Baked BLT Dip

I stumbled across a couple of recipes for this dip on Super Bowl weekend, and being a lover of the infamous BLT, I just had to try it. I took things from both recipes I found, and combined them to make a scrumptious appetizer. I substituted Greek yogurt for sour cream to make this a tad healthier, and if you want to further reduce calories and fat content, you can cut the mayo in half to just a half of a cup, which will produce a bit thicker of a dip (but still yummy).

Ingredients

1 lb. bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled & divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup light mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 Roma tomatoes (or 1 large regular), seeded, chopped & divided
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
Set aside ½ cup crumbled bacon.
Mix mayonnaise, greek yogurt, and cream cheese in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Crumble bacon into mixture and stir.
Add cheddar cheese, green onions, garlic powder, and one tomato, mix well.
Spoon mixture into a shallow dish or pie pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling.
Sprinkle chopped tomatoes, remaining crumbled bacon, lettuce and green onions over hot dip.
Serve immediately with your favorite crackers or chips.

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Homemade Version of Outback’s Alice Springs Chicken

While I was searching for honey mustard dressing recipes a couple of weeks ago, I kept seeing Alice Springs chicken in the results, and had no idea what that was all about. Obviously, I had to check it out, and discovered it’s a “famous” dish served at Outback Steakhouse. I mean, I know all about the Bloomin’ Onion, but hadn’t heard of this before, but am SOOO glad that I stumbled upon it! It definitely packs a bunch with amazing flavor!!

Ingredients

Honey Mustard Marinade

1/2 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. Canola oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tbsp. Canola oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
8 slices of bacon, cooked
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Combine mustard, honey, 1 tsp. oil and lemon juice in a bowl using an electric mixer. Mix for about 30 seconds.
Place chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour about 2/3 of marinade over chicken. Marinate in fridge for about 2 hours (or longer, if desired). Chill remaining marinade for later use.
After chicken has marinated, preheat over to 375° F.
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat, remove chicken from bag and sear on each side for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Throw away bag with marinade in it. Remove from heat, and place chicken into a baking dish.
In a small frying pan, sauté the mushrooms in a little butter.
Brush each of the chicken breasts with the reserved honey mustard marinade, saving a little to serve on the side when the dish is finished.
Season chicken with some salt, pepper and a dash of paprika.
Place two pieces of cooked bacon crosswise on top of each chicken breast.
Spoon 1/4 of the mushrooms on top of the bacon.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese, then 1/4 cup of Mozzarella on top of each piece of chicken.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is thoroughly melted and bubbly.

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Easy & Delicious Baked Beans

The 4th of July is quickly approaching (yay), and I am thinking of all of the wonderful traditional dishes associated with this holiday as my department at work is having a little potluck lunch to celebrate (my mouth is already salivating). Clearly, I have long list of possibilities of what I can bring, but one of my favorite sides comes to mind… baked beans. When I went to look for my recipe on here, I was shocked to find that I did not post it previously. My bad! So… here it is!

This recipe calls for bacon, but I believe it would be just as tasty if you choose to omit it.

Ingredients

8 strips of bacon, thick cut
2 (28 ounce) cans of Bush’s baked beans w/bacon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Directions

Cook bacon in microwave, checking after each minute, so it’s still soft. Don’t let it get crisp.
Cut into small, bite-size pieces, set aside.
Put the remaining ingredients in a crock pot. *
Add the bacon and mix.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

* This can also be prepared in the oven at 350 for 1 hour in a 3-quart baking dish.

Serves 10

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Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Back in January, I came down with a bout of the flu, and had little to no energy, with not much of an appetite. But, knowing that I had to eat, I wanted something warm and comforting that would require minimal effort on my part. The first thing that came to mind, was my crock pot, and what naturally followed was soup. I’ve always been a fan of baked potato soup, although I had never made it before. I perused quite a few recipes online and decided to adjust a couple that looked really tasty. The end result thoroughly pleased me, and definitely hit the spot!

Ingredients

1 bag (32 oz) frozen O’Brien diced hash brown potatoes
1 carton (32-oz) Progresso® chicken broth
1 bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups), plus additional for garnish
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup sour cream (I use light)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. hot sauce (optional)
¼ cup real bacon pieces (from 2.8-oz package)
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup) for garnish

Directions

Cook bacon in a skillet or microwave until crispy. Crumble & set half aside. Reserve 1 tbsp bacon drippings to add to crock pot (optional, but recommended).
Put all ingredients in slow cooker, except for green onions and half of bacon.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Garnish with bacon pieces, green onion and additional shredded cheese (and sour cream, if desired).

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