Baked Brie with Balsamic Blackberries

One of my favorite things about Super Bowl weekend is deciding what snacks to make for the big game. Meatballs, wings, and dips of various kinds seem to make the list, but sometimes I like to class it up a little with a high falutin' snack like brie.

I love brie. I love it on grilled cheese, I love it in omelets, I love it on crackers. And I especially love it warm and melty. This preparation adds beautiful berries that have been reduced in a balsamic syrup.

The great thing about this appetizer? It's SOOOO easy to make, and it's ready very quickly. And, it's also purple. My favorite purple team won't be playing this weekend, but it will still be fun to watch the game being played in our home stadium. And eating brie makes just about any sorrow seem less sad, even it is football.

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Baked Brie with Balsamic Blackberries

1 cup blackberries
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
8 ounce round of brie

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the berries, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Cook stirring occasionally while the juices cook down slightly and the berries soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove packing from brie round. Carefully slice the rind off of the brie. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Top with balsamic berries (leave the spare liquid in the saucepan!) and bake an additional 3 minutes. Serve with bread or crackers.

Thai Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Lately, I have really been into making stirfry dishes IF they include noodles. And sometimes, I just add noodles and adapt a dish! I love that stirfry "recipes" are really just a guideline - you can use whatever meat and vegetables you like and have on-hand, especially if the sauce is versatile. For me, peanut sauce works well with chicken, steak and pork - not so well with fish - but that's just a matter of preference!

For this version, I used up some leftovers which included steak, broccoli, zucchini and mushrooms. Carrots, peppers, asparagus etc would all be delicious additions as well. Consider this recipe your template, and then make it your own.

I used rice noodles here because I had them in my cupboard but you can easily sub linguine, soba noodles, udon, again, whatever is your preference! So clean out your crisper drawer, get out the pb, and have a delicious dinner in no time at all. (If your family is spice-averse, use only half of the chili garlic sauce...)

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Thai Noodles with Peanut Sauce

12 ounces linguine or rice noodles
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup julienned zucchini
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 pound sirloin steak, cut into 1/2" cubes
3 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. chili-garlic sauce

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Toss with 1 tsp. sesame oil.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add steak and cook, for 3 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove to a plate. Heat remaining sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add green onions, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, garlic and ginger. Saute until vegetables soften, about 4 minutes.

In a large measuring cup (2 cup capacity, or a small bowl) combine honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and chili-garlic sauce and whisk well. You may want to microwave for 30 seconds to make the peanut butter easier to stir. Add to the vegetables, and add the steak back to the skillet. Simmer sauce 2 minutes.

Add noodles to the skillet and toss well. Transfer to platter and serve warm. Garnish with additional green onions and chopped peanuts, if desired.

Serves 4.

Cuban Quesadillas

I love everything about a Cuban sandwich, and I order them whenever I get a chance at a restaurant. So when I saw this recipe for Cuban Quesadillas, I knew I had to try them.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I thought I would like them, but I didn't realize I would L.O.V.E. them. Seriously, folks. I made the quesadillas FOUR TIMES in 10 days. That's 2/5. And nobody complained - in fact, every time, there were comments about how delicious these were, how they were the best quesadillas ever, etc., etc.

This has everything that is great about a Cuban sandwich and puts it between tortillas - so there's even more meat and cheesy goodness. And don't forget the pickles - they are what "makes" the sandwich.

The amounts below are really just guidelines - if you don't want to use pulled pork, you could sub sliced pork tenderloin or use leftover roast pork, whatever. Use as much ham as you want - I think I used up to 4 slices because it was really thinly sliced. Just pile on that meat and cheese goodness, top with pickles and honey mustard (regular mustard is standard, but I really like the zing that the honey mustard gives these quesadillas!) and griddle 'em up. That's all there is to it.

And we all lived happily ever after.

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Cuban Quesadillas

8 flour tortillas (or use 4 large burrito tortillas and just fold in half)
1 heaping cup fully cooked shredded pork (or pulled pork)
4-8 slices cooked ham (depending on thickness)
8 "sandwich slices" dill pickles (or just slice regular dills)
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 Tbsp. honey mustard

Heat a grill pan, sandwich press or large skillet. Place 4 tortillas on a flat surface, top each tortilla with 1/4 cup swiss cheese. Divide the pork, pickles and ham evenly between the 4 tortillas, squeeze the mustard on top of the ham. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of mozzarella on each tortilla, then place the 4 remaining tortillas on top.

Cook each quesadilla for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese has melted. Serves 4.

Roasted Vegetable and Bacon Breakfast Bake

I love roasted vegetables and recently decided to try them in a breakfast casserole. It was a great idea! This hearty casserole has potatoes, bacon, vegetables, eggs and cheese - it is super satisfying and delicious. And leftovers are equally good for lunch as for breakfast! This would also make a hearty dinner.

I especially like to have breakfast casseroles when entertaining overnight guests as they can be made ahead of time and just baked in the morning. Do be aware that you'll likely need to bake this one slightly longer if it comes from the fridge - but that's just more time to drink coffee and/or make muffins!

Start the New Year out right with a good, hearty breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner.

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Roasted Vegetable and Bacon Breakfast Bake

1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 cup red pepper, diced
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 teaspoons salt, divided
12 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese
3 cups frozen hash browns

Combine the broccoli, onions and peppers in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over and stir well so that all the vegetables are coated. Transfer to a large baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt. Roast at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

In a large skillet cook the bacon on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly and whisk in the half and half and milk. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt, and black pepper.

In a greased 9x13 baking dish, layer the potatoes, vegetables, bacon and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through and set.

You may refrigerate the casserole overnight before baking. Adjust the baking time to add 5-10 minutes more. Serves 12.

Chocolate, Caramel and Toffee 7-Layer Bars

You may be thinking about roasted vegetables, winter salads, waking up early to exercise and what not now that it's the New Year. But I'm still thinking about desserts. Specifically, I needed to find a way to use a partial can of sweetened condensed milk that was languishing in the fridge, leftover from some holiday baking.

And it came to me in a lightbulb moment - why not make 7-layer bars using up stuff I have in the cupboard? It was a genius idea if I do say so myself, so I went in search of what I had on-hand that would also taste good together. I think I came up with a winning combination! The 7-layer bar starts with a graham cracker crust and is eventually topped with coconut and sweetened condensed milk. Those are 3 layers. So now you have 4 middle layers that could use some creativity. I chose chocolate chips, caramel bits, toffee bits and peanuts. Peanuts may seem like an odd addition, but personally, I'm not a huge fan of pecans, which is usually what is in 7-layer bars. And I really love how the saltiness of the peanuts offsets the incredible sweetness of all the other ingredients.

So there's my New Year's take on 7-layer bars! I hope it inspires you to come up with a new "treatment" for a great recipe sometime this year!

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Chocolate, Caramel and Toffee 7-Layer Bars

4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup caramel bits
1/3 cup salted peanuts, chopped
1/3 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until evenly coated. Press onto the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the crust in an even layer. Then top with caramel bits, peanuts, toffee bits and coconut. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.

Bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes or until coconut is golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Place in refrigerator for about 2 hours to help the bars set. Makes 12 bars.

Happy New Year! What I'm making in 2018!

Each year, as part of the Countdown series, I do a post on what I'll cook this year. And I don't know what happens, but I never seem to make everything from my list. I guess the old adage is true, "so many recipes, so little time."

From my list last year, I did manage to make three things - and two of them hit the "best of" categories this year. I made Creamy Cajun Pasta with Shrimp, Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Shrimp (best main dishes!), and the S'mores Ice Cream Cake (best desserts).

Here is what is tempting my taste buds for 2018. Oh boy, looks like I'll be busy!

Cuban Quesadillas

Japanese Pan Noodles

Sheet Pan Breakfast Bake

Brownie Cake with Cookie Butter Frosting

Bailey's Brownies

Cheesecake Creme Brulee Bites {Instant Pot!}

Instant Pot Lasagna