Warm Bacon Salad Dressing-Vinaigrette

Who doesn't love bacon? Ok there are a few of you out there, but for so many of us, it's a delectable tidbit we indulge in every so often.

This easy to make and oh so delicious warm bacon salad dressing I perfected after craving and recreating it from a local fave restaurant. This one does not call for cornstarch as I have seen elsewhere - I have made this one for years...It's a simple twist on my Balsamic Salad Dressing - this one obviously goes great over spinach salad...but any fresh looking salad greens will do.

Remember to allow the dressing to cool slightly, so that you don't unintentionally wilt your salad greens.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bacon - thick sliced is best


• 1 small onion-diced or minced/or three shallots minced
  


• 1 teaspoon dry mustard


• 1 tablespoon grainy dijon mustard


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper


• 1 cup olive oil


• 1/3-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar


• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar


• Juice of one lemon (2-3 tablespoons)


• 3 cloves garlic - minced


• 3 tablespoons honey


• 5 tablespoons mayonnaise


• ****Equipment Needed:


• Skillet, bowls, whisk, slotted spoon, One naked salad needing awesomely homemade warm bacon salad dressing

Directions:

1. The first trick when making this salad dressing dish, is not to overcook your bacon nor cook it too fast.


2. Slice up bacon into 3/4" inch pieces


3. In skillet, and add one tablespoon of olive oil into cold skillet.


4. Place cold bacon in cold skillet.


5. Turn on heat to medium - and let bacon slowly crisp on.


6. If bacon fat, while cooking, is spattering onto your stove top, you are cooking the bacon too fast. Cooking bacon on medium and not high heat is best.


7. Stir on occasion to turn bacon pieces over so they can brown evenly.


8. While bacon is cooking, dice up onions and mince garlic.


9. In separate bowl, add minced garlic, mayonnaise, mustard, honey and salt and pepper. Measure vinegars and add to bowl.


10. With whisk, stir to incorporate well.


11. Slowly with stirring with whisk, add olive oil very slowly stirring all the while to make an emulsion. Using a blender might make this step easier for some.


12. Once bacon is crisp and cooked, using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and set aside allowing it to drain over some paper towels placed on top of a bowl.


13. Remove most of bacon fat, reserving roughly three tablespoons of bacon in skillet.


14. Wipe sides of skillet of any dripped bacon fat before returning to stove.


15. Keeping heat on a medium to medium-low, add onions and let become translucent - maybe five minutes time.


16. Turn heat off. Slowly add vinegar and oil mixture, the skillet will still be hot and mixture may bubble on you.


17. Turn heat back on and let simmer (not boil) for three minutes.


18. Let hot dressing cool 5-10 minutes before adding to salads, in case you do not wish to "cook" or wilt your salad greens - it will still be warm.


19. Right before using salad dressing, add your bacon back to the salad dressing. And voila, add over your favorite salad.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: warm bacon salad dressing, how to make, warm bacon salad dressing recipe

Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage

It's that time of year again, and surprisingly, I have found a few people who do not know how to make this wonderful and tasty dish. Can you even imagine?!? Some of you may have never tried it, but I assure you, this recipe below is a super classic.

It's super easy, rather carefree cooking and hardly can one make a mistake with this one. Just make sure you save some to make amazing corned beef hash!

Serve this up with homemade horseradish sauce - a slightly spicy and decadent sauce along with mustard and you will find all your troops asking for more!

Ingredients for Making the Best and Classic Corned Beef Cabbage:

• 5-6 pounds corned beef


• 4 large onions, outer skin removed, each cut into large wedges


• 10 carrots, peeled


• 2 ribs celery, cleaned


• 2 bay leaves


• 1 bunch parsley, cleaned


• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard


• 1 medium green cabbage


• 12-14 small new potatoes, scrubbed


• Kosher salt and pepper to taste


• 1 tablespoon peppercorns

Directions:

1. In a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, combine the beef, 2 onions, 2 carrots, the celery, bay leaves, parsley and peppercorns.


2. Add enough cold water to cover the beef by 3 inches and bring to a boil.


3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.


4. Cook for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, turning 2 to 3 times.


5. Cook until the beef is very tender, almost shredding when speared with a fork.


6. Remove the meat from the pot and strain the broth into a large bowl. Discard the solids and return the meat and the strained broth to the pot.


