Ultimate Bacon Sarnie (Sandwich)

At the end of August, I read an article about an ongoing debate on the ultimate bacon sarnie (sandwich) in The Register, a UK-based technology magazine. The author, Lester Haines, welcomed readers to email in their photos by Friday, September 14, so here it is.

To prepare, Meredith and I had a deep discussion about how we'd make our ultimate bacon sarnie:

Bread: bread can be a contentious issue. Clearly, a proper English sarnie would be built upon slices of hand-sliced white bread. Well, we had just finished our loaf and chose a different avenue. Instead, we opted to get some Gryfe's bagels - one of the best bagels you can get that's not baked in Montreal.

Bacon: our initial thoughts would be to Canadianize the sarnie a bit further by using pemeal bacon. That thought lasted until we realized that we already had some traditional slices in the freezer from a local butcher.

Sauce: there was no debate here. It must be brown sauce, and it must be HP's brown sauce in particular.

Eggs: yes, our sarnie has an egg. We hope it's not interpreted as an Aussie move, we just thought it would go really well with everything, and it sure did.

Cheese: this is where things fell off the rails, sorta. We trotted off to the nearest grocer with high hopes to get some old Cheddar. We didn't want to buy the generic 1/2 kilo block of tasteless cheddar - we wanted something nice from the deli. There was only one problem: the Cheddar was made in Normandy. Say what? Yes, Normandy, France. We're hoping to be forgiven for that particular indiscretion. We're keeping the bagel, but we're hoping for proper English Cheddar for our next go.

Verdict: this is the ultimate bacon sarnie. The bagel wasn't overpoweringly dense and allowed you to taste the rest of the sandwich. The brown sauce complimented both the bacon and the egg, and the cheese, despite surrendering as soon as it touched the egg, added just the right flavour.

Ultimate Bacon Sarnie

2 bagels
1 tbsp butter
6 rashers (slices) bacon
2 eggs
2 slices old cheddar cheese
1-2 tbsp brown sauce (i.e., HP sauce)

1. Slice bagels in half and butter both sides. Set the slices on plates.
2. In a non-stick or cast-iron pan, fry the bacon and set aside.
3. Wipe out the pan and and fry eggs, over easy.
4. Before removing eggs from pan, place slices of cheese on top of the eggs and remove the pan from the heat.
5. Assemble each sandwich as follows:
   bottom bagel slice
   brown sauce
   3 rashers bacon
   egg (with melted cheese on top)
   bagel top slice.

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Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

We don't make bacon often, but when we do, we occasionally save the rendered fat in a jar and store it in the back of the fridge. I'd joke about using it to make fried bread once in a while, but I never do.

Putting bacon in everything has been a trend for some time. I think it's part of the sweet and salty combination that makes the flavours attractive. I've seen bacon with chocolate and bacon-topped cupcakes. Meredith wanted to use some of that bacon fat for cookies, so we started looking.

The more reasonable recipes used about 1/2 cup bacon fat (as substitute for 1/2 cup butter). I know - that can't be healthy. We weren't expecting it to be. And there had to be some crumbled bacon as well.

The cookies were pretty good. There was a slight aftertaste that was a little strong, but I attribute that to sediment in the bacon fat - extra salty bits. I think I should've put the hot bacon fat through a coffee filter first, because it was a little cloudy. I've done it before and I'll do it next time - if there is a next time.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup rendered bacon fat
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup bacon, cooked and chopped

1. Using an electric mixer, fold bacon fat, butter, and brown sugar. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary.
2. Continue to mix on low and add eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Continue to mix and add flour. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary.
4. Mix in chocolate chips and bacon and let dough rest for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
6. Using a cookie scoop, spoon balls of dough onto baking sheets.
7. Bake for 16 minutes and allow cookies to cool on a rack.

inspired by Kim Conte's recipe.
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Miffy's Baked Beans

This large casserole dish was maybe two-thirds of the batch.
This particular batch didn't use beer, however, it tastes
even better with the beer.

When my mother-in-law told me that she had made baked beans from scratch, Meredith and I were excited to try it. We were equally disappointed to find that they were already gone.

Fortunately, it didn't take much pleading for her to make a batch for us. The beans arrived - slow cooker and all - and there was much more than expected. But we didn't complain - more for us. We're big fans. Sausage and beans, potatoes and beans, beans on toast, beans and Kraft Dinner. Not that we usually eat these meals consecutively.

I've never made baked beans from scratch myself. My slow cooker just isn't big enough, and the bowl doesn't remove for easy cleaning. Still, I was very reluctant to part with it because it was a gift from my (now deceased) grandparents.

A couple months later, I stumbled upon a large slow cooker for $10 at a garage sale and I I finally got the recipe from my mother-in-law (the beans pictured in the photo are hers).

