Spicy Coca-Cola Cheese Dip with Bacon

This Spicy Coca-Cola Cheese Dip with Bacon has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareYourSpirit #CollectiveBias

To kick off football season we headed over to our friend's for a football game party and were served Coca-Cola BBQ Ribs that were amazingly good. I was weary at first, but after one taste I wanted to eat the whole plate. They were tender, sweet & smoky - and totally inspired me to whip up a recipe using Coca-Cola as an ingredient! I started thinking about dips and spreads and finally decided to make a delicious bowl of Spicy Coca-Cola Cheese Dip with Bacon. A blend of cheeses, spicy sriracha sauce, cool and sweet Coca-Cola and the smoky flavor of hickory-smoked bacon. Served with sliced baguette bread {or crackers, pretzels, veggies}, this dip is perfect for football games, tailgating parties or just to enjoy on a lazy Sunday.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes {5 Ingredients}

Everyone needs a perfect potluck dish - this is mine.

Don't you love when you take a dish to a party/potluck/picnic/etc. and everybody loves it? There is something oh-so satisfying about seeing people go back for seconds {and sometimes thirds} of a dish you made and brought to a get-together. Not to mention leaving with an empty casserole dish - no leftovers. This is that recipe. The recipe that people will be asking for, while shoveling forkfuls into their mouths. Any not only is this recipe for Loaded Mashed Potatoes a crowd-pleaser but it consists of only 5 ingredients!

AD Mac + Cheese Pasta Salad with Bacon

This summer-inspired comfort food recipe for Mac + Cheese Pasta Salad with Bacon has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerYum #CollectiveBias

I am totally amped to be sharing this Mac + Cheese Pasta Salad with Bacon with you today! It's a marriage of two of my favorite side dishes: mac + cheese and pasta salad. Mac + Cheese is one of my all time favorite comfort foods - always has been and always will be. The taste of a warm, gooey bowl of Mac + Cheese reminds me of Grandma, corningware and snowy winters. It just doesn't feel right digging into a bowl of all that warm goodness during the hot summer months, it just doesn't. So, I switched it up and made a dish that can not only be enjoyed at home during the summer months but it also works great to bring along for all of those BBQs and July 4th celebrations on the calendar!

15 Delicious Ways to Celebrate National BLT Month

April is National BLT Month and I've rounded up 15 delicious ways to celebrate the occasion! All of these recipes have the required ingredients of a BLT; Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato. Some people may substitute spinach for the lettuce or use a vegetable-based bacon instead of the porky bacon that we all know and love but the truth of the matter is that if there isn't real bacon, real lettuce and real tomatoes - it's not a BLT. Some rules just weren't made to be broken!

1. Classic BLT Sandwich

Honestly Yum

2. Slow Roasted Tomato BLT Sandwich

Closet Cooking

Hummus and Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Crispy Onions {Arla Dofino Recipes}

Today, April 1st, kicks off National Grilled Cheese Month - and I think that is something worth celebrating! I am a lover of cheese, especially melted cheese, so naturally this is a food holiday that I am jazzed about. There is no way that I could celebrate this special month with just a regular ol' Grilled Cheese Sandwich. No siree! It had to be something completely awesome - like a Hummus and Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Crispy Onions. The taste of this sandwich is spectacular, all the flavors together are something made of dreams. Arla Dofino Gouda and Havarti Cheeses, Hummus, Bacon and Crispy Onions - all sandwiched in between two pieces of Eureka! Grainiac Bread. Quite possibly the best lunch ever. {Don't tell all the other lunches I said that!}

Red Hot Chili Pepper Mac & Cheese with Bacon {Mezzetta Recipes}

One of my favorite comfort foods is Mac & Cheese. It's warm ooey-gooey cheesiness is pleasurable enough to make most bad days tolerable. Yes, I just admitted to emotional eating - let's just move on... The other day I was introduced to Mezzetta Everything Spread and instantly thought it would be the perfect way to kick my favorite Mac & Cheese recipe up a notch. {I was so, so, so right!} The recipe is a cinch to make, so the hardest part was deciding which Everything Spread to incorporate into the goodness. I hemmed, then I hawed - but then finally decided on creating this Red Hot Chili Pepper Mac & Cheese with Bacon. This is like top-shelf comfort food y'all!!

