I am working from home today with a sick boy and have a huge craving for bacon.  I thought I would kick start your weekend with some pork fat goodness.  You agree?

One of my top 25 foods of all time – BACON.  It came to me as I was eating the breakfast all last week at Normandy Farm.  Of course I scanned the whole buffet before I started to fill my plate, but I always gravitated towards the crispy bacon

Eating some breakfast and thinking about what to write, I thought that I would share with you 7 ways to cook with bacon that have been featured on zesty.

So here goes….

1. Bacon on Pizza

Whether it is traditional pizza using some leftovers or a kicked up portabella pizza – bacon is a great addition.

2. Chutney

I feature two chutney’s ( Apple Bacon Chutney and Pear Bacon Chutney ) so far and both were out of this world yummy.  I attribute that to the bacon and to the slow cooking.

3.  Bacon and Eggs with a Twist

One of my all time sunday morning favorites “Bacon and Eggs”.  Try these fun little twists on a classic – Bacon and Eggs in a Bowl or a 2 minute Bacon Broccoli Scrambled Egg.

4.  Bacon Wrapped Fruit

Once introduced to this lovely creation – I fell in love with Bacon wrapped Pineapple.  Such a simple yet crowd pleasing treat.

5.  Bacon in a Salad

I really do love adding bacon to many salads.  I think i like the salty flavor it adds as well as the crunch. The one listed here is not your traditional salad, but this was very tasty with both the crunch walnuts and the firmness of the asparagus.

6.  Bacon with Potatoes

Oh yeah – you cannot forget this incredible combination.  Try kicking it up a notch at your next gathering with sweet potato skins with Bacon.  These babies are amazing.

7.  Bacon Mac and Cheese

Well well well… this is a must try if you love mac and cheese.  The bacon really takes this over the roof and will make you very very happy.

So there you have it!  A fun look at bacon and all its glory.  Feel free to share this with your friends using the toolbar on the bottom.  Have yourself a great Fridayand I will see you back on October…. Can you believe that?

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Friday!  Welcome to the land of comfort food today.  Do you ever just look outside and it is cold, rainy and all you want to do is stay in your pajamas ( underwear) and eat comfort food?  What is comfort food to you?  For me it is usually something warm and that requires a fork or spoon.

This dish below which is pan fried potatoes with bacon mixed throughout is something I love to eat.  Whether by itself, beside two eggs, sausages and toast, or sitting beside some homemade meatloaf – I LOVE this dish.

Ingredients

• 4-6 Potatoes, diced
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1/2 Cup onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• Handful of chopped chives
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. In a large pan of boiling water, drop the potatoes in and blanch for 5-7 minutes; drain
2. Using another large pan over medium heat, start to cook off the bacon.  Cook until almost crispy and then remove from heat.  Do not clean the entire pan but remove some of the grease if there seems to be too much.
3. Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until it becomes translucent.
4. Add the drained potatoes and the butter and begin to saute them over low heat.  The potatoes will begin to brown from the bacon fat and butter.  Let them cook until they are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
5. Break the bacon up and add back in to the potatoes, stirring often
6. Toss in the chives at the end
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When frying the bacon, I save some of the fat to cook the potatoes in and I do not clean the pan before I add the blanched potatoes.  This allows the potatoes to pick up all the bacon flavor and make this dish one to remember.

Alright, the weekend is almost upon us.  Big weekend at the zesty’s.  As I type this post, the garden is being tilled, tomorrow is some tree planting, and I am doing some door and window prep for the new shed that is starting on Monday.  No rest for the weary, I just hope the sun stays out and keeps me happy.  I will talk to you on Monday. Have a super weekend!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Middle of the week…. Whoooo Hooooo!  And believe it or not it is not raining here.  The amount of rain we have had here in the past 4 weeks is nuts.  I feel I have to buy a baler so I can get the grass cut.  I was out last night in between rain drops and took a walk around the house.  The grass/weeds were so tall they almost made me cry.  You know I am pretty tough so I held the tears back and forged ahead.

As we move onto the food, I thought I would share one more savory apple dish to continue on from my apple and rice dish from Monday.  This dish today is a cross between scalloped potatoes and a chicken potato casserole.  The only big difference is I add some apple slices to compliment the chicken.  The sweetness of the apple goes well with the chicken and because it is braised in cream sauce – it is SO good!

Ingredients

• 4-6 pieces of chicken ( legs, wings, thighs or breast )
• 2 Medium apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
• Cilantro for garnish
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard
• 1 Tbsp. Brown sugar
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp.flour
• 1 Tsp. salt
• 1/4 Tsp. pepper
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 small onion, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. For the chicken, in a preheated pan begin to sear chicken on all sides and once golden brown, set aside.
3. In a bowl combine garlic,nutmeg, mustard and brown sugar and mix together to make a paste.
4. Smear the paste over the chicken and set aside.
5. For the potatoes, heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk, 1/2 cup at a time.
6. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.
7. Arrange potatoes and apples in greased 3 quart casserole in 3 layers, topping each layer with part of the chopped onions and 1/3 of the sauce. Add the chicken pieces through out the casserole dish as well.
8. Dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, broken into little pieces.
9. Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 60-70 minutes.
10. Let stand 5 to 10 minute before serving.
11. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese to the sauce and mix to melt. Sprinkle bread crumbs on the top if the potato mixture before baking and bake as above. Easy au gratin potatoes!

So there you have it.  Comfort food at it’s simplest form but if you try this… I am sure you will be happy!  Nothing fancy, just serve in a big heaping plate and squat down on the couch and enjoy.

No squatting on the couch for me tonight.  I have been invited to attend the One Year Gala for the G! Magazine tonight.  How exciting, I know.  I will have to dust off the dress clothes and get a hair cut…

I will fill you in on how it went on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty