Bacon Crazed (Bacon Mac & Cheese Hot Dogs)

So it's not that I haven't been cooking with Bacon on this last hiatus, it's that I've been repeating bacon recipes.  It's that time of year...leaves are changing, weather is cooling down.  It was time to make Beef and Bacon Pies again. (Did you miss that recipe?  Check it out here.)  I always make too many pies, and end up having to give the extra pies to friends...who just seem devastated when the pies are gone.  If I ever get up enough money to start a Bacon Cafe, the pies will be the star of the show.  Sigh...one can dream.

Speaking of dreaming...why not advertise your love of the sweet meat treat....on an Epic level?

Bacon gets a bad reputation for it's unhealthy qualities, however, it's not as bad as say Peanut Butter.....Shocked are you?  Check out this latest study...4 Foods that are worse for you than Bacon.

Comfort foods....we love them, they might not be healthy per se, but they do something for our souls.  With the last touches of the summer sun in the sky, don't retire the grill just yet.  Grill up some of your favorite hot dogs, and top them with crunchy, cheesy bacony Mac & Cheese.  Watch your soul smile.

Bacon Mac & Cheese Hot Dogs
Hot Dogs
Hot Dog Buns
6 slices of cooked bacon
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Cook bacon.  (Isn't that the beginning of all my recipes?) In a Pan on a stove, on a plate in the Microwave, in the oven on a cookie sheet (350 for 20-25 minutes), just get it crispy.  Break up into small pieces, set aside.

Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain.

In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick. Put macaroni in large casserole dish, and pour sauce over macaroni. Stir well.

Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and brown. Spread over the macaroni and cheese to cover.   Tops with Bacon pieces.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Cook Hot Dogs.  Once Macaroni and Cheese has cooked and cooled for 5 minutes, then top your hot dog with Mac & Cheese and Bacon.  Devour.

  

Fall and Football (Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Rolls & Bacon Caramel Apple Hand Pies)

It's that time of the year again.  School has started and the fall smell is back in the air.  It's my favorite time of year.  It's also Ray's favorite time of the year, as Football is back on.

In celebration of football I put these two recipes together to take with us for the annual opening Sunday football games, at our friend's house.  How could you go wrong with Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Rolls and Bacon Caramel Apple Hand Pies?  You can't.  You can't ever go wrong with Bacon!

Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
1 lb lean ground beef
8 -10 slices bacon
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 & 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (12 ounce) package of won ton wrappers (thawed)
1 egg

Cook Bacon on a broiling pan in the oven, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached.  Drain bacon on a paper towel.  Once drained, chop bacon fine and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cook ground beef in a frying pan until browned, drain grease.  Add Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning.  Add bacon bits to ground beef and mix well.

Beat egg in bowl. add 2 tablespoons of water.  Mix well. (Egg is used to seal edges of won ton wrappers; water works too).

Take won ton wrapper  and put large spoonful of hamburger and bacon on one corner of wrapper. Add pinch of cheddar cheese on top of meat mixture.  Take the wrapper and place it in front of you so it looks like a diamond rather than a square. You want the filling to go straight from corner to corner. Roll by taking the bottom corner and tucking it up and under the filling. Then bring in both sides and continue to roll up, until it looks like a little envelope.  Taking the egg wash, run it down the top of the free sides of the wrapper, the point, then roll the egg roll to the top to seal.

Repeat until you have used all the meat or all the wrappers, whichever happens first.

Place Egg Rolls on a cookie sheet and using the remaining egg wash, brush over the top of each roll.  Cook egg rolls for 25-30 minutes until a nice golden brown color.

Serve Egg Rolls alone, or with your favorite condiments, ie) ketchup, mustard or BBQ Sauce.


Bacon Caramel Apple Hand Pies
1 can of Apple Pie Filling
1 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon
1 package of refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
1/2 cup of flour
6-8 pieces of bacon 
12 Soft Caramel candies, removed from wrappers and chopped into smaller pieces
1 egg + 1 tbsp of water whisked together for an egg wash

Cook Bacon on a broiling pan in the oven, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached.  Drain bacon on a paper towel.  Once drained, chop bacon fine and set aside.

Leave oven temp at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a bowl, mix apple pie filling (you might want to chop this down into smaller pieces, if the pie filling has larger chunks of apple in it.)  Mix cinnamon into apples.  Add Bacon, and caramels. 

Roll our pie crusts.  Using a glass or 2 1/2 - 3 inch circle cutter, cut out 2 circles for each hand pie.  Spoon a small tablespoon of apple mixture onto one circle, keeping filling in the center, not letting it go to the edges.  Using egg wash, go around the edges of the pie crust with the filling in the center, and place a top circle of pie crust over the top.  Sealing edges.  Using a fork, crimp the edges of the pie together to form a complete seal.  Place finished hand pie on cookie sheet, and repeat until the pie crust has been used up.

