meal in itself but I used it as a side pasta salad.  Either way works pretty darn good!

Pasta with Asparagus and Parmesan

8 ounces uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 cup chicken broth (substitute vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup bacon crumbles

Directions
Cook Pasta according to package directions using the 1 tablespoon of kosher salt in the water.

Add oil to pan medium size skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add asparagus to pan and cook tender, (this took me about 4 minutes.) Don't overcook the asparagus as you still wants some crispness to them. lly. Remove asparagus from pan and set aside. Add broth, lemon rind, and garlic to the pan; allow the liquid to reduce by half (about 5-7 minutes). Return asparagus to pan, add pasta, salt,pepper, cayenne and bacon; toss well. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Oh So Yummy Green Beans!

As I am learning this whole blogging thing... (yes, I've been doing it for almost two years but I am a slow learner!) I'm learning about blog etiquette. Its frustrating to want to do the right thing when your computer isn't letting you.  I apologize for not responding to comments.  Honestly, I can't begin to express the joy I get when I have a comment to my post.  I'm working with blogger help to get this resolved (God Bless those marvelous patient people!) but not having much luck finding the problem. Keep writing though... please!

As my Fibromyalgia has been battling me and my knees are screaming, the doctor and I agree that its time for me to drop some weight.  Why is it that even though I went into the doctor with a firm conviction to speak with her about dieting, the minute the doctor tells me I should lose weight , I get the attitude of "YOU can't tell me what to do!"  After I had my short burst of rebellion (maybe it lasted a few days :-)) I spoke with my husband about a new plan.  I've struggled with an eating disorder and and having "Forbidden" foods is a trigger for me.  So we decided that we would just implement more fruits and veggies into our diet.  Mind you, I'm not a huge vegetable fan but I will tolerate some.  I found some fresh green beans down at our local Costco and wanted to jazz them up a bit.  On Allrecipes.com I found a recipe called Green beans with Almonds and Caramelized  Shallots.  I was totally game with it but had to do a bit of fussing with it. Part of the reason is because I had only one shallot on hand so had to substitute regular onion.  The other reason being I like to add Cayenne pepper to my vegetables.
Oh So Yummy Green Beans
adapted from this recipe this recipe
1/4 blanched slivered almonds or chopped almonds (see note to learn how to blanch your almonds!)
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, chopped (can substitute using red or yellow bell pepper)
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt (more if desired)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (more if desired)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if desired)
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped

Directions
In a dry skillet, over low heat, place the almonds and cook and stir continuously until they are lightly toasted.  Almonds can quickly go from tasted to burnt so be sure to pay attention!  It took me only three minutes to get mine toasted. Remove from pan and set aside.

Insert a steamer into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the steamer.  Bring water to a boil.  Add the green beans, cover and steam until tender enough to pierce with a fork.  I like my beans a little less done... I want a bit of a crunch so I steamed for five minutes.  Drain the green beans and set aside.

While green beans are steaming; using a skillet, heat butter overmedium-low heat; add onions and bell pepper until softened.  This took me about eight minutes.  Reduce heat to low and add sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.  Cook until sugar is dissolved and onions have caramelized, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the green beans to the skillet, mix well and stir in the toasted almonds.

Serves 6

Note: how to blanch almonds
Place almonds in a bowl.
Pour boiling water to barely cover almonds.
Let the almonds sit for 1 minute and no longer.
Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.
Pat dry and slip the skins off.

Easy Sausage Stuffing

What I like best about stuffing is the top part that gets all crunchy!  Don't get me wrong, I eat all of the stuffing. Its just that the crispy topping is just so yummy!  For the past nine years I have been making a variation of this stuffing recipe.  Not much really changes, sometimes I use fresh herbs and other times I use dried.  If my kids are going to eat it then I leave out mushrooms and  I will cook the onions and celery in a bit of butter before adding to the stuffing. Sometimes I add dried cranberries, too.  The bread is pretty much whatever I find I have on hand.  This time I used a whole grain bread but it works great with sour dough, rye, whole wheat or even the cheapie white bread you get at the grocery store. I have used this inside a turkey but mostly I make it on the side because I like to stuff my turkey with fresh herbs and lemon.  Besides, I get more of the crunchy topping when its cooked separately!

