A Week of Muffins: Bacon-Cheddar Corn Muffins

The third muffin this week is a bit of a departure from the others, because it is a savory one rather than a sweet one. I was pretty excited about these Bacon-Cheddar Corn Muffins, since they really are so different from any muffin I would normally make. They're similar to cornbread, with that same grainy texture that comes from baking with cornmeal. The bacon is chopped finely so you can ensure many small bits are well incorporated throughout. There's a decent amount of shredded cheddar cheese in there, which of course is delicious with the bacon. Then, for an extra little something, you throw in a finely diced jalapeno pepper for heat.

Despite my excitement about making these, I was disappointed to discover that my husband was not the biggest fan of these. I thought a savory muffin would be right up his alley, but he told me that when he eats a muffin, he expects it to taste sweet. So in other words, biting into these was a bit of a letdown for him. As for me, I really loved them! They're best warm from the oven, and I know they'd be great with a little pat of butter to spread on them, though I ate them plain. They're not overwhelmingly spicy if that scares you (and obviously you could just leave out the jalapeno altogether), just slightly kick-y. These would be equally great with some kalamata olives tossed in to replace the hot pepper. And if the idea of a savory muffin is daunting to you, as it was to my husband, I say you should still bake these, but serve them with a nice soup or chili at dinnertime!

Bacon-Cheddar Corn Muffins
adapted from Cooking Light
makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
4.5 oz. (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup (2 oz.) reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
4 center-cut bacon slices, cooked, drained, and crumbled
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in bacon and jalapeno; make a well in the center of the mixture.

2. Combine buttermilk, oil, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

3. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups; coat with cooking spray (I simply sprayed my muffin cups, with no liners, and baked them right in the muffin tin, no problems). Divide batter among muffin cups.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in tins for 5 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Shrimp and Grits

In my never-ending list of things I've either never tried or never liked, I have always placed grits somewhere firmly at the top. I'm not a mush kind of gal; I dislike mashed potatoes, do not care for oatmeal, etc. So it should come as no surprise that I never even attempted eating or making grits before in my life. But then, a funny thing happened. I asked my husband what meal he would like me to prepare for his birthday dinner, and I was fully expecting him to say Chicken and Dumplings. Well, he didn't. Instead, he asked me to make Shrimp and Grits. He's never actually had Shrimp and Grits as a meal before, but he loves shrimp and he loves grits separately. Turns out, he's always wanted to try it together. Determined to make him proud, I figured I would make this for him, and then make up my mind when I was serving it about whether I would give it a taste.



It's actually super simple to make. Now, admittedly, I did cheat a little bit, and I used quick-cooking grits rather than making my own from scratch, with cornmeal. Other than that, I was pretty faithful to the recipe. I found this recipe in my Bobby Flay's Throwdown cookbook, and although Bobby did not take home the crown in the Shrimp and Grits battle, I was still drawn to his version above the other one. The grits are simmered in shrimp stock, which you make from scratch using shrimp shells and tails and assorted vegetables. Then, they're finished with a heaping pile of white cheddar cheese and a touch of heavy cream. The shrimp is sauteed in bacon fat infused with garlic, then piled on top of the cheesy, creamy grits. The bacon (which of course is the source of that bacon fat) and some green onion is scattered over the top. Not including the time it took to make the homemade shrimp stock, this whole meal can be on the table in half an hour, so you can't beat it for its fast prep.

So, the verdict? Hubby was actually pretty underwhelmed by it, and I actually really liked it! Totally not the two reactions I was expecting, to be sure! It's not that my hubby hated it, but he kept saying it just was not what he thought it would be. I think because the recipe had Bobby Flay's name attached to it, he was anticipating some spice or heat to the shrimp. He also said it was his first time eating cheesy grits that were so creamy, and that it was just okay. I was a bit disappointed about his reaction, since it was his special dinner. He still ate two huge helpings, though, so it wasn't a complete loss!

I had a really small portion, since I didn't know how I would feel about it, but I could have eaten more. The shrimp was juicy and crisp, and of course bacon fat always makes things better. The grits were definitely creamy, but I didn't mind the texture nearly as much as I thought I would. The cheesiness and the shrimp stock really enhanced the grits for me; it gave it great flavor, as opposed to reducing the grits to a flavorless pile in the bowl. So, I survived my first helping of Shrimp and Grits, and I would even be so bold as to say I might even eat it again!





