Honey Rosemary Cream cheese on BLTs

Somebody at work brought salt bagels and honey rosemary cream cheese from Bagelsaurus for a breakfast party and I couldn’t get over this signature combo. I loved the woodsy but sweet cream cheese with a salty bagel. I knew I had to have it again before I’d get to Bagelsaurus, so I made some for a sandwich! I wanted pretzel rolls but ended up with some quality sourdough. I used the rest of the honey rosemary cream cheese for breakfasts and will totally make some again.

I like BLTs to be in that order. This one got an exception, but I normally feel quite strongly about this. Lettuce in the middle is tricky to photograph so I ventured to this BTL. Do as you wish. Does it matter to you? Don’t worry- I still like you even if you don’t care the order. 🙂

Honey Rosemary Cream Cheese on BLTs - The Three Bite Rule
Also, about half my greens are basil for a little summery kick to this.

Honey Rosemary Cream Cheese & BLTs (for 2)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cream cheese (I used whipped, or regular works too)
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons honey
~2-3 strips of bacon per sandwich, cut in halves
sandwich bread/rolls/bagels
tomato
greens

Directions:

Finely chop the rosemary. Mix up the cream cheese, rosemary, and honey.
Honey Rosemary Cream Cheese on BLTs - The Three Bite Rule
Refrigerate until serving – keeps in the refrigerator for ~1 week.
IMG_7195
Pan fry the bacon until crisp, then drain on paper towels.
Slice the tomato & chop the greens, if needed.
Honey Rosemary Cream Cheese on BLTs - The Three Bite Rule
Generously spread the cream cheese on to the insides of the bread and build the sandwiches.
Honey Rosemary Cream Cheese on BLTs - The Three Bite Rule
Slice & enjoy!

I really loved this combo. I almost added avocado but it wasn’t quite ready. Add a fried egg and serve on a bagel for a really magical experience! I liked the cream cheese here instead of any cheese on the BLT. How amazing would it be on a pretzel roll or salt bagel? That’ll be next for me!
Honey Rosemary Cream Cheese on BLTs - The Three Bite Rule
The cream cheese was really easy and could easily be mixed up in advance. It would be a really fun to serve with local bagels for house guests or to bring as a hostess gift! I only made a bit but you could make a little or a ton!

Salmon Cakes with Bacon

Salmon BLTs got me thinking how good bacon would be into a salmon cake! It really was! It also was a great use for the 2nd portion of salmon after grilling the other piece and wanting something different. I ate it like a burger but it would be great on a salad or fun as sliders.
The Three Bite Rule - Salmon Cakes with Bacon

Bacony Salmon Cakes with Herb Aoli

Ingredients: (for 2)

~4 oz fresh salmon
2 strips bacon
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 egg
salt & pepper
2 teaspoons mayo
1 teaspoon fresh herbs (mine was chive & thyme or use parsley/oregano/etc)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of dried herbs (mine was a mix of basil/oregano/thyme/rosemary)
2 rolls
sliced tomato & arugula to serve

Directions:

Pan fry the bacon until crisp.
Chop the salmon and add to a bowl with the bacon, garlic, breadcrumbs, mustard, egg, and salt & pepper. (I chopped half the salmon into larger chunks and half into fine chunks.)
The Three Bite Rule - Salmon Cakes with Bacon
Heat a medium skillet to medium heat (preferably the same pan as the bacon cooked in) with a drizzle of olive oil. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
Stir gently and form into 2 patties.
Pan fry, covered for about 3 minutes on each side. Then bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
While the patties cook, add the mayo, fresh herbs, garlic powder, lemon juice, and dried herbs to a small bowl.
The Three Bite Rule - Salmon Cakes with Bacon
Stir the aoli and refrigerate until assembling the sandwiches.
The Three Bite Rule - Salmon Cakes with Bacon
Let the salmon cakes cool for a few minutes before assembling.
Spread the aoli onto the top bun and serve with greens and tomato.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Salmon Cakes with Bacon

I loooooved the bacon in here! It kept it juicy and was a great compliment to the salmon. Mixing it in was way better than serving it on top. The an herby aoli has that touch of lemon to be a quick condiment for just the zing the salmon needs.

