Ohhhh Desserts and all things yummy....

Showing posts with label Savory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Savory. Show all posts
During the school year I have very little time to spend putting together meals.  Most of the day is enjoyed in helping the kids with their schoolwork and doing lessons.  As much as I adore playing in the kitchen I do like to do some other things with my free time.  This cornbread is so fast and easy to make but best of all it is super moist and all four of my kids love it.  Try it with your favorite soup or chili.
This is served with my Southwest Chili


Take 2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix, add 1 cup shredded cheddar


Whisk 1 cup of milk with 2 eggs


Add milk/egg mixture to dry ingredients


Add 1 can creamed corn to the batter


Add 2-3 chopped jalapenos (add more if you would like spicier)


Pour mixture into heated and greased cast iron skillet


Bake in at 375 until golden brown and set



I guess I should say more since there was more to this delicious dinner and it begins with some truly delicious Grilled Herb Chicken and Sausage Kebabs with Herb Cream Sauce.


But, since you came to this page for the Bacon wrapped asparagus I will refocus.

My good friend recently mentioned making these and it has stayed at the back of my mind.  So, today when I had asparagus that had to be used and a half a pack of uncooked bacon I thought I better try this out.


First, I counted how many pieces of bacon I had and then made that many piles of my asparagus (which were washed, dried and ends cut off)


Then I hold a bundle together and starting at the bottom begin to tightly wrap the asparagus with the bacon.  I did not want a lot of overlap as I like my bacon crisp and did not want any chewy bacon hidden under crisp.

You will see a lot of recipes for these that call for brushing the bacon with olive oil but I don't agree with that. There was plenty of grease from the bacon that I definitely did not need to add any unless it is for the taste but...oh yeah, that is what the bacon is for.

Place the bundles on a heated grill and cook until desired crispness.  Place on paper towels, sprinkle on some fresh ground pepper and serve.  




Double Pork Chili

We were thinking of a quick and easy dinner to come home to after church.  Since it is winter (at 80 degrees) we decided on chili.  I had no ground beef or chicken so I came up with a delicious pork option.


Start by crisping the bacon.



Add chopped peppers



Add onions.



Next comes the spices.  Chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder and oregano.



After browning the ground pork combine it with the beans in the crock pot.




Add the tomatoes and simmer in the crock pot for several hours.



We served ours topped with sour cream and shredded cheddar.  Our side was Easy Mexican Corn Bread.


Recipe for Double Pork Chili

Ingredients
6 slices smoked bacon, cut up.
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 medium onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 pound ground pork
1 can beer (can use other kind of liquid but this gives great flavor)
2 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (24 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup beef stock
Salt and pepper as needed

Toppings
Sour cream
Shredded Cheddar
Diced Avocados
Sliced Scallions

Directions
In large heavy-bottom frying pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp.  Once the bacon is browned, add the garlic, onions, bell peppers, and spices.  Cook until the vegetables are soft and spices are aromatic.  Add the pork, break it up and brown, cooking until no longer pink.  Stir in the beer, deglazing the pan.  Pour the contents of the frying pan in a slow cooker.  Add the beans, tomatoes and beef stock.  Stir together.  Cook in the crock pot for at least 4 hours.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary.  Transfer the chili to serving bowls and add toppings of choice.

The kids asked if we could do ethnic themed weeks for dinner and these are 2 of the dishes we had for Italian week.


Arancini with marinara.  I know they aren't served with marinara but we really liked it together.  There are also some brussel sprouts hiding in the back.




Lamb Osso Buco on  Marscapone Polenta

I know these aren't desserts but it was wonderful and I wanted to share.  We had so much fun preparing with the kids.

We had our friends join us for dinner.  It was a joint effort and together it made an amazing feast!


French 3 onion Soup.  Carl made the stock and it was AMAZING!


Maple Glazed Squash and Cranberry Salad with Cider dressing.



Local Honey Brined, Apple Smoked Turkey only an hour into the cooking.


Green Beans with Cream Sauce topped with Fried Leeks.

OK, so as I was getting the great pictures I realized that we didn't actually take pictures of all the food so I will list the rest here.  You will just have to imagine it.

We also had: 
 Macadamia Coconut Crusted Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Rosemary Roasted Cashews
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
Stuffing
Brined and Roasted Turkey (yes we had 2 turkeys)
Daddies dinner rolls
Sparkling Juices

Following are pics of the prep, it was so fun having the kiddos in the kitchen.

Stock simmering


Ha-Na was helping put the stock together.


MJ was making the cream sauce for the green beans.


Photo bomb while making the macadamia coconut crust for our sweet potatoes.


Even Lissy dressed for the occasion. 


Sisters who love cooking!


Seasoning the Sweet potatoes.


She can't wait for them to cook before diving in.


Sweating the onions.


Making his roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta.


Spicy Cashews


Turkey is soaking up the flavor.


The soup is coming together.