bacon Archives - The Midnight Baker

Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Tenderloin

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 23:00:35 +0000

Toss this jalapeño popper stuffed tenderloin on the grill for your next BBQ. Does it get any better than a bacon wrap?

Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Tenderloin

Tenderloin is one of my favorite pork cuts. The reason for that is that it cooks pretty quickly and can be flavored or stuffed in so many ways. In other words, it’s different each way you make it so you never get bored! This jalapeño popper stuffed tenderloin is just one of those ways.

Lucky for me, tenderloins have been on sale quite a bit in my area. I definitely take advantage of that. And nothing complements a pork loin like a zippy jalapeño popper stuffing. It’s wrapped in bacon too so what’s not to love about this?

Grill Smoker Or Oven

That choice is pretty much up to you–and the weather, of course.

Since I love my outdoor grills so much, my method of choice for this (and any tenderloin) is indirect grilling. To do this, you cook the meat on the unlit side of a gas grill. On a charcoal grill, you bank the coals to one side and cook the meat on the side with no coals underneath. One thing about charcoal grills and indirect cooking is the BBQ must have a lid. A Weber kettle is perfect.

If you have a smoker, that’s a perfect way to do this tenderloin. I’d recommend apple wood chips as it goes so well with pork.

The oven is probably the quickest way to do this. It should cook in about 45 minutes at 400F/200C.

Prepping The Tenderloin

First you must remove all membrane and silver skin. If left on, it will shrink and change the shape of the meat.

Next, in order to fill it, you have to butterfly the tenderloin. I also try to pound down the thick parts so it all cooks evenly.

I won’t lie here–you’re going to need about 2 pounds of bacon to wrap 2 pieces. The bacon should overlap so there are no bare spots. It’s also best to cook this seam side up so you don’t lose any delicious filling. I didn’t need toothpicks or skewers to keep the bacon in place, but have some handy just in case.

The Recipe

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Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Tenderloin

Three ways to cook

Prep Time25

Cook Time3

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: jalapeño popper stuffed pork, pork tenderloin cooked on the grill, stuffed pork tenderloin

Servings: 8

Calories: 1005kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 pork tenderloins
24 oz bacon approximately

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese softened
4 jalapeños cored, seeded and
2 tbs onion finely minced
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbs chili powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove membrane and any fat off the tenderloins.
Butterfly the tenderloins (there are great YouTube videos on butterflying); set aside.
Mix all the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Divide the filling equally down the center of each butterflied tenderloin.
Fold the ends of the tenderloin over the filling and wrap tightly with the bacon slices. FYI you may use more or less bacon than I did depending on how large the tenderloins are—mine were pretty big.
This can be cooked 3 ways—oven, indirect grill heat or in a smoker.
For oven: cook in a 400F/200C oven for 45-60 minutes
For indirect grill heat: place the tenderloins on the UNLIT side of a gas grill. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature is 160F/80C
For the smoker: applewood chips are nice for pork. Smoke at 200F/100C for 3-5 hours. Internal temperature should be the same as for indirect method

Nutrition

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Bucatini Carbonara

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 23:00:08 +0000

Bucatini carbonara is an easy mid-week meal with a gourmet flair.

Bucatini Carbonara–Quick And Easy

This delicious pasta dish is so easy to make, it qualifies for a quick mid-week meal. There’s really nothing to it.

If you can fry bacon and boil up some pasta, you have it made. Bucatini carbonara is one of those meals where meat is purely a condiment. And as luck would have it, that meat is everyone’s favorite; bacon. OK if you want to get technical and be a true gourmet, bacon is standing in for pancetta here. However, I don’t know many people who have pancetta on hand but most of us have some bacon kicking around.

About The Pasta

Bucatini is a thick strand with a hole in the center–sort of a very thin elongated elbow. You won’t find this is store-label pasta. You will in premium brands.

If you want to get adventurous, you can make your own pasta. What you see here is my own homemade bucatini. The disk to make this comes with the KitchenAid extruder so I figured why not. I love making my own pasta because the difference in taste though subtle is better in my opinion. If you don’t have a bucatini disk, thick spaghetti will do very nicely and most pasta machines come with a thick spaghetti disk.

My basic formula for an extruded pasta is a mix of semolina, all-purpose flour and water. I will give the recipe in the card below. FYI–when it comes to making pasta, I always weigh the ingredients. Weighing is important for consistent great results. My recipe is European so the weights are in grams. Don’t be put off–all modern kitchen scales weigh in both systems so just choose grams.

