Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

This is spinach salad at its very best! With crunchy bacon and fabulous homemade salad dressing, this salad gets devoured every time I make it!

This is a perfect holiday (and every other day of the year) salad. I don’t even know where to begin with this spinach salad. When you read what the ingredients are you might think…”what’s so special about this?”, but the combination of the salty bacon with the creamy cottage cheese and flavorful swiss cheese just rocks the taste buds in all the right ways.

Every time I make this recipe I make a whole boat load, and every single time I have brought it to an event the whole boat load is gone. One of the best things about this salad is that it is perfect for holiday dinners and get-togethers simply because it doesn’t require any produce that could be out of season and the ingredients list is short and simple. You can eat this beauty ALL YEAR LONG! It’s seriously so good!

Make it, eat it, enjoy it…and you can thank me later. In fact, add it to your Thanksgiving menu right now because I am for sure!

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Loaded Baked Potatoes with Homemade Cheese Sauce

The baked potatoes get sliced in half, baked in the oven and then loaded with bacon, broccoli and homemade cheese sauce. A super, easy family favorite dish on your table in 30 minutes.

Loaded baked potatoes are a very popular in our house. I mean, who doesn’t love bacon, broccoli, and cheese stuffed in a baked potato? It’s a  glorious combination we just can’t get enough of. It’s also an easy dinner option to feed the family or to feed a crowd. I’d like to know if there’s one person out there who hasn’t had a baked potato bar at a family reunion, girls’ camp, scout camp, church function, etc. You get the point! Cheesy baked potatoes just make people happy!

What Do I Need to Make Baked Potatoes?

One of the best things about baked potatoes is that they only take 4 ingredients to make, and they are failproof! Here is what you will need for the potatoes:

• Russet Potatoes – wash them well, and slice them half
• Olive Oil – rub it all over the potatoes, this helps them get so nice and crispy
• Salt and Pepper – adds flavor

Ingredients for Homemade Cheese Sauce

You won’t believe how simple it is to make cheese sauce at home. The ingredients for the base sauce are most likely items you already have at home and the things you add to it are totally up to you…though broccoli and bacon are a dream team with this cheese sauce! Here is what you will need:

• Whole Milk – it has to be whole milk, don’t use any other type of milk
• Butter – unsalted, adds flavor and richness
• Flour – just simple all-purpose works great
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese – sharp cheddar adds that bold cheesy flavor that shines in this sauce
• Hot Sauce – adds a just a hint of heat and flavor you don’t want to miss
• Cayenne Pepper – feel free to add more if you want the cheese to be more spicy
• Broccoli – steamed and chopped into very small pieces
• Bacon – cooked until crispy and chopped into small bits
• Salt and Pepper – add flavor

The measurements for each ingredient and instructions for making this recipe can all be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

What Potatoes Are Best For Baking?

Starchy potatoes such as Russet and sweet potatoes are best for baking or roasting. They work the best for the dry heat of an oven and end up with a fluffy c

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Corn Dip [+ Video]

This Bacon Ranch Corn Dip is out of this world addicting! Just wait until you bring it to the next BBQ or party and everyone’s begging for the recipe!

It is cheesy, creamy and crunchy all at the same time and it has bacon. Need I say more?! This dip only takes 15 minutes to prep and is perfect for feeding a hungry crowd!

How This Recipe Came to Be

A long time ago, years in fact, I had a really delicious corn dip at a bbq and it became quite embarrassing how much of it I ate. I couldn’t stop. Every bite only made me want more and more and all I could think was, I HAVE to have the recipe. Well, not everyone is into sharing their recipes, in fact some flat out refuse. It was a sad moment. And I totally forgot about it until now, and I had to recreate it! So bacon corn ranch dip is totally happening and it’s full of cheesy deliciousness.

What Do I Need for Corn Dip?

So let’s break it down, this cold corn dip involves ranch, bacon, and corn. In other words, it’s three safe foods for picky eaters. Is it just me or have you all noticed that even kids and adults who refuse to eat anything seem to be okay with these three foods?

Bacon is obvious, corn is so sweet and good — and even better if you grill it, but that’s not necessary— and ranch. I don’t know why ranch is a picky eater pleaser, but it does work! Here is a complete list of everything you will need:

• Corn – ideally you want fresh corn on the cob, but if it’s not corn season, then frozen corn works great
• Ranch Dressing – we prefer to make it from scratch or use a ranch packet rather than buying a bottle of ranch dressing
• Sour Cream – you can double the ranch dressing if you don’t have sour cream and want extra ranch flavor
• Shredded Cheese – we used cheddar and pepperjack for this recipe and you can use any combination of cheese you want
• Bell Peppers – you will chop these up and sauté them to soften them a little and add great grilled flavor
• Diced Green Chiles – drain them well, they add such great flavor and a little heat
• Green Onions – these add a beautiful pop of color and fresh flavor
• Bacon – cook your bacon ahead of time until it’s crispy and let it cool, head to our how to cook bacon post for all our tips and cooking the perfect bacon

The measurements for all the ingredients are listed in the recipe card at t

How to Make the BEST BLT

I know you’re probably thinking that you don’t need a recipe for a BLT…the ingredients are in the name of the sandwich, right? I have a few tricks to take your average BLT and make it the BEST BLT ever!

Ok, so growing up my parents were garden people, and on top of the horror of having to weed the garden all the time as a kid, they also would eat raw tomatoes with a little salt like it was an apple. The horror!

And now here we are, once again the enemy called “time” has taught me that “yeah behold I know that I am nothing” (Alma 26:12) because sure enough, there’s nothing more incredible than a garden tomato. The grocery store might as well rename their tomatoes because they are not the same thing. My mom would practically salivate at the mention of a BLT and now I’m totally wiping my keyboard clean as I do the same.

Tips for the BEST BLT

We know there aren’t a ton of ingredients in a BLT sandwich so the ingredients need to be done right! Here are our tips for BLT success:

Bread

We prefer a good high quality sourdough bread sliced fairly thin — about 1/2 inch thick. If you aren’t a sour dough fan, then do a good sturdy white bread or french bread.

PRO TIP: Give up the toaster and grill each slice of bread in butter (not bacon fat!) on a cast iron skillet only on one side. This way, the inside remains tender. Don’t over toast the bread! You are looking for a nice light golden brown.

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