Bacon Sausage Jalapeno Poppers

Hi folks. I know it's been a while but things are finally starting to settle into a routine. We are now in Dickinson, TX in a lovely RV park, Green Caye Village. We are really enjoying it. Next to a beautiful golf course, not that I care for golf but RV parks next to golf courses tend to keep their lawns very neat. They have a few ponds on the property that are stocked with fish so John can go fishing right here in the park if he chooses. We are about 30 minutes from where we work in the Pasadena/Clear Lake area and 30 minutes the other direction takes us to beautiful Galveston! We are so loving it here!!

I could not believe how far behind I am in posting recipes. I mean I knew it had been a while but I didn't realize how many recipes I hadn't posted even before moving from Brownwood! I going to start today with these yummy jalapeno poppers.

Other posts to expect in the future:
     Mexican Tortellini
     Jalapeno Popper Quiche
     Easy Crock Pot Chicken
     Roasted Beets (not sure if I even remember exactly how I cooked/seasoned these)
     Roasted Cabbage
     Restaurant Review - La Brisa Mexican Bar and Grill - our new fav Mexican place in the area, which pretty much means it's our new fav restaurant since Mexican is what we like to go out for most often.
Hopefully I'll get all these up fairly soon. Now for the poppers, I found these bites of yumminess at Happy Pinning or maybe John sent me the link. I'm now sure but that doesn't really matter, what matters is I found these and we devoured them, more that once. Adjust the quantities according to how many you would like to make.

3 large jalapenos
jalapeno flavored cream cheese or whatever flavor you like
3 breakfast sausage links, I prefer the ones that are already cooked
3 slices of thin bacon, I've tried the thick - they don't stay wrapped

Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membrane. Fill with desired amount of cream cheese. Cut the sausages in half lengthwise.

Place half a sausage on top of each stuffed jalapeno, flat or cut side down.

Wrap each with half a slice of bacon. Places poppers on broiler pan or baking sheet covered with foil, broiler pan works best. Bake in 425 degree oven, 400 for RV ovens, for 20 to 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. Bacon should be browned and crisp.

Serve and enjoy. For instructions on how to smoke or grill visit the link above.

Update on Life Changes

Well John and I have moved. We are back in the RV in Lake Jackson, TX. We have always wanted to live near the coast, now we are. With conditions in the oil field here in Texas, we realized John's job couldn't last. So we decided to be proactive and he began looking for another job back in December or January. At first we were looking closer to Brownwood - Waco, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and Abilene. However, the best jobs kept coming up in the Houston area. Also we were faced with moving expenses, transition back into the RV with extra expenses there but in Lake Jackson we have awesome friends who let us park our RV at there place and stay with them as long as necessary.

Kemah Jan 2015

This has turned out to be a very good thing since it is taking longer than expected to get started with my full-time, permanent job with Brazoria County. I have had a hiccup in my background check that I am praying clears up next week so that I can start as originally expected on the 11th or the 18th of this month. It's never come up before, so I was a bit surprised. Right now I am working part-time/temporary with the security company that John hired on with.

This puts us closer to two of the kiddos - one in Pearland and one in Dickonson. However it places us far from the third in Brownwood. This was rather difficult since she is getting married in October and I won't be right there to help but it was something we had to do. Neither of our jobs in Brownwood had insurance, this job with the county will give us that. I guess that is it for now. Things have been rather crazy since our arrival. Hopefully I'll get into some sort of routine soon and post more frequently.

Life Happens Fast

No, I have not fallen off the face of the planet. John and I have moved on to new jobs. It has been totally crazy getting everything ready and running around trying to get interviews done while still working our old jobs. Not much in between time. I'll post next week on where we landed and more on what's going on.

Until then, I leave you with this photo taken in Feb 2013 in Willis, TX.

Menu Plan 03.20.15

First of all Happy Birthday to my MIL! Although her birthday is today, we will celebrate with lunch in Abilene tomorrow. Then on Sunday I go with my younger daughter to help pick out a wedding dress/get ideas. This will also happen in Abilene. Her appointment is at 4 pm, so the guys will be on their own for dinner Sunday night. Last weeks plan went great. This is the plan for this week, hope it goes just as well:

Friday
Date Night

Saturday
Birthday lunch for MIL in Abilene
Bacon jalapeno popper quiche* with Fruit

Sunday
Sweet Bacon Wrapped Venison Tenderloin with Veggies (L)
YOYO

Monday
Chicken Pot Pie with Salad (L)
Saucy Venison Sausage Balls with Baked Cabbage*

