Of all the ways to transform a boring piece of chicken breast, Monterey style is a surefire move towards flavor wow!

I mean…chicken, bbq sauce, bacon, cheese, diced tomato, and your favorite aromatics. Quintessential ‘Layers of Flavor.”

The original Cobb Salad was born one late night in the kitchen of Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant. Back in in 1937, owner Robert Cobb had a late-night hankering for a satisfying meal. He began pulling readily available ingredients into a bowl. This kitchen sink salad was promptly added to the menu and became a runaway hit!

EAT COBB:  Eggs, Avocado, Tomato, Chicken, Onion, Bacon, Blue Cheese.

There are so many wonderful adaptations to the original Cobb Salad version. Here’s how I build a Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad!

Clearly we’ve transformed boring chicken breasts with all these wonderful toppings.

Now let’s transform the salad! This is your chance to add your favorite ingredients. The Cobb Salad is a great way to use up leftovers.

At the same time the Cobb Salad was gaining in popularity, so was the table-side preparation. This type of dining experience was catching on quickly. It’s what we fondly refer to as dinner and a show. Today, as we find ourselves eating in vs. dining out, any opportunity to serve a meal family-style is welcomed in this house.

Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad is a family favorite that even your most challenging eaters will enjoy!!

Love the Monterey flavors check out Monterey Loaded Nachos Fries and the Monterey Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad

Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad is a family favorite that even your most challenging eaters will enjoy!!

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Monterey Chicken

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
• 6 Tablespoons hickory bbq sauce or favorite
• 6 slices bacon cooked crispy
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 Roma tomato diced
• 1 scallion thinly sliced
• 1 jalepeno finely diced

For the Salad

• 8-10 cups lettuce chopped
• 3 hardboiled eggs quartered
• 2 avocado diced
• 2-3 Roma tomatoes diced
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 corn on the cobb roasted, kernels removed from cobb
• 6 strips bacon cooked crisp, chopped
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

For the Chili Ranch Dressing

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chives (or parsley) minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch black pepper

Instructions

For the Monterey Chicken

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grill chicken breasts until almost done (about 155 degrees).
• Top each grilled chicken breasts with a schmear of bbq sauce, two slices of crispy bacon and a handful of shredded cheese. Place in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and chicken registers 165 degrees.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with diced tomato, jalapeno and scallion. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

For the Chili Ranch Dressing

• Combine all ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.

For the Salad

• Place all salad ingredients on large platter. Top with sliced Monterey Chicken and drizzle with Chili Ranch Dressing.

The post Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Yes, I referenced the holidays. They will be here in no time and this year we’ll be ready! We’ll have a whole line up of appetizers queue’d up and ready to go!

It just so happens this warm & cheesy dip is also game day worthy!

For this oven baked dip think bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuffed jalapeño popper flavors! Fresh jalapeños, 3 kinds of cheese, bacon-love, and a buttery crisp topping make this dip a fan favorite.

Jalapeño Popper Dip Ingredients

• For the Dip
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 5-6 jalapenos, roasted & diced
• 6 slices bacon, cooked crispy & chopped
• For the Topping
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 4 Tablespoons butter, melted

How to Assemble the Dip

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a rack in a rimmed baking pan lined with aluminum foil
• Arrange bacon slices and jalapenos on rack and bake for 20 minutes (or until bacon is crispy)
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the remaining dip ingredients
• Chop bacon and jalapenos (discard stems and seeds), mix into dip
• Transfer dip to an 8×8 baking dish coated with cooking spray
• In a small bowl, combine Topping ingredients and spread on top of dip
• Bake for 20 minutes
• Garnish with crispy bacon and sliced jalapeno
• Serve with favorite chips or crackers

Recipe Tips

• You can adjust the ‘heat’ on this dip by adding more jalapenos or including the seeds. I used 5 average sized jalapenos (about 4″ long) and discarded the seeds. The result was mild on the heat meter.
• Cooking the bacon in the oven makes for easy cleanup.
• Roasting the jalapenos first mellows them out a bit and adds a nice smoky flavor.

