Easy Granny Smith Apple Bacon Provolone Grilled Cheese

So it's been a hot minute since I posted aye!!? I've been a bit of a busy lil bee as of late. Tending my garden, enjoying my greenary, and all that glorious outdoorsy shtuff.

(Meet Johnny Cashew, My loyal chipmunk bud whom apparently loves old pancakes, completely off subject, but toatally cute hehe)

Finding hours to sit down and create a real blog worthy post have just been dang near impossible. Now, with summer winding down, I'm determined to get back in the blog game and share some of these funky lil recipes I've been conjuring up over the past few months. Starting with this twistedly delicious grilled cheese. Purrrrfect for an easy meal when you don't feel like heating up the entire house, but ya still want something that will stick to the ole ribs. Pair this sammy with a nice pasta salad or ear of corn in the summer or with a nice soup or chowder in the winter. She's versatile, lovely and sure to be an EASY fam fav ;)

Whatcha' Need:

• 1lb bacon (turkey bacon, if you'd prefer)
• Sliced Provolone or Mozzarella Cheese 
• 1 or 2 Granny Smith Apple(s)
• butter
• thick sliced white bread (would be great on french bread too if your feeling extra fancy lol)
• Optional Spices: 1/4 tsp each of Chili Powder, Lemon Pepper, Cinnamon, and Italian Blend Spices (salt.... I  find regular bacon, butter/margarine, and provolone cheese to be plenty salty without adding extra salt to the equation, but if using turkey bacon I'd probably add a dash to the mix along with some olive oil)

Start by sprinkling the bacon with your desired dry seasonings and frying or baking it to your kinda crispiness. (The granny smith apple will give it just enough yummy sweetness so I used a few more savory herbs and spices to balance all that sweetness out) Pppersonally, I prefer frying my bacon the old stove top way, because it is easier for me to gather all those beautiful bacon drippings for later use. Also, I find it way easier to monitor more closely each glorious bacon slice progressing to it's done perfection However, if you prefer, go the ole oven route. By frying the bacon I was also able to make this a one dish situation! Score. Just make the sandwiches in that very same pan further increasing that yum factor via bacon drippings infusing into the buttery bread. OH YEAHS :)

Moving on. While the bacon is cooking up, clean, peel, and thinly slice your Granny Smith Apple(s). (I only used one large apple because my fella wasn't down with anything green interfering with his bacon and cheese sandwich, but you might need two if your dealing with a less picky bunch lol. He's not game for trying too many new "weird," food things, but his loss really ;)

Once the bacon is done and cooled, and the apple is ready to roll, drain off most of your excess bacon grease into a sturdy container to save for wonderful recipes later down the cooking line. Place that bacon pan back on the stove, lower the cooking temp, and start prepping your sandwiches. 

Start by slightly buttering one slice of bread. Place it buttered side down in the pan. Then, top it with a slice of provolone, two thin slices of apple, and 3-4 slices of bacon. Butter another piece of bread and place it on top of that yummy layered awesomeness, butter side up. I also like to sprinkle just a dash of dried seasoning on the buttered bread for added yum, which in this case was dried Italian blend and chili powder to carry on that lovely lil flavor profile.

Not thee clearest pic ever, but you get the gist ;)

Cook for about 3-5 minutes and carefully flip with a trusty spatula. Cook another 3-5 minutes on the other side or until golden brown and cheese is melted into that gooey glorious stage.

Just keep'er simple peeps and serve this lil lovely up w/ some chips, a small side salad, or even just a few pickle spears. It's a pretty filling sandwich so no need to over complicate this situation. I hope you enjoy this lil fun, delish twist on thee ole basic grilled cheese. This beaut of a sammy pairs the ever so classic pork and apples combo, but in a fresh, fast and fun new way. Though it's way, way easy and made with fairly simple ingredients, it def won't disappoint on the goodness scale ;) Winner, winner, easy pork and apples dinner.

