Bacon American Flag Pizza

I'm not the best at following directions.  If I feel like I can do something on my own, I will try before really thinking it through, or looking at an instruction manual.  Why must there be so many words?  So many steps?  So many, before you begin's?  I don't want to before I begin!  I wanna begin!  

I'm a child.  This impatience can get me in trouble in the kitchen.  I see a photo on pinterest and think, I can do that!  I'm going to do that!  And then I attempt without really thinking it through.  This Bacon American Flag Pizza is case in point.  I saw this photo, started jumping up and down (no really), and grabbing things in my fridge.  I happened to have pizza dough in the freezer, fresh mozzarella cheese, purple potatoes (surprising), bacon (less surprising) and pizza sauce.  Who needs directions!?

Well, had I looked at the ACTUAL recipe (found here), I would have realized I needed to bake the bacon first to get it crispy.  And I would have realized that using alfredo sauce instead of a tomato-based sauce would have kept the cheese whiter.  And if/when I make this again, I will use shredded mozzarella cheese.  Oh well, you can still tell that it's a flag, right?  It tasted good! 

Now I want to make a patriotic dessert.  Any ideas? 

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Company Pot Roast

Now that it's officially fall, with October looming around the corner (already put up Halloween decorations, yup, can't be stopped), I have been cooking more hearty meals.  After all, it's time we start thickening up our bear fur for the long winter!  Am I right, my fellow lumberjacks?  My fellow woodsmen?  Sarah Palin?  I'll stop.  Anyway, a Pot Roast is one of my favorite cooler weather meals.  And who is the queen of PERFECT comfort food?  Ina Garten, of course.

  

I love the title of this recipe.  It sounds so proper.  So Ina.  I imagine her saying to her husband, Jeffrey, "Jeffrey darling, I'm going to whip up some Pot Roast for our company, go get some good wine" and then effortlessly throwing this together in her black button-up shirt.  Well, I recently had company (my sister Hannah) so naturally I had to make this.  It was delicious, for real, I can't count the number of times Carson said, "this is good, this is really good."

  

A few notes: instead of removing half of the sauce and blending it, I used my handheld immersion blender and lightly blended everything right in the pot, making sure to leave some of the carrots in tact.  The sauce is the best part about this meal... extremely flavorful and the perfect consistency.  I made buttery egg noodles and also roasted some vegetables on the side (butternut squash, brussel sprouts and mushrooms) and served them alongside the pot roast and on top of the noodles.          

And while this meal was prepared in a Dutch oven verses a crock pot, here are some of my favorite slow cover recipes for your weekend enjoyment...

starting top left, going clockwise...

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Stew

Slow Cooker Squash Stew

Crock Pot Ribs

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

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Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Sausage and Veggies

It's squash season!  No, not the sport.  What even is the sport?  (I just googled it, it's that terrifying game where you're stuck in a small room with walls everywhere and a frantic ball ping ponging by your entire body.)  No, I'm talking about the vegetable... butternut, acorn, and my personal favorite, spaghetti squash.  I could really eat spaghetti squash as a side to every meal!  But lately, we've been having it as the main dish.  It's surprisingly hearty, even served vegetarian, but add meatballs or crispy sausage and you've got a very satisfying meal.  This time I sautéed mushrooms, brussel sprouts and broccoli (using the same skillet I had cooked the sweet italian sausage in prior)...   

...and tossed it all together with roasted spaghetti squash (cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed, sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes).  

More Spaghetti Squash recipes:

Southwest Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes

Meat Ragu with Spaghetti Squash

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Summer Vegetables

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Slow Cooker Apple Pulled Pork

I've officially had 3 kids for 4 weeks.  Life will start to get WAY easier now, right?

Bahahahahahahaha *manic laughter* bahaha *tears* bah *face plant into computer* ha.

Actually, if I'm being honest, I've found myself adjusting more quickly to life after each birth.  I'm used to the chaos and zero sleep after one and then two kids.  So basically, I'm saying I could EASILY have 19 children like that Digger family.  Dagger?  Dugger?  Yeah, them.  

That said, I still have moments of pure insanity, like the other day when I tried to make this Slow Cooker Apple Pulled Pork.  A friend on Facebook sent me the basic recipe: cook 3 pounds of pork in a slow cooker for 6-7 hours on low with a bottle of BBQ sauce and a chopped apple.  Easy, right?!  Yeah, unless you're an idiot like me and you accidentally buy some sort of pork loin instead of a pork butt or shoulder.  A loin is lean.  A loin won't PULL apart in a delectable manner like a butt or shoulder will.  So basically this was a FAIL by me but we ate our lean pork anyway and enjoyed it.  Because what can go wrong when you put meat in a sweet Hawaiian roll and top it with cheddar?       

I can totally handle 11 more children.

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#VoiceTailgate: English Muffin Pizzas + Pimm's Cup

To celebrate the fact that tomorrow night Rixton is performing live on The Voice, our Monday #VoiceTailgate will be all about this particular British Invasion!  I remember very clearly (at least my eardrums do) when The Wanted hit The Voice stage and therefore it's safe to assume that Rixton, a talented pop/rock band from the UK, will most likely make a few women in the audience faint.