Tuesday
Chicken Tenders with Fries (L)
YOYO

Wednesday
Spicy Sausage Rice Skillet with Spinach

Thursday
Simple Lasagna with Garlic Bread

*New Recipe

Crab Quiche

I pinned this recipe - Quiche, recipe.com - quite a while back and finally made one of its variations with a little twist of my own - I added broccoli. According to my mom you can't have a good quiche without broccoli and of course mom knows best, lol. I forgot the step by step photos but did get this pic before I devoured it:

Now that you've seen the finished product, here's the recipe:

1 pie crust

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

dash of nutmeg

4 oz imitation crab, chopped

4 oz shredded havarti cheese

2 oz shredded cheddar

1 Tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pie crust into pan, prick with fork. Top crust with a double thickness of foil. Bake for eight minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional four to five minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325.

Meanwhile in med bowl mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside. Layer crab, green onion and broccoli in bottom of crust. Set aside. In small bowl toss together cheese and flour. Add to egg mixture. Pour over crab and veggies in pie crust. 

Bake at 325 for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in cener comes out clean. Let stand ten minutes before serving. Serve and enjoy.

Menu Plan 03.13.15

Ok, so the last two weeks have been so crazy that I did not even attempt a menu plan last week. It looks as though things are starting to settle down. I'm still not completely sure of my work schedule for this week but to the best of my knowledge the only day I will be off is Wednesday so here is the plan for this week:

Friday
Chicken Tenders with Squash (L)
YOYO

Saturday
Burgers with Onion Rings

Sunday
Sausage Wraps with Fries

Monday
Easy Chicken Bake with Veggies

Tuesday
Beans with Cornbread

Wednesday
Chinese with Egg Rolls

Thursday
Spaghetti with Garlic Bread (L)
YOYO

Quick Shrimp Enchilada Bake

I found this at Recipe.com. This was easy and yummy! My kind of cooking! The guys both loved this as well, so win - win in my book. Here's the recipe:

1 lb peeled, cooked shrimp with tails removed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 7 oz can green chiles, undrained
1 12 oz can green enchilada sauce + enough Salsa to make two cups
12 corn tortillas
1 15 oz fat free refried beans
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime cut into wedges, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium, microwave safe bowl combine shrimp, corn, chiles and 1/2 cup enchilada sauce. Cover and microwave on high heat for about 2 1/2 minutes or until heated through. Meanwhile smear 1/4 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of baking dish.

Top with six of the tortillas, they will be overlapping. Spread refried beans over the tortillas.

By now your shrimp mixture should be heated through, pour over the refried beans. Top with the remaining six tortillas.

Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas. Cover dish with foil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until it begins to bubble on the sides.

Remove foil, sprinkle with the cheese, return to oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about five more minutes. Top with cilantro.

Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!

Abuelo's - The Flavor of Mexico

This is an amazing restaurant we discovered in Abilene a little over two months ago. Since we have eaten at three different Abuelo's locations (Abilene, Austin and Arlington) a total of five times. We absolutely love this place! They have locations in 15 different states so if you are lucky enough to be close to one I HIGHLY recommend! Here is what we had on our first visit:

An appetizer of Queso Diablo with their wonderful salsa assortment - chipotle, 

tropical and regular (my names for these). With such wonderful salsas

we've decided the appetizer is unnecessary, but still oh so good!

 This was my enchilada plate. They have regular enchilada plates or you can

create your own. You can choose two to four enchiladas, each can be a different kind with

a different sauce. Above is two chicken enchiladas with fire-roasted queso sauce.

 John had the fajita chimichanga. One thing we love about this place is you can

get papas (potatoes) instead of rice. Neither of us are huge fans of rice, so having

a choice other than double beans is great! 

Yes, we even had dessert! Tres leches cake - yummo!

Other things we have tried - Firecracker shrimp tacos, fajitas, durango burrito, an enchilada plate with a spinach enchilada with cream sauce - avocado enchilada with ranchero sauce - chicken enchilada with green chile sauce. I'm sure I'm missing some things but it's all good!

Sweet Bacon Wrapped Venison Tenderloin

I have made this twice now and it is soooo yummy!! I have two more tenderloins in the freezer and can't wait to make this again. I found this recipe at Food.com. It is simple and delish but does require planning ahead since you marinate the tenderloin overnight. The original recipe adds white sugar on the outside of the bacon to make a sweet "crust". I have not tried this, I like it perfectly well without the add sugar. Here is what I did:

2 venison tenderloins, about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs each
2 cups low sodium soy sauce (the original says not to use the low sodium, but what can I say, I'm a rebel)
3 cups brown sugar (I have used both light and dark, have no pref)
7-10 slices thin cut bacon (I again went with low sodium)

In large ziploc bag mix the soy sauce and brown sugar.

