Bacon Bleu Cheese Garlic Sliders

These were so good I just had to share! I Instagrammed my way right through this recipe.

2 pounds 90% lean ground beef
10 strips precooked bacon
4 oz. (container) crumbled bleu cheese
3-5 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup yellow onion
1-2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. Seasoning Salt (like Lawry's)

Prepare by finely mincing the onion, pressing the garlic and chopping the precooked bacon into tiny bits. Next place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together by hand until well combined. 

Once combined, form little meatballs ever so slightly larger than golf balls and then squish them into adorable little patties that are cute enough you are thinking of naming them all and crocheting bonnets for them. Don’t do it. It will make it much harder to turn around and eat them and believe me… you really want to eat them!

When you are done forming them into adorable patties, admire them and imagine what all of that bumpy bleu cheese is going to look like once the sliders are grilled.

BBQ the sliders on a nice hot grill, turning only after the first side has some nice grill marks. Flip. Finish those puppies off and then bring them inside. Don’t overcook them. It would be so sad if they dried out. Dry sliders aren’t anywhere near as cute as juicy ones.

Serve on little adorable buns. We used hawaiian rolls. Lettuce (or coleslaw!), some mustard and mayonnaise… Heaven on a bun. Take them from amazing to FREAKING amazing by making some of Ree’s super delicious onion strings to put on top! ((hold me))

Strombolis! Calzones! Pizza Pockets! (Whatever you want to call them!)

Oh yum! I just made these tonight for the very first time and they were delicious! A huge hit with everyone!

You will need:

For Dough:
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Sugar
4 cups all purpose (or bread machine) flour
4 Tbsp. bread machine yeast

For Filling:
1 small onion diced small
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. Extra lean ground pork (can use ground Italian sausage of any temp. if you like to go spicier)
Italian Seasoning (can use fresh herbs if ya got 'em)
1 can/jar of your favorite pizza sauce (or about 2 to 3 cups of your favorite homemade pizza sauce)
Approx. 3 cups of mozzarella (or pre-shredded pizza cheese)

Put all dough ingredients into bread machine and set to dough setting. Push start. (This is of course the easy, no fuss version! If you like or if you do not have a bread machine, make the dough as you normally would using any pizza dough recipe you like best.) [On a side note, I got my bread machine at a garage sale for $10 about 3 years ago. I love that thing! Keep an eye out for these at garage sales. People buy them with good intentions but a lot of people find that they just don't use them very often.]

I took my dough out of the bread machine about 30 minutes before it "bing-ed" at me to take it out. I broke it up into 7 equal sized balls and put them in my oven on the "bread proof" setting (100 degrees) with plastic wrap covering them loosely. I let it rise in there for about 30 to 40 minutes.


In a large skillet sautee the onion in a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) until tender. Season with about a tsp. of salt and a few shakes of your favorite Italian seasonings. Add the ground pork (or Italian sausage) and cook until there is no pink left. Add pizza sauce and simmer for about 8-10 minutes.


Roll out one of the balls of dough. Place a large spoonful of filling on half of the dough, leaving about 1/4 inch around the edge. Top it with a handful of cheese. Then fold the empty side of the dough over the filled side and press down around the edges. Fold the bottom layer of dough over the top layer and pinch together again, sealing the filling in. Place on cookie sheet or pizza stone and repeat until all are filled and sealed in this manner.


Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, until just golden brown. Remove from oven and enjoy! Caution: They will be very hot inside!

We had them with Ceasar salad. A great combo.

I decided to freeze the leftovers for another time.

Rosemary Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

This sandwich is SCRUMPTIOUS! You will Mmmm and Oooh over it the whole time you are rapidly ingesting it.

I wish I had taken pictures of it as I made them because I'm sure you would believe me more fully about how incredibly yummy they are. You'll just have to take my word for it though.

What you will need:

5 medium sized chicken breasts
2 - 3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil
3 tsp. fresh Rosemary chopped small
3 cloves garlic minced
salt (several shakes)
pepper (a few turns of the grinder)
Focaccia bread or crusty buns

Toppings:
Hellman's Mayonaisse
2 avocados sliced
1 tomato sliced (if you like them... I don't)
1 medium red/purple onion sliced thinly
head of butter lettuce
Havarti cheese sliced
1 pkg. pre-cooked bacon warmed


About 30 minutes prior to putting them on the BBQ, prepare chicken by coating them in 2 - 3 Tbsp. of EV olive oil, the minced garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 20 to 30 minutes. Of course you can marinate them for longer if you want to. Cook them on the grill. (I won't attempt to tell you how long this takes to do them perfectly. My husband is master of the grill here so I don't really know how long it takes!)


