Corn & Barley Salad

Original Recipe HERE

This is a hearty side dish that could be a main course if you added some kielbasa or chicken.

I tweaked amounts based on what I had in my pantry.  I used one good-sized clove of garlic in the vinaigrette, and it was too sharp.  Next time I'll use a smaller one or leave it out entirely.  A little bit of sugar could balance the red wine vinegar and tomato, too.  And some diced cheese would probably be good.  We had brie on our burgers the same night I made this, and I was intrigued by the idea of adding some to the salad...but I ran out of time.

And "...but I ran out of time" is how I end just about every statement of good intentions these days.

Ingredients

* For vinaigrette:

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

1 small clove garlic

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon diced red onion

salt & pepper

* For salad:

1 cup barley or brown rice [I used barley]

2 cups fresh or thawed corn [I used frozen]

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 to 1 cup finely diced red onion

4 to 6 slices bacon, chopped

1 avocado, chopped [I didn't use]

salt & pepper

Directions

* For vinaigrette:

(1) Combine tomatoes and garlic in a small food processor (I used my magic bullet).  Process until smooth.

(2) Add oil, water, vinegar, lemon juice, and red onion.  Process until well combined.

(3) Add salt and pepper to taste.

* For salad:

(1) Place corn in a colander to thaw, if necessary.  Top with red onion.

(2) Cook barley according to package directions.  Drain into colander with corn and onion.

(3) While barley is cooking, cook bacon until crisp.  Drain.

(4) Combine barley, corn, tomatoes, onion, bacon, and avocado (if using) in a large bowl.

(5) Pour vinaigrette over salad.  Stir until well combined.  Chill.

Kid Participation: Stirring...that's about it.

Asparagus, Egg, & Bacon Salad

Original Recipe HERE

I knew this was a guaranteed failure for my kids before I even made it, but I figured I'd like it.  And I did.  Good thing I doubled some of the elements (new amounts reflected below) because it fed me the next day, too.

I made it ahead of time for dinner and combined everything except the bacon...saved that until the end.  I also had some extra tomatoes hanging around, so those went in.  I'd consider goat cheese or feta just to try it, but it's perfectly fine without it.  I served it room temperature the first time and scarfed it cold from the fridge the second, so temperature didn't matter (or my standards are very low.  See: I eat 90% of my meals standing up right now).

Ingredients

2 hard boiled eggs, peeled & sliced

2.5 to 3 cups chopped asparagus

4 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped & seeded

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

(1) Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add asparagus; cook 2 to 3 minutes until tender yet firm.

(2) Drain asparagus.  Run under cold water.  Set aside.

(3) In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

(4) Toss the asparagus, egg, and tomato with dressing.  Top with bacon just before serving.

Kid Participation: None.

Haricot Verts [Green Beans] with Shallot Dressing

Original Recipe HERE

(Very similar recipe HERE)

 

 

I picked up a package of haricot verts on a whim at Trader Joe's (which is how about 75% of my purchases can be classified there...I go in for two things and come out with several full bags).  Googling was necessary to figure out what to do with them.

 

The original recipe only called for one slice of bacon, which I scoffed at.  What good is one slice?  You need a minimum of four in a recipe - or, in our family's case, five (one for each member).

 

The kids all liked these, which is a surprise since *P* isn't a veggie eater and doesn't do much with all the other green beans that cross his plate.

 

Ingredients

4 slices bacon

12 oz haricot verts (French green beans)

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar [or white wine vinegar]

1 shallot, finely chopped

 

Directions

(1) In large skillet, cook bacon until evenly browned.  Set aside; wipe out most of bacon grease from pan.

(2) Sautee shallot in bacon grease until softened.  Remove from pan.

(3) In medium bowl, whisk together oil, mustard, and vinegar.  Add shallot.

(4) Meanwhile, steam haricot verts until just tender (retain some crispness).

(5) Toss haricot verts in dressing.  Serve topped with crumbled bacon.

 

Kid Participation: None.