 Big Hugs and thanks a ton for stopping by! <3

    

  

Zesty Ginger Ale Chicken N' Veggies

SPRING has finally shown her glorious face here in the MW!! Thank heavens, because I was starting to get one serious case of fever folks! That polar vortex rubbish was no joke; it had me feeling all kinds of unmotivated and sluggish. Isn't it funny how just a little sunshine can really brighten our days? I'm feeling all kinds of energized now like my lil' solar battery of a spirit has been fully charged or I just chugged a pot of coffee, jug of soda, and a couple red bulls type of amped up! Fresh air, sunshine, and temps that don't freeze your face give me happy vibes galore. On another positive note, I just welcomed a new fur buddy to my pack, named Quagmire. He's a total ball of too much youngster energy (& a little creep lol)! If puppies can't lift your spirits and put a lil smile on your face and some pep in your step, I don't know that anything can!? FOR REAL, if you don't like puppies just hit the back button now, cuz we can't be pals, seriously though. N.E. WHO < Moving onto this Divine Ginger Ale Chicken, it's so freaking scrumptious peoples! I've seen numerous recipes for Dr.Pepper & Coke Pulled Pork, 7-Up Chicken, and I personally, adore BBQ Root Beer pulled pork, but what about some GINGER ALE MEATS YO?! It seemed like that left out, misfit soda in all these meaty creations on the inter web, so I decided to show it a little love and embrace its' unique gloriousness. PLUS, Ginger Ale just so happened to be on sale for 99 cents a 2 Liter (and whole chickens were on sale as well, so it was like the cosmos wanted me to make this glorious thrifty, chicken concoction for y'all lol)! Move over Dr.Pepper, Coke, and 7-UP, because it's Ginger Ales' time to shine ;)

Whatcha ' Need:

• 5-7 lb Whole Chicken (mine was slightly over 7lbs, and it will serve many of delish purposes to follow)
• 2 cups Ginger Ale (more/less depending on size of bird^)
• 5- 7 med/lg Russet or Idaho potatoes 
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 1/2 bag frozen green beans (or 1 can drained)
• 4 TBS Cold Butter or Margarine (cut into 4 slabs) 
• 1+ tsp each of lemon pepper, paprika, cumin, & Italian Blend seasoning
• 1/2tsp +/- garlic powder, oregano, salt, (& Cajun seasoning opt) 

First, gather all the dry spices, and place the recommended or desired amount in a small mixing bowl, and measure out the ginger ale and set it aside. Then lightly grease a large roasting pan w/ non stick cooking spray.

Next, rinse the inside & outside of the chicken in your sink, remove giblets/neck, and pat it dry w/ a paper towel. Place the bird breast side up in the middle of the greased pan.

Now, take the dry spices and rub them all over the outside of the bird, sprinkle inside, carefully, pull up on the chicken breast skin and rub spices underneath the skin as well. (wash those dirty bird hands after touching the raw chicken and b4 touching anything else to prevent spreading the funkies all over the place lol)

Sorry about the awkward view, but this way you can more easily see how I put the spices/butter under the skin as well ;)

Next, cut half a stick of butter into 4~ TBS sized slabs and place them underneath the chicken skin a top the breast region.

Adding butter under the skin makes for a super moist chicken if it's not over cooked ;)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

Now clean, remove funky spots, and cut the potatoes into nice hearty sized chunks like (6-8 chunks per potato or so). Spread them around the chicken in the pan along with the diced onion. Sprinkle the potatoes w/ a dash of the seasonings used to coat the bird (like 1/4 tsp or so just for extra flavour)

Pour the ginger ale over and inside the bird's cavity and on top of the potato/onion mixture in the pan.

Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and bake for about 1.5 hours depending on the size of the bird.

My chicken was slightly over 7lbs so I baked it for 1 hour and 45 minutes with the foil on. (about 20 minutes per pound is usually a good rule of thumb when making any large chunk of meat in the oven)

I removed the chicken from the oven, uncovered it, and basted it with the yummy pan juices. Then, put in the frozen (or drained can) green beans and placed the chicken back in the oven with the foil off for another 35-45 minutes or so (again depending on the size of your bird).

Many chickens have pop up timers, but they can not always be a great indicator of actual doneness so always test w/ a meat thermometer (and by wiggling the leg on the chicken) The thigh is the thickest part of the chicken, so if the leg seems super jiggly like it could fall right off with a slight tug and the juices are clear then the bird is most likely done, but again, always check with a meat thermometer if unsure, by inserting it in the thigh region of the chicken (not breast).

    

When that beautiful bird is all done let it nap/rest for about 10 minutes before carving into it so the juices will redistribute and you don't end up with a super dry chicken situation (icks lol). Now prepare to rock your world and wow the fam with this easy but SUPER YUMMY, zesty chicken dinner winner!