Now prepare the focaccia bread. Cut into sandwich sized wedges. I like to cut them triangularly as they look more attractive this way. I was unable to find focaccia bread this last time that I made these sandwiches so I bought several of the fresh "crusty buns" instead. But herbed foccacia bread is much preferable. I don't like the cheesy focaccia bread with this. But really, whatever you prefer. Now slice the wedges across the center and brush the inside of the "buns" with a bit of olive. When the chicken is done, pop the buns or focaccia buns inside down on the grill for a couple of minutes to make them just ever so crisp. Just some light grill marking is what you are aiming for.

At the table have all of your toppings available on plates. The bacon can be warmed (I just stuck all of them in together for about 15 seconds) or it can be used cold. Assemble your sandwich as you please and enjoy! These are so incredibly yummy and very company worthy. I'm sure there are plenty of variations you can make to the toppings you'd like on them to make them yours.

I think you're going to love them!

Poor Man's Pasta

This very versatile dish can be personalized to your likes and dislikes. My brother in law introduced us to it and told us that he and his room mates (food saavy folks, all of them) would pull out whatever they had in their pantry or fridge and throw it together -- hence the name "poor man's pasta." We have tweaked it enough that it isn't truly a poor man's dish anymore, but oh boy is it ever good!

1 large onion sliced or diced (your preference)
a couple of large chicken breasts
1 box of pasta (your choice - colored fusili) cooked
5-7 fresh mushrooms sliced
1 can artichoke hearts drained and quartered
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and julienned
1 can of olives (I use a whole can of whole olives and slice them. You could also of course just use two cans of sliced)
broccolli or roasted asparagus
salt to taste
Drizzling of EV Olive Oil
sprinkle of basil


Bring water to boil and cook your pasta. In hot skillet saute onions and chicken (salt to taste) in extra virgin olive oil until cooked through. Meanwhile steam your broccolli or roast your asparagus (instructions below.) When chicken is a couple minutes away from completion, add your sliced mushrooms. When the chicken/onions/mushrooms are fully cooked, add all other canned ingredients to heat and add a sprinkling of fresh or a few small shakes of dried basil.

Once heated through, in large serving bowl stir in your chicken mixture, your pasta and add in your broccolli. (p.s. you do NOT want to overcook your broccolli for this dish. It would not taste right at all. It ought to be bright green as opposed to a very sad looking dark green.) Stir well to mix. If you are doing asparagus with it you can either serve it on the side, whole or you can cut them into small pieces and mix them in. Over all of it drizzle a Tablespoon or two more of EV olive oil, salt it to taste. You can garnish it with a bit of mozarella or parmesan.

This one is a crowd pleaser. We always make extras because everyone wants seconds, even the kids (who can pick out the goodies that they dislike and hand them all over to a parent who can truly appreciate them!) It also makes wonderful leftovers. It can even be eaten cold as a pasta salad the next day for lunch and it is still simply delicious! Play with it. Add some stuff that you love. Take out some stuff that you hate. It's pretty hard to really mess this up.

VARIATION: You can also grill the chicken rather than pan cooking it, just pan cooking the onions/mushrooms, etc. alone.

Beer Brats and Potato Salad

Main Course:

Beer Braised Brats

5 brats
3 Tbsp. diced onion
1 minced garlic
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups German brown ale
Saurkraut

Melt the butter in large skillet. Add onions and garlic. Cook over medium-high until tender. Add bratwurst and 1/2 cup of beer. Cook (stirring frequently) until beer is evaporated. Add another 1/2 cup and cook until evaporated again. Add final 1/2 cup and cook until evaporated. Remove brats to a serving dish. Turn heat up to high and add saurkraut (I think I used about 1 1/2 cups), depending on how much you like it. Cook saurkraut for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until hot.

Side Dish:

German Potato Salad

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

1 lb. bacon, diced and cooked
1/4 c. oil or bacon fat
1 c. celery, chopped
1 c. onion, chopped
3 tbsp. flour
1 1/3 c. water
2/3 c. vinegar
2/3 c. sugar
3 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. celery seed

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Cool, peel, and cut into cubes. Cook bacon; drain the fat, reserving 1/4 cup. Add the celery and onion to the fat; cook for 1 minute. Blend flour and water in a cup. Add this with the vinegar and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir in sugar, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Add dressing to potatoes and toss lightly. Refrigerate and let rest overnight. Reheat salad in a casserole or serve cold. Good either way.

