Quest for the Best Side: Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Note from Sheri:  You know what I’d use if you’ve been reading many of my recipes…YOU GUESSED IT! Stevia Brown Sugar.  Now it’s worthy of my Quest!

 

 

 

• 2 (16 ounce) cans green beans(WHOLE style)
• 1 lb bacon
• 1 cup brown sugar(approximately) (Sheri says: Use STEVIA!)
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• toothpick

Directions:

1. 1 Preheat broiler.
2. 2Pour drained green beans into large bowl.
3. 3Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
4. 4Cut each bacon slice into 3 equal portions.
5. 5Wrap 6-8 beans with bacon piece, securing with toothpick.
6. 6Place on broiler pan.
7. 7Sprinkle evenly with some of the brown sugar.
8. 8Broil until sugar melts and bacon browns.
9. 9Turn bundles over and sprinkle with additional brown sugar.
10. 10Broil until brown and bubbly.

1. Found at: http://www.food.com/recipe/Bacon-Wrapped-Green-Beans-Bundles-161900

 

Make Ahead Spinach Artichoke Dip

I love a recipe that freezes well. Especially if it is good in a pinch for a imprompto party! I made a double batch of this dip recipe and froze it in 5 individual freezer bags. When you need a dip…you have it ready in the freezer! Just pull it out and defrost in micro…finish heating up in the oven. Great for lazy summer days when everyone comes in from playing and they are starving!

 

 

The other great thing it this dip calls for low fat ingredients…they freeze better and thaw better too.  (I doubled this to make 5 quart bags full)

10 oz pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

2 cups lowfat sour cream

8 oz. pkg low-fat cream cheese

1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 can artichoke hearts (in water), drained and chopped

1 tsp fresh black pepper

1 minced garlic clove

1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes (optional)

To Freeze:

- Combine all ingredients together well.

- Divide into 4 portions and store in 2 cup containers. Freeze.

To Prepare:

- Bake it at 350 degrees, stirring once or twice, until heated through (probably 40 minutes) OR heat in microwave until heated through, stirring every 60 seconds.

FOUND AT: http://cleverlyinspired.blogspot.com/2011/06/spinach-artichoke-dip-make-ahead.html

 

Quest for the Best Side: Spinach Patties

1 bag of thawed and well drained chopped spinach

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

1/4 c diced onion

1/2 c shredded cheese

1/2 c bread crumbs

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix well in a bowl. 

Now, form into burger-sized patties. (or you can do spinach balls). Heat a non stick skillet over med-high. Spray with a bit of cooking spray.  Cook for 4-6 minutes each side.

FOUND AT: http://thevillagecook.com/spinach-burgers/

 

Autumn!

This sums up my feelings toward Autumn:

Isnt’ that beautiful?  Thanks to the Happiness Is… blog (shannoneileen.com)

 

 

Quest for the Best Side: Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

THIS IS NOT MY RECIPE NOR MY IDEA. I COPIED THIS POST BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT SOUNDED REALLY GOOD AND IS SOMEWHAT HEALTHY. IF YOU OWN THIS RECIPE AND DON’T WANT IT ON MY BLOG PLEASE TELL ME AND IT’S OUTTA HERE.
These were such a simple side dish & a great use for cauliflower (it seems we always end up roasting it). The cheese added a really nice depth of flavor & the cayenne just gave that bit of heat at the back of the throat.

I liked them with a little sour cream to dip them in while Matt preferred them with a little more
cheese grated over the top.Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

1 head cauliflower
2 large eggs
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c panko
1/2 t cayenne pepper (more of less to taste)
salt
olive oil

Cut cauliflower into florets & cook in boiling water until tender about 10 minutes. Drain. Mash the cauliflower while still warm. Stir cheese, eggs, panko, cayenne & salt to taste.

Coat the bottom of a griddle or skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Form the cauliflower mixture into patties about 3 inches across. Cook until golden brown & set, about 3 minutes per side. Keep each batch warm in the oven while you cook the rest.

Makes 8 pancakes

 

Quest for the Best Side: Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

http://dlynz.com/?p=2353

Jun 24th, 2009

by Donalyn.

You have probably seen recipes for Crash Hot Potatoes, using regular red or white potatoes  [I have a version of my own I will be sharing at some point], but these are a little different.  I had a couple sweet potatoes I needed to use up and they were getting a little on the aged side.  So I thought of cooking them like this, since as they age, sweet potatoes tend to get a little drier inside and that is a good thing when you are trying to get a little crunchiness on the outside of something. I’ll give you some tips for using fresher ones in a minute.

Peel two medium sweet potatoes and slice – these are about an inch and a half thick.Put 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and set the timer for 10 minutes – time from when you put the potatoes in, not from when the water starts to boil.These ended up taking about 12 minutes, though I pulled out a couple that were just a touch thinner a couple minutes sooner than that. You want them to be somewhat soft but not cooked through. Let them cool off for 10 or 15 minutes – they will hold together a little better for the next step.I wanted these to be hot in more than just the temperature – to my way of thinking, these were crying out for some nice spicy flavors to complement the sweet flavor of the potatoes. So I mixed up a little heat.
1 & 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon New Mexico chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
Blend that together really well with a fork, making to sure to get the sugar completely incorporated. Then I added about ten coarse grinds of black pepper and mixed that in too.Being careful not to squash them too much, flatten each sweet potato disk slightly. I did this right on the parchment paper on my baking sheet, and used a small bowl with a clear bottom, so I could see what I was doing. The potato stuck to the bowl each time, but I just carefully slip a spatula in there and they came right off and stayed together nicely. If they had come apart on me at all, I’d have just pressed them back into a circle on the pan. I drizzled each of them with a mixture of two tablespoon melted butted and two tablespoons olive oil and then sprinkled each one with the spice mixture, pressing it lightly on the surface. I carefully turned them over and coated the other side with the butter/oil and the spices. I roasted them in the oven, set at 375º for about 15 minutes, turned them over and roasted them another 10 minutes, till they had a nice crust on both sides from the caramelization of the sugar and spices.These were so good that we nearly died right there at the dinner table.Spicy-sweet and crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside – just amazing.