Sausage Stuffing

2 pounds bread, cut into chunks

1 package Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage

1 medium onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

8 ounces fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 stems of fresh thyme, leaves removed
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped

1 can (14 1/2 ounce) Swanson Chicken broth  ( or use your own homemade broth)

Directions:
Cook and drain sausage, crumble.  In large pot add sausage, cubed bread, onions, celery and seasonings; stir until evenly moistened.
Bake at 325 degrees F or 30 minutes covered.  Uncover and bake 15 minutes more

Crazy Cooking Challenge: Roasted Smashed Potatoes

This month's crazy cooking challenge was "Mashed Potatoes."  In case you are wondering, the crazy cooking challenge is the brainchild of Tina's from moms crazy cooking. Each month you are given a theme (last month was chocolate chip cookies) and you are to be inspired from another persons blog.  Genius!  I love being able to support another fellow blogger!

So, mashed potatoes is the theme for November and there are tons of different recipes out there!  Even my meat and potatoes loving husband enjoyed this challenge! The first recipe I tried was for a twice baked potato that used a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.  Oh yeah! It was definitely a keeper recipe and one I will share with you all in the future.  But I was looking for something a bit more different to put up for this challenge and was torn between trying Deep Fried Mashed Potato Balls and one called Roasted Smashed Potatoes.  Laziness won out in the end and I nixed the deep frying for the time being.  Roasted Smashed Potatoes was a bit time consuming, but really quite easy. Be sure to check out Chad's  blog, there is a plethora of information on it.   This was an interesting challenge. It will be nice to have a few new recipes to switch up side dishes from time to time. The idea behind this recipe is to have a crispy exterior and a creamy interior.... crazy as that sounds, it worked!  Super duper yummy!

Roasted Smashed Potatoes

http://www.chadchandler.com/roasted-smashed-potatoes/

2½ pounds baby reds or small Yukon gold potatoes (1½-2 inch in diameter)
3/4 cups water
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
fresh rosemary, thyme or sage for garnish

salt & pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Move the oven rack to the top and bottom positions and preheat the oven to 500°. Place the potatoes on a baking tray and add the water.The potatoes should be fairly small, but if need be you may cut potatoes in half.  Cover pan  tightly with foil so that the potatoes will steam. Place the potatoes on the bottom rack in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes.

Take them out of the oven, remove the foil, and let the potatoes cool down for a few minutes.Drain off water.  Once cooled, drizzle potatoes with olive oil and roll them so that potatoes are evenly coated.
Space them evenly across the tray. Place another baking tray on top of the potatoes and smash them down until they’re only about ½ inch thick. Season them to your own taste; Add more olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper so that all the seasonings run into all of the cracks and depressions. I used some rosemary but it is really to your own preference what seasonings you would like to use.  I think garlic would also work really well with this!

Place the tray back in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes on the top rack. Switch to bottom rack and cook an additional 25 minutes . The bottom of the potatoes should be crisp. If desired, use the broiler on top rack to crisp up the tops more.  Remove from oven and sprinkle tops with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Secret Recipe Club: A trip to Debbi does dinner healthy!

      Its reveal time for Group B of the Secret Recipe Club!  This has been such a satisfying challenge group to participate in.  Not only do you get to explore many different blogs but  you also get the joy of passing along some blogger love.  I mean, who doesn't like having their blog complemented? If you are looking for a way to increase your blog visitation than I suggest you check into SRC.
     Holidays are quickly approaching and I always gain a few pounds. This month my secret blog challenge was Debbi does dinner healthy.  I had a challenge just choosing something to make!! Debbi's blog is one I'm going to have to seriously follow.  I love that she has a slight obsession with sweet potatoes and I've got a handful of those recipes save to try on a future date.  And her Buffalo Chicken Shepherds Pie sounds like a massive plateful of YUM!
     I finally narrowed my choices down to two recipes: Butternut Squash Bake and Asian Style Fresh Green Beans. I have this turkey that needed to get used up and I felt that the squash and green beans would be an excellent accompaniment.
The Butternut squash bake is to die for!  It has just the right hint of heat and the crisp topping reheats even reheats well.  While we all loved the flavor of the Asian Style Fresh green beans, we thought that they were too firm.  I even slightly boiled them before stir frying them and  they were still firm... I'm still getting the feel of my new stove and am sure that the error is on my end and not on Debbi's.   I will make the recipe again but definitely add a longer cooking time.  

