Damn!  It's been a long time since I've published on my blog!

Here's a food tip I just had to pass on about cooking bacon. Put it in a sheet pan and cook in a 350 degree oven. After 15 minutes turn the tray 180 degrees, and if cooking multiple trays swap them on their shelves. Cook another 15 minutes or until cooked the way you like it; the photo below shows the bacon after 30 minutes cooked as above.

Each slice comes out cooked to the same degree and nice and flat, and t tastes much better than pan frying. You can also do things like sprinkle freshly ground pepper or other spices, such as ground chili for different flavorings.

Typically I do several pounds at a time because the cooked bacon keeps in the fridge for weeks, I store it in a heavy duty freeze bag.

My two favorite sandwiches are Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese,and the other is turkey with a bit of mayo and some crisp bacon. I think though if I added bacon to the Taylor ham sandwich it might come in first!

Two Pounds of Deliciousness!

Recipe:Pasta with Chicken, mushrooms,and shallots with a saffronsauce reduction

I've been on my Lifestyle Modification plan for 99 days now, and Sunday I was just really, really craving some pasta! I've not had any in over three months and being Italian I figured I must be breaking some law somewhere in Italy!

Since on Sundays I get to have 500 calories for my main meal instead of the 300 I do for other days of the week, I decided I must have some pasta. Thanks to a show I saw last week on the Food Network with Bobby Flay, I decided it had to be flavored with saffron. This is also the first time I've used shallots in a recipe. And David, they were Christopher Ranch shallots.

I made the following dish which turned out so good I had to share the recipe. A lot of times when I post a recipe here, it is the second, third, or even fourth attempt because I won't post a recipe unless I think it tastes great enough to share. In this case, I hit "killer!" on the first try.

Note cooking the pasta in water & chicken broth along with saffron adds excellent coloring and flavor to the pasta. Reducing the liquid by cooking off the water, combined with adding the pasta before it is fully cooked, provides enough starch to make a light sauce that clings to the pasta. Figuring most of you have significant others, unlike myself, I adjusted the recipe below to allow two servings instead of the single portion I made yesterday which is pictured below:

Recipe: Pasta with Chicken, mushrooms, and shallots with a saffron sauce reduction
Serves: 2
Calories per serving: about 350
Nutrition info: very low in fat and sodium

Ingredients:
2 large shallots thinly sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
.2 grams Saffron Threads
16 ounces low sodium chicken broth
8 ounces boneless skinless Chicken Breast
4 ounces Dreamfields Rotini pasta
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter No Calorie Pump Spray
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chopped chives to taste

Preparation:
Combine 1 cup of chicken broth, half of saffron threads, and 3 cups of water in a pot and bring to boil. Once water is boiling add pasta to water and cook for 8 minutes. When completed, drain pasta and return to covered to pot to keep warm. Note pasta should be yellow in color from the saffron.

While water is heating spray bottom of frying pan with PAM and add shallots and chicken, cooking for several minutes while stirring shallots once a minute until chicken is browned on one side. Turn chicken, stir shallots, and add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms to pan along with remaining 8 ounces of chicken broth and saffron threads. Bring to simmer and cover over low flame until pasta is finished, about 5 minutes.

Remove lid and break apart chicken with spatula. Sprinkle lightly with freshly ground black pepper. Add pasta and stir to combine. Cook covered so mixture simmers for 5 minutes. Remove lid and slightly increase heat until mixture returns to simmering. Stir every minute until liquid has thickened (another 5-10 minutes.)

Lightly spray surface of frying pan contents with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray and stir. Remove from heat and place food on serving platter, sprinkle with chopped chives, serve and enjoy!

Recipe - Chicken with Turkey Bacon, Corn, and Broccoli

I was in a lazy mood and would have been happy with some 97% fat free Hebrew National hot dogs, but, frankly (oh that's a bad pun!) I was too lazy to go to the store.

So, I started rummaging around to see what I could make that was within my calories for the day and here's what I came up with. It was so good I had to share the recipe.

Ingredients:

5 ounces frozen chicken tenders (boneless, skinless, thawed)
6 ounces of frozen Broccoli florets, thawed
1 slice Louis Rich Turkey Bacon
1 single serving Green Giant Niblets corn in butter sauce (80 calories)
3 tbs Falco's Fire Sauce (recipe below this post)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Spray frying pan with PAM spray and heat to medium hot, add chicken, cook 3 minutes on one side, turn, and add slice of turkey bacon. Cook an additional two minutes. Using spatula dice the turkey bacon in the pan.