7. Add the mustard, remaining onions, carrots, cabbage and potatoes.


8. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 50-60 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.


9. Season the broth with salt and pepper if needed.


10. Slice the beef into 1/4-inch-thick slices.


11. Surround the meat with the vegetables, served whole. The broth should be served on the side with a ladle.


12. Make sure to have deep plates with a lip so lots of broth can be poured over the meat and vegetables, or use shallow bowls.


13. Serve with a warm loaf of country bread.

To Make Homemade Horseradish Sauce:

1. 1 c. heavy cream, whipped until thick


2. 6 to 8 tbsp. prepared horseradish, drained (adjust amount for hotness)


3. 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise (optional)


4. Fold horseradish into whipped cream add mayonnaise. Chill until served. This sauce is fantastic to serve up with your corned beef (and even a good roast beef).

Check out my many other recipes here at Divaliscious' Dinner and Jam Blog - and heck even subscribe so that you never miss a fantastic recipe again - and it's free!

Banana Nut Coconut Muffins

Rich, light and airy muffins with a great topping of coconuts and walnuts will make people wishing you made two dozen - perfect for freezing, great for quick gifts and things to do with "getting old" bananas. These muffins are airy and not dense like banana bread. Serve right out of the oven with honey-butter, oh my!...

• 2 cups flour


• 3 teaspoons baking powder


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 cup white sugar


• 1 jumbo egg (or 1 large egg and 1 extra yolk)


• 1 cup whole milk


• 4 tablespoons melted butter


• 2 medium sized bananas


• 2/3 cup shredded coconut


• 2/3 cup walnuts


• 1 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg


• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


• ****Equipment Needed:


• Preheated oven at 400, greased muffin pans, sieve, 2 bowls and wooden spoon.


• ****Notes: Do not over beat mixture or let stand too long before baking for best results in tall muffins which are crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and make sure your oven rack is placed in the middle of your oven.


2. Melt butter and set aside to cool down.


3. Grease muffin pan and do not forget to baste to top of the pan too so that any muffins that may bake up over can be easily removed after baking.


4. In one bowl, take bananas and using pastry fork or potato masher, mush and mince till well - it looks like mush.


5. Add milk, eggs and vanilla to bananas.Stir till well combined, using whisk to beat up eggs.


6. In separate bowl, measure flour and place into sieve over second bowl.


7. Add salt, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon.


8. Sieve once more and set aside dry ingredients.


9. To sifted flour mixture, add walnuts and coconuts. With wooden spoon, mix to that the coconut and walnuts are well combined into the flour mixture.


10. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.


11. Stir with wooden spoon, do not beat. Make sure the dry ingredients are well combined.


12. Immediately place batter into muffin pans 2/3 full.


13. Sprinkler additional coconut and walnuts on top if you would like.


14. Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.


15. Let cool for two minutes once out of the oven. Then using a dinner knife, carefully go around the edges, muffins should easily pop out.


16. Serve immediately or let cool then freeze muffins for instant breakfast compliments. I assure you!

Banana-Nut-n-Coconut Muffins @ Group Recipes

Surprise Cheese Muffins From Scratch

This easy cheesy muffin recipe is great served for brunch, lunch and as a dinner side. You can substitute any cheese here of course, I like to use several kinds of cheese for added decadence and that "je ne sais quoi" factor your guests and family will love...

• 3/4 cup flour


• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1-1/2 tablespoon sugar


• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal (not the flour but the cereal grain kind - it is next to the oatmeal in your bakery isle at the store)


• 1 cup shredded cheese (try cheddar and parmesan or other interesting combinations such as brie and gouda)


• 1 tablespoon green pepper minced


• 1 extra large/ jumbo egg


• 3/4 cup whole milk


• 2 tablespoons melted butter (shortening) - but make sure its melted


• 1 teaspoon grated onion


• additional shortening to grease your muffin pans


• **Equipment Needed:


• greased muffin pans, one preheated oven at 400 degrees with rack in the middle, sieve, 2 bowls and wooden spoon, hungry people who just happen to simply adore your homemade "surprise cheese muffins from scratch!"

1. Another from scratch recipe from me. By this time, you know you need to sift the flour, measure then sift again with the added dry ingredients. OK here we go....