About The Eggs

The type of eggs you use here is important.

Since the heat of the just-cooked pasta is what is going to “cook” the egg, it’s important to use organic or pastured eggs. I get my fresh pastured eggs from a neighbor who keeps chickens, so I don’t have to worry about salmonella. If you don’t have that kind of access to eggs, then either get what I mentioned before or so-called pasteurized eggs. Cage-free eggs are OK too.

The Recipe

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Bucatini Carbonara

Quick and easy delicious dinner

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: extruded pasta, extruded pasta dough recipe, pasta carbonara, recipes with bucatini

Servings: 4

Calories: 829kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbs bacon drippings
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
12 oz bucatini cooked per package directions
1/2 cup pasta water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Pasta Dough (if making your own)

200 g semolina pasta flour
50 g all-purpose flour
90 g water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Sauté garlic in the reserved bacon drippings; set aside.
Drain masta but reserve 1/2 cup of the water. Place the hot pasta in a large bowl. Add the beaten eggs and toss to coat.
Mix in the reserved pasta water, grated cheese, bacon, garlic with bacon drippings and chopped parsley. Add salt & pepper if required.
Serve immediately.

Notes

If making your own pasta, my recipe will yield approximately 12 oz

Bacon called for is streaky bacon.

Nutrition

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Chicken In Bacon Mushroom Cream Sauce

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 23:00:38 +0000

Chicken in bacon mushroom cream sauce is out-of-this-world delicious. Easy to make too.

Chicken In Bacon Mushroom Cream Sauce

If you’re looking for a really deliciously gourmet meal that’s easy to make, this recipe is for you.

While it’s fancy enough for a “date night” or guests, it’s equally great as a weeknight family meal. The reason for that is that it is easy.I know I say this a lot but some of the best-tasting meals are those with the simplest ingredients and are ridiculously easy. That pretty much sums up this recipe. And I bet you have most, if not all ingredients on hand too!

Chicken Thighs

I used boneless skinless thighs for this. The original recipe called for skin on, bone in thighs. Honestly, that’s what I prefer but I had a package of the boneless skinless in the freezer so that’s what I used. And my followers know my mantra of “use what you have.” In this recipe, I feel the boneless skinless actually work a bit better. Since the sauce contains cream and bacon, the extra fat would probably detract from the flavor. Trust me, I’m NO health nut but sometimes fat is overkill. Personally, I’d rather have bacon and cream than chicken fat. Don’t think I’m alone there.

Chicken breast would work just as well. I’m sure mostly everyone has these in their freezer as they are on sale quite frequently. However, if you do opt to use boneless skinless breasts, I’d advise pounding them down with a meat mallet so the thickness is pretty much even. That way, you won’t have the thin parts overcooked.

Don’t Like Mushrooms?

Simple–leave them out and this dish is just as good.

You can always add some spinach or peas if you leave out the mushrooms. In fact, either of those would be a great addition even with the mushrooms.

The Recipe

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Chicken Thighs in Mushroom Bacon Cream Sauce

Simple and delicious chicken

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy gourmet chicken dinners, one-dish chicken dinners with cream sauce, one-skillet dinners with chicken

Servings: 4

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs oil divided
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp Italian seasoning
6 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine or vermouth
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Sauce:

5 slices bacon cooked chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Season chicken thighs with the salt, pepper & Italian seasoning.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet and brown chicken over medium-high heat on both sides; remove from pan.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same skillet and sear the mushrooms until they begin to brown. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add the thyme and the chicken back to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken tests done.
Remove the chicken from the pan and add the bacon, cream and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is reduced about 50 percent and it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Notes

For UK/EU readers--the bacon used in this recipe is streaky bacon.

Canned mushrooms may be used if you don't have fresh.

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Bacon Pinwheels

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 00:00:21 +0000

Savory bacon pinwheels are easy-to-make snacks or appetizer.

Bacon Pinwheels Are Easy

Are you looking for a quick and easy holiday appetizer for a buffet? Are you looking for a quick snack? Should it be delicious?

The answer to those three questions is simple–bacon pinwheels! Since they have bacon, what could be better? I can’t think of much and the fact that they’re so uncomplicated to make makes it even better.

