Baked Green Beans with Bacon and Cheese

{cooks note}


When I had Blake, my friend brought this as part of her dinner to me.  My family was immediately in love.  She told me how she did it, so there is really no "real" recipe.  I'll do my best to explain.  Either way, it's pretty easy to put together and everyone loves it.  Definitely not on weight watchers plan.


Baked Green Beans with Bacon and Cheese
from my friend Brooke


1 package frozen green beans
Shredded Cheddar cheese (I use a Mexican blend from Costco)
Cooked bacon, chopped (about 6 slices)
Olive Oil
fresh ground peper
Kosher or Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place frozen beans in a microwave safe bowl and add about half an inch of water.  Cover tightly with saran wrap and place in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, or until beans are not frozen anymore, but definitely not cooked.  Drain the water from the bowl and place the beans on a quarter baking sheet (half the size of a normal cookie sheet).  You can use a cookie sheet, but you will have more room on it.  I would use it if you double the recipe.  Drizzle about 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil over the beans and mix them so all the beans are lightly coated with oil.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top and bake in the oven for about 5-8 minutes.  Test one bean to make sure it's getting close to done.  Change oven temperature to a high broil  Add chopped bacon and put back in the oven for another 1-2 minutes. Take out and add the cheese.  Bake for another 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Times may vary for each oven.

Sometimes, very rarely, I buy this full cooked bacon from Costco.  It's a complete time saver in situations where I have no time.  Other times, I cook 3 pounds of bacon in batches in my oven and freeze it.  A how-to on that is coming up soon.

The six ingredients.

I like to buy my frozen vegetables at Costco.  They are much cheaper and I like the quality far better than most grocery stores offer.

Bacon is key to this dish.

This totally takes the healthiness out of eating your vegetables, but every once in a while it's okay.

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken
from Your Home Based Mom (via Tasty Kitchen)


Chicken-
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 ½ C all purpose flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce-
1 ½ C water
2 Tbsps orange juice
¼ C lemon juice
1/3 C rice vinegar
2 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp orange zest (grated)
1 C packed brown sugar
½ tsp ginger root (minced)
½ tsp garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp green onion (chopped)
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.
Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions.

{cooks note}

Let's just put this out there...I am really picky about orange chicken.  I don't care for tons of breading on the chicken. I finally found a recipe that I like.  It's easy to follow and my whole family liked it, so that is a plus.  

Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Syrup

Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Syrup

from Rookie Cookie

1 cup cubed watermelon
2 nectarines, pitted and cut into chunks
1 cup hulled and quartered strawberries
Zest of 1/2 lime
1 lime, juiced
3 Tbsp honey
Pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine zest, lime juice, honey and salt. Whisk until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine the watermelon, nectarines and strawberries. Drizzle syrup over the fruit. Stir well.

Serve chilled for best taste.

Yields 2 servings.

{cooks note}

We love this fruit salad!  I have made it three times in the last 5 days.  I used mangos instead of necatrines.  I am on a total mango frenzy these days.  Good thing you can buy 8-9 at Costco for $5.99.  This is a fruit salad that is so easy to prepare and a great addition to any summer meal.  

Break

I'm taking a little break from the blogging world over the next couple of weeks. If you couldn't tell, my posts have been pretty scarce here and here. I've been busy taking kids to the pool almost everyday and just trying to enjoy summer...the heat and all. Our little miss is in the beginning stages of crawling and the above picture has been her current favorite position on the ground for the past month. I personally think it is so cute. I might make an appearance or two, but for the most part, I am checking out. Ciao!

Natural Peanut Butter Winners

And the winners of the Krema/Crazy Richard's natural peanut butter are....

Teri said... 

Well, of course, the "Sticky and Sweet". What could be better?

Thanks for the giveaway.

erica e said...

mmm... i think i must try the grilled pb and banana split sandwich! i was sold when i realized there weren't only mini chocolate chips but also strawberries! oh yum!

Damaris said...

Peanut Butter Cup Bliss=yumm.

this also looks yumm.