 

Bacon & Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes

Original Recipe HERE

* This is one of the menu items Husband researched, planned, shopped for, and executed for Easter 2013.  It was the best meal he's ever made. *
 

Ingredients

2 pounds red new potatoes, quartered

2 cloves garlic, smashed

5 to 6 strips bacon

1/4 pound Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature [he used half-n-half]

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

(1) Add potatoes and garlic to a medium pot.  Fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by an inch.  Season with salt; bring water to a boil.

(2) Reduce to a simmer.  Cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

(3) Meanwhile, fry bacon in a skillet until crisp.  Set aside on a paper towel to drain. Roughly chop; reserve.

(4) Drain potatoes and garlic.  Place back in the pot with cheese, cream, butter, and chopped bacon.

(5) Roughly mash, adding more cream if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cranberry & Bacon Chili

Original Recipe HERE

 

I love a good chili, but I don't gravitate towards those that require lots of ground beef or lots of kidney beans.  This recipe caught my eye because it involved neither, and the use of cranberries intrigued me.  Sweet, tart chili?  I was willing to take the chance on the unorthodox twist, since I've had chili with cinnamon and chocolate (aka, Cincinnati-style) and enjoyed it.

 

Luckily, this was a homerun instead of a bomb.  While I should still seek out an awesome traditional chili recipe (it seems like one of those basic dishes I should have in my arsenal), this one will go into rotation in our house.

 

The recipe is flexible: type of beans, type and amount of spices, additional vegetables (maybe some bell pepper and baby carrots?), etc.

 

Ingredients

6 slices of thick bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces

1 yellow or white onion, diced

1 cup dried cranberries

1 can (14 oz) tomato puree

2 cups water

1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed & drained [I substituted Great Northern beans]

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed & drained

1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1/2 tablespoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

garnishes [sour cream, green onion, shredded cheese, etc.]

 

Directions

(1) In a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy.  Set aside to drain on paper towel; leave several tablespoons of grease in pot.

(2) Add onion to pot; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 4 minutes.

(3) Add cranberries to pot; cook 2-3 minutes.

(4) Add tomato puree, water, beans, spices, and cooked bacon to the pot.  Simmer on medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes.

(5) If desired, use an immersion blender (or regular blender) to lightly puree chili to reach desired thickness.

(6) Serve hot with garnishes.

 

Kid Participation: Add heaping helpings of cheese and sour cream; enjoy.

Green Beans with Caramelized Onions & Bacon

Original Recipe HERE

Runner-Up Recipe I Considered Using HERE

 

I needed a green vegetable side dish for Thanksgiving that wouldn't be complicated and could be thrown together just before the rest of the meal was ready to be served.  Found this, made this, liked this.

 

I don't know how much the mushrooms really added to the dish.  Next time I'll probably leave them out and increase the amount of onion to compensate.  Also, I'll probably skip the olive oil and saute the onion in a smidge of leftover bacon grease.

 

Ingredients

1 pound green beans

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 cup sliced white mushroom, optional [I used baby bella]

olive oil

6 slices bacon

1 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 

Directions

(1) Snap or cut ends off beans; cut in half.

(2) Cook bacon.  After draining , break into 1/2" pieces.

(3) Add olive oil to medium skillet.  Saute onions and mushrooms (if using) until tender and slightly browned or caramelized, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

(4) In a large saucepan, boil green beans in enough water to cover them for 6-8 minutes or until crisp tender.  Drain.

(5) In large serving bowl, add butter, garlic salt, pepper, onions, mushrooms, and bacon. Stir just until combined.  Add beans; toss until well-coated.

 

Kid Participation: None.

Baked Pasta, Gouda, & Caramelized Onions

Original Recipe HERE

 

This is, hands down, the greatest macaroni and cheese dish I've ever had.  I'd even venture to say it might be the greatest food item I've ever had.  It's that good.  It's the caramelized onions that took it into the stratosphere.  Everyone in my family loved it, and only *J* picked out the onions (and gave them to me...for once his pickiness worked in my favor!)

 

I didn't want to deal with cooking sausages, so I substituted precooked smoked sausage.  I imagine bacon would work just as well, though you'd need a lot of it in order to guarantee some in every bite.  Which is totally fine by me; I'm not afraid to use an entire package of bacon in one meal.

