Just Good Ole Food

Bacon Cheese Potatoes (Slow Cooked)

4.0 from 6 reviews

1/4 pound bacon, diced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
butter
Green Onions (optional)

Line crockpot with foil, leaving enough to cover the potatoes when finished.

Layer half each of the bacon, onions, potatoes and cheese in crockpot. Season to taste and dot with butter.

Repeat layers of bacon, onions, potatoes and cheese. Dot with butter.

Cover with remaining foil.

Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Notes

Make this recipe bigger if you are expecting company. Great to serve for a brunch!

Bacon-Pepper Mac and Cheese

3 cups uncooked penne pasta (10 oz)

1/3 cup butter

1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 1/4 cups milk

10 slices packaged precooked bacon (from 2.1-oz package), cut into 1/2-inch pieces, pepper jack cheese makes a great substitution
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

4 oz Muenster cheese, shredded (1 cup)

2 oz Gruyère cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup Progresso® Italian style bread crumbs

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2 Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the butter in small bowl. Stir bell pepper and onions into butter in saucepan. Increase heat to medium; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and mustard. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in bacon and pasta.

3 Remove from heat; stir in cheeses until melted. Pour into casserole. Stir bread crumbs into melted butter in small bowl. Sprinkle over pasta mixture.

4 Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are bubbly

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1/4 cup butter
1/2 chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken stock (I used bouillon cubes + boiling water)
1/2 lb fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup carrot, shredded and chopped
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounces grated Colby jack cheese (I used Velveeta)
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot Sauce (optional)

Sauté the onion (and garlic) in the butter over medium heat. Remove the onions (you can actually leave the onions in there) and add in the flour, stirring constantly. Add in the half and half, milk, and chicken stock. Bring to almost a boil.

Add the onions back in, along with the broccoli and carrots. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Season the soup with the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir in the cheeses (and you can play around with the amounts; use however much or little you like) and let simmer for 10 minutes longer before serving

Ok, here is a recipe that is fast, easy and a delicious dessert.

1-2-3 Cake

I love this idea!!!

You need two boxes of cake mix, One can be any flavor you prefer, but the other MUST be Angel Food cake mix
Mix them together (shake them in a big bowl). Then simply store the mixture in an airtight container until you get the urge for dessert
Then just put three Tbsp. of the dry mixture in a big coffee mug
stir in 2 Tbsp of water

Microwave it for one minute and you will have a single serving of cake!

Top with fruit, ice cream, whipped cream or whatever! Awesome for those of us who want something sweet every now without making an entire cake!!!

Potato Soup

12 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
6 tablespoons bacon fat
1 1/2 cups diced onion
4 heaping cups chopped potatoes
2 cups water
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 cans milk, use the soup can to measure
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons parsley flakes

Brown onion in bacon fat. Boil potatoes in water until tender. Combine onion, potatoes and bacon with remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly, but do not boil.

Chopped Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

I love salads, and I am always looking for new recipes so if you have a favorite one please share it with us..

The dressing:

3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp lemon zest
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 egg yolk or 2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup canola oil

The salad:

2 hearts of romaine
1 carrot, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed, then diced
1 cup croutons
3 hard boiled eggs, quartered
1/3 cup currants
3 green onions (scallions), minced
1 avocado, diced
Other ideas: crumbled blue cheese, chopped chicken, steak, or shrimp

To make the dressing, combine the lemon juice, zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a fresh grinding of pepper in a small bowl. Add the egg yolk (or 2 tsp Dijon mustard, if you don\'t want to use raw egg) and whisk to combine. Slowly add the oil, whisking until it's incorporated. Taste and add more oil, lemon juice, or salt to balance the flavors. Set aside.

Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl, or on a large cutting board for fun. Drizzle 1/2 of the dressing over the top, mix with tongs or your hands, and taste. Add more dressing if necessary. Pile onto 4 plates and enjoy

ýChicken Parmesan Meatballs

Another favorite I love meatballs, and made with chicken or turkey they are better for your diets...homemade beef meatballs and gravy are one of my most favorites. My mom has made them for years and hers are much better...

1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup Pecorino (or Parmesan)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 egg, whisked
zest of half a lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 14-ounce can store bought pizza sauce
about 4 ounces fresh mozzarella (a dozen thin slices; to pile on the cheese would be to cancel out the fact that you were virtuous enough to replace fatty beef with lean chicken)

In a large bowl, gently mix together first 11 ingredients. Shape into lacrosse-ball size balls (that would be a little smaller than tennis ball) and place a few inches from each other on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix one spoonful of your pizza sauce with olive oil. Brush this mixture on top of each meatball. Place it in heated oven ( Preheat oven to 400°F) and bake for 15 minutes.

After that, remove meatballs from oven, put some sauce on top of each meatball, and cover each with a slice of cheese. Broil another 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is golden. Heat remaining sauce in a small pan. Serve meatballs with a dollop of sauce and a raw Tuscan kale salad that has been shredded and tossed with shallots, olive oil, salt, and pepper.