Heat Niblets Corn in microwave per package directions (about 90 seconds).

Add Broccoli florets and Falco's fire Sauce. Stir, and cook covered over medium low flame for about five minutes. Break up chicken with spatula, add niblets corn, and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir and remove from heat.

Delicious! And only 300 calories, with very low fat. I had my doubts about this before making it but as I said it was so enjoyable I decided to share the recipe.

Recipe - Falco's Fire Sauce

It's been quite a while since I posted a recipe here. Using the ingredients shown in the picture below, I actually measured everything today while I whipped up a batch of this, though I've been making this sauce for over a month now.

This zesty sauce can be used as a marinate, barbecue sauce, or condiment. I use it on hot dogs both as a catchup replacement, or brushing the dogs with it before grilling. It's really great with vegetables too. I often toss veggies with it, and fry them on the stove with eggbeaters as a spicy garden omelet. It's as tasty with seafood as it is with any kind of meat. I've even brushed it on corn on the cob and then grilled the corn. While this recipe has heat, cooking mitigates a good portion of this. For those with limited tolerance for hot foods, you probably do not want to use this uncooked as I often do.

WARNING! Use caution when preparing this recipe and handling habenro peppers and other spicy ingredients! Afterward make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Rubbing your eyes after de-seeding a Habenaro pepper can be quite the unforgettable experience! Use caution when removing the lid of the blender after blending. The fumes arising from the blender can be irritating to the eyes and throat (makes your mouth water for some of this, don't it??). No kidding here! Th first time I made this I followed the chef's instinct to take the lid off the blander and smell my creation. BIG mistake! My eyes watered profusely, my throat almost clogged shut, and I coughed for an hour afterward. I also rubbed my tearing eyes with the hands that had been rinsed in water......it...was......memorable!! Ingredients: 1 7 oz jar Conimex Sambal Oelek (It must be this brand) 1 7 oz can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (I use Embassa brand usually) 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1 cup water 1 cup Splenda 2 tbs curry powder 2 tbs paprika 2 tbs onion powder 1 tbs cumin 2 Habenaro peppers (seeds in or out; in makes it spicier!) 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (only 1 tsp; don't want to make it too spicy!) 1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves Juice from one lime Note: Those not concerned about sugar or calories can substitute 1/2 to 3/4 cup of honey for the Splenda. Preparation: In a blender add the jar of Sambal Oelek, the habaneros, the can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the red wine vinegar, the Habenaros, and 1/4 cup of water. COVER! Blend on liquefy or puree until smooth. Wait a minute or two before carefully removing cover, as mentioned above the fumes of this first blend can be most powerful! Seriously! Add remaining ingredients and again blend until smooth. Keeps for about 8 days in the fridge, I sometimes split the batch and put half in a freezer storage bag and freeze for up to a month. ENJOY!!

The Weekend

The weather has been above freezing all weekend and the majority of the snow has melted including most of the huge ice dam above the front door.

Saturday was the first day since last Sunday I felt up to exercising after feeling sick all week with heavy cold symptoms, so I rode the exercise bike. The kids and I headed out around 1 PM stopping at their Mom's so they could pick up items for the week and feed he Guinea pigs.

We had lunch at noodles and company, Scott having the usual pasta with marinara sauce, Danielle their Wisconsin Mac Cheese, and I had a trio with Indonesian with spicy peanut sauce, beef, and a small side Ceaser salad.

We walked over to Game Stop and then drove over to Costco where we picked up some giant packages of Candy for the kids, mini chocolate chip muffins, batteries, and some whole grain crackers for me.

We came back home and played some Left 4 Dead and watched some TV. Danielle got dressed for the Swirl dance at school and left for her friends house a bit before 6. Scott and I watched TV and I made him some Ramon soup around 8 PM. He got dressed and drove over to the dance around 8:45.

While the kids were gone I made myself some spaghetti and sliced pepperoni for dinner and Tails and I watched the Friday night episode of Battlestar Galactica which like all of this season was awesome. I also continued with the setup of the Netbook for Danielle.

The kids, with Scott's friend Alex in tow arrived back home 15 minutes ahead of midnight. Danielle was tired and went to bed. I played a little more left for dead before retiring around 1 AM after cautioning Scott and Alex to be quiet and be in bed at 1:30 AM.

Sunday I was still feeling a bit off but still did my exercising. My throat was so raspy I could barely talk. I finished the setup of the Netbook, relaxed a bit, of course played Left 4 Dead, and then went out to do some shopping.

