Country-style bacon, apple and cheese egg bake recipe

Whether you have overnight guests coming for the holidays or you're simply looking for a special family breakfast...

Wake up their senses with this, Country-style bacon, apple and cheese egg bake!

This is a great one to make a day in advance (just be sure not to overcook since you'll be reheating)...then in the morning...take it out of the fridge, cover it with foil and reheat until warm though-out ... 

(Sitting for a day, allows all those delicious ingredients to come together and then shine through when ready to eat!)

Juice, hot coffee and warm cinnamon raisin toast with butter makes this egg bake extra special!

Find the recipe here at SheKnows: Country-style bacon, apple and cheese egg bake

The Kentucky Hot Brown

Here we have a classic Kentucky Derby Day recipe...The Kentucky Hot Brown!

Make a tray of these, a few mint juleps (or pour yourself a Bourbon on the rocks) and...

...may your horse win big!

You'll find more information and the recipe here at SheKnows: The Kentucky Hot Brown

Football empanadas stuffed with mashed potatoes, broccoli, crispy bacon and cheese

I stuffed these empanadas with all the ingredients that would go into a loaded up potato skin...  homemade mashed potatoes, chopped up broccoli, crispy bacon and lots of cheese!  A meal in and of itself, a tray of these would be super cute for your upcoming Super Bowl party! 

I cheated too, by using premade frozen Goya Empanada dough found in your grocer's freezer (this dough is my friend).  If going entirely homemade is more your thing...here is a delicious post I did a while back on Care's Kitchen for : Homemade Empanada Dough

For the recipe of this empanada above...and a look inside this little baby... check out my post here on SheKnows: Super Bowl Empanadas

Cheers! Carolyn :)

Spice-rubbed Pork Tenderloin wrapped in Bacon

So, you'll notice the bacon doesn't "totally," "technically," "100%" adhere to the pork...but does it really matter? 

Not in this case!  It does so just enough (cook it bacon seam side down as noted in the recipe)...plus...the combination of the sweet and savory spices on the pork tenderloin and the smokey, (slightly) salty bacon...make for a match made in heaven! 

Hot mashed potatoes, simple french string beans and warm apple sauce would make perfect, "homey" sides...but you decide!!!  Anything goes ~

If there are leftovers (and there won't be) use them in a sandwich the next day! This is surprisingly quick AND one the whole family will love! Enjoy!

Click below for the recipe:

Spice-rubbed pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon

P.S.  It's nice to be back :) xo, Care

Guinness Bacon Cheeseburgers

A picture says a thousand words...

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Cheese Bites with Crispy Bacon

Let me start by saying these Buffalo Ranch Chicken Cheese Bites with Crispy Bacon would make delicious sliders!  Just add a small soft toasted bun, thinly sliced red onion, a piece of lettuce and a side of chips and...well...need I say more??????

Shown here, as simple bites, they are a breeze to prepare and make for perfect toothpick/napkin food! 

Stacked Potato Slices with Melted Cheese, Scallion and Bacon

How about a tray of these little beauties at your next party?!

I made them in 4 inch porcelain ramekins, but I bet a well buttered muffin tin would also work AND allow you to knock a bunch out at once!

Baby Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Craisins, Panko and Cheese - Last Minute Vegetable Idea!

I made a mini portion with one of my new 8 inch cast iron pans...

Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Dates ~ Little Bites of Heaven!

Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Dates are a, "must have" hors d'oeuvre at your next wine and cheese or holiday gathering...

Collard Greens with Red Onion and Bacon with Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon and Pork ~ Comfort Food and Good Advice

When my husband returned home from work the other night, he was greeted by the aroma of Smoked Pork Shoulder and Bacon being rendered down and then slowly simmered atop the stove...

You see, earlier in the day I asked him what he wanted for dinner.  I expected the usual response, "Something delicious, seems like a grilling night, right?"  But instead to my surprise the man blurts out, "collard greens cooked in bacon with some sort of beans on the side." 

Tuna Club Sandwich ~ My Sandwich Mantra

When I was in high school and college, I would spend my summers down at the beach working in restaurants and delis.

