Cooking Bacon in the Oven

I have a husband who loves bacon.  LOVES IT.

So I try to incorporate it into our meals somewhat often.  But really, who likes to stand at the stove and cook bacon?  It takes a good while!  Until now...

I've started to cook it in the oven - and it's a wonderful thing.

Doesn't it look good?

Here's what you do:

1) Preheat oven to 400.
2) Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3) Lay out the bacon so that it's almost touching - the farther apart it is, the easier it is to burn it.
4) Cook for 15-20 minutes.  Starting at 15 minutes, watch it closely as it goes from being golden and crunchy to black and burnt pretty quickly.
5) When it's done, take it off the pan immediately and put it on a paper towel-lined plate.

Notes:
1) This above photo is obviously not mine because there's no aluminum foil.  The foil makes it so easy to clean up!  Really.  Let the pan sit for about an hour, and you'll be able to fold it up with all the grease in the foil.  NO MESS!
2) Some directions on the internet say to make it by putting the bacon on a cooling rack that is in the pan.  I didn't try it because it would mean something else to clean up - and I found there was no need.  It still gets crunchy without the rack.

Traveling

This girl is leaving the warm weather and her daddy 

 

to travel to the West Coast with her mommy

to meet these two cousins of hers, and their parents!

She'll also be visiting with her Auntie Katie, soon-to-be Uncle Chris, and Nani, too.

YAY!

Brownies

It was just too hard to wait until morning before eating a few!

When one has a hankering for chocolate, it's hard to find a better dessert than brownies. The final product is delicious but you don't have to wait for the timer to beep before you can enjoy your work! At least that's what we think over here, as our batter bowl is left with perhaps a bit more batter than necessary. Brownie batter - so good!

Of course, the above is only true if you make box brownies. Until now.

That's right - I have found the best homemade brownie recipe. Previous recipes have resulted in brownies that just aren't chocolatey enough or more often than not dry brownies. Why go to the work when one can use a box mix to make the best brownies?

Again, that was until now.

These brownies check all the right boxes:

• stay moist for days
  
• chocolatey
• include vegetables (w0w!)
• no need for frosting
• vegan (Now you'll know what to serve for dessert to your vegan friends!)
  

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies


1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 11 baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.

2. In a stand mixer, combine sugar, canola oil, and flour, combine until mixture resembles wet sand.

3.While mixing, on low, add cocoa, zucchini, vanilla extract, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the brownies are set.

5. Cool on a wire rack. [Oops, I just leave them in the pan!] Cut brownies into squares and serve.

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

Note: These are definitely more of a cakey brownie, so if you want the fudgy-ness of a box brownie, stick to the box. My days of box brownies are definitely not over, but now they won't be my only brownies! (And sorry, the batter isn't the best - but really, try these!)

French Toast Waffles

Looking for a new twist on breakfast for dinner? How about French Toast Waffles? I found the idea in the JOY of Cooking and it was delicious and easy. Mix up your french toast mix as usual, dip your bread, and then put it in the waffle maker rather than on the griddle!

This is definitely going into my new recipe file for simple family meals!