bacon

The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich

Leah Short — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 16:08:48 +0000

Y’all. This sandwich. The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich. I don’t know where to begin other than telling you to read the recipe, go to the grocery store, and make the garlic butter tomato sauce so you have all the ingredients for the best breakfast of your life tomorrow morning. I’m not exaggerating. I chose this for our breakfast on Christmas day and it did not disappoint. It’s decadent, over the top, and you will have to practice the most self-control to not make it every day after. It’s THAT good!

On Christmas day I wanted something different than the popular cinnamon rolls, and I really wanted something savory. After reading through tons of savory casseroles that weren’t quite what I was looking for, I remembered this sandwich I had pinned over a year ago. I’m so mad that it took me this long to make it, but thankfully Pinterest did its job and when I was scrolling through, I knew this would be THE breakfast. Shout out to Pinch of Yum for the recipe!

First, you’ll want to make the garlic butter tomato sauce. It takes the longest and stores in the fridge, so make that the night before and have it ready. One thing to note, the full recipe calls for two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and we found that to be too strong. I recommend using only one tablespoon.

The next morning, you’re ready to cook the eggs and assemble. Start with toasted, buttery croissants and add a slice of pepperjack cheese while the croissants are still warm, so it starts to melt. On the other half of the croissant, add smashed avocado. Guacamole would work well here, too. On top of the cheese side, schmear a good helping of the garlic butter tomato sauce. It’s better if it’s dripping everywhere. On top of that, you’ll want to add scrambled eggs. If you want a truly messy, sop-worthy sandwich, runny eggs would be amazing here. On top of the eggs, add your super crispy bacon. Put the other slice with avocado on top and BAM! Best. Breakfast. Ever.

For the full Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich recipe, visit Pinch of Yum. Please come back and let me know if you made the sandwich in the comments. We can gush over the best breakfast together.

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Ranchero Corn

Leah Short — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:43:08 +0000

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned our running joke about always having corn in the house, so whenever someone says “What are we eating with it?” the joke is always “Corn!” Ok, maybe you have to be there. I was looking for a side for our 4th of July menu and saw this Ranchero Corn recipe and instantly knew I wanted it. It furthers our joke and it has bacon AND ranch dressing. My mouth was watering just thinking about it. I love it when you look forward to a side as much as the main dish. I also wanted something really simple to put together so I could spend more time enjoying the festivities and not cooking.

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Whiskey Barbecue Bacon

Leah Short — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 20:20:00 +0000

Oh bacon, can it get any better? Yes, yes it can! Coat strips of bacon in whiskey, brown sugar, and spices to make a quick barbecue sauce, and you have a bacon masterpiece folks. I was thumbing through the bacon issue from Food Network magazine a few months ago and instantly stopped when I saw all the ways to spice up already fabulous bacon. They had about six or so different varieties, but I gravitated toward the boozy one, plus I had all the ingredients on hand. Whiskey Barbecue Bacon did not disappoint and now I’m going to be flavoring bacon like crazy!

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Mushroom, Bacon, and Swiss Strata

Leah Short — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 15:10:37 +0000

This past weekend, my friend Shannon from Bake.Frost.Repeat. came to visit and we certainly like to get in the kitchen and make delicious goodies. I’m hardcore into getting my steps in from walking, so I knew we needed a hearty breakfast before I made Shannon walk all over Vanderbilt’s campus. I also wanted something quick so we could wake up, eat, and head out. This Mushroom, Bacon, and Swiss Strata was perfect! We cooked the ingredients and assembled the strata the night before, then kept it in the fridge overnight. It was really easy to let it bake while we were donning our walking gear.

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Meatloaf Cupcakes

Leah Short — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 14:02:24 +0000

Ok yes, they’re quirky and some folks don’t like when food looks like other food, but that doesn’t bother me. I think these Meatloaf Cupcakes are so funny and every time I see them, I flash a silly grin. I had such a fun time in the kitchen making them. What’s not to love about a meatloaf base, mashed potatoes on top, plus bacon and chives? What’s great about this recipe is that it not only looks interesting, but it tastes absolutely fantastic! I will make this meatloaf again and again and again. I may not always pipe on potatoes and call them cupcakes, but this meatloaf recipe is a keeper!

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Mini Pancake Bites

Leah Short — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 13:01:07 +0000

I made these Mini Pancake Bites over the weekend and I had such good intentions of freezing them for quick breakfasts later on in the week. Somehow about half of them kept disappearing! They are addictive I tell you…and dangerous. They’re so tiny, you think you can just keep eating and eating and eating. Deceptive little bundles of pancakey goodness stuffed with whatever you can dream up.

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Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Leah Short — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 12:45:00 +0000

I may have clued you in on my obsession with loaded baked potatoes, or just baked potatoes for that matter. They are such a great vehicle for any kind of topping. When I found this recipe for Loaded Baked Potato Salad, I instantly knew it was going on our menu for the 4th. It’s got everything I go crazy over. Sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, and bacon!