 
I also added all of the cheese and onions right into the pasta mixture and didn't leave any for garnishing the top.

 

The original author of the recipe said that she's used skim milk in place of the whole.  I used an unorthodox hybrid of whole milk, water, and half-n-half (because I hadn't gone grocery shopping in a week), and it was fine.  I imagine skim would make it the sauce a little thinner, but if you care at all about trying to make this dish healthier, apparently it's an option.

 

Ingredients

* For pasta & sauce:

1 lb (16 oz) pasta [I used ruffles]

1-1/2 lbs precooked sausage

1-1/2 cups caramelized onions

4 cups milk

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

6 Tablespoons flour

3/4 lb smoked Gouda, grated

Salt and pepper

* For caramelized onions:

3 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds onions, thinly sliced [I used three medium-size onions]

2 teaspoons sugar

Directions

* For pasta & sauce:
(1) Preheat the oven to 350°.

(2) Prepare caramelized onions (directions below).

(3) Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente, according to directions.

(4) While pasta is cooking, slice sausage lengthwise twice, then slice into thin quarters.

(5) Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until slightly browned.  Transfer sausage to a large bowl.

(6) Add pasta to sausage.  Stir to combine.

(7) In  medium saucepan or microwave, heat milk until steaming.

(8) Return large saucepan to stove.  Add butter; melt over medium heat.

(9) Add flour.  Cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes.

(10) Whisk in hot milk, 1/4 cup at a time.  Continue whisking until sauce is smooth and thick and comes to a simmer.

(11) Add cheese.  Remove saucepan from heat.  Whisk until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

(12) Add caramelized onions to pasta mixture.  Stir to combine.

(13) Add cheese sauce to pasta mixture.  Stir to combine.

(14) Grease 9x13" baking dish.  Add pasta mixture in an even layer.

(15) Bake until golden and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven; let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

* For caramelized onions:

(1) In  large skillet, melt butter into olive oil over medium-high heat.

(2) Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring constantly, until onions begin to soften (about 5 minutes).

(3) Stir in sugar.  Cook, scraping browned bits off bottom of pan frequently, until the onions are golden brown (about 20 minutes).

(4) If desired, dice onions into bite-size pieces.

 

Kid Participation: None.  I was too busy with all the steps to let them help out...heaven forbid they hose up the caramelized onions!

Cheesy Chicken, Rice, & Bacon Skillet

Original Recipe HERE

This meal.  So easy.  So good.  So horrific for you.  It fits two out of my three requirements for feeding my family a food: is it easy? is it tasty? is it healthy?  So it'll be a comfort dish that we'll only indulge in on occasion.  I didn't bother trying to healthify it in the least, though I guess you could give it a whirl with reduced sodium bacon and broth, low-fat cheese, less butter, brown rice, and mix in some broccoli.  But everyone in attendance ate at least one bowl, so I'm inclined to keep the recipe as-is.

I left out the hot sauce from the original recipe because my kids don't like anything with heat.  And I used a mix of cheddar, monterey jack, and colby in the sauce because I don't always like how cheddar melts - and recongeals.  I also skipped the broiler step and it tasted just fine with my stirring-it-all-together method.

Ingredients

1/2 lb bacon [I used 12 strips]
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 onion, diced
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
4 cups cooked white rice [I used quick-cooking]

Directions

(1) Cook bacon in a large, deep skillet.  Drain; set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon drippings.
(2) Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth and bubbly.
(3) Whisk in broth. Increase heat to high, whisking sauce until thickened.
(4) Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and sauce is smooth.  Remove from heat.
(5) Reduce heat to a simmer.  Add reserved bacon drippings back to large skillet.  Sautee onion until just tender.
(6) Add cooked rice; cook, stirring occasionally, until coated and slightly crispy.
(7) Meanwhile, crumble bacon.
(8) Add chicken, bacon, and cheese sauce; stir until well combined.  Serve immediately.

Kid Participation: None.

