The Gift of Bacon

Day #4 in our "A Week of Bacon" series. I hope you've added a few yummy new recipes to your culinary arsenal.

Let's take a break from whisking and chopping and talk gifts. I have MANY bacon lovers on my Christmas (and birthday) list and sometimes my creativity takes a brief siesta. With a little research, I've compiled a list of unique (and affordable) bacon lover must-haves. Here are a few ideas.

Baby Bib from Tasty Threads ~ I wish I would've known about this when Little Man was wearing most of his food. Oh wait, he still is!

Eggs Are Sides Tee (Available on Amazon) ~ You have to giggle...and then exercise.

Bacon Cloth Napkins From Ruby Farms ~ We are usually a paper napkin household but these cuties are worth the extra laundry!

What's Shakin' Bacon Tea Towel by The Coin Laundry ~ I'm ordering one of these (maybe two) right now!

Seasonal Bacon Sampler from White Flower Farm ~ A more affordable alternative to the ever so popular "Bacon of the Month Club".

Bacon Tea Towel from Iron Accents ~ I agree, wholeheartedly!

Never Cook Bacon Naked Apron from Cafe Press ~ True statement (the visual is a little unappealing)!

Stealing Bacon Appetizer Plate from Cafe Press ~ Love this, so charming!

Hope you found a few unique gift ideas. As for me, I'm off to "add to cart"! Stay tuned tomorrow for another delicious bacon creation!

Broccoli (Bacon) Salad

I originally posted this recipe during my "Three Days in the South" series. If you missed it, you can read it here.

Broccoli (Bacon) Salad is my sweet mother's creation and one of my "day after" favorites (the kind you can eat day-after-day-after-day). No matter what the rest of the family says, this yummy deliciousness began in Fancy Nancy's kitchen. Attempts to steal and claim recipe have been made. I attribute it to the sweetness of the dressing and saltiness of the bacon, it's a confusion of the senses and people can't be held responsible for their actions.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Word to the wise: If you plan on sharing it with others, write your name on the recipe!

Broccoli (Bacon) Salad
4-5 cups broccoli (chopped)
1 cup raisins (I use craisins and chopped dried cherries.)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
10 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup sunflower seeds
8 tablespoons sugar (I use brown sugar because I prefer the flavor.)
1 cup Miracle Whip
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Add first five ingredients to large mixing bowl. Toss to combine (food should always be pretty).

In small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, Miracle Whip, and vinegar until thoroughly mixed. Slowly drizzle dressing over broccoli mixture while tossing to coat.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 min before serving. I usually reserve a small amount of dressing, in case it needs a little "oomph" after chilling.

You officially have the perfect party recipe. Be sure to pack a few recipe cards, you're sure to have a few requests.

If you're a bacon lover and missed the first two days in our series "A Week of Bacon", be sure to check out our Bacon Candy and Avocado Bacon Quesadillas recipes.



Chocolate Pecan Delights

If you're a loyal reader, you're aware of my love of Cricket Cookies. If you're new to the S&S family, you can read my Cake Mix Cookies post here. I firmly believe wearing flour and sugar are therapeutic, literal food for the soul. However, there are days when making cookies from scratch-scratch is not feasible so I cheat a little and use a cake mix. Shhhhhhhhh!

This is a new recipe for me. With one bite, it was my new second favorite (Cricket Cookies still reign supreme). I hope you try them, love them, and share them!

Ingredients:

1 package Devil’s Food Cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil together until thoroughly blended. 

Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.

Roll the mixture into rounded tablespoons and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Let cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack.

As you can see, they're delicious! Is that a pecan morsel? If I could get my head in there, I might lick the jar! Enjoy!

Avocado Bacon Quesadilla

Day #2 of our week of bacon and to tell you the truth, I couldn't decide which recipe to post next. They're like children, you can't choose a favorite because you love them all equally. Yes, I just compared my love of bacon to children, oh my!

Super Hunk was conducting bovine business last night so I was flying solo for dinner. Here's my crazy concoction (I was conducting bacon business), it's now one of my new favorites. Enjoy!

Avocado Bacon Quesadilla

2 flour tortillas

6 slices of bacon, cooked and drained

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1/8 cup chopped green chiles (add more if you prefer)

On hot griddle (or large skillet), place first tortilla and top with 1/3 of cheese and green chiles.

Add the bacon and more cheese (Mmmmmm, bacon).

Top with avocado and remaining cheese.

Add second tortilla, press down firmly to "smoosh" it all together. 

After 1-2 minutes (and bottom side is golden brown...much like you after 20 minutes in a tanning bed), flip with spatula.

