Sourdough-Cornbread Stuffing with Bacon

I've always wanted to make my own stuffing. It's my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. Since I was hosting this year, I thought I'd give it go. I looked through zillions of recipes and finally decided on a sourdough-cornbread. Sour, sweet, and bacon adds salt. Both my mom and mother-in-law insisted on taking leftovers of this home.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
12 ounces sourdough, torn into bite-sized pieces
12 ounces baked cornbread, cubed or coarsely crumbled
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
2 cups diced celery
2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoon fresh sage
2 tablespoon fresh thyme
16 ounces bacon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sourdough and cornbread pieces onto two cookie sheets and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside.

Cook bacon in a large rimmed skillet according to package directions. Once cooked, place bacon on paper towel-lined plate to absorb extra grease. Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

Discard all the bacon grease except for tablespoons. Add butter to pan with bacon grease and melt over medum heat. Saute onions and celery until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in chicken both. Add sage and thyme. Stir then reduce heat to simmer. Add half of the cooked bacon. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Place toasted bread into a large bowl. Carefully pour broth and veggies over the bread and toss, making sure all the bread is wet.

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer stuffing to baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is just golden brown. Stuffing should still be moist.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Side Dish Ideas:
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake 
Cranberry Sauce Three Ways: Traditional, Orange Zest, and Brandied 
Mashed Potatoes
Eric's Fried Rice
Sauteed Kale with Bacon
Simply the Best Macaroni and Cheese

Pumpkin Soup with Sage Croutons and Bacon

It's pumpkin season again! First up, pumpkin soup! I've been longing to make pumpkin soup for years. I've read through a lot of recipes, and even tried a few--none very good, the one I made last year ended up in the trash. This year I decided to make my own based off a delicious butternut squash soup I made a couple of years ago. It was love at first taste.

Since Eric isn't a big pumpkin fan--at least when it's used in savory dishes--I made him a little tasting bowl. His reaction: If I liked pumpkin, it'd be really good. He did absolutely love the sage croutons though.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Soup
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
2-3 cups chicken stock (I used low sodium)
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
4 bacon slices, cooked
Dried parsley, garnish, optional

Sage Croutons
3 slices of sandwich bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

Directions:
Sage Croutons
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Cut bread into 1-inch squares. Toss bread with olive oil and spices. Spread the bread into a single layer on the cookie sheet.

Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until croutons are brown and crisp. Flip half way through baking.

Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Soup
In a saucepan, saute garlic and onions in the butter until they are translucent.  Remove from heat.

Place pumpkin and cream cheese into a food processor. Pour in sauteed garlic and onions. Blend until well combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer back into saucepan. (If you don't mind little pieces of garlic and onion floating in your soup, you can skip this step). Add 2 cups chicken stock, sage, and pumpkin pie spice to saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat. Whisk ingredients together until well combined. If soup is thicker than you desire, add more chicken stock (I like my soup a little on the thick side). Season with salt and pepper but remember, you are going to add bacon so that will add a lot of sodium to your soup.

Once soup is thoroughly heated, remove from heat. Divide soup between four bowls. Garnish with parsley if desired. Add croutons and crumble 1 slice of bacon over each bowl.

Eric's tasting bowl

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes:
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 

Sauteed Kale with Bacon

I love kale. I didn't know that I loved kale until I made this recipe. I had made kale chips before and liked them. But I could have eaten bowl after bowl of sauteed kale. When I had Eric tried it, part of me hoped he wouldn't like it so I'd have the whole batch to myself. But he fell in love with it too.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon onion, minced
1/2 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt
pepper
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook until soft but not colored. Pour in stock and kale. Toss to combine.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook, stirring continuously until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in bacon. Drizzle with vinegar.