Because it is Sunny and close to fifty I have decreed the return to Sunday afternoon cooking with fire! We will be having Delmonico Steaks and Niblets corn, hopefully within the hour! It shall be the first grilling since before thanksgiving! The front of my shirt is covered with drool in anticipation of charred beef! Maybe that's why I got so many strange looks at the store.

So, the X, who was away in Ohio for business, arrived a bit after four, the grill was heated, the steaks trimmed and seasoned, and the Niblets corn prepared. Soon we sat down to a most excellent steak dinner. The four of us then camped out in the living room and watched two episodes of Supernatural.

The X headed out, the kids and I watched a couple of Simpsons episodes off DVD, and then Scott headed off to play Left 4 Dead downstairs. Danielle was in the thrall of her Netbook, alternating between that and text messaging on her phone! She and I also watched this weeks episode of Ghost Whisperer. I played a few levels of Left 4 Dead on expert setting and then watched an episode of WKRP. Bed was at 11:30 PM.

Christmas Eve..and Christmas Eve Day

It is just after 8:30 PM, and the lasagna was finally cool enough to put in the refrigerator. Even with the whole bottom shelf clear there was not enough room for the lasagna pan and the turkey that is thawing in there. I had to put the turkey on it's side crammed next to the lasagna pan, with the plate under the turkey partially under the lasagna pan. I forgot what an ordeal it is making my lasagna, particularly the way I make it, and not having anyone to assist. If everyone enjoys it tomorrow it will be worth it!

I make my lasagna in the bottom of a 26 pound turkey roasting pan. I make three different types of fillings, the traditional Ricotta cheese, plus a layer of ground sirloin which is seasoned and fried in olive oil. I do the same with sweet Italian sausage. Each meat is then crumbled into a bowl and some of the home made sauce is added to it. Using 2 pounds of each meat, is enough for one layer of ground beef, and one layer of sausage. If MacGyver were here to see it, he would say "That's one honking big lasagna!"

So, tomorrow's lasagna starts with the bottom two layers being Ricotta cheese, then the layer of ground beef and grated Romano cheese, then a layer of Ricotta cheese, the sausage layer, this time sprinkled with Asiago, Parmesan, and Mozzarella cheeses, and then two more layers of the Ricotta cheese. Note I also add some things to the Ricotta cheese mixture. Don't ask, I won't tell. ;)

The homemade sauce for today's creation was flavored with Italian sausage (browned first in olive oil and spices), and pepperoni.

I can't believe I still have to cook a turkey dinner in the morning......I am beat!

I also finished clearing out the living room and organizing it, even temporarily moving the exercise bike into my bedroom since there will be 10 of us tomorrow. The living room looks positively palatial without the exercise bike! I love the way the room looks without it! Below is a panoramic shot of the room.

I wish I could re-arrange my bedroom somehow to keep the exercise bile in there, but, there would be no way to do that without making the already small bedroom seem very cramped.

In addition to the above I also cleaned out the fridge, throwing out three plastic supermarket bags of old items...now at least there will be room for leftovers tomorrow!

I did manage to watch a little bit of holiday TV today though, I watched two versions of a Christmas Carol. And older black and white version with Alastair Sim, and a newer one with George C. Scott. I love a Christmas Carol! It speaks a lesson many seem to have forgotten......

The weather was surprising today, it stayed above freezing long enough where we had rain and then some snow but the majority fell as rain not as the predicted snow, which makes me feel a bit better. The forecast has been right three times in a row, today would have made four and that would just be too hard to believe! The real downside here though is I could have gotten to the store much easier today than last night's nightmarish journey. oh well!

I went out around 9:30 AM and snow blowed my driveway and sidewalk, and the sidewalk of the next door neighbor. I am still loving the new Snow Blower, it just makes short work of deep snow, and even the stuff the plow leaves in the driveway is no match for it.

I also got all the kids presents I ordered nicely wrapped, as well as a present for the X's mom, and one for the x too.

I never did get around to vacuuming, that will have to be right after the turkey goes into the over in the morning.

Everyone is down at the X's parents for dinner. Mom was making Swedish meatballs. I had to stay home and deal with the lasagna. As much as it is somewhat lonely here alone on Christmas Eve, at least the kids and the X will get to see Kevin, Lili, and Lucy. I'll see them tomorrow though.

Some Ramblings

Danielle got her Internet back after two weeks of no access. I gave her one of my older laptops and have K9 Web Protection and VNC server loaded on it.

