Bakin’ With Bacon and Teddy

Hello Bacon Fans!   Welcome to the kitchen at Castle Baconia…..and I am THE KING!

This is the second time around for this particular recipe – but it’s so delicious that I just HAD to share it again and remind you that simple things really can be delish if they have the right ingredients in them!   There’s something about the crunchy burrito combined with crisp bacon and sweet apple and eggs that you absolutely MUST try at least once.    So this is a GENTLE REMINDER that breakfast can be fun and easy (and bacony).

Apple Bacon Breakfast Burrito (recipe for two people or one hungry person!)

Ingredients:

• olive oil for the pan
• 4 strips apple wood smoked bacon (doesn’t HAVE to be apple wood smoked but if you haven’t tried it – do!)
• 1/2 cup apple, peeled and cut into small dice (any type of apple)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• 4 small flour or corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Preparation:

Serves 2

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with a bit of salt and pepper, and set aside.

Over medium heat, cook the bacon in a large saute pan, until it starts to brown.  Remove it from the pan, pour any excess bacon off, and add the apple and onion to the pan. Over medium heat, cook until the onions are soft and slightly browning, about 4 minutes. Crumble the bacon and combine it with onion and apple. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside in a bowl.

Place the tortillas in the same pan. Over medium heat, let them warm for about 30 seconds, and then pour 1/4 the egg mixture on top of each tortilla.  If some egg slides off, just scoop it back onto the tortilla with a small spatula.  Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese onto each egg covered tortilla.  Then sprinkle 1/4 of the apple-bacon mixture in the center of each one. Use a small spatula to fold the tortilla into thirds, making a burrito. With the seam side up, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook until the burrito puffs up a bit, about 3 minutes.   VOILA!   Breakfast is served!

 

Of course this doesn’t have to be for breakfast only – in fact it’s a great snack (ask my Mom and Dad)……….and it’s a nice combination of flavors – bacon and apple together – yum.

SO have a great weekend……………..whatever you may do…………….and always always always start your day with breakfast of SOME sort.    It’s what gives you the energy to face the day!

 

Bakin’ In Baconia for New Years!

So you survived Christmas but how about New Year’s Eve or Day or all those football games?

That’s right – you are going to need to make PLENTY of snacks/appetizers for any of these occasions coming up and we are BACK to bacon-themes and I’ve got a doozy for you.  It’s also an EASY DOOZY.   Especially if you are like my Mom (the Royal Mom of course) and enjoy using your crockpot to cook up yummy stuff while you’re cleaning the house for guests or setting a table or WHATEVER you need to do!    This snack will be ready to go.

Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

 

Ingredients:

8 oz. bacon (or more of course if you are a bacon nut like we are)

1-8 oz. package cream cheese cut into cubes

1/2 lb. ground beef

8 oz. shredded cheddar/Monterey jack cheese blend (Mom gets this particular mix in a package at the grocery BUT you can always whack up your OWN combination of cheeses if you don’t like cheddar/Monterey jack).

2 tablespoons parsley (optional – adds nice color though)

1 -10 oz. can diced tomato with green chili peppers (Ro-Tel is the one Mom buys)

Directions:

1. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, reserving drippings in the skillet.
2. Break ground beef into the skillet; cook and stir until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain beef, return skillet to stove, and reduce heat to low.
3. Stir diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, cream cheese, and shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend into ground beef. Crumble bacon and stir most of it, reserving a few teaspoons for garnish, into beef mixture; cook and stir until cheese begins to melt, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to a slow cooker.
4. Cook in slow cooker on Low until hot and bubbly, 2 to 3 hours. Stir parsley into the dip. Garnish with reserved bacon. Keep in the slow cooker set to Low to serve.

You can serve this with just about anything – those scoop tortilla chips are good – so is thinly sliced bagette or crostinis.   It’s a “loose” dip – the scoops are the easiest.

This stuff is really delicious.   You can double it if you have a lot of people coming over or they are the type who can eat buckets of appetizers while talking, watching football, partying, watching a movie, etc.