Summer Garden Zucchini, Tomato & Cheese Casserole

You'd need:
*4 medium sized Zucchinis
* 3 bright red juicy Tomatoes
*An Onion
*Oregano
*Salt & Pepper
*Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*Parmesan Cheese (can be powdered kind)
* Shredded Mozz. cheese
* Chicken breast strips or boneless skinless thighs

1) Saute' in a large skillet or large frying pan, EV olive oil with chopped onion & zucchini sliced thin.
Saute' it until soft, but not squishy.
2) Generously add salt, pepper and a dash or two of oregano and a couple shakes of dried basil
3) Put zucc. mixture into large baking dish (I use a glass pyrex 9X13) with small slices of raw tomato layered on top
4) then on this sprinkle w/ Parm cheese and then sprinkle the mozz. cheese on top of that (desired amount)
5) Saute the chicken on high temp. until golden brown in the pan that you just emptied the onion/zuch. out of. Nestle the chicken in the “stuff” that’s already in the cass. dish. Sprinkle some more of the cheeses over top.
Cover with tin foil and bake at 350* for 20 - 30 minutes.

This will be very moist, with a brothy-soupy juice bubbling; but the flavor is so fresh and delicious!! It would be good served sort of as a soup or you could serve it over pasta... Good to have french bread to dip into the extra juice!!

Rustic Italian Bean Casserole

2 handfuls spaghetti noodles broken up and boiled
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can White Kidney Beans, partially drained
1/2 to 3/4 (what you prefer) can of diced tomatoes, partially drained
1/2 can (or 1 small can) mushroom slices
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and cut into 1/4’s
1 small can sliced black olives
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. dried crushed Basil
Salt&Pepper
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella, shredded

Cook broken spaghetti noodles as usual with a bit of olive oil and salt added to the water.
Meanwhile in large skillet sautee onion until tender (in butter or margarine or olive oil). Then add the kidney beans, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts. Add the olive oil and Sautee together for about 5 minutes on a high temperature, stirring constantly.
Combine cooked/drained spaghetti noodles and bean mixture in a casserole dish (9x13 would work... I used my oval pyrex with the higher sides). Stir in the olives and half of the mozzarella. Stir until mixed well. Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella over the top and place in 375 oven for 20 minutes.

Poppy Seed Casserole

2-3 chkn breasts cooked/cubed
1 1/2-2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup sour cream
1 can crm. chkn soup (or crm. mushroom; either is very yummy)
1 Tbsp. white cooking wine
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. chicken broth
30 Ritz Crackers crumbled
1/2 cup butter melted
Poppy seeds

Cook chicken whichever way you prefer. If you have the time, it tastes best if you saute it in oil/butter (and salt and pepper it). But if you are short on time you can microwave it or boil it or whatever. Cut into cubes. Mix chicken, rice, sour cream, soup, wine, lemon juice, chicken broth in oven safe cass. dish (I always use our oval french white dish).
Put crumbled crackers over the top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle poppy seeds generously over entire top. Pour melted butter evenly over top.
Cook for 30 min. on 350.
This is an old favorite here... kids love it, grown ups love it... and it makes great leftovers!

My Lasagna

1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 small can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 white onions
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. salt
few dashes of pepper
1 Tbsp. dry white wine
1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 cups Mozarella cheese
1 container Ricotta cheese
Sprinkling of Parmesan cheese
Lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. While cooking the beef, in blender, blend together the 1 large can of diced tomatoes, the onions and the garlic. Blend them up until smooth. Drain the ground beef. Add the contents of the blender, the 1 small can of diced tomatoes and all of the seasonings and the wine. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or so.
Layering it:
In a 9x13 casserole dish, begin with a layer of the hot sauce mixture, followed by lasagna noodles (you'll have to break one up to fill in the gaps at the ends. The next layer should be Ricotta cheese. Use a spoon and spread evenly just less than half of the container onto the noodles. Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering pattern once again, ending with a top layer of mozz. cheese and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese
Cover with foil and place on cookie sheet (because it tends to bubble over a bit). Cook in a 375 Degree oven for 1 hour (usually more like 55). Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Meatloaf

2 pounds ground chuck
1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing Mix--any flavor (I used Savory Herbs)
1 cup of water
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup BBQ sauce, any flavor, divide into two 1/4 cup servings

Mix all ingredients except 1/4 cup of the BBQ sauce

Shape meat mixture into 2 oval loaves, side by side, in 13 x 9 inch baking
dish. Top with 1/4 cup BBQ sauce.