UNLESS THOSE WOMEN HAVE THESE ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZAS IN THEIR STOMACHS!

(I'm working on my segues which, by the way, is a very oddly spelled word).

We make these a lot in our house.  They're simple, fast, and individual - therefore everyone can enjoy a delicious pizza unique to their own tastebuds.  For your tailgate, you can have a variety of pizzas already prepared OR you can create a toppings bar and let people make their own.  Either way, you're guests will say, "Bob's your uncle!? These muffins are the dog's bullock's! I am properly gobsmacked! All is tickety-boo in my world!"  

Um, because your guests will be required to speak using googled British phrases.      

*You might be wondering how "English" English Muffins really are.  Well, Wikipedia says that "despite being considered as quintessentially English, and available in most British supermarkets, they are less widely eaten than crumpets or scones."  By the by (British people say that), what on Earth is a crumpet??  I'm going to ask Rixton.   

For our #VoiceTailgate, we're making Roasted Garlic + Swiss Chard and Mushroom + Sausage Pizzas (I sautéed the swiss chard and mushrooms in olive oil, cooked the sausage until it was nice and crispy and roasted the garlic prior to cooking the pizzas).  Other good toppings would be roasted peppers, olive tapenade, broccolini, burrata, roasted chicken or plain old pepperoni for the kiddos.

(You can also REALLY impress your friends and make Homemade English Muffins.)

English Muffin Pizzas

Printable Recipe

Sliced English muffins

Jar of pizza sauce (or we use a 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes)

Mozzarella cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Desired toppings

Preheat your oven to 450.  Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place English muffins slices on baking sheet, top with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings.  Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

On to our proper English-style cocktail.  Pimm's!  You said that with a British accent, didn't you?  The first time I ever had one of these was at a pool party with Carson and his friends, way way way way way back in the day before children and one-piece bathing suits.  A classic English liquor, which tastes a bit like fruit and spices, served often with ginger ale or lemonade and garnished with all sorts of fruits and veggies.  For this tailgate, I will be drinking an "Iced Tea Cup" instead, which doesn't sound as cool in my fake British accent but still tastes delicious.  Cheerio! 

   

Carson's Pimm's Cup
Printable Recipe

Pimm's No. 1 Liqueur (or Iced Tea)
Ginger Ale
Ice
Assorted sliced fruits and veggies like apples, oranges, lemons, strawberries, raspberries or rhubarb
Sprig of rosemary for garnish

Place ice in tall glass.  Fill halfway with Pimm's (or Iced Tea) and the rest of the way with ginger ale.  Stir well.  Add desired fruits and veggies.

*Note: it can be easier to make a large pitcher of this, still using the half and half ratio.  Fill glasses with ice and fruit/veggies and then pour in Pimm's mixture.

Have fun watching the Top 10 tomorrow night on NBC at 8/7 Central!

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Egg & Sausage Casserole

Another Easter Sunday dish I made was this egg casserole.  I love things you can prepare the night before and toss in the oven when you wake up.  It makes life so easy, and I love easy life.  When things are simple, I have time to blog, and read a book, and shower.  I should make this casserole every day of my life.  But I don't, and so I blog when I can, and I'm very behind for this month's book club, and I shower twice a week. 

I used this recipe but changed it up a little.  Omitting the bacon, I only used pork sausage, and so that kids would eat it, I skipped all green veggies.  No kids ended up eating it (did I mention there were donuts that morning?), so I wish I would have added green onions but, next time.  With sausage, cheese, hashbrowns and Bisquick as ingredients... there will definitely be a next time!    

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Bacon Bourbon Brussels Sprouts Skewers

How were your Thanksgivings??  Have you been eating leftovers for days, like me?  Have you been having food-induced night terrors, like me?  (I should also credit watching Breaking Bad before bed to those lovely dreams... too much stuffing + Walter White is a terrifying combo apparently.)  Well, I hope you enjoyed eating your faces off with your loved ones.  I thought I'd share with you one dish that I made, these Brussels Sprouts skewers.  Other than the fact that I added too much cayenne, they were delicious and appropriate for any wintertime meal.  Try them!    

Recipe here.

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Brown Sugar Peppered Bacon

As a kid, if I ever found myself in a breakfast buffet type situation, I would typically eat close to 10 pieces of bacon.  Multiple trips, zero willpower, lacking parental supervision??  It is my weakness.  As long as it's crispy, of course.  I recently tried a sweet and peppery bacon that might be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth.  If you ever find me rocking bath and forth in a dark corner, all 500 pounds of me, it's because this bacon took over my life.  I knew I could easily recreate this deliciousness at home, and so I did.  You can, too:

 Preheat oven to 350.

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.  Place a rack on top.

Put bacon on rack, as much as you can fit.

Sprinkle with brown sugar and freshly cracked black pepper.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until it's CRISPY.   

*Tara, you have won the Annie Chun's Giveaway!  Please email me your mailing address.

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