Rosemary Black Pepper Popcorn

When I was growing up popcorn was my favorite snack. Throw a bag in the microwave after school, and I was good to go until dinner! And sometimes popcorn was dinner and sometimes it was breakfast too. And don't even get me started with how much popcorn we ate in college!

A while ago I stopped buying microwave popcorn, but I love making popcorn on the stove top. It tastes so much better than microwave popcorn, and it's almost as fast.

And while the popcorn is popping I love melting butter and adding seasonings to flavor the popcorn. I love adding flavors and combinations to spice up popcorn. Here rosemary and black pepper combine with melted butter to add depth.

Rosemary is such a great addition to popcorn and black pepper adds another hit of flavor to punch up the popcorn. Salt and butter tie it all together, and you just can't stop eating the rosemary black pepper popcorn! I love trying new flavors, and now I can't stop adding things to popcorn!

Rosemary Black Pepper Popcorn

Author: Happy Food Happy Home

Serves: 1-2

1 tablespoon coconut oil

¼ cup popcorn kernels

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon black pepper

Kosher salt to taste

1. Heat coconut oil* over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan with a lid.
2. Heat the oil until it bubbles around a popcorn kernel dropped in.
3. Add the popcorn to the hot oil. Toss around in the oil to coat.
4. Toss the kernels every minute or so until the popcorn is fully popped—when the pauses between the pops are longer than 10 seconds and few kernels remain the pot. Remove from heat.
5. Combine the butter, rosemary, and pepper in a glass measuring cup.
6. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir, and microwave for 10 more seconds until the butter is melted.
7. Add half the popcorn to a large bowl. 
8. Drizzle half of the butter mixture over the popcorn. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt over the popcorn. Use a spoon to toss together.
9. Add the remaining popcorn, drizzle with remaining butter, and sprinkle with more salt. Toss to combine.
10. Eat and enjoy!!

*You can use vegetable oil in place of the coconut oil

I still love to eat popcorn, and probably eat too much of it! But changing the flavors I add to popcorn makes it a super delicious treat!

Cinco de Mayo Loaded Fries

Cinco de Mayo is the perfect excuse to drink too many margaritas, eat way too many chips with salsa, and to make the fries.  The Cinco de Mayo Loaded Fries are decidedly decadent and over the top.   They have braised beef on top of crispy chili fries, drizzled with queso cheese sauce, and topped with fresh pico de gallo.

The flavors of the fries combine and pop.  The slightly spicy crispy fries, the melting soft spicy beef, and the creamy tangy cheese dip combine together to make a really really flavorful plate of food.  I made these fries this weekend--and ate them twice.  And I definitely washed the platefuls down with a celebratory margarita; it is Cinco de Mayo after all.

The loaded fries were good with Mexican Braised Beef, but would also be good with diced chicken, ground taco meat, or even black beans without any meat!  The great thing about the fries is that the toppings can be mixed and matched to fit all sorts of different tastes and wishes.

Cinco de Mayo Loaded Fries

author: Happy Food Happy Home

serves 4-6

Fries

1 pound of potatoes, scrubbed clean

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 pinches kosher salt

4 Ingredient Real Food Queso Dip

¾  cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded

½ teaspoons corn starch

1 teaspoon diced jalapeno, optional

Shredded Mexican Beef

Toppings:

Guacamole

Pico de Gallo

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the potatoes into french fry pieces. 
3. In a large bowl toss the potatoes, chili powder, seasoned salt and the olive oil.
4. Place the potatoes in one layer on a parchment covered rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until fries are cooked through and crispy.  Use a spatula to toss about half way through.
5. While the fries are cooking heat the cream and the red pepper flakes over medium-low heat in a nonstick sauce pan.
6. Shred the pepper jack cheese and toss with the cornstarch.  The cornstarch will keep the cheese from sticking together when it's melting.
7. When the cream is warm, but not bubbling add about ¼ of the cheese.  Whisk together until the cheese has melted.  Repeat with the remaining cheese until all of it has been added.
8. Add the jalapenos to the  cheese sauce if using and stir to combine.
9. To assemble the loaded fries put a nice base layer of fries, add some beef, drizzle with queso cheese sauce, and top it all with pico de gallo. And then devour!

Notes:

Do not use preshredded cheese.  It will make the queso dip grainy and yucky. 

Fries inspired by Half Baked Harvest and Queso adapted from Serious Eats

How are you going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  I have to celebrate anything that involved margaritas!

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The Best Ham Sandwich

"The best ham sandwich?" you're asking.  I know, it's a mighty big claim.  But this ham sandwich has just about all you need in life.  It has ham (ofcourse), tangy cheese, apples, and an egg.  Because putting an egg on anything makes it better.

