Bakin’ With Bacon, King Teddy AND Guest Chef

Bacon Day with King Teddy and our Guest Chef Raz

Yes indeed – one of my “frequent Guest Chefs” Raz is helping out today to make a recipe that he and his Mom sent to me so we can make it together, and share the recipe with lucky YOU!!!    This just sounded so yummy we HAD to make it for you so you can enjoy it with your own family.

 

Bacon, Onion and Tomato Pie

A real Southern favorite!!!!

Ingredients

• 1 – 9 inch pie shell
• 5 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 sweet onion, sliced or chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 c Ritz crackers, crushed
• 2 tsp butter, melted
• 2 green onions (scallions), sliced

DIRECTIONS

Tomatoes put off a lot of liquid naturally. If you want to avoid that, you can seed the tomatoes. Or, slice the tomatoes, place them on a paper towel with a little salt, and let the salt draw out some of the liquid.

Prick the pie shell with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Fry bacon. Cook till tender. Drain and set aside.  Peel and slice tomatoes to fill the bottom of the pie shell. Sprinkle with chopped onion, salt, and pepper.    Layer more tomatoes; salt and pepper (again).

Mix mayo, bacon, cheese, and milk. Spoon on top and pat down to cover tomatoes.    Mix the crushed Ritz crackers and butter. Then spread on top of the pie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.    Remove from oven and sprinkle scallions on top.

Here’s what you wind up with – Incredibly delish dish!

A big THANK YOU to Guest Chef Raz and his Mom for the recipe and the assistance in the Castle Kitchen.    

Happy Saturday – your King

 

Bakin’ With Bacon and King Teddy

Hi All!  Either you’ll LOVE today’s recipe or you’ll HATE it!

Why on earth did I say that?   Because even though my Mom is a BIG FAN of cauliflower, lots of people say “ICK” when you mention it.    Well, today is your lucky day if you’re like the ROYAL MOTHER – I have a great recipe for you to try.   This recipe makes EIGHT servings to obviously whack it down to half if you want to make a smaller casserole.

Cauliflower Casserole with Cream Cheese and Bacon

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2  medium heads of cauliflower cut into bite-size florets (about 3–4 pounds cauliflower, prior to being cut, or 5–6 cups florets)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 slices bacon
• 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Gruyere or similar melty, nutty, alpine-style cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives chopped

DIRECTIONS

• Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat a wide 3-quart (9×13) casserole dish, with nonstick spray, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Transfer the cauliflower to the prepared casserole dish and spread it into an even layer. Keep the bowl handy. Roast cauliflower on the lower rack for 30 minutes, until the florets are tender and begin to brown.
• Meanwhile, arrange the bacon strips in a single layer on the prepared foil-lined baking sheet. Bake on the upper rack until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the bacon and cauliflower from the oven. Stir the cauliflower, spread it back into an even layer, and place it on the upper rack to continue cooking until the end of its baking time.   Note: YES of course you can fry the bacon if you’d rather!!
• Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and lightly pat dry. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop or crumble the bacon into small pieces.
• In the same bowl that you used to toss the cauliflower, beat together the cream cheese and Greek yogurt until combined. Stir in 1/3 cup Gruyere cheese, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and half of the chopped bacon.
• Remove the roasted cauliflower from the oven and dollop the cream cheese mixture over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of Gruyere and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan.
• Return the pan to the upper third of the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and gooey, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the oven to broil. Broil the casserole until golden on top, 1 to 3 minutes. Do not walk away, and watch carefully to make sure the cheese does not burn.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh chives and remaining bacon. Serve hot.

THIS IS YUMMY – Really!

 

King of Bacon, Teddy

 

Bakin’ With the King for Mom’s Day

Baking Breakfast for Mom!

That’s right – Mother’s Day is on Sunday so OF COURSE I’m going to share a recipe you can make for HER (and everyone else) on HER special day.   It’s a casserole – one of those eggy, veggie, bacony, potatoey, cheesy YUMMY kinds of casseroles.    I did a similar one back in 2017 but this one takes the cake (well…..maybe not cake but “takes the casserole” anyway)! This easy breakfast casserole is packed with bacon, potatoes, and cheese! It can be prepared ahead of time and is a real crowd pleaser!

Ready?

Bacon, Potato and Egg Casserole

NOTE:   This recipe serves TEN – so if your family is smaller or you’re not cooking for  a crowd half the recipe or make the whole darn thing and have leftovers!

