Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

When you look at the ingredient list you might think that this is going to be a very heavy dish, but it is actually very light. I can't figure out why.  I mean it's got cheese, bacon, and ricotta. Nothing sounds light there at all! This is ideal for brunch or even a nice Sunday night meal. However, since you refrigerate it overnight you can even do it for a weeknight. I must confess the first time I made this, I cheated and didn't refrigerate it overnight and it still came out great. I only chilled it for about maybe 6 hours? Puffy Spinach Egg Bake (Adapted from Cooking Club) 4 c cubed whole grain bread 6 slices bacon, chopped 1/2 c chopped shallots 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 6 eggs 2 c ricotta cheese (homemade) salt/pepper 1/3 t nutmeg 2 c milk 1/2 c shredded Fontina cheese Coat a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Arrange cubed bread in the bottom of the dish. Saute bacon until browned. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes until...

Funny thing about this recipe - I cut it out of Cooking Light magazine twice - once in 2010 and again in 2012 (Shame on you Cooking Light for re-using recipes). I'm glad that I did cut it out (twice) - it is such a quick-cooking, flavorful soup. Loaded Potato Soup (Adapted from Cooking Light) 4 baking potatoes olive oil 1 onion, chopped 3 slices bacon (or about 3 oz salt pork) chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 c chicken or vegetable broth 3 T flour 2 c milk 1/4 c sour cream or Greek yogurt salt/pepper 1/3 c cheddar cheese, grated sliced green onions (optional) Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Place in microwave on HIGH for about 13 minutes (or until tender).  Cut in half and set aside. While potatoes are cooking, add oil, onion, and bacon to a dutch oven. Saute until onions start to caramelize. Add broth. Whisk flour into 1/2 c milk, then add the remainder of the milk, and lastly add it to soup. Bring to boil; stirring often. Remove from heat and add sou...

This is definitely a recipe for grown-ups - no kids allowed. This is not a recipe that a typical kid would like. This is a totally souped-upped version or bacon-upped depending on your perspective. Hmmm looks like regular Mac n Cheese... Smokey Mac n Cheese 1lb pasta (I used Campanelle) 4 oz thick cut bacon (preferably homemade*) 2 cloves garlic minced 1/4 c flour 1/2 c white wine 2 c skim milk 1/2 c heavy cream 1 t dry mustard 1 t ancho 1 t smokey paprika 4 oz Grueyre 4 oz cheddar cheese 1/4 c Parmesan cheese salt/pepper 3 tomatoes, cored and seeded 1/2 c panko 1T butter (perhaps additional depending on how fatty the bacon is and additional for greasing pan) Cook pasta in salted water for about 5 minutes. Pasta should be still pretty tough. Meanwhile cut bacon into small cubes. Saute in a saucepan until cooked - DO NOT drain fat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add flour and stir to form a roux. This should be fairly loose but you want it to cook unti...

Someone saw this recipe on The Chew and told me about it.  I'm not really a fan of The Chew.  I don't think I've even seen a full episode but this sounded very similar to the style of the French Toast I make for Easter, except it is a savory type instead. I heard bacon and cheese and said yum I need to make this.  I thought it would be a nice thing to make for Mother's Day for myself (since I have no little kiddies making breakfast for me any longer on Mother's Day) and it's really a matter of just putting in the oven in the morning. First off I had to use homemade bacon.  The Sous Chef makes his own bacon.  He does a sweet and a savory.  I used the savory here.  You can find details on how to make your own bacon here and here . It is actually quite easy.  The most difficult part is ordering the pink salt. I also got some of those farm-fresh eggs from my friend again. Since eggs are one of the main ingredients, this recipe was just sc...