Using remaining egg wash, lightly brush over the top of each pie.  Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

International Bacon Day! (Cheese Burger Bombs wrapped in Bacon)

Did you know that it was International Bacon Day, yesterday, August 31, 2013?   According to the Wiki Gods..."International Bacon Day or Bacon Day is an unofficial observance held on the Saturday before Labor Day in the United States. (Labor Day is traditionally the first Monday of September). Bacon day celebrations typically include social gatherings during which participants create and consume dishes containing bacon, including bacon-themed breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and drinks."

So, how to celebrate such an occasion?  Why, you could always attend the BeerBaconBoobs Festival in Williamsville, NY.  It's a Beer & Bacon Fest held by the Breast Cancer Center Network of WNY Inc to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness.

I was in my glory.  It was a Mock Birthday party for me, see, as my b-day is today.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate than by Beer and Bacon.  The Festival had over 20 different Microbreweries from the New York and East Coast.  And the food, well, 8 different food trucks came to entice the pallets.  There was a hot dog truck, grilled cheese, Mac & Cheese, Chocolate Truffles, desert, Kettle Corn, and burger truck all featuring the delicious meat candy.  We walked around to make up our minds up on lunch and after much deliberation we settled on the busiest truck, The Roaming Buffalo.  We got the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger (1/4 lb. burger, bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, drunken onions & homemade Flying Bison Aviator Red BBQ Sauce), the Cow8Pig Burger (Crispy Applewood Bacon-stuffed burger patty topped with Bacon Jam, Cheese, and Bacon) and Beer Bacon Cheese Fries.  The festival itself was worth it just for the Cow8Pig Burger alone!

Once lunch was happily digesting, it was time for beer.  We sampled a plethora of the best microbreweries in the area.  Beer and Bacon just belong together, don't be selfish and keep them apart.

By the time we were happily sated from the salty sweet meat candy and the wonderful blends of ale that complement the meat so well, it was time to head home, but not without bringing home something for the kids.  How about some Bacon Kettle Corn?  Or some Peanut Butter Bacon Cups?

So no matter how you spent this grandest of days, International Bacon Day, maybe next year you'll join me.  I'll be back in Williamsville.  Celebrating as only they know how!

Cheese Burger Bombs Wrapped in Bacon
1 can (16.3 oz)  refrigerated original or buttermilk biscuits 
1/2 lb lean ground beef
4 oz block cheddar cheese, cut into 8 slices, then each sliced is halved, making 16 squares
8 slices of bacon, uncooked, cut in half, making 16 pieces
Vegetable cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a broiling pan with vegetable spray, and set aside.
 

Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each biscuit in half; roll each into ball. Roll out each ball with rolling pin or press with hands until about 3 inches in diameter.

In center of each biscuit round, place 1 teaspoon ground beef and 1 cube of cheese. Roll up dough to completely enclose beef and cheese; pinch to seal well. Set aside. 

Wrap each stuffed “bomb” with 1 bacon slice; gently secure loose bacon with toothpick by inserting it through bacon and halfway into “bomb.”  

Place each "bomb" on the broiling pan and cook for 20-25 minutes, until bacon is crispy and biscuits have turned golden in color.
        

Bacon is Red. Bacon is Rough. One Strip of Bacon is never enough. (Maple Bacon Waffle Cone Rice Krispy Treats)

One of the best things about the office I work in is the awesome food days that occur.  Food is a great work distraction.  My husband required my kitchen skills this week for a such occasion, and I had just received a recipe on Pinterest that was begging for some bacon to be added.  They were ooey.  They were gooey... and they had bacon.  What else could you ask for?  (Plus other Baconfiles brought in Hash brown Bacon-Weave Cups and Chocolate-Covered Bacon so this was a nice addition, or so I'm told). 

Maple Bacon Waffle Cone Rice Krispy Treats
2 sticks of unsalted butter
Two 10 ounce bag of marshmallows
24 ounces Rice Krispie cereal (approx. 4 cups)
12 waffle cones, crushed
1 pound of bacon, fried up and crumbled
½ cup maple syrup, grade B

Grease a 9-x-13 inch pan or 24 muffin tins using butter or Vegetable Spray. 

In a large pot, over low heat add butter and let melt.

Add marshmallows, stirring into the butter. Let them melt until almost all of the marshmallows are in liquid form, add maple syrup.

Once melted, take off of the heat. Add cereal, bacon and waffle cone pieces. Mix until all the ingredients are equally distributed (as best you can).  Pour into rectangular pan or equally split mixture between the muffin tins. Let firm up for an hour or so by placing in the refrigerator to cool. Cut into squares (if you used a rectangular pan) and enjoy.
 