If I were using fresher potatoes – and normally I would be, since it is unusual for them to sit around very long here – I would skip the parboil and begin roasting them right on the baking sheet from the start, and then when they got soft enough to flatten I would proceed with the rest of the steps. You actually don’t have to flatten them at all of course, but it does provide more surface area and some ruffly sort of edges for getting more crunch on them – worth the bother in my opinion.

Now – go make some!

 

Quest for the Best Side: Cheese Zucchini Crisps

http://thewellseasonedcook.blogspot.com/2007/06/baseball-bats-in-backyard-squash-fries.html

Ingredients

1/3 cup cornflake crumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese or other hard cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt or dried herb/s or both
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 very young (4-inches long) zucchini or other summer squash,cut in 1/2″ strips
1/4 cup olive oil (or olive oil spray to further reduce calories)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Either dip squash strips in olive oil or spray both sides with oil spray. Press each strip with crumb mixture on both sides. Arranged coated strips on cookie sheet and bake approximately 10 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a starter, side dish or snack. –

 

I MADE THESE TONIGHT.  I HAD TO COOK THEM ABOUT 10 MNUTES LONGER THAN THIS RECIPE SHOWS.  I ALSO HAD TO BROWN THEM SO THEY WOULDN’T BE FLIMSY.    ADD MORE SALT AND PARMESAN TOO.

 

Quest for the Best Side: Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks

My second find:

Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks

1 bunch of asparagus (mine had about 30 spears)

2 egg whites

1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)

1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat with non-stick spray.

Snap off the tough ends of each asparagus spear. On two separate plates, add the eggs whites (lightly beaten) and the panko + flour + cheese. Season the panko mixture with salt and pepper if desires. Coat each asparagus spear in egg whites, then lay in the panko mixture and thoroughly cover. If the panko won’t stick, dip back in the egg whites and roll in panko once again. Lay each spear on the wire rack.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

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Philadelphia-Style Vanilla Ice Cream

 

Source: Williams-Sonoma Frozen Desserts p. 66

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbs vanilla extract

Instructions:  stir together the milk and cream first, then mix in
the sugar until dissolved, add the vanilla extract, chill it for a few hours,
and then churn it. I think I skipped the chill step, and just mixed, churned,
and froze it. My thought process was: I just pulled it out of the fridge, it is
already chilled, why would I stick it back…? But I assume that by mixing it, the
ingredients became “de-chilled.” I have a feeling that chilling it is a factor
if you want to eat it right away after churning. But for me, I’m happy to let it
firm up in the freezer for a few hours before I dig in.

 

Puppy Trouble

He’s not a puppy, he’s 8 yrs old but to me he’s a puppy.  A Lhasa Apso and soooo smart! He’ s not doing well these days.  I can’t figure it out.  He’s shivering like he’s freezing, wanting out to pee frequently and acting like his legs hurt.  He wants me to hold him all the time. He slept on my head last night! This isn’t like him AT ALL.  He usually sleeps in the floor at the foot of the bed or on the end of it.

I don’t have the extra cash to take him to a vet so I gotta take care of him myself.  I did give him a flea treatment last night  as I have many times before and he does usually act a little strange for about 8 hours afterwards. This time, however, he’s been acting funny for 24 hours.

i found these common illnesses in Lhasas:

• Patellar luxation—Limping, Hind Leg Held Up, Can’t straighten back leg.   Caused by an unusually shallow spot on the femur.  There are weak ligaments and misalignment of tendons and muscles that align the knee joint and allow the knee cap (patella) to float sideways in and out of position on the hind leg of the Lhasa Apso.  This can be caused by injury or be present at birth and can affect both rear legs.  It’s most common in small and toy dogs.   If your dog has trouble straightening the leg, is limping, or is walking on three legs and holding one hind leg up, look for patellar luxation.  Several of my dogs have had the problem and all I’ve done is reach down, massage the knee a little until they drop their leg, and we’re good to go for another 3 or 4 months.  Severe cases require surgery for a fully lame leg.
• Hip dysplasia – Hind end limping, back leg acts lame.  Wear and time causes the femur to fit poorly into the pelvic socket with improper rotation causing great pain and difficulty walking.  You may notice the dog “hopping”” like a rabbit when running plus hesitating to climb stairs, all due to pain in the hind quarters.  The problem actually starts as a very young puppy with an abnormal formation of the hip joint and grows progressively.   A vet can locate this with a diagnostics test.

*                Renal cortical hypoplasia—Kidney failure coming from a number of causes ranging from hereditary to ingesting automotive antifreeze and also bacterial infections.  Once the kidneys become affected, there is no cure for the Lhasa Apso.  There remains a shortage of functioning tissue in the kidneys to cleanse the body.  Waste builds in the blood and the toxins cause vomiting, depression, lack of appetite and death.  Same happens if the dog eats a little rat poison, as one of mine did.

• Renal dysplasia—Disease of the kidney.  Improper function of the kidney.  If you own a Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso or other breed prone to this, check twice a year with your vet for kidney function or…. sooner if you observe any unusual symptoms such as… increased drinking, increased or decreased urination, very little color to the urine, depression, loss of appetite, bad odor in breath plus any other unusual behaviors.  See vet immediately!

So, he acts like his legs hurt and he shivers and has to pee alot suddenly.  one of these things or more is going on with him.  i dont know what to do.  It scares me that it may be his kidneys..