Seriously. I thought I'd figured out the formula for perfectly crispy bacon, and while it was a bit involved and wasn't 100% reliable (due to differences in brand, thickness, etc.), it usually produced crispy (yet *extremely* dark) results. While the BF had always maintained that the crispy factor was all that mattered, the new convection oven has prompted him to reevaluate his standards.

In all seriousness, the bacon I've produced in the convection oven is amazing. It's perfectly crumbly-crisp but nowhere near over-dark, and the slices tend to stay very flat, instead of curling up and forming a dozen little reservoirs of grease. For my next trick, I'm going to have a go at the thick-sliced stuff, and see how that fares. If it's even *close* to the last couple batches, I think we'll have a winner.

EDIT: FWIW, I'm perfectly happy with the lower-end convection oven. It's over $50 less expensive than the next model up--the 31199R--but I still can't find a significant difference, and mine has been performing beautifully. If I really fall in love with the whole convection thing, I'm more likely to replace my actual stove/oven combo with a convection model than I am to buy a more expensive countertop unit.

So, yes: countertop convection oven + bacon = perfection.

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Took the dog for her noon walk a bit ago and holy fucksticks, Batman! It is hotter'n hell out there today, and the humidity is definitely making it worse. Even the breeze feels like a wet slap.

Given tomorrow's forecast, I think I'll leave the AC on all night to get a jump on it.

On a more positive note, my cousin Zeke was over earlier this morning with 12 pints of blackberries from their new thornless canes. They've been trying out three new varieties, and this one (supposed to be quite sweet) is the newest of the lot. This is their third season (their first real run on them), and they're already as tall as a one-story house. I must say, they're gorgeous, if nothing else.

So, I have 6 pints of berries to work with. Cobbler, I think. Just need some gooooood ice cream.

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Made another spinach soufflé tonight. I definitely prefer using fresh spinach to frozen, and the addition of chopped bacon (or bacon salt) is a plus. This keeps really well in the entree-sized plastic Gladware containers. I pop them in the microwave for a quick breakfast. Haven't tried freezing it, but I might do that this time as an experiment.

Spinach and Cheese Soufflé

4 eggs
1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
splash of non-fat milk
1 tsp minced garlic
Hungarian paprkia to taste
black pepper to taste
chopped bacon (or Bacon Salt) to taste
20 oz fresh spinach (chopped, boiled or steamed until softened and well drained)
(If using frozen spinach, let it thaw and drain well.)

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a square baking dish. (Metal is not desirable.)
Beat the eggs, milk and spices (including garlic) until fluffy.
Carefully fold in the cheese, then fold in the spinach.
Pour into the baking dish and top with some grated Parmesan or additional cheddar, if desired.
Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, or until set. (I start checking it at about 20 minutes and go from there.)

_boxinghelena posted a recipe for mashed fauxtatoes the other day that uses cauliflower instead of potatoes. I made it for the third time tonight, and I think I finally have the magic formula to suit it to my personal preferences. (For the record, if I'm making this for myself, I just mash it by hand with a potato masher. If I'm feeding someone else, I use the food processor.)

Cauliflower Mashed Fauxtatoes

1 head of cauliflower
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup reduced fat (1/3 less fat) cream cheese
5 oz. grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
2-3 Tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (Mediterranean Blend)
minced fresh rosemary (to taste)
At table - Peppered Bacon Salt

Break the cauliflower into florets and boil them with the onion for 8 minutes. (You can steam it if you like--just make sure it's soft enough to mash or process smoothly.) Drain well. Put all ingredients in food processor and whirl until proper consistency. (Add milk if you need to thin it a bit. Only a tsp. at a time, though--a little goes a long way.) Serve hot. Just as good the next day--seems to microwave well, so far, as long as you don't overdo it.

( The original recipe is behind this cut. )

I made this rum cake that theldara linked to the other day, and oh, my god. Fabulous.



The only change I made was to omit the nuts and substitute a slightly lesser amount of chopped dehydrated apricots. You can see them on the top. I still sprinkled the brown sugar on them, too. Also--used dark rum rather than light.

This is incredibly easy and fantastically rewarding. Just make sure you have an appropriately sized crockpot, bowl, and saucer, or you will be frustrated. (Or re-size the recipe for a larger crock.) Half the work is finding the cookware--the rest is cake. (Or pudding, in this case.)

