Posts tagged ‘bacon’

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February 8, 2011

Cheeseburger Soup

So….still getting snow here.

a *LOT* of snow.

I love soup on blustery, cold nights. I love meals ready in under 15 minutes on weeknights. I also love cheese. And bacon.

This soup is all of those things, and so much more.

I know it sounds like an unlikely pairing of ingredients, but I have made this three times since creating it in my head, and it has been FABULOUS every time. It tastest EXACTLY like a whopper. Then TJ suggested we add bacon and pickles. Um….brilliant! Now it tastes like a Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

Do you know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in France?

A royale with cheese. Classic.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 large white onion, chopped

1 lb extra lean grass fed ground beef

3 tbsp tomato pasta

2 tbsp Worcestershire

1 tbsp yellow mustard

16 oz reduced sodium beef broth

1/2 SMALL block velveeta made with 2%

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

1/2 cup diced grape tomatoes

Pickles & Bacon for garnish

1. In a soup/stock pot on medium heat, saute onion until translucent- 3 or 4 minutes. Add in ground beef & cook until browned- about 3 minutes. Add in Worcestershire, tomato paste, mustard. Saute until fragrant- 2 or 3 minutes.

2. Add in broth & cheese. Stir until cheese has melted- 4 or 5 minutes. Add in tomatoes and lettuce. Let sit 2-4 minutes, or until lettuce has JUST wilted. Serve with chopped pickles and bacon!

 

Seriously. Make this. I know it sounds so wrong, but I promise, it is sooo so right.

Assuming you like cheeseburgers.

And if you don’t like cheeseburgers…..we cannot be friends. Sorry.

UNLESS you go vote for us at Crate & Barrel’s $100,000 Ultimate Wedding Contest. Then, we are friends and you are invited to the wedding.

I bet we could buy a lot of mini cheeseburgers to serve at midnight with $100,000.

Don’t you want to be my friend now?!

Posted in cooking, life | 13 Comments »

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August 26, 2010

Spicy Sweet Corn & Crab Soup

The end of summer is always bittersweet for me. The days get shorter and the temperatures drop. School starts back up, and the busy rush in our tiny towns dies out as the tourists head home for the season.

Can you guess which part of that was the bitter and which was the sweet?

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No more crowded beaches!! (hi kate & cam!!)

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Baled Hay = End of Summer.

Ok ok, I actually had something else in mind when thinking about late summer. Mainly FOOD!

Reasons I Don’t Cry When Summer Ends

1. I can actually use the oven again.

2. Shorter lines at the local ice cream stands.

3. Tomatoes, peaches and sweet corn.

‘Nuff said.

Lucky for me, there has been no shortage of sweet corn. FREE sweet corn. Free, you ask? Why, yes. Because all I need to do is walk to the north….

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Or the east…

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Or the south….

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Or west.

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You get the idea. I’m SURROUNDED!!!

But after over a month of boiled sweet corn on the cob, grilled sweet corn on the cob, roasted sweet corn on the cob, etc, etc….I was ready to find a new application for sweet corn. OFF the cob.

Spicy Sweet Corn & Crab Soup

4 ears sweet corn

32 ounces chicken stock

4 slices center cut bacon

1 sweet onion

2 cloves of garlic

2-4 jalapeno peppers (seeds in for more spice)

2 sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, etc)

2 banana peppers

2 tsp dried thym

1/4 cup sherry cooking wine

1 cup millk/milk substitute

4 tbsp cornstarch

8 oz can crab meat ( I used claw- stays in bigger chunks than the cheaper leg/body meat)

Salt & pepper

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1. Shuck corn & remove kernals from cobs. Set aside. Bring stock & cobs to a boil in pot; cover & reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 min- an hour (the longer the better!). Meanwhile, dice peppers & onion; mince jalapenos & garlic. Over low heat, render fat from bacon. Once bacon is crispy, remove from pan & reserve.

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2. Saute onions, garlic, and jalapenos in bacon drippings for 3-4 minutes. Add in diced peppers. Saute another 3-4 minutes. Deglaze with sherry & add thyme. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until sherry has slightly reduced. P8231089P8231094  P8231102

3. Remove cobs from stock. Add pepper mix & corn kernals. Bring to a low simmer. Mix cornstarch & milk together. Slowly whisk into pot. Simmer covered until soup has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat & stir in crab. Serve garnished with avocado, fresh tomatoes & crumbled bacon.

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Ahhhh. Summer in a bowl. Best served on a cool evening, with a crisp glass of Sauvignon blanc, cozy sweater, and view of the sunset.

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Corn fields optional.

Posted in cooking | 11 Comments »

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August 21, 2010

Maple Mustard Braised Cabbage with Bacon & Bleu Cheese

 

The other day when I stopped at a farm stand, they had these beautiful, GIGANTIC heads of cabbage for .75 cents (ummm I think I failed to mention that the ginormous zucchini was only 25 cents. Yeah, seriously. )! I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with one, but I grabbed it anyway. So, the other night, I grabbed that head of cabbage out of the fridge, plopped it on the counter, and stared at it.

 

Just….STARED at it.

 

I knew if I looked long enough, it would absorb my thought waves, bounce them back and send me some inspiration.

 

After a few interruptions (ah-hem, a certain dog who shall remain unnamed that insisted he sit on my feet and lick himself loudly…yeah), it came to me!

 

TA-DAAA

 

Maple Mustard Braised Cabbage with Bacon and Blue Cheese

1/2 giant head cabbage (or 1 normal size) sliced

1 red onion, sliced vertically

3 strips center cut bacon, diced

1/2 cup chicken stock/broth

2 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 tsp maple syrup (unpictured)

bleu cheese crumbles to taste

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1. Preheat skillet to medium-low. Add bacon & cook until just begins to brown. Add sliced onion. Saute until onion softens (about 3-5 minutes).

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2. Add chicken stock & stir in mustard & maple syrup. Add cabbage, cover, and cook over LOW for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. P8170706 P8170708  P8170712 

 

Season to taste with salt & pepper. Top with bleu cheese crumbles!!

  

I served mine with roasted potato wedges and buffalo baked chicken. So so good! P8170734 P8170727

 

Slightly sweet from the maple syrup, smoky crunchy bacon bits, tangy soft melty bleu cheese and a little zip from the mustard and red onion.

 

I won’t lie, I traded TJ my potato wedges for more of his cabbage ;) I might not like sauerkraut, but braised cabbage I can DO!

 

Today will be spent volunteering pouring wine at the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival! Not gonna lie, it might feel a little weird to be on the OTHER side of the tasting table. See you kids on Sunday for the fun report :)

Posted in cooking | 9 Comments »

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