Ingredients

• 1 lb bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 red bell pepper seeds removed and diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 12 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups frozen diced potatoes you don’t have to thaw or cook the potatoes
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 green onions chopped

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until it is a nice crispy brown. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate. Roughly chop the bacon and set aside.
• Add the onion and red pepper to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs and whisk in the milk. Stir in the cooked vegetables, potatoes, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Set ¾ cup of bacon aside and stir in the rest. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top remaining cheese and green onions. Bake for 20 minutes so the eggs start to set up. Carefully add the remaining bacon to the top of the casserole. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until the eggs are firm and the top is slightly golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.
• Note: This casserole can be made in advance. Pour the mixture in the pan and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake when ready to eat. You can also reheat the casserole.

What’s not to like about this one?   Nothing – that’s what!

Sure to please Mom and everyone………………..and once all your prep work is done it’s a dream to put it together and bake it.

For all you Moms out there including THE ROYAL MOM!

Hugs, King Teddy

Bakin’ With Bacon, King Ted and a Guest Chef

King of Baconia Here With My Guest Chef – Penny!

You all remember Penny from 15andMeowing.   She’s a frequent guest here in the Castle because she and her Mom find some pretty darn yummy bacon-ized recipes for me to share with you.    Today is no exception.    This one is a really delicious snack but I think you could make an entire MEAL of them too.   Do I have your attention?   Good!

SPINACH BACON BITES

I know – just looking at the photo makes you want a pile of these NOW – right?    Well they only take 35 minutes to make so let’s get going!

INGREDIENTS

3 packages (10 oz. each) of frozen chopped spinach thawed

8 oz. bacon, diced

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

4 scallions, sliced

8 oz. pepper jack cheese – shredded

 

DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat oven to 375.   Place spinach in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze over sink to remove as much liquid as possible.
2. Heat a skillet over medium and add bacon and cook 6-8 minutes until crispy.  Remove to a plate, reserving 2 tbsp bacon fat
3. Brush a 139 inch baking dish with 1 tbsp bacon fat.  In a large bowl, mix 1 tbsp bacon fat with flour and the next five ingredients until well combined.   Stir in spinach, scallions, cheese and bacon.
4. Spread mixture into greased baking dish.  Bake 30-35 minutes, until top starts to turn golden brown.
5. Cool slightly – then cut into triangles – serve warm or at room temperature

Oh boy – this is a delicious bundle of joy in your mouth – each bite makes you want another and another…………….until – well – they’re all gone and you have to make it again!!

Thanks Penny – this one is a definite winner.  Please tell Mom Ellen we appreciate her keeping an eye out for bacon recipes for us to share with our ADORING PUBLIC.   AND thanks to you for being Guest Chef today.    You did a GREAT job!

See you in the Castle Kitchen next week!   

Your King

Bakin’ With Bacon and King Teddy

“Greetings Loyal Bacon Lovers – I have yet another recipe for you!”

I have to wonder sometimes if you all are tiring of bacon recipes…………but after all, the King of Bacon MUST make bacon recipes – am I right?   Of course I am.    SO, here’s another winner for you to try some time or at least add to your collection!    It’s super delicious.

Creamy Bacon Chicken

INGREDIENTS

6 strips of bacon cut into small pieces

2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise

Flour for dredging

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Pepper to taste

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream

 

DIRECTIONS

• Cut the bacon up and add it to a skillet (I use kitchen shears to make this job quick). Fry it over medium-high heat until crispy (about 10 mins). Once the bacon is done, take it out of the pan and set it aside. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan.
• Meanwhile, prep your chicken (cut it in half lengthwise so you have 4 smaller cutlets). Sprinkle them with the garlic powder and pepper and then coat them in the flour.
• Add the chicken to the skillet and cook it in the remaining bacon fat over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes/side or until it’s golden. If it starts to splatter a lot, reduce the heat. Once the chicken is browned, take it out of the pan and set it aside.
• Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and butter to the pan. Let it bubble until it’s reduced by half (about 3-4 minutes).
• Stir in the cream and once it starts to bubble, add the chicken and bacon back into the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the chicken is fully cooked through and the sauce has reduced to your liking.

Do I have to tell you how unbelievably yummy this is????   If you are a chicken lover I think you can tell all you need to know from the photo (and the ingredients!).

See?   I was right – this is another one you really WANT to add to your recipe collection right?   THE KING IS NEVER WRONG!

Hugs, King Teddy