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?

Potatoes, Gruyere & Caramelized Onion Tart

Call it a galette and feel fancy or call it a tart and feel cute. Either way, this sucker was delicious. I used sweet potatoes, white potatoes, gruyere cheese, and caramelized onions tucked inside a not-fussy crust. This #MeatlessMonday plan was hatched when I was inspired after seeing some other posts around like a flaky crust when Eats Well With Others posted a galette with Asparagus & Gruyere  and I wanted all the cheese and potatoes when Bev Cooks posted these Cheesy Skillet Potatoes.
The Three Bite Rule - Potato Tart

We ate this on a drizzly night with a quick arugula salad. It absolutely hit the spot for me. The cheese is the perfect splurge and has perfect nutty meltyness for this. The rest of this is so super cheap so go for the good cheese! Shred it yourself, or slicing/dicing it is fine too!

Potato, Gruyere & Caramelized Onion Tart

Ingredients: (for 1 small tart, feeds ~3 for a meal, or ~6 for a side)

1 sheet pie crust (mine was a roll defrosted from the freezer)
1/2 – 1 small onion
1 sweet potato
1 white potato
~4 oz/1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (sometimes labeled Alpine style if not imported from Switzerland/France)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon each rosemary, thyme, garlic powder
salt & pepper

Directions:

Bring the pie crust to room temperature.
Slice the onion and add to a skillet over low heat with a drizzle of olive oil/butter. Stir regularly and cook for ~30 minutes until caramelized. (I did this the night before).
Peel the potatoes and cut in thirds. Boil for ~5-8 minutes, until the outsides are getting soft but not cooked all the way through. Then slice into thin disks. A mandolin made this faster (that was my tactic). Or, peel and slice into thin disks and roast in the oven for ~10-20 minutes at 350-degrees.
While the potatoes cook, shred the cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Potato Tart
Melt the butter and mix in the rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.
Spread out the pie crust onto a sheet of parchment paper, baking mat, or baking sheet well sprayed with non-stick spray.
Leaving 1-2 inches around the outside, layer half of the potato slices, half the cheese, and a quarter of the onions. Sprinkle cheese over and drizzle half the butter/herb mixture.
The Three Bite Rule - Potato Tart
Repeat for another layer reserving a few potato slices to be the very top.
Working around the tart, fold crust inward then turn and fold more crust inward and repeat all the way around.
The Three Bite Rule - Potato Tart
Bake 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees. (I baked ~20 minutes when prepping in advance and baked another 10-15 before serving.)
The Three Bite Rule - Potato Tart
Let sit for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Potato Tart

I prepped this in advance, I know, story of my life. It comes together quickly but getting home on a weeknight with a toddler and two hungry dogs means dinner is really nice when mindless. I baked 20 minutes when I prepped it and another 15 to heat through before serving. I literally partially baked it and kept it on the parchment and covered it in the fridge for the day. Then I uncovered it and slid the parchment back onto a baking sheet that night.

Should we do a cost breakdown? Let’s! I haven’t in forever!

Cost Breakdown (for what was used)

Potato, Gruyere & Caramelized Onion Tart
1 frozen sheet pie crust = $1.59
onion = $0.89
white potato = $0.75
sweet potato = $1.10
Gruyere = $5.99 (used half) $2.99
= $7.32 or ~$2.44 for about 3 servings

Does that sell you on making this for dinner or your next gathering? It is so cheap!

Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

These tacos have alllll the flavors you could want: sweet mango & lime slaw & fresh & nutty shrimp. This was seriously the best thing I’ve eaten in awhile. I meant for these to be a his/hers taco night but it was too much without prepping the shrimp in advance on a weeknight at dinner time. That weeknight, Mr. J had steak and I ended up sautéing the shrimp in taco seasoning. I whipped these up for a weekend lunch with some leftover slaw and was ohh-so-happy.
The Three Bite Rule - Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

Make a big batch of the coconut shrimp in advance and freeze and your tacos will thank you later. Reheat in the oven before serving.

Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa

Ingredients: (for tacos for 2)

6-8 jumbo shrimp (shells removed and deveined)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg white, whisked
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons panko
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cup slaw mix or shredded cabbage
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup mango (mine was frozen & defrosted)
1/4 cup cucumber, chopped (optional)
1 green onion
4 taco sized flour tortillas

Directions:

Set up the dredging line up of shrimp, cornstarch, egg white, and coconut mixed with panko. Bring oil to medium heat in a small skillet.
Dredge the shrimp into the cornstarch, then egg whites, then coconut mixture. Pan fry for ~3 minutes on each side, then drain onto paper towel.
The Three Bite Rule - Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
While shrimp is cooking, whisk together the slaw dressing of mayo, lime juice, and sugar. Mix in the slaw.
The Three Bite Rule - Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
Mix together the salsa, mango, cucumber, and green onion.
The Three Bite Rule - Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
Assemble the tacos with slaw on the bottom, shrimp, and salsa.
The Three Bite Rule - Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
Enjoy!

The shrimp was amazing. I really loved the flavor and loved how crispy they were. Now I’m wanting to make a big batch. I fried these since there were only a few.  Usually I stay away from frying things so baking them would be good for a hands-off approach, especially for a big batch.

These could be a fun app in wonton cups with mango salsa on the bottom and the shrimp placed on top.

Peach Raspberry Smoothie

I’m on a serious smoothie kick lately now that it has warmed up a bit. The dead of winter is never when I want to start the day with a frosty smoothie. Know what I mean? I like them to start with greens, but this one was a bit different. I wanted raspberry flavor without the annoying crunch of raspberry seeds. Ugg. They’re the worst. I used some jam and it was perfect! I got a kick of flavor and sweetness without the bulk or texture.
The Three Bite Rule - Peach Raspberry Smoothie

Peach Raspberry Smoothie

Ingredients: for 1-2 servings

1 cup frozen peaches
1 cup yogurt
2 teaspoons raspberry jam
1/2 cup water or juice or milk

Directions:

Add peaches, yogurt, jam, and liquid to a blender.
The Three Bite Rule - Peach Raspberry Smoothie
Blend well and add another splash of liquid if needed.
IMG_7030Enjoy!

I loved this! I used a little V8 Splash in a Berry Blend flavor. The jam definitely sweetened it so water or milk as the liquid would be good for balance. The raspberry flavor was definitely there without that gritty crunch. Yay! Jelly is a fun way to get another flavor & sweetness into a smoothie without the bulk of another ingredient! The possibilities are endless!

Add in some cauliflower, chia or ground flaxseed, or protein powder to up the nutritional content. This smoothie is mild and sweet so it was a nice variation in the rotation for green-based smoothies. Another favorite of mine I haven’t made in awhile is this Peanut Butter, Nutella, and Banana one. They both are very kid friendly will nicely space out green ones or berry flavors if you hit your max on those flavors!
The Three Bite Rule - Peach Raspberry Smoothie
There are more smoothies to come! Stay tuned!

April 2018 Recap

April didn’t quite feel like spring here in New England so I used it as an excuse to get some last of the winter meal repeats in. I didn’t blog quite as much as usual, but maybe this is the new usual. I had a cold that really wiped me out and seemed to last almost 2 weeks. This pregnancy has made me miss nyquil! Tonight Mr. J and I are heading to the event I used to work on and I’m psyched to get to eat the food!

He did all the demo of the basement for that to become play-space/lounge-space/office area/laundry room. We figured I shouldn’t really be around the drywall dust so I was on toddler duty. Mr. J literally tore it down to the studs and carried out 4,440 POUNDS to the dumpster-that’s a weight from the dumpster disposal people! I cannot wait for it to really move along.

These Marsala Mushroom Toasts were probably my fav thing I cooked this month.
The Three Bite Rule - Marsala Mushroom Toasts
A Snickerdoodle Latte at home is so good, and surprisingly easy since I don’t have a fancy milk frother or anything!
The Three Bite Rule - Snickerdoodle Latte

I was pretty psyched to pop these Chicken Parm Turnovers together in advance so when I got home from work they went into the oven to heat/melt the cheese.
Chicken Parmesan Turnover - The Three Bite Rule
I don’t have much planned ahead for May. I plan to relish the spring weather, likely grill more, and envision there are lots of ice cream cones ahead for me! I have a bunch of breakfast ideas so maybe I’ll work on them for May. I thiiiink I have Mr. J’s birthday burger idea for June so that frees up the rest of my burger-topping lists for the rest of the spring/summer!

The Little One:

He’s so fascinated with the basement demo Mr. J did and the “workers” (aka, contractor & plumber) and the dumpster etc. I’m amused how often he’ll tell us he needs to do some work and uses the plumbers first & last name. He likes what he calls “workin’ pants” that have pockets. I say go as long as possible in comfy pants, especially when you nap in them! I’ve really paid attention to his hope that weekend days are “home days”, that he has less desire to leave the house on the weekends than I do, and after a busy day of fun at preschool he relishes solo-play with his stuff when we get home. Food-wise, he continues to eat pretty much everything, sometimes in mass quantities. He loves over-easy eggs and wants to be the one to break the yolk. Avocado, PB&J, feta cheese, rice, bell peppers, and pasta are still favorites. He’s been into salami and eating the yogurt right from the container/cup. Meat is hit or miss. He takes a few bites but usually doesn’t want to have to chew it much.

Bump Update:

I’m into my 6th month, about 26 weeks along. I feel pretty good. While I’m so thankful to be pregnant and feel as though I shouldn’t really complain, I don’t enjoy being pregnant and am counting down to full-term-ness. Sleep is hit or miss. I feel enormous already but am on track according to the midwife. I’ve been hungry a lot of the time but trying really hard not to eat too much. With spring-ish weather I got back into smoothies for breakfast and have made a lot like this PB&J Smoothie but with a green base or green base + random frozen fruit. Getting dressed for work is becoming a struggle. Finding work clothes that aren’t $100 per piece is so hard. Gap & Loft maternity sections seem to think a white knit tee shirt is work-wear.

This Year’s Goals:

Year of the candle: I had saved this gardenia soy candle from my birthday to enjoy in April. It is subtle but nice for spring!   
Cook more appetizers/snacks:
I didn’t really make an app, but think these Marsala Mushroom Toasts would be perfect as tiny crostini and these Chicken Parm Turnovers could easily be miniaturized as an app!  
Taking time to blog thoughtfully:
I’d say I hit my goal on the Marsala Mushroom Toasts. More daylight is so helpful!
Journal the cute moments of my little one: I overheard him tell Daddy from the top of the basement stairs that he was impressed Daddy could run up the stairs without a railing. It was so sweet. 
What I’m reading: 
 at bookclub we read The Handmaid’s Tale. I didn’t love it, and won’t watch the TV series. Maybe I’m guarded reading it while pregnant, or because of the hype, but it wasn’t my fav. 
What I’m watching:
we watched I, Tonya and I loved it. Allison Janney can do no wrong in my book, and I loved how they captured kind of “the other side of the story”. TV hasn’t really have anything making me feel hooked. I rediscovered The Office reruns and absolutely crack up when I need some veg time.