Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing

In an attempt to throw together an easier dinner, I let this salad get out of control. I just kept adding and adding and adding ingredients.

The salad started with some basics, then I kept adding things to heft it up. That’s when I added a hard boiled egg. Then I figured white beans would be good. I had some carrots that just needed to be roasted.  Then some bread from the freezer became cheesy garlic bread. There was a lot happening on this salad.
The Three Bite Rule - Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
The dressing was a bit underwhelming. I loved the bacon flavor added to the salad. I don’t know if I’d make it again.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bacon
3 tbs red wine vinegar
3 tbs olive oil

Directions:

Fry the bacon until crisp. Cut into small pieces.
The Three Bite Rule - Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Drain most of the fat and discard.
In the same pan, over low heat, whisk in the vinegar and olive oil.
The Three Bite Rule - Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Cook for about 2 minutes, and remove from the heat.
The Three Bite Rule - Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Add in the bacon pieces and pour over salad.
The Three Bite Rule - Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
The salad was good. It was just a lot going on. Between roasting the carrots, toasting up some garlic bread, boiling the egg, and then chopping all the ingredients. I need salad for dinner more often. Maybe I should have skipped the egg and tomato, just to simplify it.

Do you make dressing? Any tips for me?

Traditional Lasagna

Wayyy back in early blogging days here at The Three Bite Rule I did a post about lasagna, circa 2011. I shared some tips on how to build a better lasagna. I figured that old post, with terrible photos deserved a redo. Lasagna is one of my favorite foods. I absolutely love the combination of flavors. The meat and noodles, and ricotta, and melty mozzarella are all my favorite parts! Also, not eating red meat means I can’t usually order it at restaurants.

Since that old post I blogged a butternut squash lasagna which I totally love.
The Three Bite Rule - Butternut Squash Lasagna

I also posted some lasagna tips in my father-in-law’s honor. He tested Italian restaurants by their lasagna, and I’m proud to say he liked mine!
lasagna_piece_290_200

I did a white chicken lasagna with spinach that had some amazing flavors in a comforting dish.
The Three Bite Rule - White Chicken Lasagna
You know how they say not to grocery shop when you’re hungry? I advise not to start lasagna when you’re hungry. It isn’t hard, but it dirties a lot of dishes, takes some prep time and some bake time, and is a “labor” of love to get assembled. When I made this lasagna  recently, I had already eaten a really simple dinner before whipping up lasagna.

You always could split up the work into 2 by assembling one night and baking for the first time another night when you have the oven on already. It might sound nuts but it is more fun when you aren’t trying to hurry up. I alwayssss make 2 smaller lasagnas. I prep one for early use and another for the freezer. I think lasagna is amazing as leftovers and can really be baked a few times (at a low temperature) to taste even better.

I have some adaptations and a few cooking tips. I apologize in advance that once again while making 2 lasagnas my pictures ended up as a mix between the two. Don’t get thrown off when you see an entirely different pan enter the photos. Oops! This is a recipe I totally recommend reading through, doing your prep and this will seem much easier. Make a few different lasagnas for your next gathering and you’ll be relieved by how all the prep happens in advance (as in days in advance). Poof. Instant dinner.

Ingredients:

3/4 pound ground chicken/pork/beef
3 sweet Italian sausage links, removed from casing
1 pound lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
~10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
28 oz Pastene Kitchen Ready Tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup alfredo sauce (jarred or make yourself)
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
16 oz shredded mozzarella
3 cups baby spinach

Directions:

Boil water for pasta if using traditional noodles and cook according to package (I used no-cook lasagna pasta sheets)
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown ground meat, draining any excess grease. Then brown sausage, drain, and mix with cooked ground meat. Don’t overcook as the whole lasagna will bake again. Just cook through.
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
In a large pot gently warm tomatoes and tomato paste over low.
Mix ricotta, egg, basil, salt, and pepper together.
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
Set up your ingredients into a mini assembly line. I suggest prepping/planning your layers before you start layering. It also helps to do some math to know how many noodle sheets you’ll need per layer. It is wicked annoying to get to the end, aka the top, and be short on pasta layers.
In a 13×9 pan (or 2 9×9 pans to make one & freeze one) spray with non-stick spray and ladle some tomato sauce, topping with noodles.
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
Drizzle on half the alfredo sauce.
Layer on some of the meat mixture (about 3/4 of it) and sprinkle with just a bit of mozzarella
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
Top with the cream of chicken soup mixed with milk “sauce” and more noodles (don’t skip this, it will be your secret ingredient to add a different creamy/rich/dynamic flavor).
Add some marinara to the layer and spread on the ricotta mixture.
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
Top with more noodles, a drizzle of alfredo, mozzarella, and spinach.
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
Sprinkle on the rest of the meat mixture, and mozzarella.
Add on the noodles for the top, with marinara on the very top.
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
Bake 350-degrees for 45 minutes covered.
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
Uncover, top with mozzarella (if eating right then) and bake another 10 minutes (or until cheese is melted).
The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna


Tip if enjoying another night:
bake the 45 minutes, let cool, refrigerate to eat within a few days. On the night it is served, bake again for 30 min at 350-degrees to heat through, uncover, top with mozzarella, and bake another 10 minutes.
Tip if enjoying weeks/a few months later: bake the 45 minutes, let cool, then freeze. The day before serving, defrost by switching the lasagna from the freezer to the refrigerator for 24-hours. Then bake 30-45 minutes at 350-degrees until heated through. Uncover, top with mozzarella, and bake another 10 minutes.

some suggested adaptations: 
traditional lasagna + sautéed onions/leeks/eggplant/zucchini – spinach = more veggie centered recipe
traditional lasagna + meat and tomato sauce mixed + ricotta & alfredo mixed = easier layering recipe
traditional lasagna – meat + chopped mushrooms = vegetarian lasagna
traditional lasagna – sheets of lasagna – ricotta mixture + cheese ravioli = easy weeknight assembly option
traditional lasagna – sheets of lasagna + short pasta (rigatoni or penne or ziti) = instant lasagna
traditional lasagna – sweet Italian sausage + hot Italian sausage + pepperoni = lasagna with some zing!

The Three Bite Rule - Traditional Lasagna
Phew! That’s it. Those are my tips. Enjoy one of my favorite foods! Any family traditional ingredients I’m missing?

Maple Dijon Chicken

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged this before. I actually have made it quite a few times. Very few foods repeat over here but this is a crowd pleaser and is a simple one to have up your sleeve. The ingredients are staples in my house and having a fool-proof chicken recipe is great if you want to mess around with your side dishes.

The Three Bite Rule - Maple Dijon Chicken
Anytime I mention simple ingredients all I can think of is Teresa Giudice sounding like a fool to her cookbook publishers when she keeps calling them ingredientses. If you can’t say it, then you shouldn’t get a book deal. Done. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I am hooked to the trash they say, but they can live on their millions from the show, not fake cookbooks others write and slap her photo on.

Anywho, it only takes a few flavorful ingredients to make this. I don’t recommend swapping out the thighs for breasts. It isn’t the same (I tried once). Trust me: people who think they don’t like chicken thighs will sing a different tune. They are so much more moist and they’re super cheap to buy. This recipe would be divine with the skin on it, but I wanted to spare us a few calories. Chicken thighs on the bone work fine too.

The Three Bite Rule - Maple Dijon Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tbs dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbs red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, syrup, and vinegar.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and spread the chicken out.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Dijon Chicken
Pour the sauce over and flip each piece of chicken to coat it in the sauce.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Dijon Chicken
Bake 20 minutes.
Flip the chicken over and brush more sauce over each piece of chicken
Increase the temperature to 400-degrees.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Dijon Chicken
Bake 10 minutes and remove from oven.

So easy. I love the flavors here. It isn’t a super far stretch from honey mustard, but the taste is different. The vinegar keeps is bright and the maple is a perfect balance. It makes great leftovers!
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Dijon Chicken
Need a jump start? Dump the sauce ingredients into a jar, shake it up and pop it in the fridge. Now anyyyyone can throw this dinner together. The chicken could hang out in the baking dish with the sauce all day so all you have to do is get it in the oven.

suggested adaptations: 
maple dijon chicken + fresh thyme/rosemary = super homemade tasting
maple dijon chicken + frozen chicken + crockpot (low for 4-6 hours) = easier dinner
maple dijon sauce + chicken tenders + skewers + grill = an alternative to BBQ sauce

What I Ate: Pizza Grilled Cheese

What I Ate’ is a series of posts for so-easy-this-doesn’t-need-a-recipe but I’m sharing with you for the idea or inspiration.

