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Grilled Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Chicken

April 21, 2009 by Jen

baconwrappedchicken

Bacon…cheese…chicken…BBQ sauce…all wrapped up together and grilled. What’s not to love about that combination? Brandon got the idea for this chicken from the Egghead forum a few months ago when I put him in charge of figuring out what to do with chicken breasts for dinner. I was super impressed by how great he did creating this. If you’re a bacon lover, this is a MUST try on the grill during the upcoming warm months.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Chicken
(Recipes source Bakin’ and Eggs, inspired by the Egghead forum)
Printable Recipe: Grilled Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices of bacon
6-8 slices of cheese – mozzarella, cheddar, colby jack – anything you like! (off of a block of cheese, if you’re using pre-sliced for sandwiches 2 slices)
2 tsp barbecue sauce, plus extra for serving
Grilling rub of your choice (we use the Dizzy Pig’s Raging River)
Toothpicks, soaked in water (optional, to prevent excessive  burning while grilling)

Directions:

Preheat grill to 350 degrees.

Pound out chicken breasts (in a plastic bag or between two sheets of wax paper) to about 1/4 inch thickness. Coat the top of chicken with grill rub. Turn over so rub side is down on work surface. Spread one teaspoon of barbeque sauce in a thin layer over each chicken breast. Layer cheese in the middle of the chicken. Roll chicken tightly. Wrap with bacon, using as many slices of bacon as you need and using toothpicks to hold bacon in place.

Grill for 20-25 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken breast has reached 165 degrees.

Remove toothpicks and serve with barbecue sauce on the side.

Yield: 2 servings

Posted in Big Green Egg, Cheese, Chicken/Poultry, Dizzy Pig, Pork, Tried and True | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments »

Easy Spanakopita

April 19, 2009 by Jen

easyspanakopita

I had some great feta in the fridge and ever since I starred a few spanakopita recipes in my Google Reader I had been craving it. I went back to read the recipes I starred and realized there was no way I would have time to make them on a weekday. Working with the phylo dough was going to be extremely time intesive. Not something I want to tackle when I don’t get home until 7 p.m. and it’s all I can do to feed us by 8 or 8:30.

So off I went in search of “easy” spanakopita recipes. I checked one of my favorite blogs for Greek inspired food, Elly Says Opa!, and sure enough she had a Cheater Spanakopita recipe. The real time saver is that this recipe uses puff pastry instead of the phylo dough.

We loved these spanakopitas. While they weren’t quite the real deal, they definitely got the job done for a quick dinner. I served them with a big Greek salad and it made a nice vegetarian meal. This recipe makes a ton of spanakopitas but the leftovers were great for lunch. During dinner we also talked about how great these would be for an appetizer at a party.

Easy Spanakopita
(Recipe source Elly Says Opa!)

Ingredients:

2 sheets puff pastry (one box), thawed
Olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
fresh dill, to taste (omitted, dill is my least favorite herb!)
2-3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 lb fresh spinach (about 1 bag)
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, divided
salt and pepper

Directions:

Remove puff pastry from freezer and follow directions on box for thawing. We let ours sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until they begin to get tender and translucent. Stir in the spinach and then turn off the heat. Let the spinach wilt down a bit (but not completely, you still want it to have a little life).

Roll the puff pastry dough into a square, making it slightly thinner. Cut each sheet into 9 equal squares by making 2 horizontal cuts and 2 vertical cuts.

Transfer spinach mixture to a bowl. Add in feta, dill, parsley and salt and pepper. Beat one egg and add to mixture. Stir well.

Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture in each puff pastry square. Bring the 2 opposite sides together to form a triangle and press with your fingers to seal. Place on a baking sheet. Beat the second egg and then brush the tops of the triangles with the egg. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Yield: 18 spanakopita triangles

Posted in Appetizer, Cheese, Ethnic, Greek, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments »

Grilled Sweet Potato Slices

April 16, 2009 by Jen

grilledsweetpotatoslices

What to do when you’re “over” the traditional method of preparing things – like baked sweet potatoes – and feeling uninspired? Challenge the husband to come up with something on the grill. Brandon whipped these grilled sweet potato slices up as a side dish last week and they turned out great! I would describe them as a cross between a sweet potato fry and a sweet potato chip. They were coated in olive oil and a spicy jerk rub and had a nice flavor.

