Buckaroo Biscuits

I have seen so many variations of bubble bakes out there on the webz, I figured I would make my own. When I came up with my list of ingredients, I immediately thought COWBOY!  Beef, bacon, a ton of cheese, and spicy jalapenos... totally Cowboy!

This can really be customized to your taste. Add some chipotle sauce, onions, beans... It is also fantastic with chicken* (but not so great with mushroom-- despite loving mushrooms. No really, save the mushrooms for the salad!)

What you'll need for 6-8 servings:

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I've seen a variation of this as "Mississippi Pot Roast" on Pinterest, and it is, honestly, where I got the inspiration. Most of these pot roast recipes call for pepperoncini or sliced pickled jalapenos, but I am pepper shy, so I decided to change it a little, to suit my tastes.

When I took the first bite of this version, I seriously made involuntary yummy-sounds. You know something is good when you can't help but groan in appreciation.

What you'll need to serve 4-6 people:

Simple No-Clean-Up Slow Cooker Ribs and Sweet Coleslaw

For a long time, I didn't think I really liked ribs, which sounds like sacrilege, I know, but they were never quite tender enough, and you had to do SO MUCH with them, boiling the meat in a giant pot, heating up the kitchen... it was just too much.

I found instructions for slow cooker ribs a while back, and I decided to make them my own. This recipe makes incredibly tender sweet and salty ribs that take so little effort, it verges on magic.

During the summer, we cook these for a little shorter time and then finish them on the grill to get that fire cooked taste on them, but during the winter, when the snow comes up to mid-thigh out by the grill, eating them straight out of the slow cooker works just as well!

What you'll need for about 3 servings of ribs (the coleslaw recipe is further down the page):

Dinner at the Improv - Bacon, Chowder, Pizza Pizzazz!

I like to improvise sometimes, which means I just throw things into the pan and wing it. Every once in a while, it is horrible, more often though, it turns out pretty darned well. I wanted to share these improvisations to inspire other cooks who feel comfortable cooking by taste.

For episode two of Dinner at the Improv, I've made Cheesy Sage Corn Chowder and Bacon Ranch Pizza.

Like the rest of the country, it has been ridiculously cold and snowy here in Montana. That means, I want something warm and comforting, without having to spend too much time outside my bed, where I would like to be, covered by every blanket that we own. That means, perfect night for soup and pizza.

This pizza is really less pizza and more fancy bread sticks. I use a store bought can of pizza dough. Spread it out on a sheet pan lined with non-stick foil until the crust is fairly thin, and then slather that in homemade ranch dressing. It is a mix of mayo, sour cream, dried dill, chives, granulated garlic, a touch of onion powder, and some salt and pepper. Over that goes Italian cheese blend to cover, and then 6 slices of crispy bacon (that I baked in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes), crumbled over the top. That bakes according to the directions on the dough canister, for about 10 minutes (according to mine- which was Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust).

Next, in a large soup pot, I melt 4 tablespoons of butter (that's half a stick in America, usually) and about a tablespoon of sage, to bloom the herbs, which lets out the oils and makes it very fragrant. Once that is bubbly, I add a can of drained premium white corn. Once the corn has warmed a bit, I add 4 tablespoons of flour, let that cook, stirring, until it smells nutty, and add 3-4 cups of chicken stock, a cup at a time, whisking to make it smooth. During this time, I salt and pepper the soup to taste and then let it come up to a boil. 

A few minutes before the pizza is ready, I lower the temperature on the soup to low and add a handful of that Italian cheese blend (cheddar would be great also), about a cup of milk, and a half a cup of heavy cream. I stir that until the cheese is melted, careful not to let it boil once the dairy is added so we don't get a curdled soup, taste, and re-season as needed. It couldn't be much easier.

Then, serve it up in a bowl with crumbled bacon over it, and maybe a little extra cheese if you like, with a slice of the tasty Bacon Ranch Pizza on the side. It's perfect for sopping up the rest of that creamy soup before you have seconds!

