Kimchee and Bacon Deviled Eggs

I've made kimchee and bacon egg salad before. Why not do the same with deviled eggs?

Cook bacon and crumble. Drain some kimchee, fry it in a dry skillet, then chop. Mix into egg yolks and mayonnaise. Spoon into egg whites. Garnish with, of course, more bacon.

Delicious.

Meat and Eggs in Various Combinations

I love meat, and I love eggs, and I especially love the two together. Here's a random sampling of various combinations:

Kabanosy with an overeasy egg and an English muffin. Kabanos is like a Polish Slim Jim, only a thousand times better.

Sucuk with scrambled eggs and an English muffin. Sucuk is a Turkish dry cured beef sausage, with a slightly sour tinge. I like it, but my husband doesn't.

Hamburger with an overeasy egg. There's something about a runny yolk on top of juicy beef.

Sunny-side-up egg cooked in a ham cup, on toast.

Bagel sandwich with black forest ham, scrambled egg, avocado, provolone and bacon. Mmm, bacon.

What are your favorite meat/egg combinations?

Pierogi with Squash Blossoms

I picked up a couple bunches of zucchini flowers from the farmers market the other day. I could've stuffed them with ground beef, breaded and fried (like my parents do). I could've made a quesadilla. Or tossed them to pasta. But instead, I decided to add them to pierogi.

First, start caramelizing an onion. Low and slow, this takes about an hour. While that's happening, cook up some bacon and crumble it. Cut the squash flowers in half lengthwise and crosswise, removing the reproductive part of the flower. Briefly sauté (more of a wilt, really) the flowers in a little butter. Boil your pierogi, then pan fry them until crispy. Top the pierogi with onions, squash blossoms, bacon, and sour cream.

Heaven in a bowl. Pierogi by themselves are good. With onions, bacon and sour cream, even better. Adding squash blossoms cuts through all the carb and dairy richness, lending a brightness to the dish, "almost like peas", the Husband says. I'm not sure if they taste like peas, but they definitely have that green taste that is a welcome addition. So the next time you have pierogi, add some squash flowers. That way you can say you ate your vegetables.

Steamed Clams and Pasta

No, not together. The first night I did my standard steamed clams - butter, white wine, garlic, lemon, finished with parsley. We ate them, as always, with good crusty bread to dip into the "sauce".

When we were done, we had about a 1/2 cup of sauce left. So the next day, my husband cooked up some pasta and fried some really good smoky bacon from Tip Top Meats, and tossed it with the clam sauce.

Quick, easy, delicious.

Bacon and Mortadella Pizza

I can't tell you how much I love my Kitchen Aid mixer. After making the pretzel rolls, I decided to make pizza dough.

We made 2 pizzas - the first was spread with a little tomato sauce, mozzarella, garlic and bacon.

The second was sauceless (spread with garlic oil instead), bacon, mortadella, garlic, mozzarella. We all agreed the sauceless one was better.

And the Kitchen Aid adventure continues...

Cheese-Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots

Doesn't that sound incredible?

I thought so when I saw this post by Lori of Recipe Girl. So I ran out and bought some tater tots.

These are super-easy to make - partially thaw the tots, cut a lengthwise slit into each one, stuff with a bit of cheese. Sprinkle with hot sauce, and wrap in bacon, and stab with a toothpick.

Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes, turning once.

Not health food, but oh so good.

Bacon Pretzel Caramels

Not just bacon pretzel caramels. Bacon pistachio pretzel caramels with Newcastle. Or, little pillows of chewy decadence.

I used this recipe from Lisa at Lisa is Cooking, substituting pistachios for the cashews, and adding crumbled bacon. Because, as everyone knows, bacon makes everything better.

First lay down the pretzels and nuts (and bacon!) in a dish lined with greased foil. Don't skip the grease part, it's completely necessary.

Next pour the cooked sugar mixed with cream and Newcastle (or any other ale you like) on top, and chuck it in the refrigerator until completely chilled.

Then cut into small pieces...

And wrap in wax paper or parchment paper.

Yes, boiling sugar is kind of scary. And it's a freaking mess to clean up afterward. But it's definitely worth it.

Sweet, salty, creamy, chewy, crunchy. And bacon.

Bacon Fried Rice

Who could ever get sick of fried rice? Not me. It's so versatile - you can make it a clean-out-the-fridge meal, or add specific ingredients (like shrimp and pineapple). This, my friends, is of the clean out the fridge persuasion.

I though about using Spam, given some online conversations I've been having, but I saw the package of thick cut bacon in the freezer, and decided to go with that. Here's my mis en place: clockwise from top left, carrot, red onion, chiles de arbol, ginger, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, bacon, and scrambled egg. Not pictured is the rice and the peas I added at the end.

