Bacon, Onion and Cheddar Dip

My biggest thought about this Bacon, Onion and Cheddar Dip is that it's not a dip. The consistency of it is more like a cheese ball. It does however, invoke fun memories of what seems to be a lifetime ago.

I used to make different flavors of cheese balls when my dad was still alive when we had holiday gatherings at my parents house. My particular favorites were always the salmon ones... easy to make and even better to eat. Those days are long gone and I don't attend events that I have the opportunity to make such delicious snacks. So for me to even have made this... is a rare treat.

This recipe in particular, if you love onions; this one is for you. I do like onions but found it a bit overpowering so the next time I make this, I will reduce the onion flakes. I also think that I will increase the sour cream and reduce the cheddar cheese to make it more of a dip as the recipes says it is.

But you know... the sky is the limit to recipes like these and I will make this one again. However, I will doctor it a bit to my own liking.

Here is my version to check out!

Bacon Cheddar Chive Muffins

I know I get excited when something turns out tasting incredible. These Bacon Cheddar Chive Muffins. O.M.G.!! I could just hug Shelley over at Allrecipes right now. These are definitely the "BOMB" as my bestie, Nancy, likes to say.


I tried one right out of the toaster oven (I cut this recipe down to make six) and I was completely blown away with how delicious they were. They are extreme cheesy, bacon goodness! Soft to boot, as well! They sort of remind me of *GASP* Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits! (If those had bacon in them)

I made a couple of minor changes. The one thing I changed was - I used more bacon. What doesn't taste better with bacon?! Seriously?! The other thing was that instead of using veggie oil, I used the bacon grease. Why waste oil when the grease accomplishes the same thing. Plus, as I said - everything tastes better with bacon!

I know, I know... that's fat and cholesterol and all that jazz, but you know what? You only live once and so long as you don't eat them all at once - have at it! Moderation is key!

I'd also like to share a little trick. When I cut the recipe down, it called for half an egg. Here's a tip - break an egg into a measuring cup, beat it with a fork, then measure out half of that. There's your half an egg. Works like a charm!! I put the other half in a zip-lock and threw it in the freezer. Now I have half an egg for another use later on. ;)

But without further adieu... here's what it looked like:

Homemade Pepperoni!!

In August 2010 after I started this blog, I stumbled upon this recipe for homemade Pepperoni on the Morton Salt website. I made it once back then and considering I will be back on a train soon, I thought it would be a good little snack for the trip.

This is a quick (sort of) way of making the pizza topper everyone loves: just mix everything up, chill overnight and then bake at a low temperature. That's it. No casings, no endless shoving meat through a grinder. Nothing. I find it a simple way for home cooks who don't want to get into meat processing; either due to time, money, or interest, and want a neat trick to try... this is it.

The basic ingredient for this pepperoni that is a must-have is TenderQuick. This is a product blend that has sugar, salt, and other added ingredients to aid in preserving and tenderizing meat quickly - hence the name. It's also something I still have a ton of, so much to my original post on this subject, I really need to use this stuff up.

Julie's Spam Spread

I don't know who Julie is but this sandwich spread is pretty tasty!

I have always made these simple spreads to make sandwiches with: egg; tuna; chicken; ham; salmon, etc. but I never combined any of those meats (usually canned) with the egg. I'm glad I did with this one because it adds an extra flavor.

This was EXTRA delicious spread on the homemade Pretzel Rolls I just made! The combination of the touch of sweetness in the roll and the saltiness of the spread was the best combination.

This is for all you SPAM lovers out there!

Check it out!

Pretzel Buns

Do pretzels have buns?!

Probably not, but these Pretzel Buns from Brittskydoodledoodlepie are... O.M.G.! DELICIOUS!!

Before making these, I read the reviews posted on Allrecipes and I noticed some of the negative reviews said the dough was sticky. I have a couple of thoughts about this.

