Bacon & Avocado Grilled Cheese

The dogs got Cancy a panini press for his birthday so it's our go-to now for sandwiches. Any sandwich tastes better after a few minutes in the panini press.
This sandwich is something I put together combining some of out favorites. I hope you enjoy!

Bacon & Avocado Grilled Cheese

4 slices of bacon

1/2 of an avocado, sliced

4 slices of pepperjack cheese

bread

ranch dressing

Cook your bacon. Our favorite way is to set it on a foil lined cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. You can do this ahead of time and then just drain the bacon and roll it up in paper towels before placing in the fridge.

To Prepare Sandwiches:

Spread a thin layer of Ranch Dressing on both pieces of bread. 

Break the bacon in 1/2, placing 4 little pieces on each sandwich.

Top the other slice of bread with your sliced avocado.

Place the pepperjack on top of the bacon and close your sandwich so that the cheese is in the middle of all of the other goodness.

Grill in a panini press or in a hot pan for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is oozing out.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Potatoes

I love chicken & Cancy loves potatoes. We both like a little heat in our food.

This recipe from “My Baking Heart” turned out to be a hit in our house. The salsa is super easy to make. We’ve made the salsa several times since just to have on hand. J

Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Potatoes


 1-1/2 lbs Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed


3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted


4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, rinsed and pat dry


1 tbsp fresh lime juice


1-1/2 c reduced fat or regular Mexican blend cheese, shredded


1/2 c salsa (recipe below)


1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add potatoes and spoon 1 tablespoon of the butter over all and toss gently to coat potatoes. Arrange in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and spoon the potatoes to one side of the baking pan. Arrange the chicken pieces on the other side of the potatoes in the pan. Combine the remaining butter with the limejuice and spoon evenly over the chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

In a small bowl, combine the cheese, salsa, and cilantro. Spoon evenly over the chicken and potatoes.

Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. If desired, serve with additional lime wedges.

C’s Salsa

2 cans diced tomatoes, with liquid


1-1/2 md onions, chopped


3 to 4 Serrano peppers, sliced


1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped


2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped


Cumin, to taste


Pepper, to taste


Kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. We like a thin salsa, but you can leave it chunky, as well.

Thai Basil Chicken

I love Joelen’s food blog. This girl can cook. When I came across this recipe on her site, I knew it was a must-try. I really like ground chicken so I was glad to be able to use it in a really tasty dish.  Cancy & I both really liked this.

 Thai Basil Chicken

2 cups basil leaves, packed (Thai preferred)

3 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tsp white vinegar

1 1/2 lbs ground chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

Place garlic, 1-cup fresh basil leaves and the chili garlic sauce in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping bowl one time. Transfer 1 tablespoon of this mixture to a small bowl with the 1-tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar. Stir and set aside.

Place the remaining garlic/basil mixture into a cold 12" skillet and set aside.

Place the ground chicken in a bowl with the remaining 1-tablespoon fish sauce and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.

In the cold skillet with the garlic/basil mixture, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and onions to the pan. Sauté over medium low heat and allow herbs and onion to soften.

Once onion is softened, add the chilled ground chicken, and stirring constantly, brake chicken up as it cooks. Continue stirring until chicken is no longer pink.

Add garlic/basil sauce mixture that you made previously. Cook about 1 min.

Meanwhile, chiffonade the remaining cup of basil leaves and add to the pan to cook 1 additional minute or so, until the basil wilts. Serve over rice.

Chile’s 6th Birthday. The Cake.

I love Michelle's blog usually for her people food. However, when it came time to make Chile's birthday cake, she pulled through for that as well! :)


Our little Miss Chile turned 6 on New Year's Eve. It's crazy how fast time goes. Cancy & I got Chile a few months before we moved from Minnesota to Texas. After being an only child for about 5 1/2 years, we got her a puppy a few months ago. Chile, being the sweet dog she is, shared her birthday cake with Landon.

Peanut Butter Carrot Doggy Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup natural peanut butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1 cup shredded carrots
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8″ round cake pan or an 8×4-inch loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the rest of the ingredients and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until thoroughly combined. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Mexican Chicken with Jalapeno Popper Sauce

If you have ever eaten with my husband and I, you know we love spicy foods. This recipe showed up in my Google Reader and it seems like a few people have been enjoying this one. I followed the recipe from Krista's Kitchen, but you can check out the links she has back to the original.


What a fast meal. It came together in about 30 minutes. And this will score you Manly Points too. Cancy LOVED this dinner. Enjoy!!

Mexican Chicken with Jalapeno Popper Sauce

3 Chicken Breasts

A Sprinkle of Cumin per Breast

A Sprinkle of Chili Powder per Breast

A Sprinkle of Salt per Breast

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

3 Jalapenos, Seeded and Chopped

6-8 Oz. of Cream Cheese

2 Cups of Chicken Broth

3 Slices of Bacon

3/4 Cup of Shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack

1 Tbsp of Fresh Cilantro, chopped + more for garnish

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings while the bacon crisps. Add the chicken to the hot bacon fat in the skillet. Cook chicken, turning every few minutes, until juices run clear and no longer pink. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Add chopped jalapenos to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute more, until fragrant. Add chicken broth, deglazing pan. Bring to a boil. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Add in shredded cheese and bacon, stirring until the cheese in melted. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro. Serve chicken on a bed of Mexican or Taco rice and topped with sauce. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired. 

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

A little while before the holidays, Cancy and I were both feeling a little under the weather. When you feel under the weather, nothing tastes better than chicken soup. We wanted something a little different though. I found this lemon chicken rice soup on JoElen’s page and knew it was the one.

This came together super fast and we were able to use what we had on hand. Give this a shot next time you’re not feeling that great and it will make you feel much better.

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 celery, finely diced

1/2 cup carrot, finely diced

4 bone-in chicken thighs, cut in half

1 cup long grain rice

6 cups chicken stock or broth

1/4 cup lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup frozen peas

In a dutch oven, add the oil and warm up over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrot. Cook until softened.

Add the chicken and brown slightly and then add rice. Stir to toast the rice for a minute or two.

Add the chicken stock and lemon juice to the pot. Bring to a boil and stir. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer until the rice cooks completely. When the rice is cooked, allow it to continue cooking until the rice naturally thickens up the soup.

Add the cream, and frozen peas. Continue cooking until the peas have warmed up and serve.

Hatch Chile Salsa

I love, love, love Hatch Chile season. It’s short. You only have a couple weeks to get your hands on these peppers and when you do, stock up. I ended up buying 6 pounds of roasted hatch peppers this weekend just to prepare and freeze to use over the next year. I saved just enough to make this salsa.

I love green salsa. The hotter, the better. I’ve just never been able to make it right. I came across this recipe at the grocery store this weekend when I was stocking up on my Hatch peppers. It’s the perfect heat and full of flavor.


Hatch Chile Salsa

5 roasted Hatch peppers
6 tomatillos ( cut in quarters )
1 garlic clove
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/4 Cup of cilantro
1 large jalapeno
salt to taste

Combine everything in a food processor and spin away. After a minute or so, you are left with a bright beautiful hot sauce.