For my college cooking kids, this Easy & Delicious Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe is right up your alley! You can even assemble it the day before and just pop it in the oven before serving.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Easy & Delicious Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe

This Easy & Delicious Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe is perfect for holiday entertaining and a great addition to your game day spread!

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Dip

• 6 slices bacon
• 5-6 jalapenos
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

For the Topping

• 4 Tablespoons butter melted
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free for GF version)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded

To Serve

• garnish with reserved crispy bacon & sliced jalapeno
• serve with favorite chips or crackers

Instructions

For the Dip

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Place a rack in a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Arrange bacon slices and jalapenos on rack. Bake for 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine remaining Dip ingredients. In a small bowl, combine Topping ingredients.
• Remove bacon and jalapenos from oven. Allow to cool slightly. Dice jalapenos, discarding stem and seeds. Chop bacon, reserving 2 Tablespoons for garnish. Add remaining bacon and diced jalapeno to dip. Transfer mixture to an 8×8 baking dish. Spread topping over dip. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Garnish with sliced jalapeno and crispy bacon. Serve warm from oven with favorite chips or crackers.

The post Easy & Delicious Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Looking for some great Pub Food ideas or game day snacks?! These nacho-style kettle chips are a fan-favorite at our house.

After enjoying these tangy chips at restaurants for years it was time to recreate them at home! They are so delicious and could not be easier to make. Did I mention they’re addicting too?!

Start with a bag of your favorite kettle chips – you know the extra crunchy, super sturdy kind.

We’re big fans of Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips!

Spread them on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven for 5 minutes. This will get your chips happy and ready to be loved!

Layer them with this super easy Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing and blue cheese crumbles.

Then sprinkle the mountain of Blue Cheese Chips with crispy bacon, diced tomatoes and green onions! It’s kind of a nachos wedge salad lovefest! You can totally mix up the toppings and even the cheeses.

With football season about to get into full swing, we can’t have enough fun & easy appetizer recipes in our rotation. We served these on Super Bowl Sunday and they were a hit!

Check out our collection of Hot Party Dips for some recipe inspiration!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Blue Cheese Chips with Crispy Bacon for the Win!

Sprinkle the mountain of Blue Cheese Chips with crispy bacon, diced tomatoes and green onions! It's kind of a nachos wedge salad lovefest!

Course Appetizer, Snack

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 8 ounce bag Kettle Chips I used Cape Cod brand
• 4 strips bacon cooked crispy and chopped
• 1 cup blue cheese dressing recipe link in post
• 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 roma tomatoes diced

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425° F. Spread kettle chips on a baking sheet and warm in oven for 5 minutes. Layer with blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles. Top with chopped crispy bacon, sliced scallion and diced tomatoes.

The post Blue Cheese Chips {with Crispy Bacon} for the Win! appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

But if you don’t have one near by or prefer to make this copycat recipe at home, that works for me.

It’s not that it’s the only thing I crave on their menu however, they have so many great breakfast & brunch options. My kids even got me a First Watch cookbook for Christmas last year because they know I’m a breakfast lover!

If you’ve been following along with us for some time, you’re probably well aware that I love bacon. And this sweet and spicy million dollar version is down right addicting!

What I love about this recipe is it’s so easy to make and the bacon cooks in the oven. Easy clean up too!

The strips of bacon are raked through a simple glaze of brown sugar, maple syrup, cayenne and black pepper thinned with a touch of water. You then lay the strips on a rack over a parchment line baking sheet. Into a 325 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

What you end up with are mildly spicy lightly caramelized strips of perfectly cooked bacon. Completely acceptable to enjoy as a snack. Million Dollar Bacon will elevate your brunch game and your burger bar too!

You’re going to love our Ultimate Jack & Coke Bacon Cheeseburger! It’s got the million dollar magic!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Million Dollar Bacon (First Watch Copycat)

What you end up with are mildly spicy lightly caramelized strips of perfectly cooked bacon. Completely acceptable to enjoy as a snack. Million Dollar Bacon will elevate your brunch game and your burger bar!