Bobby Flay's Gulf Shrimp and Grits
adapted from Bobby Flay's Throwdown
makes 4 servings

Ingredients
4 cups shrimp stock (recipe follows)
Kosher salt
1 cup stome-ground yellow cornmeal
8 oz. thick-cut, double-smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch-long matchsticks
20 large (21- to 24-count) shrimp, shelled and deveined
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) grated white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions
1. Bring the shrimp stock and 2 tsp. salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking every few minutes, until the grits are soft and have lost their gritty texture, 25 to 30 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a little more stock.

2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until it is golden brown and crisp and the fat has rendered, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

3. Remove all but 3 Tbsp. of the bacon fat from the skillet, and return it to high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp, garlic, and thyme, in batches, if necessary, to the skillet and saute until the shrimp are light golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp to a plate. Reserve the garlic oil left in the skillet.

4. Stir the cheese and heavy cream into the cooked grits, and whisk until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Divide the grits among 4 bowls, and top each with 5 shrimp. Drizzle with some of the garlic oil from the skillet, and sprinkle with the green onions.


Shrimp Stock
from Bobby Flay's Throwdown
makes about 8 cups

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 cups raw shrimp shells and tails
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 medium tomato, chopped, or 1/2 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes
1 bay leaf
8 black peppercorns

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat until almost smoking. Add the shrimp shells and tails, onion, carrot, and celery, and saute, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half. Add 8 cups cold water, the tomato, bay leaf, and peppercorns.

2. Reduce the heat to medium, cover partially, and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain the stock through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.

Smoky Potato Pancakes

One of the (many) things I love about reading cooking magazines is how broad the range of food always is. In other words, I sometimes feel like I live a sheltered life because I never had a potato pancake, or latke, until I made them myself. There are plenty of other examples of foods I'd never been exposed to until recently, but I'll spare you the list right now. Suffice it to say, I'm really enjoying my new, broader food horizons and discovering worlds I simply never knew!

When looking through my latest issue of Cooking Light Magazine, I found an easy recipe for Smoky Potato Pancakes, and I just could not resist giving them a try. I love potatoes, bacon, and cheese (all three of which are included in this recipe), so I couldn't wait to try them all together in this new form. As long as you have a food processor, or some other device that can shred potatoes quick as a flash, this recipe is such a breeze.

You cook up a bit of bacon, then save it for a topping at the end. You saute onions in the bacon drippings, then add a bit of garlic and scallion. The cooked onion mixture goes into a bowl with a bunch of shredded potato, some cheese, salt, and pepper, along with some eggs to bind the whole mix together. Shape the concoction into patty shapes, and arrange them on a baking sheet. If you're concerned that they won't be good because they aren't being deep fried, you shouldn't be. These turn out crispy, with a bit of tenderness inside. I might have been able to cook mine even longer; they weren't as dark as the picture in the magazine. Still, they were completely scrumptious and surprisingly satisfying as an entree. I served them up with a spinach salad (like the magazine suggests) and we had a fantastic meal. If you've never had a potato pancake, either, I would definitely recommend these as a first foray into the world of latke making!

Smoky Potato Pancakes

adapted from Cooking Light

makes 8 potato pancakes

Ingredients

2 center-cut hickory smoked bacon slices

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup thinly sliced scallion (the original recipe called for leeks)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 pounds shredded, peeled baking potato (about 2 large)

1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz.) shredded pepper jack cheese (the original called for sharp cheddar)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

Cooking spray

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan using a slotted spoon, and crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add scallion and garlic; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Combine onion mixture with the grated potato (note: make sure you wring as much of the moisture as you can from the potatoes before adding them!), pepper jack cheese, 3/4 tsp. salt, black pepper, and 2 large eggs in a medium bowl. Mix well. Divide the potato mixture into 8 equal portions, and shape each portion into a 1/2-inch thick patty.

3. Place patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (I used Reynolds' nonstick aluminum foil). Coat patties lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until golden and set.

4. Top the potato pancakes with the reserved, crumbled bacon and sour cream (if using). One serving size is 2 pancakes, 1 Tbsp. sour cream, and 1/2 bacon slice.

Spaghetti Carbonara

I have my ever-changing opinions about Rachael Ray. Sometimes she drives me nuts. Sometimes I feel indifferent to her. Other times, like the other night when I made this Spaghetti Carbonara, I feel grateful to her. After all, it was only after watching her on The Food Network about 4 years ago that I became inspired to learn how to cook, once and for all. She seemed so passionate about cooking, and wanted to share that enthusiasm with her audience. Nowadays, I'm every bit as enthusiastic as she seemed to be when I first watched her. I love talking food, I love making food, and of course, I love eating food!