Pretty sure you have most of the ingredients on hand. There is one you may not have unless you absolutely love it or make French pastry–apricot preserves. I do make French pastry from time to time, so there’s always a jar on my shelf. Even if you have to buy it special, it’s lovely on toast or English muffins so if you buy it. you’ll use it.

Versatile Crescent Roll Dough

If there ever was a product that has zillions of uses, like these air fryer danish, it’s refrigerated crescent roll dough. There’s so many things you can make with this which is why I’m sure most of you have a tube in the fridge already.

I find I prefer the unperforated sheets. That way I don’t have to seal those pesky perforations which sometimes don’t stay sealed. If I want to actually make crescent dinner rolls, I cut it into squares of the appropriate size. I find the sheets far more convenient to use. This is one of the recipes where I find them much more convenient.

Bacon

Since you need the bacon to roll up and not break apart, it shouldn’t be cooked very crispy. Just cook it enough so it’s done yet pliable. My advice is to cook it right before you intend to make these because as it cools, the bacon will become more fragile.

Now a word about the onions–if you don’t like onions they can be left out. It will reduce the flavor profile somewhat but if you hate them that would make no difference.

The Recipe

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Bacon Pinwheels

Easy and delicious snack or appetizer

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crescent roll appetizers with bacon, crescent roll dough appetizers, football party appetizers with bacon

Servings: 15

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tbs butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tbs apricot preserves
8 oz tube crescent roll dough sheets preferred
15 slices cooked bacon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat and add the apricot preserves; cook until melted.
Unroll crescent dough and roll into a 15 x 9-inch/38 x 23-cm rectangle. If using the perforated dough, seal seams and perforations. Cut into 15 1-inch/2.5-cm strips. Place a slice of bacon on each strip and roll up, jelly-roll style, from the short end. Place on prepared sheet seam side down.
Spoon the apricot mixture over each piece. Bake for 12-15 min or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

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Jalapeño Bacon Cheese Balls

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 00:00:51 +0000

Jalapeño bacon cheese balls are perfect for holiday–or any–party!

Jalapeño Bacon Cheese Balls

If you love jalapeño poppers, you’ll just love these jalapeño bacon cheese balls! Since they have bacon, they should be even more delicious.

They’re really simple to make but can be a bit messy. If you read on further, I give tips on how to make it a less messy process. However, these are so good, I really didn’t mind the mess at all. The fact that they disappear very quickly when you put them out on the buffet is just another reason I think they’re worth it.

Tips For Success

Cream cheese is dense and sticky in its natural state. It becomes a little less so if its mixed with something else just like it is in this recipe. However, it’s still pretty sticky and hard to handle.

Some people have success working with wet hands. While that may work for some, sadly it does not work for me.

What I do is use a drop-cookie scoop (affiliate link). It’s the perfect size for these cheese balls too. Just scoop and drop in the bacon bits and roll. Your hands will get greasy from the bacon, but not gummed up.

Another Thing You Could Do…

The other tip is really simple. Make one big cheese ball! That way its one-and-done and that’s that. Put it in the center of the plate and surround with crackers and problem solved.

I have to say I still prefer the individual portions. It’s special because everyone does the large cheese balls. Mostly I think it’s more sanitary because if you have your own, you won’t “double-dip” as with the larger one.

The Recipe

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Jalapeno Popper Cheese Balls

Make one big one or smaller ones for each guest

Prep Time15

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheese ball with jalapeño and bacon, cheese balls for a party, jalapeno poppers

Servings: 10

Calories: 626kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz softened cream cheese
2 tbs mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped chives
1 cup finely diced jalapeno peppers
2 cups finely crumbled bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbs finely diced red onion
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch of cayenne optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix all ingredients, except the crumbled bacon in a large bowl. Mix well until its all incorporated.
Spread the crumbled bacon on a piece of wax paper or a platter.
Form the cream cheese mixture into balls about 1-inch/2.5 cm in diameter. A cookie scoop is very helpful here.
Roll the balls in the crumbled bacon, coating well. Alternatively, you can make one big ball instead of individual balls.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

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Florentine Eggs–Perfect Poached Eggs

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 00:00:54 +0000

Florentine eggs are an elegant breakfast or brunch and can even be made ahead. Also learn how to make perfect poached eggs.

Florentine Eggs

Do these look complicated? Surprise, they aren’t.