Try these out for a new sweet potato preparation and a perfect summer grilling side item.

Grilled Sweet Potato Slices
(Recipes source Egghead forum)

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
Olive oil
Jerk seasoning (recommended: Dizzy Pig Jamaican Firewalk)
Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Coat potato slices in olive oil and generously sprinkle with seasoning rub and kosher salt. Carefully place potato slices on grill. Don’t be alarmed if you lose a few through the grates. If you want to prevent this you can lay foil down on the grate before grilling but you will lose those beautiful grill marks! Grill on medium heat, turning frequently (and carefully!) until slices begin getting grill marks and can be easily pierced. This should take about 12-15 minutes.

Yield: 2-3 servings

Posted in Big Green Egg, Dizzy Pig, Healthy, Potato, Side Dish | Tagged , , | 12 Comments »

Tropical Carrot Cake

April 14, 2009 by Jen

This carrot cake popped up in my Google reader a few months ago. I starred it and have been waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity to make it. Easter dinner seemed like just the occasion. This cake was as wonderful as I hoped it would be and received great reviews from everyone around the table – even our one-year old niece! It was so moist and flavorful. I will definitely be making this cake again. Be forewarned though – it is huge! Make sure you have a crowd to feed for this one.

Tropical Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
(Recipe heavily adapted from Dinner and Dessert)

Ingredients:

FOR THE CAKE
1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and roughly chopped (I used pecans)
3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
4 large eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups shredded peeled carrots
1-1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple or drained crush canned pineapple (one 20 oz. can)
1/2 cup sweetened cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez

FOR THE FROSTING:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperate
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heaving whipping cream
1/4 cup sweetened cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez
1/2 tsp salt

FOR THE TOPPING
1 cup coconut, toasted (optional for decoration)

Directions:

FOR THE CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one oven rack one-third from the bottom of the oven and the second two-thirds from the bottom. Toast nuts on a baking sheet in the oven for about 7-9 minutes, stirring halfway through or in a saute pan on the stove top over medium heat, stirring frequently. When they begin to darken in color and smell aromatic they are ready. Set aside to cool.

Line the bottom of three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds, grease with butter, and dust with flour (or spray with Baker’s Joy).

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together oil and sugar on medium speed. Add eggs in one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. On a low speed, add in vanilla, cream of coconut, pineapple, carrots and cream of coconut. Slowly mix in flour mixture and beat on low speed until fully combined.

Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared cake pans. Stagger the pans on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another (if you have a double oven, I recommend using both for baking the cakes and not using the stagger method). Bake for 30-35 minutes, checking the cakes after about 27 minutes. They are done when they turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on racks for 5 minutes, then invert them onto the racks and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

FOR THE FROSTING
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium-high speed for about 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the whipping cream, cream of coconut, and salt; beat until combined.

FOR THE TOPPING
You can top your cake with toasted coconut for decoration. If you’d like to do this, spread the coconut in a thin layer in a baking sheet. Toast in the oven at 350 degrees, stirring frequently, for about 5-7 minutes. Check on it frequently – it will burn quickly (trust me, I know!). The coconut is ready when it is golden brown.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a thick layer of frosting on top, leaving about 1/2 inch around the edges.  Add the second layer and repeat. Top with the third layer and cover the top and sides of cake with an even layer of frosting.

Yield: 14-16 servings

Posted in Cake, Dessert, Special Occasion | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments »

Fresh Strawberry Scones

April 10, 2009 by Jen

strawberryscones2

My grandmother’s birthday was yesterday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEMA!) and I wanted to send her a package with some goodies. She has loved scones ever since I made them for a brunch when I graduated from college. Since strawberries are in season, I decided that fresh strawberry scones would be perfect to send! She received them yesterday and loved them. She said she would share the chocolate biscotti that was also in the package but the scones were all hers!

