Beer Candied Bacon

BEER. CANDIED. BACON. Enough said!

Beer Candied Bacon Recipe
From Tide and Thyme

Ingredients:
1 lb. thick cut uncured bacon
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup beer (I used Yuengling, but you can use your favorite lager)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by covering with aluminum foil. Place cooling racks on top of baking sheet. Place bacon on top of cooling racks and bake for 10 minutes. 

Whisk together brown sugar and beer until well incorporated. Remove bacon from oven and brush both sides of bacon with sugar mixture. Bake for another 10 minutes. Repeat at least 3 times or until the glaze has been used. Flip bacon each time you apply sugar mixture so the bacon cooks evenly. Allow to cool for one hour. The bacon will have a hard candy coating. Enjoy!

Tip: Serve in your favorite beer mug!

Award Winning Caribbean Rum Ribs

The Rib Fest is an annual competition at our neighborhood Fourth of July party. I'm proud to say that my ribs won for the second year in a row! The ribs were critiqued by a three judge panel and scores were based on presentation, taste/flavor and tenderness/texture. Although the ribs were the center of attention, everyone also brought a few dishes to share. We ended up with a ton of delicious food and we were able to sample the competition's secret rib recipes. I also served my Italian Orzo Salad and the classic dirt for dessert recipe with a twist (made with vanilla cookies and mixed berries). This Caribbean Rum Rib recipe was packed full of flavor and just the right choice for a Fourth of July barbecue!

Award Winning Caribbean Rum Ribs Recipe

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
2 racks baby back ribs
Dry rub
Mango mop sauce
Caribbean sauce

Dry Rub Ingredients:
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. hot chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Mango Mop Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup mango nectar (found in the international food aisle in a can)
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. reserved dry rub

Caribbean Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, minced
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce
3/4 cup mango nectar
1/4 cup rum (I used Bacardi)
2 tbsp. honey
Remaining reserved dry rub

Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. To make the dry rub, combine all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside 2 1/2 tbsp. of mixture. Evenly sprinkle the dry rub over the ribs and rub into the meat with your fingers until well coated. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. For the mango mop sauce, combine mango nectar, apple cider vinegar and 1/2 tsp. of the reserved rub in a small bowl and whisk together. Place the ribs on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush the mango mop sauce evenly over the ribs. Wrap aluminum foil tightly over baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 2 1/2 hours.

To prepare the Caribbean sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until tender. Stir in barbecue sauce, mango nectar, rum, honey and remaining reserved dry rub. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until desired consistency is reached, stirring occasionally.

Remove ribs from oven and transfer to a medium-hot preheated grill. Brush with Caribbean Sauce and grill for 20 minutes. Serve ribs immediately with remaining Caribbean Sauce on the side.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Until a couple months ago I hadn't eaten a steak since I was about 5 years old. I know...crazy, right? My husband pointed out that if I'm going to have a blog about food, I have to expand my culinary horizons to include more than just chicken. He was right! I realized I'm secretly a steak lover and I've been trying to make up for lost time ever since. I came across this recipe for Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and thought I'd give it a try. I served it to a couple of our good friends at a dinner party and everyone agreed it was fabulous! Try it with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. I loved the Chimichurri sauce so much I ended up spooning it onto my potatoes. This is a must try recipe!

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

From Julia's Album

Chimichurri Sauce Ingredients:
1 large bunch parsley, washed and rinsed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/ 4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until finely chopped. Spoon into a small bowl. Set aside to serve with flank steak.

Ingredients for Flank Steak:
1 lb. flank steak
1/4 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. basil
1/8 tsp. hot chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine spices together in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture on both sides of the flank steak. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat or until oil is very hot. Sear flank steak on for about 4 minutes on each side. Place cast iron skillet into oven to continue cooking the flank steak for about 5-10 minutes or until cooked according to taste. Place flank steak onto large platter and slice across the grain into thin strips. Serve with Chimichurri sauce.

Bacon Apple Cider Slaw

I made this coleslaw recipe for my niece's sixth birthday party this weekend. It was delicious! My neighbor told me it was the best coleslaw she ever had. That's because it has BACON in it!!! Everything is better with bacon. It's perfect as a side dish or try it on top of a hot dog!

Bacon Apple Cider Slaw Recipe

Adapted from The Ghetto Foodie

Ingredients:
1 large head of cabbage, cored and shredded
1 lb. bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
3 large granny smith apples, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup honey
3 tsp. salt
1/4 cup pulp free orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. pepper
3/4 tsp. fennel seed

Toss cabbage with 1 tsp. salt. Place cabbage in a colander over a large bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Discard the excess liquid remaining in the bowl. In a large bowl, combine green onion, shredded apples, apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise, honey, 2 tsp. salt, orange juice, lemon juice, pepper and fennel seed. Whisk together until well combined. Add cabbage and bacon and toss to coat. Refrigerate overnight to allow the favors to blend. Enjoy!

Awesome Artichoke Bread

Artichoke Bread Recipe

Adapted from Crumb

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 ciabatta rolls, sliced

Preheat broiler. Place sliced ciabatta rolls on large foil lined baking sheet. In a large skillet, sauté garlic in butter over medium heat for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients to the skillet and stir until combined. Spoon the mixture evenly over the ciabatta rolls. Broil until the tops are brown and crispy.

Tip: Substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream!

 

Nancy's Spaghetti Casserole

 

Nancy's Spaghetti Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 16 oz. box vermicelli pasta
16 oz. Clamato tomato cocktail
2 28 oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes, cored and diced (reserve juice from 1 can)
1 1/2 cups onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. garlic salt
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, brown ground beef until fully cooked and drain excess grease. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are transparent. Stir in garlic salt and set aside. Add diced tomatoes, Clamato and the reserved tomato juice from 1 can. Toss this mixture with cooked pasta in a 9x13 baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake for 40 minutes uncovered. Enjoy!

Tip: Add some basil and oregano when you add the garlic salt for extra flavor. The pasta will soak up a lot of the juice. Just add more Clamato or leftover tomato juice if the mixture is too dry.

Best Ever Gorgonzola Salad

Manero's in Greenwich, Connecticut was probably my favorite Italian restaurant of all time. It was a small family owned Italian steakhouse with the best food I can remember eating. Everything on the menu was awesome, but my favorite was by far their Gorgonzola salad. Manero's closed several years ago and I've been dying to have another one of their amazing Gorgonzola salads. While I'll never be able to replicate it exactly, I think came pretty close! This salad pairs perfectly with almost any meal. Try it alongside a steak or with a big spaghetti dinner.

Best Ever Gorgonzola Salad

Salad Ingredients:
1 head iceberg lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces
1 large green pepper, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
4-5 tomatoes, diced (I used Campari tomatoes)
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Dressing Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

 Combine salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients until well mixed and pour over salad. Toss to coat. Refrigerate any leftover dressing. Enjoy!