Jalapeño, Jack & Bacon Breakfast Grits

Grits are one of those foods that can be completely disgusting or simply amazing. It's all in the way they are prepared. Luckily, working at a BBQ restaurant for 4 years gave me exposure to some delicious cheddar grits, and I have always been a fan. 

My boyfriend was reluctant to try this, as he has only tried the slimy, tasteless version. I promised him that he would like my recipe, I mean, how could he not? My grits have cheese, bacon, and jalapeños. That's a winning combination. Is decided to top it all off with a fried egg, and it was amazing! The yolk combined with the spice of the peppers, the salt of the bacon, and the richness of the cheese is simply amazing! 

Jalapeño, Jack & Bacon Breakfast Grits

Ingredients:

8 slices thick-cut bacon, diced

2 small or 1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced

1 cup skimmed milk

3 cups low sodium chicken broth 

1 1/2 cups hot water

1/2 cups corn grits/polenta

1 tsp. salt

2 cups reduced fat shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided

4 eggs

1/4 cup green onions, sliced (for garnish)

Directions:

1. In large sauté pan or cast iron, add bacon and jalapeños. Cook over medium heat until bacon is crispy. 

2. Remove from heat, transfer bacon and peppers on to plate with paper towel. Pat with towel to remove grease. Drain grease from pan and set aside. 

3. In large sauce pan, add milk, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil and slowly add the grits and stir with whisk. Reduce heat and continue simmering 5-7 minutes or until grits have thickened, stirring frequently. 

4. In the mean time, fry eggs in frypan used for cooking bacon. I prefer mine sunny-side up, but cook eggs however you like them. Remove eggs from pan and set aside. 

5. Once grits reach desired consistency, add salt, bacon, jalapeños and half of the cheese. 

6. Transfer to fry pan, top with remaining cheese and broil in oven 2-3 minutes to melt cheese.  

7. Top with green onions, spoon evenly in to four bowls and top each with 1 fried egg. Enjoy!

Homemade Pepper Jelly

When people first hear "pepper jelly" their first reaction may be, "Ew!" or "Weird!", but this stuff is seriously amazing. I've been eating jalapeño jelly since I can remember. It's perfectly sweet and spicy at the same time. My favorite way to eat it is on Wheat Thins with cream cheese. However, it's also amazing as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets, as a stir fry sauce, or as a glaze when roasting meat. The possibilities are endless! Bonus: it also makes a great gift!

Homemade Pepper Jelly

Ingredients:

1 large red pepper, seeded and cut in to strips

1 large green pepper, seeded and cut in to strips

10 jalapeños, seeded for less spicy jelly (I left the seeds in half of my peppers and I thought the spice was perfect)

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

6 cups sugar

3 tbs. Ball RealFruit Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin

Directions:

1. In food processor or blender, finely chop peppers. Put in large saucepan with vinegar, salt, and sugar. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add pectin and boil 1 more minute. 

2. If canning (recommended) pour in to sterilized jars and water bath for 10 minutes. Wait a day to serve so jelly has time to firm. This recipe makes 12+ small jelly jars. 

3. If refrigerating, potion into containers, allow to cool and refrigerate for up to 1 month. Enjoy!

Lemon Ginger Pear Spritzer

A few months ago, I was visiting my college town and I hung out at the bar where my friend bartends. She made me a delicious ginger pear punch with house-infused vodka and I found myself craving the drink ever since.

When my friendsgiving party rolled around, I thought it would be the perfect time to try my own spin on her recipe. I know most people bring something to drink for themselves, but I always like to have a large batch of something, just in case. 

First, I made my own ginger citrus syrup. And it is amazing! I put it in my tea and fell in love! I'm also thinking it would be awesome in apple cider or with ginger ale as a non-alcoholic drink for the kids. 

When making my drink for the party, I decided to save myself the trouble and just buy pear flavored vodka, although making your own infused vodka would probably be even more spectacular! I quadrupled this recipe below for friendsgiving and just left it out for everyone to pour themselves. And it was a huge hit! This drink is spicy and sweet, and very smooth. I will definitely be making it again. 

