The Big E.. New Englands Great State Fair.. And a Show by Terry Fator

I have never been to a state fair... mainly because I always thought Massachusetts didn't have one... Boy was I wrong... Not only do we have a state fair, we are joined by Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine for a whopping six state fair called The Big E in Western Mass. We first heard about the fair last year and even though it lasts for 3 weeks, we of course never made it. So this year we said that's it we're going, and when my hubby found out Terry Fator winner of America's Got Talent a few years ago, was preforming he got us tickets for my birthday. 

The fair is absolutely huge!! With food vendors everywhere it is dizzying trying to decide what to eat, everywhere you look there is sausage and peppers, fried everything, and I mean everything, from pickles,    (we tried them yum!!) to Oreos'. We decided to bypass all the vendors and go straight to the Avenue of States, which houses you guessed it the six states, each with there own building. Inside these buildings were various things indigenous to that state. We headed straight for Maine to get a Lobster Roll, and boy were they yummy, but of course we needed more food so we headed to Connecticut which claims to be the place where Chocolate Covered Bacon was born. A must try for any bacon and chocolate lover, and it tasted as expected delicious!! Sorry we ate it so fast I couldn't get a picture...

But lets get down to business the two reasons some people come to The Big E... The Big E Cream Puff and The Big E Crazy Burger... 

Lets start with the Cream Puff a fluffy cloud of heaven... 

The Outrageous Craz-E Burger...

 Ok so that my friends is a Bacon Cheeseburger sandwiched between two glazed donuts .... yes it may be a heart attack waiting to happen but worth the try...

And of course the Terry Fator concert was unbelievable, he is so talented and I love Winston the Turtle he is my favorite!! All in all it was a great birthday celebration and we will definitely be going back to the Big E next year!! 

P.S Yes my blog looks different... while trying to change some things up I deleted my template.. Which is why I have been MIA for a while.. UGHHH and now I'm stuck with this while I try to fix it...

Bacon and Smoked Gouda Stuffed Burgers

Looks innocent doesn't it... Once you cut into it and the cheese slowly starts to ooze out its all over, at least for me it is. I am not what you would call a burger lover, but since we got a nice weather reprieve this weekend my hubby took advantage and we grilled. He decided to go for burgers, and when he told me they would be stuffed with cheese, bacon and caramelized onions how could I say no. I've said it before and I will say it again we are bacon lovers here.....It's always better with bacon right!!  I am also a BIG cheese fan, so much so that for Christmakuh a few years ago my hubby got me a subscription to the Cheese of the Month club, and a cheese charm for my charm bracelet. So cute! For these burgers he went with an Applewood Smoked Gouda which we had tried with the Cheese Club. He did not disappoint, they were delicious!! 

Stuffed Burgers

Makes enough for 2 burgers

• 1 lb ground beef 
• 2 slices Smoked Gouda cheese 
• 2 slices bacon, cooked
• Caramelized Onions 
• bbq sauce, optional
• condiments of choice, ketchup, mustard, mayo 

•  Season meat with some salt and pepper, we also add some BBQ sauce which is optional
• Separate meat into four squares, you need two for each burger, form each square into a patty (on the thin side because you will use two patties for each burger)
  
• Cut each piece of bacon so that it can be put in the center of the patty, then add a layer of cheese. Do this for two of the patties, leaving two patties for the tops
  
• Spoon on some of the caramelized onions and place the second patty on top, taking care to seal the edges of the two burgers together
  
•  Cook burger to your desired doneness, we grilled ours for about 6 1/2 - 7 minutes on each side.

****** I listed condiments such as ketchup and mustard we did not use any so give it a shot without and add if you must... But I think they are great without them!!!

Eat and Enjoy!!

Sauteed Green Beans and Zucchini

The other day I had planned out dinner in advance, which as much as I try to do for the week it never ever works that way. I even remembered to take the chicken out of the freezer the night before to defrost and made it home to marinate it and not have to rush to get dinner on the table. Then I realized I forgot to plan a veggie... I peeked in the fridge and found a handful of green beans and half a zucchini leftover from a previous dinner and decided to throw them together for a nice side dish. It was yummy!!

Sauteed Green Beans and Zucchini

• Green beans, end snipped off
• 1/2 zucchini,sliced half moons
• 3 strips bacon, chopped, optional if you want to make it vegetarian
• soy sauce to taste
• black pepper
• olive oil 

• Heat pan to medium heat and cook bacon,  set aside and reserve 1 tsp bacon grease, or use olive oil if you want to omit the bacon .
• Heat 1 tsp bacon grease and olive oil if needed, add green beans, saute for 3-4 minutes then add zucchini, saute until just fork tender 
• Add pepper and soy sauce to taste
• Crumble bacon on top YUM!!

Eat and Enjoy!!

Yummy Cheese Pizza

I have had a really busy week and was pleasantly surprised when I called my husband on Friday night and he said he had already started dinner. When he told me it was pizza I was even more excited. I love pizza and was craving it all week. He decided to make a half an half pizza, the best of two worlds. Half yummy cheesy goodness and half with bacon and cheese. Come on who doesn't love Bacon? It hit the spot and there was enough for lunch the next day, which was much needed since I was having the family over for my mother in laws birthday dinner. Stay tuned this week for the yummy recipes for the Birthday Dinner..... 

Here's my hubbys recipe: 

Cheesy/Bacon Pizza

Items Needed:
Skillet
Pizza Stone

• Pizza Dough, Homemade or like us a can of Pillsbury thin crust
• Tomato Sauce, again Homemade or like us Raos
• Shredded cheese 
• Bacon, chopped 

 

• Cook bacon in skillet on medium high heat until nice and browned, with a slotted spoon scoop up the bacon and set aside
• Roll out pizza dough and prick dough with a fork or use the prickly side of a meat mallet ( that's what I did ) it helps it from puffing up and prebake for about  5 minutes
• Spread sauce over  dough adding bacon to half of the pizza, then spreading cheese over the entire pie. 
• Bake 12- 14 minutes or until bubbly and yummy!! 

 

What are your favorite pizza toppings????