Normally I use canola or peanut oil to fry the rice, but looking at the bacon fat left over in the skillet, I thought, Why not?

Husband said this was one of the best versions of fried rice, not only that I've ever made, but that he's ever had. Score.

Things I've Cooked Lately, Part III

Well, that's a little of an untruth, because my husband cooked this for me one Saturday morning. He rarely cooks, and did this with zero pressure, input, or involvement from me. Fried pork chop, sauteed mushrooms, overeasy egg, with tortillas and green chile. I normally would've broken the egg yolk for the picture, but I was still in shock from the fact that the man cooked.

Getting back to normal, next up, braised cabbage with smoky bacon, recipe courtesy of Almost Bourdain. I used a Hungarian bacon given to us by friends that is absolutely amazing.

This time I remembered to crack the yolk.

This carbonara is from way back, when I made duck prosciutto. No cream. Don't you dare add cream.

Butter and store-bought bread. Why post this? Because I made the damn butter. And it was good.

French Onion Soup Cups

I rarely buy those packages of refrigerated biscuits, but I read On My Plate's post on French Onion Soup Cups one day, then saw that Trader Joe's makes their own dough-in-a-tube. Coincidence?

I modified the recipe slightly, using milk instead of cream. I also caramelized the onions for about an hour at low heat, instead of the higher heat / shorter cooking time in the recipe. Left out the thyme (Hubby hates it), and added bacon (because I could).

The end result was happy sweet onions in a cheesy peppery sauce, studded with bits of always-delicious bacon, topped with more cheese, all in a carbo-cup.

That's some serious comfort food.

Franks and Beans, or Beanie Wienies

Can you believe I've never had franks and beans before? I know I've never made it or had it in a restaurant, and I can't remember my parents ever making it when I was a kid. But I came across this post for Beanie Wienies for Grownups over at Homesick Texan, and I just knew it would be good.

After sauteing the onion and garlic (plus a jalapeno, because I could) in bacon fat (from crisped up bacon instead of the salt pork), in went the beans, sliced Nathan's hot dogs, the sauce ingredients, and the chopped up bacon. I omitted the brown sugar, because I thought it was sweet enough with the molasses. My chile powder was a mix of ancho, chipotle, and New Mexico powders, along with a little Aleppo pepper and a habanero flake or two.

I didn't make my beans from scratch, because I've found that Sun Vista beans are better than anything I can do myself. Instead of the white beans the recipe called for, I used pinto beans, because Hubby insisted on it.

Was it good? Hell, yeah. Especially served with a biscuit and a poached egg.

Hubby said he thought the coffee made it bitter, but I totally disagree. He wouldn't have know there was coffee in it if I hadn't told him.

Like I said, I've never had beenie weenies (I prefer the incorrect spelling in this case) before today, but I can guarantee this is 100 times better than anything out of a can.

Baby Zucchini Frittata

I had to go to the mall today to return something. Yuck. I hate the mall. I was dreading it. But it had to be done.

Errand accomplished, walking out of the hated place, I passed by a Vista Farms stand, and saw the most adorable baby zucchini with the flowers still attached. "These would make a wonderful frittata," I thought. So I bought a large handful for $1.50.

Once home, I cooked up some bacon and then crumbled it, shredded some Panquehue cheese, minced a clove of garlic, and chopped up a green onion. Saute the garlic and halved squashy-babies in butter, add 5 beaten eggs, salt and pepper, most of the cheese, the bacon, and the green onion. Top with the remaining cheese, and bake until the eggs are set. Toast some bread while the frittata is baking. Oh, and be careful when you're slicing up the frittata - remember, you just took that skillet out of the oven, and the handle is hot. (In other words, don't be a dummy like me.)

I guess the mall isn't such a bad place after all.

Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Bacon

Hey, did you know it's National Grilled Cheese Month? It's also Holy Humor Month and National Straw Hat Month. And how could we forget the 13th through the 19th - it's Egg Salad Week! Don't believe me? The Internet told me so.

But back to the important stuff - cheese! Kathy at Panini Happy has organized a Grilled Cheese Pageant. Her roundup, er, list of finalists, will be posted on April 20th. I can't wait to see all the delicious contestants. is posted here. Go check it out! I dare you to not drool on your keyboard.











Never being one to pass up a grilled cheese opportunity, I had to make a sandwich for Kathy's event. I was literally dreaming about what kind of sandwich I could make. Fontina, arugula and fig preserves on ciabatta? Prosciutto, provolone and peperoncini on a nice crusty Italian? Roast beef, Havarti and horseradish on rye?

In the end, I didn't feel like going to the store, so I ended up with American cheese, bacon and tomato, on store-brand sourdough. Although every time I re-read the preceding paragraph, I drool a little. Have to make those...

