One, is that the recipe (I halved it) calls for three cups of flour. Well, if you have a humid day or a house that is damp (which mine is a bit), you need to add more flour to the counter when you're kneading the dough.

The second thing is to only knead it for the five minutes the recipe calls for. Since it IS a dough that is a little bit sticky, that's all you need.

Third and most important - leave it alone for a few hours and let it rise. I can't stress this enough. After I punched the dough down and shaped the rolls, I let it go for a second rise. This helps the gluten develop and gives you a very nice texture once the rolls are baked.

Ok - so yes, dipping the formed dough into hot baking soda water is a bit messy and it adds another step to the process but that's what gives them the pretzel taste, and probably the soft inner pretzel texture.

Truly if you want something unique and delicious... definitely try these! Better than the pretzel buns served in the various places around town. They are SO worth the effort!!

If you do, let me know how it worked for you!

Homemade Italian Bread with Italian Bread Dipping Oil

You know when you go to an Italian restaurant and they bring out fresh bread with an oil dipping sauce? Yeah? Well, I attempted and succeeded in doing that here at home. I have been good at making yeast breads for quite awhile now, having perfected my own pizza dough recipe. So this bread wasn't difficult for me. I know some people anguish over making homemade bread but it really is getting used to the feel and texture of the dough... and letting it sit and rise. I'm sure there is some impatience to this process for some but if you baby it and leave it alone - the result is well worth it.

I used this Homemade Italian Bread recipe and I thank MysteryGirl over at the GeniusKitchen site for submitting it.

Here are my tasty-looking results!

In addition to the bread, I made this Italian Bread Dipping Oil that I found on the Albertsons website. I have no clue who the contributor of the recipe was. I believe this is some sort of store but this oil dip for the bread was as delicious as the bread was. Hands down one to make again!!

I hope someone else attempts to make these and lets me know what they think. 

Gold Star on both from me!! 

Mochiko Chicken Wings with Orzo & Potato Parmesan

I was intrigued when I first saw this recipe for Mochiko Chicken Wings. The submitter of the recipe says it is common in Hawaii. Having never been there, I can't verify this but perhaps someone else out there in cyberland can? For me, the idea of soaking raw chicken in a thick batter overnight was a tad disturbing but I am here to say... it was worth the wait and the extra effort.

I also want to mention that I am NOT a big fan of breaded or battered and then deep-fried chicken but as I said, this recipe caught my eye and I had to try it. I want to give a HUGE thanks to IrLyndaSmith for submitting it to Allrecipes.

After frying for about fifteen minutes, the crust was nice and crisp - and I do mean it CRUNCHED when I bit into it, so that was really nice. The meat was very juicy and cooked to perfection. It wasn't greasy at all. 

The flavor? I could taste the seasonings and a hint of the soy sauce, which is a flavor I absolutely love. All in all - this chicken was a HUGE hit! I must add that I used chicken thighs instead of wings as that's all I have here. 

Here is the result of the chicken:

Mochiko Chicken

To go with the chicken, I chose this Orzo and Potato Parmesan recipe. This is the first time I ever cooked with orzo and it turned out beautifully. It was smooth, tender and it was surprisingly rich to the taste. Instead of water, I used chicken stock to bump up the flavor. I also used canned carrots out of necessity but other than that, the recipe was made exactly as stated. Here as well as in the chicken, I could taste all the ingredients and will definitely add this to my recipe stockpile. A HUGE thanks to FlemishMinx for submitting this one to GeniusKitchen.

Here is what that turned out like:

Orzo & Potato Parmesan

Mom's Salmon Mousse - Not MY Mom's, though!!

Actually, I don't know if my mom has ever made a salmon mousse. I'll have to ask her. I know this is a first for me. I have done salmon cakes and salmon croquettes but never a mousse but I found this Mom's Salmon Mousse recipe and thought I'd check it out. As always, my thanks goes out to Terri Otteni for sharing the recipe on Allrecipes.