Add the tenderloin, turning to coat completely. Let marinate in fridge a minimum of three hours, overnight is best. I've done both and there is a difference. Remove tenderloins from marinate and set marinate aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wrap tenderloins with bacon. Place on broiler pan. Douse with the marinate. Bake on center rack of oven for 40 to 50 minutes for med well, basting with the marinate about every 10 to 15 minutes. Let sit for five minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Shared with:

Menu Plan 02.27.15

Wow, I can't believe February is almost over! I have one carry over from last weeks menu, the fish. I was just too tired! For now this is the plan for the coming week:

Friday
Battered Fish with Fluffpuppies and Slaw (L)
Date Night

Saturday
Overnight Chia Breakfast Pudding* (B)
Spaghetti with Salad and Garlic Bread (L)
Corndogs with Chips

Sunday
Breakfast Pizza* (B)
Chili Mac with Salad (L)
Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup

Monday
Burgers with Fries (L)
YOYO

Tuesday
Sausage Wraps with Veggies

Wednesday
Fish Tacos with Beans

Thursday
Shepherds Pie with Roasted Squash (L)
Frito Pie with Jalapeno Poppers

Menu Plan 02.20.15

Had a great time visiting with my mom this last week. This coming week is rather iffy but this is the plan for now:

Friday
Salad with Grilled Chicken
YOYO

Saturday
Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza

Sunday
Chicken Pot Pie with Salad

Monday
Venison Chili with Mexican Cornbread

Tuesday
Quiche* with Fruit

Wednesday
Chicken Alfredo with Garlic Bread

Thursday
Battered Fish with Fluffpuppies and Slaw

*New Recipe

Menu Plan 02.13.15

My work schedule changed slightly this past week but did my best to keep dinner plans in tact. Had to work Wednesday night, then moved Thursday lunch to dinner; of course there was an advantage to this, I will now be off Saturday night, woohoo! Had a GREAT week in Dallas with the honey. Now to get back into the swing of things, as much as possible anyway. John will be leaving on Monday for South Texas and be back on Wednesday. My moms birthday is today, so I will go down on Tuesday for a visit and plan to be back on Wednesday. So here is the plans:

Friday
Cheesy Fish with Slaw

Saturday
Valentine's Date Night

Sunday
King Ranch Casserole with Salad (L)
YOYO

Monday
Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza

Tuesday
Gone to Momma's

Wednesday
Spaghetti with Garlic Bread

Thursday
Chicken Tator Tot Casserole with Veggies (L)
Date Night

Sweet Tomatoes

Tried this restaurant last night. It was quite good. The only thing I can compare it to would be a Souper Salads, only better. The Souper Salads I've been to have like two selections of soup to choose from. Sweet Tomatoes had around six! I did not try any of the pizza/pasta. I was there for soup and salad (and a little dessert) and that is what I had. I would definitely go here again when in the mood for a good salad! If you have one in your area you should give it a try!! The hubby and I both left full and satisfied. I did not take any pics, so here are some I found on there website and around the web:

Crazy Meatball Soup - SOOO Yummy!

Menu Plan 02.06.15

We are leaving today for Dallas. John has a training class to attend. We will be back Wednesday, late morning or noonish. So the plans for home-cooking this week are almost nil. Most of what is planned is held over from this past week. Here is what we do have planned:

Friday
Shepherd's Pie with Spinach (L)
Abuelos!

Saturday - Tuesday
All meals out or something simple at the hotel

Wednesday
Lunch Out with the In-Laws for Dad's BD (L)
Sausage Wraps with Chips

Thursday
Shredded BBQ Chicken on a Bun with Fries (L)
YOYO

Reese's PB Bars

I found this amazing recipe over at Inside BruCrew Life. They are soooo good, but then Reese's is just the BEST candy ever made and this has triple Reese's! I'm ready to make these again!

The Bars
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 10 oz pkg reese's peanut butter chips
3/4 cup organic lt brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup reese's minis cut in half

The Frosting
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp whipping cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

The Topping
reese's pieces

Lets start with the bars: Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.

In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the PB chips and stir until melted and creamy. Stir in sugar.

Remove from heat. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Stir in a little of the pb mix at a time until it is all blended in. Add the flour and salt.

Mix until a soft dough forms. Stir in the halved reese's minis. Spread into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Cool completely (that's the really hard part). Next we'll make the frosting: In a medium bowl beat the butter and vanilla together until creamy. Add the whipping cream, powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

Continue beating until creamy. Spread over the bars.

Now top with desired amount of reese's pieces.

Cut into bars and enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk!