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Chicken Carbonara

Leah Short — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:19:52 +0000

Oh how this pasta dish rocks my world. I first made Chicken Carbonara a few years ago, but it was for a special event (holiday or birthday…I can’t remember!). I didn’t have time to snap pictures, so it never made it on the blog. I’ve had it on my “to blog” list ever since. It’s absolutely sinful. Definitely something to serve for a special occasion, but not too difficult to make for a weeknight if you’re feeling like being spoiled. I made this for my mom on Mother’s Day and we gobbled it up. The best part is that it makes a ton. Giada says it makes six servings, but I beg to differ. I can throw down on some pasta, but there’s no way I can eat that much of this rich dish. So invite some friends over, open a few bottles of wine, and share the pasta love.

So, how’s it taste?

I’ve already mentioned it’s completely sinful. It’s rich, rich, rich. Eight egg yolks and 2 1/2 cups of whipping cream will do that! Not to mention the bacon and that delicious roasted chicken. I used a store-bought rotisserie chicken and that works fine, but you can certainly roast the chicken yourself. My friend Megan from Country Cleaver has a great how-to post on just that. Now that I’ve made this dish twice, I’d like to try it with half-and-half instead of the whipping cream. It would lighten the dish just a tad, but not take away from it’s creaminess. I also used thin spaghetti because I like smaller noodles (I’m a big angel hair fan, but my mom’s not, so we compromise with thin). I also don’t bother toasting the walnuts, but you certainly can. Toasting nuts doesn’t really enhance the flavor to me and I almost always prefer the raw taste anyway, so I don’t bother with the extra step. I love the fresh herbs and touch of lemon in this dish, too. Little specks of green and a hint of freshness from the lemon to cut through the cream. Oh it’s just fantastic! I hope you try it.

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Autumn Chopped Salad

Leah Short — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:58:40 +0000

I love Pinterest. You know I originally turned my nose up to yet another social media outlet, but finally caved and I’m so glad I did. There’s some visits to Pinterest that turn into longer stays than I intend because there’s so many goodies. Time really gets away from me in the food and drink category. I pinned this Autumn Chopped Salad and finally made it (yes, folks actually make the stuff they pin!).

So, how’s it taste?

I knew it sounded good or I wouldn’t have pinned it, but I had no idea it would change my life. Yep, life-changing salad. It’s now a thing and here it is. It rocked my world and it couldn’t be easier to make. I’ve slightly adapted the ingredients, but feel free to experiment yourself. You could use pears instead of apple or almonds instead of pecans. The key is the dressing combination. It’s a mix of poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinaigrette and it’s genius. I can’t even remember that dressing that starts with an R.

Everything in this salad is just plain good. I like all the ingredients by themselves, but put them together over butter lettuce, mix, and it creates this fantastic meal. I swear to you I had it every meal in a row until I ran out of ingredients and then I bought more ingredients and ate it again. It’s light, it’s refreshing, it’s crunchy, it’s savory, it’s a bit sweet. It’s perfect. During this time of year when meals can get really heavy, try this salad for a nice change of pace.

You’ll notice I don’t give you measurements for the ingredients. It’s really just building the salad with as much or as little of each ingredient as you like. You can make it for one or for a crowd. Experiment with the mix of the dressings to see if you like a little more of one over the other. Enjoy!

Autumn Chopped Salad

slightly adapted from Espresso and Cream
makes as much or as little as needed

Ingredients:

butter lettuce (or your favorite lettuce)
apples
dried cranberries
chopped pecans
bacon, cooked crisp & crumbled
blue cheese, crumbled
hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
poppy seed dressing
balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except for the two dressings in a bowl and mix well.

2. In a small bowl, combine the two dressings. I like a 50/50 ratio, but experiment to suit your taste.

3. Add dressing to salad; toss to combine.

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Bacon-Scallion Cornbread

Leah Short — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:24:43 +0000

Bacon. Scallion. Cornbread. I almost feel like that’s all I need to put in this post, along with its picture. I read those three words and I’m already pressing print for the recipe! This time of year, with the weather being cooler, I long for comfort foods and cornbread is one of them. A big bowl of soup and a big square of this Bacon-Scallion Cornbread and I’m more than ready for winter.

So, how’s it taste?

JustÂ like you think it does…amazing! Let’s face it, bacon makes just about everything better. Any recipe calling for almost a pound of bacon gets my attention. I had to cook mine in batches, it was so much! I love the color that the bacon and scallions add. Pale yellow background with bits of red and bright green. It looks as delicious as it tastes. It’s moist and buttery and has a hint of sweetness.

I believe there’s two kinds of cornbread people: sweet and not sweet. I lean towards the sweet side, but I don’t want it to taste like cake. There’s not a cornbread I’d turn down, but some folks are pretty strict about how they like it. This recipe has six tablespoons of sugar, so it’s not heavy sweet, but it leans in that direction on the spectrum. I imagine you could leave out a few tablespoons if you wanted, but I’m not a food scientist so alter at your own risk!

The bacon and scallions help to balance the sugar, so I think just about any cornbread lover would appreciate a slice of this! I used a 9-inch pan and made nine large square servings. Any square pan will work and feel free to cut them as large or as small as you prefer. This recipe would also work well using a muffin pan. Enjoy!

Bacon-Scallion Cornbread

Everyday Food, October 2011
makes 9 large square servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature for pan
1 1/2 cups yellow or white cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
6 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
3/4 lb. bacon
3/4 cup chopped scallions

Directions:

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain, let cool, then finely dice.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, and eggs. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined (do not overmix). Stir bacon and scallions into batter. Transfer batter to pan and smooth top.

3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 15 minutes, before serving.

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