The k9 Protection blocks content and records all access and the VNC server let's her mom or I instantly connect to her screen and see exactly what she is doing without her knowing it (though she knows we can now do this).

She has no IM client and knows if there is another infraction she'll lose the Internet for a month next time.

She has been so much better since she lost unlimited, unrestricted Internet, happier, doing more in her arts and crafts, reading more, spending more time with the X and I, it is simply amazing, and I am hoping she sees that the people she was spending time with online that she did not know were a negative influence on her.

Around my house last weekend I continued cleaning things up and emptied my entire bedroom closet, and in a few I am off to Lowes to get a closet organizer for the bedroom downstairs that Tails uses at night so I can better utilize that storage space. Next on the target is the front hall closet and then the kids closets.

Last Sunday I also made Chicken Parmesan and it came out killer, I used a slightly different recipe and of course I made homemade sauce for it as well. There was enough for leftovers for two nights!

The door at the bottom of the basement steps is now in place and primed, it just needs a final coat of paint.

The weather, which had been slowly creeping up since a couple of days before Halloween (it hit low 69's here for that) hit a peak of 70's Thursday, 70 Friday, and then overnight into this weekend temperatures plummeted, being in the 40's and 50's during the day and 30's at night.

And, I saw the dreaded first snowflakes of the season Saturday and some more today, but, it's still not cold enough for any accumulations.

Speaking of Halloween I bought candy and did not have a single visitor so down the street from me I saw scattered traffic, I guess no one wanted to brave the house at the end of the road! The kids were pleased as they had plenty of candy all week, and neither of them went out trick or treating this year. I miss the years walking them around the neighborhoods. Even the X has little traffic and her development has many children.

Scott is in his second week of his part time job and doing well! He has been told if he keeps up his performance he will be promoted at the end of his probation! I was most pleased to hear this, and they gave him a $10 merchandise card as a bonus for his hard work.

I think that's about it here in the Midwest....the kids are at their Mom's this weekend and the house is way too quiet! I hate the weekends without the kids.

The Ramon JournalsHomemade Ramon Chicken Noodle Soup!

Here's a twist on the Ramon Journal entries, in spite of my back bothering me yesterday I decided to make homemade Ramon chicken noodle soup as the local store had the plain Ramon noodles in stock. I read the seasoning package from one of the packaged ones the kids like so much and bought the spices I was missing.

I contacted a large batch and was very successful on my first attempt! So much so that Scott said he liked mine better and with Danielle it was a tie. Not bad for the first attempt! I myself thought it was delicious, so much better than the packaged variety and so much healthier particularly in the sodium department!

Alas! For you, my dear readers, I am sad to say that there will be no recipe at this time! In true chef's fashion I did not measure any of the ingredients but will do so on the next batch!

Perhaps I will do that this coming weekend as I have the kids extra days this week as the X leaves for California tomorrow on business and won't be back until next week.

The Weekend

I did not have the kids this weekend, so, the majority of it was spent doing chores around the house, watching TV, playing on the computer.

Friday night my older boy Chris was coming over, we were going to do dinner and watch Ironman which my friend Mike had loaned me. The X called and discovered this and asked if we could all have dinner and she wanted to see the movie too. So we went to Applebee's, Scott drove back to his Mom's house, Danielle retreated to the computer, the the rest of us watched Ironman which we all enjoyed.

Saturday I really did not feel like riding the exercise bike, so since the weather was so nice I decided to take a walk to the store to pickup some items. I decided to take the long router which is about 2 miles. It was a nice day for a walk and I enjoyed it, having not been walking too much this summer .vs. using the exercise bike.

After I returned from the store and made a small pot of pasta sauce with pepperoni and meatballs. After dinner I made a sausage and pepperoni sandwich) I decided to do the walk again which turned out to be a mistake; about halfway through my right foot started hurting and by the time I returned home I had the beginnings of a blister. Sunday my legs hurt as well, a lesson that 7.5 miles on the exercise bike is not as strenuous on the legs as a four mile walk. I think the exercise bike burns up a lot more calories though based on the amount I sweat as opposed to the walk.

The X had some issues with Danielle over the weekend, to simplify she is using IM and texting way too much. We will have to deal with this going forward. I have felt that the X giving her a phone with unlimited text messaging was a major mistake.

Note: I Did NOT touch the Vista Issue this weekend!

Chris' Cooking Disaster

You know I enjoy posting my recipes that pass my own rigorous standards. I will not post an "OK" recipe; in my humble opinion it has to be really good, delicious, fantastic even! I am truly proud of every recipe I post and refuse to hoard them like state secrets. Good food should be available to all!

