Showing posts with label Bacon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bacon. Show all posts

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Zucchini and Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

Mmmmm Lasagna.  I don't care how many gazillion versions of this recipe there are, I vow to try them all, or at least as many as I can get my hands on.

Zucchini & Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

When I saw this one over at Kevin and Amanda's, I literally drooled on the keyboard, I mean....Zucchini AND Bacon?  Are you kidding me?  That's like heaven on a plate right there.

I'm not going to talk much about this one, I think it's best left to the taste buds to speak for themselves, so here, thanks again to Kevin and Amanda, love that blog.

Zucchini & Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

Zucchini and Bacon Three Cheese Lasagna

Béchamel Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
Pinch of salt, pepper, & freshly grated nutmeg

Zucchini & Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

Lasagna:
1 zucchini, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
3 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
6 slices bacon, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1 cup of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce
3 oz smoked mozzarella cheese
4 oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles


Directions:
Dice zucchini, add garlic, coat with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper.

Zucchini & Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

Roast in an 8×8 baking dish at 400 degrees for 15 mins until soft. Leave oven on at 400, and save the 8×8 dish for the lasagna.

Combine the zucchini, bacon, Parmesan, fontina, egg, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside.

Zucchini & Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

To make the béchamel sauce: Melt 1 tbsp butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the béchamel sauce.

Zucchini & Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

Pour the béchamel sauce into the bottom of the 8×8 dish. Top with 2 lasagna noodles, the zucchini mixture, 2 more lasagna noodles, the marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a little more parmesan cheese to top.

Cover tightly with foil.

Zucchini & Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

Bake at 400 until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer.

Zucchini & Bacon 3 Cheese Lasagna

Let stand for 10 minutes.


Makes 4 servings.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

I love appetizers but I love them even more when I can just make a whole meal out of them.   These are very filling and definitely good as a weekend dinner.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

They are seriously addictive and I dare you to eat just one or two and walk away, because I tell you, you will be eating them over and over and over and literally begging yourself to stop.  Or maybe that's just me, I don't know, I'm still trying to stay away from them but I may just lose that battle and go grab another one in the kitchen.

Quick tip, just use some gloves if you're going to be working with the Jalapeno's, don't do what I did the first time I made them which was use no gloves and then proceed to scratch my eye.  YEAH, not a happy moment.


Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
recipe from Food.com

12 -15 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1
(16 ounce)
package thick cut bacon cut in half


Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Cut stems off of peppers and cut them all in half longways.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Remove seeds from peppers.

Fill each pepper with cream cheese and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around each pepper half.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Place on baking sheets and place in 450 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until bacon is fully cooked. Remove and serve warm.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers