Bacon Everywhere on Everything

Well, as if my great desire to eat bacon wasn’t bad enough, my dear sister just sent me a new cookbook (one of those mini pamphlets at the grocery store counter) simply entitled BACON. It is by Taste of Home magazine and really is a nice compilation of recipe cards all starring bacon.

We have bacon for breakfast, appetizers, lunch/dinner, side dishes and even DESSERT. The dessert recipes looked a little strange like Bacon Baklava (the Macedonians and Greeks are flipping out right now) and Chocolate Covered Bacon which really did not look too appealing even for chocolate girls.

Well, of course I tried a few and they were pretty good so I had to share.

First, I made an appetizer. I changed the recipe a bit as it was too cheesy, so here is my version:

Bacon Rounds

1c. mayonnaise
1 tbs. grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder (they also included celery seed which added nothing to the flavor)
1c. shredded cheddar cheese (they used 2 cups but it was too gooey for me)
4 green onions thinly sliced
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 baguette, sliced into 48 rounds.

The original recipe also added chopped peanuts but again, not so great.

In a large bowl combine first 6 ingredients. Mix well and add cheese, bacon and onions. Lightly brush olive oil on the bottoms of the bread. Oil side down, place on cookie sheet and top with spread. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Serve warm. I have made these twice and the recipe does well if you cut it in half since it does make a lot. Enjoy!

Bacon Chicken Roll Ups

After the appetizer try, the next day I went after an entrée and this one was good. Seriously, this one begins with 12 bacon strips, how can you go wrong?

12 bacon strips (partially cook in frying pan but do not let get crisp or there will be no rolling)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see, there is one thing healthy about this recipe) 8 oz. softened cream cheese mixed with ½ tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Flatten chicken to 1/8 inch thickness. Spread cream cheese down the center (I used about 2 tbs. for each breast) and roll up from long side, tucking in ends. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap two bacon strips around each breast and secure with toothpicks.

Place in greased 13x9 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. These are pretty and good and I served them with glazed carrots!

The original recipe says to put sliced onions on top of the cream cheese, but who wants an onion stuck in the middle of a delicious chicken recipe? I also added the garlic powder to flavor up the cream cheese a bit.

My next try will be Bacon-Pecan Stuffed Mushrooms!

Sunday Snax

Last weekend, the LPGA golf tournament was held right here in upstate NY. My husband and several of his friends attended last Sunday and the guys came back to our house for some delicious snacks and to watch some MORE golf on TV. Here is what I served:

Becky's Sunday Snax Menu

Shrimp cocktail with spicy cocktail sauce
Mrs. Murphy’s cream cheese and beef dip
Hamburger sliders with all the trimmings
Marinated chicken on skewers

Here are two of the recipes:

Marinated Chicken on Skewers

Marinade: Combine together ½ c. soy sauce, ½ c. oil, 2 green onions, chopped, 1 tbs. brown sugar, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 tsp. vinegar.

Cut two or three chicken breasts into strips. Marinate the chicken for 45 minutes to 4 hours, depending on how much time you have. Thread meat on small skewers.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange skewers on foil lined baking sheet (if you don’t line the sheet, be prepared for a big mess later) and bake for 10 minutes. Flip skewers and baste with reserved marinade. Bake about 5 more minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

This recipe is one of my favorites, I also serve it as a dinner dish with chunks of chicken breast and pineapple slices.

Mini Burger Sliders

Combine 1 lb. of 80/20 ground beef and 1 lb. of 90/10 ground beef so you get some nice flavor from the fat while still keeping it leanish. This amount of meet will make a lot of sliders so you can cut it in half if you’d like. Add 1 tsb. olive oil and 1/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese, pepper and seasoning salt. Form into 12 golf ball sized rounds. Flatten slightly. Grill (indoors or out) or just fry in a pan until cooked through. Serve on toasted slider buns (available at so many grocery stores now) with pickle slices, mustard and catsup and tiny thin slices of tomato and onion. I also will use a special mayo I make with lemon juice, parsley and a bit of garlic salt for a different twist. Top with bun half and serve!!

Rosemary Roasted Chicken

Everyone needs a good, basic roast chicken recipe. I have perfected this one over many years and it always turns out great. You will need a roasting pan with a rack and nice basting brush to get started.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine the ingredients below and then set mixture aside.
One lemon, both the zest and the juice
Rosemary (fresh if possible, just remove the leaves from 3 stalks and chop) or 1 tsp. dried
One clove garlic, chopped
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
3 tbs. olive oil

You will need a 5-7lb. chicken. I know there are special roasting chickens out there (which are great), but a whole, uncut broiler/fryer works just as well and is usually less $$. Remove the bag inside the chicken and discard. Before you all write to me and complain that the innards can be used for stock or soup, I already know that – but they are too gross for me.

Wash and dry the chicken and pull out any stray feathers. You need to rinse inside and out and then dry the chicken well or it will not brown properly.

Now, pull up the breast skin and rub about 1 tbs. of the rosemary mix on the breast. Do both sides, reaching as far down the breast as possible to coat thoroughly. Next, try to pull up as much skin as you can on the thighs and do the same thing. Pour remaining mix over the top of the chicken and massage it in.

Tie the legs of the chicken together, I use twine or fishing line. Turn wings under the chicken to create a “perch.” WASH YOUR HANDS!!

