Tag: Bacon

A Little Bit of Sweetness

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French ToastIt has been a little while since I have had the chance to talk about cooking and I have a wonderful reason why. Things change rapidly when you have a five month old living in the house and we are having a blast with our new foster baby. Mostly hobbies get put on hold and all your attention is now focused on something much better. There is just something especially sweet about a little one falling asleep in your arms, thinking that you are the only one that matters and that they are safe where they are. Who knew happiness could be so wonderful. Looking into the eyes of my wife holding my “boy” is the most beautiful thing in the world.

Babies are also very exhausting though and many times you just want to do something simple so that you can relax for the evening. That is if you get the chance. I haven’t forgotten cooking. In fact, things have been done that I would like to blog about, but time is of the essence. In other words time is limited. It was once said that children spell love “T-I-M-E” and I want to make sure that he gets the most of it. That means that FOOD has to be much quicker and simpler. Like spaghetti instead of a four course meal.  

This is why I decided to talk about “French Toast.” I know that it is not really anything special, but it is something that any beginning chef to a professional can enjoy. I found a really easy recipe that does not take a lot of time and tastes exquisite. A little bit of Fruit or powdered sugar can make any French Toast have some appeal and this one is no exception. Use some Texas Toast and it will be thicker and fluffier. I would do it again and again; in fact, I have.  Add a little bacon and eggs and you have a wonderful start to a new day.

With a five month old, simple is always the best way to go. Even if that means Kraft Mac-n-cheese, spaghetti, and Chef Boyardee.  Just remember, “A little bit of sweetness can go a long way with your kids.”

Check it out here: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/168641/french-toast

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Brussels Sprouts are not Evil

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Crispy Brussels Sprouts with baconBrussels sprouts have been the bane of every child’s existence since probably the beginning of time. They are, “Little cabbages the size of golf balls all green and slimy”. At least this is what a friend described while talking about them. I can hear the “Psycho” music playing in the background “screech, screech, screech, Ahhhhhh!” end of shower scene, or in this case Brussels Sprouts sitting in front of you on the table.

However, Brussels Sprouts are not evil. For I have tasted them, and they are glorious! “Just add bacon” is probably the key phrase when talking about them. A while back I was watching a show called “5 Ingredient Fix” with Claire Robinson, and she made a dish called Crispy Brussels Sprouts, that looked pretty good. So I took the time to try it myself. My family loved it.

Crispy Brussels SproutsThese are not the green slimy disgusting vegetables that most people think about. These are crisp, full of flavor, and a creative food that brings a new taste to something people have demonized. Start with a slab of bacon cut into pieces and baked for about 10 minutes. Separate the bacon, and bake the Brussels Sprouts in the grease left from the bacon. I used sautéed pecans instead of walnuts, and it added much to the recipe. Mixing everything together makes a wonderful salad or side dish. Best of all, I sautéed the left overs in butter the next day, and it tasted even better.

So remember, “Do not be afraid to bring new life to a food you might fear.”

Check out the recipe below:
Crispy Brussels Sprouts

What a Crepe Morning

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Berry Good CrepeI think that a Blue Jay was singing out the window this morning, figuratively speaking anyway. You know, one of those days you wake up and it just feels like it’s going to be a wonderful day. That is how I felt this morning.

We have a ministry going on at our church, and I got to cook for the group that is involved in that ministry. Not something that you think would brighten up your day. After all, cooking is a lot of work. However, I actually like to cook, and this morning I got to cook with a group of people whom I adore and have fun with. We met together and started cooking around 8AM, and we were supposed to be ready by 9AM. Let’s just say we missed our mark.

We cooked eggs, bacon, Cajun potatoes, and Berry Crepes. I was like a head chef for a day! People were cutting potatoes, cooking bacon, and preparing the fruit, music was playing in the background, and we just enjoyed putting everything together. Friends definitely make cooking better. Then you get to eat what you make. MMMMMMMM!

Crepes are not really all that hard to make either. One at a time I mixed the ingredients together: Eggs till it frothed, milk, salt, sugar, flour, and butter. Then I got to flip them in a pan. I felt like a professional cook today, without all the stress that is involved.

These crepes turned out awesome. The recipe called for fruit filling with cherries and strawberries, but I am not a big cherry person, so we used raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. It also called for mixing sour cream with confectioners’ sugar as a topping. I thought it was a weird combination, but it was great with the fruit and the crepes. Once I tasted it, it didn’t crepe me out anymore. (Sorry I had to add the pun.)

I recommend this one. It is easy, fun, and enjoyable to eat. Remember, “Cooking with friends can turn an ordinary day into a crepe day!”