Lemon Ginger Pear Spritzer

Ingredients:

2 oz. pear vodka

1 oz. Ginger citrus syrup (recipe below)

2 oz. Ginger ale

2 oz. soda water

Squeeze of lemon

Sliced pears and lemons for garnish

Directions:

In rocks glass, combine all ingredients over ice. Stir, garnish, and enjoy! 

Ginger Citrus Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 cups water

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 orange

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine Ginger and 1 cup water. Blend until as smooth as possible. 

2. In large saucepan, combine blended ginger with all other ingredients. Bring to boil until all sugar is dissolved. 

3. Remove from heat and let cool at least 30 minutes.

4. Strain through fine mesh strainer into container. Seal well and keep refrigerated for up to 4 months.

 

Czech-Style Potato Soup

Czech-Style Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 potatoes, peeled, rinsed, and chopped into large pieces 

1 large container chicken broth

6 eggs

1 qt. half and half

1 tbsp. dried dill weed

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In large pan, add the potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook just until potatoes are tender. Mash the potatoes in the broth to form bite sized-pieces. 

2. Lower the temperature to a simmer and drop each egg into the mixture. (It helps to drop them in different places in the pan so they don't stick together.) Do not stir. Allow eggs to cook about 10 minutes.  

3. Add the half and half to the pan. Stir gently to combine. Add the dill and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to hear through, but do not boil. 

4. To serve, place one egg at the bottom of each bowl, then fill with potatoes and broth. Enjoy!

 

Low-Cal Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Shake

Low-Cal Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Shake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 frozen bananas

2 tbsp. PB2 

1 tbsp. Cocoa powder

1 cup light almond milk, unsweetened

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Add additional almond milk if too thick. Enjoy!

Ground Turkey Lasagna Rolls

Now that Chicago has decided to be extremely cold and stay frigid until spring, I find myself craving warm comfort food. Usually these dishes are super high calorie, so I like to find healthier substitutions. This recipe uses ground turkey instead of greasy pork or beef, skim milk ricotta, and fat free mozz. Each roll is only 260 calories each! Yum! 

Ground Turkey Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients:

32 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

1 lb. Jennie-O Italian Seasoned Lean Ground Turkey

12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 3/4 cup (1 bag) fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. In large fry pan, cook turkey until browned, stirring occasionally. Once turkey is cooked, remove from heat.  Pour 1/2 container of spaghetti sauce in pan with cooked turkey. Stir until well combined. 

3. Cover bottom of lasagna pan with 1/4 jar of spaghetti sauce, spreading evenly. 

4. Place cooked noodles flat on wax paper. Spread a thin coating of ricotta cheese, covering each noodle. Spoon thin layer of meat mixture over ricotta. Sprinkle small amount of shredded mozzarella over meat mixture. Roll up noodles slowly and place seam sides down in baking dish. 

5. Ladle the remaining 1/4 jar of spaghetti sauce on top of lasagna rolls. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

6. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until cheese is melty. Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Crumble Banana Bread Muffins

I'm always experimenting with different variations of banana bread. It's a slight obsession. I actually buy bananas just to let them get brown. I love how moist and flavorful my banana bread always turns out. And I just happened to have some apples that needed to be used up. So, I give you this recipe for apple cinnamon banana bread muffins with a delicious cinnamon sugar crumble. This may be my favorite banana bread recipe yet! So delicious and perfect for fall! 

Apple Cinnamon Crumble Banana Bread Muffins

Ingredients:

4 ripe medium bananas, mashed

1/3 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 small or 1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped 

2 tsp. cinnamon

For crumble topping:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

4 tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 tsp. cinnamon 

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. In large mixing bowl, combine bananas, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over mixture. Slowly stir in flour, making sure not to over mix. Fold in apples and cinnamon. 

3. In separate bowl, combine all ingredients for crumble topping. Squish with hands until well combined and crumbly. 

4. Pour batter evenly in to greased muffin pan. (Makes about 14 muffins.) Fill each cup about 2/3 of the way full with batter. Sprinkle crumble topping evenly on top of batter. 

5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are browned and inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!