Jalapeno Popper Garlic Pickle Rolls

 

Pickles were apparently the flavor trend of 2025. Pickle flavored everything was everywhere. 

Not a huge pickle fan myself but Sue loooooves them. 

I created this recipe for the holidays as a quick and easy appetizer that wouldn't cost me a million dollars. If you like jalapeno poppers then you will probably enjoy this pickle-y twist. 

From start to finish, I think it took me 15 - 20 minutes to make. They were a big hit. Even the non-pickle fans enjoyed them.

If you don't want to do roll ups, you could easily cut pickles in half and scoop out the middle, then pipe the cream cheese filling into them. Roll ups are definitely less time consuming, IMO. 

Jalapeno Popper Garlic Pickle Rolls

Ingredients

1 8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced

5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded, aged cheddar

salt and pepper

1 jar of sandwich sliced pickles (Like these HERE)

Directions

Drain the pickles juice from the jar of pickles and lay the slices onto paper towel to dry most of the liquid off. Lay another layer of paper towel on top. 

While they are drying - beat together the cream cheese, garlic, jalapeno, bacon, cheese, and salt & pepper to taste until well mixed. 

Spread about half a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture onto each pickle slice.

Roll up and press lightly to get to stick.

*Boom* Done. 

You can cover and refrigerate until ready to serve or serve immediately. 

This is a pretty easy recipe to change up to suit your preferences. Like more garlic? Use more garlic. Like more heat? Use more jalapeno, you could even add a sprinkle of hot sauce in there. 

Don't feel like rolling up the pickles because it's too messy? Spread the cream cheese in a dish and top with finely chopped pickles and make it into a dip for baguettes or crackers. You could even heat it up if you wanted to. 

Jalapeno Popper Garlic Pickle Rolls are great for Christmas, New Years, game night, girl's night.... anytime you need an appie that won't break the bank or take forever. 

Need a cute, reusable serving tray for your appies? These ones are cute and affordable - Link HERE.

Big Batch Bacon and Kielbasa Mac And Cheese With Mediterranean Cabbage Salad

I am never making another macaroni and cheese recipe again. This is the one!

It has the most amazing flavor. You know how most mac & cheese is just "meh"... like, not terrible but not *jazz hands*. This is super *jazz hands* with a little *razzle dazzle* thrown in for good measure. 

It is a big batch - like it makes about 20+ cups of mac and cheese. I developed it for a meal program I was running. For a smaller, family sized amount I would maybe just make 1/4 of it. The size here is perfect for a potluck or if you want to make up some meals to share with extended family/friends. 

The Mediterranean Cabbage Salad is the perfect accompaniment. It is light and refreshing and helps add a few veggies to an otherwise carb-heavy meal! 

First up the salad:

Mediterranean Cabbage Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette 

Ingredients

4 cups cabbage, shredded (or thinly slices)

4 large tomatoes, sliced and seeded

2 English cucumbers, sliced

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 tsp dried dill

1/2 red onion, sliced

garlic vinaigrette (I use Simply Natural Organic Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette)

Directions

Place all ingredients, except vinaigrette, in a large bowl.

Drizzle on a little of the vinaigrette and toss gently. 

Cover and chill until ready to serve. 

When ready to serve: serve with more vinaigrette and add as needed.

On to the main course!

Big Batch Bacon and Kielbasa Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

2 lbs macaroni, cooked

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 pkgs kielbasa sausage

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

3/4 cup butter

2 onions, diced

3/4 cup flour

8 cups milk, warmed

1 16 oz brick aged cheddar

1 16 oz brick Monterey Jack cheese

2 cups parmesan, shredded (divided)

4 oz cream cheese

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dry mustard powder

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

Directions

Before starting: boil your macaroni and set it aside and cook your bacon and set aside as well. 

Prepare the kielbasa sausage: place sliced sausage onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with a little BBQ sauce. Place under broiler until it starts to brown. Flip the pieces over and broil another 3 - 4 minutes - until browned. Set aside.

Prepare mac and cheese - In a LARGE pot (I use a canning pot), melt the butter and add in the onions. Let cook for a minute. Add in the flour and cook another minute, until thickened. 

Very gradually add in the milk, stirring in between additions until smooth. Cook about 5 minutes until thickened. Reduce the heat and add in all the cheeses (reserve 1 cup of Parmesan for sprinkling on top). Stir until melted.

