Bacon Basics and Chicken BLT Salad

Oh the smell of frying bacon!  That has to be one of the top 10 smells in the world, but only while it is cooking.  Two days later when the house still smells like bacon it’s not so appetizing.

But I have a trick and I shall share it with you:  I make bacon on the grill.*

Here is our favorite salad:

Lettuce topped with grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese, halved grape tomatoes and BACON.

The recipe for the dressing involves chopping and mixing but I’ve come up with a darned close substitute by mixing 2 parts ranch dressing to 1 part BBQ sauce.  Yes, BBQ sauce.  Trust me.

It is even better with croutons.  Curse you no flour/no sugar diet.

Pre-cooked bacon is convenient and will do in a pinch, but it lacks the flavor and texture of home made and with this technique it is so easy.

First, chop the bacon up:

Be very careful if you have any large, attentive poodles lurking about.  Poodles are notorious for bacon snatching.

 

They are naughty like that.

Next, but the bacon into an oven proof skillet.  Ideally, you want a cast iron skillet like the one I purchased to make PW’s Apple Cake In An Iron Skillet.  I warn you:  do not make this cake because it is insanely delicious but it contains all the butter in the whole world so you will have to feel very guilty about the three pieces you ate.

Luckily you can make the guilt hush by eating a fourth piece.

But the cast iron skillet has changed my life - or at least my cooked meats.  You won’t believe the difference this pan will make in the sear you get on meat.  It is perfection.

Place the pan onto a pre heated grill.  Medium to medium-high flame is about right.

Close the grill.

Check and stir occasionally.

Be careful!  This stuff spits grease.

Be happy!  The spitting grease is contained inside the grill and not spattered across your kitchen.

When the bacon has reached the desired crispness, use a slotted spoon to scoop it onto a paper towel lined plate.

Admit it.  Your mouth is watering.

Now the salad did not require all this bacon but that’s okay.  Cooked bacon freezes well.  I popped the extra into a freezer bag and will use it in an omelette or to top a baked potato or burger.

Yum.

Mac and Cheese with BACON!

1 lb box shell macaroni
2 cups whole milk
12 ounces Velveeta, cubed
2 ounces cream cheese
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 pkg pre-cooked bacon, chopped

-Over low heat, cook milk, Velveeta and cream cheese until cheeses are melted, stirring occasionally.
-Meanwhile, cook shell macaroni according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pan.
-Stir in melted butter.
-Pour milk mixture over the top and stir to combine. Still stirring, slowly add in grated cheese until well mixed. Add bacon.
-Pour all into a greased, 2 qt baking dish. Bake for 15- 20 minutes.

Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

This basic recipe is good, but you could do so many things with it, like adding mushrooms, sausage, salsa - whatever you like. I think that next time I’ll use chorizo sausage in place of the meat and add some green chiles and tomatoes. This recipe makes a lot. I’d say at least 8 servings. I used a 6 qt slow-cooker. If yours is smaller, you’ll need to scale back the ingredients a bit.

1 bag (32 oz.) frozen hash brown potatoes

1 can cheese or nacho cheese soup

1 lb. of bacon diced, cooked and drained or 1 lb. cooked ham, cubed

1 medium diced onion (I used one bunch chopped green onions.)

1 green bell pepper diced (I left this out. Not a lot of green pepper fans here.)

1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese ( I used more because cheese is good.)

1 dozen eggs

1 C. milk

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper (more or less to taste)

Pour the hashbrowns into a big bowl and mix with the cheese soup (undiluted.) Place a layer of frozen potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker, followed by a layer of bacon then onions, green pepper and cheese. Repeat the layering process two or three more times, ending with a layer of cheese.

Beat the eggs, milk and salt and pepper together. Pour over the Crockpot mixture, cover and turn on low. Cook for 10-12 hours. I started mine at 10 pm, unplugged it at 7 am and drove it 15 minutes, before plugging it in again. It was ready to eat at that point and stayed plugged in and yummy for the next two hours.