Bakin’ With Bacon And The King!

Welcome to the King’s Kitchen!   You want an EASY recipe???  I’ve got it!

Indeed I do.   This one isn’t just easy, it’s delicious.    The photo we have to go with the recipe shows brown bread which I know is tasty as can be for the dipping, BUT my parents tried two other things:  thinly sliced baguette AND regular crackers.    VERY GOOD was what I heard them both say.   So you can use anything you want to put this dip on – but the best thing to put it on is your tongue!   Yep – it’s truly yummy.

READY?

 

Ohhh la la!  Bacon Beer Cheese – delish!

This is so easy, I’m not even giving you a separate ingredients/directions list.   This small paragraph has the whole thing!!

Cook 6 chopped bacon slices in a saucepan; remove, leaving the drippings. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with the drippings. Add 1/4 cup flour and cook over medium heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 1 cup each cream and beer, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups grated cheddar until melted. Serve topped with chopped scallions and the bacon.

See?  Easy right?   Also extremely good.    As usual my Mom used her favorite cheddar – sharp – but any cheese actually would do – cheddar just has more bite to it.    Plain paprika works but we have smoked on hand because my Dad loves it on his grilled cheese sammmmmmmiches!   Can you believe it???

So this is very tasty stuff and perfect for entertaining guests OR binge-watching TV OR watching a movie at home.    What’s not to like with ingredients like this.

I’ll start looking for another fab recipe for next Saturday but until then – give this one a try.

 

Nap time for the King…….!   

Hugs, Teddy the Bacon King

 

 

Bakin’ With The King on Saturday

WELCOME TO THE CASTLE KITCHEN!!!   Time to get cookin’ with bacon!

For years now The Royal Mom has seen recipes for “bacon jam” and thought “ICK” – you’ve got to be kidding.    Well, she USED to think that, but no longer does.    She finally let me make some for her and now – well – it’s her favorite burger topping!     So I thought I’d share the recipe with you – it’s definitely worth the trouble to make (which really isn’t much trouble!) and it’s EVER SO YUMMY.

BACON JAM

Ingredients

• 1 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (see Recipe Note)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, packed

Method

1 Cook the bacon: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon in two batches so as not to crowd the pan. (If your pan is large enough, it’s fine to cook all the bacon at once.)

Stir occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned, but not burned or overly crispy. Scoop out the first batch of cooked bacon with a slotted spoon, and drain it on a paper towel-lined plate. Cook the remaining batch.

This should take about 25 to 30 minutes total for both batches.

2 Cook the onions and garlic: Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. You can eyeball it. Add all the bacon back to the skillet.

Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.

 Reduce the jam: Add the vinegar and brown sugar to the skillet, and bring to a boil. Cook stirring and scraping up browned bits from the skillet for 2 minutes

Reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid turns syrupy and almost completely evaporates—this should take about 30 minutes.

4 Store and reheat if needed: Use immediately, or spoon it into an airtight jar and refrigerate for up to four weeks. Serve warm.

To reheat, zap it in the microwave for about 45 seconds or warm it in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 10 minutes.

 

Yep – that’s what The Royal Mom said when she tried some……….good on crackers, ESPECIALLY good on burgers, good with all sorts of things and it might sound like a pain in the neck to make but really – isn’t just about EVERYTHING a pain in the neck unless you are excited to make it?    If you love bacon – GO FOR IT.

Yep – and plenty of it!

Not in our castle……leftover bacon simply does not exist!

Give this a try – I promise you will love it.   If my ROYAL MUM can be happy with it, well – anyone can!

Happy Caturday – may your own castle have the aroma of bacon cooking!!   

Hugs From King Teddy

Bakin’ with The Bacon King

Greetings Loyal Subjects of Baconia……’tis I – your King – in the kitchen for another little bacon treat!!

This is one EASY PEASY recipe and I hope you’ll try it.    I say in the instructions that it makes enough for company but the truth is, if you’re hungry and watching a movie or something on the tube, you can easily gobble these down without a second thought with your significant other (yes Mom – this means you and DAD!).

Since it’s football season, it could be a nice addition to your array of appetizers for your company that’s yelling and screaming right along with you (while the household pets hide in another room of course).    My Mom is the football fan in my house – she’s QUIETER now than she used to be (Angel Sammy told me she used to get QUITE ANIMATED watching football).    Nowadays she just sits in her recliner and mutters the occasional “NO NO” word if her Washington Redskins are in trouble (like last week right Mom??).    Anyway, this appetizer is worth giving a try – because it has BACON IN IT OF COURSE!