Butternut Squash Bake
adapted from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
1 large butternut squash, about 2 pounds, peeled and cubed (I used some squash that I had roasted and stored in my freezer.)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 egg
15 Ritz Crackers, crushed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon fresh oregano,  chopped fine
salt and pepper

Heat a large pot of water to boiling, ad squash and cook until soft, about 15-20 minutes. If using frozen squash, thaw and drain liquid. 
In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter; add in crushed crackers, cheese and oregano.  Season with salt and pepper; stir well.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in another small saucepan; cook onion until translucent and just beginning to brown; add garlic, saute for a few more minutes and remove from heat.

When the squash is cooked, drain the water and toss the squash in a bowl.  Add mayonnaise, onion, garlic, hot sauce and egg. Mash together well. 

Pour into an 8x8-inch pan or casserole dish; top with cracker cheese mixture and cover with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.  Remove foil and bake for an additional five minutes.

Asian Style Fresh Green Beans
adapted from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
1 pound fresh green beans, both ends snapped off and removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
sesame seeds for garnish

  Debbie's recipe didn't call for this part but I know my picky boys would have preferred this first step. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a big pinch of salt. Add in green beans and cook 2-3 minutes, just until slightly tender and bright green. Drain, and plunge quickly into a bath of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the green beans and dry them

      Heat sesame oil in pan, saute green beans for about 3 minutes; add garlic and red pepper flakes.  Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes.  Add in soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper until beans are coated.

Secret Recipe Club: Mahogany Pork and Veggies with Oven Baked Polenta

Its time again for the great "Secret Recipe Club" reveal.  If you haven't heard about SRC, it is another food challenge.  SRC assigns you a blog, which you secretly lurk on to, and find a recipe to make for yourself. This month the Secret Recipe Club assigned me http://pennypinchingprovisions.blogspot.com .
I had a great time browsing through her website and making a final decision on what to make was difficult.  Since I had never tried polenta before, I decided to go with her dish of Mahogany Pork and Veggies with Oven Polenta.  While I did make a few adjustments, I pretty much stuck with her recipe and everything was amazing!  My hubby can be a rather fussy eater and even he said to make everything again!  
I had a bigger piece of pork loin so I doubled the marinade and added half into a bowl of the meat, and the other half I used to marinate the vegetables.  For the polenta I used the sharp cheddar I had on hand instead of the Parmesan cheese. Thank you for giving me a new meal to put on our food rotation.  Absolutely fabulous! 

Mahogony Pork and Veggies
see the original recipe here
2 pound pork tenderloin, cut into strips
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red onion (I just cut the onion into 1/8 chunks)
2 large red or orange bell peppers, sliced

Directions:
Slice vegetables and Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, olive  and garlic: mix and set aside

In a medium bowl add the peppers and onion and pour half of the marinade over it.  Mix together and set aside.  In another bowl add the meat, add some fresh ground black pepper (to taste) and pour the remaining marinade over the meat; toss to coat.  Let set for no longer than 1/2 hour.

Preheat skillet to Medium-High... you want a nice hot pan so that the vegetables will slightly carmalize and not steam cook.  Add the vegetables with the marinade and cook about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.  Remove, cover and keep warm

Let the pan preheat again, add meat to the skillet, cook about 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally until done. Pour meat over veggies to serve.

Oven Polenta

1-1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 Tbl olive oil
1/4 tsp salt1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350* Grease 8x8 dish. Combine all ingredients except cheese. Bake 50 minutes, stirring once.Stir in cheese. Bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  We didn't wait the ten minutes... we were too hungry!

Spanish Style Quinoa

 My first experience with quinoa was not going to be my last! I was afraid it was going to be like cous cous - not a favorite of mine; However, it was a bit nutty and more like brown rice. I used a recipe from allrecipes.com for Spanish-Style Quinoa and served it up with some skillet enchiladas. Even my picky husband liked it!