I admit, I was expecting this to turn out entirely different. I thought it would be more than an inch high. I thought it would be light and airy - like a mousse. Maybe I did something wrong but I followed the recipe exact.

The flavor, though, it was tasty. I actually liked it. I think it would be great toasted between two slices of bread with cheese. That would make a good lunch. A sandwich with this plus a bowl of the New England Clam Chowder I made.

Here's what my version looked like:

New England Clam Chowder

Could there be a chowder better than New England Clam Chowder?

Sometimes I wonder. The version I made tonight was almost exact to the recipe and I thank CalNRachel for contributing it to Food.com.

The recipe says that it is a low fat version - I'm going to assume that's because it uses low-fat milk? I think I went a little further and used soy milk; not by reason of cutting fat but because I don't like milk. In other words, if I buy regular milk, it just goes to waste because it doesn't get used quick enough. This stuff comes in a box on a regular grocery store shelf and isn't refrigerated.

The effect here was the same as regular chowder (regardless of kind). The chowder was thick (cornstarch is a wonderful thing!), and it was flavorful. The taste of clams was obvious but not overpowering. I wanted some chunk in the potatoes so I left them whole. They were small enough that they cooked quick and were tender by the time the chowder thickened up.

This chowder is a keeper!

Check it out and make it yourself!! There won't be a disappointment!

Looks good, doesn't it?! Don't you wish you had "smell-a'vision"?! 

Red Hot Devils

Crazy as the title of this post sounds... Red Hot Devils are actually a different way of making hot dogs. Well - a different type of sauce that people of this area are probably not used to. 

Every so often, I get hungry for the mystery meat we call hot dogs. It's probably one of the very few processed foods I actually eat. Last week I had a craving for them loaded with sauerkraut. With the four dogs left in the fridge, I wanted to try something different and this recipe for Red Hot Devils appeared... it was MAGIC! Sarah M., if you're out there... THANKS!! 

I have to admit that every time I think of a hot dog, one of my former grad school professors comes to mind, Kevin Patrick. He has this strange obsession with hot dogs and it seems that every trip he takes his students on, there is a stop at some hot dog joint along the way. I took his class (my favorite of grad school) during the Fall 2014 semester and on a weekend trip to NYC, we happened to end up at two. 

The first one was Rutt's Hut in Clifton, New Jersey:

The second place we stopped, at the end of our trip, was none other than Nathan's Famous on Coney Island:

Anyhow back to reality from my trip down memory lane and back to the recipe. The sauce was reminiscent of a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce with a touch of heat and was extremely delicious!! I think most have the ingredients already on hand and it is SO worth it! I give this one a HUGE thumbs up! 

I have definitely found an awesome way to make hot dogs. I think this would even be good for a pot luck with it simmering in the Crock-Pot!! 

You try it! Let me know what you think!! 

Eggnog Cake

Suffice it to say, I bombed a recipe!!

Hey! At least I OWN it!! 

Point being, I know exactly what I did to make this Eggnog Cake not taste very well. I also should note that I absolutely LOVE eggnog, so I'm disappointed in myself for this failure.

I would, however, recommend trying it for yourself to see if it works for you. I know I will definitely try it again minus my mistake, which I will get to so nobody else repeats it. I do want to thank "whatcity" for sharing it on the Allrecipes site.

As I was casually browsing the Supercook site, this recipe caught my eye. I thought that since the coffee cake recipe was such a huge success, I'd try this one out as well. 

My botching sort of went like this: I added pineapple rum and I added TOO much! Ok, so that's NOT what the recipe called for. I didn't have regular rum so I figured this would add a nice fruity kick to an eggnog cake... boy was I totally WRONG! 

I tasted it after it came out of the toaster oven... not good! Drizzling a little maple syrup over it made it palatable, lol. I actually believe this one might end up feeding the squirrels outside.

