Tag: Jones Dairy Farm

Sweet Potato and Sausage Quesadillas

A simple sausage and sweet potato hash makes a uniquely delicious filling for these quesadillas. Serve them with plenty of salsa, sour cream, and guacamole and get the party started!

So, how long does this March Madness thing last? This was the first time that I’ve paid even remote attention – both my undergraduate and grad school actually made it in – but I’m kind of over it now. Neither of them made it past the first round*, and it’s not like I was the biggest fan anyway. I went to at least a few games each season at UAlbany but during grad school I was too busy sitting in on tapings of Crossfire to care about things like basketball.

Anyway this year both teams made it in, so I at least tried to pay attention. But let’s face it: I was really only in it for the food. Watching sports means appetizers, finger foods and other “snacky” things are perfectly appropriate for dinner. And those are my favorite kind of dinners. It’s kind of amazing I don’t fein interest more often.

(Shawn says I should say that Albany won it’s “first four” game. I don’t even know what that means. It wasn’t on my bracket, so if you ask me, it doesn’t count.)

I saw sweet potato quesadilla in the prepared foods section of the grocery store last weekend and instantly fell in love with the idea. At first, I was just going to mix mashed sweet potato with cheese to use as the filling but I was worried that the texture might be too soft and boring. Instead, I ended up making a quick hash with diced potato, crumbled sausage, and red onion. It worked perfectly, and the quesadillas were definitely more exciting than the game that was on.

I used Jones Dairy Farm’s all natural pork sausage roll – it’s one of my favorite sausages to use in recipes. It crumbles easily, since it’s uncooked and doesn’t have a casing and the mild flavor goes well with other ingredients. The only downside is that it comes frozen, so you do have to plan ahead a little bit in order to give it time to thaw.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Quesadillas

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 roll (12 ounces) Jones Dairy Farm pork sausage (uncooked)
1 medium sweet potato, cut into a ¼” dice (about 1.5 cups)
½ cup finely diced red onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, minced
8 ounces beer or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 scallions, sliced
4 10″ flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 sliced jalapeño (optional)
Salsa, Sour Cream, and Guacamole, for serving

Preparation

Crumble the sausage into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer the sausage to a plate and discard any grease that has accumulated in the bottom of the pan.
Return the pan to the stove and add the onion; cook 1 minute. Add the sweet potato and mined jalapeño; cook 3 minutes. Pour in the beer. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, or until the sweet potato is soft and the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the coked sausage, chili powder, and scallions.
Place a tortilla on a flat work surface. Scatter ⅛ of the cheese over half the tortilla. Spread ¾-cup of the sausage filling over the cheese. Add a few jalapeño slices, if desired. Top with more cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas to make 4 quesadillas.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on a griddle (or in a large pan) set over medium-high heat. Cook the quesadillas one at a time, for 1-2 minutes per side, or until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole for dipping.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 395 Fat: 15.2 Carbohydrates: 48.1 Fiber: 4.1 Protein: 14.3

3.2.2310

I created this recipe for Jones Dairy Farm. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen.

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Maple Bacon Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate truffles stuffed with maple cream and topped with candied bacon… what more can you ask for?

Yesterday’s Lemon Ginger Scones were all about me and the kind of baked good that might make me swoon. These Maple Bacon Truffles were created with Shawn in mind. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy them too – they’re pretty awesome – but the look on his face when I set down a platter of truffles and a glass of whiskey? Priceless.

I’ve been looking for an excuse to make chocolate truffles ever since the chocolate making class I took last fall, so when Jones Dairy Farm suggested that I might try using bacon in a Valentine’s dessert, it didn’t take me long at all to figure out what I wanted to make. Of course I wasted the better part of a week trying to perfect a chocolate and banana ganache before switching gears and deciding to go with a maple filling instead. The ganache tasted amazing, but I was having some pretty serious textural issues with it. It’s all for the best tough because oh boy… this maple filling is dangerous! It’s basically a cross between maple sugar candy and maple fudge. It’s crazy sweet and super maple-y and it pairs really, really well with the smokey, salty bacon.

(Nutritionally, these are just about on par with commercial truffles, butI’m not even going to pretend for a second that they’re healthy. They’re delicious little balls of sugar and fat and are definitely a once a year treat that are best shared. I’ll get back to healthy recipes next week – promise!)