I hope you dig this dish! Thanks for popping in, and big HUGS!

Creamy Street Corn & Smoked Sausage Chowder

Whelp, it has been a hot minute or two since I last posted aye!?! This gal totally needed a lil mental vacay. Thy wretched polar vortex really had me in a bit of a cold funk to put it mildly @!&*. I just wanted to curl up under like 3 blankets, with mittens & earmuffs on and hibernate until April lol! DEAD SERIOUS though, I was getting a tad edgy. Thank goodness, however, the sun has shown its' glorious face and the snow has stopped falling (at least for now) because I had one rad case of winter blues/blahs brewing up!! It's still only like 20 degrees out in the OLE MW... but after weeks of subzero temps, 20 degrees feels fantabulous like a tropical heatwave almost. This beautiful sunny day has got me ready to bust out my sandals, do a little happy jig, and was a MUCH NEEDED REMINDER THAT THIS TOO SHALL PASS! Before too long we'll be Sprung! HECK to the YES. Speaking of warm happy stuff.... this cozy, comforting, creamy Mexican Street Corn Chowder is like a fuzzy poncho for your cold soul! For real though. This easy, zesty chowder has all the yummy flavors of Mexican Street Corn on the cob plus smoked sausage, chili beans and so much more. HELLO GORGEOUS! YUP, this chowder thawed my icy cold heart and made me do a double take ;) Lucky for you folks... I'm a sharing/caring person :D but don't yawl come crying to me when this soup rocks your world; you've been warned :)

The cooking culprits aka ingredients:

• 2 cans creamed corn
• 1 pack smoked sausage 
• 1 can chili beans or red kidney beans (the ones I used were canned in hot sauce, but if not drain them)
• 1-2 Jalapeno Peppers seeds and all finely diced (or if you don't do heat too well, 1 red bell or canned green chilies would do too)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups reduced fat milk
• 1/2 cup Mayo (low fat)
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 can water (+2/3 cup for sausage)
• 2 TBSP Butter
• 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder (salt and pepper to taste)
• Opt~ 1 TBSP jarred pepper juice, lime /lemon juice, or white vinegar (just to cut some of the sweet)  

First, slice each smoked sausage in half lengthwise twice and slice the halves horizontally into little spoon sized chunks (1/2 inch thick or so). Place the sausage chunks in a large pot w/ 2/3 cup water and them sprinkle with 1/4-1/2 tsp of above the mentioned spices. Cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes or so until all the water is absorbed.

While that cooks, dice up your peppers and onion. Once all the water is evaporated, toss in the diced pepper, onions, and 2 TBS butter. Cook it for about 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the sausage is nicely seared.

Helpful tip when cooking with hot peppers~ Always taste test the heat of the pepper prior to tossing it into ANYTHING. Take a seed and touch it to the very tip of your tongue briefly and you'll know what kinda heat your really dealing w/ b4 it is too late lol! I had originally planned to use 2 whole peppers, but only did 1.5 once I realized the fierceness of the pepper, good thing I did cut back because my fella would have been crying hehehe!

Once the sausage and peppers are looking and smelling delish, dump in all the canned goods, 1 (15 oz) can of water, 2 cups milk, and the remaining dry spices. (I filled each creamed corn can about half way w/ water and sloshed it around a bit to get all those can corn clingers out lol)

 Reduce heat to medium low, cover pot with lid, and cook for about 45 minutes or longer stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The longer the better, but if you're in a crunch for time a half hour aught do just fine ;)

Next, reduce the heat to low/simmer & stir in the sour cream, mayo, and pepper/lime juice (opt, but recommended) and cook for 15-20 more minutes. (Add additional seasonings to your taste palette preferences)

 

Finally.... Turn that hot little number off, let it cool, and top it with some shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, crushed tortilla chips, cilantro and or whatever spunky toppings you'd prefer! Prepare to depart to feisty flavor town; for real folks, this corn chowder is like a happy, hearty fiesta in your mouth, the kind that makes your taste buds want to tango!  Cha cha cha bomb :)   

Hope you enjoy, Big Hugs, and Thanks for popping in!

