Recipe #333: Chicken Succotash

I have a new favorite cook book, The New Soup Bible by Anne Sheasby.  Here's a recipe from that book.  Fantastic, full of flavor.  I made minor changes like using frozen corn instead of cobs.

Ingredients:

3c chicken stock (I may have added more, but I don't remember)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4c butter
2 onions, chopped
4oz chopped bacon (I probably used more.... I mean, it's bacon, right?)
1/4c flour
4 cobs corn (or frozen equivalent)
1 1/4c milk
14oz can lima (butter) beans, drained
3 tbsp shopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring the chicken stock to boil in a large pan.  Add the chicken and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook 12-15 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.  Reserve the stock.

Melt the butter in a pan.  Add the onions and cook 4-5 minutes until softened but not brown.

Add the bacon and cook for 5-6 minutes, until beginning to brown.  Sprinkle in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring continuously.

Gradually stir in the hot stock and bring to a boil, stirring until thickened.  Remove from heat.

Add the corn and half the milk.  Cook for 12-15 minutes until corn is tender.

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and stir into the soup.  Stir in the beans and remaining milk.  Cook for another five minutes.  Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Recipe #310: Bacon-y Potato Soup

Oh man this one is just perfection.  I made a couple changes, marked in red.  It makes a LOT of soup (serves 7-8) and is perfect for this cold weather we're having.  This is another winner from allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound bacon, chopped 2 stalks celery, diced 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 8 potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 cups chicken stock, or enough to cover potatoes

3 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 3 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro  (I used green onion instead) salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.
2.	Cook celery and onion in reserved bacon drippings until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Return bacon to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.  (about 25 minutes or so- test with a fork)
3.	In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, tarragon, and cilantro. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Puree about 1/2 the soup (I used a potato masher to lightly mash the entire thing, but leaving plenty of potato chunks), and return to the pan. Adjust seasonings to taste.  Top with shredded cheese.

Recipe #276: Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

I've made these before, but I never posted the how-to, apparently.  Really easy and adaptable.... and obviously delicious!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Wrap 3 stalks of thick asparagus (woody ends removed) per strip of bacon, securing the end with a toothpick.  Place on a rack (I used a cooling rack for cookies) on a foil-lined cookie sheet.).  Brush top end with butter or spray with Pam olive oil, and dust with garlic salt.  Bake about 25 minutes until bacon is done.

Recipe #258: Boeuf A La Catalane (Child)

I have a new label/tag in my blogs now- Julia Child.  I'm now the happy owner of her two-book set Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and this is the inaugural recipe I chose.

I love the layout of the cookbooks.  Instead of the typical ingredients list, and then directions, it lists the ingredients needed for each step alongside that step.  Unfortunately, that's hard to duplicate nicely here, but I enjoyed following the cookbook as I made this.  Also, while I was trying to decide which recipe to choose, I noticed many of them called for a fireproof casserole/french oven.  I suddenly knew what I wanted for Christmas (as these are definitely not cheap!) and went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get my new pot.  It weighs a ton, especially with the food in it, but I was so happy using it!

Unfortunately, I was so excited about serving this up after the long cook time, I forgot to put the cheese in at the end.  It was delicious!  The meat was really tender and the flavors were perfect.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4       pound  chunk of bacon
2         tablespoons  olive oil
3         pounds  lean stewing beef, cut into squares 2 1/2″ across and 1″ thick
1 1/2    cups  onions, sliced
1         cup  raw white rice, unwashed
1         cup  dry white wine or dry vermouth  (I used Chardonnay)
2         cups  beef stock or canned beef bouillon
salt to taste
1/4       teaspoon  pepper
2         cloves  garlic, mashed
1/2        teaspoon  thyme
Pinch   saffron
1          bay leaf, crumbled
1          pound  tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped
1          cup  Swiss cheese or Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325°

Remove rind and cut bacon into lardons (1 1/2-inch strips, 3/8 of an inch thick.) Simmer in 1 quart of water for 10 minutes. Drain, dry, and brown lightly in oil in the skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon to the casserole.

Dry the meat on paper towels. Heat fat in skillet until almost smoking then brown the meat a few pieces at a time.  Place it when browned in the casserole.

Lower heat to moderate, and brown the onions.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and add to the casserole.

