Bakin’ With Bacon and The King

Hello Bacon Friends!   You know what time it is!

That’s right – we’re gathered together to try out another wonderful dish that has bacon in it and this one is a really delicious side dish that you’ve just GOT to try!    The Royal Mom has made this as a side with fried chicken but it’s probably a dy-no-mite side dish with ham or almost anything else too.

ONION, MUSHROOM and BACON CASSEROLE

 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb. bacon

2 lg. onions, coarsely chopped

1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cook bacon until crisp, drain, crumble and set aside, Saute’ onions and mushrooms in bacon drippings until tender.  In a bowl, stir sour cream into eggs.   Add bacon, mushrooms, onions and half of the cheddar cheese.  Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until set.   Serves 4 (unless you’re super hungry in which case it serves 2…… hahaha).

 

Let’s hear it for bacon!

See you next week…….YOUR KING

Bakin’ With Bacon and the King

Hello Fans of Bacon!

Here at Castle Baconia we have our paw on the pulse of the world of bacon and try to share a recipe with you every week that has BACON in it!    This week I dug up another treasure from a cookbook THE ROYAL MOM had in her cabinet called “Virginia Cook Book”.    She says she got it on Skyline Drive in the gift shop YEARS ago.    I took a peek and found several interesting bacon recipes.  One of them I’m doing for you today!

I have to say that while the German word for this delightful breakfast is impossible for me to pronounce I know the recipe by a different name – a good old cheese, potato and veggie omelette.    Why did I mention German?   Because this recipe below is known as a German Farmer’s breakfast.    It’s rather popular – I found it ALLLLLL over the internet.

Bauernfrühstück (German Farmer’s Breakfast)

INGREDIENTS (recipe is for 6 servings)

8 slices bacon

1 small green bell pepper, diced

2 tbsp. finely chopped onion

3 large potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

6 eggs

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, fry the bacon until light brown and crisp.  Drain on paper towels; crumble when cool.  Drain off all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings and add green pepper, onion, potatoes, salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until potatoes are golden brown, stirring frequently.  Sprinkle cheese over potatoes and stir.  Break eggs into pan over potatoes, stir in bacon and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until eggs are set.

Sounds yummy right?   I’m guessing some of you have had this before and maybe didn’t know the German name but loved the combination of ingredients.   We sure did!

See you next week for more BACON FUN.

Your King, Teddy

Bakin’ With Bacon and King Teddy

Welcome to my kitchen!

 

I’m doing something a little different today – The Royal Mom has an old cookbook from 1942 that had some interesting bacon recipes in it.   She thought it would be fun to give you the recipes and for me to whip them up in my castle kitchen.    I’m totally on board with one of them but not so sure about the other!

The book is called “New American Cook Book” and has tons of old recipes that have been around forever but there are some that we’ve never heard of.

First is the one that I think sounds yummy………….

FRIED BACON AND APPLES

This recipe could NOT be any more simple!    But would sure make an interesting side with ANYTHING…..especially chicken I think.

INGREDIENTS

12 slices bacon

3 firm apples

3 tablespoons sugar

 

DIRECTIONS

Fry bacon crisp.  Remove to hot platter and keep warm.  Wash and quarter apples, removing all core and seeds.  Put them in hot bacon fat.  Cover tightly.  Fry until they are partly soft, turning once.  Sprinkle on sugar.  Continue frying, uncovered until well browned.  Serve hot, garnished with bacon.   NOTE:  Pineapple rings, dipped in flour and browned in bacon fat are also delicious with bacon.

Sounds tasty doesn’t it…………

Now this one I’m not so sure about – I guess it’s an appetizer type thing – not sure – just thought it was interesting!   By the way – there are no photos in this cookbook so I googled and got these photos which MAY or MAY NOT look like the finished product !

BACON ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

12 bacon slices

2 cups bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 teaspoons diced green pepper

1 small onion finely diced

1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

 

DIRECTIONS

Combine bread crumbs, celery, green pepper and onion, and season with salt and pepper.   Moisten with slightly beaten egg and milk.   Place a tablespoon of this mixture on a slice of bacon.  Roll the bacon slice around the mixture and fasten the ends with a toothpick.  cook these in the oven until the bacon is crisp and the roll is heated through.   Serve while hot.

 

I thought it might be fun to see a couple of recipes from this 1942 cookbook and maybe experiment with something from that time…..that was five years before the Royal Mom made an entrance into the world so you know they’re old recipes (oops…..did I say something indelicate???).

Your usual giggles…..Happy Saturday from the Castle!

King T !

 

 

Bakin’ With Bacon and King Ted (and Guests)

Welcome to the land of bacon – I’m here today with the dynamic Weim-duo of Phenny and Neilson from their blog HERE.    

My Weim buddies had a recipe on their blog the other day that sounded OUT OF SIGHT (and yummy too).   SOOOOOOOOOO I invited them to join me here in the Castle Baconia kitchen while we whip up this delightful recipe which has an impossible to pronounce name but let’s just call it amazing mac and cheese!    It DOES have bacon as a garnish so it qualifies as a “BACON RECIPE” for my purposes!!!