Bacon-Wrapped Maple & Brown Sugar Mini Meatloaves

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias #QuakerUp #LoveMyCereal

I've been on a Meatloaf Mission since I've started cooking for my husband, some 7 years ago. There have been plenty of good meatloaves served at our dinner table, but nothing spectacular. Not until now. My mission has come to an end as I now have "My Meatloaf"! My secret ingredient? Quaker Life Maple & Brown Sugar Cereal. {Because what fun is a fabulous recipe without a secret ingredient?!?} I already had my heart set on making these Bacon-Wrapped Maple & Brown Sugar Mini Meatloaves, but decided to jazz them up a bit by replacing regular breadcrumbs with cereal breadcrumbs. DIY Maple & Brown Sugar Breadcrumbs - with just a push of the food processor ON button.

It takes 2 cups of Quaker Life Maple & Brown Sugar Cereal to make ¾ cup Maple & Brown Sugar Breadcrumbs. And while I realize they're not technically "breadcrumbs", since they're not made of actual bread - they do the same job, so stick with me here. This recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Maple & Brown Sugar Mini Meatloaves calls for ¾ cup of Maple & Brown Sugar Breadcrumbs which means there is still an almost-full box of Quaker Life Cereal left to enjoy in the morning for breakfast. {Bonus!} I love the sweet and crunchy goodness of Life cereal to kick off my day and lucky for me, my kids do too - so it's a cereal we all agree on. {Double Bonus!!}

These Bacon-Wrapped Maple & Brown Sugar Mini Meatloaves are incredibly moist, ultra flavorful and have even the most anti-meatloaf person finishing their plate. {true story, my children are the proof!} I am so excited to be sharing this recipe with you - it's a keeper!!

Bacon-Wrapped Maple & Brown Sugar Mini Meatloaves
yields five 1-cup loaves
{PRINTABLE RECIPE}
Ingredients
1½ lbs ground beef
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
¾ cup Maple & Brown Sugar Breadcrumbs {see recipe below}
2 eggs
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
5 slices bacon
Glaze
¼ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Directions
1.Heat oven to 350
2.Mix together all ingredients except bacon {first 11 ingredients} until well combined. Measure out five 1 cup portions and shape into small loaves. Place on baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3.After loaves have chilled, wrap one piece of bacon around each loaf.
4.Bake for 30-35 minutes, until loaves have started to brown. Remove from oven, raise temperature of oven to 400.
5.Mix together glaze ingredients {this can be done while loaves are in oven} and brush onto loaves.
6.Bake for additional 10 minutes.
7.Serve and enjoy!!

Maple & Brown Sugar Breadcrumbs
{yields ¾ cup breadcrumbs}
Ingredients
2 cups Quaker Life Maple & Brown Sugar Cereal
Directions
1.Place cereal in food processor.

I was able to get all the ingredients for this recipe at Walmart, where they have an excellent range of Quaker products. Discover the goodness of Quaker Oats with Quaker Life, Oatmeal Squares, Real Medleys, or Simply Granola products - so many delicious choices!

Visit Quaker on 

Twitter - Facebook - Pinterest

Cheesy Pineapple Dip with Bacon

Although this blog post is for a recipe, I would also like to think of it as a Public Service Announcement. The reason being is that this Cheesy Pineapple Dip with Bacon is the absolute bee's knees and should be served at every party this summer season - and then every season after that. And then every other party you ever go to. Just sayin...

If I was a chip I would make love to this dip.

Triple Bacon Meatballs {Bacon Lovers}

So... I took a bunch of bacon and shoved it into 55 meatballs. I share this recipe for Triple Bacon Meatballs because I deeply love you.

I make no bones about it - I love bacon. BAAAAAAAACON.

A while back Papa Murphy's had this pizza that was called the Bacon, Bacon, Bacon Pizza. {would they just hire me to come up with their pizza names already?!?} The pizza was crammed full of bacon, bacon and more bacon - and lucky for me, my in-laws left some after watching the kiddos one day. {score!} The pizza was amazing, I can't believe it's not on Papa Murphy's regular menu. The Bacon, Bacon, Bacon Pizza was the complete inspiration for these Triple Bacon Meatballs

Ground pork, Canadian bacon, peppered bacon, maple bacon. drool.

