It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like bacon, and it can be a very versatile ingredient, fitting into every course of a meal and breakfast, lunch and dinner to boot. You can also cook it in a variety of ways – in the microwave, on the stovetop, on the grill or in the oven. In the New York Times, Mark Bittman has put together 25 easy and fantastic ways that you can use bacon in various dishes and ways. Check it out!
Sean’s birthday was last week and he had a little get together with some of his buddies this past weekend where they hung out, played video games, watched movies and ate a ton of food. Besides the pizza that we ordered from our local pizzeria, I also made a few things for the guys to eat while they were playing. It was a finger food kind of party so that everything could be eaten easily without interrupting the flow of their gaming. Of course no Sean party is ever complete without his all-time favorite – cheese fries. Sean has been loving cheese fries since he was a little kid and we pretty much have to order them out wherever and whenever we go someplace so it seemed only natural that I would make some for the party. Cheese fries don’t really need much of a recipe, but I did get this one from Rachel Ray because she makes use of a really great tasting cheese sauce to go over the fries to top them off.
Cheese Fries
1 bag frozen french fries, any brand or shape that you like (crinkle cut, thin cut, steak fries, waffle fries, etc.), prepared to package directions
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese
Place the french fries on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and cook the fries according to the directions on the package. While the french fries are baking in the oven, prepare the cheese sauce. Place a large saucepan set over medium heat and add the butter. Melt the butter until it stops bubbling and then add the all-purpose flour. Stir the flour and butter together for about 1 to 2 minutes to create a roux. Use a whisk to stir as you pour the milk into the pot. Keep stirring continuously until the milk begins to thicken, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula to stir in the cheese to the milk mixture. When all of the cheese has melted take the sauce off the heat. Remove the french fries from the oven and place them in a bowl or on a serving platter. Cover the fries with the warm cheese sauce and serve, with extra sauce on the side.
This is a fast and easy recipe that kids of all ages seem to love and they can easily help you with this one in the kitchen as well. You can always add extra toppings to the fries if you want to shake things up. Try adding some sliced scallions, crumbled up pieces of bacon (a Sean personal favorite) or even some jalapeno peppers or other peppers if you want to make them a little spicier. You could also put some herbs or spices on the fries before you add the cheese sauce if you want some different flavors or try using different cheeses to get a bit of a different flavor to the dish. It’s a great party snack that you can put together pretty quickly with just a couple of ingredients and all of the kids really liked this one.
That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!
After spending last week visiting my family in North Carolina it’s back to the real world of work, school and cooking here in New York. We had a great visit with everyone and had a fun time over the Thanksgiving holiday, enjoying a great meal and good times with the family. It was good to get home after a long drive back so we took it easy Saturday and had a nice one dish meal on Sunday, making use of a whole chicken, some fresh veggies and this recipe from Serious Eats for a pan-roasted chicken with vegetables in a Dijon jus for some added zest and flavor. it’s another great one dish meal that you can put together pretty easily and is packed with great flavors.
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Vegetables and Dijon Jus
16 fingerling or yellow new potatoes, scrubbed
3 carrots, 2 peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks, 1 roughly chopped
Kosher salt
16 Brussels sprouts, halved
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into 8 serving pieces, backbone reserved
1 cup dry white wine
1 onion, split in half
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
3 to 4 sprigs fresh sage
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons fish sauce
Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the potatoes and the carrots cut into 1-inch chunks in a medium saucepan, cover the vegetables with cold salted water and bring them to a boil, then simmer the vegetables until they are just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the vegetables and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the Brussels sprouts, season the vegetables with salt and pepper, toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and set the vegetables aside.
Transfer the chicken backbone to the now-empty saucepan. Add the roughly chopped carrot, onion,celery, sage, and bay leaves. Set the saucepan aside. Season the chicken pieces thoroughly with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet set over high heat until the oil is lightly smoking. Add the chicken pieces skin side down and cook, moving the chicken pieces as little as possible, until the chicken skin is rendered and a deep golden brown, about 10 to 14 minutes. Flip the pieces as they finish and lightly brown the second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a plate and set them aside.
When all the chicken is browned, add the white wine to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Transfer the white wine to a medium saucepan and put in the reserved chicken backbone. Pour in any juices that have accumulated on the chicken resting plate and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.
