This is an old Weight Watchers recipe from back in the day. Over the years, we’ve doctored it up so it is anything but healthy now. I promise it is equally delicious. We usually make this an entire meal. Kind of like getting a loaded spud from McAllister’s Deli. It is very filling!

Loaded potatoes are one of my favorite foods. There is something about that combination when paired with some tasty ranch dressing that calls to my soul.

Tips for Baking Potatoes

1. Russet potatoes cook best.
2. Dry completely before cooking. Try scrubbing dirt and debris with a vegetable brush to avoid the potatoes being too wet when you place them in the oven.
3. Stop using foil! Seriously. It is not helpful. Just poke them with a fork and place in the oven.

Bacon & Green Onion Twice Baked Potatoes

Start by baking the potatoes for about an hour at 350 degrees. While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon and cut your green onion.

Remove from oven when soft. Let them cool enough to handle. Slice the potatoes lengthwise and scoop out the center of the potato. Place the scooped out potatoes in a medium sized bowl. Set aside the skins to use later.

Add sour cream and cheese to the potato. Next add bacon and mash until bacon is evenly distributed. Finally, add the green onion and mix with a fork until just combined.

Scoop 1/2 mixture back into each skin. Place potatoes on a non-stick baking sheet and cook 8 additional minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Add some ranch dressing and enjoy! These Bacon & Green Onion Twice Baked Potatoes will be a new family favorite recipe!

Have you made these? Tell us about it on Facebook!

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Asian Stir Fried Green Beans

I posted this pic on Instagram a couple of weeks ago of green beans from my garden. There is just something about fresh green beans that you cannot beat! They have such a rich, sweet flavor that cannot be duplicated. My husband started stir frying them and now I eat them as my dinner at least twice per week.  

Ingredients: 

• About 4 cups of fresh cut green beans
• 2 Tbsp high smoke-point oil (*See note on oils)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1-1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• Few drops of hot sauce (optional)

How to Make Asian Stir Fried 

1. Stir-frying, if you haven’t done it before, is quick but requires your full attention while cooking so prepare your ingredients before hand.
   1. Combine the cooking oil and sesame oil in a small bowl
   2. In a different small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame seeds, and hot sauce.
   3. Cut your green beans into bit size lengths and place them in a bowl. The more uniform they are in size, the more evenly they cook.
2. On high heat, heat up your wok / pan.
3. Add the oil mixture to the wok and swirl around to coat the surface.
4. Add the green beans. There should be a loud sizzle and flash of steam.  If there isn’t, you need more heat.
5. Stir constantly to avoid burning. After 3-5 minutes they should be browning.
6. Add the soy sauce mixture and stir for another minute or so.
7. Serve steaming hot.

Notes on cooking oils

Choosing cooking oils can be quite daunting to the uninitiated. There are generally three aspects to take into account when making a decision – smoke point, flavor, and relative healthiness. For the health conscious, an oil low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids is preferred.  ome oils have a neutral flavor and generally do not alter the taste of the food, while others impart significant flavor. The smoke point tells you how the oil can be used, and depends on not only the composition of the oil, but in some cases how it was refined. Some oils such as flaxseed begin to smoke at relatively low temperatures (225° F). Others such as safflower oil won’t smoke until over 500° F. In addition to the obvious obvious risk of starting a fire, excessive heat to an oil can change it’s flavor profile. The decomposition of oils at high heat also produces oxidated byproducts that increase the risk of heart disease and cancers.

Canola oil has a high smoke point and will stand up to the stir fry process, has a neutral flavor, and has a low percentage of saturated fats. Canola therefore is a good all purpose oil to have available and works well for this application.

Sesame oil depending on how it was refined can have wildly different smoke points over a 100° apart.  Therefore here we use just a little for it’s taste. If given a choice, choose a refined oil over unrefined as will stand up to the heat better.

Looking for more favorite side dish recipes? Here are some that we think you’ll love: 

• Bacon and Green Onion Twice Baked Potato
• Easy Carrot Raisin Salad
• Roasted Zucchini 
• Glazed Carrots with Dill
• Classic Three Bean Salad

Print

Asian Stir Fried Green Beans

The flavors of the orient bring this dish to life!

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh cut green beans
• 2 tbsp high smoke point oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• few drops of hot sauce optional

Instructions

• Combine cooking oil and sesame oil in small bowl.
• In a different small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame seeds and hot sauce.
• Cut your green beans into bite size lengths and place in a bowl.  The more uniform they are, the more evenly they cook.
• On high heat, heat up your wok/pan.
• Add the oil mixture to the wok and swirl around to coat the surface.
• Add the green beans.  There should be a loud sizzle and flash of steam.  If there isn't, you need more heat.
• Stir constantly to avoid burning.  After 3-5 minuter, they should be browning.
• Add the soy sauce mixture and stir for another minute or so.
• Serve steaming hot.

The post Asian Stir Fried Green Beans appeared first on Create Craft Love.

