Bacon-Wrapped Spicy Stuffed Chicken with Ham Roll

Bacon Wrapped Spicy Ham Roll Stuffed Chicken
Bacon-Wrapped Spicy Stuffed Chicken with Ham Roll

Bacon-Wrapped Spicy Stuffed Chicken with Ham Roll

When I posted this on Instagram, a lot of people said it looked delicious. I told them it was, and I wasn’t lying.  The recipe is based on Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken, which my good friend, Maria de la Rocha had posted quite a long time ago.  I had been meaning to make it, but when I actually looked at the recipe, I realized there were some changes I could make to make a better dish.

Spane’s favorite appetizer is what I call Spicy Ham Rolls. It’s basically ham slices rolled up with cream cheese and chopped jalapeño.  I got the recipe from a girl I worked with that had given her leftovers from a party she had had.  When I make them, they are gone immediately!

If you make this, you can use whatever barbecue sauce you like, or you can use the one in the recipe.  If you really don’t like jalapeño, you can omit it and use bell pepper instead.

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Stovetop Smoker Highway Chicken

Stovetop Smoker Highway Chicken

Stovetop Smoker Highway Chicken

Apartment dwellers, rejoice! Yes, you, too, can savor the magical taste of smoked food, right from your apartment, no need to go outside.  Yup, that’s right, smoking food on top of your stove and not having the smoke alarm blaring. All you need is a stockpot with a pasta insert, some foil, some wood chips, some protein, and a little bit of patience.

The recipe I am referring to here is one I did a while ago on the Weber grill, indirect method and I was curious if this method would give me similar results.  I am happy to say it did.  Feel free to use the Weber version of Highway Chicken if you want to go this outdoors.

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Beans in the Instant Pot

Beans in the Instant Pot

Beans in the Instant Pot

I couldn’t help myself.  Everyone I knew had one of these new Instant Pots, and everyone was going on about how wonderful they were.  Even my therapist had one!  So, I looked up to see exactly what it was, and when I realized it was in fact an enhanced pressure cooker, I got kind of scared.

What’s for Dinner, Mom?

Beans in the Instant PotMy mother was getting the cheese out of the refrigerator while the pressure cooker was happily bubbling on the stove.  I walked in to ask my mother if I could have a glass of whatever (probably milk), when suddenly, there was a loud explosion, a red flash, and as we looked up, there was red spaghetti all over the kitchen walls.  If my mother had been by the pot, she probably would have been seriously injured if not killed. I swear we picked spaghetti off that kitchen wall for days.  It was kind of fun… but, that’s how you get a phobia about pressure cookers.

Times, They Are a Changin’

Despite being deathly afraid of the contraptions, I realized that technology must have made them safer.  After all, if we could send a man to the moon in nothing more than a glorified tin can, then why couldn’t we have beans in an instant pot, and not perish.  I got a little mini pot just so I could play around and get used to it.  The 6 quart, I was thinking about getting is large, but it’s only two of us, and this little guy, just over a quart, makes more than enough for us.

Because I don’t have to heat up a lot of other pots or dirty a lot of dishes, I really appreciate this little pot. Just put this one on sauté, add the vegetables, sauté them, then add the beans, liquid, cover, and I’m good to go.  Everything everyone said about how great these pressure cookers are was right.  They are wonderful.  But, we’re here to talk about Beans in the Instant Pot, so let’s do that.

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Expert Burgers

These burgers are called “Expert Burgers” because they have such great flavor , stuffed with Swiss cheese, with caramelized onion and coleslaw.

Nesco Honey Baked Cola Ham

Nesco Honey Baked Cola Ham


The Nesco makes a great Honey Baked ham, whether you’re just warming one up from their store, or making your own. I hope you’ll try my Nesco Honey Baked Cola ham.

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Chinese Stove Top Barbecued Cornish Hen

Chinese Stove Top Barbecued Cornish Hen
Chinese Stove Top Barbecued Cornish Hen

With just the two of us, a regular chicken is just too big, so I started buying Cornish Hens. They come two to the pack, at 1 1/2 pounds each. A one-half bird is enough to feed one person. Cornish hens taste just like regular chickens and are not baby chickens. For more information, please see the Wikipedia article on Cornish Game Hen.

I love barbecued chicken, but barbecues have been outlawed in our city, so I am stuck with less conventional ways of barbecuing. Last year, I bought a cast iron grill/griddle just for the purpose of barbecuing steaks and making pancakes. It also does a fine job with chicken, and I use the top of my wok to cover foods so they can completely cook. Of course, I have to have my windows wide open, and I shut off the bedroom where the fire alarms are to prevent them from going off. My grill/griddle is easy to clean, just put it in water while it is still warm, but not hot.

I used Hoisin sauce because my son had expressed a desire for Chinese food the day before, but you could use whatever barbecue sauce is your favorite. I served it with Same Day Fried Rice and we had ourselves an Asian feast!

Chinese Stove Top Barbecued Cornish Hen YouTube Video

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Pork Loin Roast with Tangy Lemon Sauce

Pork Loin Roast with Tangy Lemon Sauce

Pork Loin Roast with Tangy Lemon Sauce

Labor Day is such an important day to remember those who fought for good working conditions and a living wage. It’s also a fine excuse to make some good food. Whilst looking through Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, I came across a recipe for pork roast which gave me the idea to make this pork loin roast with tangy lemon sauce.

Pork loin roast is one of my favorite meats. I like mine on the rare side, just pink on the inside. I usually give the end slices to Spane because he likes his a little more cooked. There is no excuse for serving a dried out, gray colored roast of pork. Armed with a good instant thermometer, you can serve perfect pork at 140 degrees. Just make sure to let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before carving it. I use an electric knife because it makes the nicest slices.

If you want to make this on the grill, more power to you! Pork roast is great on the grill, but you have to use the Indirect method. This means you put a pile of hot coals on one side of the grill, and a pan of liquid under the meat, which gives the meat a nice, steamy place to slowly cook. If you want, you can use beer, wine or fruit juice for the liquid.

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How to Roast a Perfect Turkey in a Nesco Electric Roaster

Roast Turkey fresh from the Nesco Roaster Oven
Roast Turkey fresh from the Nesco Roaster Oven

How to Roast a Perfect Turkey in a Nesco Electric Roaster Oven

In this article, you can learn how to roast a perfect turkey in a Nesco or other electric roaster oven. In addition, you can get tips about how and why to brine the turkey. Finally, use the handy chart showing how long to cook a turkey in a roaster oven, depending on size and stuffing.

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Hasselback Potatoes in the Microwave

Hasselback Potatoes in the Microwave

Hasselback Potatoes in the Microwave

So I was hunting around Big Oven one night, getting hungry and trying to find something interesting to make with our dinner. It had to be visually appealing, and it had to go in the microwave, because a) I didn’t want to heat up the house, b) I was hungry! When I saw a picture of these, I was intrigued, and even though all recipes said to use the oven, I figured the microwave would work just fine. I was right, it did.

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