Leek & Bacon Flatbread ala ~DKBB~

Leek & Bacon Flatbread ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from Andrea Albin for the Cooking Channel)

6 slices bacon, chopped*

1 medium leek, white and green parts thinly sliced and rinsed thoroughly

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Olive oil (for greasing)

1 lb. Kelsy Nixon’s Simple Pizza Dough

2 c. grated gruyere cheese (about 4 oz.)

* You can substitute real bacon bits for the chopped bacon as long as you have bacon fat to cook the leeks in.

• Preheat oven to 500° F (or, you can bake this on a gas grill…just get it to a high temperature and keep an eye on it).
• Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp – about 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.
• Cook the leeks in the bacon fat, stirring often, until tender but not browned – about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Lightly oil a baking sheet; place dough on top and gradually press and stretch to fit the pan.
• Sprinkle the cheese evenly on top of the dough, followed by the leeks and the bacon.
• Bake until crust is golden brown (12 to 15 min. in the oven…just keep an eye on it on the grill).
• Transfer to a cutting board and cut into pieces.

Berry-Dijon Chicken with a Kick ala ~DKBB~

Berry-Dijon Chicken with a Kick ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Susan Marshall in the June/July 2012 edition of Taste of Home magazine)

4 boneless chicken breast halves

1 Tbsp. butter

Salt & pepper

• Melt butter in large skillet.
• Salt and pepper the chicken breasts and cook over medium heat 6-8 minutes per side (or until meat thermometer reads 170° F).
• Remove cooked chicken from skillet and and keep warm.

½ c. of fruit preserves (blueberry, blackberry, black raspberry, raspberry)

⅓ c. raspberry vinegar

½ c. fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)

3 Tbsp. honey Dijon mustard

Dash habanero sauce

• Combine all ingredients, except berries, in small bowl and whisk together.
• Add all ingredients, including berries, to skillet used for cooking chicken.
• Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened.
• Serve over chicken breasts; garnish with fresh basil if desired.

Coleslaw, Take Two

Coleslaw, Take Two ala ~DKBB~

Take #1 - Honey Mustard Coleslaw
(original recipe by Rebecca Anderson in the June/July 2012 edition Simple & Delicious magazine)

1 pkg. coleslaw mix (14 to 16 oz.)

½ cup mayonnaise (I prefer olive oil pepper mayo)

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard

½ tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

⅛ tsp. celery seed

Place coleslaw mix in a large bowl.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well; pour over the coleslaw a bit at a time, tossing well to coat. (Note: You might not use all the dressing; it depends upon your preference.)

Chill until serving; this really does taste better the next day, so chilling overnight is not a bad idea.

Take #2 – Ruby Raspberry Slaw

(original recipe by Deborah Biggs in the June/July 2012 edition of Taste of Home magazine)

1 pkg. coleslaw mix (14 to 16 oz.)

¼ c. prepared raspberry vinaigrette

3 Tbsp. mayonnaise (I use regular mayo for this recipe)

¼ tsp. pepper (if you use the olive oil pepper mayo, don’t add the pepper)

Place coleslaw mix in a large bowl.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well; pour over the coleslaw a bit at a time, tossing well to coat. (Note: You might not want to use all the dressing; it depends on your preference.)

Chill until serving; garnish with fresh raspberries.

Cold Corn Salad ala ~DKBB~

Corn Salad ala ~DKBB~

1 16 oz. bag frozen shoepeg corn (thawed) or 16 oz. fresh corn

1/3 c. chopped onion

1/3 c. chopped celery

1/3 c. chopped red pepper

Dressing:

¼ c. mayonnaise (olive oil peppercorn is recommended)
1 to 2 Tbsp. honey Dijon mustard

¼ to ½ tsp. turmeric (to taste)

¼ to ½ tsp. cumin (to taste)

1 tsp. sugar (to taste)

½ to 1 tsp. salt (to taste)

¼ to ½ tsp. pepper (to taste; don’t need pepper if you use the pepper mayo)

1 tsp. cilantro (dried or fresh…use however much you wish)

When mixing the dressing, taste often and adjust amounts to suit your own taste.

Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving (best served cold).

This makes a small amount; double or triple the recipe as needed.

Welcome Spring with Asparagus!

Pesto Chicken & Asparagus ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe by Brooke Icenhour, in Apr/May 2012 Taste of Home)

This is the time of year you can find decent fresh asparagus in your local grocery stores. Here's a really yummy, and quick, recipe to showcase that fresh asparagus.