NY Deli Style Homemade Pickles

This year was the inaugural season for our garden! We purposely planted dill and pickling cucumbers with the hopes of being able to harvest and can homemade pickles. Well, we have dill and cucumbers coming out of our ears!  

The “pickling” in this style is from lacto-fermentation of the cucumber by it’s native microorganisms while submerged in the brine. Sugars in the cucumber are transformed into lactic acid. Lactic acid is responsible for the sour taste (the same taste found in yogurt and sourdough breads). Over time as the pH decreases, proteins are denatured by the lactic acid resulting in ever-mushier cucumbers.  ventually the pH drops far enough that the fermenting microorganisms can no longer reproduce thus preserving the cucumber and stopping full spoilage. Unfortunately, this point comes a while after the cucumbers become too soft to be edible.

There is no additional acidification or cooking which allows the cucumber to stay crisper longer, although if left in the solution for more than a couple weeks these will become soft and mushy as well. This method is not appropriate for long term preservation.

How to Make Pickle Brine

• Use a fairly precise salt-to-water ratio, and scale based on container size.
• Shoot for 3.5% – 5.4% solution by volume. In the metric world, 3.5-5.4 grams per 100 mL.  Start with the 3.5% and increase in future batches to get the taste you want.
  • Average ocean salinity is 3.5% with salinity in the Mediterranean and Red Sea closer to 4%. One could imagine early middle-eastern cultures simply putting their cucumbers in a bucket of ocean water to achieve this effect.
• Most recipes call for Diamond Kosher Salt. Here in southwest Missouri that seems difficult to find, so I use Morton’s Kosher Salt.  Kosher salts are not created equally so it becomes important to weigh the salt instead of going off volume (i.e. tablespoons).
• I use 1 quart jars for my pickles so I fill one of those with water. 1 quart equals 946 mL, so to make a 3.5% brine I add 33 grams of salt.
• As the pickles ferment there can be water loss from evaporation so keeping your extra brine in fridge allows for easy addition to ensure the cucumbers are fully covered.

Spices (per quart jar)

• These are starting points, adjust to taste
• 1 sprig fresh dill
• 3 cloves garlic (smashed, skin left on)
• Premade pickling spice vs. home blend – premade in Midwest tend to have cinnamon, clove, allspice, ginger which lends itself more to the bread and butter pickle (or a shrimp boil) than the kosher dill.
  • 2 Tbsp if using a premade
• The key ingredients for making your own blend of a NY deli-style spice seem to be (again, quantities are starting points):
  • Dried hot pepper – 2
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • Mustard Seed – 1 tsp
  • Coriander – 1 tsp
  • Whole Black Peppercorn – 1 tsp

Clean the jar thoroughly, can sterilize with boiling water if desired.

Inspect cucumbers and make sure stem if fully removed. Some suggest cutting the tip off the flower end stating that there is a substance in that end of the cucumber that can soften the pickle. Alternatively, adding grape leaves appears to achieve the same result through their tannins.

Wash hands with antibacterial soap. Clean the cucumbers thoroughly under cold water using only hands to rub/scrub.Then run cold water on cucumbers for 10 minutes.

• Since these pickles are not made with a sterile canning procedure, and undergo no type of pasteurization, a primary goal here is to ensure that human bacteria are not making their way into the brine to avoid potential food poisoning. While the salinity and temperature make a poor growing medium for human pathogens, some might still grow and toxins from bacteria such as Staph can still cause problems.
• No amount of water or scrubbing will remove all the microorganisms from the cucumber, but this is a good thing, we need them to ferment our pickles. Our goal here is to reduce the inoculate size to manageable levels to allowed for controlled fermentation.

Place spices and garlic in the bottom of the jar.

Pack the cucumbers tight with with some dill on bottom and top.

Fill the jar with brine, keep your extra brine in the refrigerator to add to the jar as needed.

This is a fermentation process therefore gases will be produced. One might then correctly deduce that sealing tightly is a no-no to avoid making a pickle bomb. Cover with 3 layers of cheesecloth or a lid with valve.  Some simply poke holes into a standard lid.

Leave on counter out of direct sunlight for a period of 1-3 days. This will allow the fermentation process to begin. The jar then goes into the fridge which will slow but not stop the fermentation process.

• The timelines seem to be personal preference, how long you wish to wait, and how long you want them to keep. More upfront fermentation will result in less wait time but less keep time before they go mushy.
• Upfront countertop fermentation appears to create half-sours after 3 days.
• 1 day of fermentation will create “new pickles”. An additional 7-10 days in the fridge seem to be required for half sour.
• My own personal testing has led me to prefer 1 day on the counter then put into the fridge, and eat after 7-10 days. The pickles seem to get a more uniform flavor that way.

As fermentation continues make sure to remove any scum that may develop on the surface of the water.  Additionally, if the brine turns cloudy this can indicate contamination. You should replace with fresh brine or discard that batch if this happens.

These pickles are full of flavor and crunch!  They are the perfect addition to any sandwich or meal!

