Bar-B-Que Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Strawberry and Pineapple Salad

This is my little bit of bad, little bit of good, salad. Once you try it, you'll see what I mean. But hey, you can probably tell by looking at the picture. This salad is bad, but still good for you at the same time. It will appease both the angel and the devil on your shoulder, hehe!

I present for thine dining experience...

My Bar-B-Que Bacon Wrapped with Chicken Strawberry and Pineapple Salad!!!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken
2 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Strips
1/2 lb Hickory Smoked Pork Bacon
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
1 tbsp Blackening Seasoning

For this, you must prepare the chicken in this manner:
1. Take two boneless, skinless chicken tenders and roll them up on each other in a circle.
2. Wrap them in bacon.
3. Skewer them with toothpicks to keep them intact for cooking.
4. Season them with Tony Chachere's, a little cayenne for heat, and blackening seasoning.
5. Bake them in the oven on 450 degrees for 30-35 mins.
6. Pull out and top with a Chipotle Bar-B-Que Sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Chipotle Bar-B-Que Sauce
7oz Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

1. Blend all the ingredients together until well blended and completely smooth.

Pineapple Vinagrette
1/2 of a 15.25oz can of Pineapple Chunk, pour juice in blender
1/2 cup Fresh strawberries
1/4 cup EVOO
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
Juice of One Small Lemon
1 tbsp Grated Parmesan
1/4 cup Roasted Red Bell Pepper
1 tbsp Dried Parsley Flakes
1 tsp Kosher Salt, to taste
1 tsp Black Pepper, to taste

1. Blend all the ingredients except the strawberries together until smooth consistency.

The Assembly
1. Take a couple of handfuls of Spring Mix and spread them evenly over the plate.
2. Top with two Hickory smoked bacon wrapped chicken breast strips.
3. Slice the strawberries if you so choose, and top the salad with them and the other half of the canned pineapple.
4. Pour on a nice amount of the vinagrette.
5. Enjoy!

Chicken Fried Veal Steaks with Brie Mac-n-Cheese and Bacon Brussel Sprouts with Asparagus

Here's a great Sunday dinner for you all. Chicken Fried Veal Steaks topped with my Brown Gravy along side some Brie Mac-n-Cheese and Bacon Brussel Sprouts. The flavors of this are so robust and fulfilling, they take modern faves and kick them up a few notches!

Chicken Fried Veal Steaks:

Serves 4

2 lbs Cubed Veal Steaks
3 large Eggs
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Creole Seasoning (Tony Chachere's or Emeril's Essence), 1 tbsp in eggs, 1 tbsp in flour
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying

1. Put the oil on medium heat.
2. In a medium sized bowl, crack the three eggs and whisk with 1 tbsp of Creole Seasoning and 1 tsp of Italian Seasoning.
3. In another medium sized bowl, add the 2 cups of flour, 1 tbsp of Creole Seasoning and 1 tsp of Garlic Powder.
4. Dredge the Cubed Veal Steak in the flour, then dip into the egg wash, and redredge it in the flour. Repeat for all four (2 lbs) veal steaks.
5. Fry in Extra Virgin Olive Oil for four minutes on each side.
6. Allow excess oil to drain off veal steaks.

Gravy for the Chicken Fried Veal Steaks

1/4 cup diced Onions
3 tbsp All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Creole Seasoning
1 tsp Dried Parsley Flakes
1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/3 cup water
Freshly ground Sea Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste

1. Add the onions to the remaining oil in the skillet and allow them to cook down over medium heat.
2. Add in the minced garlic, parsley, Creole Seasoning, Freshly Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt to taste and whisk thoroughly with a fork.
3. Next add in the flour, continue whisking with the fork for a minute or until thoroughly mixed.
4. Add in the water and continue to whisk for another two minutes. (If gravy is too thick for your liking, add in more water, tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency is reached.)
5. Continue to whisk over medium heat for another two minutes.

Brie Mac-n-Cheese

Serves 6-8

1/2 lb Brie Cheese
7 oz La Moderna Elbow Macaroni (found on the Hispanic food aisle)
8 wedges Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese
3 tbsp Best Life Spread w/ Olive Oil
1/3 cup Milk
3 tbsp Butter
Freshly ground Sea Salt, to taste
Freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste

1. Cook pasta following instructions on the package.
2. Remove the rind from the Brie cheese.
3. Turn off the heat and drain the pasta and add the Brie, butter, milk, and Laughing Cow Swiss cheese to the pot.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix all the ingredients very well.
5. Plate and serve!

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

Serves 4

1 lb Brussel Sprouts
1 cup Asparagus, roughly chopped
1/4 finely diced Onion
1 tbsp minced Garlic
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Bacon Bits

1. In a medium sized pot, cut the ends off the brussel sprouts and toss in, adding the asparagus, minced garlic, bacon bits, onion, and EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the Newbies, I will use this term a lot, get used to it).
2. Cover and let cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
3. Serve and enjoy!