Bacon Pierogi Bake

Frozen pierogies are a staple in this house. We sometimes saute them with garlic for lunch, or make a simple dinner by topping them with tomato sauce. As soon as I saw this recipe in December's issue of Cooking Light, I knew I was going to love it. This dinner has popped up on a variety of blogs these past few months, and every post was a reminder that I wanted to make it. Well we finally tried it, and it did not disappoint! When we make this again, I think it would be great with spinach added in. So here's another recipe that supports the bacon-makes-it-better motto.

You will need:
*1 (16 oz) package frozen potato and onion pierogies
*cooking spray (I use my Misto)
*2 center-cut bacon slices, chopped
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*3 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
*1/2 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
*1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced scallions
*1/4 cup chopped seeded plum tomato (omitted this time)
*1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spread the pierogies in a 11 x 7-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.

2. Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan. Set aside.

3. Add garlic to drippings in pan and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth , stirring with a whisk until smooth.

4. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies. Top evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with bacon, green onions, tomato, and pepper.

Baked Oatmeal

I'm surprised that I have never blogged this recipe. We've enjoyed it a few times. It is fabulous on it's own or mixed into yogurt. The pan keeps well in the fridge, so sometimes I make it on a weekend for great breakfasts throughout the week. This oatmeal was also popular at the brunch I held for my Mom's birthday. I found this recipe posted on The Mess Pot last year. This comes together easily, and aside from the cranberries, it used staples that we already had on hand.

You will need:
*3 cups old-fashioned oats
*1 cup brown sugar
*2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*2 teaspoons baking powder
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 cup milk
*2 eggs
*1/2 cup melted butter
*2 teaspoons vanilla extract
*3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.

3. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish, and bake for 40 minutes.

Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's a beautiful spring day here, and this is exactly how I like to celebrate. Some baking, time outside, and enjoying the anticipation of many spring days to come. On my teaching schedule, St. Patrick's Day always falls over my March break. This allows for even more celebrating! Here's a basic, simple Irish Soda bread recipe that I found on The Confused Homemaker. It does not add in raisins as many of the traditional recipes do, so I knew Dave would eat this version.

You will need:
*4 cups all purpose flour
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*2 cups buttermilk
*1/2 cup butter
*2 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Sift all dry ingredients together. Create a little circle in the center of them and add softened butter & the buttermilk. Mix together quickly (It will look like a biscuit dough) Kneed it for about a minute, not any longer.

3. Shape into a round cake on a floured sheet pan, or shape it into a cake pan. Carve a cross on the top. Bake for 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage, a staple St. Patrick's Day dinner growing up. Many boiled or roasted dinners happened on Sundays, and my Grandmother always said we had some Irish in us. My father set out to recreate many of these meals during my childhood. I spotted this recipe in the Food Network Magazine March 2010 issue and knew I had to try it out. We actually made this last year on St. Patrick's Day. I liked that this meal cooked in the crockpot over time making it tender and ready by dinner time. It didn't convert me to loving boiled dinners, but it was much better than I anticipated! If you like a traditional boiled dinner, I suggest you give this slow-cooker method a try.

You will need:
*4 pounds lean raw corned beef brisket
*3 tablespoons pickling spice (often included with brisket)
*1 medium rutabaga, halved and cut into wedges
*1 pound large carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
*1 1/4 pounds large fingerling potatoes
*1 leek, white and light-green parts only, cut into 3-inch pieces
*4-5 cups hot water
*1/2 head Savoy cabbage, cut into wedges
*1/3 cup horseradish, drained
*1/3 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1. Place the corned beef in the bottom of your slow cooker and scatter the pickling spices on top. In the following order, layer the rutabaga, carrots, potatoes and leek around and over the beef. Add enough 4-5 cups of hot water to cover the meat by at least 1 inch. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high, 7 to 8 hours.

2. After the 7-8 hours, remove the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker and keep warm. Put the cabbage in a microwave-safe dish with 2 cups cooking liquid from the slow cooker. Cover and microwave for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, boil another cup of cooking liquid in a small skillet for about 10 minutes, or until it's reduced by half. Mix with the horseradish and creme fraeche in a small bowl.

3. Slice the corned beef and serve with the vegetable, cabbage, and horseradish sauce.

Mole-Style Pork Chops

I have another quick, easy, and successful pork chop recipe to share with you. This appeared in my inbox as a "Dinner Tonight" e-mail from My Recipes -an older Cooking Light recipe. The ingredients were stocked in our kitchen, so we gave this recipe a try shortly after receiving it. These are perfect protein for a busy weeknight dinner. The spices provide a nice flavor and the cooking instructions on the recipe were accurate for me.

You will need:
*1 tablespoon brown sugar
*1 teaspoon smoked paprika
*1 teaspoon ground cumin
*1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
*1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile peppers (omitted because we didn't have them)
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*4 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (I used boneless)
*Cooking spray (I used my misto)

1. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients and rub evenly over both sides of pork. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray.

3. Place pork on the heated pan. Cover and grill 3 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 3 minutes before serving.

