Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit

Hello!   My family had a busy holiday as usual, trying to do the last minute Christmas details. 

My son loves Burger King's Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit sandwiches, and asked me to make him some.  

First, I made some strips of bacon, and set it aside.  Save a little bacon grease. 

Then, I made biscuits using a heart-shaped cookie cutter - the kids love it when I do that, using
this recipe from www.allrecipes.com 

The only modification I made was to add a teaspoon of the bacon grease.

Never Fail Biscuits Recipe


Ingredients

    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    4 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
    2 teaspoons white sugar
    1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
    3/4 cup milk
    1 teaspoon of bacon grease

Directions

    Preheat oven to 450.

    In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the milk and bacon grease. Stir until dough begins to pull together then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
    Press dough together and then roll out until 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 2 inch round biscuits and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
    Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until golden.

While biscuits are baking, make some eggs for the sandwiches.  Basically, make a flat omelet so that you can cut a flat piece of egg to put on the biscuit.

When the biscuits are done, split them in half, place a piece of egg, a slice or two of bacon, and top with some cheddar or american cheese & enjoy!

Try this - Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash - what the heck do you do with it?

As I found out, it is super easy to prepare!

First, stab about 5 holes randomly in the spaghetti squash.  Put it on a microwave safe plate and cook on high in the microwave for 10 minutes, turning it 3 times.  The squash is done when the skin gives a little when pressed. Add more time, if needed.






Cut squash in half, and let cool a little.  Scoop out seeds with a spoon.

Using a fork, scrape out the squash.  It will look like spaghetti!








Melt a little butter in a skillet and add the squash, some salt & pepper and a sprinkling of basil.  Saute for a couple minutes and serve.




See how easy that was?  Enjoy!

Maple Apple Pork Tenderloin

I was looking for something different to do with my boneless pork tenderloins, and found this recipe from Delight's Bites, Apple & Maple Glazed Pork Chops.  It was so good I wanted to share, too! 

    1/2 large apple, diced
    1 tsp Butter
    2 Tablespoons chopped Walnuts
    3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (REAL maple)
    2 teaspoons Cider Vinegar
    1/4 teaspoon fresh Lemon Zest (I used lemon juice)
    1/4 cup fat free, low sodium Chicken Broth
    2 Pork Chops, approximately 1 1/2  inches thick
    1 Tablespoon Canola Oil (I used more buttah!!!)

The first thing you want to do, is saute your apples in butter for about ten minutes.

Now add cider vinegar, walnuts, lemon and maple syrup.  Let it simmer about 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth and simmer until the glaze thickens.

Now season and brown both sides of the pork tenderloins in your cooking oil (I used butter).

Put the tenderloins in a baking pan on some foil, top with the glaze, then bake them, covered, at 350 for 20 minutes.

I made a quick cucumber and tomato salad and had some apple sauce on the side.

Microwave Toffee Edible Gift!

Throw away the candy thermometer and make some toffee the easy way!

Microwave Toffee - Edible Gift!

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup toasted, chopped almonds or other nuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks






Butter the edges of a microwave safe bowl or casserole.  Put butter, salt, sugar and water in bowl.  DO NOT STIR.

Place bowl in microwave, and microwave for 7 minutes.  Remember not to stir the mixture.




Meanwhile, spread out 1/2 cup of nuts on a piece of waxed paper.







Check the toffee and add 30 seconds of microwave time until the mixture is tan.







Remove from microwave and pour mixture on top of nuts.








Sprinkle with chocolate.  Leave chocolate alone for a minute to let it melt.  After a minute, spread  melted chocolate out with spatula and sprinkle with remaining nuts.

Let chocolate dry.   Peel dry toffee from waxed paper and break into pieces.  Put in a sealable bag.

I like to put my toffee bags in a nice box with some cute tissue paper, and tie it with some ribbon and a gift tag.

If you don't plan to use the toffee right away, you can keep it in the freezer for up to 30 days.

Blackened Salmon - Easy!

Salmon Filets
Butter
Cajun Seasoning

Pour some melted butter on one plate, then pour a generous amount of Cajun seasoning on another plate.   Coat each side of the Salmon in butter, then dip each side in the cajun seasoning.

Cook over med-high heat in a nonstick skillet for about 3-5 minutes each side until blackened.