Place bird in the oven and bake about 20-25 minutes per pound. Baste often with the juices. The chicken is done when you can pull the leg away from the thigh and the juices are clear. Ignore that annoying pop-up timer thing. It always pops up long before the meat is done.

When the chicken is done, remove from pan, pour interior liquid from the cavity into the sink and rest on a carving board about 10 minutes. Be sure to cover with foil. Carve when ready.

*Becky Knows Everything: After I make the chicken, I often cool and refrigerate the meat for sandwiches. The breast meat is so tender and flavorful from the rosemary mixture. Or, serve warm and make gravy, potatoes, and dressing and pretend it’s Thanksgiving!

Mandarin Chicken Salad

This concludes my chicken recipes for Jamie P. I hope she found them to be just what she was looking for. I am sure she will impress anyone she invites to dinner.

Mandarin Chicken Salad

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. of any store bought teriyaki marinade (or just blend ½ c. soy sauce with ½ c. water)

1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 pkg. oriental flavor ramen noodles (optional but they give a nice crunch and only cost TWENTY CENTS or if you don’t like these, use crunchy chow mein noodles)
½ c. sliced almonds (don’t buy the weird white slivered ones that look like skinny false teeth)
1 tsp. sesame seeds
One bag of mixed greens (I always add a few handfuls of good old chopped romaine since these mixed greens look too much like weeds to me)
3 green onions, chopped
½ cucumber, sliced
8 oz. can of mandarin oranges, drained
One bottle of any ginger, sesame, teriyaki salad dressing (there are a bunch of them out there and they are all pretty good, even the low fat ones).

Marinate chicken in sauce for an hour or longer in refrigerator. When ready to serve, remove from bowl, discard marinade and grill or broil until chicken is cooked through. When slightly cooled, cut in thin slices on an angle. Meanwhile, in sauté pan using the oil, lightly brown the almonds, broken up noodles and sesame seeds. On each plate, assemble mixed greens and romaine. Add oranges, green onions, noodle mix and chicken. Top with dressing. I think you will like this one – it’s spicy and so flavorful too.

*Becky Knows Everything: I flatten the chicken breasts so they cook more evenly, but if the pounding drives you nuts, just cut them in half horizontally.

Lemon Loves Chicken

Here is one more idea for Jamie P. in response to her request for some fancy but light chicken main dishes suitable for entertaining.

Lemon Loves Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been “filleted” or pounded to be even in thickness
1/3 c. olive oil
Zest of 2 lemons
4 cloves minced garlic
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
2 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped (I told you all to go buy that mini chopper)
½ tsp. dried, crushed rosemary (I know fresh is good but it gets so woody and sticks in your teeth and who needs that with company coming)
½ tsp. kosher salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients, whisk, then add chicken. Marinate chicken in sauce for an hour or longer in refrigerator. Grill or broil for about 5 minutes each side and serve. This is a very simple recipe, but the fresh lemon, as always, adds a “WOW” factor. I would serve this with fresh asparagus and small red potatoes that have been boiled gently and then tossed with melted butter and a sprinkle of rosemary.

Entertain with Chicken

Jamie P. writes: “Becky, I have some spare time on my hands and am cooking more. Can you give me some chicken recipes that are fancy but light and festive enough for company?”

Jamie is a 30ish grad student with a cute boyfriend and loves to entertain - so I have a few good recipes for her that are not too $$$ but are different and delicious. The recipes are easy for a novice cook, but really tasty and you will be proud to serve them. I will post a few recipes over the next couple days. Tonight, let's start with Chicken Brochette.

Chicken Brochette

Marinade: Mix all together – ½ c. soy sauce, ½ c. vegetable oil, 3 green onions, chopped, 1 tbs. brown sugar, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp. vinegar (not balsamic or red wine but rather white or cider vinegar).

Other brochette ingredients - 8 cherry tomatoes, one fresh pineapple cut into chunks (you will only use about 12 chunks), green or red pepper pieces (think enough to fit on a skewer) and about 12 fresh mushrooms.

For four people I use 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in nice size chunks. After you mix up the marinade, drop in the chicken and let the mixture sit covered in refrigerator for an hour or more (you can even do this in the morning before work and let it marinate all day).

When you are ready to go (allow 20 minutes to get it all together) thread chicken on 2-3 skewers. If you don’t have the metal ones, use wooden ones that you have soaked in water for a few hours so they don’t burn up. On different skewers, thread alternating pieces of pepper, pineapple, mushroom and tomatoes. Brush these skewers lightly with olive oil.

You can cook these a number of ways – do them under your broiler, on top of your stove on a grill pan or outside on a grill. The vegetables will go quickly, just make sure the chicken is cooked through (about 5 minutes each side, but cut a fat one in half before time is up to see how they are doing). By the way, once you flip the chicken, start the rice (I use minute rice since it tastes the same to me as regular and never gets gummy). If you time it right, the rice will be done when the meat is ready.

To serve, assemble the plates in the kitchen, dividing the meat and veggies on the four plates with the rice. Serve with a nice green salad.

*Becky Knows Everything: I use chicken broth with a dash of soy sauce for the liquid I cook the rice in. Also sometimes it is nice to serve some cold, fresh pineapple with dinner. Sweet and refreshing.