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Burgers, Snack

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon regular thickness

For the Glaze

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325° F. Place a rack onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Combine the glaze ingredients in a shallow bowl.
• Drag strips of bacon through glaze and place on rack. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate pan and bake another 10 minutes or until your desired doneness. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

The post Million Dollar Bacon (First Watch Copycat) appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Welcome to this week’s edition of College Cooking! Recipes that our (over 21 aged) college kids will love to recreate and eat!

It all started with a TikTok video early this yesterday morning. Not my video. It was from ChefClub. It was one of those videos where you watch entirely too long, knowing full well it’s not going to end well. And it didn’t. But the concept stuck!

The guy in the video poured Jack Daniel’s whiskey into muffin tin cups, topped them with water and froze them.

It’s this next part that stuck.

Once frozen he popped out the whiskey ice cubes and pressed them into the center of burger patties. As he grilled the burgers on the flat top, the ice melted creating steam….which on its own is an acceptable cooking method.

I had to know.

I was the first one through the door at the liquor store – sure, it felt a little strange walking out with a bottle of JD at 9:00 am. Hey, girl on a mission!

Let’s talk Whiskey for a minute. Or is it Whisky? I kept second guessing myself on the spelling so I looked it up. Apparently the spelling of said grain spirit is entirely based on the country of origin. If it’s made in Ireland or the USA it’s Whiskey we an ‘e’. If it’s distilled in Canada, Scotland or Japan drop that ‘e’ and pour yourself a glass of Whisky!

A whiskey infused burger sounded pretty darn good, but I couldn’t get my head around infusing with water. So this is where I changed the ChefClub method and I used Coke instead. Jack Daniel’s Whiskey & Coke. A well documented finely matched pair.

The Preparation

I decided to prepare these Ultimate Jack & Coke Bacon Cheeseburgers two ways. One closely resembling the video I fell pray to. A whiskey ice cubed pressed into the raw burger patty then pan grilled.

The other, a bit more conventional but with the same flavor profile. Add the whiskey & coke directly to the ground beef, then make into patties and pan grill.

The Results

I topped our burgers with Caramelized Onions, Smoked Gouda cheese, Million Dollar Bacon, and Whiskey Mayo.

Here are the results!

Both burgers were very juicy and the toppings were perfectly matched. However, according to our highly skilled taste-testers the burgers with the Jack Daniel’s & Coke put right into the ground beef had a superior flavor profile.

So in the end, while making Jack & Coke ice cubes was fun and certainly grabbed my attention, they are not necessary.

These burgers are really good. A perfect addition to any Game Day spread!

The gentle whiskey aroma is front and center, some from the burger and some from the whiskey mayo. The caramelized onions add a wonderful layer of flavor, as does the smoky gruyere cheese. And let us not forget the million dollar bacon. Baby!

I even made a gluten free version using our new favorite sweet potato ‘buns’.

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. I’d love for you to share your feedback in the comments below!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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The Ultimate Jack & Coke Bacon Cheeseburger

According to our highly skilled taste-testers the burgers with the Jack Daniel's & Coke put right into the ground beef had a superior flavor profile and paired perfectly with the toppings.

Course Burger

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Caramelized Onions & Million Dollar Bacon 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Burgers

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 Tablespoons Jack Daniel's Whiskey can sub coke
• 2 Tablespoons Coke
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon butter for pan frying

For the Whiskey Mayo

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon Jack Daniel's Whiskey can sub coke

For the Toppings

• 4 burger buns lightly toasted
• 1/2 cup caramelized onions (1 large sweet onion) see recipe link in post
• 3 ounces smoked gruyere cheese shredded
• 4 strips Million Dollar Bacon see recipe link in post

Instructions

For the Burgers

• Combine burger ingredients (except butter) and form into 4 bun sized patties. Pan fry in butter until deeply caramelized on each side.

  Note: When pan frying or frying on a flat top grill I like to add a little water to the hot pan and cover the burgers at the end to let them steam a bit.
• Top with caramelized onion and shredded gruyere cheese. Cook to desired doneness.

To Build the Burgers

• Lightly toast the burger buns. Whisk together whiskey mayo ingredients. Slather a spoonful on bottom side of each burger bun. Top with cooked burger with onions and cheese. Finish with a slice of million dollar bacon and top bun.

