Category Archives: Bacon

Bacon, Breads, Easy Brunch Recipes

Cheesy Onion & Bacon Monkey Bread

 

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Bacon-anything is a sure hit, but this cheesy bacon monkey bread is sensational.

 

 

There are many recipes online for bacon monkey bread, and I tried a few different approaches to see which I like best.  By far my favorite is the recipe found in Christmas With Southern Living (there’s an Amazon link to the book below).   I’ll give you the step-by-step instructions and then explain the variations I tried.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter
2 sweet onions, sliced thinly
1 32-oz package frozen bread dough, thawed
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

1.  Sauté onions over medium heat in 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring often, until onions are a caramel color, about 15 minutes.Chopped onions    03 Grilled Onions

2.  Roll dough into balls the size of large marbles.

3.  Sprinkle ½ cup of bacon and ½ cup of cheese in the bottom of a buttered bundt pan.  Arrange one-third of the dough balls over the cheese and brush with melted butter.  Layer half the onions, ½ cup of bacon and ½ cup of cheese.  Continue layering with the dough balls, onions, bacon and cheese.
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4.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (80 to 85 degrees) for an hour to an hour and a half or until doubled in bulk.  (I left it too long so mine is a little “over the top.”)
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5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; carefully invert bread onto a serving platter.  Serve warm.

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VARIATIONS:

The other recipe for this that I like is found on www.dinnerordessert.com.  This recipe called for using refrigerated pizza dough instead of frozen bread dough and stuffed the bacon, cheese and onions inside each dough ball.06 Stuffing

07Stuffed    08 Ball

It also uses Rosemary Butter — just sauté garlic in butter for 2-3 minutes and then stir in rosemary for 1 minute.  Yummy!04 Rosemary Butter    05 Buttered Pan

Here’s how the finished product looks with the goodies tucked inside:
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Print-friendly recipe:  Cheesy Bacon & Onion Monkey Bread

Enjoy this along with many of the easy brunch recipes to come.

 

 

 

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Appetizers, Bacon, Easy Brunch Recipes

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates

 Bacon dates “Life is too short
 not to order the
bacon dessert.”
– George Takei

You’ll never go wrong serving bacon at a brunch, but this appetizer is my absolute favorite bacon recipe.  It’s the perfect blend of
savory/sweet, crispy/chewy and creamy/crunchy with bacon, cream cheese, almonds and dates in every bite.

  1. You’ll save time by getting pitted dates (“pitted” means the pits have already been removed), but in case they aren’t available, no worries.  It’s actually quite simple to remove the pits.  Start by removing the hard, round tip if still attached.  Slice the date from end to end and open it carefully.  Discard the pit.
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  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  3. Coat baking dish with cooking spray.
  4. Spread a dollop of cream cheese inside the date.
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  5. Put an almond in the center and close the date around it.
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  6. Roll up the stuffed date in a half or third of a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
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  7. Arrange wrapped dates seam side down and a half-inch apart in a shallow baking dish.
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  8. Bake until bacon is crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  9. Drain on a paper towel or parchment paper and then transfer to serving platter.

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Enjoy this along with many of the easy brunch recipes to come.

Printable version: Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates

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Bacon

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

G’mornin’ all!  How exciting to be starting my first blog!  I’ve got so much to learn, so please bear with me and give me your gentle feedback.

As I was doing my 2014-year-end review and setting intentions for 2015, my first intention was to find a way to stay in better touch with my friends.  I am very fortunate to have so many good friends — the kind of people who know the real me with all my, shall we say,
characteristics, and still want to have lunch with me.  Now that’s a blessing!   But once we no longer work at the same office or live next door or belong to the same social group, it becomes harder and harder to see each other regularly.  Before I  know it, months have gone by without seeing particular people who are still very important to me.  So, I decided in 2015 that I would have a brunch at my home every month, invite everyone on my list of treasured friends, and just enjoy the different mix each month of who shows up.  (This would also support my second intention: keeping my house clean!)

Well let me tell you!!  The first brunch was a smashing success and such fun.  And my house is looking wonderful.  I learned so much in the process and am sure I will learn more in the brunches to come, so I decided to use a blog to document my process and to hopefully inspire others to make brunching with friends a regular event.

In future posts I’ll be sharing easy brunch recipes, shopping lists, food prep timelines, invitation designs and decorating tips.  I look forward to hearing from you with questions or other topics you’d like me to cover.

Happy brunching!
Jolyn

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