Ready?

BACON APPETIZER CRESCENTS

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)
• 8 slices Bacon (cooked, crumbled)
• 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (8 oz. each)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Mix all ingredients except crescent dough.
3. Separate each can of dough into 8 triangles; cut each triangle lengthwise in half. Spread each dough triangle with 1 generous tsp. cream cheese mixture; roll up, starting at short side of triangle. Place, point-sides down, on baking sheet.
4. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.

 

OK now you must admit, this sounds yummy – know why?   Because they ARE yummy.   And really easy.    And this recipe makes enough for company.    Super yum for watching TV – movie night?   Sports program?    Whatever!!!

Yep – we agree!!!!  

Yep – I’m heading down this road…..won’t be long before I’m telling my Mom this!!!Signing off from Castle Baconia – Have a great Saturday !

P.S.

Please join us on Wednesday, September 26 when we host a special Blog Hop for Madi Come Laugh With Us.  Post anything you want to do with a Box…such as stand up comedy, a joke or pun,

Recite a poem…karaoke, just a picture with a box, etc…anything goes no rules except RED!   Madi’s favorite color was RED.    The Hop is being hosted by Raz of Friends Furever.

 

There will be a link set up at Living Laughing and Barking in our Backyard so Madi’s Mom and Dad can see all your wonderful posts.

 

 

Baking with Bacon in Castle Baconia!

Welcome to the kitchen of Castle Baconia – I am your King but on Saturday I’m also your chef!

That’s right – I have taken on the responsibility of loading you all up with recipes that involve BACON and today is no exception…….this one is a MAJOR winner at our house.   Mom likes to have uses for her leftover smashed (oops I mean mashed) potatoes so you CAN use those but you can also just join up a fresh batch.    My parents here in the castle are BIG on bleu cheese and some people aren’t so you can substitute if you want.   But trust me – this is another GOOD TASTING SIDE DISH!!

Everyone ready?????

Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds potatoes, cubed
• 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1 egg
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Add all ingredients to list
• 4 slices of bacon – crumbled

Directions:

1. Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels; chop into smaller pieces.
2. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and return to the pot; mash slightly.
3. Stir bacon, blue cheese, milk, egg, green onions, salt, and pepper into the pot; mash mixture with a potato masher to desired consistency. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
4. Pour bread crumbs into a shallow bowl. Shape the potato mixture into twelve 1/2-inch thick cakes; dredge in bread crumbs.
5. Heat olive oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 4 potato cakes; cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining potato cakes. Cover and keep warm.

This HAS to be good!!!!!!!

You BETCHA!

You know most recipes are truly just GUIDES – people who cook adjust/substitute as they want to so of course that applies to any and all of the recipes I give to you.   That goes for bacon too – turkey bacon can be substituted!

But the fact of the matter is BACON does make everything better!!!! 

Now are you going to add these items to your grocery list?   I bet you do………………would I steer you wrong?   No I would NOT.   I am your King and you can trust me…………make sure and tune in next Saturday for another GEM from the Castle Baconia kitchens………..

Time for my ROYAL nap…………….YOUR KING

Happy 28th Anniversary to my Mom and Pop

 

 

Bacon Around The World: Ireland

Sláinte !

Greetings from Ireland my friends!   I’m continuing on my journey to find BACON AROUND THE WORLD!

Today I’m sharing a REALLY yummy recipe which is something I’m sure you’ve either heard of or possibly had to eat before…………But this MIGHT be a little different with the sweetness of brown sugar and the saltiness of bacon.   You definitely need to try it!

Irish Fried Cabbage and Bacon

Ingredients

• 6 ounces thick bacon + drippings
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in a deep cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes. Use a slotted spatula to remove the bacon pieces and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

2. Add the diced onion to the bacon drippings and cook until translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add shredded cabbage to the pan and toss to coat. Add in brown sugar, salt, and pepper and cook until cabbage is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Add the bacon back to the cabbage and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

    

Doesn’t this sound EASY PEASY?   Well it is, and if you “think” you don’t like cabbage – give this recipe a try – you just might change your mind.   I kind of think the brown sugar is the key to why this is so amazing…….of course having bacon in it doesn’t HURT (!!)

I’m liking this guy’s hat !!

Next week I’m heading off to Italy…………..oh boy.    I’ll find something totally delicious with bacon to share with you next Saturday so until then – keep on eating BACON!

INDEED I DID!

Hugs, Teddy the King of Baconia