SWEET BACON-CHICKEN BUNDLES

We discovered these delicious little bundles over the holidays. They are quick to fix and are absolutely perfect for potlucks, buffets, or a quick supper. They are totally addicting, so make lots of them!!

SWEET BACON-CHICKEN BUNDLES
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (we like thighs better)
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
bacon (regular, not thick)

Preheat oven to 375° and bake the bacon for 10 minutes only. After 10 minutes, drain the bacon and set aside. You will need one half slice of bacon for each chicken bundle.

Cut the raw chicken into 1″ cubes, then wrap half of (a partially cooked) slice of bacon around each cube of raw chicken, and secure it with a toothpick. Next, mix the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and salt together and roll the bacon-chicken in this mixture. Make sure you get it into all the folds of the bacon.

Place the bundles on a baking screen or cooling rack that you’ve liberally sprayed with vegetable spray. Set the sprayed rack on a rimmed baking sheet that you have lined with foil (important for easier clean up). If you have any sugar left over, spoon a teaspoon or so on top of each bundle.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Delicious hot or room temperature. If you like a little heat along with your sweet, add some cayenne to the sugar mixture.

ENJOY !!!

Fig and Gorgonzola Cups

These buttery crescent puffs filled with gorgonzola, fig preserves, and walnuts are a great holiday appetizer! This post was sponsored by Pillsbury. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen.

Do you ever get completely fixated on a specific ingredient for no apparent reason? Lately, I’ve been completely obsessed with cranberries, which makes sense given the time of year. But I’ve also been really into walnuts and I have no idea why! I’ve never actually been a huge fan of them, but I bough a bag a week or so ago and I’ve been throwing them on everything. Toasted, they add a great meaty flavor to a simple pasta dish that I’ll be sharing later this week. Ground into a paste, they add an interesting and elegant note to Christmas cookies. Chopped, they add just the right amount of crunch to these fig and gorgonzola cups.

These tasty little puffs have a great combination of sweet, salty and buttery flavors. They’re also super easy to make – as long as you don’t drop the pan as you’re taking it out of the oven like I did. (If they look a little mangled, it’s because almost every one of them ended up in the bottom of my oven. Luckily, I managed to salvage them!)

Along with the mushroom pinwheels and spiced cranberry sangria that I posted the other day, you’ll be well on your way to hosting a great holiday party! You can find more holiday recipes featuring Pillsbury crescents over at the Serious Eats recipe hub. There are some really fantastic ones, so definitely check it out!

Fig and Gorgonzola Cups

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 tube (8oz) Pillsbury® original crescents
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese
¼ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup fig preserves

Preparation

Heat oven to 350ºF. Unroll crescent dough, pinching the seams together to seal them. Cut into 16 squares.
Place the dough squares into a mini muffin tin, to form small cups. Divide the gorgonzola and walnuts between the cups; top with fig preserves.
Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffy. Let cool completely before serving.

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Homemade Tortilla Soup

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

It is 2015, and time for a brand new year Did you celebrate last night? We both had the day off today and decided to relax at home and make this tortilla soup. I got the recipe from a friend, and when she told it to me I was so surprised at how easy it was to make from scratch at home! Now I don’t need to go to a restaurant or buy it at the store anymore to enjoy a tortilla soup. She actually fries tortilla strips in oil to make them crispy and serves the soup with them, which is delicious, but adds extra work. I just buy some good tortilla chips to enjoy with this tortilla soup.

This tortilla soup recipe is very bare – it only has shredded chicken. You can add black beans, corn, etc. if desired. I like to top it with a Mexican blend of shredded cheeses and avocado – mmmmmmm.

Did you make any New Year resolutions? Every year until this year I have wanted to work harder and achieve more results, but this year my main resolution is to work less and relax more. Reflecting back, I have spent countless hours working and not enjoying time for myself, family and friends. This year is already looking like it is going to be a good one

Homemade Tortilla Soup

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total

35 mins

Type: Main

Serves: 6 cups

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp crushed chili peppers
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
½ 14 oz can Mexican stewed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 cooked large chicken breast, shredded
Shredded Mexican blend cheese, for topping
Tortilla chips, for topping

Instructions

Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large pot.
Add the chopped onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes), while stirring occasionally.
Stir in the cumin and crushed chili peppers, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes and cilantro, stir, and shut off the heat.
Once cooled for a few minutes, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil.
Add the soup back to the pot and stir well. Add the chicken and heat through.
Top the soup with cheese, avocados and tortilla chips.

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