2. Success of all homemade muffins require that you do not over mix or beat the heck out of your muffin mixture. In fact, you almost want to under mix the ingredients - and do this by hand - do not use a mix master or hand-held mixture- it's ok if it looks lumpy - my thighs are a little lumpy - but do you care? - OK, Don't answer that! Well heck, your guests won't know that your muffin mixture was a little lumpy - but they will truly love you and your fantastic muffins!


3. ******


4. Measure out all your ingredients and have ready. And preheat that oven of yours for 400 degrees making sure the rack is in the middle.


5. Grease up your muffin pan, tell that muffin pan that it is about to make the most delicious muffins it ever has! - Good, can you see your muffin pan smiling now? - wow you greased it up good - and don't forget to grease the top part of the muffin pan (in case the muffin tops slightly stretch out over the muffin mold area of your muffin pan while baking - this will will make it for easier removal)


6. What did I have in my ice tea this morning!...I am writing so silly today - but you ARE laughing...aren't you?)


7. Sift flour and measure. Add salt, baking powder, sugar and sift once more. Add corn meal, your shredded cheese and green pepper. Stir till well incorporated.


8. In second bowl, combine egg, melted shortening - slightly cooled and onion. Mix till combined.


9. Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients.


10. Stir just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. (Remember - do not beat)


11. Fill your greased up and smiling muffin pan 2/3's full.


12. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Best served warm. Enjoy!

Surprise Cheese Muffins @ Group Recipes

Bodacious Baked Ham

What's an eternity? Two people and a ham. Just Kidding!

This delicious take on baked ham makes for a tasty and moist ham which will please many a party giver and taker. Spicy and sweet its an easy alternative for a Sunday meal, serve with your favorite side dishes and corn bread. We had ours with Cilantro & Carrot Basmati Rice and fresh mixed salad. Yummylicious!

And who doesn't love a really good moist and tender baked ham?

• 1/2 butt ham (6-7 pounds) - which has sat out of refrigerator for 30 minutes at least. You will want the chill off of the ham.


• ***For Glaze:


• 1/3 cup maple syrup


• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar


• 1/2-3/4 cup orange juice


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 2-3 tablespoons "jerk seasonings"


• 1 tablespoon dry mustard


• 3 tablespoons dijon mustard


• 2 tablespoons honey


• 1 teaspoon ground cloves


• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)


• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes


• 2 tablespoons balsamic syrup (yes condensed balsamic vinegar - available at fine food stores or places like Turcos and Trader Joe's)


• (Don't have any balsamic vinegar? - Use 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar then)


• 5 tablespoons duck sauce (or 5 packets of duck sauce from your last time you went for Chinese take out)


• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce


• ***Equipment Needed


• roasting pan, tin foil (optional for easier cleaning), bowl, spoon, knife, one working oven at 325, one lazy Sunday afternoon with a crowd to feed.

1. Take cured (pre-cooked) ham out of refrigerator and let chill come off of ham. Remove packaging and rinse under water. Remove any plastic.


2. You will be cooking your ham 20 minutes per pound, so take notes on the amount of time you will need to bake your ham and when the ham should go into oven.


3. Place ham onto cutting board.


4. With knife, make 1/2" or less cuts on the diagonal all over ham. Then going in other opposite direction, make additional cuts so that a "diamond" pattern is now on your ham.


5. See photo for reference.


6. Put ham flat side down onto tinfoil that you have lined your roasting pan with.


7. Place in oven at 325 degrees.


8. In bowl, add all ingredients for glaze, stir till well combined.


9. Go about your business for one hour. Yes, go on now...


10. Return to kitchen and open up oven door.


11. Carefully, pull out rack that has the ham roasting and spoon glaze all over ham.


12. At this point, every twenty minutes, you will want to put more glaze on ham until ham has completed its roasting time.


13. You can up and increase the heat in the oven, to crisp up glaze should you think the ham needs it for the last twenty minutes.


14. Take ham out of oven and let rest 20 minutes.


15. Call peeps to table and place ham up on its side onto a serving platter. Call up your favorite carver and slice up that ham!


16. The crispy "diamonds" are now absolutely decadently Divaliscious!

Bodacious Baked Ham @ Group Recipes