Potato Biscuits & Bacon Gravy Poutine

Moist & fluffy potato biscuits are topped with cheese curds, a homemade bacon gravy, and crispy bacon in this Potato Biscuits & Bacon Gravy Poutine...

If you happen to love poutine as much as I do, then I have good news for you, folks- I just took my poutine recipe game to the breakfast table! ;) As some of you may recall, I have been kind of obsessed with this traditional Canadian dish (& it's many variations) since I attended the Food & Wine conference last July. We were spoiled by this amazing and HUGE poutine bar for lunch one day of the conference, and I have been hooked ever since. Unfortunately, cheese curds are kind of hard to come by where I live. We have very few dairy farms here in West Virginia, and cheese curds are usually an artisanal product of local dairies. But then the other week as I was browsing the cheese selection at my local grocery store, I spotted them- Wisconsin cheese curds! Granted, there was only one kind made by a single brand, but to say I was ecstatic to finally have my hands on some cheese curds without having to drive hours for them (ahem... Ohio) would be an understatement. 

And I found them just in time too because Sunday Supper and the Food & Wine Conference had just announced their first recipe contest for 2016- a poutine recipe contest sponsored by the Idaho® Potato Commission. This hearty & comforting Potato Biscuits & Bacon Gravy Poutine recipe is my entry, folks... :)

Why You Need to Make the Food & Wine Conference Happen in 2016

As a brand ambassador for the 2015 Food & Wine Conference, I was provided a conference ticket at a discounted rate. All opinions (and occasional droolings) stated below are my own.

When it comes to which food blogger conferences I chose to attend, I would like to say that I am pretty picky. I really have to justify the expense of the conference and the traveling involved as well as the time that I will be spending away from my family. That is probably why in my over 3 years of blogging I have only attended 3 food blogger conferences so far. Would I like to attend more of them and travel more and learn more? Well, yes! :) But like I said above, they cost money and have to be worth the stress of finding child care for my youngest while I am away and my husband is at work. So far, I can say unequivocally that all 3 blogger conferences I have attended have been 100% worth it. 

After hearing so many good things about the Food & Wine Conference from many of my food blogger friends online, I decided to apply for a brand ambassadorship with the conference. I had no idea if I would make the cut, but I decided that if I did I would find a way to make this conference happen this year. And let me tell you all something- I am so glad that I landed a spot as a brand ambassador! Not only did I get to attend an amazing food blogger conference, but I also was able to be a brand ambassador representing Wisconsin Cheese. I mean, you all know me by now. I love my cheese, so it was a match made in heaven.

Grilled Beer Cheese Fondue

This ooey, gooey Grilled Beer Cheese Fondue is a perfectly tasty way to start off your next cook-out or campfire dinner...

So it just occurred to me over the weekend that Father's Day is next Sunday. I swear, all of these holidays always seem to sneak up on me! Or maybe I am just trying to block out knowing that it is coming... 

Have I ever mentioned that my dad happens to be the hardest person ever to shop for?? I am sure I am not the only daughter who has this same issue, but when my dad sees something that he wants he just buys it. 

So every single year, Father's Day, Christmas, and his birthday are always a gift-giving struggle for me. I had been buying him gift cards to his favorite stores and online shops to solve this on-going dilemma, but my mother confessed to me recently that my dad often forgets that he has them and they are all stacked together in a far corner of a shelf. 

So this coming Father's Day, I have a new plan- to make him a dinner fit for a dad! ;)

When I think of my dad and food, grilling automatically comes to mind. My dad rarely cooked when I was at home, but he always manned the grill. 

When I started planning my Father's Day feast, I knew that the grill would definitely have to be involved. Yep, the grill and cheese. And meat and beer. All the makings of a perfect Father's Day cook-out. 

Deep Dish Pierogi Pizza

Inspired by a favorite family dinner, this Deep Dish Pierogi Pizza is smothered in creamy homemade mashed potatoes, sweet caramelized onions, crispy bacon, and gooey cheese...

To say that my family and I love all things pierogies would be an understatement. We first became obsessed with them while living near Pittsburgh over 3 years ago. That city has some mad love for their pierogies.  

Though I have never made homemade pierogies myself (yet), the frozen variety usually make an appearance on our weekly meal plan at least twice a month. I usually give them a quick boil, and then immediately fry them in a little olive oil and butter in a hot skillet. Sometimes I will saute some fresh cabbage to serve with them, but our favorite way to eat them is with caramelized onions, a little crisp bacon, and a smattering of melted cheese. And a little sour cream on the side for good measure. ;)

I have had the idea of creating a homemade pierogi-inspired pizza mulling around in my head for over a year now. Why I hadn't made this little delicious daydream into a reality sooner is a mystery to me! I finally got the little push that I needed to make this recipe idea happen when I saw the 2015 Idaho Potato Commission Recipe Contest for this year's Food & Wine Conference. What better way to showcase Idaho potatoes than with this delicious deep dish pizza recipe? 

A thick, deep dish homemade crust is smothered in creamy homemade mashed potatoes, sweet caramelized onions, crispy bacon, and gooey cheese in this Deep Dish Pierogi Pizza...

Consider Yourself Invited- The Food & Wine Conference July 2015 #FWCon

Love food, wine, good company, and learning more about growing your food blog? Then join me at this year's Food & Wine Conference July 17-19th in Orlando, Florida...

A blogger conference that brings together talented food & wine bloggers, small businesses, winemakers, amazing chefs, and professionals in public relations and media? Yes, folks! It does exist. ;)  Come learn, network, form friendships, have fun, and enjoy the best in food and wine at this year's Food & Wine Conference in beautiful Orlando, Florida... 

Triple Chocolate Tiramisu

Whether you are a chocolate addict or a tiramisu lover, this Triple Chocolate Tiramisu is sure to become your new favorite dessert...

This Triple Chocolate Tiramisu has been in the making for a couple of weeks now. Tiramisu happens to be my absolute favorite dessert. And when I heard about the 2015 Dixie Crystals Chocolate Dessert Recipe Contest for the Food & Wine Conference this July in sunny Orlando, I knew exactly what I wanted to make- a chocoholic's dream of a homemade tiramisu. 

I knew that I wanted this dessert to have chocolate in every layer and component, including the espresso soaked ladyfingers. But I was posed with a problem- where could I buy chocolate ladyfingers? Since specialty bakeries are very few and far between around here, I decided to embark on making my own chocolate ladyfingers. 

My first attempt at baking my own chocolate ladyfingers ended up being a complete baking fail which I shared over on my Instagram. I ended up with what looked more like small flat chocolate pancakes than ladyfingers, so it was back to the recipe drawing board. Not wanting to deal with that whole piping of the ladyfinger batter mess again, I decided why not make the batter into a sheet cake instead? And folks, that plan worked perfectly.  The chocolate ladyfinger cake turned out exactly like I had hoped that it would! :)

From the chocolate ladyfinger cake to the mocha coffee it is soaked in, to the chocolate mascarpone topping, and then the finishing touch of a cocoa powder dusting and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips, this Triple Chocolate Tiramisu is a chocolate lover's dream dessert...