Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Storing and Freezing Bacon

We like bacon...maybe love bacon. But, in an effort to be a smidge more healthful we try to limit our consumption of our favorite salty, crispy breakfast meat. Last time we visited my grandparents, my grandfather showed off his latest, greatest culinary feat (boy, he is getting handy in the kitchen!). He showed me their stash of ready-to-go freezer bacon and I loved it! So, when our favorite brand of bacon went on sale recently, I stocked up and got to work.I started by prepping a large baking sheet with a very light coat of non-stick spray. I then took each individual piece of bacon and wrapped it around two of my fingers, forming a cutie little swirl. I then placed the swirls on the baking sheet, being careful to place them close together but not touching.

Once the sheet was full, I placed it in the freezer for about an hour. Then I placed the swirls in a freezer bag and--voila! I have 3 pounds of bacon prepared in individual portion sizes. Now, when we want a little taste of bacon but don't want to overdo it, we simply remove however many swirls we want and enjoy!
Thanks to Tammy for hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesdays! And thanks to PaPa for the great idea!

Potato-Bean Soup

For Mrs. Pear...

Potato-Bean Soup
1.5 C dried navy or great northern beans
6 C water
1 tsp salt
1 garlic clove smashed
1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1.5 C diced white onion
3 ribs celery, diced
2 C sliced carrots
(about) 6 small to medium sized potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp. dried rosemary
1.5 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
4 C chicken broth (you can also use vegetable broth)
1.5 tsp parsley flakes

Place beans in large skillet or stock pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water OR use quick soak method. Quick Soak Method: Place beans in large skillet or stockpot. Cover by at least two inches of water. Bring beans and water to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and let sit for approximately 90 minutes. The results of quick soak aren't always consistent, but I've never had a problem with it. I've heard older, drier beans don't respond well to quick soaking...

In a large soup pot, place soaked beans and 6 C cold water, smashed garlic clove, salt and bay leaf. Cook approximately 30-45 minutes or until beans are tender. Strain beans, reserving bean liquid. Remove bay leaf and garlic clove.

In same large soup pot, heat olive oil. Place onions and celery in oil and saute until they become soft. Add rosemary, black pepper and salt to pot and stir. Add carrots and potatoes to pot and stir. Then, add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender 20-30 minutes. Add beans and 1 C of reserved bean broth. Bring to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes. Add parsley flakes just before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste. Enjoy!

Melt-in-your-Mouth Cornbread

This is for Mrs. Pear...and because we are having chili and cornbread for dinner, and I have about 5 minutes to blog today! Enjoy!

Melt In Your Mouth Cornbread
2 C all-purpose, unbleached flour
2 C corn meal
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 C light brown sugar
2/3 C vegetable oil
2 C milk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (2) 12-cup muffins tins or (1) 9X13 baking pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, brown sugar and vegetable oil together until smooth. Gradually whisk milk to egg-sugar-oil mixture. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients all at once and whisk just until combined (do not over mix). Pour into prepared muffins cups or pan. Bake: Muffins--12-15 minutes, Pan--30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Enjoy!

Easy Recipes

Maybe I'll get back to posts with a bit more substance. I can't believe I only posted twice in April! When I'm pregnant, I tend to really focus on certain things...my husband, my girls, our home. Blogging hasn't been a priority lately, but I've got a few posts rolling around in my head so eventually they will make their way here!

We've had some unexpected company and events over the last couple of months and I wanted to share with you (all three of you who are still reading my blog!) a couple of easy recipes that work great when time and resources are short. Hope they can bless another family!

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole
1 bag wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 C cooked and cubed chicken breasts (or 2 cans of chicken)
2 cans mixed vegetables, drained
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 C shredded co-jack (or your favorite) cheese
2 Tbsp milk

Grease a 9X13 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. It helps to add the noodles to the mixture hot as it helps melt the cheese. Pour casserole into greased pan. Spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray and cover pan. Bake for 30 minutes, removing foil for last 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Sausage Breakfast Bake
8 pieces of bread (any kind--I use french bread and guess on the amount)
1 lb sausage (any kind--I like maple flavored) cooked and drained
2 C milk
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard (optional)
2 C shredded cheese (I use co-jack)

Grease a 9X13 pan. Place bread in bottom of pan. Sprinkle sausage evenly over the top of bread. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard together. Pour evenly over sausage and bread. Sprinkle cheese over top and cover with foil. Place in fridge overnight or at least 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered. Enjoy!

Hot Chicken Sandwiches
This is embarrassingly easy, but a great dish to make if you want to share with another family or have lots of leftovers. The chicken is plain--so kids like it!--but can be dressed up with BBQ sauce, ketchup and the like.

2 pkgs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans chicken broth
1 sleeve saltines, crushed

Place chicken and broth in crock pot. Cook on high for 6 hours, low 8 hours. Shred with 2 forks. Add crushed saltines and mix well. Let sit at least 15 minutes so crackers soften well. Serve hot on buns with desired garnishes. Enjoy!