Sauteed kale with cheese stuffed chicken and corn.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Side Dish Recipes:
Baked Parmesan Tomatoes
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake 
Twice Microwaved Loaded Potatoes
Very Simple Roasted Potatoes
Simply the Best Macaroni and Cheese

Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

I also call this dish Because I love my husband chicken simply because of the bacon and his mad love of bacon. I've actually never wrapped anything in bacon before. I don't know what I was waiting for because bacon just makes everything better.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
10 chicken tenders (or about 3 chicken breasts cut into 10 strips), rinsed and patted dry
10 strips of bacon
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine paprika, black pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Rub the spices evenly over the chicken strips so they are completely coated. Wrap each piece of chicken in a strip of bacon. Place the bacon-wrapped chicken in a baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and chili powder. Sprinkle this mixture over the top the chicken then press it down. Flip the chicken over and repeat.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Optional: Transfer chicken to a cookie sheet and place under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes to give the bacon extra crispiness.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Pizza Inspired Chicken 
Potless Chicken Pot Pies
Provincial Chicken
Zesty Shredded Chicken (Crockpot) 
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken 

Crockpot: Zesty Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

This meal has quickly become one of our favorites. Who knew that just three ingredients in a slow cooker could have this much flavor. Eric only wanted to make one change: add bacon. Of course, that's a change he'd make to almost any recipe out there.

Ingredients:
3 to 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (thawed or frozen both work)
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained

Buns
Cheddar cheese, optional
Kraft Chipotle Mayo, optional
Bacon, optional

Directions:
Grease slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Pour dressing over chicken then add the diced tomatoes.

Cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours. Shred chicken with two forks. Assemble sandwiches.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Slow Cooker Recipes:
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Brown Sugar and Garlic Chicken 
Chile and Tomato Shredded Chicken with Cheese Sauce
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Mashed Potatoes
Orange Chicken
Pumpkin Butter
Simply the Best Macaroni and Cheese
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken

Bacon Barbecue Green Bean Casserole

I was actually a little nervous about this recipe. Green beans and barbecue sauce? Even Eric looked at me a little side ways when I told him what I was planning. But the dish kind of wowed me. And it must have wowed the husband a bit too because he didn't even complain about the onions. He actually piled the casserole on top of his chicken breast and ate it that way which makes me wonder if I could throw some shredded chicken into the casserole and take it from a side dish to a main dish. Just might have to try it next time.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
6 strips of bacon
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray)
2 14.5 ounce cans of French cut green beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook bacon in a large skillet. Remove from pan and crumble. Set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of dripping and discard the rest. Saute the onions in remaining bacon grease until tender. Stir in barbecue sauce, bring to a boil, and remove from heat.

Place green beans into 1.5 quart baking dish (I divide the beans among 6 small ramkins). Pour the barbecue mixture on top. Cover and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top and serve.

Arya only has eyes for the bacon cooking on the stovetop.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Casserole Recipes:
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Black Bean and Sausage Stovetop Casserole
Cheesy Sausage and Potato Casserole
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake 
Parmesan Chicken Casserole 

Bacon and Cheese Deviled Eggs

Years ago I made these bacon and cheese deviled eggs for Eric and he loved them. (I'm not a big deviled egg person, ironic since I love egg salad). Well, we were over at his parents for dinner and his dad meantioned something about craving deviled eggs. Eric immediately perked up and said something along the lines of, "You should try Krissy's deviled eggs." And his mom's face lit up and she suggested I make them as appetitizer for Christmas dinner.

So along with chocolate covered cranberries and spinach balls, I made these deviled eggs for Christmas and they were a hit!

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
12 hard boiled eggs, peeled
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used low fat)
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, shredded
Parsley for ganish, optional

Directions:
Cut each egg in half lengthwise. Spoon out the yolks and place them in a bowl. Set the whites aside.

With a fork, mash the yolks together. Stir in mayonnaise, honey mustard, salt, and pepper. Add bacon and cheese and stir.

Divide the yolk mixture evenly between the 24 egg white halves. Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

These worked great for Christmas because I could easily make them ahead of time and just store them in the fridge.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Appetizer Recipes:
Baked Parmesan Tomatoes
Parmesan Garlic Wonton Crackers 
Cheesy Twisty Straws
Homemade Pita Chips
Sweet and Salty Chickpeas
Toasted Ravioli

Twice Microwaved Loaded Potatoes

We've all heard of twice baked potatoes. They are delicious. But they take soooo long to make. Well, I was feeling lazy the other night when it came to dinner, but I was craving twice baked potatoes. I knew you could make a baked potato in the microwave, why not a twice baked potato? In approximately 15 minutes you can have that potato that would normally take an hour and a half and it tastes just as good as ones baked in the oven.

Ingredients:
4 medium sized russet potatoes
4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
¼ cup fat free sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions:
With a fork, poke holes in your potatos. Place them on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Flip the potatoes over and microwave for another 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the microwave and allow them to cool enough so that you can handle them (Or be impatiently like me and burn your fingertips).