Still in the same fat, stir the rice over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes until it turns a milky color.  Scrape into a bowl and set aside until later.

Pour any remaining fat out of the skillet, add the wine and stir for a moment over heat to dissolve coagulated cooking juices.  Pour into the casserole.

Add stock or bouillon almost to the height of the meat.  Salt lightly.  Stir in the pepper, garlic, and herbs.  Bring to a simmer on top of the stove, cover tightly, and set in lower position of preheated oven to simmer slowly for 1 hour.

Remove casserole from oven.  Stir in the tomatoes, bring to simmer on top of the stove, cover, and return to the oven for an additional hour or so of very slow simmering.  When the meat is almost fork-tender, remove the casserole from the oven.  Raise oven heat to 375 degrees.

Tile casserole and skim off fat.  You should have 2-2.5 cups of liquid; add more stock or bouillon, or water, if necessary.  Stir in the rice.  Bring to simmer on top of stove, cover, and set again in lower third of oven.  Regulate heat to keep liquid at full simmer for 20 minutes so the rice will cook.  Do not stir the rice.  At the end of this time it should be tender and have absorbed almost all of the liquid.  Remove from the oven and correct seasoning.

Just before serving, delicately fold the cheese with a fork into the hot beef and rice.

Recipe #248: Weekday Cassoulet

Even once I took this out of the oven, I was skeptical about the flavor... thought it might be on the bland side.  I couldn't be more wrong.  I'm nearly speechless about this one.  Just amazing and perfect and so simple!!  This is from the Food Network channel site, with my changes in red.

Ingredients

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, cut in 1/2 through the bone
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound slab bacon, sliced into large lardons  (I could only get a typical pack, but got thick-sliced, cut them into about 2" pieces)
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups cooked Northern white beans (I just used one can of Northern beans)
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tomato, sliced very thinly
Garlic Bread Crumbs, recipe follows
1 baguette, sliced, for serving


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and dry the chicken well and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

In a large Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, add the bacon and slowly render the fat. Remove the bacon to a plate when crispy, leaving the fat in the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove to a plate. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. I had a lot of bacon fat left, so I got rid of half of it.  Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce by half. Stir in the beans, bay leaf and thyme. Nestle the chicken thighs and bacon into the pot. Add the chicken stock, cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the lid and top the cassoulet with sliced tomatoes and the Garlic Bread Crumbs. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer. Serve the cassoulet with baguette slices.

Garlic Bread Crumbs:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 slices slightly stale or dried bread, pulsed into crumbs in food processor  (I just used about a cup of regular bread crumbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small saute pan over low heat, add the oil and the garlic. Stir until the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in the bread crumbs and cook until the bread crumbs start to turn golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from heat.

Recipe #228: Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Chicken and Rosemary

What DOESN'T taste better wrapped in bacon?  ....I can't think of anything.  This recipe is ridiculously easy!  I'm always skeptical about chicken breasts, worried they'll turn out dry, so I tend to cook thighs... but no worries here- they were delicious.  I served this with some bbq sauce for dipping, and the grilled Brussels sprouts recipe located here on the side.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breasts
Thick-cut bacon, 2 per breast
1 sprig fresh rosemary per breast
Garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

Sprinkle garlic powder over chicken breasts.  Lay rosemary sprig on chicken.  Wrap with bacon strips.  Pin with toothpicks.  Grill on med-high heat about 8 minutes per side or until done.

Recipe #226: Wedge Salad with Grilled Grape Tomatoes and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Another grill recipe!  Only the tomatoes are grilled for this one, but it does make a huge difference.  I followed the recipe except for adding extra of some of the ingredients (noted).  Of COURSE bacon makes it even better!  Recipe credit to Foodnetwork.com.

Ingredients

1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 wedges
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled (I used a little more more)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pint grape tomatoes (I used a whole pint)
2 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled (I used four strips)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion


Directions

Heat a grill or grill pan and place the lettuce wedges on a platter.

Prepare the vinaigrette by briskly whisking together the Dijon, vinegar, and garlic. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to create an emulsion. Add the sugar and blue cheese, and whisk gently to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly oil the tomato slices, and season with salt and pepper. Grill until slightly charred on the outside and then transfer to the platter with the lettuce wedges. Pour the vinaigrette over the lettuce and tomato and top with bacon and red onion.