Florentine eggs are just an assembly job and most of the components can be made in advance. Yes, even the eggs!

Since you will want perfect-looking poached eggs for this elegant dish, I’ll give instructions in this post for how to achieve a perfect poached egg right in this post.

You can change some of the components as well. Ham or Canadian bacon can replace the bacon. You can use Hollandaise sauce instead of the simple cheese sauce recipe I give. For me, Hollandaise is a bit too fussy and moreover, I don’t really care for it that much (surprise, I know!!!). But if you think it would complement this better than by all means. And that goes for any sauce you like!

Perfect Poached Eggs

Perfect poached eggs are easy–that is if you have fresh eggs and by fresh I mean it just dropped out of the chicken. Lots of folks are keeping chickens now so this is definitely a possibility. Fresh eggs have high-standing yolks that are centered and the white clings around the yolk.

However, most of us buy eggs in the supermarket and how fresh that egg is is up for debate. But if you use the following method, your eggs will come out decent looking all the time.

The secret is boiling your egg for 10 seconds to “set” the outer part of the white. First you pierce a hole with a needle or a cork board tack in the large end of the egg. The reason for that is there’s an air pocket up there and piercing relieves the pressure. Then you drop the egg into fast-boiling water for 10 seconds. Then you remove the egg.

Now, to poach eggs, you never let the water boil. You just want simmering water–where you see some small bubbles at the bottom of the pan. Don’t salt the water at this point, but add 1/4 cup of white vinegar per quart of water. This helps the whites to coagulate.

Now break your eggs as close to the water as possible so they gently fall into the water. Let them simmer for 4 minutes, then remove them to a bowl of cold, clean water. The cold water stops the cooking and gets rid of any trace of the vinegar.

At this point the poached eggs can be kept uncovered in the fridge in that bowl of water till you’re ready to use them. To reheat, just place them in some salted simmering water for about a minute. Remember to pat them dry before placing them on any other food.

Other Methods

There are other methods to get good-looking eggs.

One better known method is using these egg poachers (affiliate link). I have them and they work pretty well.

The Recipe

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Florentine Eggs

Elegant and easy breakfast or brunch

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: eggs benedict, florentine eggs, holiday breakfasts, make perfect poached eggs

Servings: 4

Calories: 367kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 English muffins
4 poached eggs
8 slices crispy bacon
1 recipe Asian spinach

Cheese Sauce:

2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 cup hot milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Separate English muffins into halves and toast.
Divide spinach evenly between the English muffins. Lay 2 slices of bacon over each muffin and top with a poached egg. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of sauce over each egg.
Serve immediately

Nutrition

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Cheesy Bacon Potato Balls

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 23:00:27 +0000

These potato balls make a great snack. They’re loaded with bacon and oozing with cheese. What could be better?

Potato Balls Are A Real Treat

There’s so many things you can do with leftover mashed potatoes. My mother used to make fried potato patties with them. She’d add some seasonings then fry them up for a side for another dinner.

Again, these potato balls are nothing new; just another working of my mom’s (and a lot of others’) recipe.

Here I’ve dressed them up a bit. I also added some cheese into the works as well. I might add here that none of this is unique. In fact I was actually looking for something I could manage after having massive dental surgery since this type of food requires no chewing. For those who are curious, I am getting implants–and that’s not an overnight process either. So if anyone reading this has gone through the process, please let me know how you managed it as this is new territory to me.

Cheese Adds So Much

I think the cheese is what makes these potato balls special.

It’s hidden in the center so it’s a nice surprise to those who don’t know it’s in there. I had half a block of nice sharp cheddar leftover from making cauliflower cheese. This was a great way to use that up.

Any melting cheese will do here so don’t restrict yourself to cheddar. That’s just what I wanted to use up and it pairs nicely with bacon.

Now About The Bacon

One recipe I saw used crumbled bacon to actually coat the balls. I found that to be a bit difficult and where I may have soldiered on if I wasn’t so hungry, it may have worked. However after two days of eating yogurt because of the surgery, I lacked any patience so I just mixed the bacon bits in with the potato mixture itself. That worked very well for me. But if you want to mix them with the breadcrumbs go right ahead. They will taste great no matter where that bacon is.

