"Guy" Dip: Bacon Ranch Cheddar Chip Dip

This dip is everything my husband loves in one magical bowl: Ranch, Bacon, and Cheese. Really, most guys I know love that holy trinity of ingredients. Ranch, Bacon and Cheese over chicken? Yes please!! Ranch, Bacon, and Cheese on pizza? Of course! Ranch, Bacon and Cheese perfume? He'd follow me anywhere.

So this dip is basically "guy" dip. Everything the love mixed together, with a side of yummy potato chips (basically fatty, salty vessels that get the dip from the bowl to their mouths). We made this dip on New Year's Eve and it was so addicting. And it's super easy. However, it's not necessarily healthy although you could totally use non-fat sour cream and turkey bacon and whatever. But it would taste like diet food, and we all know how that tastes. If you are concerned about the calories but still want to make it (like me!!) just serve it with carrot sticks and cucumbers. And chips.

"Guy" Dip
by Girls in Aprons

1 16 oz. tub sour cream
1/2 to 1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 cup shredded cheese (I used Sharp White Cheddar, but regular cheddar or Pepper Jack would be good too)
3-4 green onions, sliced
8 sliced bacon

In a medium sized bowl, mix sour cream with 1/2 packet ranch dressing mix, shredded cheese, and green onions. Taste and adjust seasoning (I like it with only 1/2 a packet, my husband likes the whole packet, so we compromise with 3/4 of a packet). Let it chill in the fridge at least an hour.

Before you serve the dip, cook the bacon until crisp and chop up to bite size pieces. Let it cool slightly, and mix into dip right before serving. This keep the bacon crisp in the dip without letting it become soggy.

Sweet Red Cabbage

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Oh my goodness I swear we are still here at Girls in Aprons! I think the month of September got the better of us, and between vacations and back to school and just plain life we got BUSY! But we are back!! I wanted to share this recipe with you because, seriously, I can't get enough of it! Let me tell you how I found this recipe:

My sister-in-law (and one of my best friends!) Christina lived in Germany growing up and she has shared many recipes over the years. But I have really never eaten authentic German food (because when I make German food it is done my way, not the real way!!). Anyway, Stina came to visit me in September and I thought the best place to take her was Leavenworth, WA! It's this cute little Bavarian town in the middle of nowhere and it is a tourist trap! They have the cutest shops and the best restaurants and it's all done to look like this little Bavarian village! Stina was insistent that we find an authentic German restaurant - she wanted Weinerschnitzel and dang it she was gonna get it!

Luckily, Leavenworth had several, and we found one we liked and Stina got her Weinerschnitzel and I got Jaegerschnitzel (basically a thin cut of breaded pork). Mine came with noodles and cooked red cabbage. The pork was awesome, but I was a little disappointed in the cabbage.

But no need to fear! Stina had another red cabbage recipe and she made it for me before she left! It's thinly sliced and mixed with bacon (yes ma'am - bacon!) onions, and vinegar. And sugar. Because that makes everything better. So does bacon.

BACON!

We had ours served over shredded beef sandwiches and I also had mine as a side dish. This would be awesome on bratwurst! And you can easily omit the bacon to make it vegetarian. Or if you don't have bacon on hand or it's not on sale, no worries. Just omit it. And make sure to put bacon on your grocery list for next time!!

Start by thinly slicing your cabbage. You will only need about half a head of cabbage, and if you ask your grocer they will cut a head of cabbage in half for you so you don't have to buy the whole thing!

In a large skillet, add about 1 inch of water. Bring it to a boil and add the sliced cabbage, letting in boil uncovered about 15 minutes or until tender. (I like mine with a slight crunch to it still!) When it's done, strain the water and place the cabbage on a paper-towel lined plate to hang out.

Here is the awesome part - you are only using one pan!! Less dishes! Wipe out the pan from the cabbage to get the water out. Put in back on the stove and start cooking your chopped up bacon. After a few minutes add your sliced onions. Cook until bacon is done and onions are tender. Drain on a paper-towel lined plate (yes, again). In the bacon drippings add your brown sugar and flour, and then your salt, pepper, water and vinegar. Dump back in the cabbage and bacon/onion mixture and stir to combine.

Sweet Red Cabbage

by Girls in Aprons

1 medium head red cabbage (1 1/2 lb), thinly sliced

4 slices bacon, chopped (I'll be honest - I used 6 or 7)                                           
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
3 T white vinegar
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt


In a large skillet bring 1 inch of water to boiling. Add your sliced cabbage and boil uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside. Wipe out and dry the skillet with a paper towel.

