Recipes Discovered

Bacon Explosion Recipe

It’s no secret that Seth is a huge fan of bacon. I think the fact that he talked me into making Bacon Cookies is proof enough of that. He definitely took it to a whole new level though when he set me the recipe for Bacon Explosion. The basic idea of the recipe is to wrap bacon in sausage and then wrap the sausage in more bacon - 2 pounds of each to be exact. The thought of it alone might give some people chest pains. I agreed to make it only if we invited friends over to join us in our coronary demise. The journey to this bacon nirvana, as Seth referred to it as, is simple, just a lot of steps. And the results? Seth and Ethan absolutely loved it, while the rest of us I think just tolerated it. Not to say it was bad, because I actually thought it was pretty good, but it’s hard to wrap your head around eating that much bacon. In case you were wondering, if you cut the log into 10 portions, each serving would be 824 calories, 63 grams of fat, and 3265 mg of sodium (136% of your daily allowance). On the upside, as Ethan pointed out, it only contains 7 carbs!

Sweet and Sour Pork

Seth and I were watching a recent episode of Good Eats titled Down and Out in Paradise. It was about basic Island food - mangoes, coconuts, papayas, and pineapple - but the recipe that stood out for me was for sweet and sour pork. Although I ended up changing the recipe slightly, it turned out to be outstanding. Marinating the pork overnight is a must because it really tenderizes the meat and gives it amazing flavor ginger/garlic flavor, not salty like I thought it would be. The sauce was a little sweet for my taste, but cutting down on the sugar would solve that problem. I can’t really think of any other criticism for the dish. It had a ton of flavor, and was seriously Good Eats! (haha)

Breakfast (Bacon) Cookies Recipe

After all of the cookies that Seth took to work with him, one of his co-workers decided that the only cookie missing was one with bacon. I thought Seth was crazy until he actually e-mailed this recipe, and asked me to make them. Raisins, multi grain flakes, and, of course, bacon are mixed into a standard cookie dough to create a sweet and savory cookie. It’s a very strange combination, but it has a lot of components of breakfast, hence the name breakfast cookies. I cooked the bacon in the microwave, which I find it the least messy cooking method. I used 6 slices of thick bacon, and ended up cooking them for 10 minutes to get them really crisp. After stirring the dough together, I used my cookie scooper to place the cookies on cookie sheets, and then baked them 10 or 11 minutes, just until the edges of the cookies were brown. I then transferred the cookies to wire racks and let them cool. Although I’m not a huge fan of bacon, I was very curious about these cookies. After tasting one (or two), I have to admit, they are really good. They are crisp from the flakes, but still a little bit chewy. And while the bacon flavor definitely comes through, it’s not the dominate flavor. The raisins give the cookies a little sweetness, which balances the saltiness. It’s a unusual cookie, but, as Seth tells me, everything is better with bacon! I just like an excuse to eat cookies for breakfast.
Breakfast (Bacon) Cookies Recipe

While unpacking (still), I found an Irish cookbook that I had bought a long time ago. Seth’s family is very Irish, and I’ve always wanted to learn to cook traditional Irish food. I had Seth pick out recipes for a complete meal, and this is what he came up with.

We started with Mushroom Soup, which simply a lot of mushrooms cooked with potatoes, onions, garlic, and some stock. The recipe implies to blend the soup, but it leave it rather chunky, but Seth and I both prefer the soup blended smooth. It developed a very cream texture, similar to cream of mushroom soup. I used portobello, crimini, and white button mushrooms, which gave the soup great flavor. I served the soup with Brown Soda Bread, which is so incredibly easy to make. I mixed whole wheat flour with baking powder and buttermilk (I had to use more buttermilk than the recipe called for) together until a dough forms. I then kneaded the dough for a minute until it was smooth and baked until hollow. The bread was so good! It formed a nice crust on the outside, but was so soft and smooth on the inside. Seth wanted me to make it everyday. >> Read more

Moo Shu Recipe

Moo shu is basically an pseudo Chinese dish served in American restaurants. Generally composed of pork, shredded cabbage, and carrots mixed with a garlic-soy sauce and served on a tortilla like Chinese “pancake” with hoisin sauce. There are many variations and additions that can be made, but I like to stick with the basics (although I do like to substitute chicken for the pork). I found a really quick and easy recipe in a 30 minute cookbookand have made it many of times. It’s great for a quick dinner with big flavor. I have made it with pork, chicken, and beef and all are good. The recipe calls for packaged coleslaw mix, but sometimes I can’t find that in the grocery store, so I just shred some cabbage and carrots and mix in. I usually find the mixture to need more sauce, so I double the sauce part of the recipe. Try the recipe out and mix and match until you find something you like! It’s a great recipe for experimenting.