Recipe #212: Spaetzle, Sauerkraut and Sausage Casserole

I was going to do my usual meal with kielbasa and sauerkraut by just cutting up and frying the kielbasa in a pan and then adding the sauerkraut to the pan to warm it up, but I found a recipe in the meanwhile that I modified to make this.  I'm glad I tried it because the meal was good when I ate it, but it was the LEFTOVERS that were phenomenal!

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 small Gala (or similar) apple, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 16oz package sauerkraut
1 16oz package kielbasa, cut into coins

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bacon in a skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the bacon is crisp.  Remove the bacon, leaving the drippings in the pan, and set aside.  Cook the onion in the same pan until browned.  Remove the onions.  Add butter, apple, and brown sugar to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.  In a bowl, mix the spaetzle, onions, butter, apple mixture and sauerkraut together.  Put this mixture into a greased 9x9 casserole dish.

Brown the kielbasa in the pan.  Layer on top of the casserole dish.  Bake for 15 minutes in the oven.

Recipe #210: Bolognaise Sauce (Pressure Cooker)

My mom gave me a pressure cooker as a gift awhile back, but I was scared of using it.  I finally tried a recipe tonight, and my biggest problem was preventing myself from eating too much!  This was DELICIOUS!  Obviously bacon makes ANYTHING better...  I served it over whole grain spaghetti.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4oz bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
1 clove garlic, crushed (I used minced garlic instead)
2 tbsp tomato paste
Pinch mixed herbs or Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
375ml beef stock
2 tablespoons cornflour

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in the open cooker and fry the bacon and vegetables until lightly browned.  Remove from pot.

Brown the ground beef in the oil.  Add all ingredients except cornflour to the pot and stir well.  Close the lid, bring to pressure and cook for 15 minutes.

Release the pressure QUICKLY.

Add cornflour to the pot and bring to a boil and cook till thickened.  Serve with spaghetti and grated parmesan cheese.

Recipe #204: Lamb Stew

I was beside myself with excitement over this one.  I love lamb, and stew is perfect for winter.  It was fantastic!

My changes:
1.  I halved the recipe.  Well, minus the bacon- can't have enough bacon- I used a one-pound package.
2.  I didn't have flour.  This is because of an incident where only the previous day, I had to throw away all my flour.  I didn't notice anything lacking- not a big deal.  Definitely less of a mess, too.  I have bad luck with flour.
3.  I added peas.  Stews should have peas.
4.  I cooked the bacon in the big pot, removed it, browned the meat in that same pot, removed it, and did the rest before combining everything in that same pot.  No reason to dirty more dishes.
5.  I used a 3lb lamb leg (boneless) because shoulder was not available

Don't mind my laziness- I'm on vacation, after all.  I'm just going to copy and paste from allrecipes.com.  (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Irish-Lamb-Stew/Detail.aspx)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds thickly sliced bacon, diced 6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 large onion, chopped 1/2 cup water

4 cups beef stock 2 teaspoons white sugar 4 cups diced carrots 2 large onions, cut into bite-size pieces 3 potatoes 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 bay leaves 1 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2.	Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat.
3.	Place meat into stock pot (leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan). Add the garlic and yellow onion and saute till onion begins to become golden. Deglaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water and add the garlic-onion mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, beef stock, and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
4.	Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and wine to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Recipe #149: Rumaki

I made these for a family gathering, but ESPECIALLY for my Uncle Jimmy!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 (5 ounce) cans water chestnuts, drained
• 10 slices bacon, cut in half

Directions

1. Combine soy sauce and sugar. Stir in water chestnuts. Marinate chestnuts overnight.
2. Wrap bacon slice around each chestnut. Fasten with a wooden pick. Place on a rack in shallow baking pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30-35 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe #141: Chicken and Waffles Sandwich

I got a look from Nick when I mentioned this one, but once he saw it, he had no arguments.  Very easy to put together, nice and fresh tasting.  I  made this with a side of broccoli soup.  Thank you Cooking Light magazine for the inspiration!

Ingredients

• 4 slices lower-sodium bacon, halved crosswise  (I used fully cooked bacon and reheated it, it's quicker)
• 3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise  (I could only find olive oil mayo, but it was good!)
• 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 frozen whole-grain waffles, toasted  (I just needed 4 for two of us)
• 6 ounces thinly sliced, lower-sodium deli chicken breast  (I used Boar's Head brand Everroast Chicken!)
• 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices ripe tomato
• 4 Boston lettuce leaves  (Love these leaves!  Perfect size and texture!)