Pulled BBQ Chicken and Baked Bean Chili

 Nothing shouts warm, happy, anti-polar vortex thoughts quite like BBQ Chicken. It's messy, carefree, soul food with a laid back summer living beachy kinda vibe. Am I right or am I right?! If summer had a flavor it'd have to be BBQ. Grill food, Juicy Melons, Pasta Salads, Icy drinks (sometimes spiked and w/ a lil' umbrella), and OF COURSE BBQ. But... when fall and winter come rolling around, we seem to forget all about our dearest pal BBQ until next summer, and embrace these so dubbed "winter/fall flavors." Why not keep summer alive in our icy hearts and BELLY, by combining the flavors of fall and summer into a warm and hardy, happy dish? BBQ, Chicken, Baked Beans and Corn sounds like summer goodness, right?! Only it's - 100 degrees out and freeze your face cold. But that's no reason to go all ANTI-BBQ CHICKEN! Whoever outlawed winter BBQ chicken and baked beans? Seriously tho, shame on them?!!! That's just ludicrous and this lil' foodie rebel is not gonna stand for it! NOPE ;) That's flavor discrimination and I'm not down with all that silly jazz. So today, I bring you a much needed splash of summer heat in a bowl, YUP, BBQ Chicken, Corn and Baked Bean Chili. These flavors taste just as good during freeze your face weather as they do during the I'm melting heat! So0... Let's do this dang thang my fellow foodie rebels :)

 Whatcha' Need:

• 1.5-2 pounds chicken breasts
• 1 cup BBQ Sauce w/ Brown Sugar (I'm a Sweet Baby Ray's Gal, but use what ever you want or what's on sale, switch it up)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 lg can Baked Beans (28 oz) not Drained (I used maple/brown sugar flavored with bacon) 
• 1 can Black Beans (drained)
• 1.5 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes (w/ peppers) not drained
• 1 jalapeno seeds and all or 1/4 cup diced jar pepper slices (OPT)
• 2 TBS Brown Sugar
• 1 TBS Vinegar (white or apple cider)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 28oz can of water ^ (+ 4 cups) 
• 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp each lemon pepper and red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp garlic minced or dry and 2 tsp Salt  ~ Season to your tastes always~

Start off by placing the chicken breasts and 1/2 the various spices in a large pot. Cover the chicken with about 3-4 cups water and cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Over low/medium heat, bring the chicken to a boil, checking it and flipping it occasionally. 

 Boil for about 30-40 minutes with lid on (checking regularly/flipping the breasts a few times throughout) or cook until chicken is no longer pink and it becomes fork tender.

Turn off the heat and remove the chicken breasts from the pot and place them in a large mixing bowl, but DO NOT throw out the juices. It should be reduced down by about half by the time the bird is done and it is about equal to 2 cups broth without all the filler and unnecessary spent $.

This is now your broth/chili base. (For soups, chili and stews you really want to build layers of flavor from the bottom up, and low slow is always preferred, not that you couldn't rush the dish along if needed, but if you have the time, take it and you'll taste it)

Allow the chicken to rest or cool a few minutes in the large mixing bowl. Then, begin shredding the chicken with two forks by pulling the meat from opposite directions or allow it to cool enough to shred with your fingers. (Share any less appealing pieces with your pets who are probably eyeballing you right now lol!)

Once the chicken is shredded, place it back into the pot with the juices and spices aka you just made a homemade broth (THRIFTY AWESOME SAUCE).

Next, pour in all the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.  

All the canned buddies ^

All the other veggies, additional spices, BBQ sauce, Brown Sugar , Ketchup, Vinegar and 28 oz of water

Heat on low/medium heat for about 1.5 hours (or longer) to really let the flavors develop. Stir occasionally throughout and reduce heat slightly if need be. (Also taste a bit of the juice and see if the seasonings need adjusting to your personal taste preferences. If so add a dash more of what you think might be lacking or needs balancing.)

Turn that winter-friendly BBQ beauty off and allow it to chill a few moments before topping it with a little shredded cheddar, sour cream, or garnish of choice. Buckle up and prepare to be transported to summer time where BBQ is all the rage and your belly button isn't cold anymore :) I hope you enjoy this fun twisted combo on 2 classic seasonal dishes!

P.S. Shout out to my lovely, kind Mama <3 for hooking it up with the fresh Chicken, Much love and Thanks for sharing your meat with me lady ;)