Grilled Blue Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Onions

Like many of you I have about a thousand recipes pinned to my Pinterest board. In an effort to stop eating the same old same old I have been working on trying to eat our way through some of these Pinterest recipes and either keep them if they are good or unpin them if they are not a favorite of my family.

After a few Pinterest fails we finally found a recipe that we all loved. This recipe came from James & Everett what’s cooking at home and will now be something that we make every time we grill. I might even consider starting up the BBQ just to make these!

Grilled Blue Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Onions

~  4 large sized sweet onions (Vidalia, Maui Sweets, sweet yellows, or any favorite of yours)

~ 1 stick of butter

~ 2/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

~ 4 strips bacon, crumbled (or as much as you like)

~ salt and pepper to taste

1. Trim the ends off of the onions and peel. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out the inside of the onion to create a cavity.

2. In a small bowl mix together butter, cheese, and bacon. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Stuff the mixture into the onions, completely filling the center.

4. Place each onion on a square of aluminum foil. Wrap up onion creating a sealed pouch. Try to keep the aluminum foil from touching the onion and make sure the top is sealed completely to keep the steam in.

5. Heat your grill on high. Reduce heat to medium low and place the foil pouches directly over the heat. Close the lid of the grill and cook for 30-40 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your onions and your grill. Resist the temptation to open the grill and the pouches.

6. Remove from grill and allow to stand for a full 5 minutes before opening the pouches. Be careful the steam from the pouches will be hot.

7. Using tongs carefully transfer the onion onto a plate or bowl. Use a spoon to drizzle any remaining butter from the bottom of the pouch over the onion.

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Grilled Blue Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Onions

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with green bean casserole made with condensed soup and French fried onions. In fact I like it a lot. But I wanted to give something new a try and when I saw this on The Pioneer Woman’s site I was game to give it a try.

On a side note if you do not read The Pioneer Woman’s blog you are missing out on something and need to get over and check it out right away. I always get a laugh and she shares lots of cute things. Not to mention every recipe that I have ever tried of hers is always good and easy to cook. So I knew this would be a winner!

This recipe was defiantly a winner but I am warning you it really has its own flavor and really doesn’t resemble the condensed soup recipe. My family and I loved it but we did make one minor change, we added a whole pound of bacon instead of the 3 slices it calls for. Lets be honest, I have never had a recipe that called for a few slices where I didn’t add the whole pound. It has never been a mistake but if you are watching what you eat you might not want to go that route.

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

~ 2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed

~ 4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (or the whole pound)

~ 3 cloves garlic, minced

~ 1/2 large onion, chopped

~ 4 Tbsp. butter

~ 4 Tbsp. flour

~ 2 1/2 cups whole milk

~ 1/2 cup half and half

~ 1 1/2 tsp. salt, more to taste

~ freshly ground black pepper, to taste

~ 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

~ 1 cup grated sharp cheddar

~ 1 jar (4 oz.) sliced pimentos, drained

~ 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1. Cut green beans in half if you like smaller pieces. Blanch green beans by dropping them into lightly salted boiling water. Allow the green beans to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans once they’re cool and set aside.

2. Add bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon for two minutes, then add diced onion and garlic and continue cooking until bacon is done. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and half and half. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat.

4. Add pimentos to pan, then add bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with panko crumbs.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and panko crumbs are golden.

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Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Zucchini Bites

It is that time of the year where everyone starts planting their garden and next thing you know you have zucchini coming out your ears. Growing up my dad always planted lots of zucchini and we ate it for almost every meal all summer long. Due to this I was not much of a fan. I only liked to eat it Barbecued, which is still a favorite of mine. But I decided that I wanted to change things up a bit and step away from the usual way that I cook zucchini.

I of course found this recipe floating around pinterest and decided to give it a try. You can find it over at The Curious Country Cook. I had all the ingredients on the list in my pantry and it went together really easy. Just make sure that you spray your muffin tin and that you get all the moisture out of your shredded zucchini or else you will have soggy bites.