Let's take a moment and tip our hats to this GINORMOUS spatula. Seriously, it's the size of my head! It's supposed to be for pancakes but it secretly wants to flip quesadillas.

Slice and dine! The ooey gooey cheese, melt in your mouth avocado, and crispy bacon...OH MYLANTA!

(This photo makes me giggle. Death by quesadilla, Wizard of Oz style!)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's bacon surprise.

If you enjoyed this, caring is sharing.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I had a surprise visit this morning from a sweet friend, she recently moved worlds away (it's really more like 3 hours but it seems worlds away). I miss our long chats over coffee and delectables...sniff sniff! Why can't we gather all the people we love and live in a compound in the country? That sounded a lot less "cult-ish" in my head!

Keeping with our "sweet" tradition, I threw on a big pot of Blonde and whipped up a Cinnamon Roll Cake. It's like having a homemade cinnamon roll, without all the work! My kind of recipe.

(It's also perfect for a church potluck or office gathering. Caution, it will become your "signature dish" if shared with others!)

Cinnamon Roll Cake
Cake:

(This is for an 8x8 dish. For a 9x13, double the recipe)

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Topping:

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

Mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla together.

Stir in melted butter, slowly. Pour into greased 8x8 pan.

Mix topping ingredients (softened butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon). Drop over cake mixture evenly.

Swirl your topping and cake mixture with a knife going up and down the length of the pan.

Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. Top with the glaze which is made by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Drizzle over the cake directly out of oven.

Serve warm (add more icing if you like sugar comas) and enjoy!

If you love this recipe, caring is sharing!

(original recipe from lilluna.com)

Sandwich On A Stick

I'm a sucker from way back for food on a stick. Fairs, festivals, rockin' backyard parties, I'm there! Snickers on a stick, corn on a stick, turkey on a stick, even corn dogs (which ordinarily make me nauseous) make my heart skip a beat (probably literally).

While the experience of consuming these lovely delectables is heavenly, it's usually followed by a week long fast.

Here's a healthy option, without spending your entire life savings on Ferris Wheels and bottle tosses.

A satisfying lunch, sinfully easy dinner, or perfect picnic snack. Gather your ingredients and skewer until your tummy is content.

Ingredients:

(Wood skewers are better for picnics, no clean up!)

Ham

Turkey

Sliced red bell pepper

Sliced orange bell pepper

Olives (black & green)

Various cheeses, diced

Avocado

Cherry tomatoes

(I added bread & butter pickles to mine, Super Hunk refrained.)

Get creative! In the land of skewers, there's no right or wrong. Serve it with a side of your favorite hummus and chips. 

Tadaaaaaa, dinner is served!

If you enjoyed this, caring is sharing!

My quest to find the perfect tan in a bottle!

*********** WINNER ***********
Brittany Mc
You officially will be pasty NO MORE! :-)
I'll hold it until I see you this week.
Thank you to all who participated, stay tuned for more Favorite Things giveaways!
*******************************
Since the beginning of time, women have worked tirelessly to achieve the perfect golden glow. That might be exaggerating since cave women were likely more concerned with fur, food, and fire.

So let me rephrase...As long as I can remember, women have worked tirelessly to achieve the perfect golden glow. There was the sunning phase, the baby oil phase, the tanning bed (burn your buns and itch for a week) phase, and now the tanning lotion phase. I'm secretly hoping this one sticks (pun intended).

My quest was inspired by my aversion to sun. For the sake of my wrinkles, the pregnancy mask that never went away, and the age spots appearing as the years pass, UV rays are not my friend.

With blindingly white legs (that were actually a shade of blue in the right light), I set out on a journey to find the perfect tanning lotion.

MANY bottles and a small fortune later, I found it! The perfect glow was within my grasp, I had reached Destination Shorts.  This is how Columbus must've felt!

Loreal Sublime Bronze is a pale girl's best friend...or should I say "fair"? You can now laugh in the face of winter. No more tiger stripes, tie dye, splotches or smudges. 

In fact, I love it so much I think I'll give a bottle away! What? You heard me...pack up those pants, sister! I'm also throwing in an exfoliating cloth which is crucial to prevent streaks. Scrub arms and legs in shower before applying to remove old dye and dead skin. Also, another helpful tip, always apply a generous amount of moisturizer BEFORE tanning lotion (it helps to spread things evenly).

To enter, comment below with your skin tone. Are you fair, olive, or blue (like me)? Winner will be selected randomly on Saturday.

Here's to you, my Bronze Beauties!

Caring is sharing!