The sandwich is a lovely study in contrasts--salty ham meets tangy cheese meets sweet crisp apple, meets savory egg.  Didja get all that?  It's a great weekend lunch, and would be the perfect brunch sandwich.  And while it would be great for lunch every day it is often hard to fry an egg at work.  Though if you can swing that more power to you!

Our weekend was great.  Dustin and I headed out to my mom and dad's to help them plant the garden.  Dustin tilled, while Mom, Dad, and I planted.  Magoo laid in the sun, and Boomer ran around like a crazy dog.  And he rolled in the dirt--more than once.  Picture him rolling with glee in the freshly tilled dirt, getting as much all over him as possible.  I told him he was going to have to stay there. :)

On Sunday Dustin and I went to breakfast and then grill shopping.  And we got one!  I am so excited to grill this summer.  We literally cleaned every grill-able thing out of the fridge last night for dinner.  It was a random smorgasbord of delicious grilled things.  I can't wait for more!

I also can't wait for more of this ham sandwich.  I kind of want to make one as a snack right now.  It's a great lunch that isn't too heavy but really fills you up.  All the tastes combine to make a interesting and super delicious sandwich.


The Best Ham Sandwich with Apples and an Egg
author: Happy Food Happy Home
serves 4

4 eggs
salt and pepper
paprika
4 crusty baguette pieces, sliced in half
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
4 slices sharp cheese
1 apple, thinly sliced
Dijon mustard

1. Fry the eggs to your desired done-ness--over-medium was perfect for me.  Top with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste as they're frying. 
2. Schmear Dijon mustard on the bottom baguette halves. 
3. Top with ham, then the apples.  You want the apples to be as thin as you can get them. 
4. Add the cheese on top of the apples, then put an egg on top of each sandwich.  
5. Top with the baguette tops and serve!

What's your favorite sandwich?  Have you caught the 'put an egg on it' bug?  It's kind of my new favorite thing to do!

Pico de Gallo-Fresh Salsa

Pico de gallo is one of my favorite toppings.  It's perfect as a snack with tortilla chips, topping tacos, and mixed into scrambled eggs.

I love how fast this fresh salsa comes together.  No boiling, no waiting, it's almost as fast as opening a jar of store bought salsa, but it is a billion times tastier. Trust me-one billion times.

All you need to do is combine tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice.  All chopped, combine, and toss and your fresh tasty pico de gallo is ready to go!

Pico de gallo is more about ratios than exact amounts.  And though you can adjust the amounts of each, I would leave them pretty close to what I have listed.  Its the combination of the ingredients that make it pico de gallo and not tomatoes with some stuff mixed in.

Pico de Gallo-- Fresh Salsa

1 part tomatoes
1 part red onion
1/2 part jalapeno
1/2 part cilantro
1 lime
1 pinch salt

1. Dice tomatoes into large dice.  Add to large bowl.
2. Dice red onion into small dice.  Add to bowl.
3. Dice jalapeno into a small dice. Remove membranes and seeds to a less spicy pico.  Add to bowl. 
4. Finely chop cilantro.  Add to bowl.
5. Add the juice of half the lime and a pinch of salt.  
6. Toss everything together and taste.  Add more lime juice or salt if needed. 
7. Eat with tortilla chips, use to top tacos, mix into anything and everything.  

For guidance I used cherry tomatoes that I quartered then measured a cup, half a red onion that I diced then measured a cup, 2 large jalapenos diced then measured 1/2 cup, 1 large handful cilantro chopped then measured 1/2 cup, half a lime juiced, and one heavy pinch of salt.  But you can really adjust the amount of salsa up and down to fit your needs! 

The amount of jalapeno and onion might seem like a lot, but that is really where the pico flavor comes through!  Don't skimp because your afraid of the spice--it really becomes a nice flavor balance when everything is mixed together. 

Pico de gallo is a fresh tomato salsa that I love.  I really use it to top everything--I've even used it in place of salad dressing. Give pico de gallo a try, it really is easy to make! 

Cheddar Jalapeno Bacon Cornbread Waffles

That title is just ridiculous, but it really does say it all.  Cornbread waffles are loaded with  big chunks of cheddar cheese, bites of spicy jalapeno, and crispy bacon.  The waffles are the perfect side for your chili, but of course you could also pile chili on top, throw on even more cheese, and cook under the broiler to make the cornbread waffles the base of an epic chili tower.