In the same skillet, cook the bacon over mediu heat for about 4 minutes. Add the onion and continue cooking until bacon is cooked through and crispy and onion is tender. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel.

Stir brown sugar and flour into bacon fat in the skillet. Add water, vinegar, salt, and pepper and mix well. Stir back in cabbage, bacon, and onion. Continue cooking until warmed through again, about 2 minutes.

 Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker                                                                                                                                                        

BLT Supreme

It's really hard to feed my family on our current food budget. We're not exactly eating Top Ramen every night, but neither are we eating steaks, either. And the suggestion that we eat fish at least once a week? Yeah, right. We're lucky to get fish once a month, and no, I'm not counting fish sticks.

A lot of our meals are thrown together by what I have on had. Pasta is mixed with different cheeses and leftover meat for a meal. Salads are a mix of veggies and beans I happen to come by. We have eggs and toast whenever my husband isn't going to be home, and Little Caesars has found its way into our kitchen occasionally :)

So when I was creating the menu for this week, I asked my husband for ideas. Sometimes I just can't think past the first few days of the week. I listed a few things on sale at the grocery store (or stores, I stalk three different grocery store ads) and when he heard bacon, he immediately answered with "BLTs". Why didn't I think of that? Oh, because I don't like tomatoes. Don't judge. I'll eat them in a hot dish, but not fresh. Sorry.

As I was preparing dinner last night, my eyes wandered to the avocadoes that were supposed to be used in our burritoes but were too ripe. I was sure that they were close to being over ripe at this point. I decided to make an avocado spread to put on top of the BLTs. And add cheese. Our family loves cheese, and I just happened to have sliced swiss cheese. Perfect with bacon and tomato. And now avocado!

Mix avocado, Greek yogurt, lime juice, and salt together in a food processor. You can totally use a bowl and fork and get a chunkier version. If you use a food processor, reserve the last avocado and mash it in afterwards to get some texture to the sauce. By the way, I'm digging the color!

All of the pieces to the puzzle. Ciabatta bread (the best for sandwiches in my opinion), tomatoes, mayo, Swiss cheese, lettuce, avocado spread, and bacon. The grapes are for a side dish, not necessarily for the sandwich :)

You can take some of the breading out so that your sandwich isn't so thick and jaw-breaking. I did this for my kids so that they could actually attempt to eat it, although to be honest they sort of just took the whole sandwich apart and ate it piece by piece. They just don't understand a masterpiece when they see one!!

BLT Supreme

by Girls in Aprons

1 loaf ciabatta bread, slices in half and then into fourths (to make four sandwiches)

1 lb bacon

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced

4-6 slices Swiss cheese

1 head lettuce, leaves torn

Mayonnaise

For avocado spread:

3 ripe avocados

3 oz Greek yogurt (half of a 6oz container)

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp salt

Cook bacon in large pan over medium high heat until crispy. Let drain on a paper towel.

Meanwhile, cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, and, using a spoon, remove the avocado flesh from the peel. Place two of the avocados in a food processor fit with a metal blade. Add yogurt, lime juice, and salt and pulse until smooth and creamy. Pour into a bowl and, using a fork, mash in the remaining avocado until desired consistancy.

To assemble, spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the top half of the sandwich and then generously add the avocado spread. On the bottom half, layer in the following order: lettuce, cheese, tomato, and bacon. Place top half on the sandwich and enjoy.

Optional: Using a grill pan or a grill on low heat, grill the tomato slices and the ciabatta slices until grill marks appear. Assemble sandwich as normal.

You can also toast the sandwich by placing the cheese, tomato, and bacon on the bread and toasting under a broiler before adding the lettuce, mayonnaise, and avocado spread.

Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies

In my family we are huge "appetizer" people. For pretty much any family gathering (Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, family reunions, etc) we always have quite the spread of appetizers to eat. And they usually make up dinner - maybe it's because nobody wants to commit to ONE main dish. We'd rather have a variety of awesome foods to choose from! And this appetizer pleases everyone in the family: it's meat wrapped in meat (for the men), dainty on a toothpick (for us ladies) and for crying out loud it's a mini hot dog with bacon and sugar (for the kids)!

Now don't think you need a fancy occassion to make this dish. Use it for your next family game night, the Super Bowl, or a summer BBQ. Okay, sorry. I know summer is still far away, but I'm freezing right now and am wishing it was summer. And since this is my post, I can wish all I want!! Now I know most of you are watching your calorie intake with swim suit season right around the corner, but come on people! You have treat yourself every once in a while and seriously, these are worth it!

Cut your bacon into thirds. Get your husband or significant other or whoever you can con into wrapping a piece of bacon around each little smokie (it's just a task I don't really care to do!). Secure with a toothpick.

Place little smokies in a 9x13 pan. I covered mine with foil because it can get pretty messy and really I'm all about less dishes.

Our secret ingredient. Brush the tops of the smokies with maple syrup. I didn't measure this. I just poured about 1/3 cup or so of syrup in a bowl and brushed away to my heart's content. It's really about how much you want to taste the maple.

Sprinkle brown sugar on the tops.

Stare at your masterpiece. Yes, this is part of the recipe.

Bake at 325 for about 40 to 45 minutes. Try not to eat the whole pan.

Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies

submitted by Celeste, Girls in Aprons

1 14-oz package Lit'l Smokies

1 12-oz package bacon

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

Toothpicks

Preheat oven to 325.

Cut the bacon into thirds. Wrap one piece of bacon around each little smokie. Secure with a toothpick. Place the smokies on a foil lined 9x13 pan. Brush with maple syrup and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake at 325 for 40 to 45 minutes.



Herbed Cornbread & Bacon Stuffing

This year, I am not in charge of our Thanksgiving dessert. I'm always in charge of dessert! So while this is a break from the norm, I'm secretly excited. Pies can take a lot of work! When I was 9 months pregnant with my third child, I entered a pie baking contest. I didn't expect to win, mostly because I'd never ever ever baked a pie before. But it was a challenge for me and I made it up as I went along. Worst part? I was up at 5am to bake the thing, hoping against hope that it turned out okay. Best part? I won first place and $100! All those old ladies who entered thought for sure they'd won, how could an amateur, first-pie-maker win? Probably luck, but also because when I can't sleep at night my mind wanders to how to make the perfect recipe. It doesn't always work out, but sometimes I'm a genius :)

Anyway, back to stuffing. I was asked to make stuffing for Thanksgiving this year and again, I've never made stuffing. Ever. At least not from scratch. I'm not counting the boxed stuffing that my kids could probably make with their eyes closed.

My mother in law makes this amazing cornbread stuffing. It was my first time having stuffing made with cornbread and I was in love. I think I literally fought over the last spoonful. It was just that good.

So here's my version of cornbread stuffing. It's delish, in my opinion. Give it a whirl!

Start with your cornbread. No, I don't usually use egg substitute but Target was sold out of eggs. Apparently that really happens.

Make your cornbread as directed on the box, easy enough. Then add your dried herbs. Pour into a 9x13 pan and cook for about half hour or until golden brown on top.

Chop up your veggies - onions and celery. You'll saute these in bacon grease!

When your cornbread has cooked and cooled, cut into 1-inch cubes and spread them out on a jelly roll pan. You'll stick these back in the oven to dry out. That way they soak in the flavors better while cooking.

Toss everything together in a large bowl. Add enough chicken stock to moisten the cornbread. I used a little over 2 cups in mine.

Cook in a buttered 9x13 pan until golden brown on top and firm in the middle.

So. Amazing. (The stuffing, not me. Well, okay, me too).

Herbed Cornbread and Bacon Stuffing

by Kelli Lafranca

2 boxes cornbread mix, Jiffy brand

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1 lb bacon

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 ribs celery, chopped

2-3 cups chicken stock

Butter, for greasing the pan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together cornbread mix, eggs, and milk until blended. Batter may be lumpy. Add dried herbs. Bake in a 9x13 greased pan for 30 minutes or until golden on top and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Saute bacon in a large skillet or until bacon is crispy. Transfer to a plate topped with a paper towel to drain. Using the bacon grease, saute the onion and celery until the vegetables are tender. Remove from grease and set aside. Crumble the cooled bacon.

When cornbread as cooled, remove from pan and cut into 1-inch cubes. Transfer to a jelly roll pan and lay in a single layer. Cook at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until dry (it will feel like toast).

In a large bowl, combine cornbread, crumbled bacon, onions, and celery. Pour chicken stock over mixutre, stirring after each 1/2-cup addition. Add enough chicken stock to moisten the cornbread (I used 2 1/4 cups). Pour mixture into buttered 9x13 pan and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.