Not Sure What To Make For Game Night? Try This Twist On a Classic Slider!

I would have never thought to use a potato as a bun! I cook for a family and they want me to try to add more gluten free recipes into their menu. When I came across this flavor packed and tasty morsel I knew I had to try it! It is perfect for a family of any size because you can easily adjust the ingredients to meet your crowd’s size.

Whether you are watching the game at your house, or having everyone over for a get together Nobody can resist this creative finger food!

Won’t they be surprised when I serve up a small platter of this with some sliced fresh fruit on the side! And if you are anything like me you are probably wondering what to do with the potato that you scoop out. I am such a frugal cook when it comes to using everything I can. So what I did was to save it for the next day to use in potato pancakes!

And since I knew I was going to do that, I went ahead and cooked up extra bacon for the morning as well. Seriously, life is way to short to always be cleaning so I try to plan ahead and cook ahead as much as I can.

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Quick Tip: We LOVE pepper crusted bacon or maple bacon but if bacon is not on your list of favorite foods, you can always swap out the hamburger for chicken or turkey sausage.

The post When My Family Bit Into These They Were In For a Bacon Surprise appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

And You Thought They Wouldn’t Eat Their Vegetables!

This is  true confession time. I don’t remember ever really eating fresh green beans as a kid. We usually we had several jars of my grandmother’s canned beans in the pantry. I Loved her canned green beans because she always cooked up a big pan of bacon and put  about 1/3 of a strip of crispy bacon in each jar. They were so delicious I could have eaten a whole jar by myself. But then I wouldn’t have room for homemade apricot cobbler with vanilla icecream!

Well, I am not really ready to can beans anytime soon,  but I still love the taste of bacon with the beans since that was how Grandma Miller fixed hers. This recipe hit its out of the park. It is easy, colorful, and tasty. And because each of the little bundles is wrapped in a neat little strip of bacon you have a handle on portion control!

I think my grandma would have approved!

This is what Holly of Spend With Pennies has to say about her fantastic side dish.

“These start with fresh green beans (washed and trimmed) and they’re cooked for just a few of minutes.  A little trick I learned at culinary boot camp is that adding a little pinch of baking soda to the boiling water keeps the beans a nice bright green rather than that drab boiled green color.”

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Quick Tip: You can buy pre-cooked bacon to save time if you are a bit pinched for time. Also feel free to try other flavors of bacon such as peppered or maple bacon.

Image and recipe courtesy of Holly at Spend With Pennies

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Hot, Spicy, and Loaded With Cheese

Game Night! We loved playing games when I was growing up. Whether is was card games, board games, or party games. Raise your hand if you remember when Pictionary came out! Okay, now raise your hand if you still own an original box of Pictionary. Our kids have loved it when my parents would come over or we would visit them because every night we would play a game. When you are playing games, you have to have good snack food.  It is amazing how much of an appetite you get just shuffling and dealing cards or rolling dice. This is one of those super easy appetizers that you can make ahead so all you have to do is pop in the oven in between rounds of whatever you are playing.

If you are out at a bbq, or camping, you can even put a cast iron skillet and set on the grill. Now that would make anyone a happy camper. Leftovers? Just toss into your scrambled eggs first thing in the morning and see how that spices things up!

This is what Sara of Dinner at the Zoo has to say about her fantastic recipe.

“If I’m making this dip for a special occasion, I often prepare the cream cheese mixture in advance, then add the topping right before I’m ready to bake it. Be sure to double the recipe for a crowd because there will be no leftovers!”

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Quick Tip: Instead of just one pan of this dip I usually divide it into two or three smaller ramekins so we can have one dip at each end of the table.

Recipe and image courtesy of Sara and Dinner At the Zoo.com

The post You Don’t Need A Tailgate Party To Make This Easy Dip! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Need to Bring a Stellar Side Dish To The Next Potluck? This Is One That Is Sure To Impress!

Is it just me or is trying to come up with creative ways for my family to add more vegetables a chore. Seriously, I have grilled zucchini, sautéed carrots, and steamed broccoli, but this recipe takes creativity to a whole new level.

The think I love about buying a cauliflower is that they really last a long time in the fridge. Even after they are cut up they are super hearty. You can eat them raw with a dip, or even riced as the base of a dish. Talk about functional!  I love that this dish is actually more along the line of a loaded baked potato. All the familiar flavors of your favorite stuffed spud are in this cheesy casserole that is low in carbs and high in flavor.

The other day I say that the store I was shopping at started carrying multi colored cauliflower. There are shades of green and purples. Talk about a color splash. I think that it exactly the kind of thing kids would love trying. And adding bacon to the top is just flat out brilliant. I know my kids will eat just about anything that has bacon on it and chances are so will your family. So roll up your sleeves, pick up some of this versatile yet understated veggie and make something memorable.

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Quick Tip: This recipe makes quite a big dish, so for a smaller crowd, just cut the ingredients in half!

Image and recipe courtesy of Food Network.com

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Put These Ingredients In Your Crock Pot And Watch Out!

I grew up eating Pork And Beans that came in a can. My mom would always have a few cans packed when we went camping and I remember her opening the lid and letting the contents fall into a pan, the scooping out the pat of white fat before heating it up. We usually ate the bowl of pork and beans with hot dots cut up in it. Hey, no judgment for the Beans and Weenies staple that graced our picnic table, we were camping remember?

When we moved to Minnesota they dumped cans of pork and beans into a casserole dish, stirred in BBQ sauce and diced onions and baked them.

I love the idea of having a Hawaiian style dish that is based off the familiar dish. Perfect for serving with hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken or whatever else you want to put on the grill.

You could just make this on the stove top but it is even easier to just put everything in the crock pot and let it simmer. So next time you are invited to a tailgate party, a birthday party, or anything in between, go ahead and sign up to bring a side dish that is sure to be a hit. But, just between the two of us, I would definitely leave out the hotdogs!

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Quick tip: Think about what you would put on a kabob. Add in diced onion and even diced bell pepper.

Recipe and image courtesy of Savory Nothings

The post Worried About What You Will Bring To The Next Potluck Or Get Together? Try This Award Winning Recipe! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

This Might Just Be The Best New Recipe You Try All Fall

Let’s just be totally honest here. I love American food just as much as anyone else such as hamburgers and French fries, Mac and Cheese, where the cheese just connects your fork to the plate it is so stringy and gooey, and pizza. So when I saw a recipe where all these flavors were mixed together in one skillet I was a bit skeptical. I mean is this like a “Clean out the fridge and see if anyone notices.”  Kind of a recipe?  The answer to that is NO! This literally where you cook everything using only one pan, wave your magic wooden spoon, and smell the magic happen!

I should have known this would be amazing when I saw it had bacon in it. Now the biggest hurdle is to see if my family loves it.

The apples and Brussel sprouts are perfect cooked this way, which is a huge deal for me. I am not the biggest Brussel sprout fan, but my family just could not get enough of this once I put it one the table. In fact, they already asked me to put it on the menu again and want me to make a double batch so we have enough for lunch left-overs.
This is what Erin of Well Plated has to say about this healthy dish.

“With sweet potatoes, apples, Brussels sprouts and bacon, this healthy Paleo chicken skillet is packed with flavor and delivers every food group in one pan!”

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Quick Tip: This meal stays good for three days in fridge but when reheating you may want to add a bit more chicken broth to keep from drying out.

The post Fall Into Love With These Favorite Flavors. appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Seriously, no one will even remember what the main dish is after they take a bite of this Ahh-mazing potato dish.

My family loves it when I make creamy homemade mashed potatoes, but sometimes that is just a lot of work and it usually leaves a bigger mess than I would like to tackle when everyone is over.
Peeling the potatoes, boiling, mashing them, then trying to get them on the table while they are still steaming hot is not an easy task.

Finding recipes that I can make the day ahead and just pop in the oven is a huge win for me! I mean with my large family we tend to really go through the food for family gatherings so having something so tasty and filling as a side is awesome. Having something that is budget friendly is even better! In fact this recipe is something that has become a standard on our table for any holiday or reunion.

I remember the time I made a rice pilaf instead and I will tell you that was a huge mistake. The first thing my kids asked were, “Where are the potatoes? ” I told them I thought I would try something new. Total fail. So the next time to make up for it I baked a huge pan of this and added in a few extra strips of bacon. They were so thrilled they could have skipped dessert and just had this as we played cards after dinner was over.

And because I could make it ahead, I was able to spend more time visiting and less time in the kitchen.

This is what Amanda from Domestically Creative has to say about her awesome recipe.

As much as I love any type of mashed potatoes, this loaded mashed potato casserole really takes the cake. It’s so packed full of buttery, cheesy, bacon-y goodness that no one can turn this dish down.

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Quick Tip: Not sure you want to make such a large pan? Go ahead and use 2, 8X8 pans, or 3 loaf sized pans.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Amanda from Domestically Creative.

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Once You Try This Twist On a Classic You Will Never Go Back

I love a great burger and I love bacon so when I saw that this was a combo of all my families favorites I knew we had a dinner winner!Sure it would be nice to think that we could always sit down with a nice hot dish, steamed vegetables, and a big tossed salad, but sometimes you just want a something that you can pick up with your hands and sink your teeth into.

My husband used to own a small sawmill. It was great because he could make lumber what ever dimensions we needed. So one year I asked him to build me a big picnic table. One that we could fit 12 or more around. I know that sounds like a lot but when you have a family of 8 you are bound to have lots of your kids friends staying fro dinner as well. Which was a regular occurrence in our household.

I loved that we could gather around our table with friends and family. Being able to serve up food that everyone loved was also a big hit.

All you need now is a big bowl of potato salad and sliced watermelon and you are set for a great picnic.

This is what Sabrina of Dinner Then Dessert has to say about this grand slam burger.

With the gravy and cheese mixture, the ground beef  will be so delicious and sloppy you’ll forget all about that takeout bacon cheeseburger!

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Quick tip: Having a huge get together? Go ahead and make this up several days before the event! Just think, now you can check that off your list!

Photo and Recipe courtesy of Sabrina of Dinner Then Dessert

The post This Is Anything But a Wimpy Burger! appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

Real men eat REAL food! This dish is loaded with all kinds of fresh and amazing food that anyone with an appetite will love.

Not I have to admit, I don’t always put this in a crust because to be honest, I am trying to shave off a few calories here and there, but this recipe is awesome because it can be made with or without the crust. The real flavor and nutrition is in the filling.
With a recipe like this you can do sop many amazing things to suit your preferences and please everyone who comes to the table. In fact you might want to go ahead and make a few versions. I know we have kids that love sauted mushrooms and some that really don’t so I could make one of each I mean why waste a perfectly good ingredient on a picky eater who is going to leave them on the plate?

You can also add in sun dried tomatoes, cubed zucchini, and I have even been known to toss some left-over rice or corn in just because I hate tossing out a small serving and know it will get eaten eventually.
Part of being a good household manager is trying to think of creative ways to re-purpose things and that includes how we deal with left-overs. Maybe this should have been called Left Over Quiche! Now that is success!

Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!     ~~ Andrew Carnegie

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Quick Tip: Feel free to substitute the bacon for other meats. I personally Love Spinach Feta Chicken sausage.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Paula Deen.

The post Do You Know Why Real Men Eat Quiche? appeared first on Urban Retro Recipes.

I am such a push over for anything with bacon in it and so is my family!

My mom made homemade macaroni and cheese the whole time I was growing up and I make basically the same baked version for my family. But adding bacon takes this to a whole new level of YUM! I wouldn’t be surprised if I caught my kids eating this for breakfast because it is so good!

Adding in that this is actually a slow cooker or crock pot recipe makes this even better. I am sure you avid Insta-Pot enthusiasts are already all over this kind of recipe, but for this crock pot rookie, I am still learning the tricks of the trade.

I love that this doesn’t require turning on the oven! I mean who really wants to heat up the house when it is already warm and there are times when being able to keep something warm is perfect.

Think family gathering here, church potluck, baby showers, or just one of those busy evenings when everyone is getting home at different times.

Hopefully you will have left overs because they are wonderful to take in your lunch and heat up in the office.

So plug in and get to cookin’! This is once dish you are not going to want to miss!

This is what Tammilee of Tammilee Tips has to say about this easy dish.

I hear everything is better with bacon, so we made Crock Pot Bacon macaroni and cheese.Bacon does make this recipe even better.

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Quick Tip: You can also add in a mix of your favorite cheeses such as Pepper Jack..mmmm one of our favorites! 

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