Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

This pie is one of my all time favorites. I used to request this instead of birthday cake as a child. My girlfriends and I devoured this at Supper Club last week.  We may, or may not, have eaten two slices each.  The original recipe for this is posted in my family's cookbook. It honestly can't get much better than this. And the recipe makes 2 pies!!

You will need:

One bag of semisweet chocolate chips

One bag of chopped pecans

3 tbsp of your favorite bourbon

1 stick of butter

1 cup of light corn syrup

1 cup of sugar

4 eggs

Two aluminum 9 inch pie pans

One package of pie crust (in the refrigerator section, contains two crusts)

Stir together the first seven ingredients in a large bowl, stirring after each addition.  Line the pie pan with the crust and pour in the mixture evenly so both pies get the same amount. Bake on 400 for 45 minutes or until pie is set. Top with your favorite whipped cream!

 **Ladies, you might find that this a wonderful thing to make once a month....

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

My girlfriends and I started a Supper Club. We meet once a month in the middle of the week. Each meeting is a different theme. We've done Chinese and Mexican. For November, it seemed fitting to make Thanksgiving dinner! Our wonderful host Tiffany made a delicious chicken in the crockpot. Leslie brought stuffing, Rebecca brought the macaroni, Britney brought the gravy, cranberry sauce, more stuffing and rolls, and I brought Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie and Bacon Wrapped Asparagus.  A friend of mine posted a picture of her asparagus on Instagram, and I was instantly inspired to try it myself.  I also whipped up a Chili-Garlic-Mayo dipping sauce for the asparagus. Not only was it a huge hit, it looks really pretty!! This recipe made about 8 bundles.

You will need:

One pack of regular bacon

Two bundles of asparagus

Olive Oil

Garlic Salt

Pepper

Wash the asparagus and trim the ends off. Line the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil over it. Then sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper, and whatever other seasoning you prefer! Wrap about 7 asparagus tightly in a piece of bacon. Place on a broiler pan and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the bacon is crispy.  

**I did not have a broiler pan so I placed my drying rack on the rimmed baking sheet. It needs to be elevated because of the bacon fat. 

Here is my plate. Of course it's loaded up in Carbs, but you can see the CHILI-GARLIC-MAYO DIPPING SAUCE

You will need:

1 cup mayo

1/3 cup chili garlic sauce 

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tbsp water

1 tsp ground pepper

4 tsp Worcestershire

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 medium onion, chopped (I used dried minced)

1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

**This is super yummy and very similar to some restaurant's "secret sauce"

Slow Cooker Italian Noodle Soup

Fall means soup weather, so I decided to join in on the fun.  There is nothing better than cooking in a slow cooker. Not only is it super easy, but the flavor after cooking something for five hours is incredible.  I'm told this recipe is similar to Pasta E Fagioli Soup at the Olive Garden.

You will need:

2 pounds of ground beef or turkey

One 28oz can of diced tomatoes, do not drain

One 16oz can of red kidney beans, drained

One 16 ox can of white kidney beans, drained

4 cups of beef stock

3 carrots, shredded

1 cup of chopped celery

1 onion, chopped

One jar of traditional spaghetti sauce. 

A few shakes of ground parsley

A few shakes of ground pepper

Even more shakes of ground oregano

A few squirts of tabasco or other hot sauce

8 oz of short pasta, like ditali 

Brown the beef and then combine all ingredients expect pasta in the slow cooker. Cook on High for 4-5 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours.  Once it's almost ready, cook pasta according to directions, drain, and add to the soup. Stir everything together and you're finished!

** This reminded us of chili.  Add some of your favorite shredded cheese on top, if you dare!