The Recipe

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Cheesy Bacon Potato Balls

Addictively delicious

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizers using leftovers, potato balls with bacon, using leftover mashed potatoes

Servings: 6

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 cups mashed potatoes cold
2 tsp dehydrated onion optional
3 tbs fresh chives chopped
1-2 tbs sour cream see directions
1/4 cup finely crumbled crisp bacon
4 oz cheddar cheese cubed
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbs Parmesan or Romano cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C.
Line a baking sheet with foil then spray with non-stick spray.
Mix the breadcrumbs and grated cheese in a small bowl; set aside. Lightly beat the egg in another small bowl; set aside.
Mix the mashed potatoes, onion (if using), chives and bacon. Mixture should be soft but hold together. If it seems too dry, add 1 tbs of the sour cream then check the texture. If it's still too dry, add the remaining sour cream.
Form a 2-inch/5 cm ball around a cheddar cheese cube.
Roll each ball in the beaten egg then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese starts to melt out.
AIR FRYER--follow the above but reduce baking time to 8-10 minutes (time may vary with the power of your air fryer.

Notes

For wither cooking method, spraying with a bit of oil helps them brown.

UK readers--streaky bacon is what was used.

Nutrition

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Creamed Peas

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 23:00:22 +0000

Creamed peas will change the minds of any veggie haters.

Kiddos Will Love Creamed Peas

Adults love them too!

Got trouble getting your kids or even grown ups to eat anything green? This recipe just may be the answer to that problem.

Since you can use it with most any green veggie, it’s pretty versatile. You can vary it for whichever vegetable anyone you cook for doesn’t care to eat.

I guess my mom was fortunate that I didn’t need too much inducement to eat my “greens.” however, my sister was not the same (as a kid). I even liked brussels sprouts.

And I understand this unwillingness from an adult standpoint as my late husband was extremely finicky about veggies to the point where I’d refer to him as my eldest “son.”

This is one recipe that will get them to eat their greens.

The Sauce

What I used here was just your basic medium white sauce. It’s creamy and delicious plus it can be adapted in many ways.

To make it so it comes out perfectly, there are two basic caveats: cooking the flour and butter for about two minutes so there’s no pasty taste and hot milk. Yes, hot milk.

Using hot milk not only eliminates the need for constant stirring till it boils, it sets up a lot faster for that reason and is creamier. Take it from someone who always used cold milk–this work and it works wonderfully.

Everyone’s Favorite

Now for the best part–there’s bacon in this!

While it’s only a seasoning and/or garnish, it ads a ton of flavor. The marriage of bacon and vegetables isn’t new. The southerners have been doing it for ages. When you think some of their most renowned dishes are veggies that include the taste of bacon you can see they they’re so popular.

The Recipe

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Creamed Peas

A great recipe for veggies

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: recipes for peas, side dishes kids love, vegetables in cream sauce with bacon

Servings: 4

Calories: 267kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz frozen peas cooked per package directions
2 slices crisp bacon diced

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups hot whole milk
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper white preferred
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Drain peas and set aside.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat; add onion and cook until it just becomes translucent. Stir in the flour and let it bubble. Cook for 2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the hot milk and whisk until it begins to bubble. Reduce the heat and add the salt & pepper.
Stir in the cooked peas and top with the diced bacon.

Nutrition

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Alice Springs Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 23:00:18 +0000

Make this Alice Springs chicken at home. It’s even better than the restaurant!

The Flavors Everyone Loves

This Alice Springs chicken is one of the best-selling menu items at Outback Steak House. The reason, I think, is quite obvious. It has all the flavors that are most peoples’ favorites.

First and foremost–bacon. I haven’t come across anyone who didn’t like it. Next is cheese and you have a combination of two great cheeses in this. Last but not least is the marinade. It’s so delicious, you need to hold some back as a dipping sauce.

Now lets talk about ease of preparation. This one is very easy so I’m sure it’ll become part of your regular rotation.

Marinate For Deep Flavor

The basic flavors of the marinade are honey and dijon mustard. Of course, there’s other ingredients, however, they are the major flavors. As I said before, this marinade is so good you’ll want to use it as a dipping sauce so remember to reserve some before you add the chicken to it.

Most recipes that require marination give a time frame from 2 hours to overnight. If you’re pressed for time, then go with the minimum time. However, I do strongly advise you not to do this because the longer you marinate, the better the dish will taste. I’m sure I’m not saying anything you don’t know about this, but this chicken will taste SO much better if you start marinating the day before you plan to make it. In fact, I consider it a “must do.” You won’t be sorry waiting till the next day!!!