Cinnabock Sandwich

My mom has SO many appliances-- a belgian waffle maker, a regular waffle maker, that triangle sandwich maker from the late 80s (all of my breakfasts in 9th grade were triangular), a quesadilla maker (though we never made quesadillas before, and haven't since she got it), a tortilla bowl maker, etc., ad nauseum.

So, once I was forced to make waffles, instead of putting away the belgian waffle maker, I decided to do as many things with it as possible, the greatest of which, is this sandwich.

So chicken and waffles is an awesome thing. But mixing up waffle batter is too much trouble, so I wondered what would happen if I made waffles out of cinnamon buns and turned it into a sandwich with smoky, crispy bacon, crispy, juicy fried chicken, and tangy sharp cheddar cheese. 

What happened was that I invented a new addiction. Seriously, holy moley, this sandwich is delicious. And it's really really easy.

Now, when I made this the very first time, it took FOREVER because I insisted on frying the chicken myself. I have since learned to grab some precooked chicken tenders from my favorite place (Wednesdays at Buffalo Wild Wings is 75¢ chicken tender day, so I usually grab some from there). Frozen chicken tenders work too. 

Let's get to these ingredients, because seriously, you are going to want one of these in your mouth ASAP.

Seriously! Just four ingredients:

Dinner at the Improv: Pork Chops, and Kale, and Pasta, Oh My!

I like to improvise sometimes, which means I just throw things into the pan and wing it. Every once in a while, it is horrible, more often though, it turns out pretty darned well. I wanted to share these improvisations to inspire other cooks who feel comfortable cooking by taste.

For episode one of Dinner at the Improv, I've made Honey Parmesan Grilled Porkchops served with Creamed Kale with Bleu Cheese, and Homemade Mac and Cheese.

Last night I was shopping for other ingredients and saw that the meat counter had really nice looking pork chops, so my previous dinner plans flew out the window. I can't resist a nice piece of pork. Then, since I've been on a kale kick lately, I grabbed a bunch. If you haven't tried kale yet because it is the healthy thing you're supposed to eat whether you like it or not, this might be a good introduction for you. The creamy sauce perfectly compliments the slightly bitter spinach/cabbage flavor of the green.

Once I had pork and greens, not yet knowing what I was going to do with them, I set my heart on having homemade mac and cheese as our starch.
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I generally cook for three people, so I started by boiling water to cook the macaroni. Once the macaroni was in the salted water, I started my grill pan heating over medium high heat and then I unwrapped the three boneless pork loin chops, rubbed them with about a total of a tablespoon of creamed honey (the spread kind), salt and peppered them, and rolled them in grated Parmesan cheese. Thanks, Pinterest, for the idea.

I cooked the first side of the pork chops until they had really nice grill lines, then flipped them and finished them in the oven at 425 F for about 8 minutes.

While grilling the meat, I melted some butter in a large saute pan, removed the ribs from the kale, roughly chopped it and added it to the pan with a lid. After letting it sweat for a while (about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally), I added heavy cream, some chicken stock, salt, and two Laughing Cow Bleu Cheese triangles, which gave it a nice background flavor of bleu cheese without overpowering the dish.

Mac and cheese, I started with a roux in a small sauce pan (one part butter to one part flour), let it cook till it smelled a little nutty, added a generous splash of heavy cream, whisked, then added about about a cup of chicken stock, some sharp cheddar cheese and a handful of shredded swiss cheese, salt, pepper, and small amount yellow mustard, tasting as I went to get a cheese sauce that pleased my palate.

I must say, I was very pleased with the entire ensemble. The pork was juicy, with a tang from the parm, and a slight sweetness from the honey. The kale, I was contemplating leaving my husband for, and the mac was as creamy as anyone could hope for in their favorite comfort classic. I'm definitely adding the pork chops and kale into my regular rotation. The mac and cheese, it was there all along!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sliders

I must share something about myself, really quickly.  I don't eat yeast, and haven't for coming on 4 years, so when it comes to eating sandwiches, because, I totally want to eat sandwiches, I have to get creative on the "bread" component, and it has lead to some REALLY good recipes.

This idea was born from Oh, Bite It's Cheesy Biscuit Bombs. I realized I didn't just have to eat the biscuits alone, I could cut them open and shove things inside them, so I did!