The post Ultimate Jack & Coke Bacon Cheeseburgers appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Last week I shared what would be the first recipe in a new series called College Cooking. My 21 year old bonus-son and his roommates requested some recipe inspiration.

College Cooking Challenge

“Start a recipe series called College Cooking and give us a new recipe each week that we can prepare in our off-campus housing kitchens!

Be sure the ingredients are readily available (and affordable) but help us break free from blue box mac ‘n cheese, frozen pizzas, and fast-food meals.”

When we went down for their initial move-in visit, little did I know that they had planned a cooking challenge for me. A ‘Chopped-like’ College Cooking Competition.

They gave me 5 typical college survival ingredients and asked me to turn them into an Appetizer, Entree and Dessert.

Oh boy!

My College Cooking Challenge Mystery Ingredients

• Instant Mashed Potatoes
• Ramen Noodles
• Frozen Chicken Tenders
• Steak-umms
• Cap’N Crunch

I can honestly say all but ramen noodles were making their debut on Lemony Thyme!

Before I planned my recipes, I was able to ‘shop’ from their pantry and fridge/freezer. No question they have their staple ‘survival’ ingredients, but they also had a nice array of spices and cooking essentials.

We made a run to their local Walmart for the remaining ingredients! That was an adventure in itself. Envision a college town Walmart the day after move-in weekend. Chaos but we nailed it!

The College Cooking Challenge Results

Cooking for these kids was a blast! I found some pretty creative ways to incorporate their go-to staple ingredients. And most importantly they loved the results and ate every last bite!

For the Appetizer Round I made Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffle Sliders, incorporating the frozen chicken tenders.

And I also made these Loaded Baked Potato Tots with Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce! They were a huge hit!

Loaded Baked Potato Tots

My challenged included a 4-pack of microwavable instant mashed potatoes. Let me say a couple things about that. Of all the mystery ingredients, this was the one I feared most. All I could envision were thin and flavorless ‘watery’ mashed potatoes.

I now feel a bit foolish! They are nice and thick and taste pretty darn good straight out of the microwave. I can see why these meat & potato loving kids stock their cupboards with them.

*Partly attributed to the sodium count which weighs in at 690 mg. per serving.

So for this recipe, whether you use instant or have leftover homemade mashed potatoes is completely your choice.

Loaded Tots Ingredients

• You’ll begin with 3 cups of mashed potatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup finely chopped crispy cooked bacon
• 2 Tablespoons snipped fresh chives
• Panko or plain breadcrumbs

• Combine all ingredients and mix well
• Using a teaspoon, scoop out mashed potatoes and shape into ‘tots’
• Roll each tot in breadcrumbs
• Place tots on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet
• Bake at 375 deg. F. for 25 minutes
• Serve with Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce

You can certainly pan-fry these tots but oven-baked yielded a nice crispy tot with cheesy loaded mashed potato inside! And this dipping sauce is crazy good with cheddar cheese and bacony love.

There was not a tot to be found after the appetizer round!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our Instagram Story Highlights for how the entire College Cooking Challenge went down! More recipes to follow!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Loaded Baked Potato Tots Recipe

You can certainly pan-fry these tots but oven-baked yielded a nice crispy tot with cheesy mashed potato inside!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

For the Loaded Baked Potato Tots

• 3 cups mashed potatoes cooled
• 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup crispy cooked bacon finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chives snipped
• 1-2 cups dry plain breadcrumbs

For the Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons cheddar cheese shredded
• 2 Tablespoons crispy cooked bacon finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chives snipped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (or garlic powder & salt)

Instructions

For Loaded Baked Potato Tots

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Using a teaspoon, scoop out potato mixture and form into tots. Roll tots in breadcrumbs then place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce.

For Sour Cream & Cheddar Dipping Sauce

• Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Rachel Hollis.

The post Loaded Baked Potato Tots Recipe appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

It’s gluten free and easy to make.

And I love brunch. Serious love affair.

I recently had a brunch date with my boyfriend (aka my bff husband). He ordered Huevos Rancheros and I had the sweet potato eggs benedict.

Clearly the inspiration for this recipe.

