Spicy-Sweet Candied Bacon With Cayenne Pepper And Brown Sugar

Brunch anyone?

What You Need:

12 – 16 slices of bacon

1/3 cup of dark or light brown sugar

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Steps:

1. preheat the oven to 400.

2. Line a baking sheet with foil and place bacon strips on the sheet. (If you have a metal rack you can place that on the foil and then lay the bacon on that. This is optional and not absolutely necessary. If you don’t have a metal rack it will still come out yummy!)

3. Bake bacon for 12 minutes; when it’s sizzling and brown a little. Pull bacon out, flip the strips, and sprinkle on brown sugar mixture. Allow to bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes or to your liking.

4. Once done use tongs to lay on a plate and pat dry with a paper towel to soak up excess grease. Serve warm or room temperature!

Enjoy!

Lavender Simple Syrup – Mix It In Everything

This lavender syrup is so good. Mix it in your lemonade, your favorite cocktail, a mimosa, raw honey, cream cheese frosting, the possibilities are endless!

Enjoy!

What You Need:

1 1/2 cups of water

3 tablespoons of dried lavender

1 1/2 cups of sugar

Steps:

1. Bring the water and lavender to a boil.

2. Add the sugar and mix until it dissolves completely. Allow to simmer for 15 mins. Boiling lightly.

3. Remove from the heat and let sit for 2 hours. The aroma is so relaxing.

4. Strain the liquid into a mason jar discarding the dried lavender. Store in the fridge for 2 weeks.

German Pancakes With Powdered Sugar And Honey

Servings: 2 large German Pancakes

What You Need:

4 eggs

1 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2/3 cups of flour sifted (I used a small strainer and it works just fine)

2/3 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of soft butter

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and honey for drizzling (optional)

Would also be great with some fruit compote, maple syrup, or baked apples with cinnamon

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 400 and butter the cake pans well.

2. Best eggs well, and then add remaining ingredients.

3. Once mixed well pour evenly into the two cake pans.

4. Bake for 20 mins at 18 mins. Then open oven to release some heat and turn down to 350. Bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

If it begins to expand in the middle that’s fine! It will go down some when it comes out and will still be delish!
When I took it out this is what I looked like.
Honey and powdered sugar is usually are go to but you can get really creative with it!

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Apple Bread

Makes 1 9×5 loaf of bread

What You Need:

1/3 cup light brown sugar plus two tablespoons

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

2 green apples peeled and chopped

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 

2 large eggs 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 

Steps:

  1. First mix 1/3 cup of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a bowl; then set aside. In another bowl toss apples with the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
  2. Beat the butter and the 2/3 cup of white sugar together in another medium bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix well.
  3. Whisk the flour and baking powder together in another bowl, then add to the butter mixture and beat until blended. Mix 1/2 cup milk into batter until smooth.
  4. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan then add half of the chopped apple mixture.
  5. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture on top of the chopped apple layer.
  6. Pour the remaining batter, and top with remaining chopped apples, then the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
  7. Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a knife or spoon.
  8. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note: comes out more of cake texture but still incredibly delicious!

Goes perfect with that morning coffee
What it looks like before going into oven
Fresh out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Dip With Green Chiles

What You Need:

10oz of fresh spinach

2 14oz cans of artichoke hearts (rinsed and drained)

1 1/2 cup of whole milk

8oz of cream cheese softened

1/2-3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

2 cups of shredded pepper Jack cheese or Jack cheese

Salt and pepper for taste

1/4 cup of minced garlic (jarred is fine)

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 4oz cans of green chilies

Steps:

1. In a large skillet melt 4 tablespoons of butter with the garlic. Add spinach, season with salt and pepper and sauté until spinach is wilted. Transfer to a strainer.

2. In the same pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add the artichoke harts. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 7 mins. Transfer artichokes to strainer as well.

3. Keeping the same skillet, add the remaining butter (2 tablespoons), the milk, and cream cheese . Once cream cheese is melted add the pepper Jack cheese (leaving a little left out to top it off with) and Parmesan cheese. Cheese mixture will become a little curd like. Add the green chilies and turn on low heat, while watching carefully and mixing.

4. Chop up the spinach and artichokes, then add to the cheese mixture. Turn off heat and mix well until all combined.

5. Pour into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish, top with additional pepper jack cheese and bake at 375 for 15 to 20 mins until cheese is bubbly and a little golden on top.

Enjoy with tortilla or pita chips!

Overnight Sweet Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12 rolls

What You Need For The Dough

4 large egg yolks at room temperature

1 large whole egg at room temperature

1/4 or 1/2 cup of white sugar

8 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter plus additional for spreading on pans

3/4 cup of whole milk at room temperature

3 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, plus additional for dusting

1 package instant dry yeast ( 2 1/4 teaspoons )

1 1/4 teaspoons of salt

Cooking spray

Just a bit of heavy cream (optional)

What You Need For The Filling:

1 cup packed of light or dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter

What You Need For Icing:

8oz of softened cream cheese

3 tablespoons of heavy cream

1/4 cup of unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Steps:

  1. For the dough: in a large bowl whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and milk. Add 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until combined. Add the rest of the remaining flour (1 cup and 1/4). Begin to knead dough (will be a little sticky, add just a little bit of flour if necessary, I always add a little extra, like 1/4 extra.)Continue to knead until combined and doughy. (Dough should be stretchy. If kneading by hand, knead for about 20 mins)Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit out for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  2. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  3. Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. On a floured surface shape the dough into a large rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, pressing the filling into the dough. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Using a sharp knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; making 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.
  4. Take the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a pan or pot of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; 30 mins or so.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Pour a little bit of heavy cream over each of the rolls, covering the bottom of the pan. (Optional; this gives a more buttery, doughy taste/texture. While without is more original)
  7. When the oven is ready, place the rolls in the oven and bake until slightly golden on top; bake for 8 mins. Oven time may vary.
  8. Mix together ingredients for the icing starting with whisking the cream cheese first, then adding the heavy cream, next the butter, then gently adding the sugar. Spread on cinnamon rolls. Allow to sit for 30 to 1 hour and then enjoy!

Note: whatever is not eaten make sure to refrigerate. When ready to eat pull out and allow to sit for 1 to 2 hours until at room temperature.

Additional note: try using vanilla spice eggnog instead of heavy cream! It’s delish!

Enjoy!

The dough after 2 1/2 hours. Ready to create and roll.
Rolled up ready to sit overnight.
After coming out of oven above boiling water. step 4.
I’ve added a little bit of cream…….
And I’ve added a lot…… but come out good.
Naked without cream. It really depends on the texture you like. Without cream is more bread like, and with cream it more doughy.

Easy Alfredo Sauce

This Alfredo sauce is so yummy! Enjoy!

What You Need:

2 cups of Parmesan Cheese

1 (8 tablespoons) stick of unsalted butter

1 cup of heavy cream (8oz)

A few dashes of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of fresh parsley finely chopped and a little extra chopped for garnish

Steps:

1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat, once butter is melted add heavy cream. Allow to simmer while mixing for 2 minutes seasoning with salt and pepper.

2. Add Parmesan cheese and parsley. Add a few dashes of milk or pasta water to thin sauce out a little. Allow to cook and very low heat until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Batter For Waffles Or Pancakes

This batter is delicious. Works great for pancakes OR waffles. Whatever you and your family are in the mood for!

This batter is good for 3 days in the fridge. What you can also do is make ahead and then freeze. Great for school mornings. Just pop the waffles in the toaster!

Quantity: Makes about 8-10 waffles or pancakes. We are a family of 5 and we usually always have leftover batter.

What You Need:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar plus a few dashes of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of baking powder

2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of vegetable oil plus 2 tablespoons

2 eggs

(Unsalted for butter for pan or waffles maker)

Steps:

1. In a medium size bowl add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. (Dry ingredients) mix and set aside.

2. In a different medium size mixing bowl mix together the milk, vegetable oil, and eggs. (Wet ingredients)

3. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and mix well. Set aside for 25 mins.

4. If you are making pancakes: add 1 tablespoon of butter to pan until melted. Add a ladleful of batter to skillet. When batter begins to bubble flip over pancake until both sides are a golden brown color.

If you are making waffles: spray your waffle maker with a vegetable oil spray. Add a small ladle size of batter to waffle maker. Careful not to add too much otherwise it will spill over. Press waffle maker until light turns green or a nice golden color.

Serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup or a type of fruit compote with whip cream. yum!

Eggless Pancakes

Sometimes you want to make pancakes only to realize you don’t have any eggs! Which is exactly what happen to us. However delicious pancakes are still achievable even if you don’t have any eggs!

We hope you enjoy these eggless pancakes, courtesy of “eggless cooking”. You have to try these!

https://www.egglesscooking.com/eggless-pancakes-recipe/

What You Need:

  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon of Sugar (give or take, I add a little more)
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Cup Milk ( 2%)
  • 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Water
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Steps:

  1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. (The dry ingredients)
  2. In a small bowl whisk 1 cup milk, the vegetable oil, water and vanilla extract. (The wet ingredients)
  3. Stir in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Set aside.
  4. Heat a skillet at a low medium heat. Once the pan is hot add the unsalted butter and let it melt.
  5. Add the melted butter to the batter and return the pan to the stove. Mix the butter into the batter well.
  6. When the pan is hot enough, pour a small ladleful of batter on the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on the face of the pancake.
  7. Carefully flip the pancake and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Sidenote: keep your skillet on medium LOW. These do cook fast and can easily burn if the pan is too hot.

Fat, Yummy, Chocolate Chip Cookies – So ADDICTING

These cookies are amazing! Best when eaten fresh but still delish the next day. I literally just ate one…

Makes: 18 to 20 cookies

Oven: 325

Time: 12-15 mins. Watch them closely for perfection

What You Need:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup of MELTED UNSALTED butter

1 cup packed of LIGHT brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 cups (1 bag) of semi chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.

2. In a large bowl mix together with an electric mixer the melted butter, the brown and white sugar, the vanilla extract, the egg, and the egg yolk.

3. Begin to add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix. Add the chocolate chips. Use your hands if you need to, sometimes it’s easier.

4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit in fridge for 1 to 2 hours.

4. Scoop 1/4 cup size onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake at 325 for 12 to 15 mins. Oven time may vary. Watch closely.

6. Once golden brown remove from oven and allow to cool a little before moving to a cookie cooling rack.

Enjoy and share!