Bacon and Cheddar Quiche - Pinterest Pick #8

This week's recipe is a Pinterest pick!  It's easy, tasty, and can be used as a main dish, a side dish - or breakfast, lunch or dinner! The cheese and bacon make it delicious.  And it's fairly affordable.  Check out my pin HERE and get the original recipe HERE.

Bacon and Cheddar Quiche

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 8 oz shredded cheddar (I used Sharp White Cheddar)
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• salt and pepper
• cayenne
• smoked paprika

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
Roll out pie dough and press into pie dish.  Top dough with 2/3 the bacon, and 2/3 the cheese.  Beat together the eggs, cream, milk, and spices.  Pour custard mixture into pie.  Sprinkle top of pie with remaining cheese and bacon.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Enjoy!
***Note, I served mine with a caesar salad and it made a delicious dinner!

Simply Sides 19 - Classic Pasta Salad

Pasta salad runs rampant in the summertime!  I like all sorts of salads that involve pasta, but this one is a classic.  A light, mayo-less dressing with a few hearty ingredients and a few fresh ingredients.  It should be a go to for any BBQ!

Classic Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 12-16oz box rotini
• 1 packet of italian dressing seasoning
• 3 tbs water
• 2 tbs oil
• 1/2 cup bottled italian dressing
• 1 roasted red pepper, diced
• 1 small can sliced black olives
• 1 handful shredded mozzarella
• 1 diced fresh tomato
• 1/2 lb salami, diced

***optional: sliced or diced red onion, diced cucumber, swap mozzarella for provolone, grated parmesan

Directions:
Boil pasta as package directs.  Drain and let cool.  While pasta is cooling, mix seasoning packet, oil, and water in a bowl.  Toss with pasta until well combined.  Add in all other ingredients and mix well.  Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Enjoy!

Simply Sides 18 - Pizza Dough Breadsticks

I have been so terribly busy at work!  I didn't disappear but I haven't been posting recipes like I should.  But that's because I haven't really had time to cook too many new things either!  Last week however I did make a couple of side dishes, so I will post both those recipes this week.  And hopefully come up with a new main dish this week that I can post next week.
Today's post is about bread sticks.  They're really easy because you start with store bought pizza dough.  But they're better than pre-packaged because you can season them how you like and make them your own!

Pizza Dough Breadsticks

Ingredients:

• 16 oz fresh (store-bought) pizza dough
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or a mix of melted butter and olive oil)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 tbs granula
• ted garlic
• Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425
Roll out dough until you have a rectangular shape.
Spread 1/2 of olive oil over dough in an even layer.  Shake 1/2 of the parmesan over olive oil, evenly.  Sprinkle on salt and garlic. Using a pizza cutter, slice dough into 16 bread sticks.  Twist each bread stick and place on non-stick baking sheet.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and brush on remaining olive oil and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
Enjoy!

Pepper Steak - Crock*Pot Cafe 6

One of my favorite dishes to eat at Asian style restaurant is pepper steak.  One of my besties is always talking about his mom making it for dinner.  I have never made it at home before, but last week I thought I would give it a try. I did it in the slow cooker because right now I am all about meals that cook themselves with very little effort from me.  It was super easy and delicious!

Crock*Pot Pepper Steak
***NOTE: To make this recipe gluten free, sub cornstarch for the flour, and liquid aminos for the soy saue

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/2lbs sirloin steak, sliced thin
• 1 red bell pepper, diced into large dice
• 1 green bell pepper, diced into large dice
• 1 red onion, sliced (use any kind of onion you like, I just had red on hand)
• 1 cup chicken broth (use any kind, beef or vegetable will work too)
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 cup flour
• salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix together salt and pepper with flour.  Toss steak slices in flour until well coated.  Shake off excess.  Pour chicken broth and soy sauce into slow cooker.  Add oyster sauce and stir well.  Add onions and peppers.  Top with steak and give a quick stir.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Stir before serving. I served mine with white rice that I made in my rice cooker.
Enjoy!

Oven Roast Turkey - Home Cooked Recipe 67

I have NEVER made a turkey before.  I think I have mentioned before that I just have not been comfortable working with large cuts of meat in the kitchen, and that was something I was going to start learning in order to expand my culinary horizons.  I have had some adventures with pork, and am now moving on to poultry.  Instead of going with a small 4-5lb chicken, I went right for the turkey! 
I had a little help from my fiance - oh wait, I forgot, I haven't announced that here yet.  Yes!!!  At the tender age of 34 I am finally engaged!!!  He asked me to marry him on April 15th, and of course I said yes.  We've been dating for three and a half years, and are looking to have our wedding in fall/winter of 2016. I am super excited and look forward to being his wife.  But anyway, back to the turkey. So he helped me a little, mostly by taking the guts out (ewwwwww! Not something I can do quite yet), and lifting it in and out of the oven for me.  It came out looking so beautiful!!!  It was a little drier than I had hoped.  I don't really mind dry turkey, but I know some people do.  I think next time I would cook it for 30 minutes less.  I was just extra cautious this time, and frankly I would rather eat my turkey a tad dry than to get salmonella poisoning.  I stuffed the bird with lemons, onions, and garlic, and basted it alternately with butter and olive oil for that super gorgeous brown skin.  Not bad for my first time cooking one!!!

Oven Roast Turkey

Ingredients:

• 13.5 lb turkey (mine came from Publix, I got it in Nov when they were .59 a lb, and just kept it in the freezer)
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 lemon, zested and then quartered
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Directions:
Remove innards from turkey (giblets, organs, etc)
Preheat oven to 400.
Place turkey in roasting pan.  I didn't have a rack, but I will get one for next time. If you have a rack, place the turkey on that in the pan.
Mix together softened butter, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  
Stuff lemon quarters, garlic cloves, and 3 of onion quarters into cavity.  Place last onion quarter in neck hole.  Spread a quarter of the butter between the skin and the breast of the turkey, then spread the rest all over the outside of the turkey skin.  Tie the front legs together with butcher twine.
Bake the turkey for the first hour at 400.  Lower the heat to 350.  Spread some olive oil over the top of the turkey using a basting brush.  After the two hour mark, baste the turkey with the juice from the pan.  Cover the breast with foil.  Cook an additional two hours, basting occasionally.  Let rest for 1 hour, then carve.
Enjoy!