Sriracha-Candied Bacon

 

It's certainly no secret - I have a hunka hunka burning love for BACON. I've put it in cookies, soups, dips, wrapped it around spring rolls and apples, dipped it in chocolate and of course, devoured copious amounts while standing in the kitchen cooking breakfast. My newest endeavor was to try my hand at candying some porky goodness. I'm a serious bacon-lover and was a tad skeptical of putting anything on my dear bacon before cooking it - but I took a leap of faith y'all and am so happy I did!! This Sriracha-Candied Bacon is the bee's knees. It's up there with unicorns and rainbows, trust me.

The ingredient list is short and sweet {& spicy} - honey, Sriracha, soy sauce and brown sugar.

And bacon of course! This recipe for Sriracha-Candied Bacon calls for 1/2lb. of bacon, but if you want to do more just double or triple {or quadruple} the recipe. The term "the more the merrier" fits this recipe to a tee!

Sriracha-Candied Bacon
(PRINTABLE RECIPE)
yields ½lb. bacon
Ingredients
½ cup brown sugar
½ tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½lb thick cut bacon
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350
2. Mix brown sugar, honey, sriracha and soy sauce together.
3. Place pieces of bacon on baking sheet. Brush or spoon sugar mixture onto slices of bacon.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until bacon is starting to crisp around edges.
5. Let cool on baking rack and enjoy!

Plus this recipe for Sriracha-Candied Bacon is so easy that you can whip it up on a whim. {like when your friends come over and you just NEED them to taste this awesome new recipe you found for bacon... }

Or you could make it part of a bad-ass breakfast like we did...

Found that awesome Skull Funnyside Up Egg Mold at ThinkGeek - pretty awesome huh?Actually thinking about it, found that Sriracha Mug there too. {I have a shameless addiction to ThinkGeek and Timmy stickers} But getting back to that Sriracha-Candied Bacon... If you have any inkling to try it, do it! Bacon & Sriracha Lovers Unite!!

Baked Dill-Artichoke Dip with Bacon

Have you ever had the Dill Sauce from La Bou? Actually upon further research I guess I should have asked if you had ever heard of La Bou first... They are a Bakery & Cafe that is evidently just in California, around the Sacramento area. Anywhoo, they have a Dill Sauce that is the bee's knees y'all! The best way I can describe it is a homemade ranch dressing that is runnier than thick, but instead of ranch it's dill. And it's awesome. It's great on sandwiches but my favorite way to eat it is with a sliced half baguette - just dip and devour. {just one step away from drinking it, I understand this... haha} While thinking about this delicious Dill Sauce the other day it dawned on me that I have never tasted a Baked Dill Dip before - so I had to make one.

And of course I had to throw some other stuff in there too... like some artichoke hearts, bacon and copious amounts of cheese. Copious.

And I was so torn between leaving the dip cold or baking it. But since we just had a cold dip last week {Spicy Beer-Cheese Dip with Bacon} I decided to throw this concoction in the oven.

And I have to be honest here and not take all the credit for this little creation - I had a little help from Hidden Valley. Their Harvest Dill Dip Mix is the closest I have tasted to La Bou's Dill Sauce - so that's what was used for the Dill flavor in this Baked Dill-Artichoke Dip with Bacon. So just rest assured that no fresh dill was harmed in the making of this dip - just the ripping of a little Hidden Valley Harvest Dill Dips Mix packet.

Baked Dill-Artichoke Dip with Bacon
(PRINTABLE RECIPE)
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ packet (0.50 ounce) Hidden Valley Harvest Dill Dips mix
28 oz marinated artichoke hearts, chopped - divided
1½ cups cooked bacon, chopped - divided
1½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Beat cream cheese with mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sour cream, mayonnaise and Harvest Dill mix - mix until smooth. .
3. Add 21oz artichoke hearts, 1 cup bacon, 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Put in baking casserole and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add remaining 7oz artichoke hearts, ½ cup bacon and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Return to oven and broil until top is golden brown.
5. Serve with crackers or sliced baguette.

Spicy Beer-Cheese Dip with Bacon

The best part of Football season is all the recipes for Appetizers online. I think I may have mentioned this before, as the thought pops in my head every football season. I could live off appetizers, so it's certainly my time of year. Plus, I am so sick of sweets from the holiday season that all I want is something savory, preferably with a beer to wash it down. So - in honor of the big game on Sunday and all of the wonderful appetizers {snack foods, finger-foods, etc.} that will be enjoyed across America, I present you with Spicy Beer-Cheese Dip with Bacon.

