Hot Dog!

This picture has nothing to do with anything.

I just think it's funny!

Bacon is even good on EV-ERY-THING.

When I read this recipe, I had to give it a lot of thought. It seemed like it would be greasy and gross. However, I'm such a big bacon fan that it finally got my motor runnin'. This is not a last minute thing to throw together, it takes 2 hours to bake. I even liked it leftover/cold out of the frig. Bacon = happy!

BACON CRACKERS

1 pkg club crackers

1# thin sliced bacon, cut slices in half

Grated Parmesan cheese or Parmesan Regiano (sp?) combined.

Lay crackers face up on a cookie sheet. Scoop about 1/2 tsp of grated Parmesan cheese onto each cracker. CAREFULLY wrap each cheese covered cracker in a half slice of bacon. This part takes some coordination, I completely spilled all of the cheese off of my first cracker. Hang in there, it will get easier. Completely cover the cracker from one end to the other, making sure it fits snugly.

Place the bacon wrapped crackers onto a baking sheet that has a cooling rack on it so the grease will drip away from the crackers.

Place in a 250* oven for about 2 hours. :-)

Olive Juice

Does anyone remember a movie that talked about saying OLIVE JUICE? The idea was that from across the room, or just mouthing the words it looks like you are saying I LOVE YOU. I'm not sure why that's relevant, except that this recipe has a lot of olives in it. I've always loved olives. Green, black, sliced, stuffed, marinated, right out of the jar, you name it. This baked bread was pulled out of my hat for the last Husker football game. I think it was from the Pioneer Woman's blog. Tomorrow is a BIG game with Wisconsin, I better put my thinking cap on to find some other yums.

OLIVE CHEESE BREAD

1 loaf French bread

6 oz stuffed green olives

6 oz black olives

2 green onions

1 stick butter, room temp

1/2 cup mayo

3/4 pound Monterrey jack cheese, grated.

Roughly chop both black and green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces.

Combine butter, mayo, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until combined, spread onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 325* for 25 min or until cheese is melted and golden.

This mixture can be refrigerated up to 2 days and used as a dip also!

quickgetsomerecipespostedbeforeseptemberisover

It's a Friday. It's the last day of September. I haven't paid any attention to my blog all month. That can only mean I must be in the throes of the first month of preschool. Argh! Yes, it's true. Getting 42 preschool age children into a routine takes a lot of work. Therefore, when I come home, I've been taking it easy, a little too easy.

Here we go! I'll do this in reverse order. Tonight I have put together a crock pot breakfast that I'm hoping will be wonderful. I've really been enjoying my crock pots lately, this is one of many reasons. I'm going to post the original recipe, but I cut it in half and used my little crock. Much better for just two of us. :-)

Crock Pot Egg Casserole

12 eggs or 2 cartons of egg beaters

1 (32 oz) bag frozen hash browns, any kind

1 lb cooked and cut up bacon, ham or sausage (or mix it up)

1/2 - 1 cup diced onion

12 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp dry mustard

salt, pepper and anything else you love

Spray a 6 qt crock pot with nonstick spray. Put in 1/2 of the hash browns, meat and onion. Sprinkle with half the cheese; then repeat.

Mix together eggs, milk, sour cream and seasonings. Pour over the top of ingredients layered in crock pot.

Cook on low for 8 hrs.

Can't wait for the morning to eat this.

Did I mention that I like granola?

I have made a few different kinds of granola, but this is the one people! I am so happy with the taste of this one, it's j-u-s-t right. I eat it with yogurt, parfait style. I have it for breakfast with milk. I've seen Mike grab a handful of it and chuck it right in his mouth. It. Is. Good.

Homemade Granola

6 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup walnuts, broken into pieces

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup coconut

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup honey

1/2 cup oil

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup dried fruit, soaked in water (craisins or raisins)

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix liquid ingredients in a 2 cup measure and warm slightly in the microwave, then pour over dry mixture. Stir until well coated.

Put in two greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes; stir and add dried fruit. Bake another 20 minutes or until evenly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Have any Key Lime?

I was watching Paula Deen make a pound cake. She used about a hundred stick of butter in it, and I'll admit it looked good. I went in search of a recipe that would imitate hers, but be a little kinder to those I love. This one was in Southern Living Magazine and it was a winner! Since I could not find any key limes, I was forced to buy a bottle of key lime juice. I always like to use fresh when possible, but I think this was probably a good alternative.

Key Lime Pound Cake

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lime zest (used a regular old lime)

1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice

Preheat oven to 325*. Grease and flour a 10" (12 cup) tube pan.

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating just until blended after each one.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Combine at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour batter into tube pan.

Bake at 325* for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10-15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

Prepare glaze, and immediately brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Key Lime Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoons fresh Key lime juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together powdered sugar, fresh key lime juice, and vanilla until smooth. Use immediately.

HURRY UP, AUGUST IS ALMOST OVER!!!!!!!

I guess I'll start at the end of the month, and work my way back. I kept thinking I had time to get some posts in for August, guess what? That leaves today! Let's get crackin'

Speaking of 'crackin'.... here is the latest brownie experiment. I took this to Lincoln yesterday for the fam to review. It received 3 thumbs up! I found this on another blog, give it a try!

Better-Than-Crack Brownies

1 brownie box mix (9x13 size)

1/2 cup salted peanuts

1 cup chopped peanut butter cups (I found minis , they were perfect)

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Mix Brownies according to directions and bake for 20-25 min in a 9x13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups and bake for 5 minutes more.

While they finish baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly spoon chocolate mixture over top. Carefully smooth out.

Refrigerate for 2 hrs. before serving.