#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

All About the Bacon

July 11, 2005 · Narrative

Spent the weekend at the shore, breaking in my newest cookbook, Everything Tastes Better with Bacon. Bacon made an appearance in three of our meals this weekend, two were recipes from this new cookbook.

Saturday morning breakfast started with Sweetie Pie Pancake with Brown Sugar Apples and Bacon and lunch was BLTs. The Pancake was pretty simple to make, about 30 minutes from start to table. High praise all around, including the men. This would be a really nice brunch dish; the apples are tender and sweet, with the bacon lending a subtle saltiness to the dish. Adding the eggs, you have everything you need to start your day.


Sweetie Pie Pancake with Brown Sugar Apples and Bacon

For dinner, we started with Nigella’s Roasted Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta. We did that on Semolina bread, which added another flavor layer.

The main dish was another Nigella one, Spaghetti alle Vongole in Bianco. Nice and simple, it produced a clean, wine sauce for the clams and spaghetti. I especially liked this one because without butter or oil, it was pretty healthy (perfect to offset all the bacon we had!).

We rounded out the meal with another new recipe from the bacon cookbook, Pear Salad with Bacon and Honey Vinaigrette. I made a few slight changes to the recipe, and it was delicious! Big flavor impact, particularly with the addition of Gorgonzola. A unique mix of ingredients, this will be a definite repeater for us (and this coming from a confirmed non-pear eater!).

So, all in all, a successful foray into a new cookbook – see below for some of the recipes. Four new recipes this weekend, and all were successes. Gotta love those odds!

The weather was perfect for eating out on the back deck, and with this kind of view, how can you not?


View from Deck as Sun was Setting


Side View

We took Nicholas miniature golfing for the first time, and he got the hang of it pretty quickly … especially the cheating part! He’d swing at the ball and get it about halfway there, then he’d go pick up the ball and put it a few inches from the hole and swing again to get it in. Pretty smart! Who needs all those extra club strokes in between? When The Husband swung at the ball, Nicholas would very helpfully retrieve it from the green and bring it right back to the beginning. :)


Learning to Golf!

Tonight’s dinner was Jamie Oliver’s Crispy Chicken with Basil and Sweet Tomatoes, served over buttered rice. I’ve made this one before (see early June entries), and it’s still just as yummy as ever. It cooks for three hours, but prep time is under 15 minutes. Do try it!

Tune in tomorrow to find out what cookbook bargains I picked up over the weekend. Until then…

Pear Salad with Bacon and Honey Vinaigrette
(recipe has been modified by Cate)
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
2 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 crisply cooked pieces of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2-1/2 cups loose packed mixed greens
1-2 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola

In a small bowl, mix together the oil and honey. Whisk in the mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar. In a medium bowl, gently toss together the pears, bacon and mixed greens, lifting and blending the ingredients. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, toss again, and divide among 4 chilled salad plates. Garnish each salad with crumbled cheese and serve immediately.

Sweetie-Pie Pancake with Brown Sugar Apples and Bacon
Serves 4

3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 slices of cooked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 small apples
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 425. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and flour. The batter may be slightly lumpy. Set aside. Peel, core and cut the apples into 1/4-inch slices. Melt the butter over medium heat in ovenproof skillet or Corning Ware dish. Add the apple slices and saute for 3 minutes. Turn the apples and saute for 3 minutes longer. Sprinkle the apples with the brown sugar, then with the bacon and cook for 1 minute. Whisk the batter for 30 seconds and pour it over the apple mixture. Bake until the pancake puffs up and is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Using an oven mitt to hold the skillet’s hot handle, remove from the oven. Dust with powdered sugar, slice and serve immediately (relax, it will deflate).

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. McAuliflower says

    July 12, 2005 at 1:04 am

    Yum! Fun cookbook, and a great way to break it in. Looked like fun!

    Reply
  2. Cate says

    July 12, 2005 at 1:12 am

    Oh yeah, J, mention bacon and I’m all over it, especially the crispy kind. :)

    Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    July 12, 2005 at 2:33 am

    Another bacon lover here–those recipes both sound wonderful!
    My bacon has to be crispy-it’s the best!

    Reply
  4. BlueMule says

    July 13, 2005 at 2:58 pm

    Frankly, I think you could wrap an old tennis shoe in bacon, bake it at 350 for an hour and it would taste fantastic!

    Mule

    Reply

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

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