Now I'm not bragging (well maybe a little) but I used to have "regulars" who would frequent my place of employment and specifically request that I make their sandwich...and you know what...I can't say I blamed them....

To this day, I take my sandwich making VERY SERIOUSLY.  

My Sandwich Mantra...

How to Steam a Lobster

I've steamed many a lobster in my day, yet still always feel the need to look up on-line how many minutes my lobster should cook. At the investment...an overcooked or undercooked lobster is simply a shame!

Obviously, how long a lobster should cook depends on its size.  This one photographed above is quite large at just under 4 lbs, so he should steam approximately

Chilean Sea Bass with Poblano Pepper Cream Sauce and Mango

(*Heading and design still a work in progress...)

The photo above shows the finished plate with the Poblano Pepper Cream Sauce not heated ...as the roasted peppers made the sauce

Homemade Roasted Tomatillo Salsa - A New Name & Design in Progress

So I up and changed the name of my blog to CaresKitchen.com and am messing with its design...what you see here may take on a whole new look (again) in just a few days ...but for now...on to the salsa...  

Inspired by Rick Bayless, my husband's homemade Roasted Tomatillo Salsa is

Zucchini Ribbons with Pine Nuts, Goat Cheese & Basil

An excellent alternative to the ubiquitous pasta salad...these raw Zucchini Ribbons with Toasted Pine Nuts, Goat Cheese and Basil come together magnificently for the perfect summer side dish!





Healthy, fresh, nutty and delicious...I promise you... as you twirl the zucchini ribbons around your fork...you'll think you are eating a creamy, cheesy pasta!  Minus the carbs!



Here's the recipe...I hope you'll try it and enjoy it as much as we did!

Zucchini Ribbons with Toasted Pine Nuts, Goat Cheese and Basil Serves 1-2 people so double/triple the recipe as needed!

Ingredients:

1 medium-large Zucchini, ends cut off and discarded, peeled of its skin and sliced into long vertical ribbons with a vegetable/carrot peeler - stop when you get to the seeds
2 T toasted pine nuts
2 T crumbled goat cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/8 tsp. very finely diced fresh garlic
2-3 T. fresh basil, chiffonade style (plus more for garnish on top if desired)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, vinegar (or lemon juice) and diced garlic. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl add the zucchini ribbons, goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and basil.

Pour prepared oil mixture over the top and toss together well.

Salt and pepper to taste. Top with additional fresh basil if desired and serve.

Pork Spare Ribs with Steven Raichlen's Basic Barbecue Spice Rub ~ The Follow-Up

The follow-up to yesterday's post...

Pork Spare Ribs with Steven Raichlen's Basic Barbecue Spice Rub ...here's a photo op of the finished product.

As we sat across from one another licking our fingers, spare rib meat falling from its bone...when I asked my husband for a few words of wisdom ....all he could say was...

"Go Slow...
                ......and Go Low."

Steven Raichlen's BASIC BARBECUE RUB

Summer is upon us!  My husband went out yesterday and picked up a new gas Weber Grill and Smoker!

BUT BEFORE YOU TELL ME HOW NICE IT IS...TAKE NOTE: these pictures are of Pork Spare Ribs being cooked on our good Ol' hard working Weber Charcoal Grill!  (About 5 yrs. old now and still kickin'!) 

Husband calls it, "Our Old Work Horse!"



1. Brown Sugar
2. Sweet Paprika
3. Black pepper
4. Coarse Salt
5. Hickory Smoked Salt (or more Coarse Salt)
6. Garlic Powder
7. Onion Powder
8. Celery Seed
9. Cayenne Pepper



Hard to Break Old Habits...

here is Steven Raichlen's,  BASIC BARBECUE RUB recipe, out of his "Barbecue Bible Cookbook, "How to Grill" p.441 (photos show the recipe DOUBLED!)

1/4 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Sweet Paprika
3 T. Black pepper
3 T. Coarse Salt
1 T. Hickory Smoked Salt or more coarse salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Click here to see the finished product!

Cheeseburger with Soft Fried Egg and Fresh Herbs

There's something about a decadent Sunday morning breakfast that sets the tone for the entire week! 

As if you're exclaiming to the days ahead.... "Let's make it fabulous folks!"