 

So – we here at Castle Baconia will be having a New Year’s Celebration.    No fireworks though.   We are NOT big on fireworks.   Especially your King – I am not a fan.   But I will enjoy my Mom and Dad having their traditional bottle of bubbly between them to toast and bring in the New Year.   Twenty nineteen……..good grief…….time does fly doesn’t it?

A fun flashback photo – our original King of Baconia – Sammy along with yours truly your current King of Baconia, Teddy!!

Long Live Baconia…….

 

 

 

Bacon Around the World: Hawaii

Greetings from beautiful Hawaii…………….I simply couldn’t resist adding Hawaii to my travel itinerary because I was sure there wasn’t anything quite like having breakfast with the sunrise on a beautiful beach here and I was right!    I got a GREAT recipe for the occasion too and I think you’ll agree.   Bacon and pineapple are great together and this is a nice way to “bring it all together” !

Before you ask me – no I didn’t have time to take a hula lesson…………..not that I didn’t have some offers from some beautiful ladies to give me a hula lesson of course but that’s a story for another day.

Now – on with the recipe!    This feeds 12 people so unless you break it down save it for a group……………..no reason you couldn’t change the amounts though – this is just too good to pass up.   It’s a “fix the night before” kind of recipe too if that works for you.

 

Hawaiian Bacon and Pineapple Breakfast Bake

 

Ingredients – note – this recipe serves 12

• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon (about 14 slices)
• 1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
• 3/4 cup pineapple tidbits
• 1 package (12 ounces) Hawaiian sweet rolls, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed french-fried onions

Directions

• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce and mustard until blended. Stir in cheeses, bacon, ham and pineapple. Gently stir in cubed rolls. Transfer to a greased 13×9-in. baking dish. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, sprinkling with onions halfway through baking. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Dy-No-Mite right?  

Even though I didn’t learn to hula – a couple of rather FAMILIAR cats took lessons and one beautiful ginger girl who danced on the beach!  WOO HOO!

Next week I think I will be HOME SWEET HOME…….this travelin’ guy misses his Mom (don’t tell anyone I said that!).

I sure would have had a sunburn if I’d been on the beach like this!!

Love, King Teddy of Baconia

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

 

Bakin’ with Bacon

Greetings Fellow Baconians!   Here I am – your King – working away in the kitchen to bring you another fabulous recipe and taste treat!

Oh I know what you are making today My King – this dish is truly delicious!

I think the best thing about this dish is that it’s a crockpot recipe and it cooks all day while the cook of the house (or castle) can play or shop or sleep and not be fussing around in the kitchen to make something truly delicious for dinner.   In fact, this is something that really doesn’t even need to have MEAT to go along with it.  Doesn’t have to be a side dish can be a main course – just serve a little green salad with it and VOILA – DINNER’S DONE!

Crockpot Bacon and Cheese Potatoes

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound bacon, diced
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound cheddar cheese, thinly sliced  (I prefer EXTRA SHARP cheddar but any cheddar will do!)
• salt and pepper
• butter
• Green Onions (optional) (it’s more of a garnish really since there are onions in the recipe so feel free to skip this OPTIONAL item!)

Instructions

1. Line crockpot with foil, leaving enough to cover the potatoes when finished.
2. Layer half each of the bacon, onions, potatoes and cheese in crockpot. Season to taste and dot with butter.
3. Repeat layers of bacon, onions, potatoes and cheese. Dot with butter.
4. Cover with remaining foil.
5. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

YES – along with potatoes and some other stuff!

Bottom line is this is a delicious recipe – if it wasn’t, would your KING bother passing it on to you?   I THINK NOT!!!!    So give it a whirl.

I would recognize that “glazed look” in the eyes from the aroma of bacon anywhere!

So until next Saturday when I crack open the Royal Recipe Book to share another baconized treasure, have a good week – and PLENTY OF BACON!

Your King…………..Teddy of Baconia!