Preparation

1. 1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
2. 2. Combine mayonnaise and the next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl.
3. 3. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over 4 waffles. Divide chicken, bacon, tomato, and lettuce evenly among servings. Top with remaining waffles.

Recipe #135: Pasta with Squash and Pancetta

I have to admit, I thought the smell of the pancetta was pretty gross while this was cooking, and I worried that it was going to ruin dinner.... but once the seasonings were added and everything was finished, this dish came out great and the pancetta was perfect for it!  Here's something a bit different.... subbing bacon in for pancetta would probably be pretty good too.  I liked it even better as leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 medium (about 2 1/4 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt
• 3/4 pound penne pasta
• 3 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and finely chopped  (I found some pancetta crumbles that I used instead)
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, flakes
• 10 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped or torn  (I used dried sage because I couldn't find the fresh leaves)
• 1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Transfer to oven and roast until squash is browned and tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set pasta and reserved cooking liquid aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta and cook until just crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallots, crushed red pepper, and sage. Cook until shallots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add penne and squash and toss gently, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as necessary to moisten.
4. Add cheese and black pepper and cook, tossing gently, until pasta and squash are heated through. Serve immediately with more grated cheese, if desired.

Recipes 125-129: The Menu From Foodie Night

I have several foodie friends that love cooking just as much as I do, and we love cooking for each other and being each others' guinea pigs for new recipes, or showing off some favorites.  Some of us decided to collaborate and make a big meal together, and it finally came to fruition at our house last night.  I was excited to set up our dining room all "fancy" and proper, with serving bowls, platters, water pitcher... And man did the house smell awesome!

The menu:

• Cocktail shrimp
• Sopa de Ajo/ Garlic Soup (with a side of seedless rye bread and rosemary infused dipping oil)
• Roast Rosemary Lamb
• Mashed Potatoes
• Butter Steamed Asparagus
• Chocolate Covered Bacon  (oh yes, we did)

And of course a bunch of wine, whiskey (bourbon and scotch), beer, and even an interesting round of cognac.

And here's the recipes....

Recipe #125:  Dave & Julie's Sopa de Ajo/ Garlic Soup

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
3 large eggs
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 tsp smoked pimenton or paprika (pimenton is a spanish style, hot paprika)
1/4 cup stale bread, cubed, or salad croutons
salt
pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a smaller pot over medium-high heat. Fry bread in oil until dark and crunchy. Add garlic, pimenton, a pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of black pepper. Saute until softened. De-glaze with chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

In a separate pot, heat a couple quarts water until simmering. Carefully crack the eggs into the water and poach until whites are set. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon, and place on a paper towel-lined plate.

Ladle soup into bowls and add the egg. Sprinkle with a little chives for color.

To eat, break the yolk into the soup and mix.  Adjust ingredients according to the number served- about 1 egg per person, proportionally.

Recipe #126:  Roast Rosemary Leg of Lamb (variation)

Note-  I previously posted a roast lamb leg recipe here, so I'll just note my changes:


I intended to get a 6-7lb leg from the store, but they only had ONE left, and it was 9.5 pounds.  I figured eh, what the heck, I'll use the leftovers for lamb shepherd's pie.


This time, I let the leg sit out to come closer to room temperature for several hours before roasting.  I then cut slits into the meat on both sides and put slivers of fresh garlic into the slits.  I peppered both sides, and sprayed it with olive oil before pressing fresh rosemary leaves onto both sides.  I didn't use any butter this time.


I roasted it for 1.5 hours at 325, then turned it over, then roasted it another 45 minutes.  I then mixed a mostly-thawed can of lemonade concentrate with 1 packet of Lipton onion and mushroom soup, and poured it over the roast.  I then roasted it for 45 more minutes.  


This roast came out a bit more done than last time I did it due to timing.  We shut off the oven and let it sit until we were ready for it, after the soup, and I think it kept cooking some.  Even though it was less rare, though, it was still super tender.  So adjust cooking times according to your tastes.  

Recipe #127:  Skin-On Awesome Mashed Potatoes

I found this great recipe on allrecipes.com, of course.  Sounds simple but tastes great! 
 