Bake @375 degrees for 35 minutes or until the center is no longer pink.

Makes 6 - 8 servings

HAWAIIAN CHICKEN

OVEN TEMP. 375

5 BONESLESS CHICKEN BREAST
ROLLED IN BEATEN EGGS (2) AND THEN IN CORNSTARCH
FRY UNTIL CHICKEN IS BROWN
PLACE IN OVEN SAFE DISH
SAUCE:
4 TBS KETCHUP
JUICE FROM A CAN OF PINEAPPLE AND A CAN OF PINEAPPLE SLICES
2 TSP SOY SAUCE
1/2 C. BROWN SUGAR
1 TBSP. CORNSTARCH
COOK IN SAUCEPAN OVER LOW HEAT UNTIL SUGER MELTS
POUR OVER CHICKEN
TOP WITH CRUSHED PINEAPPLE AND PLACE A PINEAPPLE SLICE ON TOP OF EACH CHICKEN BREAST
BAKE FOR 35 MIN. OR UNTIL CHICKEN IS DONE.
SET OVEN TO BROIL AT HI-TEMP, BROIL FOR ABOUT 8 MIN. (WATCH CLOSELY) JUST UNTIL PINEAPPLE TURNS BROWNISH ON TOP
SERVE OVER RICE!

This is Oh so "company" worthy. Really pretty presentation too.

Green Enchiladas

3 chicken breasts
salt/pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 large onion chopped
1 small can of mild (unless you like it spicy) salsa verde (tomatillo salsa), Herdez is a good brand
1 to 1 1/2 cups sour cream (depending on how spicy you like it)
2 pkgs. small flour tortillas (we make them homemade and these are all the yummier...)
Monterey Jack Cheese

Sautee chicken in canola oil and a pat of butter, salt and pepper to taste and cook with minced garlic and chopped onion. When finished cooking, shred or chop chicken (I use "the chopper").
In separate bowl mix together the salsa verde with the sour cream. If you like it a bit spicier, use less sour cream.
Grate the cheese (probably a good 2-3 cups of grated cheese is what I use... I don't measure it usually. I just buy a medium block of it and grate the whole thing.)
In each tortilla put a spoonful of chicken mixture, spoonful of sauce and sprinkling of cheese, roll up and repeat, placing enchiladas close to each other in a 9x13 casserole dish. You can pack them in pretty tight. I actually usuaally end up using one large cass. dish and one smaller square one and freezing half of them for another meal.
Once you have filled and rolled them all, pour the remaining sauce evenly over all enchiladas and sprinkle the tops with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 min. in 350 degree oven.
Sooooo yummy! I serve 'em with black beans! (or chips and guacamole)

Enchilada Casserole

1 lb. of extra lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups non-fat sour cream
1 can mild green enchilada sauce (La Victoria)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
5 flour tortillas
1 cup cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and drain. Add the sour cream and enchilada sauce and stir until well mixed, simmering on low for about 3-5 minutes. Stir in black beans.
Layer beef/bean mixture, ripped up tortillas and cheese, starting with the sauce mixture on bottom and ending with cheese on top.
Bake in 375 oven for 20-25 minutes.
To make it just a little more evil, sprinkle Fritos over it when serving. Add a dollop of guacamole.
Everyone scarfed it down and wanted seconds. :^)

Chicken Zucchini Parmigiana

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
3 large or 4 small zucchini, sliced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
sprinkling of Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. Sauterne cooking wine
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

In a large, heavy skillet saute chicken breast and garlic in oil about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from skillet; set aside. Add zucchini to skillet, sprinkle with seasoning salt to taste and cook and stir 5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Push to sides of skillet. Arrange chicken in middle of skillet. Mix tomato sauce with the sugar, wine and herbs. Top chicken with cheeses and tomato sauce. Cover, cook on med/low for 8-10 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce is hot.

Chicken Picatta

chicken breasts (2), cubed;

1 16 oz can of chicken broth;

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1 jar of capers

1 can of mushrooms

Cube the chicken and coat it in flour. Saute in a pan until almost cooked through. Add remaining ingredients and cook until it reduces.