The recipe is mostly based on a Chatelaine recipe. I read the reviews and they were mixed. I suspect that several readers cooked the beans on high and quickly dissolved most of the liquid in the cooker. Unfortunate for them, but great for me. The beans we feasted upon tasted great.

Miffy's Baked Beans

1 onion, finely chopped
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red-chili flakes
2 cups dry navy beans, rinsed
3 1/3 cups water or 2 cups water + 1 bottle of beer

1. Combine onion with bacon, molasses, ketchup, Dijon, salt and chili flakes in the slow cooker and stir gently until thoroughly mixed.
2. Stir in beans, water (and beer) until combined.
3. Cover and cook on low until beans are tender, about 10 hours.

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Cottage Baked Potato

Is "awesomest" a word? That describes this potato

happily resting on the vintage cottage plate.

Spending a week at a rented cottage, I figured that food blogging was going to be out of the question. I didn't have my toolbox with my knives and basic cooking utensils (big mistake, by the way), and it'd be mostly basic barbecues, sandwiches, etc.

Meredith has very few rules for camping and cottaging, but one of them is "there must be bacon!" I'm not a big breakfast eater, so I had planned our fry-up for a dinner instead, one of the few times I wouldn't be using the barbecue for dinner. I had also brought up some potatoes hoping that I'd be able to bake them in a fire (probably not happening based on my most fire attempt).

Just before we left, I saw a great recipe from Chef Amos Miller on Cook, Eat, Share. It's his introduction that really caught my attention: "This is so simple, you'll laugh. It tastes so good, you'll cry." He wasn't exaggerating. Such little effort for such flavour. Oh, yum.

The trick was to stuff a potato with butter and something else, top it off with some bacon, wrap it, and bake it. Facing those potatoes and some extra bacon, I realized that I had an opportunity. I tried to be good and substituted the butter for margarine (Chef Miller would be disappointed) and switched the spices to what's available, but I think the idea of the recipe is to really add what flavouring you have on hand, as long as it includes bacon.

Cottage Baked Potatoes

4 russet potatoes, washed
2-4 tbsp butter or margarine
4 garlic cloves, peeled
salt and pepper
2 strips (rashers) bacon, cut in half

1. Preheat oven or grill to 450-degrees or preheat grill.
2. Using a chef's knife, slice the potatoes halfway down, lengthwise and place on two squares of tinfoil.
3. Twist the knife in the sliced potatoes until you hear a faint cracking, causing the slit to open a bit.
4. Stuff the thin slices of butter into the slit, or, using a spoon, force the margarine in.
5. Using the side of the chef's knife blade, flatten the garlic cloves and shove one into each potato.
6. Sprinkle each potato with salt and pepper.
7. Top potatoes lengthwise with 1/2 slice of bacon.
8. Wrap potatoes and bake or grill for one hour.

Inspired by Amos Miller's A Baked Potato Recipe.

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Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

Relaxing with our friends

In late September the temperature suddenly dropped. Meredith still liked it cold in the house and I was freezing. It was going to be a busy week between band practice, Meredith's evening out with friends, our final "caring for baby" class and my parents dropping by for Meredith's birthday.

We spent the weekend cleaning, fixing, building, sorting and anything else you could think of around the house. By Sunday evening, the house was chilly and friends were stopping by for some hot tea. Tea turned into dinner, to my delight.

It was time for comfort food. Specifically, time to break out a version of the mashed potato casserole recipe I had recently found. Although the original recipe listed it as a side dish, chock full of cheese, bacon and creamy goodness, it's really a meal in one bowl (aside from my obligatory salad). The four of us pretty much finished the entire dish, with a little snack set aside for a midnight snack or lunch the following day.

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

• 6 cups potatoes, hand mashed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 package (250g) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup extra old Cheddar cheese
• 12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. In an electric mixer, beat potatoes, milk, cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, garlic salt and nutmeg until mixture is smooth.
3. Transfer mixture into a 13x9 casserole dish, sprinkle on Cheddar and bacon.
4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Bake for an additional 5 minutes uncovered.

(Based on Easy to be Gluten Free's recipe)

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Broccoli Salad with Cranberries

Photo courtesy of Hungry Jenny

With smaller florets

For the last Christmas dinner of the season (just after New Year's), we were asked to bring the broccoli.

Not only was it on sale (bonus!), but it was my chance to make a broccoli salad similar to the one that our friend Sue is famous for. 

Since Sue was in New York City whooping it up with Ryan Seacrest as the ball was dropping Thursday night, I was left to fend for myself figuring out a recipe.

Broccoli Salad with Cranberries

Salad

• 5 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (I prefer sharp cheddar cheese but I was out)
• 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
• 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 1 cup shelled sunflower seeds

Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1. In a large salad bowl, mix all salad ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, beat all dressing ingredients with wire whisk until blended.
3. Spoon over salad and toss.
4. Refrigerate for one hour before serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated.

(inspired by RecipeZaar Broccoli with Cranberries Salad)

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