Add in the spices and stir well.

Lastly, stir in the cooked sausage, bacon, and macaroni.

Let heat through and then serve. 

Don't forget to sprinkle generously with the reserved parmesan cheese.

Don't you want to just crawl right in there? 

Best mac and cheese EVER! 

I got 10 very large servings out of this (2 + cups of macaroni and 1+ cup of salad). If you were bringing this as a side dish to a potluck you would get 20 - 1 cup servings quite easily. 

You can half or quarter this recipe with no problem for smaller amounts. 

The macaroni is so flavorful. 4 cheeses and the smoky sausage and bacon make for the best macaroni EVER!

Savory Gingerbread Man Cheese Ball

 

Anyone else about done with this year? I mean... I know it's only just barely coming into fall but I figure if we start with the Christmas/Thanksgiving/Halloween posts maybe we can just rush through the rest of this year and start new in January....

It might help. You never know.

Anyway, this adorable little guy is super easy and super delicious and you definitely want to Pin him or save him however you do. 

Bacon makes everything better... especially cheese balls. #youknowimright

Savory Gingerbread Man Cheese Ball

Ingredients

2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temp

2 cans crab meat (about 1/2 cup shredded)

1/4 cup finely diced onion

generous dash of Worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper

Toppings

bacon bits

sour cream

red pepper

Directions

Place all ingredients in a bowl, except for the toppings. Beat until well mixed and creamy. 

Chill mixture for about half an hour to let it firm up a little. 

Shape into gingerbread man shape on a serving platter. Wet your finger in a bit of cold water and smooth the surface and edges. 

Press the bacon bits all over the cheese ball. 

Clean off any extra bacon bits and chill the cheese ball for about an hour to let set. Put a small amount of sour cream, about 2 Tbsp, into a small plastic baggie and snip off a tiny, tiny bit of the corner. Pipe squiggles on the arms and legs, a face, and three dots on his tummy. 

Press 3 small round bits of red pepper on his tummy where the sour cream dots are. The sour cream will help them stay in place. 

FYI - if you don't want to use crab you can sub in canned ham instead. 

Chill until ready to use. 

Serve with crackers, baguettes, veggies, or pretzels. 

Couple of notes - You can make this up a day ahead of time; just keep covered in the fridge until you need it.

If you find it too hard to shape because it is "gloopy", just chill it longer before shaping. 

This makes a LARGE cheese ball but can easily be halved for smaller gatherings! 

Leftovers store well for several days in the fridge.... if you have leftovers...

Bourbon Bacon Marshmallow Macadamia Nut Brownies

If you ever want to be pushed into coming up with recipes you normally wouldn't think of then I recommend hosting a Chopped-type contest. You give your participants 2 mystery ingredients that they have to use to create a recipe. I have been hosting a Chopped: Quarantine Edition contest for just over a month now and it has been so much fun. It definitely has been helping me think outside the box when developing recipes.

I came up with this recipe when I chose bacon and brown sugar as the 2 mystery ingredients. I went a little crazy and threw in some bourbon and marshmallows and macadamia nuts because... why not? Some people say less is more, but when we are talking brownies: more is more. 

Bourbon Bacon Marshmallow Macadamia Nut Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp instant coffee

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs + 1 yolk

3 Tbsp bourbon + 4 Tbsp of bourbon

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 cup bacon bits (divided)

1 jar marshmallow creme

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10 inch pan with parchment paper, set aside.

Stir together flour, instant coffee, and salt. Set aside. 

In the top of a double boiler, cook and stir butter, cocoa powder, and sugars for 8 minutes. 

Add in eggs and yolk, bourbon, and vanilla. Stir to combine well. Remove from heat and stir in flour mixture, macadamia nuts, and half of the bacon bits. 

Pour into prepared pan.

Drop the marshmallow creme by the spoonful on top. Swirl in with a butter knife. Top with the other half of the bacon bits. 

Bake at 350 for approx 30 - 40 minutes. Do not over bake or brownie will be dry.

Remove from heat and, using a pastry or basting brush, brush the 4 Tbsp of bourbon over the top of the brownie. 

Let cool completely. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and use parchment paper to help remove the brownie from the pan. Cut into 16 pieces. 

Can I just say.... these are perfect with a little bourbon on the side too. 

Father's Day is coming and I'm pretty sure a lot of dad's out there that would enjoy this!