Spanish Style Quinoa 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

1 cup uncooked quinoa 

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 1/2 cups water 

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 

Directions

Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the quinoa, onion, garlic, and green pepper. Cook and stir 5 to 10 minutes until the onion is tender, and the quinoa has lightly toasted.

Stir in the tomato sauce and water, then season with the chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Stir the quinoa occasionally as it cooks.

Steamed Green Beans with Bacon on the Grill

I like to have variety in my vegetables... I mean, if you have to eat them then you better find ways to "user" friendly! Fresh green beans were on sale and hubby was planning on grilling steaks for dinner.  I tossed the green beans (a bit over a pound)in about 1 tablespoon olive oil, added three cloves crushed garlic and then placed three pieces of uncooked bacon over it.

raw bacon

I wrapped it all up in a sheet of tin foil and placed on the grill for twenty five minutes.  The bacon was cooked through (though not crunchy) and the beans were cooked with a bit of crunch left to them.

cooked bacon

I had used some bacon in another dish and had set aside some crisp pieces to top the green beans with before serving.  

Hope you enjoy!

The Daring Cooks' July Challenge: My Noodle hands! Spaetzle

Blog-checking lines: Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks' July hostess.  Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine.  She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!

Having made egg noodles before, I knew that I would have to create something new for this challenge.  Along with being challenged to make pasta, Steph also wanted us to do something from our heritage. I don't know why, but while I always wanted to try spaetzle, the thought of making it scared me.  I guess that in my head I just made it seem so complicated.  Well guess what.... it isn't!  And I can kick myself for not having tried this years ago!  The dough in itself is very bland but that just gives you a large canvas to experiment with.  I went for a simple Spaetzle in brown butter and sage sauce.

Spaetzle in Sage Brown Butter

http://www.food.com/recipe/Spaetzle-in-Sage-Brown-Butter-136384

3/4 cup cold milk

3 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 fresh sage leaves, Chiffinod

2 fresh sage leaves

 Directions

Bring to a boil a large pot of salted water. Combine milk, eggs, and nutmeg in processor; blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add salt and flour pulsing until batter is just smooth, about 30 seconds (batter will be very thick and sticky). Since I don't have a food processor, I just whisked the eggs and blended in the nutmeg and flour.  

 
Working in batches, pour batter through slotted spoon or grater held above boiling water, pressing with spatula to form strands. Stir gently to prevent sticking.  Simmer until Spaetzle float to surface, then continue cooking 1 minute longer.Using slotted spoon, transfer spaetzle to large buttered baking dish. (Can be made 2 hours ahead). Let stand at room temperature.)

Cook butter and Sage in heavy large skillet over medium  heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Add Spaetzle and toss until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Divide among plates. garnish with fresh sage.

Optional: One small sautéed onion diced in the butter.

You can see the butter starting to brown

Grab a fork and dig in!

calico beans

Whenever there is a family event that gathers for food... I mean, festivities, you can always count on there being calico beans. Why this is such a time honored fan favorite i have no idea.  Ok, maybe it has something to do with bacon... maybe it has a lot to do with bacon, I mean, our family is pretty much obsessed with bacon! 
But I also think it has something to do with the rustic feel of it.  That and the fact that you can use pretty darn near any type of bean you have in your pantry.  We like it with a mix of kidney, lima and pork and beans but I've also made it with white beans, garbanzo (which I confess was not a real winner), and pinto.  When the kid were younger they disliked the lima beans so I would often just use two cans of pork and beans and one can kidney beans so as you can see its a fairly adaptable recipe. When doubling the recipe I will use a blend of five different beans

Calico Beans
1 pound bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
3 cans of beans, rinsed and drained if necessary (Pork and beans don't get rinsed)
1 cup ketchup
3/4 brown sugar (use less if you want it to be less sweet)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
3 tablespoons vinegar (I like to use cider vinegar)

Directions:
Cook the bacon over medium heat and cook till done.  Drain off all but a tablespoon of grease and cook diced onions until translucent; remove from pan.  Brown ground beef and drain off the grease.

In a two quart casserole dish, medium pot or crock pot, combine beans, meat, onion,bacon and the remaining ingredients.  Mix well.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.
Cook on stove top, uncovered for one hour on medium heat.
Use in crock pot and let simmer for at least 1 hour.

*My husband likes to add 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke, its optional.

Serves 8