Bacon, Cremini & Camembert Potatoes with Lamb Loin Chops

I saw this Bacon, Cremini & Brie Potatoes recipe here and decided to use it for dinner today, since we already had most of the ingredients and it looked so yummy and easy to make.  Yes, dinner! :)  We usually have late breakfast and then early dinner on Sundays.

Ingredients for Bacon, Cremini & Camembert Potatoes:

• 2 medium baking potatoes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 bacon strips (center-cut), chopped
• 1/4 lb sliced baby portobello (cremini) mushrooms
• 2 oz Camembert, sliced and divided in half
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup assorted mini bell peppers, cut into strips
• salt/pepper/other spices to taste

Ingredients for Lamb Loin Chops:

• 2 lamb loin chops
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• salt/pepper/other spices (I used rosemary)
• a splash of olive oil
• a splash of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Marinate lamb loin chops overnight.
2. Scrub and pierce potatoes.  Rub potato skins with oil and sprinkle with salt/pepper/other spices.
3. Bake potatoes at 400 F until tender (about an hour).
4. While potatoes are baking, grill or pan fry lamb loin chops.  Cover to keep warm.
5. Marinate mushrooms and peppers in the meat marinade, just for a few minutes.
6. Cook chopped bacon over medium heat until crispy.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
7. Saute mushrooms and peppers, separately.  Cover both to keep warm.
8. Cut an X in tops of potatoes.  Insert cheese slices.  Top with mushrooms and bacon.  
9. Add lamb loin chop and some peppers to each plate.  Place in the oven for just a couple of minutes, to make sure all ingredients are warm and cheese is melted.  Be careful -- plates will be very hot!  Place hot plates on another set of plates or use heatproof mats.
10. Note:  As I was finishing this meal today, I mentally kicked myself for not using these handy fajita skillets.  They come with stands and handle covers!  I should have just arranged everything on these skillets, warmed up the meal in the oven, and brought them directly to the table.  Oh, well -- next time!
11. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
12. Enjoy! 

I shared on:
http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/melt-in-your-mouth-monday-blog-hop-48
http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/2012/01/foodie-friday-snowy-january-afternoon.html

Gluten-Free Bread, Bacon Potatoes, and One Very Rude Person

Our distant relatives, an older couple, are staying with us for about a week. Thank goodness S. had to deal with them all week and I did not get here until Thursday night... And they went somewhere else Thursday-Saturday and did not get here until last night. So last night my first encounter. First, I was subjected to non-stop drilling about what seems like every square inch of my life. I don't like being grilled and, proud to report, evaded most of the questions by providing vague answers and changing the topic. It's not like I am secretive or anything but, come on, I never met them before and so why would I divulge personal information? Then I asked about the time I should serve breakfast. The woman made a sour face, rolled her eyes, and declared that she is watching her figure (overweight, lumpy -- watching figure? really?) and does not eat breakfast. As my brain started processing this information (Yay! Since we normally just grab yogurt or fruit, I won't have to change my routine), she asked, in the same breath, what was for breakfast? Um, mixed messages here??? Remembering that she is on a gluten-free diet, I suggested potatoes and eggs. Then she wanted to know exactly what kind of potatoes... Grrrr!

Gluten-Free Bread (sorry for the blurry photo)

This morning, I woke up early and made gluten-free bread. Since I don't normally make gluten-free bread and did not want to buy rice flour, etc., I just bought this bread mix. It requires eggs and milk. I just added all ingredients (as well as some rosemary) to my bread maker and set on Dough. When it was done, I let it rise for an hour, then baked at 400 F for 40 minutes.  Considering that it's gluten-free, this bread was surprisingly good.

While the bread was baking, the woman wandered into the kitchen, asking what I am doing.  I told her that gluten-free bread was baking while I was working on other stuff.  She wanted to know how I made the bread so I showed her the box, telling her that, while I make regular bread from scratch (she saw me make it last night), I did not have all the special ingredients and so used the mix instead.  She asked if she could keep the box.  OK, sure...

When breakfast was almost ready, she wandered into the kitchen again, picked up the bread mix box she left on the counter earlier, and said she won't keep it after all because "she is honest."  Have no idea what she meant by that and did not want to ask...

So we sat down to eat and she, who supposedly does not eat breakfast, grabbed a slice of bread before we even had a chance to say grace.  She ate a bite, declared the bread to be too bland, and proceeded to load it with butter and jelly.  See the photo above?  She ate almost 1/3 of the loaf, slice by slice, while muttering that she can't be too picky!!!  I was speechless...  Especially after tasting the bread and finding out that it was tasty and fragrant.  Yes, not like the regular bread, but come on -- it's gluten-free!

Bacon Potatoes

Ingredients:

5-6 slices center-cut low fat bacon (I always drain fat)
5-6 medium potatoes
1/2 tbsp olive oil (if you don't drain bacon fat, don't add oil)
salt/pepper/other spices to taste

I also made potatoes with center-cut bacon, since it has much less fat than regular bacon.  I snipped bacon into pieces (kitchen shears work great), fried it until golden brown, and drained fat.  This way, most of the fat is gone and there are crispy pieces of meat.  Meanwhile, I peeled and sliced (1/10 inch thickness or so) several potatoes.  I added approximately 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and potatoes to the skillet with bacon pieces, then fried on medium (it's more like sauteing than frying because of lower heat).  Halfway through cooking, I added salt and pepper to taste (you can use flavored salt, like garlic salt).

Boiled eggs, beverages (coffee, tea, juice), and condiments (butter, jelly) completed the breakfast.

The guy was very polite and happily ate several servings of potatoes and a couple of slices of regular bread I made yesterday.  He must be a saint to put up with this woman...