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.

Saucy Venison Sausage Balls

I pinned this recipe over a year ago from The Daily Dish. Made a couple of changes like making my own meatballs rather than using frozen. These were a big hit at my fams early Thanksgiving.

3 lbs spicy venison ground sausage
2 10 oz jars apricot preserves
28 oz bbq sauce

Form sausage into balls, about 32. Place on cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Place in crock pot. In medium bowl combine preserves with bbq sauce.

Pour sauce over the meatballs. Heat on low for about 2-3 hours.

Load in car, drive 3 hours to moms. Plug crock pot back in, set on warm and watch how fast it's devoured! Enjoy!!

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Meat and Potato Patties

I found this wonderful recipe for Beef and Potato Patties - Northern Irish Pasties over at Simple Living and Eating. Sounded like something everyone might like, so I pinned it.  I was wrong - everyone LOVED them!  The best thing is its easy to change up - use whatever ground meat you like. Use equal amounts ground meat and potatoes and then just adjust the remaining ingredients accordingly. After a few changes this is what I came up with:

1.5 lbs russet potatoes
water
salt
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 lb ground venison sausage
5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp each salt and black pepper or to taste
3/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp coriander
dash of nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp dried parsley
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 to 1 cup panko bread crumbs
canola oil

Peel and quarter potatoes. Place in pot.

Cover with water, add salt and bring to boil over high heat. Boil for about 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are done. Drain water and mash the potatoes. Set aside to cool.

In small bowl mix together worcestershire, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and nutmeg. Set aside. In large bowl break up ground meat. If using more than one kind of meat mix them together, then break up.

Pour sauce over the meat.

Mix the onion and parsley in with the potatoes. Add the potato mix to the meat and combine. Divide into eight somewhat equal patties.

Dip in egg then bread crumbs. Heat small amount of oil in large skillet. Add the breaded patties and cook until well browned on both sides.

Serve and enjoy!!

Crock-Pot Sweet Kielbasa

I pinned this recipe months ago, finally made it about two months ago and am now getting around to posting it here. This was found at Crock-Pot Ladies. They have a wonderful variety of recipes for your crock pot. I will prob be using more of them when I change jobs. So easy and sooo yummy!!

2 lbs kielbasa sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced

Place sausage in crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients. Pour over sausage. Heat on low for six hours. Serve and enjoy!

Sorry for the lack of pics, will add those next time I make this - I hope. Meanwhile the crock pot ladies to have a pic of the final product that you can view by clicking on the link at the top of this page.

Balsamic French Green Beans

I found similar recipes online but all using fresh green beans. I was wanting to dress up some canned green beans for our Christmas Eve dinner. This is what I ended up with:

10 slices bacon
3 cans french cut green beans, drained
8 green onions, chopped
1 lg red potato
3 T balsamic vinegar

Layer bacon slices on paper towels and cover with an additional paper towel to prevent splattering. Cook in microwave for about eight minutes.

Cut into one inch pieces and set aside. Micro-bake potato in microwave for five minutes and chop into small chunks.

In large skillet heat bacon for about two minutes, just long enough to finish cooking. Stir in onion and potato. Continue cooking for about three minutes. Add the green beans and balsamic vinegar, heat through.

Serve and enjoy!

Venison Filet Mignon

We have a freezer full of deer meat and are enjoying every bite! I have not cooked much venison in the past and never like this. According to my hubby this is the absolute best way to cook backstrap.

back-strap
2 cups milk
2 tsp hot sauce
bacon
2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Cut back-strap into slices 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick.

Place in bowl. Add milk and hot sauce.

Cover bowl and let marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from milk and rinse off. Wrap each slice of venison with a slice of bacon.

Secure with a plain wooden toothpick. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add butter to an ovenproof skillet and begin to melt over low heat. Season each bacon-wrapped filet to taste with salt and pepper.

Increase heat under skillet to high. On a side note have it told you how much I love my PIC (preciscion induction cooktop). It is amazing! Ok back to the fillets - Add fillets and cook for two minutes to sear.

 Flip and sear other side for one to two minutes. Do not press down on or squeeze fillets. You may want to push them gently into the side of the skillet to allow bacon to sear. Place skillet in oven for 7 to 10 minutes, until desired doneness is reached.

I recommend well done for venison. Remove skillet from oven and allow fillets to sit for two minutes. Serve and enjoy!

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My Turn For Us
Love Bakes Good Cakes

Pulled Pork

This pulled pork was awesome! It was a little spicy for my MIL, but not really spicy at all for the rest of us. I also like the idea that this recipe comes from Diabetic Living - BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches so it's a little healthier than most pulled pork recipes.

1 large yellow onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup water
2 to 2 1/2 lb boneless pork sirloin roast
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup low-cal BBQ sauce (I used my homemade, not real sure if it's low-cal)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground ginger

In a large slow cooker combine onions and water, set aside. Trim fat from roast and if necessary cut to fit in slow cooker. In a small bowl combine the chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, black pepper and garlic powder.

