Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

If you're looking for a dinner for the kiddos or the grandkids, give this one a try. I took the easy way out and used a store bought pie crust. Tastes just like a cheeseburger without the grill.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pie
Recipe Adapted from Spend with Pennies

1 uncooked pie crust (store bought or prepared)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
5 slices raw bacon, chopped
⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
¼ cup milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brown ground beef, onion and bacon until no pink remains. Drain well. Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs, mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire and pepper. Place mixture in prepared pie crust.
In a small bowl, combine cheese, milk and egg. Spread over meat mixture.
Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or a pie shield to prevent over browning. Bake 15 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Lime and Beer Cupcakes - SRC

Can you believe it's July?  This year, like all of them, is flying by.  The second Monday in July brings us Secret Recipe reveal day!  Not familiar with this fun club, you can fine the details here.  This month, I was assigned WhyIamnotskinny, love that blog title!  Maxine, the blogger behind WhyIamnotskinny is a South African food blogger living in Brussels (Belgium).  She says, " I am definitely not skinny, have a REAL appetite and am pretty sure that there is a 2nd stomach reserved for desserts and sweet treats. Sharing a home with HIM (aka the wonderful husband) and our first child (born 2015 – aka Little Miss) – you can follow me on my journey through recipes, restaurants and all round love of food."  The idea of a second stomach could most certainly apply to me!

I enjoyed my tour around Maxine's blog.  Fun and interesting to see the ingredients with different names.  Courgette is what we call zuchinni, brinjal is what we call eggplant.  While I thought about choosing a savory recipe using one of these ingredients, I settled where I do most months with dessert.  Whenever I can, these sweets go to work with Tim for his monthly food day.  Otherwise, I really would need that second stomach. I chose to tweak Maxine's Lime and Beer Cake recipe just a bit and make cupcakes.  Of course, we gave these a try before sending them to work and enjoyed the light texture and hint of lime!

Lime and Beer Cupcakes
Recipe Courtesy of WhyIamnotskinny

100g butter, softened (1/2 cup)
200g sugar (1 cup)
2 eggs
225g self-raising flour (scant 1 cup)
200ml Ale (I used a cream ale)
2 lime (zested and juiced)

• Cream butter and sugar together
• Add eggs, beating between each addition
• alternative mixing in flour and beer
• Add zest of 1 lime & juice of 1 lime
• Place into muffin tin with cupcake liners
• Bake for 30min at 180C (350 degrees)
• Remove from oven and cool
• Mix together icing sugar and juice of the other lime and spoon over the cake

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Hot Fudge Caramel Ice Cream Cake

We've had a really HOT late Spring and early Summer in Nebraska. One particularly hot Saturday when we were having friends for dinner, I wanted to find a dessert that didn't require the oven or the stove top.  Normally when in search of a dessert that doesn't require cooking, I choose a trifle.  With the hot weather, I really wanted something cold.  Ice Cream!!???  A quick search on Pinterest and I was drawn to this one ...  hot fudge?  Yes, please!!!

Layers of ice cream bars, hot fudge, caramel, whipped topping, and chocolate chips make this tasty treat look much more difficult than it really is.  My dinner guests were so impressed, they thought I worked for hours to create this.  I was quick to reveal just how easy this dessert is to make but that's not the best part!   This ice cream cake is sooooo good!

Hot Fudge Caramel Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

• 18 ice cream sandwiches (you may need more if they’re the square kind)
• 2 cups hot fudge topping
• 3/4 cup caramel topping
• 1 container (8 ounce) Cool Whip
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Microwave the fudge and caramel topping for about 25 seconds to loosen it and make it spreadable, if necessary.
2. Line the bottom of a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with a layer of the ice cream bars (9 of them; trim if necessary.) Spread half of the hot fudge, followed by the caramel, and then Cool Whip over the sandwiches. Sprinkle on half of the chocolate chips. Repeat layers.
3. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time and frozen, tightly covered. Let thaw for about 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Rhubarb Vinaigrette

What do you think of when you think of rhubarb?  In my kitchen, I think dessert.  Rhubarb can be used in so much more than just desserts.  How about a beautiful salad dressing?  Tart rhubarb makes a delicious base for a vinaigrette.  I neglected to get a photo in the jar but if you look closely you can see how beautiful it is from this photo.

Rhubarb Vinaigrette
Recipe Courtesy of Dinner with Julie

1 rhubarb stalk, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar (red wine or raspberry vinegar would work well too)

2 tsp. grainy Dijon mustard (or to taste)

1/4 cup canola or mild olive oil

Directions

In a small saucepan, simmer the rhubarb with 1/4 - 1/2 cup water for 5 minutes, or until very soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Put the rhubarb into a blender with the honey, vinegar and mustard. Pulse until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil.

Smoked Gouda Potatoes

If you live in a city where the temperatures are soaring into the upper 90's or 100's, this probably isn't a recipe you want try.  Trust me, though, it's a good one to save for when the temperatures cool down.  The smoked Gouda gives these a wonderful flavor ... cheesy goodness!! 

 
Smoked Gouda Potatoes
Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, halved
• cooking spray
• 2 pounds peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• salt and black pepper
• 1 cup grated smoked gouda
• 1 cup whole milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Rub the inside of a casserole baking dish with garlic. Spray with cooking spray.
3. Layer half the potatoes in the dish. Pour over two tablespoons of the melted butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then 1/2 cup of the smoked gouda. Repeat for second half of potatoes. Pour milk over potatoes.
4. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes to brown. 

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

For the June edition of Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned, Nichole of Cookaholic Wife.  Nichole says, " I get a great sense of satisfaction when in the kitchen, whether it be cooking or baking, although baking is what I do to relax. Nothing makes me happier than feeding people. It's not enough to cook dinner for Tom and I throughout the week. I bring baked goods into work nearly every Monday morning."  Now this is the kind of coworker we all wish we had!!

The trend here at Little Bit of Everything has been to bake using cake mixes and today's post is no exception.  For June's Secret Recipe Club, I wanted to find a "summer" recipe.   I love all things pink and these cupcakes caught my eye.  What a fun recipe for a picnic or little girl's birthday party.  These cupcakes were fun and easy to put together and oh so delicious!

Pink Lemonade Funfetti Cupcakes
Recipe adapted slightly from Cookaholic Wife
Yield: 20 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 single-serve packets of Crystal Light Pink Lemonade drink mix (I used raspberry Crystal Light)
• 18.9 oz. box funfetti cake mix
• 1 stick of melted butter (Nichole's recipe used applesauce, much healthier!)
• zest from 1/2 a lemon
• 1 drop pink food coloring  (I didn't need this)
• sprinkles

Directions:
1. Stir together the water and the pink lemonade mix.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 and line cupcake tins with paper liners.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the cake mix, applesauce, lemon zest, vegetable oil, food coloring and pink-lemonade mixture. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined.
4. Scoop the batter into the cupcake pans. Top with additional sprinkles and bake for 22 minutes.
5. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

I topped these with cream cheese frosting and additional sprinkles.

 

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Cinnamon Roll Cookie Bars

I feel like I say this frequently, I love to bake but sometimes after work I am just too tired.  I've discovered there's so many treats you can make using a boxed cake mix.  Needing to make treats for a coworkers birthday, I found this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cookie Bars.  Who doesn't love all things cinnamon roll?  These were delicious and tasted just like cinnamon rolls, not to mention quick and easy to make. 

Cinnamon Roll Cookie Bars
Recipe courtesy of Blissful Whimsy

Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Icing
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
When perfectly baked remove from the oven and pour icing over the top.