For my gluten free friends, sweet potato rounds are my jam! They make the perfect english muffin substitute in this recipe and make a pretty mean burger bun in this —–> recipe!

The Method

Simply oven roasting the sweet potato rounds until they’re browned and tender gives you the perfect base to build upon.

We bought these flavored salts while vacationing in New Mexico. So I added a little ‘Woodfire’ salt to our sweet potato rounds creating one more layer of flavor.

The bacon and the sweet potato rounds bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. I made a little foil tray to contain the bacon grease.

And here’s how we build our Sweet Potato Eggs Benedict!

Roasted sweet potato rounds. Smashed avocado. Crispy bacon.

The Poached Eggs

Then comes the perfectly poached eggs. There are a lot of great articles out there (like this one) on how to achieve perfection. Below is my method.

• Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low so it’s no longer bubbling.
• Add a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar (helps whites stay together).
• Use the handle of a wooden spoon to swirl the water creating a vortex (also helps the whites stay together).
• One at a time, crack the eggs into a fine mesh strainer and discard the milky liquid that drains through.
• Transfer egg to a ramekin, then gently slide into the water.
• Allow to sit undisturbed for 3-4 minutes. This will yield firm whites with a slightly running yolk.

The Blender Hollandaise

That incredibly creamy Hollandaise sauce was made in a blender. Actually I made it in my mini food chopper but a blender works great as well.

I’ve accurately named this Stress Free 5 Minute Blender Hollandaise.

The process is super easy. In fact I made a pretty cute video that I shared on TikTok. You should check it out.

• Melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium low heat until hot & foamy
• Place 3 egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt & pinch of cayenne in blender jar
• With lid on, run blender on high for 2 minutes
• While still running, slowly drizzle clarified butter through hole in blender lid (discard white milky residue)
• Turn off blender – adjust seasoning to taste

Add a poached egg to the sweet potato, avocado, bacon stacks and top with a generous drizzle of Hollandaise. Serve with a side of roasted asparagus and fresh berries and you’ve got yourself a date-worthy brunch!

The sweetness from the potato with the salty bacon and tart hollandaise will make your tastebuds so happy!

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our Sweet Potato Eggs Benedict TikTok video!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Sweet Potato Eggs Benedict with Blender Hollandaise

The sweetness from the potato with the salty bacon and tart hollandaise will make your tastebuds so happy!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Eggs Benedict

• 1 large sweet potato cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
• 8 slices bacon
• 8 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 avocado mashed with salt & pepper to taste

For the Blender Hollandaise

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 lemon juiced about 2 Tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

For the Sweet Potatoes & Bacon

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sweet potato rounds on sheet. Season with salt & pepper. Place bacon on separate foil lined baking sheet pan. Bake potatoes and bacon for 20 minutes, flipping over half way through cooking time.

For the Poached Eggs

• Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low so it’s no longer bubbling. Add a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar (helps whites stay together). Use the handle of a wooden spoon to swirl the water creating a vortex (also helps the whites stay together). One at a time, crack the eggs into a fine mesh strainer and discard the milky liquid that drains through. Transfer egg to a ramekin, then gently slide into the water. Allow to sit undisturbed for 3-4 minutes. This will yield firm whites with a slightly running yolk.

For the Blender Hollandaise

• Melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium low heat until hot & foamy. Place 3 egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt & pinch of cayenne in blender jar. With lid on, run blender on high for 2 minutes. While still running, slowly drizzle clarified butter through hole in blender lid (discard white milky residue). Turn off blender – adjust seasoning to taste.

To Assemble

• Layer each roasted sweet potato round with a spoonful of mashed avocado. Then add a slice of crispy bacon and a poached egg. Drizzle top with hollandaise sauce. Enjoy!

The post Sweet Potato Eggs Benedict with Simple Blender Hollandaise appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Because everyone should have a Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing recipe tucked up their sleeve!

We’re going to use relatively few words and cut to the chase.

Homemade is better.

The flavor is better.

It’s better for you.

And you have a better chance of winning that second date.

It’s that good!

Dressing Ingredients

Let me give you a quick ingredient breakdown. The base of this dressing is a combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk and white vinegar. Fresh snipped chives and/or parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper are your flavor enhancers. Blue cheese is the star of the show.

