Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

The start of summer is also the start of family reunions, potlucks, cookouts, and picnics. What in the world do you take???? How about Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs!! These little gems are everything that a Bacon Cheeseburger is without the bun.

My brother has a get together every year for family and friends………..he won’t call it a family reunion because he is afraid no one will show up. Probably not true but………just to be safe we just call it The Bocker Bash.

I was under pressure this year to produce something for two reasons, one, last year I purchased my contribution…….thats right, I bought a fruit tray and a veggie tray at the local Wal Mart………I know “not good”. Two, now that everyone knows that I am writing a food blog, it goes without saying that I needed something food blog worthy!

Now, sometimes I over do things……..just a smig. I decided I would make a meat dish, a salad, and a dessert. The meat turned out……..the other two, not so much. I took them all and brought home empty dishes, but the other two recipes need work.

The Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs were a hit. I didn’t even get any at the bash as they were all gone by the time I got through the line.

So, what is in these little buggers you ask. All the the things you put on a bacon cheeseburger………bacon, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and French Fried Onions. I used bread and butter pickles, as they are a favorite but, you can use what ever pickle is the favorite at your house. Then stuff the whole thing with cheddar cheese cubes that melt inside……….yum!

BBQ sauce added the final touch. Feel free to make them without, but if you do you may be missing out! We love Sweet Baby Rays in all flavors, but use whatever kind your family likes best.

The other nice thing about this recipe is that you can make it and take it. I threw the meatballs into a crockpot and off I went. If you will not have electricity at your get-together, place the meatballs in a insulated carrier, or the really old fashioned way…………place your hot food in what ever serving container you want, line a box with newspaper or bath towels, and this will keep your food warm for several hours……….just long enough to show off your culinary skills.

So, next time you need a ‘take along’ dish, try our Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs Collage

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Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

  • Author: MartyBoyd
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 24 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/2 pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
  • 2 eggs
  • 12.8 ounce container French Fried Onions
  • 2 tablespoons pickle juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped pickles
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon regular yellow mustard
  • 1/2 pound cheddar cheese cut into 24 cubes
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce, your favorite

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375*
  2. Combine ground beef, cooked bacon, eggs, fried onions, pickles, pickle juice, ketchup, and mustard in a large bowl until mixed throughly.
  3. Shape into meatballs using an ice cream scoop. You should be able to get 24 meatballs. Push one cube of cheese into each meatball, making sure to enclose the cheese inside the meatball. Place meatballs on a parchment cover baking sheet and bake at 375* Bake for 20 -25 minutes. If serving immediately transfer meatball to serving dish. Heat BBQ sauce until heated through and drizzle over meatballs. Alternately you can place the cooked meatballs into a slow cooker, pour BBQ sauce over meatballs and hold until serving time.

Keywords: ground beef, bacon, cheese, French Fried Onions, pickles, mustard, BBQ sauce

 

Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza

Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza

Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza

As our asparagus patch winds down for it’s first productive year, I wanted to make something different with our last cutting.

How about Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza? I ran across a recipe that was written in…..you guessed it French (if you are new to our blog I am a huge French/France fan). Now translations sometimes do not go as you plan. Some words do not translate into the same products or instructions…….well lets just say, if I ever had to cook in France I may not do so well…….

That being said, I decided that perhaps my best approach was to make my own recipe and forget the translation. If you would like to see the original recipe take a look at the  La popotte de Manue website. It is all written in French but is a very pretty website.

So, on to my version, I liked the idea of the asparagus and goat cheese, and adding bacon…….well, its bacon…… you can add bacon to anything and have a winner!

We always have onions on pizza, and red onions have the color and taste that are just right for this pizza. I wasn’t sure about the cream and egg mixture as the “sauce” but it lent a creaminess when mixed with all the other ingredients.

You can make your own dough or buy a ready made dough. Do use dough and not a pre made crust, as you need to make a rim so the egg mixture stays on the pizza, and isn’t a giant mess in the bottom of your oven.

So, for our final cut of asparagus, we give the Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza a big thumbs up and we think you will too!!!!

Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza Collage

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Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza

Asparagus Goat Cheese Pizza

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Pizza
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 fresh pizza dough
  • 2 cups asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly
  • 3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 oz heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper
  • Basil for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400*
  2. Cook bacon until crisp, cool, crumble and set aside.
  3. Slice red onion and set aside.
  4. Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces and set aside.
  5. Prepare the pizza dough. You can make your own dough or use a purchased dough. Roll dough into a 12 inch round and place on pizza stone or cookie sheet.
  6. Whisk together the cream and eggs, salt and pepper.
  7. Place the asparagus,bacon, red onion and goat cheese on the dough. Pour the egg cream mixture over the top.
  8. Bake at 400* until crust is browned and the topping is starting to turn golden, about 15-20 minutes. Garnish with basil.
  9. Slice and enjoy!

Keywords: pizza, asparagus, goat cheese, bacon, onion, bake

 

Penne Salmon Pasta

Penne Salmon Pasta

Penne Salmon Pasta

Every once in a while you have a recipe that you fall back on time, and time again……..such is Penne Salmon Pasta.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had recipes that I thought I would never see again………….I cannot thank my friend and co-worker……..or should I say miracle worker, Jeanne enough. She rescued my lost recipes from their Word Perfect prison. So, Tim and I were able to enjoy this yummy pasta dish………….and now I get to share it with all of you.

This dish has so many parts that are good for you. In addition to being super easy to prepare, it is also loaded with taste.

It has an Asian flare……….garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, and a touch of Sriracha for spice. The salmon gives you all those good Omega’s. Spinach is high in fiber with tons of vitamins and antioxidants. Add in the shiitake mushrooms for more fiber, B vitamins, and minerals. Toss in enriched whole grain pasta, and a touch of green onion for garnish…………..it’s a healthy bowl full of bliss.

Penne Salmon Pasta 2

So, the next time you are craving a healthy pasta dish, give the Penne Salmon Pasta a try, your taste buds and your body will thank you!

Penne Salmon Pasta Collage

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Penne Salmon Pasta

Penne Salmon Pasta

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 oz. penne
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon Sriracha
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1tablespoon coconut oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 5 cups spinach, stemmed
  • 3 green onions, separated into white & green parts each finely chopped
  • 1tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 lb. salmon fillets cut in 1 by 1/4 in. strips
  • 6oz. shiitake mushrooms

Instructions

  1. Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Combine broth, oyster sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, Sriracha, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
  3. Heat oil in a large nonstick wok over high heat.
  4. Add garlic, white part of green onion, & ginger; sauté 15 seconds. Add salmon and mushrooms; cook stirring often 4-5 minutes or until salmon is cooked. Stir in cornstarch mixture along with spinach. Heat to boiling. Stir in penne heat 1 min. transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with green onion( green part)

Notes

Note; soy sauce may be substituted for oyster

Keywords: salmon, pasta, spinach, mushrooms