These are a great breakfast on a spring or summer morning!

Fresh Strawberry Scones
(Recipe source Good Things Catered)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 – 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (depends on how ripe your strawberries are)
1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (I used turbinado sugar for sprinkling)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1 cup fresh strawberries, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine egg, yogurt and milk. Whisk to combine. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.

Cut butter into flour by using a pastry cutter, two knives (or if you’re impatient like me your hands) until all pieces of butter are smaller than pea size. The flour mixture should be coarse looking. Add the strawberries into the flour mixture and toss to coat. Add the wet ingredients into the mixture and mix lightly with a fork until dough comes together.

Turn dough out onto well floured work surface and pat into large ball. Cut dough ball in half. Shape half of the dough into a flat disk shape and cut into 8 slices. Repeat with other dough half and place both onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for about 25 minutes or until slightly browned.

Remove from oven  and let cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Fruit | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments »

A Proud Day for Bakin’ and Eggs

April 10, 2009 by Jen

I just found out that my Breakfast Crescent Casserole recipe was featured on tipnut.com in “12 Ideas for Leftover Ham.” Check out the article!

Posted in Off Topic | 2 Comments »

Bacon Wrapped Filet

April 8, 2009 by Jen

baconwrappedfilet

We went to Bruno’s on Sunday afternoon to get a movie from the DVD Express box. There was a hand written sign taped to the door that read, “Visit our meat department today!” That was all the encouragement that Brandon needed. The next thing I knew we had bypassed the movie kiosk and were checking out the meat department. They actually were having a great sale and one of the things that we came home with were some tasty looking filets.

We have a ton going on this week and last night was our only night at home together for dinner. Bacon wrapped filet on a Tuesday? I’ll take it.

Brandon did this on the Big Green Egg. I thought he did a nice job with the grill marks and it was cooked perfectly medium rare! He used the famous “T-Rex Method” on the steaks. Check it out if you’re not familiar!

Bacon Wrapped Filet
(Recipe source Bakin’ and Eggs)

Ingredients:

2 6 oz filets
4 slices of bacon
Cooking spray
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Rub steaks with olive oil and coat generously with salt and pepper. (Do not put the bacon on at this time.)

You want the Egg really hot to sear the steaks to get the grill marks. Preheat to about 700 degrees (or as hot as you can get a standard grill). Sear steak on both sides for 90 seconds with the lid up. Remove from grill and let rest for 20 minutes. Bring grill temperature down to 400 degrees.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil and placing a wire rack over it. Spray rack with cooking spray and place bacon slices on it. Bake bacon for about 10 minutes, turning once halfway through. You don’t want your bacon fully cooked as it will finish cooking during the final grill.

Wrap bacon around steaks, securing with toothpicks or cooking twine. On slice of bacon probably won’t fit around the steak so you’ll most likely need two slices.

Return steaks to grill (with temperature reduced to 400) and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 125 degrees for medium rare. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow juices to redistribute.

Yield: 2 servings

Posted in Beef, Big Green Egg, Pork, Special Occasion | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

April 7, 2009 by Jen

I wanted to make a dessert last weekend for the blog (and for our enjoyment on Friday night!). I needed to narrow down my options – it’s a little tough just to say “I want to make a dessert” – so I decided to focus on tarts. I bought a tart pan at Williams-Sonoma a few moths ago and hadn’t used it. I sent Brandon and a few friends an email with tart options and the overwhelming response was that I should either make a peanut butter tart or a chocolate tart. Brandon had the genius suggestion to combine the two. So off I went in search of a chocolate peanut butter tart. I found this recipe online on the cooking blog Alpineberry. It’s originally from Fine Cooking magazine.

This tart did not disappoint for my first foray into tart making. The chocolate and peanut butter flavors went together so well. If you love chocolate and peanut butter as much as I do, I highly suggest you give this one a try!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart
(Recipe source Alpineberry, originally from Fine Cooking Magazine)

Ingredients:

FOR THE CRUST
1 sleeve of Oreos (with cream filling scraped out) or chocolate graham crackers
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 tsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
3 oz  bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 tbsp light corn syrup

Directions:

FOR THE CRUST
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have an ungreased 9 1/2 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom ready.

