Jan D'Atri

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red pepper flakes

Bacon Jam

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Bacon. It’s my favorite five letter word! In fact, when I was doing a lot of catering, bacon was my secret weapon. If it was a breakfast catering, I would make three times the amount requested, and it was never enough. For a lunch or dinner catering, I would make beer candied bacon as an appetizer and just pile it on a giant platter. Again, every crumb gobbled up. Never enough. Don’t know what to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Just add bacon somewhere in the dish, and you can bet it’ll be a hit. Here’s another idea that’ll get your taste buds sizzling—Bacon Jam. Just seeing those two words together, I knew it was going to be delicious, and I was not disappointed. Bacon Jam can be used in so many ways! It’s fantastic on a charcuterie board with lots of different cheeses, crackers and crustini. Bacon Jam also makes a wonderful condiment for a turkey burger! I cooked up a large ground turkey pattie, (beef is just as tasty) loaded it up with sliced tomato, lettuce, avocado, blue cheese dressing and then I slathered the pattie with bacon jam. YUM! It turned a very ordinary turkey burger into a super burger! A few things have to go right to get the perfect bacon jam. Cook the pieces of bacon until they are crispy. When the bacon foams up (that’s the bacon fat talking) that is a good indication that the bacon is just about done! Also, make sure to use sweet yellow onions, which add the natural sweetness to the salty bacon! Perfect combination! So, if bacon is your jam, Bacon Jam may be just the recipe to spread around!

Watch my How To Video for Bacon Jam here!

Eggplant Parmesan

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From my Momma’s kitchen to yours this Mother’s Day, here’s a favorite D’Atri family recipe. Momma’s Eggplant Parmesan Casserole is the ultimate comfort food, and as all moms know, casseroles are a secret weapon in the kitchen! They can be made ahead and frozen until ready for use. They feed a hungry crowd and they always seem to taste better the next day. My Momma figured out years ago how to get the eggplant softened and yet still have the pan-grilled flavor. Her homemade marinara sauce only takes twenty minutes to make from start to finish. The combination of the two is a match made in heaven! I think these days we are having a lot of family meals together and this is a great dish that can be enjoyed piping hot right out of the oven! Surprise Mom this year with a casserole of comfort!

Watch my How to Video Here!

Turkey Meatloaf

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It’s one of those family style favorites! Meatloaf never seems to go out of style. There are thousands of recipes for meatloaf using beef. But I’ve been looking for a turkey version of a classic meatloaf for a very long time and finally found one that will be my go-to from now on! Because turkey can be a bit dry, I was thrilled that this version is so juicy! That’s because of a few secret tips and techniques that make this meatloaf moist, flavorful and a perfect meal to make ahead, freeze and have for later! One of the secrets is, believe it or not, a couple of tablespoons of water! It’s how I make my meatballs, so I know it really helps keep the meatloaf juicy. The other technique is to make a paste-like mixture of milk, oats and breadcrumbs that gets added to the mixture. Finally, I decided to spice up the top with a combination of organic ketchup (for sweetness) and an Asian sweet and spicy sauce (for heat) called Gochujang, readily found in most grocery stores and Asian markets. If you love meatloaf and think that is has to be beef to be delicious, this recipe is going to change your thinking after one single scrumptious bite!

Watch my How To Video for Turkey Meatloaf here!