Bourbon Bacon Burger

Alright if you have kept your New Years Resolution so far, do not make this burger. Oh, this burger has bacon on it with cheese plus a sweet glaze. This burger is so good. Since my husband doesn't always want to drive about an hour so I can order a Jack Daniel's burger, I decided to look up a copy cat recipe. The glaze is very sweet and sticky. You will need a lot of napkins for this burger. I make pretty good burgers but my husband said this is the best burger I have ever made.Why Jim Beam and not Jack Daniel's? It is what I had in my cabinet. Sorry, Jack!

Bourbon Bacon Burger
1 1/2 lbs. ground hamburger
Bourbon glaze (see below)
4 hamburger buns
4 slices of cheese (provolone or American cheese)
toppings: lettuce, red onion, tomato, and bacon

Directions: 

1. Once the glaze is thick and syrupy, cook your hamburger in a skillet to the desired doneness.
2. Brush on the glaze on top of the hamburgers and allow to cook for a minute.
3. Top the hamburger with the cheese. Cook until the cheese has melted.
4. Serve the burgers with lettuce, red onion, tomato, bacon, and more glaze if desired. 

Bourbon Glaze:
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic, minced
2/3 cup water
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce
1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup white onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp Bourbon
pinch cayenne pepper

Glaze Directions:
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil.
Add the minced garlic and saute for a minute.
Add the water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Add the lemon juice, onion, Bourbon, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Allow the mixture to simmer until thick and syrup for about 45 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Top Secret Recipes.

One year ago..........................I made Banana Bread Cookies.
Two years ago........................I made Jalapeno Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms.

Did you already know.............
-Bourbon must be produced in the United States.
-Bourbon is a type of whiskey.
-Bourbon must be made in new charred oak barrels.

Sausage Wonton appetizers

One of my favorite dishes my best friend brings over are some sausage wonton appetizers. They are so good. Well, I was thinking how much I like the Rotel Sausage Dip but I wanted to make it similar to my friend's way. They are easy way to serve dip while watching football. My youngest son helped me and we love them. My son didn't even want me to take some photos to share. He just wanted to eat them. So, I comprised with him and took a photo of him eating one. Boy, my son needs a haircut.

Photo by my youngest son!

Sausage Wonton appetizers
24 wonton wrappers
1 package of Jimmy Dean pork sausage
1/2 cup white onion, chopped fine
1 (10 oz.) can of Rotel, drained
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Line a cupcake pan with one wonton wrapper in each cup.
2. Place another wonton wrapper on top of the other with the second wonton square sides sticking up between the spaces of the first. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. In a large skillet, brown the pork sausage.
5. Add the onion and cook until the pork sausage is fully cooked.
6. Add the drained can of Rotel into the skillet. Cook for about 1 minute.
7. Add the cheddar cheese and the cream cheese. Mix until well incorporated.
8. Cook until the cheese is melted.
9. Spoon the mixture into the center of the wonton cups until they are half full.
10. Top the mixture with the crushed tortilla chips.
11. Bake the won tons for 15 minutes or until the wonton wrappers are fully cooked.
12. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Recipe adapted from here.

Two years ago.....................I made Burgundy Mushrooms.

My photographer

Did you already know..........
-Wontons originated from North China.
-Wonton means small dumpling or swallowing clouds.
-Wonton and dumplings tend to vary in size and thickness of the wrapper.

Winter Savory Chicken

Have you ever heard of winter savory? I received some winter savory in my winter share from the farm. I didn't know what to do with it. I googled it and saw it was used in a lot of bean recipes. My husband will not eat beans. I figured I would make a chicken dish with it. I loved it. I really loved it. My husband loved it and probably thankful it wasn't beans.

Winter Savory Chicken
4 boneless chicken breast
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp unsalted butter
2 springs of winter savory herb
1/4 salt
1/8 ground pepper


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Remove any excess fat from the chicken breast.
3. Heat a large oven proof skillet over medium heat with the olive oil.
4. Add the butter to the skillet.
5. Season the chicken breast with the leaves of the winter savory, salt, and pepper on both sides.
6. Once the butter has melted, add the chicken breast.
7. Cook the chicken breast for about 5 minutes and golden brown.
8. Turn the chicken over and cook the other side about 5 minutes.
9.  Place the skillet into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
10. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago..................I made Bran Banana Muffins.
Two years ago................I made Lemon Frosted Cupcakes.

Did you already know.....
-Winter savory tends to be used for slow cooked meals like beans.
-Winter savory has a piney, peppery taste while summer savory has a milder flavor.
-Thyme is a good substitute for savory.

Best of 2013

I hope you have a wonderful New Years and I predict next year will be better than this year. This year seemed to go by crazy fast. To recap this year, my oldest daughter moved to California. I can't wait until she visits next month. We lost my Mother-in-law Linda and our Nana Norma. We will always miss them. My youngest child is eight years old. I still can't my baby is 8 years old. Also, I made some delicious food. I wanted to list some of my favorite recipes I made this year. Since I made a lot of cookies, I decided to make it a category:

Favorite breakfast:

Migas in a taco bowl

Favorite meat:

Stuffed Pork Chops

Favorite bread:

Baps Roll

Favorite cookie:

Snickerdoodle

Favorite dessert:

 

Fallen Hot Chocolate Cake

Did you already know..............

-The Old Farmer's Almanac is accurate 80% of the time.

-In 1792, The Old Farmer's Almanac was first published.

-The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts more snow and colder temperatures this winter.

Happy New Year!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Sometimes there is a dessert we will make often. This dessert is one of them. It is probably because the dessert has peanut butter in it. It also could be that my daughter is making it. This weekend, she asked me to make it with her for my Mother's birthday. She told me how much my Mother loved it at Thanksgiving. While we were making it, I suggested we should put some peanut butter cups on top. She was a little leery since she thought it was already great. So, I compromised with her and we put peanut butter cups on one half. Next time my daughter makes this dessert, I know she will cover the top with peanut butter cups. I will warn you that this is a very rich dessert but so delicious.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
2 cups peanut butter
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups Nilla Wafer cookies
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate mini chips
1 cup peanut butter cups, chopped

Directions:

1. Grease a 13x9 baking sheet with nonstick baking spray.
2. In a food processor, pulse the Vanilla Wafer cookies for 20 seconds. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, cream 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter until fluffy.
4. Slowly, add 1 cup powdered sugar.
5. Mix in the crushed cookies and the 1 cup of powdered sugar.
6. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.
7. Press the cookie mixture into the baking sheet.
8. In a medium saucepan, melt 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips with 3/4 cups peanut butter over low heat. Stir constantly until smooth.
9. Evenly spread the melt chocolate mixture over the cookie mixture.
10. Top the chocolate mixture with the chopped peanut butter cups.
11. Refrigerate the bars for at least 1 hour or until the chocolate is firm.
12. Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from Toll House Nestle Cookies cookbook.

Two years ago...............................I made Chocolate Cupcakes.

Did you already know...................
-In 1898, the National Biscuit Company was incorporated when it merged over 100 bakeries.
-In 1971, the National Biscuit Company changes it's name to Nabisco.
-Since 2012, Nabisco is currently owned by Mondelez International.