Infamous Cheesy Ranch Bread

Cut a loaf of french or italian bread in half, lengthwise, and lay the halves side by side (with the non-crust part facing up).

Mix together 1 stick melted margarine, 1 tsp powdered buttermilk ranch dressing mix, and 2 tbsp. mayonnaise. Spread on both halves of bread. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until melted, about 5-10 min.

Cut loaves into slices and serve.

T-dawg's Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

The recipe's actually from my mama, though.

Ingredients:
beef cubes ("for stewing")
3/4 c. flour
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 onions, chopped
2 cans or ~12oz. chopped mushrooms
1 can beef broth
1 c. sour cream

Combine 1/2 c. of the flour with the salt, pepper, and dry mustard in a large bowl. Toss with the meat chunks to coat them thoroughly. Place in crock pot. Stir in chopped onion and mushrooms. Add beef broth, stir well. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

A half hour before serving, combine sour cream and remaining 1/4 c. of flour. Stir into pot, combining gradually so cream doesn't curdle. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Caramelized Bacon

by Patricia Marx from the 1/13/08 new york times magazine:

Caramelized Bacon

1 lb bacon
1 lb box light brown sugar (about 2 1/4 cups)

1. go to a butcher and spend as much money as you have on very good bacon (yeah, whatever). cut it into medium-thick slices about 3/16 of an inch
2. preheat the oven to 400 degrees. line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. dump a box of brown sugar into a big bowl. add 1/4 cup water, so that the sugar becomes more than damp but less than soupy. you can add a dash of cayenne pepper here too, if you like.
3. dredge the bacon in the sugar, one slice at a time. if the sugar isn't sticking to the bacon, add some more water a teaspoon at a time until it sticks. place the bacon strips on the paper. then smear some extra sugar on top of the bacon.
4. place the bacon in the oven and just cook it how ever you like your bacon cooked. 8-13 minutes per side makes it a little more than chewy, but not quite crunchy (it probably takes less time if you use the pre-sliced bacon you get at regular stores instead of the most expensive bacon possible). cut into 1 1/2 inch triangles and serve at room temperature.