Berry Good Crepes:
Crepe Ingredients:
2 Eggs
1 Cup of Milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 Cup Strawberries
1/2 Cup Raspberries
1/2 Cup Blackberries
1/2 Cup Blueberries
3 tablespoons of Sugar

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
1/3 Cup Confectioners’ Sugar

Directions:
1) Beat eggs in a medium bowl until foamy. Add milk, salt, sugar, flour, and butter; whisk until smooth. Cover bowl; let stand for 10 minutes. Grease a small skillet with cooking spray.
2) Meanwhile, for filling mix berries in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar; stir to coat. Let stand. For topping mix sour cream and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
3) Heat skillet over medium heat; add 1/4 cup batter. Quickly tilt skillet to spread batter. Cook until the edges lift easily. Turn; cook until bottom is lightly browned, about 30 seconds.
4) Remove crepe to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. To serve, place 2 tablespoons fruit mixture into crepe. Fold and roll tightly to enclose filling. Add topping.

Banana Foster French Toast

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Banana Foster French ToastThis weekend was one that I will never forget. My wife and I decided to host the middle school girls at our house for our church’s Disciple-Now weekend. That is 11 middle school girls, a female (College Student) group leader, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, my wife, and then there was me – the Lone Ranger (man). It was going to be survival of the fittest in this wild jungle of estrogen. At least I have two male cats – who by the way were cowering beneath the table.

D-Now (as they call it) is basically a weekend slumber party for the different age groups with Bible study and group projects. They went to a Bhutanese Refugee camp, had worship, and enjoyed a quality Bible study time at the house. Joking aside, it was a wonderful experience, and I was impressed with the quality of our youth and their leader. The weekend was a blast!

I decided to find a French Toast recipe to make for the girls with some bacon and scrambled eggs. This way they could start the day with a nice meal. I thought only teenage boys ate like that. WOW!

I found a Betty Crocker recipe for Banana Foster French Toast. The title alone made my mouth water. The truth is that it was just alright though. There were definitely things that could have made it better.

First you spray a 13″x9″ glass dish with baking spray, cut the cinnamon bread into cubes, and place it in the dish. Then you mix the ingredients, (minus bananas, walnuts, some syrup, and the rum extract). These items will be used later – about 8 hours later. All in all, this is an easy dish to make.

As good as it sounds like it should be, it was just average. The bananas did not really add anything to it, and I am still trying to figure out the foster part. I guess that was the rum-extract mixed with the real maple syrup. The maple syrup (liquid gold) could have been cut in half as well.

My wife said that she loved just the French Toast part (no fruit), and my mother-in-law called it a glorified bread pudding. Most of the girls really enjoyed it, and our friend the college student wanted the recipe. I think that it was a hit for the most part. The best part is that it is really easy, and you make most of it the night before.

Instead of adding the bananas and rum-extract infused maple syrup (which cuts the cost in almost half), I think that a raspberry or blueberry sauce could have added a lot to this recipe. Either way it was worth the effort and the ease to make, but ultimately was just an average dish. 

The basic french toast portion of this dish, provides a great foundation for a different recipe. You need to try it for yourself to really know, and remember “Just because it sounds good, doesn’t make it any more special. It is the guests that make it special!”

Click here for Recipe: Banana Foster French Toast

Mustard Beef Rolls

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Mustard Beef RollsAwwww! There is nothing like a slab of meat that you roll bacon into before eating. After all bacon is man’s best friend, right?

I love to cook. Not everything that I make is a winner but I think this one is definitely a keeper. The MUSTARD BEEF ROLLS, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn took about 2 hours total to put together (50 minutes of that time was the beef in the oven). The dish was not necessarily difficult, and I would say that I would do it again in the future.

I think that the following things could have made it a little eaiser though:

  • The recipe called for crumbled bacon and making that upfront from breakfast or the night before might have made the process a little eaiser and cut back some of the cleanup. This could cause a problem if you want to use the bacon drippings, but you could use butter instead.
  • See if you can have the butcher cut the flank steaks into (5) 2″x5″ pieces ahead of time – pretenderized. This way you know that the size is all ready for you to add the mix too as soon as it is ready.

The hardest part really comes from trying to roll the beef and keep the stuffing intact, but once you get them together, there is not that much left to do. You put them into the flour, fry until they start to brown, add the wine, and then cook for 50 minutes.

My wife described them as tasting like little meatloafs. Which is probably a pretty fair description of what they tasted like. So if you are up for a little experiment, check out the recipe below, and remember to “Spice up your kitchen with something new.”

Click here for recipe: Mustard Beef Rolls