But like I said - this was MY major "foo-paw" and I will definitely try this again using the correct ingredients at some point. Maybe for Christmas and take it to Grandma's to make guinea pigs out of the family, lol. It's a thought! LOL!

Cake with My Coffee! (recipe review included)

Good evening everyone!!

Did you ever get a craving for sweets that you couldn't get rid of? I think everyone has that problem at one time or another, but that was me tonight. This incredible craving for something sweet and the need to bake something. I killed two birds with one stone because I also wanted to find out how well my toaster oven bakes a dessert. Up until this point, I have only been using it to cook meals and the occasional toasted sandwich.

I wasn't in the mood for something that contained chocolate and most know that I'm not that fond of chocolate to begin with. I know, I know... what woman doesn't like chocolate?? Trust me, I'm definitely not normal in that respect. So to find my "sweet something" I turned to my trusted site of Supercook. It led me to this coffee cake recipe. Thanks to @startnover for contributing this recipe to the site.

I can't recall ever making a coffee cake... at least not in the past ten years. Perhaps I did in my previous life? Maybe any of my family can verify this - if they read the blog?

My memory also is lacking with the texture of the coffee cake. Are they supposed to be dense? The batter was pretty thick - perhaps it's because I used evaporated milk instead of regular milk? I CAN say, however, that the flavor of this one is very, very good! Don't get me wrong, the texture is definitely not a bad thing. It tasted like snickerdoodles and if you don't know what a snickerdoodle is... that's a shame. Google it!

I give this recipe a gold star!

Bet you can't guess what I'll be having with my coffee in the morning... HA!

Five-Ingredient Beef Roast

A few months ago I was given this recipe to try in the Crock-Pot but as I have said before, I didn't have one until last week. I vowed to try it as soon as I didn't have to spend twenty bucks on a beef roast. I think the price of meat is getting a tad bit outrageous and now consider beef a luxury item... but done like this, it's a luxury that should be created at least once.

Last night I found a beef roast at a decent price so I purchased it. It was a four-pound chuck roast and was the perfect size for my pot.

I call this recipe "five-ingredient" because that is literally all that is in it. Those ingredients were:

• beef roast
• one stick of butter
• one packet of onion soup mix
• one packet of ranch dressing mix
• one jar of mild pepper rings

That's it - nothing else. No salt. No pepper. Nothing. All you do is put the roast in the Crock-Pot, then dump the other things in. That's what I was told to do. However to evenly incorporate the other four ingredients, I broke the stick of butter in half and placed it on each side of the roast. Then I dumped the two packet mixes into the jar of mild pepper rings, put the lid back on and shook it up. That then was dumped in on top of the roast. I set in on high for about the first hour and a half then turned it to low. Five hours later and that thing was every bit of tender and falling apart that you can possibly think of. No knife needed.

The flavor shocked me. You might be thinking that it would be spicy with the peppers. Nope! Very mild, not much of a pepper flavor. I caught more of the vinegar flavor than anything else. You can relax, it wasn't an overwhelming vinegar flavor; just enough to taste. It was definitely worth the wait for both a new Crock and a beef roast.

As you can see in the picture, I made mashed potatoes. However, these weren't your typical plain run-of-the-mill potatoes. I roasted a head of garlic in the toaster oven. I believe I explained how simple roasting garlic was to do in a previous post. I mixed that into the potatoes, which I boiled until they were soft. Then I added some parsley, milk, and butter. Easy, simple and VERY tasty!!

I decided to make gravy with the leftover juice in the Crock-Pot. For that, I made a roux of half flour and butter. Cooked that down a bit and added two and a half ladle to the roux. This made a nice, thick gravy that didn't need any other seasoning.

I have a feeling that the combination of these ingredients sounds odd but it really did make an incredible-tasting roast.

I'm sending out a challenge for everyone else to try this and let me know what you think. I really don't think you'll be disappointed!