Zucchini Bites

~ 1 cup zucchini, grated

~ 1 egg

~ 1/4 yellow onion, diced

~ 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, or whatever you like best

~ 1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs, or whatever you have on hand

~ salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with nonstick spray, set aside.

2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water, like when using frozen spinach. If you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini bites will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy.

3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.

4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the mini muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

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Zucchini Bites

Korean Spinach

I love Asian flavors and this recipe combines those flavors with spinach to create a great side dish to any recipe. Super simple to make and can be served either warm or cold. My husband and I love this recipe and will defiantly be making it with our spinach this week.

Korean Spinach

~ 1 lb. fresh spinach

~ 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

~ 1 1/4 Tbsp. sesame oil

~ 1 Tbsp. sesame seed, crushed and toasted

~ 1 clove garlic, crushed

~ 1 tsp. sugar

~ 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

Steam spinach until limp. Squeeze dry and chop. For dressing, combine remaining ingredients and pour over spinach. Mix well and can be served warm or chilled.

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Korean Spinach

Bang Bang Cauliflower

The last few weeks have been very busy in our house. My daughter started playing Tee Ball and this was the first week of games. Easter was quickly approaching and I am still trying to keep up with my swimming workouts. Since things have been so crazy we have not been getting through our produce from Bountiful Baskets quite as well as we usually do. So a couple nights a week we have had just veggies to get through it and luckily we had gotten Cauliflower which lasts quite a while in the fridge.

A friend who helps out every Saturday at our local Bountiful Baskets was telling me about how she had made this amazing recipe with Cauliflower. Now keep in mind this was several weeks ago and I just now got around to it. I wish I would have made it sooner because it was amazing. I found the recipe over at That’s so Michelle. My husband and I both loved it so it will defiantly be a new favorite in our house.

Bang Bang Cauliflower

~ 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

~ 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

~ 2 eggs, beaten

~ 1 head cauliflower

~ salt & pepper

~ 1 Tbsp. garlic powder

~ green onion

~ 1/4 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil

Sauce:

~ 1/4 cup mayo

~ 1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce or Siracha (add more or less to make it as hot as you want)

~ 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

~ 2 Tbsp. sugar

1. Slice your cauliflower florets. Mix salt, pepper, and garlic powder into your Panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.

2. Set separate bowls aside with eggs and cornstarch. Dip your florets one by one into the cornstarch, and shake off excess. Then dip into egg, and then coat with Panko mixture.

3. After coating all of your florets, warm up your oil in a large frying pan and place all florets in hot oil. Turn with tongs making sure all sides are browned. Set on top of paper towels to remove excess oil. Top with more salt.

4. In a small bowl mix all of your sauce ingredients. Coat your breaded and pan fried florets with sauce top with sprinkles of green onion and serve right away.

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Bang Bang Cauliflower 

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

Cauliflower is really a versatile vegetable. It tastes great covered in cheesy or a creamy white sauce, roasted or steamed and you can even hide it in other recipes by pureeing it and adding it in to soups and stews. It has always been a favorite vegetable of mine every since I was a really little girl. I found this recipe over at mel’s kitchen café and it was a huge hit in my house.

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

~ 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

~ 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

~ 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

~ 2 Tbsp. butter

~ 2 garlic cloves, minced

~ salt and pepper

~ 1 Tbsp. flour

~ 1/2 cup heavy cream

~ 1/3 cup chicken broth

~ 1 large cauliflower head, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch florets

~ 1 tsp. dry mustard

~ 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together Panko bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp. Monterey Jack, 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 clove minced garlic, pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Heat remaining butter and garlic in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Once garlic is fragrant add flour, stirring constantly until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Slowly whisk in the cream and broth. Stir in cauliflower, dry mustard, thyme, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is nearly tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Take sauce pan off the heat and stir in the rest of the cheese.