 

Ingredients

6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed  (WE LEFT THE SKIN ON!)
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 teaspoon salt 
Dash pepper

Directions 

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender. Drain well. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper; mash until light and fluffy.  (WE ALSO ADDED CHEESE!)

 

Recipe #128:  Simple Butter Garlic Asparagus

Simply take as much asparagus as you need to feed everyone, and cut off a few inches from the bottom.  Melt butter into a frying pan on the stove, and add the asparagus.  Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir to coat evenly with seasonings and butter.  Cover, stir occasionally, until tender-crisp, 5-10 minutes. 

 

 

Recipe #129:  Tom & Jenny's Chocolate-Covered Bacon

I asked Tom and Jenny how they did this.... I can't give you exact measurements but I think it's pretty straight forward... they melted down some dark chocolate, dipped some cooked bacon in it, and laid them on wax paper to cool.  Tada!!!  There were mixed reviews at both ends of the spectrum on this, so you have to judge yourself.  Personally, I loved the two flavors, but didn't feel that they mixed ever.... I felt at any given bite, I was either tasting chocolate, OR bacon, but not at the same time.  Not that there's anything wrong with either of those ;)

 

 

So there you go... you should have seen how many dishes we went through, but it was worth it.  Great food, lots to drink, fun friends.... who could ask for a better night?

Recipe #110: Shrimp Cobb Salad

This is so easy to make, and full on flavor but not heavy!  And anything with shrimp and bacon and avocado has GOT to be awesome...  This is from my May issue of Cooking Light.  I varied the amounts quite a bit- more shrimp, more bacon, and I doubled the dressing for better coverage.  I'll post the recipe here as-is though- it's easy to vary the amounts according to your tastes.

Ingredients

• 4 slices center-cut bacon
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 (10-ounce) package romaine salad
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 carrots)
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges

Directions

• 1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; cut in half crosswise. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Increase heat to medium-high. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to coat.
• 2. While the shrimp cooks, combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, juice, oil, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add lettuce; toss to coat.
• 3. Arrange about 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 6 shrimp, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup carrot, 1/4 cup corn, 2 avocado wedges, and 2 bacon pieces.

Recipe #85: Laramie Loaf

This is one of the Dichtl Big 4.... one of those family meals you've eaten your entire life, where just smelling it brings back memories of dinner..... (the others are spaghetti pie- recipe 1, tuna soup burgers- recipe 10, and another that I haven't blogged yet)

Now, I like to keep these family recipes EXACTLY how I used to eat them, but the first time I made this for Nick, he didn't like how hard the outside of the french bread was.  To me, that's just part of the tradition, but I compromised for this time and used loaves of ciabatta bread instead, which are a little more forgiving and easy on the gums.  Another change I made was to not put olives on part of the sandwich since one friend who was eating it didn't like olives.  Lastly, I didn't bother eating the top bun on my sandwich (as you can see in the pictures) because it doesn't have as much of the good stuff on that side.

My friend Tom says that since we changed the type of bread used, we should call it Larry Loaf instead of Laramie Loaf.  Hmm...

Don't be scared off by how weird these ingredients sound together.  I LOVE this recipe.  I can't really begin to describe the flavor, but trust me, it's good- if you like the ingredients separately, you'll like them together.  Also don't be scared by the looks- it's not real pretty, but it's DELICIOUS!!

INGREDIENTS

2 loaves french bread (or, in my case, 2 large ciabatta loaves), sliced through the middle
Butter/margarine
2 3oz packs of cream cheese (NOT 8oz- these little 3oz packs do exist in the store)
1/2 cup mayo or miracle whip
3 tbs mustard
4 tbs Worcestershire sauce
Olives, per taste, chopped or sliced
Shredded cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
1 chopped tomato
Bacon slices, cooked, about 12

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place loaves open face on foil and butter insides.

In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayo, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and olives (or leave the olives as a topping in case someone doesn't like them, but they make a big difference in the taste).  Smear the mixture on bottom halves of the loaves.  Top with cheddar cheese, tomato, and bacon (and olives if not in the spread).  Cover with top piece of bread and wrap with foil.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Note:  Next time I do this, I'm going to try to make them all open face and just create a loose pack of foil around them for baking.  I didn't bother eating the top of mine because it didn't have any of the toppings on it.