Bacon Cheesy Bread

My husband loves mexican cornbread with his chili BUT I wanted to step it up. And nothing steps it up more than when you add BACON.....

Ingredients

8-10 slices bacon, after cooked and chopped you'll need 2 cups

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon granulated sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ cup diced jalapeno

2 cups cheddar jack cheese

12 ounce buttermilk

1 tablespoon bacon grease(after bacon is fried)

Instructions

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Spray 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, jalapenos, bacon and cheese. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

Add cream cheese mixture, 1 tablespoon bacon grease and buttermilk and mix until just combined.

Pour mixture into loaf pan.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until top is browned.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack, cool 5 minutes before removing. 

***adapted from pinterst***

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!! 

Let's make Whoopie...........PIES!!!

This simple dessert comes from the great  Betty Crocker but instead of marshmallow filling I made cream cheese frosting!!! Mmmmm. ️SHARE with the sweeties in your life and Enjoy!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Betty Crocker Devils food cake 

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup veg. oil

3 eggs

2 tablespoons red food color

1 box (4 oz serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

FILLING:

1 cup butter, softened 

12 oz cream cheese, softened 

4 tsp vanilla 

4 cups confectioners sugar

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, beat cookie ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until moistened; beat 1 minute longer on high speed. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.

3. Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until set (do not overbake). Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

4.  Put butter into a bowl and beat with cream cheese and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until mixture is nearly fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually stir confectioners' sugar into cream cheese mixture to make a smooth frosting. 

5. Fill the centers and top with the other cookie. 

ENJOY!!

Biscuit bake

Ok so yes I am Mormon and being LDS there is a certain relationship with the word casserole and it gives me the shivers.....lol!!! So that's why I didn't want to call this a casserole because it's so much better than any casseroles I ever ate growing up. My husband has this internal struggle with anything called by the term casserole so I decided that this recipe which is totally inspired by my mom should not be put in that genre. So here it is my Biscuit Bake. This recipe served my family of 5 but we had leftovers. 

INGREDEINTS:

1 can of flaky biscuits 

6 large eggs

1/2 cup half and half

Breakfast sausage, browned and crumbled

White mushrooms, diced 

Gruyere cheese, fresh grated 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Parsley 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Place biscuits at the bottom of a 9x13 pan. 

Place the sausage crumbles evenly on top of the biscuits.

Mix eggs, half and half, mushrooms, salt and pepper together. Pour on top of the biscuits and sausage. 

Sprinkle cheese. Then parsley. 

Bake for 15 mins or until eggs are cooked and biscuits are golden brown. 

Serve immediately. 

Creamy mushroom chicken soup

With the flu running around my house playing tag with each one of my family members this week has been hard. Not to mention it has been cold and rainy. Nothing is better when you are sick and it's cold and rainy outside then chicken noodle soup. I just didn't want to make just plain old chicken noodle soup so here is my version of a classic revamped. 

INGREDEINTS: 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts,boiled then cut into 1-inch chunks 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced 

1 onion, diced 

3 carrots, peeled and diced 

2 stalks celery, diced 

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

4 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup half and half

DIRECTIONS:

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside. 

Melt butter in the stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaf and chicken and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes. 

Stir in half and half until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached. 

Buttermilk Lemon Cake with Candied Lemons

Soooo I had this craving for anything and everything that was lemony!!!! I could've just eaten a plain lemon for all I care BUT that wouldn't be as fun or tasty as a cake or cupcakes!!! So cake it is then......so here is my 10'oclock I want lemon cake recipe!!! 

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for pans
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.

While cakes are baking, bring remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir remaining 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice into syrup.

Using a fork, poke holes in warm cakes. Brush with lemon syrup. Let cool.

LEMON FROSTING 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of butter, softened (2 sticks)
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons lemon zest
5-6 cups of confectioners sugar

DIRECTIONS:

In a large mixing bowl, mix butter until it is softened and uniform.  Add cream cheese and beat together until it is uniform.  Add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture and mix.  Add lemon zest and 2 more cups of sugar.  Mix again until mixture is creamy and spreadable.  Add more sugar if necessary, otherwise prepare to frost cake.

Bleu Mushroom Spinach Quiche

One of my good friends is not too big on meats and she doesn't like wait for it......BACON!!!!! I know it's shocking but it's true. Some of her favorite things are blue cheese, spinach and mushrooms. We were having a ladies brunch yesterday and I decided to make something that I knew she would love(because I'm such a good friend) and to use some of the fresh blue cheese she brought me(because she's a good friend). So here is a fantastic recipe that will appeal to any vegetarian, or maybe just someone who wants to get more veggies in their diet. ENJOY!!!

INGREDIENTS:

mushrooms(sliced)

½ tsp minced garlic

1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach

4 large eggs 

1 cup fat free/ low % milk

6 oz. fresh blue cheese(crumbled)

¼ cup grated parmesan 

½ cup shredded pizza mix cheese

salt & pepper 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If your frozen spinach is not already thawed, thaw it in the microwave. Empty into a colander and let it drain while prepare rest.
2. Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat on medium. Rinse the mushrooms. Place the sliced mushrooms in a skillet, add the minced garlic, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Saute the mushrooms until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet (a few minutes).
   
3. Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Squeeze the ALL of the water out of the spinach(very important) and spread it out on the bottom of the pie dish. Next add the cooked mushrooms and crumbled blue cheese.
   
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs until smooth. Add the milk, parmesan, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Pour this mixture over the spinach, mushrooms, and blue cheese.
5. Sprinkle the shredded pizza mix cheese over top. Place in the oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid. Bake for 45 min-1hour. Slice and serve!