Among Friends Thursday - Vanessa's Cheeseburger Bacon Roll

It is meat lover's night at the Marshall house. Tonight we tried a recipe from Jennifer's section--a recipe belonging to Vanessa Romero of Healthy Living How To.  Cheeseburger Bacon Roll. A cross between a meatloaf and a bacon burger. I had never tried a bacon weave before, but it really wasn't hard at all. And the effect--well, I am betting it attracts more male adoration than the most beautifully dressed cupcake! My hubby is working late tonight, so he hasn't tried it yet. The boy told me three times how much he liked it. Thanks,Vanessa for making me a mom/wife hero.

My men are not the only ones affected by the delicious smells of bacon. My pitty boy Tinker cried and cried for a bite. When he really begs, he forms the word "mama" over and over. Poor guy.  From the time I took the roll to the table to photograph and slice, he begged. Sorry, guy, it is too good to share. Kibbles for you. Yes, that is him in the photo below. He climbed up on our bench at the kitchen table and watched every move I  made.

I did a couple of things differently. Vanessa uses sausage seasoning, but she says to use any spice blend of your choice. I used a meat rub made especially for my favorite team, my Oklahoma Sooners. That was tasty and gave the meat a steak seasoning kind of flavor.  I  also used sliced PepperJack cheese. Vanessa's photos show sliced cheese, but she says that shredded might work better. Next time if I use sliced cheese, I will be sure to let it warm up a little, since it was a bit difficult to roll up while it was cold. Not too hard, though. Once I cut into my roll after baking, it seemed that much of the cheese had leaked out, so I may not have sealed the meat well enough. It was still really delicious, though, and great fun. I think this would be a great show stopper for entertaining.

If you have our cookbook, the recipe is on page 42. Vanessa has an amazing site too, so be sure to visit her. Our book features so many talented cooks, all with their own style, it has something--lots of things, for everyone.



Tonight, I served ours with some steamed cauliflower with cheese sauce, and a recipe I am working on for the March Diner News. Broccoli Bites made in my cakepop machine. The theme for the month is Green. These fit the bill and they are fun to eat. They will definitely make it into the News!