4. Pour mixture into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake until the crumbs are golden and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

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Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

Mushrooms Sautéed with Garlic Butter

I was super excited to receive a basket full of Baby Bella mushrooms this weekend in our Bountiful Basket. I love mushrooms but Baby Bella’s are in my book the best. My husband and I debated about how we were going to cook them. A lot of times we marinated them and then skewer them and cook them on the barbecue. A great way to enjoy mushrooms but this time around we tried sautéing them in garlic butter and they were awesome. We had ours along side chicken but these would be great on top of steak with a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles. Or they are fantastic as a stand alone side dish. Either way these are a must try!

Mushrooms Sautéed with Garlic Butter

~ 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

~ 1 Tbsp. garlic, finely chopped

~ 1/2 tsp. salt

~ 1/4 tsp. ground pepper

~ 3/4 lb. small mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced in half (any type of small mushroom would work)

~ 2 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Melt butter in sauté pan or skillet over low heat. Add garlic, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Add mushrooms and toss with garlic butter to coat. Cover pan and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, and making sure garlic doesn’t burn. Just before serving, toss mushrooms with parsley.

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Mushrooms Sautéed with Garlic Butter

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

You have heard me say it many times on this blog that I love Cauliflower and I have ever since I can remember. But every now and then you need to do something different with your favorite veggies and this time it was the cauliflower. We have had cauliflower with white sauce several times and it was time to try something new.

So I began checking out some of my favorite food blogs like Our Best Bites and I found Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower. Well if there is one thing that I have learned about cooking recently is that now matter how much you hate a veggie if you roast it and put cheese on it you will probably end up loving it and this recipe is a great example of that. Super simple to make and a great addition to my collection of cauliflower recipes.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

~ 3-4 Tbs. Olive Oil

~ 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

~ 1 head cauliflower

~ salt and pepper

~ 2-3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place olive oil and garlic in a small bowl and heat in microwave for about 20 seconds. Remove from microwave and set aside.

2. Remove stem and leaves from cauliflower head and trim into large florets. Slice each floret into 1/4 inch slices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and garlic mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use clean hands to toss to coat. Add more olive oil if needed.

3. Bake for 15 minutes and then toss with spatula. Bake 10 more minutes and then toss with Parmesan Cheese. Continue for 5-10 minutes or until slightly golden brown on edges.

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Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

There always reaches a point in the summer where you have been growing tomatoes and you have eaten them every way possible. You don’t know how else to cook them and yet they just keep coming.

Well I know it isn’t summer but over the last few months we had been getting tomatoes in our bountiful basket so often that I was starting to get a bit burnt out. I love tomatoes and had prepared them all the ways I like to enjoy them but was starting to get a bit tired of them. I was on the hunt to find a different way to prepare them and I found this recipe. It is now a new favorite of mine and is great in the colder months because the tomatoes are baked. These baked parmesan tomatoes would also be great on a sandwich or just as a side dish.

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

~ 4 tomatoes, halved horizontally

~ 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

~ 1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (or dried if you don’t have fresh)

~ 1/4 tsp. salt

~ freshly ground pepper, to taste

~ 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. In a small bowl mix together Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper. Place tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet. Top with Parmesan mixture and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

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Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

Grilled Carrots with Honey Balsamic Glaze

My husband decided that he wanted to barbecue the carrots we got from our basket this last week. I was a but unsure about the end result because I have never had nor seen anyone barbecue carrots. This is now my favorite way to cook and enjoy carrots. They were so tender and the Honey Balsamic Glaze was incredible. You must give this a try!

Grilled Carrots with Honey Balsamic Glaze

~ 6 carrots

~ 1/8 cup Balsamic vinegar

~ 1/8 cup Honey

1. Combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small bowl, whisk to combine and then set aside.

2. Peel and trim the carrots. Then slice then in half horizontally.

3. Put the carrots in a ziplock bag and seal, leaving about an inch unsealed. Cook carrots on high in the microwave for 2 minutes, or until they are slightly flexible. This shortens their grilling time greatly.

4. Grill the carrots on a medium-high grill for 3 minutes. Flip then over, brush them with the glaze and continue grilling another 3 minutes. Remove from the grill and brush them with the glaze.

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Grilled Carrots with Honey Balsamic Glaze