Roasted Chickpeas

So this may not be much of a recipe, but I had never thought of roasting chickpeas until I saw it on Good Thymes and Good Food. These make a great snack, and Dave really enjoyed them. I also liked that these came together quick and easy. I think they'd make a great snack or appetizer to munch on when you have company coming over, or they could be a side if you're looking for a healthier alternative to chips. You could roast chickpeas with any spice combination that you prefer.

You will need:
*1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried
*1 tablespoon olive oil (I just used my Misto)
*Kosher salt
*pepper
*3/4 tsp. garlic powder
*pinch cayenne pepper, or more if you want more spice

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Toss the chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Spread the coated peas into a flat layer on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, shake pan to move chickpeas around.
4. Continue to bake for another 15 minutes, checking after every 5 minutes to make sure they do not burn. (Mine were finished just under the total time of 30 minutes)
5. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before eating.

Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies

I figured I should share Dave's Valentine treat before the end of February. Someday I will get better about sharing things closer to when I make them. As soon as Picky Palate posted this recipe, I knew Dave would love it. It also seemed great to keep around since I am not a huge cookie fan. Well, I was mistaken. These cookies were amazing. The chocolate chip cookie stayed a bit softer, which is the way I like them. Thank goodness I halved the recipe so that we only had a dozen of these around. A few were passed on to friends, and Dave happily took one in his lunch all week. At first, everyone thought I made a giant chocolate chip cookie. They were all surprised to find an oreo in the middle! This is why I was referring to them as "Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies."

Here's what I did to yield 12 cookies. Visit the original recipe in order to make 24.

You will need:
*1 sticks softened butter
*1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
*1/2 cup granulated sugar
*1 large eggs
*1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
*1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*5 oz. chocolate chips
*12 Oreo cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Take a scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. (Mine were large, and they needed the full 13 minutes)

4. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce

We never cook with fish. This is something we always aim to change. After the simplicity of this recipe, I am interested in trying some more dinners with tilapia. It's affordable and cooks fast which are two weeknight requirements around here. I found this recipe on the blog With A Cherry On Top.

You will need:
*1 lb. tilapia
*3 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
*Salt and pepper, to taste
*1 teaspoon flour
*1 Garlic Clove, minced
*1/4 cup Chicken Stock
*2 Tsp. Lemon Juice
*1 tomato, diced

1. Pat the fillets dry; season the fillets with salt and pepper.

2. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over med-high heat. Add in the fillets, and sear 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove the fillets from the pan and set aside.

3. While fillets are cooking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over med-high heat in a small sauce pan. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the flour, and cook for an additional minute. Gradually add in the chicken stock then lemon juice, stirring constantly until a smooth consistency forms. If the sauce thickens too much, add in more stock to get the consistency you prefer.

4. Spoon the sauce over the fillets and top with the diced tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin

When I was growing up, my parents always made Sunday dinners. We often had roasted meat, potato, and vegetables. I find that when I am creating my menu plans, I occasionally reflect on this and think of making Sunday a roast kind of night. This pork recipe was another hit from Rachael Ray. I discovered the recipe when it was posted on Katie's Cucina and reduced the amount of pork as she did. This came together easily. We enjoyed it with some steamed kale with garlic. The leftovers reheated well the next day.

You will need:
*2 large cloves garlic, minced
*1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
*1 teaspoon dried sage
*1/4 teaspoon pepper
*1 tablespoon olive oil
*1 trimmed pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

1. Position a rack near the bottom of the oven; preheat to 500°. Combine the garlic, salt, sage, pepper, and oil in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix over the meat, and place the tenderloin in the middle of a roasting pan.

2. Roast for 10 minutes, flip over, and roast again until the internal temperature registers 155° on an instant-read thermometer, about 8-10 minutes more.

3. Let rest for about 10 minutes-this should cause the internal temperature to reach 160°. Slice into ½-inch-thick slices.

Pomegranate White Chocolate Cookies

Every year, everyone in my family receives a pomegranate in the bottom of their Christmas stocking. I always end up taking all of the pomegranates home, and I struggle to use them before they overripe. I used one to make this Pomegranate Beef recipe again. Another one was opened as a snack and yogurt topping. As soon as I saw this cookie recipe posted as a guest post on Beantown Baker by Two Peas and Their Pod, I knew this would be a great way to use another pomegranate before it was too late. The cookies came together easily, but placing the arils was a little time consuming. It seemed a bit frustrating to me, but that may also have been from making these on a time constraint. The end result was definitely worth it.
(I made these cookies about a month ago, so I am clearly a bit behind on posting!)

You will need:
*1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
*1/2 cup light brown sugar
*1/2 cup white sugar
*1 large egg
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
*1/2 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1 cup old fashioned oats
*1 cup white chocolate chips
*1 cup pomegranate arils

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together for about two minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.

4. Stir in the oats and white chocolate chips. Make 1 tablespoon of dough balls and carefully place 6-8 pomegranate arils in each cookie ball. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.