Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla

Happy almost Halloween! I don’t have a spooky-themed dinner, but this would be easy to whip up before taking little ones trick or treating, or would be quick to throw together between handing out Reeces. I get about 3 trick or treaters but I make sure to have good candy or the ones I get will never come back! And, just like hosting a party, you should serve what you’re happy to have leftover for yourself.

I tell ya. The apples are never ending. These past few weeks I’ve been trying to add them anywhere that made sense. Here they got to provide the crunch and were perfect with the melty cheese. This dinner is quick and easy. It would be great as a panini too.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla

Ingredients: (for 2 quesadillas)

3 slices of bacon
4 flour tortillas
1 large apple, sliced
6 oz manchego cheese

Directions:

Pan fry the bacon until crisp, then drain and chop.
Heat a griddle or large pan to medium and spray with non-stick spray.
Lay the tortilla and top with sliced cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla
Add sliced apple, and chopped bacon.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla
Top with the 2nd tortillas, lightly spray with non-stick spray and flip once. (this helps it to brown evenly)

Serve with some honey mustard for dipping!
The Three Bite Rule - Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla
The cheese was more of a splurge but for this very few ingredient dinner, it was worth it. Mixing manchego with cheddar might have enabled these to be cheesier.

Suggested Adaptations: 
Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla – Manchego + cheddar/brie/gouda/cheese of your choosing
Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla – apple + pear/roasted sweet potato/other fruit or veggie of your choosing
Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla – bacon + proscuitto/ham/turkey/other protein of your choosing
Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla – bacon = vegetarian option

The Three Bite Rule - Apple, Bacon & Manchego Quesadilla

Maple Glazed Pork Chops

I should call this dinner “all the fall things”. I went to town on fall flavors. Maple! Brussels Sprouts! Sweet Potato! Apple! I have been cooking often but this meal was a lot. I get full so quickly now so this was just so much.

The Three Bite Rule - Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless pork chops
3 tbs maple syrup
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1 apple, sliced

Directions:

Preheat a skillet to medium high heat and preheat the oven to 375-degrees.
Sear the pork with salt & pepper on each side in the hot pan for 4 minutes on each side, then put them into a baking dish.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Glazed Pork Chops
While the pork is cooking, shake together the glaze ingredients: maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Glazed Pork Chops
Spread the glaze over the pork and bake for 20 minutes. Using a meat thermometer, check the temperature to ensuring the pork cooks through without over cooking it. (USDA guidelines recommend 145-degrees and then rested a few minutes before serving)
For the last few minutes of cooking, add sliced apple.
The Three Bite Rule - Maple Glazed Pork Chops
I served these with some roasted brussels sprouts with a touch of Parmesan and whipped sweet potato. The Parmesan came about since the pork and the sweet potato were both sweet flavored items and I didn’t want it all to seem the same. The apple was barely cooked which added a subtle crunch.

The Three Bite Rule - Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Caramel Apple Cider

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.

Apple cider is one of my favorite flavors of fall. This fall, as I’m 7 months pregnant, I’ve been heating it and drinking it on the way to work. It helps me pretend I have all the coffee I can drink. Helps.

I was digging around to figure out why hot cider at fancy places tastes so different. Then I discovered Betty Crocker had the secret! It is heavy cream! Don’t bail on me, hear me out. This is amazingly apple and caramel flavored with just a touch of creaminess.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider

Ingredients:

(for 2 mugs or 1 travel mug)
3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs heavy cream
3 cups apple cider
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Heat brown sugar and cream until bubbly and dissolved.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider
Add cider, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, cooking until heated through.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider
Divide into 2 mugs.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider
Optional: top with whipped cream, cinnamon, and caramel ice cream topping while playing some coffee house jams.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cider
This is so decadent. I have it for dessert…warmed cider is the morning version. It is super sweet but you definitely taste the caramel and apple. You could always add in a splash of rum, vanilla vodka, whipped cream vodka, or the spiking of your choice.

Sausage, Apple, and Onion Calzone

After apple picking, I knew some dinners should include apples…as well as snacks, breakfasts, and any other occasion this fall. Seriously, the orchard only did big bags so we have a LOT of apples. I hadn’t made a calzone in awhile so that was the winner.

Apples are easily served with brie or baked into some dessert. Well, no brie or soft cheeses for me for another 3 months, and I’m not a big baker.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Apple, & Onion Calzone

Ingredients:

pizza dough
1 onion, sliced
2 apples, sliced
2-3 chicken sausage links
2 cups mozzarella, shredded

Directions:

Preheat the oven and a pizza stone if using one, to 400-degrees.
In a large skillet over medium low heat, gently cook the onion until lightly browned and cooked through.
Slice the sausage and add them to the pan to warm through.
Roll out or spread the dough out. Then drape it onto the pizza stone or pan, off-centered so the toppings will go on the bottom and the excess will fold over.
Layer on the cheese, sausage and onions, and the apple slices.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Apple, & Onion Calzone
Keep layering the toppings, even if it seems like it is over filled.
Pull the rest of the dough over the top and pinch to close.
Cut a few slices in the top of the calzone to vent it.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden browned and cooked through.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Apple, & Onion Calzone
Let sit 5 minutes before slicing.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Apple, & Onion Calzone
I loved this one. I’ll definitely make it again. The apples being raw added a soft crunch to go with the sweet onions and the mild chicken sausage. This is such a fantastic combination. I’d love these flavors as a sub or panini, or as a pizza, or an app of some sort.

Roasted Red Pepper Romanesco Sauce

The last time we ordered pizza our specialty pie had roasted red peppers on it. It made me think, woah, that’s an ingredient I guess I assumed Mr. J wasn’t into, annnnnd it is a veggie I don’t use often. That was all about to change.

I was aided when I scored 3 red peppers in the clearance produce for $0.68. Insane! The peppers were fine if used in about 5-7 days. They weren’t squishy or shriveled at all.

The Three Bite Rule - Romanesco Sauce

Ingredients:

(sauce yields 4+ servings)
3 red bell peppers (or double the jarred roasted red peppers)
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 jar roasted red peppers
2 tbs minced garlic
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or toasted walnuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbs lemon juice
3-4 tbs olive oil
2 tsp heavy cream (optional)
pasta

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
Half the tomatoes and fresh red peppers. Brush or drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
Flip once and bake another 10 minutes.
Remove and put into a plastic bag, or cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes then release the steam and pull off the skin.
In a food processor, blend all the red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, parmesan cheese, nuts, lemon juice, and olive oil.
The Three Bite Rule - Romanesco Sauce
Blend 30 seconds to a minute.
The Three Bite Rule - Romanesco Sauce
Bring salted water to boil for the pasta.
Scoop out the sauce in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add cream, or some starchy pasta water.
The Three Bite Rule - Romanesco Sauce
Toss the pasta with the sauce.
The Three Bite Rule - Romanesco Sauce
I liked this a lot. It had a great flavor to make dinner feel a bit different. The sauce was thick and a bit textured (from the nuts). I love sauce so it was great to me, or you can blend more for a more silky sauce that would stick to the pasta a bit less.

I think the sauce has great potential for a ton of uses. It would be good on a sandwich, panini, or wrap. I’d like it on pizza too. It would definitely be a fun twist on bruschetta.