Different From The Others

I’ve seen many copycat recipes for this online. There’s always one thing I disliked about all of them–the cooking method.

Most say to brown the chicken over a higher heat then to cover and bake for a bit then add the toppings. You all know what happens when you bake something in the oven tightly covered. Yep, it gets all watery and it steams; it does not bake.

So what I did here was brown the chicken breast over a lower heat so that it would be done–or close to it–when it finished browning. Then I put the toppings on, transferred it to the oven uncovered, and baked for the additional time needed to finish both the chicken and the toppings. Comes out perfect that way!

The Recipe

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Alice Springs Chicken

Delicious copycat from the restaurant

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Marinate8

Total Time30

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 662kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup mushrooms sliced fresh
2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1/2 cup Monterray jack cheese shredded
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
4 bacon strips cooked. Streaky in UK, cut in 1-inch pieces

Marinade/Sauce:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup mayonnaise

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, reserve 1/2 cup for dipping sauce. Place chicken breasts in a zipper freezer bag and pour in the remaining marinade. Place in the refrigerator and marinate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. When butter foams, add the sliced mushrooms and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are browned; remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Discard the marinade.
Place chicken in the skillet and let it brown—do not move it—this will take about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and brown the other side without moving it.
Distribute the mushrooms evenly on top of each chicken breast. Mix the cheeses together and divide evenly over the top of each chicken breast. Distribute bacon evenly on top.
Place skillet in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted, bacon begins to crisp and the internal temperature is 160 degrees F.

Video

Nutrition

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Cheesy Steak Bites

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 00:00:40 +0000

Cheesy steak bites is one of those kid-pleasing meals that adults love too.

Family Dinner Goes Gourmet

This is one of those “everyday” meals that packs a gourmet punch.

These cheesy steak bites are easy to make and they’re sure to be a hit with the kiddos. For one thing, it’s all pretty easy to put together and has ingredients that are pleasing to both adults and children.

Kids tend to love beef and cheese together or in combos. However, in this dish, they are introduced to more sophisticated ingredients masquerading as comforting favorites. This, of course, makes it popular with the grown-up crowd who like basically the same thing but at a different level.

Meat And Cheese

This uses a higher-quality of beef–steak tips.

Steak tips go by different names depending on your geographical location. They are from the tenderloin basically. Often they are called sirloin tips or flap meat. While flap meat doesn’t sound all that appetizing (at least I don’t think so LOL), it is nonetheless a nice cut of meat because it’s very tender. Sirloin is a misnomer because the meat doesn’t come from that area. If you can’t find this, or the price makes you plotz, you can use sirloin steak or any other tender steak.

Kids love cheddar cheese to be sure and you have it in this. This dinner introduces them to fontina. Fontina is smooth and creamy, but it’s very mild.

This also uses a more gourmet blend of herbs–herbs de province. However, it is used very sparingly so it’s not overpowering. If you can find a small bottle of it or have access to a store that sells herbs and blends in bulk, my advice is to take a sniff of it. If you don’t like what you smell, then don’t buy it and use my suggestions in the recipe for alternates.

Onions?

Have you got an “onjun” hater in the house? Don’t despair if you do.

While young children may find the taste of raw onion objectionable, most like the flavor of caramelized onions because they are mild and sweet.

Basically you are making caramelized onion here. The flavor they add is exceptional. But if you want to play it safe, use milder, sweeter onions such as vidalia onions.

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The Recipe

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Cheesy Steak Bites

Cheesy steak bites is one of those kid-pleasing meals that adults love too.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: steak bites, steak recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 674kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb beef tenderloin steak tips cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbs olive oil
2 large white onions thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic finely minced
6 slices cooked bacon optional
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
2 tsp herbs de provence OR 1/2 tsp thyme + 1/2 tsp oregano mixed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat a large heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat. Sear steak tips until they are brown on all sides; remove from pan.
Reduce heat to medium-low and in the same skillet, add the olive oil. Place the onions in the pan, and cook for about 10 minutes or until they are soft and golden brown. Add the garlic and cook until it’s fragrant. Remove onions and garlic from the pan.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wipe out the skillet and add the browned steak tips, lay the bacon on top then top with the cooked onions.
Mix the cheeses and place evenly across the top. Sprinkle top with the herbs.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly and beginning to brown.

Nutrition

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