Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Yummy Bacon!

Frying bacon is not on my list of fun things to do.  As a matter of fact it's a love-hate relationship between bacon and me.  We love to eat it.  Some of us more than others. A-hem.  But it makes such a mess to fry it.  So I decided to start baking it.  I love cooking bacon now.  Really!  Follow these steps and you might just enjoy bacon again.

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  I find that it's easier to handle the cooked bacon for sandwiches, etc. if the strips are smaller than full length.  I cut them with my kitchen scissors.  If you buy bacon in the shrink-wrap package this is really easy.  Just cut the whole thing in half and then the bacon will slide out of the wrapper.

3.  Separate the bacon and lay the strips out on the baking sheet.

4.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes until it's the desired crispiness.   Be careful removing the baking sheet from the oven...hot grease!

5.  Drain the grease into a bowl (pour it into a can that will be thrown away) and remove the bacon from the baking sheet.  Place the bacon on a plate with paper towel to soak up extra grease.

6.  Enjoy!  Either eat it right away or put it in the fridge.  I like to bake up several batches at once.

Now if I could just rid my house of the ode de bacon smell I'd be even happier with my bacon!  ; )

Ham and Popeye

No, not ham potpie...ham and popeye! Hubster's Grandma used to make this every Easter. It is wonderful comfort food!! I know...they're just homemade noodles, you say. Not to me! They're popeye!! : )

I'm typing this out like it is on my recipe card. There's no ingredient list, really. That's how grandma's cook, you know?! I'll do my best to guide you along.

10 lb. picnic ham in a large roasting pan, covered mostly with water. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 5 hours or so.

Take the ham out to rest. It's so exhausting, you know?! ; )

Bring the juices from the ham to a boil (after skimming out the fat pieces). You may need to add a bit more water.

Put popeye (see below) in gently one at a time...or they'll stick together. (It's tedious but well worth it!! Cook them for about 15 minutes. And no, the popeye that you put in first won't be "overcooked" by the time the last popeye are done.)

**Here's me flipping over my recipe card**
Popeye
Beat 6 or 7 eggs in a large mixing bowl (with a fork, no mixer allowed!)

Mix in pepper (how much isn't written down but I would do no more than a 1/2 teaspoon)
DO NOT ADD SALT!!

Stir in about 3 cups SELF-RISING flour until the dough can be rolled (1/4 inch thick). (It'll be really sticky-goey but then you'll plop it out on a floured counter and knead in a little bit of flour so you can roll it. Real precise, I know. Again...that's the charm of grandma's cooking!)
Cut the dough into squares about 2"x2" or smaller. (I use a dull pizza cutter and cut it right on the counter.)

Well there ya have it! Ham and Popeye! It goes great with mashed potatoes and Grandma's Mac-n-Cheese along with some biscuits! Yum!


* Print is from Art Country Canada

Easy Peasy Chops

This recipe is so simple it's crazy! I got this from a friend years ago. In my opinion besides Lemony Pork Piccata, it's the only way to cook pork chops. They are nice and tender and if you trim most of the fat off of the pork chops you can use the left over juices (after cooking) for gravy!

Easy Peasy Chops

2-3 lbs. of boneless pork chops (I buy pork loin and have the meat counter slice it about 1/2 in. thick)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cans water (No need to dirty a measuring cup, right?)
6 T. worchestershire sauce
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. black pepper (depends on how much you like pepper)
a few dashes of salt

Place your chops in a 4-ish qt. crock pot. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl or mixer then pour over the chops. If there are some parts of the chops exposed just pour a bit more water over it or half way through the cooking turn them over so they don't dry out.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Remove the chops to a dish and cover so they can rest (that cooking process is tiring, you know?). Strain the bits out of the remaining juices and if you feel it's a bit too runny add 1 T flour to take 1/2 cup of cold water in a small bowl or tea cup. Then when it's no longer runny add it to the juices and mix in a saucepan over medium heat until it's thicker. (I usually do this a bit at a time so it's just the right thickness.)

I serve this with mashed potatoes or rice. With a side veggie dish and rolls. Mmm mmm good, and easy peasy!

Lemony Pork Piccata

Here's another Gooseberry Patch recipe that our whole family loves! (I've tweaked it a bit.)

Lemony Pork Piccata

2 lb. pork tenderloin, sliced into 16 portions

4 t. lemon-pepper seasoning

6 T. all-purpose flour

4T. butter

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. lemon juice (I use the bottled kind)

Pound pork into slices to 1/8 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Lightly sprinkle pork with lemon-pepper seasoning and flour. Melt 2 T. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of pork and saute 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and pork. Remove pork to a serving plate; set aside.

Add chicken broth and lemon juice to skillet. Cook 2 minutes until slightly thickened, scraping up browned bits. Add pork and heat thoroughly.

Serve over quick-cooking angel hair pasta or brown rice to enjoy every drop of the lemony goodness!