Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Warm and Creamy Bacon Dip

I subscribe to a lot of magazines, probably at least fifty. I love reading publications about cooking, wine and design. I am never without a large pile of them on the coffee table.

In many magazines this month, I kept seeing this recipe on an advertisement page for Daisy Sour Cream. It was haunting me. Of course my eyes gravitated and fixated on the words "bacon", "dip" and "warm" every time I came to a page with this recipe printed on it. Not only was it haunting me, it was calling to me. However, I know I've said it here before, I believe "dip" should be it's own food group, and I can rarely pass one up, but the list of ingredients included bacon bits, something I don't normally buy. So I kept looking away.

Then it happened, I found bacon bits in my pantry. I do not even remember buying them. I went digging through the magazines in the recycle bin to find this recipe and now all is right with the world. What a mouthful of bacon in every bite. What could be better.

This is one of those "deadly dips" that can be polished off before you even know what happened. Don't ask me how I know that. Gah!

World's Best Grilled Cheese

bestgrilledcheese I don’t know who creates these things, but apparently April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Holiday or not, grilled cheese sandwiches seem to appeal to everyone. It’s one of my favorite lunchtime treats –especially when there almost nothing left in the refrigerator – there’s always cheese and bread. Comté cheese, with its complex, nutty, caramelized flavor pairs perfectly with the sharp cheddar. If you can’t find it, you can use all cheddar. Choose high quality sandwich bread – white, wheat or sourdough all work well. Serve on its own, with mixed greens, or my favorite – creamy tomato soup.

3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 thick slices white, wheat, or sourdough bread
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 ounces Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces Comté cheese, grated

Heat a heavy 12-inch cast iron skillet over low to medium-low heat. Meanwhile, spread ½ teaspoon of mustard on the two bottom slices of bread and then sprinkle evenly with the grated cheeses. Top each with a remaining bread slice, pressing down gently to set.

Brush sandwich tops completely with half the melted butter; place each sandwich, buttered side down, in skillet. Brush remaining side of each sandwich completely with remaining butter. Cook until crisp and deep golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes per side, flipping sandwiches back to first side to re-heat and crisp, about 15 seconds. Transfer sandwiches to a cutting board and slice in half with a knife. Serve warm. For two.

– Recipe courtesy of Cook Like James

Mini Loaded Red Potatoes

If you are looking for an easy way to serve a crowd potatoes this summer, you should try this. These sports bar-inspired creations are roasted instead of deep fried (like the loaded potato skins) and come out tasting great.

Choosing the smallest red potatoes you can find keeps them easy to eat. A tray full on the table or the buffet line are a yummy addition to all the cookouts I know you are planning.

With butter, bacon and cheese they taste just as sinful as the deep fried version we are used to eating.

I have to admit I have been craving potatoes lately. After two weeks of rain, weed pressure in the vineyard is high. I have been hoeing around the vines so that root establishment does not have any competition from our friends, "the weeds". Anyway, it is extremely hard work and carbs have been calling. These potatoes hit the spot.

Oven Baked BBQ Fries

bbqfries Potatoes are my kryptonite. Those of you who have been reading here for a long time know my love of potatoes. I don't care if they are mashed, baked, fried, hashed...it just doesn't matter. I can't say no to them in any form. I really try to keep my distance from them but they call to me with their siren songs. Ugh.

So what's a girl to do with five russet potatoes sitting on the counter? Cut them into thick wedges and slather them with barbecue sauce...why not. And then eat them one by one until you feel you can't stuff yourself anymore. Rinse. Repeat.

It's not like the fry itself has this overwhelming barbecue sauce flavor, but it ends up having a nice smoky-sweet background taste. So, to really drive home the whole barbecue experience,mix more of the barbecue sauce with sour cream to make a dipping sauce. Yum.

I love how the barbecue sauce adds a crispiness to the edge of the fries. Just couldn't stop eating them. Save me from myself.

Make these for your next cook out...you will love!

Mac n' Cheese Meets Sausage and Peppers

After returning from a two-week holiday stay with family in Rhode Island, Jeff and I were in a bit of a funk. San Diego suddenly seemed too quiet, too sunny, too bland. We missed the crunch of snow beneath our feet, the hearty bowls of quahog chowder and the sight of a pink and orange Dunkin' Donuts on every street corner. More than anything, we missed the accents.

"You want sugah in your cawfee?"

"Hey, Joe, we got any more baked, stuffed lobstahs in the back?"

"How much rigawt cheese you want?" (That's ricotta in case you didn't know.)

But my personal favorite, which you'll hear most commonly at Italian delis, is, "Yeah, give me a sossig and peppiz."

Comfort Foods and Indulgences