1 lb. cubed boneless chicken breasts

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 c. fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (note: almost any fresh vegetable could be used)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 c. whipping cream

½ c. prepared pesto

Cracked pepper

Kosher salt

8 oz. prepared pasta of your choice (or rice, couscous....whatever you desire)

• In medium skillet, cook the cubed chicken breasts in 1 tbsp. olive oil until they are no longer pink.
• In large skillet, sauté asparagus in 1 tbsp. oil until crisp-tender.
• Stir in whipping cream and prepared pesto.
• Season to taste with cracked pepper and kosher salt.
• Add cooked chicken cubes and heat thoroughly.

Serve over cooked pasta (or couscous, or rice, or whatever you desire). Enjoy!

Sausage & Polenta

Sausage and Polenta with Balsamic Vinaigrette ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from Better Homes & Gardens)

1/2 of a 16-oz. tube of refrigerated cooked polenta

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 to 6 uncooked sausage links, each cut into 4 to 6 pieces (original recipe called for sweet Italian sausage, but I use combinations such as 2 to 3 sweet and 2 to 3 hot Italian sausages, or any such mixture of sweet/mild and hot/bold sausages)

1/2 c. apple juice

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp. snipped dried tomatoes

1 8-oz. package mixed salad greens (a spinach mix works great)

• Preheat oven to 400° F; cut polenta into 1/4-inch slices, then cut each slice in half; brush polenta with oil; arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking pan; bake approximately 15 minutes or until light brown, turning once.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook sausage over medium heat for 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly; remove sausage from skillet; drain off fat; wipe skillet with paper towels.
• Return sausage to skillet; add apple juice, balsamic vinegar, and dried tomatoes; bring to boiling; reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until sausage is thoroughly cooked (no longer pink).
• To serve, divide salad greens among four dinner plates; arrange polenta slices and sausage pieces next to greens; drizzle remaining warm balsamic mixture over greens, polenta, and sausage. Makes 4 servings.

I had purchased some polenta at Trader Joe's in Lincoln when we were there around New Year's. I didn't have a clue what to make with it and came across this recipe on Yahoo Shine. I made it for Chuck's "welcome back from Alaska Study Away trip" last night and it was a huge hit. I wish I would have thought to take a photo before we ate, but we were both pretty hungry and I forgot. 

A Legion of Leeks

I recently tried a new recipe using leeks (a vegetable I have not cooked with before), and like it so much that I found another one to use the leftover leeks (my tiny little burg's grocery store only sells leeks in bundles of 3). So, here's some good recipes (one for dinner and one for breakfast) that showcase leeks:

Marinated Grilled Steak with BL Smashed Potatoes ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe by Rachel Ray)

Marinated Grilled Steak

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. grill seasoning blend (I use Kansas City or Misty’s Steak Seasoning)

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. hot sauce

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

2 lbs. steak

• Mix garlic, grill seasoning blend, smoked paprika, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine vinegar in small bowl.
• Whisk in olive oil.
• Place steaks in glass container and pour marinate over them; let them marinate for 1 or more hours, turning once.
• Grill steaks.

BL Smashed Potatoes

2½ lbs. small red skin new potatoes (regular red skin potatoes work just as well)

1 leek, trimmed of tough tops

4 slices thick cut bacon, diced

1 cup chicken stock or broth

Salt and pepper

• Wash potatoes; cut larger potatoes in fourths; place in pan and cover with water; boil until done (12 to 15 minutes).
• Cut leek lengthwise once, then cut in ½ inch sections; place into a large bowl of water and swish around a bit to release all the dirt in the leek; drain in colander.
• Cook the bacon in a skillet for 3 to 5 minutes, until it has rendered most of its fat.
• Add the leeks to the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes, until leeks are tender.
• Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot; add the chicken stock and smash the potatoes.
• Add the bacon and leeks; continue to smash the mixture.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the steaks with the potatoes. Enjoy!

Leek Hash ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.leekrecipe.co.uk)

2 leeks

4 slices of thick sliced bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

4 to 6 potatoes*

Salt and pepper to taste

A pinch of smoked paprika

A pinch of celery salt

• Cut potatoes in halves or fourths (peeling is optional), place in pan of water and boil until fork tender (10 to 12 minutes).
• Cut the leeks in half, then in half again, then cut in ½ inch sections; place cut leeks in bowl of water and swish them around a bit to release the dirt; drain in colander.
• Put bacon in large skillet and cook 3 to 5 minutes to render fat; add diced onion and leeks; cook all on medium to low heat 3 to 5 minutes.
• Drain potatoes and dice; placed diced potatoes in skillet with bacon, onion, and leeks; cook all until potatoes are lightly brown and a bit crispy.
• Add salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and celery salt to taste.

* This is a great way to use leftover potatoes from a pot roast; just dice them up and toss them in!

This hash is excellent when served with fried or poached eggs on top and English Muffin Bread toast on the side.