 

Bacon. It's Gonna Save the World Someday. I Don't Know How - But it Will! (Bacon Potato Chip Cookies)

Today bacon loved potatoes.  I've been making a lot of the sweeter bacon recipes, so I decided to go savory.  Took potatoes and quartered them, wrapped half a slice of uncooked bacon around the spud and secured with a toothpick.  350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Perfect accompaniment to slow-smoked pork spare ribs.

 

But tonight's show stopper recipe is something I just put together, after hearing about the cookie at work.  My friend Jon told me all about these delicious Potato Chip Cookies he had a couple of weeks ago.  Of course, while he's telling me all about them, all I can think of is "I wonder how they will taste with Bacon?"

 

Bacon Potato Chip Cookies

6 Slices of bacon, cooked

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup crushed potato chips

3/4 cup crushed toffee bits (or butterfinger)

1/4 cup sugar (for rolling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Place bacon on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet in a cold oven, and cook for 20-25 minutes, our until desired doneness.  Remove from rack and drain on a paper towel.  Once drained and cool, chop fine.

Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt together with an electric mixer until fluffy.  On low speed, beat in flour until just incorporated.  Stir in Bacon, Potato Chips and Toffee.  Make balls of cookie dough (about 1 tbsp) and roll them in sugar.  Place cookie balls on buttered baking sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass (about 1/4 inch thick).  bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Don't cool too long on baking sheet, the toffee will stick. 

I used to think Bacon was bad for me. Then I stopped thinking. (Double-Chocolate Bacon Zucchini Muffins)

It's that time of year, where the farmer's markets are harvesting their squash and zucchini.  And the zucchini's I've seen so far this summer are HUGE!  I'm a big fan of sneaking veggies into other foods, like breads and cakes.  Add chocolate and even better, so why not add Bacon?!?  I adapted a zucchini bread recipe that I had used in the past.  Results are in, and taste testers approve.  So if you are looking for a way to sneak some veggies in, or just trying to get rid of the veggies you're growing, try it out.

Double-Chocolate Bacon Zucchini Muffins
6-8 slices of bacon
2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or bourbon vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup All-Purpose Baking Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
1 2/3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed (1 Large zucchini)
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F, put slices of bacon on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet, bake for 20 minutes or until desired crispiness.  Move bacon to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cooled, chop bacon fine and set aside.

Lightly grease muffin tins or papers.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and flour, mixing until well combined.

Stir in the zucchini, chocolate chips and finely chopped bacon.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins or papers.  Bake the muffins for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven, and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool.

The Mystical Powers of Fortune Telling Bacon (And Bacon Toffee Cheesecake)

Found this in my internet trolling this morning....Did you know that Bacon can tell your future.  No!  Not your future of Heart Disease....but the mysteries of the future are in the palm of your hand, and Bacon can show you the way.

Check out the website here!

We went to the new Monroe County Fair yesterday and enjoyed the livestock, the food, and the Large tractors.  My husband had a deep-fried Snickers bar, but had they offered this below, I would've emptied my wallet for them...

 

This week's recipe was a HUGE success.  I've never personally tackled making a cheesecake before, so why not try something new?  And how do we make things that are awesome, better people?  We add Bacon.  (This is the theme afterall).  The Cheesecake was so good, in fact, I sent out a public plea on facebook to come over and help me finish it.  It was so rich and filling.  I suggest small pieces when you make/share it.

 

Bacon Toffee Cheesecake

Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 – 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped toffee candy bars (I used mini heath bars)
1/4 lb. finely chopped almonds
1 package hickory bacon
brown sugar
cinnamon

1. Candy your bacon: Cook the bacon on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet.  Places slices down and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Put bacon into a cold oven and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes until done.  Drain Bacon on a paper towel, and then chop fine into pieces once cooled.

2. Make the crust: In a food processor, chop the almonds until almost a powder. Butter your springform pan on the bottom and sides. Toss in the almonds and then gently shake to coat buttered areas. Wrap the outside of the pan with 3 layers of heavy duty foil.

3. Make the cheesecake: Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in butter, then eggs, one at a time, until just blended. Beat in bourbon vanilla, crushed toffee, and candied bacon bits. Slowly pour the cheese mixture into your prepared pan.

4. Bake the cake: Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of the pan. Bake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Place hot cheesecake uncovered in refrigerator overnight.

5. Serve: Now that your cake is cooled completely, run a butter knife around the sides of the pan. Release the spring and invert cake onto a plate. Garnish with a drizzle of caramel sauce or chopped up toffee and candied bacon.