A little whiskey, a little bacon, who wouldn’t love it!?! Laura made this delicious pot of gold.

This recipe comes together easily, once you have the 8 shallots peeled and chopped and it makes a lot. Plenty to bring to a party and plenty to keep for yourself. The original recipe calls for paprika, but I prefer smoked paprika. Be sure to follow the recipe when it tells you to remove from the heat before adding the whiskey. No one needs a surprise flambe.

I made this salad while I was in Chicago back in August. On August 31, 2022, to be exact, while I was literally trying to get out the door to go to the airport to head back home. Marissa and Jeff would be enjoying it after Jeff got back home from dropping me at O’Hare. That is why there are no “in the process photos” and why the avocado is sitting on the platter instead of added to the salad. This is also why there are roasted bell and poblano peppers added to the classic salad, I didn’t want them to go bad if the fridge after I left.

The big news is that I’m back in Chicago for three weeks. I arrived last night and today is the first day of my stint as the primary caregiver to Max. Marissa’s maternity ended yesterday and she is back to work today. Granted, she is upstairs in her office, while Max and I are hanging out downstairs, but she is truly back to work, so it’s just me and Max for the next three weeks. More to come on random life updates in the days to follow. Until then, please enjoy this classic salad. xoxo

Original Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad

Brown Derby Dressing

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Along with nearly 30 million others, I follow Chrissy Teigen on Instagram. The other day in her Instagram Stories, I watched as she made a Carbonara with a spicy Asian twist. I was intrigued and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, once I gathered all my ingredients, I discovered that there wasn’t enough of the chili garlic sauce called for in the recipe. Oh well, I went ahead anyway. Yeah, it made a difference, it needed it to be spicier. I plan to make it again once I can get to the store and get a jar (or two) of chili garlic sauce because I like spicy!

The miso that Chrissy and I used is available at Whole Foods or on Amazon.

I’m giving the recipe almost as Chrissy wrote it, only upping the amount of bacon. No surprise there! Check out Cravings by Chrissy Teigen.

Spicy Miso Carbonara

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
• 3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons blond or light miso, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 pound dry spaghetti or capellini (angel hair)
• 2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Bring a large pot of water to a low boil, cover, and keep hot on a low burner. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet, then add the bacon and cook until crisped and the fat is rendered, 9 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon to cool and then chop. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain off all but about 2 tablespoons of the drippings, and set aside the skillet.

Whisk together the chili garlic sauce, miso, and hot water until smooth, then beat in the eggs, set aside.

Add salt to the water in the pot on the back burner and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente and drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.

For the bridal shower, I not only made a quadruple recipe of the breakfast potatoes, but I also made 5 of these frittatas. The most challenging part of that was finding a place to slide the frittatas out after I cooked them. It had to be something that could then be transported to the home of the hostess, Whitney, and placed in her oven to reheat. The best I could come up with was to turn over baking sheets and place 2 frittatas on each sheet.

It may not have been the perfect solution but it worked. Once again, when you see the photos, don’t be alarmed by the quantity of food. If you make this, it will be a fifth as much.

[Read more →]

Even when the centerpiece of your Easter brunch is a spiral-cut ham – that does not mean you can’t throw in a little bacon too!

The original Southern Living recipe called for a cast-iron skillet. Since my cast-iron skillet was in a storage cupboard in the garage that was blocked by a bunch of boxes and folding chairs, I used a large heavy skillet instead.

I’ve mentioned this tip before, but it’s worth repeating. If you have a pot or pan that needs to go in the oven that does not have an oven-safe handle, or even if you’re not quite sure if it is oven-safe or not. You can still use that pan. Just double wrap the handle in heavy-duty foil (or wrap 4 times with standard foil) and just like magic, you have an oven-safe pan.

Hash Brown-Asparagus-Bacon Quiché

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 ounces fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns (about 12 ounces)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• Fresh minced chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bacon in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or another oven-safe heavy skillet over medium until browned and almost crisp, but still tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve drippings in skillet, and let cool slightly.

Add asparagus to skillet, and cook over medium-high, stirring often, until lightly browned and just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer asparagus to a medium bowl.

Add hash browns, bacon, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper to hot drippings in skillet over medium-high; stir to combine.

[Read more →]

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Faith and Begorrah!

I’ve mentioned several times before that I am a founding member of the Phoenix chapter of Les Dames d’ Escoffier. Our March meeting was an appetizer potluck and I made these fun and savory pimento cheese lollypops to share.

No matter how cute and tasty they may have been, they could never compete with the out-of-this-world Fried Chicken that Charleen Badman, chef/owner, of the ever wonderful FnB, brought to the meeting! So darn good! But since I don’t have the recipe for Charleen’s chicken, the recipe for the lollypops will have to suffice.

[Read more →]

At last, the end of recipes from the 2016 Holiday Appetizer Pot-Luck.

Marissa made my famous Caesar Dip, the recipe can be found HERE. Near the end of the evening, I set out bowls and platters of holiday sweets and desserts I’d purchased at Trader Joe’s, alongside the coffee and cocoa bar.

Before I share the last recipe, let me tell you the joke I made up about it…

The original name for this recipe was Bacon Crack, which seems a bit crass, so I’ve since changed it to Bacon Candy.

I made the recipe the morning of the party. I tasted it and didn’t think it was all that great. Come party time, I put it in the serving dish and told guests, “It’s called Bacon Crack, but it’s not all that it’s ‘cracked up’ to be.” Haha.

Funny thing was, everyone loved it. I tasted it again and they were right, it was boatloads better once it cooled completely and sat around for a few hours.

I apologize that it has taken a while to post the 10 recipes from a Christmas Eve Eve party. (To easily find them all in one place, just click on the link in the first sentence of this post and it will take you to them)

The good news is that here on the blog, 2016 finally ends and next week, 2017 begins!

[Read more →]

This is one of the recipes I made for the 2016 Holiday Appetizer Pot-Luck and it is a winner any time of year. It only has four ingredients and can be made well in advance, then thrown in the oven at the last minute.

I’d love to be able to tell you that these are just as good reheated the next day, but I’ve never had even one left any time I’ve made them test that theory.

Of course, in my opinion, anything wrapped in bacon is the perfect appetizer for any occasion!

Bacon-Wrapped Maple Brussels Sprouts

• 15 Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed
• 15 pieces of bacon (regular cut, not thick cut)
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
• Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Add the sprouts and cook for 8 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cut in half through the stem end when they are cool enough to handle.

Fry bacon, in batches, in a large skillet until it is just beginning to brown but still pliable. Drain on paper towels.

What you’re looking for here is the exact opposite of what you ever what to have served at breakfast – you’re looking for limp bacon.

Place the Brussels sprouts in the same skillet, in the bacon drippings, that you cooked the bacon in, add 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup and sauté for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels.

Cut each slice of bacon in half crosswise and then wrap each sprout half with a half piece of bacon. Secure with a toothpick. At this point, the wrapped sprouts may be either cooked or covered and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place sprouts on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

[Read more →]

These tasty flatbreads have so much going for them.

1. They are easy and quick to make
2. They have bacon
3. The bread is prepared naan, with no dough to knead
4. Did I mention that they have bacon?
5. The ingredient list is short, with only five things, one of which is bacon!

I haven’t had bacon in a long time, as you can tell, I’ve really missed it.

[Read more →]

I know that yesterday I mentioned that I’d highlight the 4th of July main courses and dessert next, but that was before I remembered that in addition to all the wonderful salads and sides my friends brought, I also made a few sides and salads myself. So let’s get to those first.

[Read more →]