Spinach Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

Bacon.  Spinach.  Cheddar cheese.  Bacon.  Onions.  Bacon.  All solid ingredients.  Oh, and bacon.  What happens when you bake them all into one biscuity mass?  I'm glad you asked!  Original recipe here.

Recipe

1/4 lb bacon, chopped
1/2 lb spinach, chopped
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 c bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 a small onion, minced
seasonings: pepper, mustard, jalapeno, hot sauce, etc.

Sizzle up your bacon.  Combine everything in a big bowl and mix up.  Cluster into patties and put on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Cook at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Notes

I'll be honest.  I scaled the amounts mathematically when copying the recipe above, but when I actually cooked this, I eyeballed everything - about half a bag of spinach, the end of a block of cheese, generous sprinkles of bread crumbs, a tiny onion, squeeze of mustard, etc.  My patties came out a bit crumbly, but I definitely had no cause to complain.  Really really good.  I ate it as a meal; it might be a bit hearty for a side, and probably too much for a starter if you plan on eating much else on the night.  Anyway, good stuff, worth tinkering with (soberer) for structural integrity if not taste reasons.

December 2014 addendum: So, did some tinkering around Thanksgiving this year.  These notes encompass some experimentation with ingredients, balance, etc...

• I shied away from frozen spinach at first, but it seems to be the best for not having everything fall apart.  Just make sure you drain it well so the spinach-y taste isn't overpowering.
• Moar bacons and onions and cheeses!
• The consensus was that it's better to err on the side of cooking longer, leaning toward crispness.

Chunky Chicken Chili

Chili is a key part of any guy's cooking repertoire.  The usual beef chili is hard to argue with, but it does take some time to stew together into rich, meaty goodness.  Apparently, though, you can switch up the meats for a quicker process.  I've already tried pork, and now, chicken.

Recipe

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) fire-roasted tomato chunks
1 cup chicken broth
1 lb chicken, cut into 3/4 in pieces
1 can (15 oz) hominy, drained
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
shredded cheddar cheese

Heat some oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until translucent.  Add the tomatoes, broth, chicken, hominy, beans, and spices.  Stir and bring to a boil, then simmer 10-15 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through and tender.  Serve with cheese and other fixings.

Notes

Not much to add.  Hominy is apparently tough to find, but just used some plain corn instead.  I've served it plain, over rice, and with mashed cauliflower (a topic for a future post), all nice - it can be a bit soupy by itself.

Sweet Potato & Apple

Sweet potatoes are great, lots of good ways to cook 'em.  I thought this recipe was worth trying:

Recipe

1 sweet potato
1 apple
1/4 c vegetable stock
butter

Slice the sweet potato and apple into thin semicircles.  Heat some butter and saute the sweet potato slices for a few minutes.  Then add the apple slices for another minute or two.  Pour in the stock, cover, and steam for a few minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated (and the sweet potatoes are soft).

Notes

I tried this one first as per the original recipe - with apple juice instead of vegetable stock - and it was way too sweet.  I wanted to try again with a more savory direction (including a chopped onion) and it was better.  But still not as good as hash or fries...

Pickled Snap Peas

It looks like most of my recent posts have been more side dishes, since by this point I've got a lot of my favorite entrees well established (and the Washington Ave. Key Foods doesn't have the most interesting meat cooler, bless its heart).  This one can be more of a snack - or even garnish - but it's definitely worth investing a little time in a batch you can keep around for a little while.  I've never been a big pickle fan, but more bite-size snap peas work for me!

Recipe

1 lb snap peas
1 1/4 c vinegar
1 1/4 c water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1-2 small chile peppers

Boil the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar until it's dissolved, then let cool.  Clean the snap peas, put them in a jar with the garlic and peppers, and pour the liquid over.  Let sit for a couple weeks.

Notes

Based on what was around, I used apple cider vinegar, (a lot of) honey, and jalapenos.  Also, I used a Ziploc bag instead of a jar because I'm extra classy.  I'm honestly not sure how much control the add-ins give you over the flavor, ultimately, but I did feel like I got a hint of honey sweetness.  Good stuff, might have to get a jar if I want to have these on hand regularly.