As you can see from the photo above, my Weim friends not only joined me in the kitchen to help me cook but brought along some snacks in case they get hungry while we are working in the kitchen.    Any of you who know them know they not only eat ANYTHING that isn’t tied down, BUT they eat delicious other things their Mom Miss Katty makes for them (like cakes whose name begins with an “F”).  Looks like they brought several meals to me but they call them snacks.   SO – onward with the recipe!

Älplermagronen (Swiss Alpine Macaroni and Cheese)

Ingredients

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon cut into ¼-inch-wide strips

Caramelized Onions:  (I know you all know how to caramelize onions but just in case……..)

• ▢2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 2 tablespoons bacon drippings from making bacon)
• ▢2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
• ▢Kosher salt

Applesauce:  (This is if you want to make your own applesauce BUT you can use store-bought applesauce too!)

• ▢3 apples peeled, cored, and cubed (such as Granny Smith, McIntosh, or Golden Delicious)
• ▢3 to 4 tablespoons water

Macaroni:  (this is a little different because in this recipe we cook POTATOES with the MACARONI!)

• ▢10 ounces (280 grams) waxy potatoes (such as Yukon gold) peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces (about 1 large potato)
• ▢8 ounces (225 grams) tubular macaroni (such as ziti, penne, cavatappi, cellentani, elbows, or hörnli)  (Don’t ask me what cavatappi, cellentani or hornli are OK?  I dunno!  We’re using regular macaroni noodles!)
• ▢¾ cup half-and-half, light cream, or single cream (names vary around the world but aim for about 18-22% milk fat–can also do a combination of approximately equal parts heavy cream and milk)
• 8 ounces (225 grams / about 2 cups) grated Appenzeller or Gruyère cheese (or other mature Swiss Alpine cheese)  (I had gruyere because my Mom and Dad like it so I have it in the refrig BUT we also could use regular Swiss cheese)
• ▢Kosher salt and freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions – these are just details for how to do the onions, fry the bacon, make the applesauce and macaroni….you can probably figure all of this out but just in case……

• To make the bacon pieces: add the bacon pieces to a cold frying pan and turn on the heat to medium heat. Cook pieces, stirring regularly, until the fat renders and the bacon is browned and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• To make the caramelized onions: In a frying pan over medium-low heat melt the butter. Alternatively cook the onions in 2 tablespoons bacon fat if you are cooking bacon  for the garnish (just use the same frying pan and remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan). Add the onions, season with salt, and cook, stirring regularly until soft and golden, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
• To make the applesauce: Place the apples in a saucepan with water and cover. Simmer gently on medium-low heat, stirring once or twice, until the apple is completely tender, about 20 minutes. Mash with a fork until smooth. Set aside.
• To make the macaroni: Add the cubed potatoes to a large pot and cover generously with salted water. Bring to a boil, add the macaroni and continue to cook until the macaroni is barely al dente and the potatoes are tender. The exact time will depend on the macaroni shape. It’s about 10 minutes for ziti. If using a smaller shape with shorter cook time (like elbows which need only 6 minutes for al dente) you may want to boil the potatoes for a couple minutes on their own before adding the macaroni. Drain the macaroni and potatoes.
• Return to the drained macaroni and potatoes to the pot, add the cream and return to medium heat. Stir until the cream starts to heat up (a minute or so) and then add the grated cheese, a little salt, and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted into a thick and luscious sauce.
• Serve the cheesy Alpine macaroni on individual plates topped with caramelized onions, crispy bacon bits, and with applesauce on the side to eat either with the macaroni or afterwards as dessert based on personal preference.

Now doesn’t that sound FABULOUS?    Well it is.    And I owe my Weim buddies a big fat thank you for sending in the recipe AND agreeing to come help me make a big batch of this.    We made enough that they can take some home with them (assuming they don’t eat it NOW) to share with their Mom and Dad in Brittany.

Thanks guys for coming across the pond to cook with me today!

(Before you ask – no that’s not Phenny and Neilson in the center photo – but it COULD be if they were Weimaraners!!)

Hugs, King Teddy

Bakin’ With Bacon and the King

Greetings from the land of BACON!

Yes indeed, things are moving along here at Castle Baconia and I have found yet another incredibly delicious “baconized” dish for you to try.    It’s just a little “different” from other recipes for this meal I’ve found but that’s why I tried it actually.    “Different” is sometimes the BEST.    Doesn’t it look yummy?????

Bacon Cheeseburger Rice

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups uncooked instant rice
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles
• 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until no longer pink; drain. Add the water, barbecue sauce, mustard, onion and pepper.
2. Bring to a boil; stir in the rice. Sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with pickles and bacon.

 

You have to admit this is pretty darn easy when it gets right down to it.   You may (like we did) think…….

That it has dill pickles in it – or actually on it.    Well, know what?   It’s only PART of the recipe because apparently people like dill pickles on their cheeseburgers.   My Mom is not in that camp.   She loves sweet pickles but not any type of sour pickle so – well – what I’m saying is use them if you want to!!!

Hope you give this one a try – sure is yummy……………I promise!

Happy Saturday Loyal Subjects!   

Your King