Behind the Bites

Feast Your Eyes


  • Italian Sausage and Shells

    Printable version A few months back I made a huge pot of chili using Italian flavors and seasonings rather than the usual Mexican flavors. The chili was good, but it tasted as though something was missing. This recipe is an improvement upon the original idea of Italian chili. The addition…

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  • Pulled Pork For 100

    Printable version My cousin Tammy is a cancer survivor and every year she organizes a Relay for Life to help raise money for cancer research. Last year she asked me to make the main course for a special meal for survivors at the relay. I must have done ok because…

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  • Pizza Grilled Cheese

    Printable version If you like pizza, you will like pizza grilled cheese. Seriously, I was as impressed with this as I am with a hot slice of pepperoni pizza from a pizza joint. The pizza grilled cheese was a little more portable and finger food friendly though. This will easily…

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  • Crock-Pot Chicken Stir Fry

    Printable version I realize that slow cooker stir fry is really an oxymoron. I guess I could call it slow cooker chicken and vegetables with stir fry flavors, but that’s just not fun. This pot of yummy goodness tastes like a plate full of stir fry from a fast-food Chinese…

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  • Smoky Pablano Black Bean Soup

    Printable version I was walking through Meijer the other night and a little package caught my eye. When I stopped to inspect, I found it was jowl bacon. It was cheaper than normal bacon and I had a soup on my mind – long story short – I bought it…

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  • Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

    Printable version Recently I discovered a number of recipes for Tomatillo Ranch Dressing from the Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, a chain restaurant located mostly in the Western United States. The dressing is on a list that includes Michael Jordan, The Empire Strikes Back, Led Zeppelin and cargo shorts. They are…

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  • Cheddar Chipotle Potato Cakes

    Printable version For my last post I created Nacho Potato Skins, which left me with 3 cups of cooked potato that I could either throw away or put to good use. Rather than throw it out, this is what I made – Chipotle cheddar potato cakes! They were fun to…

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  • Nacho Potato Skins

    Printable version I love potato skins. And, I love nachos. What happens when you combine the two? Nacho skins! This recipe took potato skins, which is usually a side or an appetizer, and turned it into an entrée. The addition of the seasoned ground beef gave this a hardiness that…

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