What the heck's a bonbon?

Bacon cheddar crack(ers)

When I was a kid, there were these bacon flavored crackers my mom would buy every once in a while.  I loved them so much.  I would steal the box so my sister couldn't get any of them.  Then I would eat them all from the privacy of the back corner of my closet.  It was glorious.

But then they stopped making them.  But I still looked for them on the shelves.  I admit it, I still do to this day.  Although if I were to find a box now 30 years later, I may question the freshness.

Yesterday while flipping through an older Food Network magazine's bacon issue, I found a recipe for bacon crackers.  Of course I wanted to try to make them.  But of COURSE, I didn't have the ingredients they called for.  So I made up my own.   

I am just going to say it: The crackers are DA BOMB.  (I am old.  These are the phrases I use.)

Please give them a try because they are SO easy to make.  And addicting!  That's why I call them:

Bacon Cheddar Crack(ers)

• 1/2 pound cooked crispy bacon - reserve the fat
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 4 Tbsp cold butter
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Add the bacon, cheeses, flour, butter and pepper to your food processor and pulse until it looks like course meal.  Drizzle in about 1/2 Tbsp bacon fat and pulse again.  You will want to keep adding bacon fat 1/2 Tbsp at a time and pulsing just until you are able to form the mixture into a ball.  Using your hands, form the dough into a log like this: Wrap it up and put it in the fridge for about an hour.  Or if you are impatient like me, put it in the freezer for 20 minutes.  Heat your oven to 375°.  Slice the log into 1/4 inch thick pieces and place them on a cookie sheet.  You can fit a lot on one sheet as the crackers do not really expand. Bake them for about 20 minutes.

Wait 1 minute before carefully removing the crackers from your cookie sheet.  They crumble quite easily.  But don't worry, those crumbles still taste just as good!  You can add them to the top of a baked potato or sprinkle them in your soup.

Enjoy!

 

The easiest lunch I ever made AKA: Buffalo Chicken Salad

I was recently sent some feta cheese spreads from Uniquely Greek to review.  I was not compensated otherwise for this post.  All opinions are my own.  Now, I know this might go against some sort of unwritten law of etiquette about being proper and reserved and waiting until the right moment to blurt stuff out, but...

Hot damn, those spreads were GOOD!

(Notice I used the word 'were'.  Yes, they are all gone.  I ate every last bit.)

OK, now I will get on with the spiel... 

Per their website Uniquely Greek Feta Spread is unique blend of domestic feta cheese, garlic, cream cheese infused with fresh produce.  They come in a variety of flavors including Baby Spinach, Roasted Red Pepper, Imported Kalamata Olive and my favorite Creamy Buffalo.

You can find Uniquely Greek feta spreads at Whole Foods and other natural food stores.

So besides gorging myself on these spreads right out of their containers, I also thought it would be cool to try out a recipe.  Using the Creamy Buffalo feta spread, here's what I came up with:

Buffalo Chicken Salad

• 1 poached boneless skinless chicken breast- shredded
• 1 rib of celery- diced
• 2 Tbsp Uniquely Greek Creamy Buffalo feta spread

Mix all three ingredients together.  The end.

I liked it on a cracker with a few alfalfa sprouts thrown on top.  

I hope you'll check out Uniquely Greek!  You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter (@uniquelygreek), Pinterest (/uniquelygreek) and at their website www.uniquely-greek.com.

PS:  If you don't have any Uniquely Greek feta spread, you can always make the chicken salad by combining a bit of buffalo sauce with some ranch dressing, feta and cream cheese with your chicken and celery.  But I highly recommend grabbing yourself some Uniquely Greek!

Mushroom Wontonioli

I think I just came up with a new word: wontonioli.  I Googled it and nothing came up, so it MUST be new, right? (Just humor me, ok?)

You're probably wondering what it means.  Well, it's my new fancy name for raviolis made out of wonton wrappers - which are my new obsession.  Yesterday I came up with this recipe for wontoniolis stuffed with mushrooms and cheese.  It was so easy, I have been kicking myself for never trying it sooner. 

Mushroom Wontonioli

• 20 small wonton wrappers
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic- sliced
• 2 Tbsp yellow onion- sliced
• 6 large white mushrooms- coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• dash each of dried oregano and dried basil
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese or ricotta
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 2 egg yolks
• small bowl of water

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil on medium heat until the onions start to become translucent.  Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms start letting out their juices.  Add parsley, oregano and basil and turn the heat down to low.  Continue cooking about 5 more minutes.  Remove from heat and let the mixture cool slightly.

In a bowl, stir together the cooled mushroom mixture and both cheeses.  Salt and pepper your mixture to taste then add egg yolks.  If you want a smoother mixture, you can pulse it quickly in your food processor.  

Lay out a wonton wrapper.  Add about a teaspoon of the mushroom mixture to the center.  Dip your finger in water and "paint' the edges of the wonton.  Fold diagonally to make a triangle.  Using a fork, crimp the edges of the wonton so that it is sealed.

You can either cook them immediately or flash freeze them for later use.  They are very delicate, so you will want to take care when cooking or freezing.  

To freeze: Lay out the wontoniolis in a single layer on wax paper and freeze them for about an hour.  Then you can take them out and put them in a freezer bag for storage.  I don't know how long they will keep, but I would assume probably about a month..?  Please don't hold me to that.

To boil: Bring a pot of salted water to a low, gentle boil.  Do not let it get to a rolling boil, or you will end up with broken wontoniolis! Add wontoniolis in small batches and let cook about 4-5 minutes.  

To steam: I think this is the best way to cook them.  Rub a bit of olive oil on the bottom of your steamer tray.  Add enough wontoniolis so that there is enough room between them.  Steam for about 5 minutes.

I like them with just a little bit of butter on them, but try them with your favorite pasta sauce.

Wontoniolis. Good stuff!

 

 

Fancy shmancy BBQ turkey burger sliders with bacon and cheddar

Over the summer, my husband took me to the Muscle Maker Grill.  I fell in love with their cheeseburger salad.  I know, I know... it sounds weird.  But it is delicious!  They somehow took the essence of greasy burger and made it into a healthier salad and it rocks.  I was craving that salad last night, but... well, you know how it is when you're a parent on a school night.  So I came up with this at home.  I have to say, it tasted pretty darn similar even though it most certainly wasn't anywhere near as healthy.

BBQ turkey burger sliders with bacon and cheddar

• 1 lb grd turkey
• 1 slice day old bread- crusts removed
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp + 1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 3 slices of bacon cut into thirds - cooked until crisp- save the grease!
• 4 oz shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 leaves of romaine lettuce - washed and patted dry

Place the slice of bread in a bowl and pour the milk over it.  Let it sit and then crumble the bread with your fingers.  Add the ground turkey, 1 Tbsp BBQ sauce and minced onion.  Form the mixture into 8 small patties. Heat a pan on the stove to almost high and brush the bottom with some of the saved bacon grease.  Cook the burgers in two batches about 5 minutes on each side until they are no longer pink. 

Place the burgers in a broiler pan.  Divide the 1/2 cup remaining BBQ sauce and place a dollop on each burger.  Top with a piece of bacon and about 1/2 oz of cheese.  

Broil the burgers until the cheese is melted.  While they are broiling, you will notice that you should have one piece of bacon left.  Pop that right on in your mouth. Smile.

Serve the burgers on a piece of romaine lettuce so that you can fold the leaf over to form a "bun".  

I'm going to have to make these again very soon, because I didn't get my fill last night.