"That means you Monday morning!"

"Tuesday ...you're gonna shine!"

"Wednesday you rock!"

"Thursday...have you lost weight?"

"Friday...please...you know I love you!"



What we have here is Chef Marcus Samuelsson's recipe for the Best Basic Burger  (our new go-to for sure) topped with a soft fried egg and fresh chopped herb mix of oregano, sage, basil, chives and thyme.

Nestled between a whole grain toasted English Muffin with melted unsalted butter...well...I'd say it's gonna be a delicious week! :)

Tuna Tartare / Tuna Ceviche ...Call it what you will!

I think I waited this long to post my recipe for Tuna Tartare because it's very difficult to photograph. I tried once before only to end up with a series of photos ...each worse than the last!

I recall feeling intensely frustrated that the appearance of one of my favorite appetizers ever (through the eye of the lens) simply wasn't appealing.

With this frustration came spontaneous, uncontrollable eating of the subject...and alas...there was none.

Sigh.  The only thing worse than a bad picture, was no picture at all.  




So I decided it was time to once again ..."give it a go!"  I needed to share the recipe with the world! ;)

Perhaps more of a "ceviche" as the lime juice, soy sauce and spicy sriracha basically "cook" the tuna...I wanted a tuna tartare that was akin to a Spicy Tuna Sushi Roll...(my second favorite thing on earth ...only behind spicy salmon.)

Fresh, spicy and delicious...I like using salted ridged potato chips for scooping...as they offer just the right amount of sturdiness and crunch!

Now here are a few photos....





NOTE BELOW: This particular time I only had a regular cucumber on hand so I made certain to thoroughly scoop out its seeds. Seedless, English cucumbers are preferred and best to use with this recipe as they wont release as much water as a regular cucumber...but sometimes we just have to use what we have!





While the pictures of the Tuna Tartare still are not spectacular...I tried my best to capture its essence and flavor!

A crowd pleasing appetizer...the keys to seeing this Tuna Tartare is successful... are keeping it fresh and serving it immediately!   Enjoy!

Tuna Tartare

1/2 pound fresh quality tuna steak, very finely chopped
Juice and zest from one medium lime
1/2 tsp. Soy Sauce
1/8 tsp Sesame Oil
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 medium size cucumber, finely diced (Seedless is preferred) *if you can't get seedless, scoop out the seeds of a regular cucumber as seen above
Kosher salt to taste
3 T. Quality Mayonnaise
1 T. Sriracha Sauce
Lots of ridged (or other sturdy) potato chips

Directions:

Prepare your sriracha mayonnaise by whisking together the mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce. Set aside.

In a medium non-reactive bowl (I use glass) add (in this order) your tuna, lime juice and zest, soy sauce, sesame oil, prepared sriracha mayonnaise, green onion and cucumber. Stir together well.

Salt only if needed - keeping in mind if you're using salted potato chips for scooping, they have their own amount of salt that will add to the overall salt content.

At this point I like to place the tuna tartare in a non-reactive strainer to rid it of any unnecessary liquid that developed as a result of the cucumber releasing some of its water. I leave the tuna tartare in the strainer about 2 minutes.

Discard and liquid that strained out, place your tartare in a bowl (or shape like above) and serve immediately with lots of sturdy potato chips.

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Baby Bok Choy ~ Any Suggestions?

It's a pretty Chinese Cabbage I have little experience with and truth be told, I debated posting this at all...but I'm looking for suggestions...




Here is what I did....

Cut the Bok Choy down the center vertically and rinsed it extremely well to rid the crevasses of sand....




{  SIDE NOTE: according to WEBSTER to "roast" something is to cook it with "an extreme dry heat" so maybe this Bok Choy isn't "roasted" at all???  }

Next, I placed the bok choy in a foil lined pan and drizzled it with a combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, Asian chili garlic sauce and a sprinkle of brown sugar (not swimming in liquid whatsoever...)




Then cooked the Bok Choy in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. 

While the flavor of the sauce was delicious...the Bok Choy itself was difficult to cut and eat.

Do you have a lot of experience with Bok Choy and if so...how do you prepare it?