Please excuse the photographs, my kitchen is the worst for lighting. No, I take that back, the bathroom's probably worse, but you know what I mean.

Here's what I did:

Cook bacon.
Slice and pat dry tomatoes.
Butter bread, using a little less butter than you normally would.
Assemble bread, cheese, tomatoes, bacon, bread.
Heat a skillet with a little of your bacon fat.
Cook sandwich.
Eat sandwich, preferably with hot sauce.
And a glass of Chianti.

















Want to get in on the fun? It's not too late! Kathy's accepting contestants until noon (PDT) on Friday the 17th.

Grains of Paradise

I sometimes get mildly obsessed with unobtainable ingredients. This time, it was grains of paradise. I kept reading about them, their peppery herbiness, all the wonderful things you could do with them. I searched exhaustively, but hadn't been able to locate them, and was about to resort to buying them online.

















But then I got a sample baggie from Marx Foods. What joy! What excitement! What the heck do I do with them?

By the way, you can read more about grains of paradise at Foodista.

Grains Of Paradise

The first thing I did was inhale. Yum. Reminded me a little of cedar. Next, I popped one in my mouth. Not too peppery at first, it comes on gradually. Plus there's some kind of lemony thing going on. And something else indescribable (at least to me).

On to actual cooking. I had a handful of fresh fava beans (thank you Northgate Market!) blanched and peeled. And I had some caramelized onions. And of course there's bacon in the freezer. Mix it all up (sauté in residual bacon fat, of course), a little salt, and crushed grains of paradise.

















The verdict? Loved it. The lemony zing was lost, I think because of the overpowering flavors of the bacon and onion. But the tingly pepperyness was there, slightly different from white or black pepper. Delicious. I can't wait to see what else my brain comes up with for the little seeds.

Cheddar and Avocado Muffins

Michele over at Life, Lightly Salted recently posted her Cheddar and Avocado Muffins. Bake avocado? Why not?

I had just received about 20 baby avocados from a friend, and needed to find ways to use them up. These muffins sounded perfect.





















What is it about me and baby produce, seriously?





















(And what's up with Blogger rotating my pictures 90 degrees without my asking? How rude.)

Update, 7/30/09 regarding 90degree rotation: I've found that if you open your picture in your picture viewer, rotate it, save it, rotate it back, save it, THEN upload it to Blogger, it doesn't get rotated.

I used onion instead of shallot, since that's what I had. I (astonishingly) didn't add any garlic :)


















They turned out great!

Thanks, Michele, for a keeper recipe.

Creamy Cabbage and Potato Stew

Somehow I ended up with way too much chicken broth in my freezer, so I've been looking for recipes that'll help use it up. I found this recipe for Creamy Cabbage and Potato Stew over at Food for Laughter, and it sounded just right for this gloomy weather.
















I followed the recipe almost exactly, except that I removed the bacon after crisping it, and added it back in right at the end. And I added a clove of minced garlic, because I do that with everything.
















At first glance, the recipe doesn't look like much - just cabbage, potato, bacon, onion, milk and broth. But it's sooooo good! Hubby couldn't stop eating it, and kept asking me what "the secret" was. No secret, just good eastern Euro comfort food. This was perfect for the cloudy day - creamy from the potatoes, which were just starting to break apart, slightly sweet from the cabbage, with the gentle porkiness of bacon.

And of course, it's better the 2nd day. Provided your Hubby doesn't eat it all on the 1st day.

Bacon Candy

Yeah, I said bacon candy. And you know what? It's frickin' delicious.
















I found the recipe on Hey, that tastes good!, and bookmarked it immediately. I have no idea why it took me so long to make this. I feel the need to make up for lost time and make it every day for a week.

3 ingredients - bacon, brown sugar and chili powder. Bake.

Absolutely amazing. I want to put it on top of fried rice. I want to crumble it on top of clam chowder, or a salad. I want to put it in ice cream.




















But instead I settled for having it on top of a cornmeal & black pepper cracker (see next post for the crackers, they're delicious too!). Once you let the bacon cool, the sugar makes it pleasantly chewy (and possibly bad for teeth with fillings), and you also get the slight after-burn from the chili powder. This is my new favorite addiction.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

My MIL picked up some super-huge scallops from Costco the other day, and I just knew I had to wrap them in bacon. I decided I wanted to plate them on top of crispy potatoes, with some sauteed greens on the side. I also knew I needed some kind of sauce.

The wheels inside my head were turning - russet or red potatoes? Lemon cream sauce? Should I use wine? How should I cook the potatoes? Should I grill or boil the scallops? With the help of some friends, I settled on red potatoes, parboiled then broiled, and a tart mustardy sauce using Trader Joe's Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce. And some blanched and sauteed broccoli rabe on the side.
