This Carbonara is one of the very first Rachael Ray recipes I had ever made. I had never eaten Carbonara before, but her way seemed very simple and quick, which I loved about it. The first time we did try this, I was in pasta heaven. As I have professed plenty of times, I just adore pasta, and eggs are right up there with it. Put them together, and you have a winner in my book.

Rachael's method goes like this: cook up some pasta, and then cook some pancetta in oil (which I think is redundant; I mean, why would you cook fatty pork products in oil?). Throw in your crushed red pepper, garlic, and white wine to deglaze the pan. Then, you temper 2 egg yolks by adding a bit of hot pasta water to them. This allows you to add in the egg yolks without cooking the egg to a scramble. You toss the pasta with the bacon and oil, then pour the yolks in and toss very well to heat the eggs through and make them almost creamy. So simple, so delicious! Throw on some grated cheese and parsley, and you have dinner!

I made my most recent version more of a one-dish dinner by adding a healthy handful of peas and fresh spinach. All the major food groups were represented here! I also used bacon in place of pancetta, because I think we just like the flavor of bacon a bit more. Instead of frying the bacon in oil, I baked it up in the oven, crumbled it, and then added it to the pan just before the garlic and red pepper. This would be great with shredded chicken, or shrimp, and I've seen Carbonara made with cream and other luxurious ingredients, too. For my money, this version just can't be beat. It's one of those back-pocket recipes that I've made countless times, thus negating my desire to never make the same meal twice. It's that good!


Spaghetti Carbonara
adapted from Rachael Ray
makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. spaghetti
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. bacon
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
5 or 6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 large handful fresh spinach (frozen can be used; just thaw and drain well)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional, I omitted)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place bacon strips on a cooling rack that has been set over an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 17-20 minutes, until bacon has fully cooked. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, and then chop once cool enough to handle.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the spaghetti, and cook according to the package directions. Before draining water, reserve 1 cup of pasta liquid.

3. While the spaghetti cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and chopped bacon; heat for 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and loosen any bits from the bottom of the pan.

4. In a small bowl, beat the yolks, then add about 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.

5. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with bacon and oil. Add the peas and spinach and allow them to heat through. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, plenty of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up the egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and extra cheese.

Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Bacon Quiche

Mmm, quiche. It combines two wonderful things, a pie with an egg dish, to make a great meal that can be enjoyed pretty much any time of day. It took me years to figure out just how much I really love quiche, and I think it's because when I was growing up I didn't care too much for Swiss cheese. Probably all of the quiches I had when I was a kid contained Swiss, so I just dismissed quiche as being just okay.

Now, of course, I realize that 1) Swiss cheese is yummy! and 2) quiche can be made just about any way you can think of, with any ingredients your heart desires. It's versatile like that. And this quiche in particular is, I think, just a fantastic mash-up of flavors and textures.

When I found this recipe online, I was struck by the interesting realization that this Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Bacon Quiche was made with a refrigerated pizza crust, and not the traditional pie crust. Since I had a pie crust in my fridge and I needed to use it, I decided to forego the pizza crust option, but I tucked it into my back pocket for another day. I just followed the recipe and used pie crust where it said to use dough, and we were good.

What I liked about this quiche was the layering of flavors. You've got a nice layer of spinach, made creamy by sour cream (who knew? Sour cream was such a brilliant addition here, and that's saying a lot because I don't like sour cream unless it's baked into a coffee cake or something.). Then you have a nice, sweet layer of caramelized onions. This is topped by a salty bacon and cheese layer, and then your egg mixture is poured all over the top. One note about the bacon: I used turkey bacon, but the original recipe called for Canadian bacon. I'm sure this would be good no matter what bacon you choose. Obviously, regular old bacon would be the tastiest, but I really liked the turkey variation in this.

Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Bacon Quiche
adapted from Cooking Light
serves 6

Ingredients
1 refrigerated ready-made pie crust
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 (10-ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach (thawed, drained, and squeezed dry)
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
2 Tbsp. minced onion
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
5-6 slices turkey bacon, cooked and chopped into pieces
1/4 cup (1 ounce) reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Directions
1. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the onions. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar, then continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Once the onions have browned and caramelized to your liking, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9-inch pie plate, unroll your refrigerated pie crust and flute the edges, if desired. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the spinach, sour cream, and minced onion. In a medium bowl, combine the evaporated milk, salt, pepper, egg whites, and egg; stir well with a whisk. Stir 1/3 cup milk mixture into spinach mixture. Spoon the spinach mixture into the bottom of the prepared crust. Add the caramelized onions, and top with the bacon and cheese. Pour the remaining milk mixture over the top.

4. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture looks set enough to remove the baking sheet (otherwise the mixture may leak out into your oven). Take the baking sheet out of the oven, but leave the pie plate in. Bake for another 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let quiche stand 10 minutes before serving.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Bites

Just three ingredients. It's unbelievable, but that's all it takes to make one of the most sinfully delicious appetizers I've ever had. Where have these things been all my life? I am in love. Such simplicity, yet such huge, wonderful flavor. Allow me to explain.



We've been blessed with a huge amount of homegrown jalapeno peppers this summer. Andy's parents have grown them, and we pretty much get to enjoy all of them, since we're the only people on his side of the family who eat jalapenos. Some of them were harvested last weekend, and we wound up bringing about 50 of these babies home. Naturally, I thought of jalapeno poppers right away. I mean, how else was I going to use up so many of these lovelies at once? I'd never made jalapeno poppers before, but I sure wanted to try.



Then I remembered that I had seen a killer recipe on The Pioneer Woman website. I figured since she had come through for me last time I tried her dishes, I couldn't lose with these. In her version of jalapeno bites, bacon, cream cheese, and jalapeno peppers are the only components. That's it. All you have to do is halve the peppers, scoop out the seeds and membranes, then fill each half with a nice spoonful of cream cheese. Take your piece of bacon, wrap it around the pepper half, then secure with a toothpick. Arrange the peppers on a cooling rack that is sitting on a baking sheet lined with foil (to catch the bacon drippings), then bake! When they are done, you can remove them to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb some of the grease.

And then you're in for a treat. These are so tasty, so addictive, that you find yourself making a batch of them, with the intention of having some left over for another evening. Instead, you find that they all disappear quickly, leaving you wishing you had made more. Many, many more. Suddenly, the 50 jalapenos seem like, well, not enough. That's okay, though. There'll be other opportunities to make these puppies. Not that I need a good excuse to make them. "I need food" will suffice.



Here's the recipe. A quick note, though, before you proceed: I did change things up just a little. Below, I listed what I did. You can refer to the Pioneer Woman's website to see exactly what she did, but it's not that different. In an attempt to make these things just a tad healthier (which seems pointless, given the short, but greasy, ingredients list), I used low-fat cream cheese. I also sliced my bacon into fourths, while the original recipe has you slicing them into thirds. I thought I could get away with using marginally less bacon per pepper, and I was right. I would never have known the difference! Finally, I baked my poppers at a slightly higher temperature, and they were perfect after 20 minutes.


Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies
adapted from The Pioneer Woman's recipe
makes 32 jalapeno thingies

Ingredients
16 jalapeno peppers
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)
8 slices bacon (original recipe used a whole pound)

Directions
1. Use latex gloves, if you have some on hand, to cut each jalapeno pepper in half. Using a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and white membranes from inside each half.

2. Smear 1/2 Tbsp. cream cheese inside each jalapeno half. Slice each piece of bacon into fourths, then wrap one bacon fourth around each jalapeno half; secure with a toothpick.

3. Arrange the jalapeno halves on a cooling rack, then place the rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the peppers at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove peppers to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

Asparagus and Scallion Pasta with Bacon and Walnuts

Since pasta is my ultimate go-to pantry staple, sometimes I realize that I have been preparing it the same old 3 or 4 ways. I need to branch out, try new things with the pasta. Don't get me wrong; I could still eat pasta every night of the week and not get tired of it. It would just be nice to have a very wide range of pasta recipes at my fingertips for quick weeknight meals.

Enter Cooking Light....and Ellie Krieger. I can always count on both to bring me new ideas and satisfy flavor-wise. This time, I found one recipe from each of these sources, mashed them together, added a bit of my own inspiration, and produced this awesome dinner!

It started with lots of fresh scallions, and a bit of fresh asparagus. We had received both from Andy's parents, and had to use them up pretty quickly. I had bookmarked a Cooking Light recipe for a pasta dish with asparagus, pancetta, and pine nuts that sounded good. At the bottom of that recipe, the magazine indicated that walnuts (instead of the pine nuts) would be delicious in this, too. Sounded good to me. I only had bacon on hand, no pancetta. I decided that this would be fine. I also figured I would use up all the asparagus I had, and then I would throw in a generous helping of scallions at the end. Sounds very spring-y, no?

Then I remembered that Ellie Krieger has a recipe in her book, The Food You Crave, for fettuccini with walnuts and parsley. So I decided to combine her technique with the one listed in Cooking Light, and the outcome was, well, fabulous! This stuff was great warm. This stuff was great cold the next day as leftovers. I mean, it was just good. The nuts were the one thing in this recipe that I was unsure of, but I shouldn't have been worried. They provided welcome texture and crunch, and the toastiness of them couldn't be beat. Combined with the bacon and the fresh veggies, they made for a wonderfully unique addition to my pasta. We loved it.

The original Cooking Light recipe can be found here.
The original Ellie Krieger recipe can be found here.

Here is the recipe the way I made it:

Asparagus and Scallion Pasta with Bacon and Walnuts
adapted from Cooking Light and Ellie Krieger
makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 lb. pasta, any shape you like
1/2 lb. - 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
6-8 scallions, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
2 oz. (about 4 slices) bacon
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place bacon on a slotted sheet (You can also line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place a cooling rack on top of the foil, and then drape the bacon across the rack. It's the method I use, and the fat drips off the bacon to the sheet underneath, so it's less greasy.) and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy. Place on a paper towel-lined plate and let cool. Break up into small pieces.
2. Meanwhile, set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the asparagus. Drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving 1/4-3/4 cup of cooking liquid in case you want to make your pasta wetter at the end of preparation.
3. In the pot the pasta was cooked in, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Return the pasta and asparagus to the pot, along with the lemon juice, broth, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Add in the scallions, bacon, and walnuts, and toss again. If you need the extra pasta water, add it in at this time. Serve grated or shaved Parmesan at the table, if desired.

Pizza with Asparagus, Bacon, and Homemade Marinara Sauce

Yum, homemade pizza. We love the stuff around here. If I wasn't always so scared in the past of making the crust, we would probably have it much more often. Well, it's not the crust I am scared of, it's rolling out the crust that frightens me. I know, it seems very silly. I love to bake, and do all those sorts of things which require patience, but I don't know. When it came to pizza crust, I was intimidated. Having to roll it into a circle shape just seemed difficult. It's not like a pie crust, where you get to trim off the ratty edges. This had to actually look like a circle.

Well, I am happy to report that all the fear is now a thing of the past. I have faced the challenge head-on, and I won! I battled the crust, and I was victorious. More on that in a bit, though.

The above photo is a shot of some wild asparagus, brought to us by my mother and father in-law, who pick it out of their very own backyard. It tastes so much better than store-bought asparagus, in my opinion. It's almost sweet, juicier than any other asparagus I've had, and it cooks up so tender despite the thicker spears. It can be purple in color when first picked, but it gradually turns green while it's cooking. It's actually handy; it's got a built-in doneness indicator!

When I found this recipe for a flatbread appetizer topped with asparagus and pancetta in Cooking Light Magazine, I knew I wanted to make a variation of it. Instead of a flatbread, I would do a pizza. I would use bacon in place of the pancetta, and I thought I'd add some homemade marinara sauce (the original recipe doesn't have a sauce).

After searching Recipezaar briefly, I discovered a whole-wheat pizza dough recipe that could be made in the bread machine. We've made pizza dough this way plenty of times, but this was a new recipe and I wanted to give it a try. As it turns out, this may have been the best homemade dough we've ever had! It wasn't as dense or dry as some whole-wheat doughs can be, and a sprinkle of dried herbs made it flavorful and colorful. Best of all, though? It was a dream to work with! By hand, I was able to pull and stretch it into the correct shape, and made it fit the pizza pan just right. It was easy! I wondered then what I had been so worried about; I could totally handle this! I just hoped that the rest of it would be as simple.

Well, it was! I baked some bacon in the oven until it was crisp, and broke it into crumbly pieces. The asparagus was sliced lengthwise thinly, then artfully placed on the pizza. A healthy sprinkle of freshly grated mozzarella topped it off. But wait! I'm forgetting the sauce.

Oh, the sauce. Who knew something so ridiculously simply could be such a showstopper? Seriously, this sauce required absolutely no cooking whatsoever, and contained simple, everyday ingredients. I got this gem from Recipezaar; I chose it mainly because of the ease. I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried it and discovered just how delicious it was. It was thick, tangy, spicy, with a hint of sweetness...just wow. We also used it as a dipping sauce for some ravioli that I served on the side. I could probably just have eaten it straight, with a spoon, but I restrained myself. But next time, who knows?