It's what your wildest dreams are made of. Plus, you'll have some leftover beer to help wash it down. {this is my kinda dish!}

Big shout out to that beer too. Lagunitas Brewing Company Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale. Oh me oh my. I've tried a lot of beers and keep coming back to this one. I would describe what it tastes like but I am far from a beer connoisseur and would probably just sound like a jack-ass. {speaking of Jack Ass, just saw Bad Grandpa the other night and was crying from laughing so hard. just a psa for all you Knoxville fans!} What I can tell you is that if you buy some and don't like - you always got a place to take the leftovers. {me.} ;)

I promise that you need want both the Spicy Beer-Cheese Dip with Bacon and the Lagunitas Sumpin' Ale in your life. I'm am not saying this is the best dip ever, I'm just saying that I was eating it off the spoon. {shameless, I know.}

Spicy Beer-Cheese Dip with Bacon
{PRINTABLE RECIPE}
Ingredients
8oz Cream Cheese, softened
¼ cup Ranch dressing {I used Newman’s Own}
2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
¼ cup beer {I used Lagunitas Brewing Company Lil’ Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale}
⅔ cup cooked & chopped bacon
2 green onions
Directions
1. Beat cream cheese and ranch dressing with mixer until well blended.
2. Add sriracha sauce, cheese, beer, bacon and onions. Mix until incorporated.
3. Let chill in refrigerator for a couple hours until chilled.
4. Serve with crackers, pretzels, sliced baguette. Garnish with additional cheese, bacon and green onions.

Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls {Easy Holiday Appetizers that will #PakTheParty!}

To create the perfect party appetizer, as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, I made Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls using SeaPak Shrimp Spring Rolls.

'Tis the season to be jolly and to get ready for holiday parties! I have no shame in admitting that I like to be a show off and bring something awesomely different to holiday parties that everybody will love. One ingredient I have found that will please the masses is bacon. I'm sorry, I meant to say BACON. {I think it deserves to be spelled in all caps, at least once in this post.} Not only did I want to put bacon in a dish, I wanted to wrap something in bacon - but wasn't sure what. That was until I saw this article in Ladies Home Journal for the 15 Best Frozen Appetizers to Serve at a Party - #10 was SeaPak Shrimp Spring Rolls. My kids {& me} LOVE SeaPak Popcorn Shrimp, so I knew the quality of these Shrimp Spring Rolls would meet my quality standards. At first I was thinking they would be perfect to serve with a new, delicious dip. But then my Bacon Angel tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me about wanting to wrap a delicious holiday appetizer in bacon. And thus - the Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls were born!

These make the perfect dinner party recipe since they can be made ahead of time, only need 2 ingredients, have a short cook time and are addictingly {I'm finding it extremely hard to believe that's not a word}delicious. I did a test run on these Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls to make sure they would be as awesome as I hoped for an upcoming party. Someone's gotta do the dirty work... haha

It's real easy to make these Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls - just roll them, place on a baking sheet and then pop them in the oven. If making them ahead, roll them and then place them on a baking sheet and in the fridge until ready to bake. Wrap the bacon around the rolls tightly to help avoid having them unroll during baking.

I baked my Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls on parchment paper to avoid having them stick to the baking pan. Though this step may not be necessary, it does save a lot of cleaning time.

Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls
(PRINTABLE RECIPE)
Ingredients
1 package SeaPak Shrimp Spring Rolls
1 lb. pork bacon, regular sliced
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Wrap each Shrimp Spring Roll with a piece of bacon. Start at one end of the spring roll and wrap to the other end, pulling and creating tension as you go. Place, seam down, on baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until bacon is turning golden.
5. Let cool and serve with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce that is included with SeaPak Shrimp Spring Rolls

Not only did these Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls turn out to be the perfect Holiday Appetizer, they also are now one of our favorite Easy Meal Ideas. I can't wait to take a batch of these to a Holiday Party this weekend - they are going to knock the socks off of some Bacon Lovers {everybody}!! I also love that SeaPak saved me time from making a fancy dip by including a Sweet Thai Chili Sauce that is not only delicious but the perfect accompaniment to the Bacon Wrapped Spring Rolls. Thank you SeaPak!!

The SeaPak Shrimp Spring Rolls are wonderful with or without the bacon, plus are so easy to make that they're now part of our regular rotation of quick-to-make snacks. I love finding new food products and this one is certainly worth sharing!!