Add the chicken stock to the saucepan with the chicken backbone. Bring the stock to a simmer over high heat, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover and let the stock gently bubble while the chicken roasts. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and heat the skillet over high heat until the oil is lightly smoking. Add the vegetable mixture and top the vegetables with the chicken pieces, skin side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the chicken breasts register 150 degrees and the chicken legs register at least 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer, removing the chicken pieces and transferring them to a clean plate as they finish roasting, about 45 minutes total.
When all of the chicken pieces have finished roasting, add the shallots to the skillet with the vegetables and toss them to combine. Return the skillet to the oven and continue roasting, flipping the vegetables occasionally, until the vegetables and shallots are browned all over, about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, add the parsley, toss to coat and then place the chicken pieces directly on top of the vegetables.
Strain the simmering chicken broth mixture into a small saucepan or bowl. Whisk in the butter, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and fish sauce. Season the jus to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken and vegetables, serving the jus at the table.
This meal is packed with ingredients and lots of great flavor. You get a really nice browning on the chicken pieces and I liked everything set over the vegetables to get even more flavor onto the veggies. I actually added the shallot in from the start and roasted the vegetables just with the chicken, tossing them lightly when I took the chicken out and then put the chicken right back in the skillet. The Dijon jus was a nice touch with the chicken and vegetables, with a good mix of the mustard, lemon juice and fish sauce. It all came together very nicely and mostly in one dish (outside of the prep work) so it was easy clean-up as well.
That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!
Kitchen Daily 50 Thanksgiving Recipes
Still need some ideas for your Thanksgiving meal? Kitchen Daily has put together 50 recipes to cover all of your holiday needs to make a great meal. Check it out!
You can find all the recipes you need for your Thanksgiving holiday meal when you check out these 30 essential Thanksgiving recipes from The Kitchn. Everything you need is covered here to make sure that you have a great meal. Check it out!
Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes Everyone at the Table Will Want to Gobble Up | Real Simple.
More and more people today are having a gluten-free diet, so if you are having guests this year that eat gluten-free you want to make sure you have dishes that they can enjoy. Real Simple has put together some great Thanksgiving recipes that are gluten-free and taste great so that everyone will enjoy them. Check it out!
Super-Simple Thanksgiving Sides – Photo Gallery | SAVEUR.
Side dishes can be the stars of your Thanksgiving meal and you can make some great sides that are really easy to put together to make your Thanksgiving meal spectacular. Saveur has put together 33 Thanksgiving side recipes for you check out that are uncomplicated and delicious. Check it out!
As the Thanksgiving holiday creeps closer and closer you want to find easy meals to make in the days before so that you can focus in on anything that needs to be taken care of for your holiday plans. One dish meals are ideal when you can get them together fast so you don’t even have to think much about dinner for one night. This recipe, from Bon Appetit, is just about a one dish meal. All you need is a vegetable on the side to finish the meal off and you can have a great tasting meal of roasted chicken with chorizo and sweet potatoes.
Roasted Chicken with Chorizo and Sweet Potatoes
4 skin on, bone in chicken breasts (or other chicken pieces; I used thighs)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 fresh chorizo, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into long wedges about 1/2-inch thick
1 red onion, cut in half and then cut each half into quarters
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 sprig rosemary, plus additional for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Season the chicken pieces with the apple cider vinegar, kosher salt and black pepper. Set the chicken aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring the chorizo occasionally, until it is beginning to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken, skin side down and cook the chicken until the skin is a golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Toss the sweet potatoes, garlic, red onion, white wine and the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil, along with the rosemary (if using), until everything is coated and well mixed. Place the sweet potato mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Place the chicken pieces and the chorizo pieces on top of the vegetables and roast the chicken until it is cooked through and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Divide the chicken and sweet potato mixture among the plates and garnish with additional rosemary, if desired.
I really enjoyed the mix of the chicken, chorizo and the sweet potatoes. The chorizo added just the right spiciness to the dish and the potatoes were great roasted and mixed with everything. The chicken had additional flavor from marinating briefly with the cider vinegar to add to the dish overall. I served this with a simple green vegetable on the side and everything was done in under 45 minutes and clean up was a breeze. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, but you could use whichever chicken pieces you have on hand and like best; I think it would do just as well with drumsticks if you prefer.
That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I’ll be traveling over the next few days as we head down to North Carolina for the holiday, but I will make some Thanksgiving posts before the holiday along the way, so keep checking back. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!
Fun, unusual and forgotten designations on our calendar.
Happily Ever After Lives Here
a little bit naughty a little bit nice
Letting Life Lead
Simple and delicious dinner inspiration
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