A glass of milk would work too. Just sayin'

The bacon adds a salty crunch and the macadamia nuts have a wonderful crunchy yet not too crunchy texture. The marshmallow gets nice and toasty on top which is a whole other layer of flavor and texture. 

So. Much. Going. On. 

Rich and gooey and chocolaty. Everything a brownie should be. 

Keto Bacon Clam Chowder

I'm always surprised at how many carbs can sneak into soup. All those potatoes and root veggies and things can quickly add up. I decided to try my hand at a low carb, keto friendly clam chowder using cauliflower instead of potatoes to thicken in up. 

Not that this is a new idea... cauliflower instead of potatoes in recipes has been around forever. My version includes bacon and clams to up the protein and fat factor for keto. Also... the deliciousness factor. 

From start to finish in under half an hour. Perfect for those busy weekdays or those lazy weekends! 

Keto Bacon Clam Chowder

Ingredients

5 slices bacon, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp dried parsley

1 cup milk

1 cup whipping cream

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

4 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 340 gr bag cooked clams, chopped

3 cups cauliflower florets, diced

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, fry bacon until crispy and then remove from pot. Drain all but 2 Tbsp of the bacon grease from the pot. Add garlic and onions, and thyme and parsley to the pot and cook 2 - 3 minutes to soften. 

Add in the milk, cream, chicken broth, and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese is melted. 

Add in the clams and diced cauliflower and cook about 15 minutes or so, until cauliflower is soft and cooked through. Serve hot. 

Sprinkle generously with bacon and a pinch more dried parsley for garnish.

This recipe makes 6 servings. The nutritional counts are: 308 calories, 21.7 fat, 7 total carbs, 1.7 fiber, 22.6 protein. That's 5.3 net carbs per serving. 

You can, of course, eat as much or as little as you like, just be sure to change the nutritional counts accordingly. :) 

I served mine with a little Mestamecher protein bread which only added another 4 net carbs to the meal. Not too shabby for a hearty, delicious meal, I'd say. 

I love how easy this is to whip up. If you don't have clams you could leave them out or sub them with chicken. The base of this soup is a simple cream base that would lend itself well to several other options, keto or not! 

Hearty Brunch Bowls

We decided to call these hearty brunch bowls but they work equally as well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Potatoes, bacon, and eggs are pretty much the trifecta of deliciousness. 

The Little Potato Company ran a recipe contest where they were looking for 30 minute meals using their little potatoes. I entered this recipe (didn't win but it's still fabulous). This recipe only takes about 15 - 20 minutes from start to finish. I'm all about quick, easy, inexpensive, and delicious meals. 

This recipe is for 1 serving but can easily be sized up for more people. 

Hearty Brunch Bowls

Ingredients

Sauce

1 Tbsp BBQ sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp mayo

Bowl

Little Potato Company potatoes (I used Terrific Trio)

(note - if you can't find Little Potato Company potatoes just use new potatoes)

2 pieces of bacon

1/4 cup green onions

1/4 cup smoked cheddar

1 egg

salt & pepper

Directions

Prepare sauce - whisk together BBQ sauce, honey, mustard, lemon juice, and mayo. Set aside. This can be made up to a few days ahead of time, if desired. 

Quarter enough potatoes to fill a serving bowl (you can also use a plate but a bowl is more fun, just sayin'). Place in a microwave safe container and microwave the potatoes for 5 minutes. 

While the potatoes are in the microwave, chop 2 pieces of bacon and cook in frying pan until crispy. Chop the green onions and shred the cheese. 

When potatoes come out of the microwave, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Top with the cooked bacon, green onions, and cheese. 

Broil in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. 

While the potatoes are broiling, in the pan you cooked the bacon in, fry up an egg. I like to leave it sunny side up so the yolk can break and add a bit more sauciness. 

Assemble your bowl - Place your cheesy potatoes in a serving bowl. Drizzle as much sauce as you would like over the potatoes. 

Top with the fried egg. Add salt & pepper to taste. 

Dig in!

So fast and easy and tasty! 

I like to make up a good sized batch of the sauce as it goes really well with so many other things! (Burgers, chicken, fries, etc...) 

I might not have won the recipe contest but I did find a great go-to meal for when I am super busy and just don't have time to do any prep. Little Potato Company potatoes work great for quick meals like this one, but if you can't find them near you I would suggest using new potatoes or fingerling potatoes - they should work just as well!