I am so completely happy with this dinner - I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and it turned out to be one of the better things I've ever made.

So without further adieu, here's what I did. And please note that all measurements are approximate, because I can't measure to save my life (which is why I'm no longer a chemist).

Bacon Wrapped Scallops on Crispy Potatoes with Sauteed Broccoli Rabe

10 large scallops
10 thin slices bacon
2 red potatoes
1 bunch broccoli rabe
minced garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper & hot pepper flakes
white wine vinegar
chicken broth
aioli garlic mustard sauce (you could probably use equal parts mustard and cream to substitute)

Pat the scallops dry, and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Cut the potatoes into slices a little more than 1/4" thick, parboil them for about 5 minutes, then drain on paper towels. Blanch the bacon for 30 seconds, and drain. Separate the leaves from the broccoli rabe, blanch for 5 minutes in salted water, stop the cooking under cold water, then drain.

Stretch out the bacon and season with pepper. Starting at the narrow end, wrap a slice of bacon around a scallop, pulling the bacon tight. Secure with a toothpick if necessary. Toss the potato slices (gently!) with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the bacon-wrapped scallops and the potato slices onto a heavy baking sheet, and broil 6 inches from the flame, about 6-7 minutes per side. The bacon should get crispy, and the potatoes should start browning.

While the broiler is broiling, heat some olive oil in a skillet, add some garlic, and saute for a minute. Add in the broccoli rabe, some salt and red pepper flakes, and some white wine vinegar if you wish. Saute until cooked to your liking.

For the sauce, heat about 2 teaspoons olive oil with 2 teaspoons butter, add in some minced garlic, and let cook for a minute. Pour in some chicken broth, about 1/3 cup, a splash of white wine vinegar, salt & pepper, and about 2 teaspoons aioli garlic mustard sauce. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat and let simmer a bit, until it thickens. Right before serving, swirl in some more butter, because butter is good.

To plate, place a scallop on top of a potato, top with sauce, and serve the broccoli rabe on the side (the sauce goes good on the greens too).

Bacon & Egg Bread Pudding

In my travels through the ether a few days ago, I came across Bacon & Egg Bread Pudding at Kat's blog, A Good Appetite. It looked too good not to make.

-- Most people give a warning when they have a picture-heavy post, which I guess this is (at least by my blogging standards). Most of the time, those posts are laden with beautiful photographs of exotic places and the food they ate while visiting whichever exotic locale they were lucky enough to visit. However, in my case, it just means I took a lot of pictures, and they didn't all completely suck. --

Chopped bread cubes and shredded cheddar, eggs and milk with salt & pepper:














Yes, I weigh my cheese. What, you don't?

Frying bacon:















MIL's bedroom is going to smell like bacon for a week. Something about the airflow in my house doesn't work right, the poor woman's room retains everything. But hey, at least it's bacon, and not tripe.

Bread mixed with cheese, soaking in aforementioned eggs and milk:















I forgot to get a picture with the bacon mixed in, and extra cheese sprinkled on top. So just imagine the above picture with...like...bacon mixed in...and...more cheese sprinkled on top...shut up.

Final product:















Bonus picture, bacon fat:















Mmm...bacon fat...I see home-fried potatoes in my future.

Thanks for the recipe, Kat! It completely satisfied my breakfast-for-dinner craving.

White Bean and Escarole Soup

Three days ago it was 96 degrees at 6pm. Now it's 68 degrees. Talk about a change in weather!

Having grown up in Chicago, I'm used to temperature swings. But almost 30 degrees in 72 hours is pretty strange for southern CA.

So since it's so much cooler (yay, fall!), I made soup! A few days ago, Faith at I Pray to Gouda posted a recipe for White Bean and Escarole Soup. Just like with Peabody's Cheese Twists, I had to make this quickly, or risk it falling into the bookmark-abyss (currently at 360 items, and rising every week).
















While at the market today, I found cavolo nero for the first time, so I used that in place of half of the escarole. I also used bacon instead of pancetta, since that's what I had, and omitted the rosemary, because Hubby hates it. My beans were Sun Vista white beans, which I believe are Great Northern - for canned beans, Sun Vista is the best (but if anyone wants to send me some Rancho Gordo beans, I won't say no!).

I loved the slight bitterness of the escarole, combined with the almost-meatiness of the kale. Cavolo nero cooks up a little differently from "regular" kale, completely retaining its form - I don't think it would disintegrate even if cooked for an hour. The tomatoes provided some nice acidity, complementing the richness of the crispy bacon sprinkled on top. If you make this (and I highly recommend that you do!), please make sure to use a good broth, chicken or veggie, since it's a relatively quick-cooking soup, and the broth is key.

Happy fall!