Sprinkle over the meat and rub in. Place meat in slow cooker with the onions. Cover and cook on low for about 8 to 9 hours or on high for about half that time.

While roast is cooking, in large bowl combine BBQ sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger and the remaining 1/4 tsp cumin; set aside.

Remove roast and onions from cooker using slotted spoon and place on platter. Using two forks shred the roast and add to bowl with sauce, tossing to coat.

Serve on buns or tortillas. Enjoy!

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See Ya In The Gumbo - Ms. EnPlace

Thursday Favorite Things - Katherines Corner

Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends - My Turn For Us

Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends - Love Bakes Good Cakes

Meatloaf for People Who Don't Like Meatloaf

Neither my husband nor I are fans of meatloaf but this recipe for Cowboy Meatloaf from Chewin' the Fat in the Kitchen is AWESOME!! We LOVE it!!! I no longer have Mamie around to make this for me so I finally had to break down and make it for myself. It is super yummy and unlike any meatloaf I have ever tried before.

1 lb lean ground beef  (93/7)
1 lb not so lean ground beef (80/20)
1/2 lb ground pork sausage
12 oz thick sliced bacon
1 sleeve of saltine crackers from a standard box
1 large egg or 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
1 cup ketchup (more or less)
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper +
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl mix together ground beef, pork sausage, crackers, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, cajun seasoning and onion, combine well.

Add ketchup and mix in using additional ketchup if needed, you want the mixture to be moist but not soggy.

Set aside.  Take the bacon and on kitchen counter, cookie sheet or other flat surface weave the bacon. I found the easiest way to do this was to lay out half the slices one direction, then weave in the remaining half starting at the middle and working out.

Sprinkle the bacon with coarse black pepper. Brush with BBQ sauce.

Take the beef mixture and shape into a large ball and place in the middle of the bacon. Wrap the weaved bacon around the beef mixture. (Mine didn't wrap quite all the way around, I just put the uncovered portion to the bottom.) Place the bacon wrapped meatloaf in baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes. Using turkey baster remove juices from meatloaf and set aside. Continue baking meatloaf checking every 15 minutes and removing the excess juices until meatloaf reaches and internal temperature of 165 to 170, this should take about one hour to one and a half hours. You will use 1/4 cup of the reserved juices to make your gravy, I will share that recipe next week.

Once meatloaf has reached the necessary internal temperature and the bacon blanket is nice and crispy, serve and enjoy! Tip: I put mine under the broiler for a few minutes to get the bacon extra crispy.

Shared with:

See Ya In The Gumbo - Ms. EnPlace

Thursday Favorite Things - Katherine's Corner

Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends - My Turn For Us

Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends - Love Bakes Good Cakes

Chicken Alfredo Grilled Pizza

It has been a while since I made these. They were VERY yummy but since the move I have not been doing any grilling. Need to start back up and these pizzas would be a great place to start! Something I'm sure everyone in the house would enjoy.

3 slices of bacon
1 lg chicken breast, cubed
olive oil
garlic powder
3 thin individual sized crusts
alfredo sauce
Italian seasoning
red onion slices, rings separated
jalapeno, sliced
mozzarella
shredded parmesan

In skillet cook bacon till nice and crispy. Drain on paper towels. In grease remaining in skillet cook the chicken. Remove from pan and place on small plate. Preheat grill to med-high. In small bowl mix together 3 Tbsp olive oil and about 2 tsp garlic powder.

The peaches were for our salad. They were very yummy grilled!

Assemble all ingredients together on cookie sheet or other pan or platter to make easier to carry out to the grill. Brush one side of each crust with the oil/garlic mixture.

Place crusts, oil side down, on grill. Grill for about two minutes. Brush the other side with more of the oil/garlic mix and flip the crusts over.

Once you have flipped them over, top each crust with desired amount of alfredo sauce, sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Then top with bacon, chicken, onion, jalapeno and cheeses. Close lid on grill and continue to cook until cheese is melted and crust nice and crispy, about five minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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See Ya' In The Gumbo

All My Bloggy Friends

Sausage Potato Skillet

I found this wonderful dish for Skillet Sausage and Potatoes when looking for good camp recipes. It can be cooked over a campfire or on a stove top. I cooked mine inside. It makes a great breakfast but could be a simple lunch or dinner as well. This was breakfast for two mornings for us and we loved it!

4 links sausage, about one pound
3 to 5 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs unpeeled red potatoes
1/2 of a very large yellow onion
1 tsp dried thyme, crushed
2 tsp cumin seed, slightly crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cut potatoes into cubes. Heat oil in skillet. Add potatoes.

Cut onion into small wedges and add to skillet with potatoes. Cook over med-high heat for 12 minutes or until potatoes are nearly tender, stirring occasionally. Slice sausage about 1/4 inch thick and add to potato mixture. Add oil one Tbsp at a time as needed to prevent sticking. Cook for about 10 minutes until potatoes and onion are slightly brown and tender. Stir in thyme, cumin seed, salt and pepper and continue cooking for one minute.

Serve and enjoy!

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