Oven Baked Bacon

In keeping with my goal to offer simpler recipes with fewer ingredients I offer you this one ingredient wonder, Oven Baked Bacon. I think this might be a good first posting to my still empty “Tips and Techniques” section since it’s more about cooking method. I know many of you may already be preparing your bacon this way but, if you haven’t yet tried it, it’s worth the read!  Continue reading “Oven Baked Bacon”

chicken sausage and roasted vegetable gratin

Chicken Sausage Gratin with Roasted Vegetables

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 I’ve found this Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage I buy at Costco is really nice to have on hand. It’s super convenient and versatile; great chopped into scrambled eggs, grilled and put on a bun or sliced thinly in a pasta dish or soup like Chicken Sausage, Vegetable and White Bean Soup with Ricotta. Continue reading “Chicken Sausage Gratin with Roasted Vegetables”

pan seared New York with mushrooms and blue cheese

Pan Seared New York Strip Steak with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

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Oh, this New York strip steak was a treat! I swear to you if you buy good quality meat and know how to prepare it (I’m gonna show you) you can have a fine steakhouse quality meal at home. For like, way less than a quarter of the price, especially when you add in sides and drinks. My girls’ minds were blown when I tallied up how much our meal may have cost in a restaurant. It was a good lesson because we do like to take them out to nice places on occasion and I like for them to have an understanding of the cost of that experience to give them a little perspective. And, of course, a little damn appreciation.

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slow cooked pork tenderloin

Slow Cooked Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Dijon Glaze

Seriously Subaru! Your elderly dog “bucket list” commercial is killing me. Just saw it again and can’t hold back the damn tears. If you haven’t seen it, let me fill you in. It features a guy with his old dog (there’s a dog bone shaped cake with “14” on it, so you know he’s old), actually checking off a bucket list of things for the dog to do on his birthday… He loads up the car with tennis balls, visits an old girlfriend, gets a brand new pair of shoes to chew on, goes to the beach, etc., all in a Subaru of course. During the commercial, Willie Nelson is in the background singing “you’re my buddy, my pal, my friend…”. Brutal. Maybe if my own dog wasn’t nearing the end of his life I would be able to handle it a little better. Probably not though.

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patty melt

Sourdough Cheddar Patty Melt

Um. Yum. Seriously worthwhile indulgence going on here. My girls were a bit skeptical when I told them I was making patty melts for dinner. They’re usually skeptical, that’s nothing new. They were on board though when I explained to them just what a patty melt is; a hamburger inside a grilled cheese sandwich (I didn’t mention the caramelized onions at that point). What meat, cheese, and bread lover wouldn’t be on board?? My workaholic husband even came home in time to eat dinner with us when I told him we were having patty melts. They are a bit more work than your average burger, but I promise they are worth it!