For some delicious recipe ideas using SeaPak products, make sure to check out their Pinterest Boards. They can also be found on Facebook and Twitter sharing recipes & specials!

I found my box of SeaPak Shrimp Spring Rolls in the frozen section at Walmart, to find where they are located near you make sure to check out their product locator. I also signed up for the Coastal Catch while on their site and received an $1 off coupon in my email - make sure to check it out!

California Hot Brown Bake

So, the other day I was on Pinterest... famous last words, right? haha

But really, I was on Pinterest the other day and came across a recipe for Kentucky Hot Brown Bake by Eat at Home and thought it looked ridiculously delicious. {ridiculously delicious is when something looks so good it makes me giggle/laugh} After reading the post I found out that the Kentucky Hot Brown Bake was inspired by the Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich {which I had never heard of before} and an Italian Layer Bake that Tiffany {the author of Eat at Home} found at Mr. Food. So, I decided to take it one more degree out {you know, like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon} and put a California spin on it.

Thus, the California Hot Brown Bake was born. And I love it. xoxo

{Bacon Lovers} Jalapeno Popper Taquitos

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Good Cook, as part of the Good Cook Kitchen Experts program. All opinions are honest and 100% my own.

I will make no bones about it - I LOVE BACON.

My husband and older kids? They love it too. This past week my husband let one of the babies gnaw on a piece of bacon - he loved it. If I told you how much bacon I went through to make these Bacon Lovers Jalapeno Popper Taquitos it would surprise/concern you. Let's just say I could have made a couple batches with the amount of bacon devoured - standing in the kitchen. You know how a cat can hear a can opener and come running? That's my family with smelling bacon on the griddle. It's funny how fast the kitchen can become the busiest room in the house. Not complaining, I consider myself lucky for being able to share my adoration of crispy swine with the ones I love!

Have you seen the recipes for Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers? I have seen them all over Pinterest. All over. And although they look freaking delicious - I can't rationalize eating them for anything other than pure indulgence. However, wrapping them in a tortilla makes them a meal. Right? Well at least that is the idea - so we roll with it! {no pun intended, but cute nonetheless. haha}

A couple weeks ago I posted Steakhouse Stuffed Cheeseburgers that were made as part of the Good Cook Stuffed Burger Challenge. The contest is still running and by voting for your favorite burger {maybe the Steakhouse Stuffed Cheeseburger? *shameless plea}, you are entered to win your very own Burger Stuffing Kit. In that kit is a Cast Iron Grill - which just happens to be the newest love of my life, in the kitchen. 

One awesome thing to do on a Cast Iron Grill? Why, cook some bacon of course! And to make it even more awesome, Good Cook has a Bacon Press to help keeps those pieces of bacon from curling and being uneven. I don't feel like this is advertising folks, this is a service announcement. I had never heard of a bacon press before and my husband is already talking about buying me a second one since I use it so much.  Not just for bacon, but for everything that is getting cooked in my new Cast Iron Grill, from chicken breasts to grilled sammies - the Bacon Press is an awesome kitchen tool to have!

Enough about the awesomeness of my new Good Cook products, let's get to the awesomeness of these Bacon Lovers Jalapeno Popper Taquitos! Each taquito has one full piece of bacon in it. I know that just made all you Bacon Lover's hearts go pitter-patter. ;)

And talk about easy to make! Just a tortilla wrapped around cream cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapenos and of course, BACON. :)

Put in a baking pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is starting to bubble and ooze out of the sides.

We enjoyed ours with some ranch dressing as a dipping sauce. Even the kids liked them!

So, these Bacon Lovers Jalapeno Popper Taquitos do not rank the most healthy dinner {at all} but they do rank pretty high for being the most delicious. These would be a perfect appetizer as well - I am thinking as a Game Day dish would be perfect! They are also great to make ahead and then bake when you are ready.

You know you want to try a bite...

Bacon Lovers Jalapeno Popper Taquitos (PRINTABLE RECIPE)
{makes 10 taquitos}
Ingredients
8oz Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
¼ cup jalapenos, chopped (I used Mezzetta’s jarred Jalapenos)
10 strips of bacon, cooked
10 tortillas, soft taco or fajita sized
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350
2. Mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese and jalapenos until fully combined.
3. Divide cream cheese mixture over 10 tortillas, top with slices of bacon and roll. Place in baking pan, seam side down.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheeses are bubble are starting to ooze out of tortillas.
5. Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!