I am not a master chef, I've not attended any formal cooking classes though one day I would like to. I do think that from cooking since I was around 10 years old that I have some skill in preparing tasty and nutritious food after 40 years experience.

While I may post recipes, I've rarely talked about my failures and I have mentioned on occasion that a recipe did not turn out as good as I thought it might. In fact, over the weekend I made some stuffed grilled red peppers that I filed with a mixture of broccoli and chicken marinated in olive oil. oregano, and garlic. It was good but not great and needs to be revised before I can consider posting it here. In any event it all gotten eaten and was certainly better than fast food or anything packaged at the store.

Note though that last night's food failure was remarkable enough in the fact that I fed an entire frying pan of a new recipe to the food disposal in the kitchen sink after a single taste! That's how foul it was. Tails had been sitting around meowing and begging so I just took the spoon from the pan and held it out for her to smell. With a loud Meow! she took like a shot off and hid under the couch.....I think she came out hours later.........

With a failure this bad, I just had to blog about it here. I'm human, and with 42 years of cooking experience, as well as many pounds under my belt, I make mistakes. This one was a doozy!

It started out innocently enough; I wanted something using Steak-umms. For those who have never enjoyed them, they are chopped, formed and frozen thin steak slices perfectly suited for a quick and very tasty steak or cheese steak sandwich.

Keeping with my quest for better nutrition I decided to fry up onions and peppers and use those with the Steak-umms so I could stay within my nutrition guidelines. Besides, I have done onions and peppers with Steak-umms before and it is great!!

The biggest thing that set me up for failure here was trying something new, something I am always after the kids about.

SO! I went to Forest Hills Foods in search of onions and peppers. Of course, since some lunatic (cough! cough!) had been buying up Poblano peppers all week long, there were none to be found.

I could have gone with a safe bet of Sweet Red peppers, and kind of made a steak fajita type roll up as I was planning to user tortillas anyway, but oh no! I had to try something new!

There was a pepper type I had not tried before, a bit bigger than the Poblanos and simply labeled Hungarian Peppers. I thought about how much I had been enjoying the Hungarian Paprika I had bought at the start of Poblano Pepper Madness days, and thought these peppers would be worth a try!

So, I went home and in a pan I sauteed onions and these peppers with some of the aforementioned paprika, cumin, and chili powder. I then took three Steak-Umms and broke them into pieces.

I also made an interesting discovery after putting my finger into my mouth, THESE PEPPERS ARE VERY HOT! Not too hot for me mind you on a heat basis, but talk about your staying power! I had a shower last night plus I've washed my hands numerous times after the dinner preparation, I rubbed my eye this morning and the BURNING from the pepper residue was unbelievable! And impressive! Now, for the first time in my life I understand how pepper spray can totally incapacitate a crazed 300 pound attacker!!! If the staying power of these peppers could be put into other products, well............

Anyway, after adding the meat I cooked gently for about 10 minutes and then took a taste to see if the onions were tender. IT WAS HORRIBLE! I did not mind the heat, and once again I must inform you that I have never sauteed and eaten an old sneaker, but, I think I know how a spicy one would taste!

I hesitated only a moment (while quick and easy Steak-umms are NOT cheap) and ended up dumping the entire pan into the disposal. I did notice that this morning the stainless steel sink was unusually shinny, so, at least there was some benefit to this exercise is culinary sabotage! I will NOT be trying these peppers ever again.....besides.....I am sure another load of Poblanos will arrive soon, and there were still a couple of varieties of pepper I had not tried, but still will.

Recipe - Three Alarm Chili

I decided to take a break from Ramon posts because last night I made some ground beef chili and it turned out awesome! So good in fact I had to share the recipe! The two types of fresh pepper plus the imported Hungarian paprika give it a unique taste. If you can't find Hungarian paprika at your local store use any good smoked paprika. There are many variations on chili recipes; I hope you enjoy this one!

Ingredients:
1 large white onion chopped
3 Chili peppers chopped
3 Jalapeno peppers chopped
1/4 cup Sambal Oelek
1.25 pounds 92% lean ground beef
1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
8 cloves garlic
1 small can red kidney beans
1 cup water
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp Hungarian paprika
2 tsp hot chili powder

Note: Once again I must caution you to use GOOD Sambal Oelek; I have tried over a dozen brands and only the Conimex brand has the heat with the subtle tastes of the peppers! The rest are just tasteless heat. Click the link above under the ingredients and rest easy as I have ordered from this place multiple times with no hassles.

Preparation:
Spray the bottom and sides of a four quart sauce pan with olive oil spray. Using the flat edge of a knife crush the garlic enough to remove the skin. Cut peppers in half and remove the seeds if you want three alarm chili, use them if you'd like a three.5 or 4! I removed them in this case.

Using medium-low heat add the onion, pepper, and garlic to the pan and sprinkle salt over the top. Sweat for a few minutes stirring once or twice. Break up the ground beef into the pan and cover for five minutes.

Remove lid and using a large wooden or plastic spoon break up the ground beef. Sprinkle in paprika, cumin, and chili powder and mix well.

Add tomato sauce and water, stir well. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add kidney beans, stir, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Remove lid and adjust heat to that mixture simmers slowly. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or longer until liquid is thickened.

Stir in Sambal Oelek, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest covered for 15 minutes. Serve as desired with your favorite toppings such as fat free sour cream, low fat shredded cheddar cheese, etc.

This is a nice spicy chili, maybe not for those who can't tolerate any heat, but not too fiery. it goes down easy and leaves a nice sweat on the forehead after eating! For people with normal taste buds I would rate this between medium and hot for commercially labeled products.

This evening I think I shall make Mexican roll ups featuring Poblano peppers, onions, chicken chorizo sausage, and egg beaters. If it turns out well another recipe may follow, if you would like to see it.

Footnote: I made the roll ups I mentioned above for dinner, and they were great!

Recipes - Cooking with Chris

The other night I took fresh onions, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and some packaged jalapeno-chicken sausage, tossed with a few teaspoons of olive oil and crushed garlic and sprinkled it lightly with curry and chili powders. I also added a light sprinkling of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. I baked this at 350 for about 45 minutes and then removed the foil and baked for another 10. It was great. Is that enough of a recipe for folks? When I say lightly sprinkled does that make sense? Well, anyway because I did not notice how much I used, I did not make a recipe out of it. It WAS very good though!

I realized I have about 8 pounds of Dreamfield spaghetti in my pantry so, as you can see from my previous recipe post I have some serious pasta to be going through and using. When I eat alone I use four ounces.....so that could be a lot of recipes.

Regular readers here know I make quite a few recipes from scratch, perhaps one in five get posted for various reasons. Sometimes it's because I threw something really together really fast and did not pay attention to exactly how I made it, other times it me be good, but, in my opinion, not good enough to share. It was good, not great.

Other times I used some packaged ingredients that I don't know if they are available elsewhere. Such as pre-made Pad-Thai sauce in jar which I've used a couple of times this past week. When such items, such as Sambal Oelek are used, I do try to provide a link to a place where you can mail order them.

So, this evening I shall make something with pasta again, and we shall see how it comes out. Perhaps Pasta with over-roasted veggies and chicken? We shall see! If it works out there could be a recipe.

Recipe - An alternative to the Burger King Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper

I don't know about the rest of you but breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day. I could eat breakfast any time. Bacon and eggs for lunch and dinner are fine by me.

Of course many people around the world eat breakfast at fast food places, and it is well known how bad this type of fare is for you nutritionally.

While I realize those who 'eat on the go' may have no choice (or willpower to nab something else), those that are willing to do a little work can come up with a healthier and tastier alternative which is what I've done with this recipe.

I recently (yes, I admit it!) tried the new Burger King Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper which consists of scrambled egg, smokey cheese sauce, bacon, and hash browns wrapped in a flour tortilla. While sound in concept, it falls short in a number of areas. Nutrition being the first, plus there is barely enough bacon and potato to taste, and in my humble opinion the smokey cheese sauce added nothing except perhaps calories.

I realized that I could not eat these on a regular basis, and I yearned for something like this that I could! So, concept firmly in mind I set out to make Chris' Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Wrap. I spent a few days on and off thinking about this. The hardest part was trying to find nutrition information on Burger King's offering. There is none on their site but I finally found it on an excellent site called The Impulse Buy.

See below for nutritional breakdown compared to the Burger King version, ingredients, and preparation.

Nutritional Breakdown - Burger King Version
390 calories, 24 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 150 milligrams of cholesterol, 1080 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, 14 grams of protein

Nutritional Breakdown - My Version

292 calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 33 milligrams of cholesterol, 1190 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbs (17 grams net carbs) , 14.5 grams of fiber, 2.5 grams of sugar, 27 grams of protein

Wow! Mine has 25% fewer calories, less than half the total fat, no trans fat, 75% less cholesterol, much more fiber, and double the protein. Note it does have a bit more sodium since I am using two slices of turkey bacon and a bit more sugar (why do they add sugar to fat-free cheese anyway??). Oh, and mine, at least to my palette, tastes much better


Recipe - Chris' Cheesy Breakfast Bacon Wrap

Ingredients (for 1 wrap)

2 slices Louis Rich Turkey Bacon
1/3 cup egg beaters

1/3 cup (two ounces) Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns

1 LaTortilla Factory large low carb whole wheat tortilla
1 slice Kraft Singles Fat Free Sharp Cheddar

1 fluid ounce (1/8th cup) 2% Milk

Freshly ground black pepper

Notes:

• I have tried many brands of Turkey Bacon; nothing comes close to the Louis Rich variety; it is delicious! Other brands have been passable to something like shoe leather consistency, so, get this brand! If you have ever had turkey bacon and not liked it, and you have not had this, you just have not had turkey bacon. In some places it is now being branded as Oscar Mayer with the Louis Rich in smaller type. Same product, available at many grocery stores and Costco/Sam's Club.
  
• Two of these wraps make a nice dinner. If you wish to make more than one, multiply the ingredients above by the number of wraps you wish to make.
  

Preparation:

• Lightly spray with Pam-type no stick spray a non-stick skillet and cook turkey bacon how you like it, be it crispy or not, turning once.
• Remove pan from heat and remove turkey bacon from pan. Lightly spray pan again with Pam and add shredded potatoes. Cook until lightly browned (or more depending on preference).
• While potatoes are cooking lightly whisk egg beaters and milk. Make sure potatoes are distributed evenly over the bottom the pan and then slowly pour in egg beaters mixture. Lightly sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Cook covered over low heat until top is done. Uncover and remove from heat.
• Cut cheddar cheese slice in half and place end to end on tortilla along with two strips of bacon, and add contents of pan. If making more than one wrap divide contents of pan across tortillas after proceeding above with cheese and bacon for each one. Roll up, eat, and enjoy!

WHY does eating out have to be so bad for you at fast food places? Here is a very satisfying breakfast wrap that is much better for you.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Pasta with Italian Style Lemon Herb Sauce

This is a rare case where dried herbs are called for to provide the unique flavor, plus the fresh lemon juice and garlic combine to make an excellent sauce.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced or cubed

4-8 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 cup + 2 tbs olive oil (Thanks again Steve, I used the oil you sent me)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
14 ounce bag frozen broccoli thawed and drained
Juice from one large lemon
8 Ounces Dreamfileds Rotini Pasta

Freshly grated Romano cheese

Preparation:
Put water for pasta to boil and add pasta when boiling; pasta should cook for about 9 minutes and should be added to water when broccoli is introduced below.

In a large shallow sauce pan or frying pan add 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, oregano, and basil. Heat on medium until garlic begins to sizzle, reduce heat to low, and let cook covered for two minutes and then add the chicken, stirring well to coat with olive oil and spices.

Cover and simmer for three minutes. Stir again and add broccoli tossing to coat with olive oil mixture. Cover and simmer an additional three minutes. Add juice from lemon, stir well to coat chicken and broccoli, and cook covered an additional three minutes, stir/toss again and add black pepper and let cook covered until pasta is ready to be drained (about three minutes).

Drain pasta, return to pot and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Add pasta to chicken, broccoli and sauce, toss, and let stand covered for five minutes stirring once after two and a half minutes. (This will allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce and thicken it a bit) If sauce is still too thin after this you can return to a low heat for an additional three to five minutes, stirring every minute.

Serve topped with freshly grated Romono cheese. Serves 2 to 4 people depending on how hungry they are. Another healthy low fat dish that is delicious.

Canjun Style Turkey Bacon Rollups with Zesty Sauce

Yet another fine recipe from the Chris Falco kitchens! This one is fairly simple, yet very delicious, and utilizes two of the Red Monkey Spice Rubs that I enjoy so much!

Ingredients:
8 slices Oscar Meyer/Louis Rich Turkey Bacon
2 tsp Red Monkey Cajun Spice Rub
1/2 tsp Red Monkey Mango Habanero Rub
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbs fat free sour cream
2 slices Kraft fat free Cheddar cheese
2 Flatout lite original wraps
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 vine-ripened tomato cut into six slices
Cooking spray like PAM

Preparation:
Spray the bottom and sides of a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray and add turkey bacon and Red Monkey Cajun Spice Rub. Toss well to evenly distribute spice. Cover, and cook over a very low flame for 10 minutes, tossing turkey bacon slices every three minutes.

