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 Bacon In Baconia for Thanksgiving

Greetings Again From Castle Baconia!   I’m whipping up some delightful appetizers you could try out on your friends and family for THANKSGIVING …… and I’m using BACON.

Today I’m doing one of the EASIEST recipes EVER and I’m sure you’re going to be a hit when you bring this out from the refrigerator with a tray of raw veggies and some delicious crackers for your guests to dip into the DIP!    When I say EASY……..I mean it.

Bacon-Caramelized Onion Dip

Ingredients

• 3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled, with about 1/2 teaspoon reserved   (OK – true confession here – we used more than 3 strips of bacon….!!!!!)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-1/2 large yellow onions, sliced into thin strips  (OK – more true confessions – we used sweet onions because we still have them in our grocery but yellow onions are DANDY)
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 cup sour cream (yes you can use LIGHT sour cream if you must)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Chips and fresh vegetables for dipping

Instructions

1. Add the butter to a skillet over low heat. When the butter melts, add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
2. Allow the onions to cook for about 30 minutes over low heat. Stir the onions often as they cook. You may need to add a bit of water to the skillet if you find the onions stick. Scrape up and loosen any pieces that may stick. The water should evaporate as the onions cook.
3. Remove the onions from the heat when they are golden and soft.
4. Let the onions cool to the touch. Dice them into small pieces. Reserve about one teaspoon for topping.
5. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to a bowl and mix well to combine.
6. Add the chopped onions and bacon crumbles and mix thoroughly.
7. Add the reserved bacon and onions to the top of the mixture as garnish.
8. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I told you this was EASY PEASY!

You got that right!    Thanksgiving is a great meal for a gathering.    Spoil you guests with an array of light appetizers – you can afford to have them if you plan to serve them enough AHEAD of the “main event”………..and it’s fun – have a glass of wine or even an egg nog (it’s never too early in the season for that!) or hot toddy and enjoy some delightful little finger food.  I’ll be giving you MORE recipes every week so get ready to take notes!

Nothing better than a recipe that uses BACON – especially when your loyal and loving cat or dog (tee hee) gets to sample it!

See you next week for more ideas…………….it’s NEVER too soon to start planning your menu!

Bakin’ With Bacon

Saturday!  Time to ask our Baconian Castle Chef to

vacate the premises so I – your King –

can play in the kitchen!!

Oui my King….I am out of here and zeee kitchen, she is all yours!

That’s right – it’s the day of the week that I present to you something yummy to make that involves BACON – after all, this is the land of Baconia that I am King of so we do a lot of bacon-ized things around here!    Today I have something that some people just have no taste for – don’t make or eat them – but down South, everybody knows about them.    What am I talkin’ about?????

GRITS (or you may pronounce

it GREEE-ITS in Southernese!)

Specifically though this grits recipe is for Bacon Cheddar Grits so we’re talking SPECIAL grits.   Not just plain old grits.   My Mom lived in Alabama for some years and her Mom made grits for them frequently – from scratch.  Nowadays they have instant grits and quick cook grits so it doesn’t take as long to make.   This recipe uses quick cook grits but you COULD use instant if you want to!

Teddy’s Bacon Cheddar Grits

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon, finely chopped  (you CAN actually use as much bacon as you want……but try to be reasonable!)

 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional – if you like a little “heat”!)

 4 1/2 cups water

 1 cup quick-cooking grits

 Coarse salt and ground pepper

 1 cup plus another 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar (2.5 ounces)

Directions

1. 1. In a medium saucepan, cook bacon and jalapeno (optional) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is browned, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon and jalapeno (if using) to a small bowl. Remove pan from heat and carefully add 4 1/2 cups water (fat may sputter).
2. 2. Bring liquid to a boil over high and whisk in grits. Whisk until mixture begins to thicken, then reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, 25 minutes or until creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in 1 cup grated cheddar and three-fourths the bacon mixture. Pour into a 2-quart serving dish and top with remaining cheddar and remaining bacon mixture.

Mmmmmmmmm – Good!

I’m trying to be patient – I wanna try some grits!!!!!

Everyone comes running when there’s BACON involved!    Hope you all try this recipe – trust me – even if you’re not a FAN of grits – you will be soon!!!!

See you next Saturday from the Castle Kitchen of Baconia….until then – EAT BACON!