Menu Plan 01.30.15

This past week the plan went okay with a couple of switches, Hope this week goes as well. Here is the plan for this week:

Friday
Quick Shrimp Enchilada Bake* with Salad (L)
YOYO

Saturday
Aussie Chicken with Veggies

Sunday
Venison Chili with Cornbread?

Monday
Venison Burgers with Fries

Tuesday
Italian Crescent Casserole with Veggies

Wednesday
Shredded BBQ Chicken on a Bun with Chips

Thursday
Sausage Wraps with Fries

*New Recipe

Brunch Pie

This is yet another recipe that I pinned a few years back and have never tried - until now! The guys loved it. I liked it but am not crazy about bell peppers so next time I may use jalapenos. I pinned this from Mennonite Girls Can Cook. This time I pretty much followed their recipe, except for seasoning. To speed the prep process I chopped my veggies the night before. This worked out really well, especially since I wanted this for breakfast and am not an early riser.

garlic salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups frozen hash-browns
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (or jalapeno pepper)
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheese
6 eggs
3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In skillet melt butter. Add hash-browns and cook for about five minutes. Season with the garlic salt and pepper.

Spread into bottom of nine inch pie pan.

Top with the chopped veggies.

Sprinkle on the shredded cheese and crumbled bacon. In bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Season with additional garlic salt and pepper.

Pour into pie pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until eggs are set and pie is browned.

Serve and enjoy!

Shared with:

Menu Plan 01.23.15

Had to make some changes to this weeks plan, life happened, lol, things change. This is the plan, such as it is:

Friday
Date Night - Headed to Abilene and Abuelos!

Saturday
Burgers and Fries (L)
Chicken Tenders with Veggies

Sunday
Chicken Tamale Pie with Beans (L)
Slow Cooker Mexican Cheese Soup

Monday
Brunch Pie* (B)
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken (BBQ Chicken for Mom) with Chips
YOYO

Tuesday
Spaghetti with Garlic Bread and Salad

Wednesday
Sweet Bacon-Wrapped Venison Tenderloin* with Veggies (L)
Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup

Thursday
Battered Fish with Onion Rings (L)
Date Night

Date night will be a night early this week, since this is my week to work the weekend.
*New Recipe - I have actually made the venison tenderloin before, I just forgot to take pics and didn't post, so it's still new to this blog.

Italian Crescent Casserole

As I mentioned on the menu plan, I pinned this recipe three years ago and am just now giving it a try. I pinned it from Real Mom Kitchen - Keeping it Real in the Kitchen. This meal was a huge hit. A definite keeper! You can change up the meat to whatever ground meat you like, I used venison, the original used ground beef. I also changed the sauce a bit, and added a little salt. Can't wait to try it again, maybe with sausage this time.

1 8 oz can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 lb ground meat, cooked and drained
8 oz garlic tomato sauce + 2 Tbsp water or 1 cup garlic pasta sauce
salt to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups Italian blend shredded cheese
1/4 tsp dried basil

In skillet mix together ground meat, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning; then add salt to taste. Heat through. Set aside. Spray 9 inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange crescent rolls in in a spoke pattern with narrow tips hanging over the edge of the pie plate.

If you are using a regular pie plate they should hang over about three inches, deep dish only about one inch. Press into bottom of pie plate and up the side.

If using a deep dish only press dough 1/3 of the way up the side of the plate. Sprinkle one cup of the cheese over the bottom of the crust.

Top with the meat mixture.

Bring tips in over the meat mix.

Tips should meet in the middle without overlapping. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and dried basil over the dish. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!!

Shared with:

Menu Plan 01.16.15

Only one minor change to last weeks menu plan and nothing to carry over. So starting this weeks plan from scratch. Want to try something new this week, this is more of a challenge now with more people to cook for, one with many dietary restrictions/dislikes. I have searched through my Pinterest Boards and found a recipe I think we can live with - Italian Crescent Casserole! I pinned this THREE years ago finally it will be Sunday's lunch!!  I also came across a recipe for Crock Pot Huevos Rancheros Casserole that will be breakfast Saturday morning, pinned just a short TWO years ago. Now here is the rest of the menu:

Friday
Shrimp in Garlic Wine Sauce with Orzo (L)
Date Night

Saturday
Crock Pot Huevos Rancheros Casserole* (B)
Salad with Baked Chicken (L)
Grilled Cheese with Soup

Sunday
Italian Crescent Casserole* with Veggies (L)
YOYO

Monday
Chicken Mole with Beans

Tuesday
Pizza

Wednesday
Sausage Rice Skillet with Veggies

Thursday
Slow Cooker Chicken Tator Tot Casserole with Green Beans

*New Recipe