While bacon is cooking, layout the wraps and cover each with 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce.

Remove bacon from pan letting any drippings drain back into the pan. If you cooked this over low heat as described above you should have a couple of tablespoons of drippings.

Place four slices of Turkey bacon atop the shredded lettuce on the wraps and then place three slices of tomato on top of the bacon.

With the heat off, add to sauce pan the fat free sour cream and Red Monkey Mango Habanero Rub. Using either a plastic whisk or rubber spatula mix together into an even color and apply low heat. Add the two slices of fat free cheddar cheese and when melted add the freshly ground back pepper. stir and then pour half the sauce over each of the wraps.

ENJOY! Serves two for lunch or one for dinner! Rough calories for each wrap is about 300 with very little fat and much fiber.

Garlic Basil Shrimp with Rotini Pasta and Mushrooms

Wow! Another excellent recipe from the Chris Falco Kitchens. And, can you believe it, a recipe that DOES NOT USE RED MONKEY SPICE! I am as shocked and flabbergasted as the rest of you!

Note however, that while this recipes does not use the aforementioned spice, it does use just a spoonful of Sambal Oelek for zest, but, it is not at all hot to the palate. My daughter and I made it this evening and it was delicious!

Be advised that I will soon post a grilled shrimp recipe that I enjoyed last evening, but, I need to tweak the honey cream dill sauce first. That recipe DOES use Red Monkey Spice!

Chris Falco's Garlic Basil Shrimp with Rotini Pasta and Mushrooms

Serves Four
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, sliced or flattened
1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek
3 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
1 pound Jumbo Shrimp, tails removed
8 ounces of Dreamfiled Rotini Pasta

Preparation:
Place pot of water to boil for pasta. Spray one frying pan with Pam Olive Oil no-stick spray and place over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, stirring every couple of minutes until mushrooms are lightly browned. Remove from heat and leave covered. As soon as water is boiling add pasta and cook for 11 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

While pasta and mushrooms are cooking add to another frying pan the olive oil, basil (which should be torn or chopped into small pieces), and garlic. Cook over medium high heat until garlic begins to lightly brown and add shrimp, stirring frequently until they are just lightly browned.

Add Sambal Oelek and reduce heat to low and cover for about 5 minutes. Pour in mushrooms from first frying pan. Add tomato paste and stir well, if there is not enough moisture in the pan to form a thick sauce add a few tablespoons of water.

Drain pasta, mix in with shrimp and mushrooms, and serve with your favorite Parmesan or Romano cheese grated on top.

Recipe - Spicy Stuffed Cheeseburger Roll Ups

Spicy Stuffed Cheeseburger Roll Ups - Serves Two

This evening I was wondering what to do with my Red Monkey Spice Rubs when I fondly remembered my recipe for Spicy Cheeseburger Roll Ups. After pondering these for awhile I decided I could certainly improve on this with my creation called Spicy Stuffed Cheeseburger Roll Ups.

Ingredients:
1 pound 92% ground beef
1/2 teaspoon Red Monkey Spice Rub - Cajun Spice
1/2 teaspoon Red Monkey Spice Rub - BBQ Spice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons jarred chopped chili peppers (Sambal Oelek)
2 ounces Shredded Chipotle Cheddar Cheese (I used Sargento)
2 Flat Out lite Original Flat breads
1 cup Shredded lettuce
4 thin slices white onion
6 slices vine ripened tomato
2 tablespoons Fat Free Miracle Whip

Preparation:
Preheat your grill (I used a propane grill) to 550 degrees.
Mix first four ingredients together. Split ground beef mixture into four parts and make four thin patties. Note a large lid can be used as a template, though I did it by hand.

On two of the patties put a tablespoon of the chopped chili peppers and spread leaving at least an 1\8th of an inch all around the edge of the patty free of the mixture. If you do not do this the burgers will fall apart or leak while they are being cooked.

Next, again keeping the edges clean, add 1 ounce of cheddar cheese to each of the two patties on top of the chopped chili peppers.

Place the other two patties carefully on top of these patties. Press firmly around the edges to seal. Spray tops with non-fat cooking spray (such as PAM) and put the oil side down on the grill.

Cook three minutes, turn, and cook an additional two minutes. Remove from grill.

I placed half each of the lettuce, onion, tomato and Fat Free Miracle Whip on the two flat breads along with a burger. ENJOY!!!!

Note that this is, even with the whole cheese, still an excellent low calorie, low carbohydrate, and high fiber meal. It is also spicy and delicious.