Place cookies in a food processor and process until finely ground. If you don’t have a food processor, you can place the cookies in a gallon bag and use a rolling pin to crush. In a medium bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and sugar until well blended. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Put the crumbs in the tart pan and use your hands to spread the crumbs so that they coat the bottom of the pan and start to climb the sides. Use your fingers to pinch and press some of the crumbs around the inside edge of the pan to cover the sides evenly and create a wall a scant 1/4 inch thick. Redistribute the remaining crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan and press firmly to make a compact layer.

Bake the crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

FOR THE FILLING
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and salt to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, brown sugar, and flour until well blended. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a full boil, about 3 min. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 1 min. Remove the pan from the heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla; whisk until well blended.

Pour the hot peanut butter mixture into the crust and spread evenly. Gently press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the filling’s surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate the tart until cold, about 2 hours, before adding the chocolate glaze.

FOR THE GLAZE
Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in a microwave or in a double boiler over medium heat. (If you don’t have a double broiler, place a small metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.) Add the butter and corn syrup and whisk until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute.

Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the top of the chilled filling. Drizzle the glaze over the filling and spread it evenly to cover the tart completely. Refrigerate the tart in the pan until the glaze sets, about 30  minutes or up to 12  hours.

chocpbtart

Posted in Chocolate, Dessert, Tarts and Pies | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Seared Tuna with Wasabi Aioli

April 6, 2009 by Jen

tunaWe stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago while looking for a new way to prepare tuna. It has become part of the regular rotation and is our standby recipe for tuna steaks. The wasabi aoli is definitely what makes this dish. You can adjust the amount of wasabi you use to taste – we love the burn!

Try this recipe soon! We serve the tuna with stir fry veggies and sushi rice.

Seared Tuna with Wasabi Aoli
(Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit)

Ingredients:

2 tuna steaks
Soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil (or sesame or canola oil)
1 tbsp wasabi powder (can be found in the Asian section of grocery store)
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I always use light)

Directions:

Place tuna steaks in a dish and pour a couple tablespoons of soy sauce over them. Let marinate for about 30 minutes at room temperature, turning once.

Mix together wasabi powder and water and then whisk in mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pat tuna dry. Heat a medium skillet to medium-high. Heat oil. Sear tuna steaks for about 45 seconds per side for rare.

Serve with wasabi aoli.

Yield: 2 servings

Posted in Asian, Ethnic, Fish, Quick and Easy, Seafood, Special Occasion, Tried and True | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments »

Leftover Creations: Beer Can Chicken BBQ Sandwich

April 6, 2009 by Jen

bbqchicksand

Brandon grilled up a beer can chicken on the Egg for dinner Friday night. We had a lot of leftovers and he had fun creating this sandwich on Saturday for lunch.  This isn’t really a “recipe” but I know that people are always looking for ways to use leftover roasted/grilled chicken and this sandwich was delicious!

Beer Can Chicken BBQ Chicken Sandwich
(Recipe source Bakin’ and Eggs)

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread (we used sourdough – highly recommend!)
3/4 cup shredded leftover grilled or roasted chicken (about 1 1/2 thighs or 1 breast)
2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
BBQ sauce (your favorite – recently we’ve been enjoying  Grendeddy Dave’s Hot BBQ Sauce)
Mayonnaise
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

Preheat convection oven or regular oven to 400 degrees.

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over one slice of bread. Place shredded chicken on top and then drizzle desired amount of BBQ sauce over the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place cheese on the other slice of bread.

We use our convection oven for heating sandwiches. This sandwich cooked for four about 5-6 minutes. In a normal oven, you may want to start out at about 10 minutes and watch it. When cheese is melted and chicken is warm the sandwich is ready. We cook the sandwich open faced and then place the cheese slice on top of the chicken before serving.

Told you this wasn’t a recipe! More of a creation! 🙂

Yield: 1 sandwich

Posted in Big Green Egg, Chicken/Poultry, Quick and Easy, Sandwiches | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

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