Sauteed Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Bacon

Original Recipe HERE

Still working on finding a Brussels sprouts recipe that everyone in the family likes.  This one wasn't it, but I think with a little tweaking it could be.  Pretty sure it was the addition of the balsamic vinegar that turned the kids off, but the sprouts themselves didn't seem to offend them.

Next time I'll use a little butter along with the bacon grease to cook the onion and sprouts for the sake of flavor.  A little garlic salt never hurt anyone, either.  Also, I used the grating blade with my food processor and it demolished the first round of sprouts into pieces much too small to cook.  I had to slice the rest of them by hand.  Next time I'll use the slicing blade.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

6 strips bacon, sliced small

1/2 onion, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

(1) Trim sprouts; discard any damaged outside leaves.  Wash.

(2) Using a food processor with its slicing blade, shred the sprouts.  Alternately, cut into thin slices by hand.

(3) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add bacon.  Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned.

(4) Drain bacon grease, leaving behind about 1 tablespoon.  Add onions; sautee until tender.

(5) Add sprouts.  Cook, stirring, until tender (about 5 minutes).

(6) Pour in vinegar; increase the heat to high. Season with salt and pepper.  Stir until the vinegar has evaporated.

(7) Serve; top with cheese.

Kid Participation: None.

Linguini with Bacon, Spinach, and Chicken

Original Recipe HERE

This is an easy pasta dish that I embellished a bit.  To make it even easier, just follow the original recipe.  But I didn't have the makings for garlic bread, I didn't feel like making biscuits, and my go-to of a spinach salad would be redundant due to already having the leafy green stuff in the main dish.  So I wanted to make this into a heartier one-dish meal.

As always, I salted the pasta water.  However, since you use some of that cooking water in the final product, that was a mistake.  The food tasted great, but it was too salty.  The bacon provides plenty of that flavor, and the grease serves the same purpose as the salt (keeping the pasta from sticking).

Ingredients

3/4 lb of linguini

6 to 12 oz fresh spinach

1/2 cup chopped red onion

8 slices bacon

4 oz sliced mushrooms [I used baby bella], rinsed and patted dry

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Boil water for pasta.  Cook pasta while preparing rest of meal.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid before draining.

2) Cook bacon in skillet large enough to hold entire meal.  Set aside to drain on paper towel.  When cool, crumble or thinly slice.

3) Use a paper towl to wipe / absorb some of bacon grease from pan if desired.

4) In same skillet used for bacon, saute red onion and mushrooms in bacon grease until translucent.

5) Add spinach and saute until wilted.

6) Add chicken, drained pasta, bacon, and 1/4 cup of pasta water to skillet.  Add additional pasta water if preferred.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes: Just to not salt the pasta water.

Kid Participation

* Break linguini noodles in half.

* Eat extra bacon slices.

Spinach and Chick Peas with Bacon

Original Recipe HERE

I wasn't sure if this would work better as a side dish or could serve as a main dish, so I served it as a side.  With a little more jazzing up (diced chicken? chopped tomatoes and peppers? sliced sausage?) it could be a full meal.  I served it when my mother was visiting, and she raved about it and asked for the recipe.  We ate it warm for dinner, but after trying it cold the next day, I think I liked it even better chilled.  This would be a great contribution to a picnic or potluck, as long as you at least double the recipe (and probably triple the amount of chickpeas).

Ingredients

3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped into bite-size slices (about 1/2 inch thick)

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil [I found I needed more]

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

8 cups baby spinach, approximate (6 ozs), chopped and with any tough stems discarded

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions

1) Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until browned.

2) Leaving bacon in skillet, spoon off all but 1 tablespoon fat.  Add 2 tablespoons oil, chickpeas, and red pepper flakes to skillet and sauté over high heat, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas begin to brown (3 to 4 minutes).

3) Stir in spinach and garlic and sauté, stirring, until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes: Frozen spinach might work and would speed up the process.  Also, because I much prefer to cook bacon the Foreman, I will try that and just spoon a little of the grease into the pan, chopping the bacon once it's cooked and adding it into the skillet at the end.  *N* loved the chickpeas and bacon, though as expected, she carefully picked out all the spinach.

Kid Participation:

* Not really a kid-friendly meal to prepare, though.