Serving a group: mix up the salmon cakes and bake in the oven for ~15 minutes on a generously oiled pan, flipping once or twice. Then you won’t have to baby-sit them frying in a pan! The aoli can be made ahead of time or double it and use the rest on burgers or sandwiches. I made 2 salmon cakes and froze the other for a treat some night when we grill since it’ll only have to warm through.

Grilled Cheese with Maple Glazed Bacon

Maple bacon just wasn’t good enough, the bacon needed to to be glazed in maple syrup. Annnnd the grilled cheese needed to be cooked in the pan from the bacon. Of course.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Bacon Grilled Cheese

Grilled Cheese with Maple Glazed Bacon

Ingredients: (for 1 sandwich)

2 slices of bacon, sliced in half
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 slices sourdough or oatmeal bread
2 slices of American cheese
~1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Pan fry the bacon until crisp then drain on paper towel. Brush each side with maple syrup.
The Three Bite Rule - Grilled Cheese with Maple Glazed Bacon
Drain most of the bacon out of the pan. Keep the pan on medium heat.
While bacon cools, assemble the sandwich with cheese, bacon, then more cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Grilled Cheese with Maple Glazed Bacon
Pan fry the sandwich for ~3-4 minutes on each side. Carefully flip over and cook the other side. Cover to ensure all the cheese melts.

This is the ultimate breakfast grilled cheese. That’s a thing, no?

Cuban Sliders

Cuban sliders were the perfect answer to some leftover pulled pork! This was leftover from the new Blue Ribbon BBQ location near our house for my birthday! It was so good with BBQ sauce but for leftover pork, transforming it is the best. Pork is just too easy to do that with! Some went into quesadillas, some have become tacos in the past, on pizza, in a panini, and the list goes on.
The Three Bite Rule - Cuban Sliders

Cuban Sliders

Ingredients:

~1 cup pulled pork
2 slider rolls
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
~6-8 pickle chips
3 tablespoons yellow mustard (I mixed yellow mustard and & sweet golden mustard BBQ sauce)
(sliced ham would make this a true cuban)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Warm the pork through.
Slice the buns, spread mustard onto the top and bottom. Layer the pickles then the pork onto the rolls.
The Three Bite Rule - Cuban Sliders
Sprinkle the cheese on and pop them into the oven for ~5 minutes until the cheese melts.
The Three Bite Rule - Cuban Sliders
Serve and enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Cuban Sliders
These were so good! The mustard and pickles took it from barbecue to a Cuban sandwich. These would be fun cut into smaller pieces if using bigger, oblong rolls as an appetizer.

Caprese Sliders

These little veggie sliders are so fun for an app or as lunch. They’d be great for a vegetarian option to build-your-own-slider bar. I can see these going quickly a a party as a filling appetizer or on a lunch spread. Little sliders are perfect alongside a few soups!

The Three Bite Rule - Caprese Slider
Swap the pesto for basil leaves, or mix the pesto with a touch of mayo for a lighter flavor. I love pesto all the time, so I went full out, on each side of the bread. The tomatoes could be roasted in advance to speed it up even further. I only made a few so I popped my tomatoes into the toaster oven and melted the mozzarella in there too.

Caprese Sliders (for 2 sliders)

Ingredients:

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 slider rolls, or dinner rolls
2 tablespoons basil pesto
1 fresh mozzarella ball

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Add the tomatoes and vinegar to a baking dish with a sprinkle of salt & pepper, and roast for 5-10 minutes until they split.
Slice the mozzarella and slider rolls.
The Three Bite Rule - Caprese Slider

Spread the pesto onto the inside tops and bottoms of each rolls.
Spoon the tomatoes onto each roll and top with a slice of mozzarella onto each.
Bake for 5 minutes until melty.
The Three Bite Rule - Caprese Slider
Add the top roll and enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Caprese Slider