Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts

 This has been a crowd pleaser for a long time, and I have been meaning to write it up for years so you can enjoy them too.  No one that has tried them has not liked them. Even people that thought they didn’t like artichokes like them. They get requested a lot. Of course who doesn’t like something wrapped in bacon.

I keep cans of artichokes in the pantry just in case.

The first thing you will want to do is drain the hearts. This can was medium sized hearts. The large hearts work better. 

Cut a piece of bacon in half. Thin bacon works best. Thick or center cut bacon takes too long to cook.

Wrap the heart in bacon and secure with a toothpick. I have the longer thicker picks and they work best.

I put them in a dish. Any kind will do that they can stand up. Pie plates work well too.

Now pour some zesty Italian dressing on the hearts. I like to get a squirt in the center that is why I like to stand them up. Now put them in the fridge until ready to put on the grill. I usually do this a couple of hours before.

Now the grilling part is not my job. Heat the grill like you were grilling steaks or something like that. We use these grill mats. You can order them from Amazon. It keeps the fire from being right in things. If you have a veggie basket you could put the artichokes in that. Added a little more dressing to the mat.

All on the grill. Cook until the bacon is done. Turning them to get all sides.

There’s never any leftovers. They are so good.

Beef Enchilada Casserole

 Do you ever get in a rut in your cooking? I’ve been in one lately. It’s not entirely bad because I just made the old reliables. But I didn’t try anything new. I was going to continue that trend by making just plain tacos when this recipe landed in my inbox. It has the flavors of tacos but it is an easy no hassle alternative. Leftovers are great too.

You can dress it up like you would taco salad too with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and sauce.

I keep most of this in my pantry because they can be used in lots of different recipes.

Start by chopping an onion. Whatever size you want. I love the sweet onions. And you can now get them pretty much year round.

Sauté the onions in a little olive oil until they are soft.

Add one pound of ground beef. Brown and then drain the grease off.

While the beef is cooking drain one can black beans and rinse them. Set them aside.

Drain one can while kernel corn too.

After the beef is browned add the drained beans…

The drained corn.

Add 4 oz can diced green chilies .

10 oz can red enchilada sauce.

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder.

Mix it all well and cook on low for 5-7 minutes to get everything warm.

While it is cooking, layer a 9x13 baking dish with corn tortillas.

And grate about 2 cups cheese.

Now add half of the meat mixture on top of the tortillas.

Add half of the cheese on top

Add another layer of corn tortillas.

Add the rest of the meat mixture.

Add the rest of the cheese. Cover with foil and plate in a preheated 375 oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

It ready to dig in.

Top with your favorite toppings; lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa.

Beef Enchilada Casserole Recipe 

1 lb ground beef

1 chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

10 oz red enchilada sauce

4 oz diced green chilies

15 oz black beans drained and rinsed

15 oz while kernel corn

2 tsp chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper 

10ish corn tortillas

2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese

Bake at 375 covered for 20 minutes, uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Traveling with the Grobmyers May 20, 2024

 Today’s trip did not take me far just across town. I have been wanting to head out the the Huntsville Botanical Garden all month to check out the new Butterflies.  They have a new exhibit that started in May and I think it will last through the summer so you need to go out there and see these glass butterflies. There’s plenty of things blooming right now too.

I don’t know much about the artist, but these are really pretty sculptures, even the insects. I wouldn’t mind one of these butterflies in my garden.

The honeycomb was really pretty with lots of bee friendly flowers surrounding it.

The hydrangeas are showing out. Lots of daylilies beginning to open up with lots more still to go.

I don’t know if you are having the cicadas at your house but they have been so loud at my house. Or at least I thought they were loud. They were so loud at the gardens today. Flying all over the place. So they should have made a glass cicada to go along with these beetles. 

The gardens are changing and growing. This area use to have picnic tables and a play area for kids. I’m curious to see what they have in store for this ares.

Make plans to go out to the gardens soon. I would suggest going in the mornings because it was warm this afternoon and I don’t think it will get cooler any time soon.