Maple Bacon Truffles

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the candied bacon:

4 ounces Jones Dairy Farm® applewood smoked bacon
2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the truffles:

1 cup sweetened condensed milk
⅓ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon butter
½ cup chocolate candy melts

Preparation

For the candied bacon:

Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Cut the bacon into ¼-inch squares. Cook until very crisp; drain on paper towels. Add the brown sugar to a clean, dry pan set over high heat. Keep a close eye on the sugar, as soon as it starts to melt, stir it constantly. As soon as all of the sugar has melted, stir in the bacon. Spread in a thin layer on the parchment and let harden. Crumble.

For the truffles:

Add the condensed milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter to a saucepan set over medium high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook until it resembles a thick caramel sauce, about 7 minutes. Test for doneness by dropping a small amount of the maple cream into a glass of cold water – it should solidify into a soft, pliable ball. Remove from heat and let chill 15 minutes.
Melt the candy melts according to the directions on the package. Roll teaspoons full of maple cream into balls, then use a fork to dip it into the candy melt. Let the excess chocolate drip off. Top with crumbled candied bacon.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 178 Fat: 7.7 Carbohydrates: 21.9 Fiber: 0 Protein: 5.7

3.2.2265

I created this recipe for Jones Dairy Farm. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen.

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Canadian Bacon and White Bean Pot Pie

This Canadian bacon and white bean pot pie is exactly the kind of food I’ve been craving lately – rich and hearty, it’ll warm you up right down to your toes. I created this recipe for Jones Dairy Farm as part of their blogger ambassador program. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen!

Sometime last year, I fell in love with Canadian bacon. We had gone to the diner for breakfast, but I wasn’t very hungry and all I wanted was an egg and some toast. For some reason, it was cheaper to get a meal that included an order of meat then it was to order the two items a la carte, so I picked the lightest option: Canadian bacon. It’s not something I had eaten very often and, honestly, most of my experience with it involved fast food. What I received wasn’t at all what I had been expecting: it was more like ham, cut from one piece of meat (I was expecting something way more processed). It was delicious and now I order it pretty much every time we go there.

Aside from the occasional Eggs Benedict though, I haven’t really made it at home very often. So when Jones Dairy Farm asked me to use it in my recipe for them this month, I was pretty excited. I also knew right away that I wanted to do something a little unexpected with it. Although pancetta might be more traditional in a recipe like this, the Canadian bacon is right at home. It gives the filling a ton of flavor and has a great slightly chewy texture that contrasts really nicely with the creamy beans. One bight brought me straight back to the comfort foods of my childhood.

I’ve been working with Jones Dairy Farm for a few months now, but when I mentioned something about them the other day Shawn thought I was talking about a new client. Once he realized who I was talking about, he said he thought their name was just “Jones Farm” and he wondered why a company that sells bacon and sausage would call themselves a dairy farm. I had to admit that I was curious too, so I did a little research on their web site.

It turns out that the company actually did start as a dairy farm in Wisconsin (where it’s still based), but the head of the family wasn’t able to keep up with it after being diagnosed with arthritis. He started selling homemade sausages, and the company took off. They were the first meat packing company to quick-freeze sausage, allowing them to ship throughout the US without chemicals or preservatives. I knew that their sausages – and the rest of their products – are all-natural but I had no idea that they were such a pioneer in the industry. I also had no idea that the company has been around for so long – they’ll be celebrating their 125th anniversary this year. And, yes, it’s still run by the Jones family. Pretty impressive!

Canadian Bacon and White Bean Pot Pie

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

Author: Lauren Keating

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 package (6 ounces) Jones Dairy Farm® Canadian Bacon, cut into ⅛-inch dice
1 can (14.5 ounces) whole peeled plum tomatoes (undrained)
1 can (14.5 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
2 springs fresh thyme, chopped
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups baby spinach
1 prepared whole wheat pie crust, thawed if frozen
1 egg yolk
coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper

Preparation

Heat oven to 400ºF.
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic, onion, and carrot; cook 2-3 minutes, or until soft. Add the Canadian bacon; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, rosemary, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, pressing on the tomatoes with a heavy spoon to help them break down.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour and chicken broth. Whisk into the stew. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in spinach.
Pour the stew into a deep dish pie pan. Top with the whole wheat crust. Brush the crust with egg yolk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 320 Fat: 15.3 Carbohydrates: 26.3 Fiber: 8.1 Protein: 19.9

3.2.2265

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