Let me add that I’ve been on a Gorgonzola kick lately! Gorgonzola is a type of Italian blue cheese made with whole cow’s milk. Similarly, Roquefort is also in the blue bleu cheese family but rooted in France. I must admit that as a kid I often referred to Roquefort as “dirty sneaker cheese.”

Hey, taste buds evolve!

You Do You!

It’s totally up to you how thick you want to make your Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing. You can adjust the base ingredients accordingly and you can give it a whiz in the food processor.

When to use Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

For an Iceberg Wedge Salad I like a nice thick dressing that hangs onto to the lettuce.

For our Blue Cheese Chips {with Crispy Bacon} I’m looking for more of a drizzle so I add a little more buttermilk.

Buffalo Chicken Wings and this dressing are a match made in heaven!

This savory dressing is super creamy with just the right amount of blue cheese zing. It’s delicious and worthy of a game-day debut!

I’d love for you to comment below. Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

The base of this dressing is a combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk and white vinegar. Fresh snipped chives, garlic powder, salt & pepper are your flavor enhancers. Blue cheese is the star of the show.

Course Dressing

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons snipped fresh chives and/or fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbled

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients, except blue cheese. Whisk to combine. Fold in blue cheese. For a thinner consistency add 1-2 Tablespoons of buttermilk or pulse several times in a food processor. Store in refrigerator for up to one week.

The post Homemade Is Better Blue Cheese Dressing appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This Spinach & Brussels Sprout Salad {with Warm Maple Bacon Dressing} is a new year-round favorite.

Together you have salty, savory and sweet with a little crunch and texture in each bite. I adore each of the individual components of this salad.

Fresh tender spinach, shaved Brussels sprouts, toasted pecans, parmesan crisps, dried cranberries, and warm maple bacon dressing.

This gorgeous stalk of Brussels sprouts was definitely my recipe inspiration.

I could have made a giant batch of oven roasted Brussels sprouts which are a family favorite, but they were so fresh and beautiful I wanted to incorporate them raw.

I took one of my all-time favorite salads (Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing) and spruced it up a bit. The addition of bourbon and rich maple syrup to the warm bacon dressing really elevated the flavor profile.

Even my parmesan crisps got a make-over when I made them bite-sized and spiced them with my smoky Braai Spice Blend.

This Spinach & Brussels Sprout Salad pairs perfectly with grilled steak or chicken, but is hearty enough on it’s own for lunch or dinner. So many wonderful flavors playing nicely together.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Spinach & Brussels Sprout Salad {with Warm Maple Bacon Dressing}

Together you have salty, savory and sweet with a little crunch and texture in each bite making this Spinach & Brussels Sprout Salad {with Warm Maple Bacon Dressing} a new year-round favorite.

Course Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
• 12 small parmesan crisps see Recipe Link in Post

For the Warm Maple Bacon Dressing

• 1/2 pound thick cut bacon browned and crumbled reserve drippings
• 1 large or 2 small shallot thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoons bourbon
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or more to taste
• 2 Tablespoons real maple syrup or more to taste
• dash cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Salad

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread pecan halves in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast for 5-7 minutes. Prepare the Parmesan Crisps according to Recipe Link in Post.
• In a medium skillet, cook bacon until it’s browned and crispy, drain on paper towels, reserving drippings.
• In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach, shaved Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and parmesan crisps.

For the Warm Maple Bacon Dressing

• To the skillet with the reserved bacon drippings, add thinly sliced shallot and saute over medium-low heat until tender. Remove from heat, whisk in the bourbon and return to heat and cook for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, pinch of cayenne, and salt & pepper and heat through, 1-2 minutes. Adjust the sweet/tart flavor by adding more maple syrup or vinegar.
• Serve warm. Add the crisply crumbled bacon to salad or dressing just before serving.

The post Spinach & Brussels Sprout Salad {with Maple Bacon Dressing} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The meatball alone is slightly salty, a little smoky, very juicy and oh so delicious.

Not going to lie, several meatballs never found their way to the Hawaiian sweet rolls, they were that good.