Cut the poatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh leaving about a quarter inch shell. Place flesh in a bowl and add sour cream, 3/4 cup cheese, bacon, and green onions (if desired). Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over the top of potatoes. Microwave for another 2 minutes. 

 Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Potato Recipes:
Potato Chips in the Microwave
Baked Potato Soup
The Ultimate Comfort Food Casserole
Roasted Sausage, Potatoes, and Peppers
Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes
Very Simple Roasted Potatoes

More Microwave Recipes:
Zucchini Chips 2.0
Potato Chips in the Microwave
3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Brownie in a Mug
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a Mug
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake
Chocolate-Hazelnut Mug Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Fluffernutter Mug Cake
French Toast in a Mug
Quiche in a Mug
Short-Cut Caramel Sauce

Ranch, Cheddar, and Bacon Potatoes

Potatoes are a pretty basic side dish for us. Usually mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes. This time I thought I'd change it up with this ranch, cheddar, and bacon potato dish. I mean, look at the title, everything in it sounds delicious--ranch, cheddar, bacon. It turned out so well (I don't know if I've ever had potatoes come out so fork-tender), it might just make it into our normal rotation of potato dishes.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 large white potatoes, diced into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup ranch dressing (the bottle, not the powder)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded*
3 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used turkey bacon)**
1/2 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 green onion, chopped***
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season potatoes with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the ranch dressing, dill, cheese, and bacon. Add potatoes and toss until evenly coated.

Pour into an 9x9 casserole dish. Cover with tin foil and back for 60 minutes. Stir the potatoes halfway through.

After 60 minutes, remove the tin foil, stir, increase temperature to 400 degrees, and bake for another 15 minutes.

So I have a few of confessions to make about this recipe:
*After removing the foil, I sprinkled another handful of cheese (maybe 1/2 cup?) on top of the potatoes. We love our cheese.
**Like we love our cheese, we love our bacon. If you don't hold bacon dear to your heart like us, you could certainly only use 2 pieces of crumbled bacon. 
***I didn't have green onions on hand so I used yellow onion. However, I'd still recommend the green onion. They go so great with the ingredients in this recipe and really give it an appealing pop of color.

Eric and I made the last dinner of our honey moon together

Served with Parmesan-seared chicken

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Tomatoes Stuffed with Chicken, Herbs, and Cheese

Eric and I moved into our new place--a flat in a 1880s Victorian--about a week ago and we're both completely in love with it. It has a beautiful bay window, a fireplace, French doors, and hardwood floors. Not to mention a huge dining room. Plus, it's so close to Eric's work that he can walk. The kitchen is on the small side, but it's still bigger than any kitchen I've ever had. While we were unpacking, we lived off of leftover pizza, rotisserie chicken, and leftover cake from our wedding shower. But tonight I cooked our first meal in our place!

The other day my mom came to visit, check out the new digs, and go mother-of-the-bride dress shopping.  She also brought us a bunch of tomatoes and cherry tomatoes from her garden. The cherry tomatoes will be made into sun-dried tomatoes. But what to do with the bag of beefsteaks and early girls? Well, we had a little bit of the rotisserie chicken left over so I made tomatoes stuffed with chicken and herbs. It was so good that I can't wait to experiment with other stuffed tomato recipes.

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes (I used 2 beefsteak, 2 early girls)
kosher salt
4 tablespoons minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pieces of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed 
1/2 cup Italian herb breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup Italian blend shredded cheese (or mozzarella)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Cut off the top of the tomatoes. Scoop out the innards with a spoon. You can either reserve them for another use or discard them. Lightly sprinkle the insides with salt and set them upside down on a paper towel to extract juices.

While the tomatoes drain, cook the bacon; set aside. Reserve a little bit of bacon grease and saute the onions and garlic in it until they are golden brown. In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, basil, garlic, and onions.

Place the tomatoes on the cookie sheet and divide the chicken mixture between the four tomatoes. Next, divide the cheese between the tomatoes, sprinkling it on top. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it on top of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and the cheese is melted.

We made roasted potatoes to go with our stuffed tomatoes. However, instead of roasting them under the broiler like we usually do, I cooked them at 400 degrees for an hour. After 40 minutes I put the tomatoes in with the potatoes.

Enjoy!

~Krissy