I made the cornbread waffles to dip in my chili, because I like to dip my food.  The waffles are slightly crunchy and crispy and filled with bites of gooey cheese.  The jalapenos and bacon add a contrast to the cheese and make chili even more tasty and delicious.

I could also see these being used as a snack on game day, or even for a very adventurous breakfast--topped with an over easy egg. Gosh that sounds good...

Try these loaded cornbread waffles the next time you have chili.  They really were the perfect pairing!

Cheddar Jalapeno Bacon Cornbread Waffles
makes 6-8 waffles

1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

2 jalapenos

1 block (8 ounces) cheddar cheese

6 pieces crispy bacon

1. Finely dice the jalapenos. Chop or roughly crumble the bacon.  Cube the cheddar cheese into ¼ inch cheese cubes.
2. In a glass measuring cup whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and butter.
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the cheese cubes to the dry ingredients.  Mix them in a handful at a time to keep them from sticking together.  Add the bacon and jalapenos and mix them in.
5. Gently mix the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with a silicone spatula.  Mix until the dry ingredients have just disappeared. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. This allows the cornmeal to absorb moisture and soften.
6. Heat your waffle iron and coat with nonstick spray.  Scoop 1/3 cup of batter into waffle iron.  It will be thick and sticky. Use a silicone spatula to gently spread the batter into the waffle iron.  Close your waffle iron and cook until the waffles' edges are crispy and lightly browned.  Remove waffles to a plate and cover with aluminum foil until all the waffles are cooked. 

Would you try cornbread waffles with your chili?  I would highly recommend these! 

Spicy Turkey Chili Soup

Turkey Chili is my favorite cold weather food.  I'm pretty sure I could eat it every week if Dustin would let me.  Especially because of all the different ways you can eat it; I like having it served with pasta, over a baked potato, with nachos, in a bowl with lots of cheese. 

I love my chili spicy but you can totaly adjust the spice level without losing any of the flavors.  Because of the combinations and layers of spices this chili is flavorful and delicious--and it sure can be spicy.  

First I like to gather all my ingredients.  It makes it much easier to put the chili together quickly when I don't have to dig for spices in the middle of cooking.  

Dice your onion, mince the garlic, and finely dice the jalapeno.  If you would like less heat make sure to remove the seeds and white membrane out of the inside of the jalapeno.  But don't leave the jalapeno out; it adds a fresh bright flavor to the chili, and once it's cooked the spiciness is distributed throughout the chili. 

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until softened--about five minutes.  Add garlic and jalapeno and cook for two more minutes.  

Increase heat to medium-high.  Add ground turkey and use a wooden spoon to bash it into crumbles. Cook the turkey until it's browned.  

Add the chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Mix in spices and stir for 30 seconds on the heat to toast the chili powder. 

Add tomatoes, juice, beans, and remaining spices.  If you want thicker chili omit the tomato juice--your chili will be more of a chili sauce and less of a chili soup.  Stir everything together.  Cover and bring chili to a simmer.  Allow chili to simmer for at least a half hour.  Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary.  Serve your chili with cooked pasta noodles, with a baked potato, or in a big bowl with cheese. 

Spicy Turkey Chili Soup

serves eight

4 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4  teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 large onion

1 garlic clove

1 jalapeno

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground turkey

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes

2 cups tomato juice

1 bay leaf

1 15 ounce can hot chili beans

1. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium low heat. 
2. Combine the spices except the bay leaf in a small bowl.
3. Dice onions, garlic, and jalapeno.
4. Add onions and cook until soft--about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and jalapeno and cook for 2 minutes more.
5. Add in turkey, one tablespoon of the seasoning mix from the bowl, and lots of salt and pepper. Use the ground meat spatula to break it down into crumbles. Cook until just barely cooked. It’s honestly better to stop a little early than over cook.
6.  Add the rest of the spices from the bowl. Toast the spices for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
7. Add the whole tomatoes; use the ground meat spatula to break them down into tiny pieces. Use caution—they can squirt!
8. Add in the tomato juice and beans. Stir all together and bring pot to a simmer.  Cook for at least 30 minutes—the longer it summers, the more the flavors will meld.

What's your favorite way of eating chili?  My dad always fills his with crackers and one of my friends swears by peanut butter sandwiches.  I'm more of a pasta with lots of cheese kinda girl!

Twice Baked Potatoes

One of Dustin's favorite side dishes are twice baked potatoes.  I don't make them often because they do take multiple steps; definitely not a 30 minute meal.

When we made Valentine's Dinner this weekend (yes we were early, don't judge :) he asked for me to make twice baked potatoes.  These are a really delicious savory side dishes to pair with our steak.  Twice baked potatoes are also very adaptable--change up the flavors, cut some of the fat, add more herbs..the possibilities are endless!  