Please email me at thecooknextdoor@gmail.com and leave your address so your peanut butter can be sent to you.

Thanks.

Peanut Butter Bars and a Giveaway

 

Peanut Butter Bars With Chocolate Fudge Frosting

from Brooke at Cheeky Kitchen

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Bars

1 c. peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. Coach's Oats

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. white flour

1/2 tsp. soda

In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, egg, butter and brown sugar until light an whippy. Add remaining ingredients, then press into a small cookies sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for exactly nine minutes. Don't overcook it! It might look a little soft and gooey, but it will set as it cools. Allow to cool before frosting & cutting into bars.

Whippy Cocoa Fudge Frosting

2 sticks butter, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips just until barely melted. Using and electric beater/mixer, beat in the butter, then slowly add the powdered sugar and just enough milk to make the frosting a nice, spreadable consistency. Frost cooled bars. Allow frosting to set up for about 30 minutes before cutting. ENJOY!

Remember when I had Melissa on from Krema and Crazy Richard's Natural Peanut Butter?  Well, when they sent me some of their peanut butter, I got right to work in my kitchen.  This is the Crazy Richard's brand.

This is the Krema brand.  

All N.A.T.U.R.A.L baby!

The ingredients.  I love how there are oats, natural peanut butter and whole wheat flour in these.  That makes them totally healthy, right?

Mix all of the wet ingredients together.  

Next, add the dry ingredients.

Press into a small cookie sheet.  I used my sheet that is half the size of my regular cookie sheets.  Otherwise known as a quarter sheet pan.

Do not overbake.  These are supposed to be moist.  I cooked mine until I could just barely see it browning on the top.

The whippy cocoa fudge frosting ingredients.  

Oh, la, la!

These are easy and fast to put together for an impromptu summer party or picnic outside.

The folks at Krema and Crazy Richard's Natural Peanut Butter would like to do a giveaway for my readers.

Here is the deal:

Go to their blog.  In your comment on my blog, state what your favorite "Sammy of the Week" from their blog would be and why.  There are many to choose from, so good luck.  They want three winners...how can I argue with that?  Each winner will have two jars of natural peanut butter sent to them.  One creamy and one crunchy.  

The giveaway ends Monday night at 11:59 pm.  

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

from Simply Recipes

Marinade Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Other Ingredients

2 pounds flank steak

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1  Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch deep knife cuts, about an inch apart, across the grain of the meat. Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl. Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

2  Using olive oil soaked onto a paper towel, coat the grill rack of your grill with olive oil. Preheat the grill with high, direct heat. The grill is hot enough when you hold your hand about an inch over it and you can only hold it there for about a second.

3  Take the steak out of the marinade bag and sprinkle generously on all sides with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. The salt and pepper will help form a savory crust on the steak. Place steak on the hot grill. If you are using a gas grill, cover the grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. Half way through grilling on each side, turn the steak 90° so that you get more grill marks.

4  How do you know if the steak is done? The best way to tell is to poke it with your finger tips. While the steak is still raw, test it with your fingers; it will be quite squishy. That's what a very rare steak feels like. As the steak cooks the muscles contract and firm up. Touch the tip of your nose and that's what a very well done steak feels like. Here's a visual guide, the finger test to check the doneness of steak.

5  Flank steak is best eaten medium rare; well done will make it too tough. When the steak has cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil to hold in the heat and to keep the steak from drying out, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Make very thin slices, against the grain, and at a slight diagonal so that the slices are wide.

If you want, you can take the excess marinade and bring it to a boil, simmer for several minutes, and serve with the flank steak. Great also with salsa or horseradish sauce.

Serves 6.

{cooks note}

I made this for Cody on Father's Day and it was a huge success.  The meat was tender and juicy and grilled to perfection (thanks to Cody).  I marinated the steak overnight to let all of the marinade soak into the meat.  I boiled the excess marinade and then simmered it for a few minutes.  The added juices to the meat and potatoes was a welcomed addition.  I served the meat with garlic red mashed potatoes, fresh fruit bowls and green beans with bacon and cheese (recipes coming soon).