'Bang-bang' Cauliflower

'Bang-Bang' Cauliflower
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup egg whites
1 head cauliflower
salt & pepper
1 tbsp. garlic powder
green onion
1/4 cup coconut oil

Sauce
1/4 cup lite mayo
1/4 cup Sweet Chili Sauce (or Siracha, depends on how hot you can handle it!) - I used the chili sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
**I also added 10-15 drops of Tabasco sauce, and about 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes**

1. Slice your cauliflower florets.
2. Mix salt, pepper, and garlic powder into your Panko cread crumbs in a shallow dish.
3. Set separate bowls aside with egg whites and cornstarch. Dip your florets one by one into the cornstarch, and shake off excess. Then dip into egg whites, and then coat with the Panko mixture.
4. After coating all of your florets, warm up your coconut oil in a large frying pan and place all florets in hot oil. Turn with tongs making sure all sides are browned. Set on top of paper towels to remove excess oil. Top with more salt.
5. In a small bowl mix all of your sauce ingredients. Coat your breaded and pan fried florets with sauce, top with sprinkles of green onion and serve right away.

This recipe took a while to make. It definitely wasn't difficult, but dipping each floret individually into the cornstarch, then egg, then panko took what felt like FOREVER. It was totally worth it though!

Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn

2 cups brown sugar
2 sticks of butter
1/2 cup karo syrup (dark or light)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. chipotle powder
1 pound of smokey bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 Tab. bacon grease (optional)
5-6 quarts popped popcorn  (24 cups of popped popcorn)
1 cup salted peanuts (optional)

Cook bacon, crumble pieces, SAVE 3 TAB of grease.  Sprinkle bacon pieces and peanuts over popped popcorn.  Mix together, and put aside.
Stir together brown sugar, butter, karo, and bacon grease.  Bring to a boil and boil for 3 mins.  Remove from heat and add baking soda, salt, vanilla and chipotle powder.  Pour over popcorn mixture.  Stir to coat.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 mins.  ( I baked mine for 45 mins)

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
6-10 dashes Tobasco (more or less depending on how much kick you like!)
1/2 to 1 tsp. soy sauce (to taste)
16 ounces sliced bacon
2 (8 ounce) cans whole water chestnuts, drained

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut bacon slices into thirds. Wrap chestnuts in bacon and secure with toothpicks; place in a 9x13 pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes then pull pan out of the oven and remove as much bacon fat as possible.
4. While chestnuts are baking for the first 20 minutes - in a saucepan, combine ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tobasco, and soy sauce; heat just to boiling. Pour sauce over bacon and water chestnuts (after they have baked for 20 minutes)
5. Return sauced up chestnuts to the oven for another 30 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked.

One Word...
YUMMO! (I will certainly be making these babies again...probably for Thanksgiving!)

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls

CHEDDAR BACON RANCH PULLS (such an easy and terribly addictive appetizer!)

1 unsliced loaf of sourdough bread (round is preferable)
8 to 12 oz. cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
3 oz. bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits (I used bacon that I cooked instead of the packaged kind)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp ranch dressing mix

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.