Three Potato Salad with Bacon

It ended in the the words, "with bacon" so I had to try it! 

This one came from a Reader's Digest magazine but I am not sure which month.  I tend to just tear out the recipes I want to try.

4 medium unpeeled red-skinned new potatoes
3 unpeeled Yukon gold new potatoes
1 large unpeeled sweet potato, halved
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
2 tbsp grainy mustard
2 tbsp white vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 green onions thinly sliced
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1.  Place new and Yukon Gold potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with salted water.  Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain and cut into bite sized pieces.
2.  Meanwhile, place sweet potato in a small saucepan; cover with salted water.  Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and cook just until tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.  Drain, peel and cut into bite sized pieces.
3.  In a large bowl, whisk buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Add potatoes, bacon, green onions and dill, folding gently to coat.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour for flavors to blend.

Egg-a-muffs

I do not know where the original recipe came from and I have no measurements but these are so good I have to post them.

Crush ritz crackers and add some butter to make a crumb crust.  Pat crumb mixture into the bottom of greased muffin cups.

Meanwhile partially cook some bacon strips and then use them to line the outside of the cup. 

Crack an egg into the cup on top of the crackers.  If desired you could sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the eggs but I prefer to let people season their own at the table.

Sprinkle with some of the cracker crumb mixture.

Bake in a 350 degree oven.  I baked for 20 minutes and had hard yolks.  If you want soft/runny yolk 15 minutes should do it.
During the last few minutes of cooking sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top.

Return to the oven so the cheese can melt.

Miracle Corn 'n cliantro

This is a super easy recipe that is very tasty. I don't know where I originally got this recipe but I guess that means it is tried, tested, and true since I have had it for so long!

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, stemmed
1/2 cup miracle whip salad dressing
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
3 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

*since the recipe calls for salt and pepper I put it there but I rarely add salt and pepper to my dishes; I prefer to let people season to their own taste and it cuts down on sodium intake. If you look closely you will also notice that I did not put cilantro in this particular batch which is odd since it is a main ingredient. I was unalbe to get cilantro at my grocery store this time around so I added a little lemon grass that I had bought pre-chopped in a tube and some dill!

Chili Cheese Dip

This is another of our favorites out of Taste of Home Southwest Cooking magazine (October 2011)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 16 oz. can kidney beans,rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
3/4 cup of water
1 can sliced ripe olives, drained
3 teaspooons chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. chipotle hot pepper sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 16 oz. pkg. velveeta cheese (cubed)
In a large skillet cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Cook on low for 4 -5 hours or until heated through; stir in the cheese. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with corn chips.

Ranch Coleslaw

This recipe comes from Taste of Home Magazine...a special title called Southwest Cooking.

3 cups coleslaw mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and chopped)
2 tbsp. chopped red onion
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup canned mexicorn
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin

I made a couple of substitutions to this recipe and I loved it. I had dill ranch dressing from costco so I used that instead of regular ranch. I used regular corn niblits and I did not have any cilantro so I left it out. I also used only 1/2 a chopped jalapeno as only two of the four of us in our household can handle spice! lol!

Feta and sundried tomato pringles

These were such a nice little snack to include in our appie night! I found it on an advertising page in a Chatelaine magazine!

1 can original pringles
1 cup feta cheese
1 cup pesto paste
1 cup sundried tomatoes (soaked in oil)

I did not really measure the ingredients but rather just used some of everything to make enough to fill the plate I was serving these on.

Drain and dice the sundried tomatoes. Lay out the pringles on a serving tray. Spread a thin layer of pesto on one side of each pringle. Place a few pieces of sundried tomato over the layer of pesto. Sprinkle feta cheese on top.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Shortbread

I believe this recipe came from a brand name recipe mailer like Robin Hood Flour or something like that. This is the first time I have ever made it and I think I like it. :)

Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 50 minutes Freezing: Excellent
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
icing sugar for dusting if desired

1. Preheat over to 300 F. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour with cornstarch and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat butter with icing sugar and vanilla until very creamy. Stir in flour mixture, then cranberries and chocolate chips. Using floured fingers, pat evenly into prepared pan. Using a fork, prick surface all over.
4. Bake in preheated oven 40-50 minutes or until deep golden around edges. Let stand for 30 minutes then slice into bars while warm. Dust with icing sugar if desired.

*note: I only cooked these for 30 minutes and then turned the pan around for two or three minutes. Watch so they do not burn!!