This is such a fantastic pickle recipe! Make sure to check out this article with Tips for Growing Cucumbers and then let us know how your pickle making goes!

Here are some of our favorite recipes that we think would pair wonderfully with these pickles: 

• Air Fryer Burger Recipe
• Best Summer Sandwiches
• Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich
• Easy Pizza Panini
• Funeral Sandwiches

The post NY Deli Style Homemade Pickles appeared first on Create Craft Love.

Happy Memorial Day!  Cookout season officially starts TODAY!  If you are popular like me {haha – just joking}, you get invited to a dozen of these each summer – usually with the same people in attendance.  This year I want to mix it up a bit and try out some new recipes.  Check out these 50+ Summer Cookout Recipes that are sure to get your “fire” going! 

As always, please pin from the original source!

Main Dish Cookout Recipes

Sausage and Grilled Shrimp Kabobs from Gimme Some Grilling

Easy Grilled Veggie Skewers from The Forked Spoon

Garlic Butter Steak and Potato Foil Packets from The Food Cafe

Bourbon BBQ Wings from Fork in the Kitchen

Grilled Steak Kabobs from Create.Craft.Love

Chicken Foil Packets from Spaceships and Laser Beams

Marinated Flank Steak from Carlsbad Cravings

Whiskey Pineapple Chicken from Plain Chicken

Bacon, Pineapple, Chicken Kabobs from Recipe Diaries

Dr. Pepper Ribs from Lil Luna

Smashburger Sliders with Grilled Onions from Dad with a Pan

Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp from Taste and See

Grilled Sausage and Peppers Foil Packets from Yellow Bliss Road

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken from The Flavours of Kitchen

Butter Burger Recipes from Grillseeker

Caribbean Jerk Grilled Chicken Tenders from Grilling 24×7

Side Dishes

Bacon Ranch Potatoes Grill Foil Packets from Family Fresh Meals

Grilled Potatoes from Well Plated

Mexican Coleslaw Recipe from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Broccoli Salad with Cranberries from Peas and Crayons

Caprese Salad with Avocado from Joyous Apron

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad from Food Folks and Fun

Strawberry Spinach Salad from 365 Days of Baking

Loaded Bacon Ranch Potato Salad from Mama Knows Gluten Free

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus from Gimme Some Grilling

Summer Cookout Extras

Chicken Marinade from Mom on Timeout

Herbed Butter Steak from Seeking Good Eats

7 Go to Grill Marinade Recipes from Plays Well With Butter

Steak Rub Recipe from Out Grilling

Grilled Porkchop Marinade from Bunny’s Warm Oven

Beverages

Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade from Mom Endeavors

Peach Sweet Tea from The Diary of a Real Housewife

Strawberry Margarita Sangria from Shake Drink Repeat

Bourbon Sweet Tea Cocktail from This Worthey Life

Shirley Temple from The Thirsty Feast

Triple Berry Lemonade from Nibble and Dine

Tropical Vodka Punch from Berly’s Kitchen

Cherry Limeade from I Am Baker

Fruit Punch from Fantabulosity

Desserts

5 Minute Strawberry Dessert from One Sweet Appetite

No Bake S’mores Bars from The Life Jolie

Summer Fruit Sugar Cookie Cups from Big Bear’s Wife

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Dessert from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt

Brownie Fruit Pizza from All Things Mamma

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake from Princess Pinky Girl

No Bake Banana Split Dessert from Sugar Apron

Funfetti Cake Batter Dip from Homemade Hooplah

No Bake Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake from The Recipe Rebel

S’mores Dip from Princess Pinky Girl

Strawberry Lemonade Bars from Made to be a Momma

Heavenly Lemon Oreo Dessert from Life in the Lofthouse

Lemon Bundt Cake from The Fresh Cooky

OMG!  Are you ready to start inviting people over?  Maybe you already have some people coming over today.  Try out one of these awesome recipes!  You will NOT be sorry!

PS – Writing this post while dieting made me uber hungry!  hee hee

The post 50+ Summer Cookout Recipes appeared first on Create Craft Love.

Seafood Nacho Dip from Becoming Martha

Ham and Cheese Rollups from Mom Endeavors

Sausage and Cream Cheese Pockets from Mom 4 Real

Football 7 Layer Dip from Mom Endeavors

Sausage and Cheese Wonton Cups from That’s What Che Said

Chocolate Cut Out Cookies from Posed Perfection

Bite Sized Artichoke Frittatas from Rook No.17

Nacho Bar from C.R.A.F.T.

Amazing Hot Wings Recipe from Saved By Love Creations

Mushroom Cups Appetizer from Cleverly Inspired

Garlic Fries from Mom’s Crafty Space

Twice Baked Potatoes from Country Chic Cottage

Jalapeno Chicken Spirals from Setting for Four

Mini Taco Dip Bites from Madigan Made

Snickers Mini Candy Pizza from Creative Cynchronicity

Slow Cooker Sausage Meatballs from Cleverly Inspired

Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl?

Are you ready for some football food?

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