The Ingredients

For the Kalua Pork we used ground pork shoulder plus two key ingredients. Liquid Smoke and Hawaiian Sea Salt are the signature ingredients.

First for the pork, I wanted to be sure the fat content was high enough to keep the meatballs juicy. So I had the butcher grind a boneless pork shoulder roast (Boston butt).

The Liquid Smoke was a first for me. Every Slow Cooker Kalua Pork recipe I could find (and there are hundreds) included it. I feared a ‘fake’ smoke taste but was pleasantly surprised. Just a small amount (1/2 teaspoon) deliver a great smoky flavor.

The final and truly authentic ingredient was the Alaea Sea Salt, also known as Hawaiian red salt.

For the sea salt, we actually brought back a couple different salts from a trip to Hawaii, both very reminiscent of the beautiful beaches we explored.

No worries if you don’t have a Hawaiian vacation in your near future, you can find the Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt at Cost Plus World Market or online.

I interrupt this Kalua Pork Meatball Slider recipe post to share some black lava and red clay pictures from our Hawaii vacay 2019.

And we’re back!

Classic Kalua Pork is a whole pig wrapped in banana leaves, then slow roasted in an underground oven called an Imu and traditionally served at a Luau.

However on the mainland, it is also very common (and much easier) to make Kalua Pork in a slow cooker with the same three ingredients – boneless pork shoulder, Alaea sea salt and Liquid Smoke.

I wanted to infuse all of the smoky slow roasted flavor I possibly could into our Kalua Pork Meatballs so I cooked them on our Primo Smoker at 275 -300 degrees F for an hour.

The Process

While bacon wasn’t part of my original plan, it served as a way to keep the meatballs from sticking to the pan and in turn became the perfect addition to our Kalua Pork Meatballs Sliders.

If you don’t have a smoker you can certainly cook these in the oven at 350 degrees. F. for 20 minutes.

How to Build the Sliders

Here’s how we build the sliders.

First I grilled King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and fresh pineapple rings (which I trimmed slightly first so they would fit the bun).

I made a simple coleslaw of cabbage and carrot tossed in a little mayonnaise dressing (same that we use for the Hawaiian Macaroni Salad) and a spicy mayo spread for the toasted buns.

The flavor combinations were out of this world.

The Kalua Pork Meatball was definitely the star with a nice smoky flavor.

The sweetness of the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and grilled pineapple balanced the spicy mayo, while the coleslaw brought a little crunch.

The bacon was a straight up bonus to this handheld slider!

I made a classic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad to go with our Kalua Pork Meatball Sliders. What a perfect lunch plate or addition to your game-day spread or backyard gatherings!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Kalua Pork Meatball Sliders

The flavor combinations were out of this world. The Kalua Pork Meatball was definitely the star with a nice smoky flavor. The sweetness of the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and grilled pineapple balanced the spicy mayo, while the coleslaw brought a little crunch. The bacon was a straight up bonus to this handheld slider!

Course Burger, Entree or Appetizer, Sandwich

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground pork shoulder
• 1 teaspoon Alaea sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
• 4 slices thick cut bacon

For the Coleslaw

• 3/4 cup finely shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
• 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Sliders

• 8 Hawaiian sweet rolls
• 8 slices grilled pineapple
• 1 cup cabbage/carrot coleslaw see recipe above
• 3 Tablespoons Spicy mayo equal parts mayonnaise and sriracha

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• Preheat smoker grill to 250° F or oven to 350° F. Combine ground pork, liquid smoke and sea salt. Form into 8 meatballs, about 2-inch in diameter. Line a cast iron skillet with bacon slices. Place meatballs on top of bacon and smoke for 1 hour at 250°-300° F or bake in oven at 350° F for 20 minutes or until internal temperature of meatballs reaches 165° F.

For the Coleslaw

• Combine coleslaw ingredients in a small bowl.

For the Sliders

• Grill the pineapple slices and sweet rolls. Layer each toasted roll with a pineapple slice, 1/2 slice of bacon, a meatball, a small spoonful coleslaw, spicy mayo and top of roll. Secure each with toothpicks.

The post Kalua Pork Meatball Sliders appeared first on Lemony Thyme.