Cornbread Recipe

Does anyone else just adore cornbread? As soon as the air starts to feel frosty, I want to make cornbread. I tried several different recipes before finding this gem. It's tried and true and DELICIOUS! Mrs. Pear posted her favorite chili recipe and it made me want to post my cornbread. Why not pair the two this weekend?!

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cornbread
Yields: 1 (9X13) pan or 24 muffins
2 C flour (you can substitute 1 C of whole-wheat)
2 C cornmeal (I use yellow)
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 C brown sugar
2/3 C vegetable oil
2 C milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan or muffin tin or use paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and vegetable oil until mixture is smooth. Whisk in the milk a little at a time. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients all at once and whisk just until combined (don't over mix). Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake: muffins 12-15 minutes, 9X13 pan 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Olivia's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know I've been sharing some recipes lately. It occurred to me recently that God has blessed me with a talent for cooking and that He has afforded me several opportunities to bless others with the comfort of good food. We've probably had hundreds of people in our home, around our table, sharing in fellowship over a meal or dessert. Many of you also have this gifting and calling to minister, so I want to pass along the blessings of great recipes, when possible.

This is my chocolate chip cookie recipe. My little Olivia helped me come up with the secret ingredient, by accident. I asked her to find the corn flakes for another cookie recipe I own and we were all out. She handed me the Rice Krispies box and I thought, "Why not?" They were delicious and I've tweaked that same so-so recipe into a fantastic recipe. Take it, bake some and enjoy!

Olivia's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields: 5-6 dozen, 2" cookies
1 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
1/4 vegetable or canola oil
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 C flour
2 C oats
1 C Rice Krispies
12 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine baking soda, salt and flour. Set aside. In a stand mixer, cream together butter, cream cheese and white sugar about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk. When mixed thoroughly, add vegetable oil and flour mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add oats and stir to combine. Add Rice Krispies and stir to combine. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on sheets of aluminum foil. Store in airtight container. Be prepared to devour several in one sitting! Enjoy!

Five Little Loaves...

Not One...

Not Two...

Not Three...

Not Four...

But FIVE little loaves sit on my counter today!

Okay, so I didn't get the photo done before my family devoured almost all of loaf #5, but what remains of it is there. Who can resist fresh-from-the-oven banana pecan bread?!?!

Yesterday, my friend Rachel at Simplicity Soup was talking and asking about bread baking. Today was bread baking day at our house, so I thought I would post photos of all our efforts. I also e-mailed her a simple bread recipe and then decided I should share it with anyone else wanting a great, simple honey whole-wheat bread recipe. Enjoy!

Simple (Honest!) Honey Whole-Wheat Bread

yields: 3 delicious loaves

3 C warm water

2 pkgs active dry yeast (or about 5 tsp)

1/3 C honey

5 C bread flour

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1/3 C honey (yes, another 1/3 C)

1 Tbsp. salt

3 1/2 C whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp butter, melted (yes, another 2 T.)

In a large bowl, mix warm water and yeast with honey. Let sit to proof for 5 minutes. Stir in 5 C bread four. Cover with dish towel and let rise approx. 30 minutes or until large and bubbly (mine doesn't always look particularly bubbly). Mix in 3 Tbsp. melted butter, 1/3 C honey and salt. Stir in 2 C of whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead dough with an additional 1-2 C whole wheat flour until slightly sticky and beginning to pull away from surface. Place in a greased bowl and turn once to coat. Cover with dish towel and let rise until doubled.

Punch down and divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Shape into loaves (I like a rustic looking loaf) and place in greased 9X5 inch loaf pans. Let rise until dough rises 1 inch above pan. Bake at 350 degrees 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan and brush tops with melted butter to prevent crust from over hardening. Cool before cutting (if you can possibly resist!) Enjoy!

A New Year's Day Tradition: Pork and Sauerkraut

Growing up, we always ate the same meal New Year's Day, pork roast and sauerkraut. I can't say I really appreciated the flavor of that meal as a child, but I look forward to it all through the holidays now. My mom gave me some pointers when I made my first roast for Charlie a few years ago, but I've since tweaked my recipe to suit our taste buds a bit better. I know many families enjoy a pork roast on New Year's Day. Thought I would share my own recipe with anyone looking for a tasty and easy first dish for 2008...Enjoy!

On New Year's Eve, sometime before you head to bed, place a thawed pork roast in your crock pot. Add 1/2 cup of water to keep the roast from sticking to the bottom. Slow cook on low through the night. When you wake in the morning (or maybe the afternoon!), the roast should be completely cooked and very tender. Cut open a bag of fresh sauerkraut and drain most of the liquid from the bag. Place kraut around and over roast. Slice 1-2 apples and mix them into the kraut (the apples take the bite out of the kraut so if you prefer the bite, skip the apples!). Replace cover and continue to cook until apples are tender--low: 2 hours, high: 1 hour. Serve with mashed potatoes and a salad. Enjoy!