Keeping and Using a Freezer Inventory

Buying food at a discount and freezing it for later use is a great way to save money on groceries.

The USDA states that frozen foods remain safe indefinitely, however they provide the following chart for quality: 


Freezer Storage Chart (0 °F)
Note: Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.

Item	Months
Bacon and Sausage	1 to 2
Casseroles	2 to 3
Egg whites or egg substitutes	12
Frozen Dinners and Entrees	3 to 4
Gravy, meat or poultry	2 to 3
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats	1 to 2
Meat, uncooked roasts	4 to 12
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops	4 to 12
Meat, uncooked ground	3 to 4
Meat, cooked	2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked whole	12
Poultry, uncooked parts	9
Poultry, uncooked giblets	3 to 4
Poultry, cooked	4
Soups and Stews	2 to 3
Wild game, uncooked	8 to 12

(Chart courtesy of USDA, Freezing and Food Safety)

So, while your frozen foods may remain SAFE per the USDA, they may not taste as good after awhile.  If your freezer is stuffed like mine is, a freezer inventory is the way to keep track of what you have on hand.

Print out this document, take a tally of what's in your freezer, and as you use it, mark off what you've used.  The Freezer Inventory is also good to refer to when you are doing your meal plan and grocery list to see what you already have on hand.

Print a one-page Freezer Inventory with Categories if you don't have a lot in the freezer, or

Print multiple copies of this Blank Freezer Inventory if you have a stuffed freezer like mine!



I made a 3 ring binder to put my inventory in.    I found the picture randomly on the net and it made me chuckle.  I must be looking really, really cute!    So can you, if you do your freezer inventory! 

After taking my inventory, I discovered I have a 13 bags of green beans!  Time for some Cold Green Bean Salad!

Cold Green Bean Salad

 
12 oz frozen or fresh green beans
1 small red onion, sliced
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1/2 TSP salt
Pepper






Blanch green beans (Place in boiling water for 3 minutes, then remove from stove and add cold water to stop cooking).








In a separate bowl, combine garlic, vinegar, olive oil and salt.  Add sliced onions and green beans, and toss with pepper, to taste.  Refrigerate overnight.

Cook'N Easy Tip:

An easy version of this is to substitute 4 TBSP of bottled Italian dressing for the other ingredients & toss with the green beans and onion & enjoy!

Bacon Mushroom Frittata

 Bacon Mushroom Frittata
Serves 4

5 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
8 eggs
1/2 cup cheese (optional)
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until lightly crisp.

Drain most of the grease, reserving about 2 tablespoons.  Add the mushroom and onion, and saute until soft. 

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

Pour the bacon and vegetables into a small 8x8 baking dish and pour the eggs over.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a little cheese.

 Bake for about 30 minutes.

 The frittata will look "puffy" when it's done.
Enjoy!

Layered Salad

My stepmom, Kathy, has been making this salad for years.  It's a hit at potlucks or holiday dinners.

Layered Salad

1 bag of romaine lettuce salad
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 thawed bag of frozen peas
2 Cups Miracle Whip + 2 Tablespoons ranch dressing, mixed together
1 can sliced water chestnuts
2 boiled eggs, sliced
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Chinese Noodles
Bacon Bits

In a clear glass salad bowl, layer ingredients in the order listed.  Serve.

Aldi Finds 11/29/2011

I found these at my Aldi in Oklahoma City this week!  It must be an after- thanksgiving sale. 

Bags of Cranberries - you can FREEZE them for later!  Only 49 cents!


Pineapples- nice and ripe and juicy - only 79 cents!

I've already eaten the pineapple - now what are some good recipes for cranberries?

15 Cent Canned Veggies @ Dollar General till 11/23

Libby's canned vegetables are .40 cents at Dollar General this week.  Use your $1 off 4 Libby's canned vegetables to get them for .15 cents each.


Use Libby's Canned Veggies 11-13-11 RP
or 8-28-11 RP
I stocked up today!

Cake Mix Extender Recipe

Are you going to make a cake but you only have one mix in the pantry?  You can always bake a cake from scratch, but here's a way to E X T E N D that one mix to make enough batter for a 9x13 pan, or the extra cupcakes you need.

Add the following ingredients to your box mix to make a total of 1 1/2 mixes.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup water

Bake as directed, but please note this may increase your baking time by about 5 minutes.