I love grilled cheeses packed with all sorts of crazy stuff in ’em. Enter: pizza stuffed grilled cheese. I had a few extra ingredients to a basic grilled cheese with some marinara for dipping. It was a super fast dinner without any leftovers clogging up the fridge. I appreciated the use of some ingredients getting put to good use.

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Grilled Cheese
Pizza fillings:
american cheese
mozzarella cheese
chopped basil
sliced pepperoni

So good. Many of these items were lasagna leftovers (post coming soon!). Saving even small bits of something comes in handy, especially for instances such as this! This was super comforting with great flavor.

suggested adaptations:
grilled cheese + tomato slices + basil leaves/pesto spread = caprese grilled cheese
grilled cheese + ricotta schmered in there + tomato sauce spread inside = lasagna grilled cheese
grilled cheese + pepperjack + avocado slices + salsa to dip = nacho grilled cheese
seriously, the possibilities are endless.

Some other grilled cheeses I’ve loved:
Grilled cheese with balsamic onions
Grilled cheese with bacon and peach compote
Grilled cheese with breaded eggplant and pesto

Cheese Fondue Party

Cheese fondue is just as delicious as it sounds. I hosted a winter sunday girls gathering featuring an afternoon of chit-chat, fondue, and crafts. Not many were interested in the crafts so maybe cookie decorating would be more popular 🙂 It was nice to get a few ladies together especially during a busy time of year. I figured late afternoon snacks on a Sunday would fit into busy schedules. Some shared fondue ended up being so addictive that we ate more than I thought our smaller group would!
The Three Bite Rule - Cheese Fondue

Mr. J and I got a fondue set last year and actually hadn’t tested it out until now. It was awesome for the “party” and I repeated it again for New Year’s Eve. It is an electric induction cooktop. We used another one that was gas lit and was wayyy more dangerous. I’d suggest either a baby candle lit one for chocolate fondue or some sort of electric one. A crockpot would work well too.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheese Fondue
I googled some cheese fondue tips. Turns out cheese fondue really is a mix of multiple cheeses and thinned out with another liquid.

Ingredients:

~3/4 pound jarlesburg cheese
~3/4 pound gruyere cheese
1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup white wine
2 tbs garlic, minced
2 tbs dijon mustard
salt & pepper

Directions:

In a large pot heat broth, wine, garlic, and mustard over medium-low heat.
The Three Bite Rule - Cheese Fondue
Shred cheeses and toss with cornstarch.
The Three Bite Rule - Cheese Fondue
Slowly add cheese into the hot liquid in small batches, stirring continuously.
Keep adding until totally incorporated and melted.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Transfer into fondue pot or crockpot over low heat.
The Three Bite Rule - Cheese Fondue
Dip, dip, and dip!
The Three Bite Rule - Cheese Fondue
This was so addicting and we loved it. It started out seeming kind of runny but was thicker as it cooled. It still remained totally dip-able. I feared it might be one big hunk of cheese.

Dippers:
crusty bread, cut into cubes (I used ciabatta)
broccoli, lightly steamed
mushrooms
salami slices or grilled chicken sausage
green apples

The Three Bite Rule - Cheese Fondue
Like most parties, I got swept up and forgot to grab any photos until lots was already gone (minus restocking the broccoli). The broccoli and apples were perfect dippers in my mind being a bit lighter, but the bread was ohh so delicious.

The Three Bite Rule - Cheese Fondue
We also did a chocolate fondue (melted semi-sweet and whipping cream) with pretzels, sea salt blondies, and crispy vanilla cookies. I couldn’t find strawberries even close to being fresh but that would be in my dreams.

I’m not sure if I’d make a hot-pot broth to cook meat in, but I’ll definitely do cheese fondue again. It was the EASIEST party food I’ve ever done. I mean, honestly, it was largely uncooked foods. I am sure I wouldn’t mess with one lit with gas again. Let’s all just be thankful that I didn’t burn the house down.

Just you WAIT to see what I did with some leftovers!