I'm going to post the pizza recipe, because I took an existing idea and modified it to our liking, as well as the sauce recipe, just because it is so divine.

The recipe for the whole-wheat pizza dough can be found here.

Kittencal's No-Cook Pizza Sauce (or Marinara Dipping Sauce)

adapted from Recipezaar

makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste (original recipe says you can use either 1/2 or a whole can)

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic (I believe I used 2 cloves)

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. sugar

1 pinch salt (can add to taste)

1 pinch cayenne pepper, to taste (I think my "pinch" was more like a healthy dash; next time I may lighten up on it a bit)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix very well. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings as needed.

2. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, more if possible, before serving.

Pizza with Asparagus, Bacon, and Homemade Marinara Sauce

Recipe by Bri

serves 4 (maybe)

Ingredients

1 whole-wheat pizza dough

cornmeal, for dusting

6 slices bacon

8-10 spears asparagus, sliced thinly lengthwise

1/2 - 3/4 cup homemade marinara sauce (see above)

3 oz. freshly grated mozzarella cheese (part-skim works well)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange bacon on a cooling rack, then place the cooling rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in oven for at least 20 minutes, until crispy and browned. Set aside to cool.

2. Dust work surface with cornmeal, then place pizza dough on cornmeal. Stretch dough into a 12-inch circle, then place on a 12-inch round pizza pan.

3. Spread marinara sauce on surface of dough. Crumble the reserved bacon over the sauce. Next, lay asparagus across the pizza, and finally cover everything with mozzarella cheese.

4. Crank the oven up to 400. Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and the dough feels and looks fully baked. Serve immediately (preferably with extra marinara on the side for dipping your crusts!).

Bacon Cupcakes: No, Really, They're Good

Evan and I were shopping for Father's Day cards the other day and I became distracted in the store by the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. I started perusing its pages, and I came across the weirdest, most outlandish, yet most wonderful-sounding recipe I'd seen in a while. I'm a sucker for cupcakes, and these cupcakes I found were just too unique not to try. Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes, for the record, are awesome! Yes, they are sweet little treats, and yes, they contain cooked, chopped bacon. It's delicious. I've always liked the maple syprup/bacon combo, and this recipe marries the two wonderfully. The cakes are great on their own (just ask Xander, he ate three mini cupcakes for breakfast), but when you add the frosting, it just takes these way over the top. That's right. These little lovelies have a maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting on them, too. The original recipe even garnished the cupcakes with more cooked, chopped bacon, but I held off on doing that. One, I was too lazy to cook more bacon, and two, I thought if we liked these and I made them again, maybe I'd be braver next time and add the extra bacon.

So the verdict is that everyone loved them. They made a great Father's Day treat for Andy, even though he ate too many and was then plagued with a cupcake coma for about an hour afterward. I ended up with 12 regular-size cupcakes and 12 mini cupcakes, so I frosted the regular ones only so that Xander could have the mini, unfrosted ones all to himself. Either way, these are fantastic. The only problem with them is that you can't quite figure out if you should be eating them for breakfast or for dessert! They're definitely decadent enough to be a dessert, but they have all the flavors of breakfast, and are filling enough to be a breakfast. I think we'll probably solve this predicament by just eating them at both times of the day!

In other news, we bought Xander and Evan bunk beds. Obviously, with Evan being just 7 months old, it'll be awhile before they get to share the beds, but Xander's pretty excited about the whole thing. Andy got everything assembled yesterday, so Xander was able to sleep in his new bed for the first time last night. We were all a little disappointed initially to find out that the bed came with instructions stating that a child has to be 6 years old before he can sleep on the top bunk. However, once everything was put together and I actually saw the top bunk, I have to say I am a little bit relieved that I don't have to worry about him falling from a great height for at least another two years. Xander took the news better than I thought he would, too. I guess his brand new Transformers bedsheets softened the blow.

Now, his bedroom is his new favorite hangout. He was extremely eager to go to bed last night, and took great pleasure in tucking in all his stuffed animals and snuggling in himself. This morning, he played in his room, which is a rare occasion. Then, about two hours after he got up for the day, he actually - get this - requested to take a nap! All because he wanted to hang out in his new bed! It was hilarious. He actually stayed in his room for over an hour. We don't know if he actually fell asleep or not, but he at least entertained himself and got a little rest. Too funny. We should buy him a new bed more often. Just like I said in my last post, why spend money on toys when you can just invest in normal, everyday household objects?