Sausage/Hash Brown/Cheddar Bake

So I just made this up on the fly as part of Easter brunch this morning - and wow, it's pretty darned good if I do say so.  And even better, really easy.  I used reduced fat sausage and cheese, so I only feel mildly guilty for having seconds.  And maybe thirds.  OK, I feel kinda guilty about that.

Sausage/Hash Brown/Cheddar Bake

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound pork sausage (I use the Jimmy Dean reduced fat kind)
1 onion, minced
1 can Campbell's cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 pound (16 ounces, or half a package) Ore-Ida Southern Style frozen hash browns, or similar
fresh ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350F.  In a nonstick skillet heat heat oil and sauté onions until translucent.  Add sausage and cook through, using spoon to break into small pieces.  Spread sausage evenly into an 8" square glass baking dish.  Spoon soup over the meat and top with half of the cheese and a sprinkle of pepper.  Spread frozen hash browns on top; cover with the other half of the cheese and more pepper.  Bake 1 hour, and then put under the broiler for a few minutes to brown and crisp up the top.

How Cookie Butter Conquered the World, Vol. 1: Cheesecake

Like any perfectly sane person, I have a completely unnatural attachment to Trader Joe's cookie butter. 

Cookie Butter Swirl Cheesecake

Crust
2 cups hard biscuits/cookies, cinnamon or ginger flavour preferred
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Heat oven to 350F.  In a food processor grind up the cookies into a fine crumb.  As machine is running, pour in melted butter and process until of even graininess.  Press into the bottom and partially up the sides of a 9-inch springform or removable-bottom pan (I use a flat-bottomed glass to press it in evenly).

Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is just lightly brown around the edges. Set aside and let cool. Reduce oven heat to 300F.

Cheesecake Filling
4 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
3 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla

Cookie Butter Swirl
¾ cup of cookie butter, gently warmed in microwave to be more pourable

Wipe out food processor bowl or use a mixer, and blend the cream cheese, eggs, eggs yolks, vanilla, sugar and heavy cream.  Mix until you have a nice custard-like consistency and no lumps are visible.

Pour cheesecake batter into cooled crust pan.   Using a spoon with the cookie butter, drizzle evenly around the batter.  Using a chopstick or skewer, gently swirl the cookie butter around until you have a pleasing pattern.  I drizzled in a spiral and then dragged the skewer zig-zag horizontally, and then again verically, for a marbled style.

Bake for 50-55 minutes.  Turn off oven and leave the cake sit in the oven for an hour.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, and then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.  Slicing may be easier with a wet knife.

Adapted from here:

http://vanillakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/cookie-butter-swirl-cheesecake.html

Bacon Bolognese

  
Bacon Bolognese

5 strips bacon, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped fine or grated
1 stalk celery, chopped fine or grated
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine or grated
¾ cup beef broth
1 28-ounce can diced or whole tomatoes (I use San Marzanos and cut them up in the pot)
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
lots of grated Parmesan

In a large saucepan or dutch oven cook bacon over medium-high heat until brown but not completely done. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic, and cook until onions are soft. Add broth, tomatoes, oregano and basil. If using whole tomatoes, snip them up in the pan with kitchen shears. Simmer over low heat for an hour.  Season with fresh ground black pepper.

Serve over hot pasta with loads of Parmesan.

Panko Breaded Cod

Panko Breaded Cod

4 cod fillets, 4-6 ounces each

¼ cup flour

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice + extra for squeezing on after

Heat oven to 375 F. Mix flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper on a plate for dredging. Put Panko on another plate. In a bowl, whisk the egg and lemon juice well. Pat fillets dry with a paper towel. Dredge through the flour mixture. Dip through the egg mixture. Coat with the Panko, pressing crumbs onto fillet. Place cod on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes, turning half way through baking.

Bacon Jam. Wait..... WHAT??! You Heard Me.

It's sweet, spicy, smoky, and irresistible on toasted sourdough or with cheese and crackers.

Bacon Jam

1 pound thick smoked bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup coffee (brewed)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup bourbon
2 chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pepper to taste

Cook the bacon in a large sauce pan an over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon starts to get crispy and set aside, reserving 1 tablespoon of the grease in the pan.

Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about a minute.  Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan.  Add the coffee, brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, bacon, chipotle chilies, cumin and pepper, reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 1-2 hours.

Process the jam in a food processor or blender to smooth it out a bit but not too much as you want to have the texture of the bacon.  If you don't finish it all in one sitting, store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.  Can be canned in sterile jars to last longer.

From Closet Cooking.