These twice baked potatoes are stuffed with bacon, green onions, and cheese.  The sour cream and butter add flavor and moisture.  And they were so so good paired with our steaks!  I could also see making a bunch of these and serving them as an appetizer or party food.  

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes

olive oil

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoon butter, softened

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Generous  ¼  cup sharp cheddar cheese plus ¼ cup for topping

2 strips bacon, crumbled

1 tablespoon chopped green onions

1. Thoroughly wash the potatoes.  Pat dry and then rub the skins with olive oil.  Poke holes in potatoes to allow steam to escape.  Bake on a cookie sheet for approximately one hour at 350 degrees until cooked through. 
2. Hold hot potatoes in a towel and cut in half length wise.  Use a spoon to gently scoop the middles out of the potatoes.  Place the middles in a large mixing bowl.  Leave about a quarter inch of potato in the skins.   
3. Place the shells skin side up back on the cookies sheet.  Use a brush to gently brush on olive oil.  Lightly sprinkle kosher salt onto the skins.  Put back in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp up the shells.
4. In the mixing bowl add sour cream, butter, seasoned salt, and pepper to the potatoes.  Mix and mash the ingredients together with a spoon.   
5. Add ¼ cup cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions to the bowl.  Mix together until everything is equally distributed.
6. Remove shells from oven and flip over on baking sheet.  Fill each shell with potato filling mixture.  Top filled shells with remaining cheese. 
7. Place potatoes in oven for 10-15 more minutes until warmed through.  Top with more green onions, bacon, and sour cream for garnish.  

Twice baked potatoes are a great side dish for savory dishes.  And sometimes the extra time it takes to make them are totally worth it!

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

I love soft pretzels.  They remind me of playing soccer, amusement parks, and movie theaters. I almost never turn down a soft pretzel.  Especially with nacho cheese sauce!

I decided to make soft pretzels at home, and they turned out so well.  They're soft and fluffy, with that delicious brown pretzel crust. The pretzels are a little time consuming to make, but they make a lot of bites and are perfect for sharing.

These soft pretzel bites would be perfect for a Superbowl party this weekend. They are best the day they're made, though you can totally freeze them once all the way cooked.  Just heat them back up in a 300 degree oven for 10ish minutes.

p.s. Don't store fully cooked pretzels in an airtight container--they'll get mushy.  Throw them in a paper bag, or better yet, just eat them all ;)

Soft Pretzel Bites
makes about 60 pretzel bites

1 ½ cup warm water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

4 ½ cups all purpose flour, plus more if needed

1 splash vegetable oil

3 quarts of water

¾ cup of baking soda

1 egg

1 tablespoon cold water

course sea salt

1. Add warm water and yeast to bowl of stand mixer.  Stir together.
2. Add brown sugar and butter to bowl and mix to combine.  Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast is foamy.
3. Add flour and salt and mix on low.  Stop mixer and scrape down the sides. Mix on low until everything is combined.  If the dough is too wet add extra flour one tablespoon at a time.
4. Turn mixer to medium and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes.  The dough should be smooth and shiny. 
5. Splash some vegetable oil into a bowl and rub around to coat.
6. Remove dough from mixer and knead into a ball.  Put in the oiled bowl and cover with a towel.  Set in a warm spot for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size.
7. Bring the water to a bowl in a large pot.  Add the baking soda.
8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
9. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into eight pieces. Keep four out and cover the other four with plastic wrap. 
10. Roll the dough into long snakes about a half inch in diameter.  Cut the snakes into pieces about 1 inch long. 
11. Add a few pretzels to the boiling water-as many that fit without getting crowded.  Boil for approximately  30 seconds stirring to keep pieces moving.  The pieces should puff up and turn slightly yellow. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula. Put pretzels on baking sheets.
12. Beat egg and water together to make an egg wash.  Brush onto each pretzel top and sprinkle with coarse salt.
13. Bake pretzels in oven for 15-18 minutes until they're golden brown.  You may need to rotate your baking sheet if they're cooking unevenly.
14. Repeat steps 10-13 with other half of dough. 
15. Remove from oven to a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Eat with your favorite mustard dip, nacho cheese, or all alone!

Pretzels adapted from Bobby Flay

Pretzel bites are delicious and easy to make.  There are a few steps involved, but you quickly get into a rhythm while making them. The pretzel bites are a great afternoon snack for kids,  while staying home and watching a movie, or during any big sporting event--especially the Superbowl. 

Do you have any favorite game day snacks?  What do you like to stuff your face with while cheering on your favorite team?

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