Chipotle Bacon Jam

February 19th, 2010
by: Blue

Chipotle Bacon Jam with Cream Cheese and Crostini

This dish was the first place winner at our annual Bacon cook-off at work!  It’s quite delicious.

Ingredients:
20 oz of cooked, crumbled bacon (weight after cooking)
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 chopped onion
8 chipotles en adobo (or to taste, depending on your tolerence for heat)
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1/2 tablespoon allspice
3 tablespoons ground chocolate
3 cups of brewed coffee
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Cook the onion and garlic in two tablespoons of bacon fat or oil for a couple of minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for two hours, stirring occasionally. If jam starts to get dry, add water, 1/4 cup at a time.

Serve warm over cream cheese accompanied by crostini.  This would also make incredibly decadent and delicious sliders – it smells like pulled pork while it’s cooking.   Mmmmmmmm.

Crostini

February 19th, 2010
by: Blue

Once you make these from scratch you will never buy crostini (or maybe even crackers) again.  They are SO good.

French bread or Baguette bread
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Thinly slice bread.  Place slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Lightly brush both sides of sliced bread with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.

Bake in oven about 10-15 minutes, flipping once about halfway through cooking.  The crostini are done when they are lightly browned.

Chutney Cheese Ball

January 5th, 2010
by: Sue

24 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup raisins, chopped
1 cup salted peanuts, chopped
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup green onion, chopped (use tops too)
4 tsp curry powder or to your taste

Combine the ingredients, mixing well. Shape into large ball, wrap in Saran. Refrigerate. Before serving, top with Chutney. Sprinkle with coconut and chopped parsley.

Serve with unsalted crackers (or water crackers).

Cheese Roll

October 9th, 2009
by: Sue

For many Christmases, we had this cheese roll to snack on while we waited for Mema’s rolls to rise. There is nothing like the smell of yeast rolls and turkey in the oven to whet your appetite for this garlicky cheese roll.

1 pound grated longhorn cheese (or sharp cheddar)
1 small package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup pecans, toasted
1 small onion, grated
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, chopped (you can substitute garlic powder if desired, to your own taste)
salt and pepper

Put everything except pecans through grinder or food processor, add pecans. Form into rolls the circumfurence of a Ritz cracker , wrap with wax paper and aluminum foil and refrigerate. Chill overnight. Slice and serve with Ritz crackers.

Variation: roll cheese roll in chili powder