If you do not have at least 6oz of leftover panettone in your kitchen *right now*, go to the store and buy one that is 6oz or larger. They're usually on sale at this point--so buy two. You will not regret it. (You should also make sure you have--or have access to--a small crock pot. A 2-3 qt model should do.) While you're at the grocery, make sure you also have at least:

abt 2 Tablespoons butter
*Slightly* less than 1/2 cup milk
*Slightly* less than 1/2 cup light cream (or half-and-half)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
a bit of sugar (to sprinkle on at the end)
1 oz golden raisins
1 oz dried apricots, chopped (The moist kind, not the thoroughly dehydrated and crispy variety.)
2 Tablespoons apricot preserves
2 Tablespoons brandy
(And don't forget the 6+oz pannettone!)

First, put the apricots and raisins in a bowl and let them soak in the 2 T brandy while you prepare the rest of the pudding. Also, put some water on to boil--enough to fill your crock about halfway.

Find a saucer that fits in the bottom of your crock. Turn it upside down and place it in the crock. Add enough hot (not boiling!) water to just cover the saucer, and turn the crock on High.

Find an oven-proof 2 1/2 cup bowl or dish that fits in your crock. (It should be at least 2 inches deep.) Grease the bowl with about 1/3 of the butter.

Slice the panettone into slices about 3/4 of an inch thick, or so. Spread the remaining butter on the slices (don't go crazy with it), and then spread on the apricot preserves.

Cut each slice into four smaller pieces and layer them in the oven-proof bowl. Scatter the apricots and raisins between the layers.

Whisk together the egg, milk, cream, vanilla, and any brandy that didn't soak into the fruit. Pour evenly over the panettone and gently press the bread down into the liquid.

Cover the top of the oven-proof bowl with foil and set it in the crock on top of the inverted saucer. Using the water you put to boil, pour enough in the crock that it comes about halfway up the sides of the oven-proof bowl.

Put the lid on the crock (which should be on High by now) and cook for 3-5 hours, or until set. Remove from crock (carefully!), remove foil, sprinkle the top with sugar (if desired) and serve with whipped cream.

Experience bliss.

(Does not re-heat well.)

(Forgot--recipe from Slow Cooking For Yourself by Catherine Atkinson. I picked it up in London this past summer, and it's fantastic. Oh, and most of the weights and measures are given in both US and UK standards.)

I was awakened at the ungodly hour of 4:30am by the sound of mousie death. Pooky had captured a mouse, and then--bless his little heart--he took it into the bathtub to kill it, making it much easier to clean up the mess. Unfortunately, he's a bit of a gourmet, and mouse ass is not on his menu. To that end, he chews their tasty little heads off and leaves the ass behind. This means I had a mouse ass to clean out of the tub, along with all the other bits of whatsit one would typically associate with a small-scale evisceration.

(Note to self: When at the grocery, buy more Clorox Clean-Up w/Bleach. Blood really stains porous, old porcelain enamel.)

By the time I'd praised the Mighty Hunter and cleaned up the carcass, I was wide awake with no hope of returning to sleep any time soon. Making the best of it, I stripped the bed, hauled it all downstairs, and have now washed and dried all the bedding. While the washing was going on, I folded some laundry, fooled around with PackRat, and peeled and chopped a couple of butternut squash and made a pot of soup.

The soup will be ready to puree in a bit. Once it's cooling, I'll head upstairs to vacuum the mattress and make up the bed. Then, more packing up of downstairs stuff in preparation for the Floorening, which begins tomorrow.

I fear it. As much as I am looking forward to the result, I fear it.

Eh. We'll see how it goes.

will be cooking in the crock pot tonight. (I'm only using half of what the recipe calls for, though--it's far too much for two, and eggs don't reheat well.)


Crock Pot Breakfast Eggs w/Hash Browned Potatoes

a dozen eggs
1 or 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (Extra-sharp white, in this case.)
1 lb cooked, diced bacon (or 1 lb cooked, diced ham)
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped (red or green--your choice)\
1 bag (about 32-36 oz) breakfast potatoes/shoestring potatoes, or whatever you call them in your neck of the woods. (If you're feeling *really* lazy, you can buy them with peppers and onions in the mix, so all you'll have to do is cook and dice the meat.)
1 cup milk
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp minced, fresh rosemary


Layer the ingredients in the crock in this order: potatoes, meat, veggies, cheese
Repeat the process a couple times, and stop so that the top layer is cheese. (Don't overfill your crock--you still have to add the eggs!)
Beat the eggs, milk, herbs and spices with a whisk, and pour the mixture into the crock.
Put on the lid, set the crock to Low, and cook for 10-12 hours. (You definitely want to check it at the 10 hour mark since every crock pot manufacturer seems to have a different idea about exactly what temperature "Low" should be.)

I make this for the family, occasionally, and my father usually dumps ridiculous amounts of Marie Sharps Hot Sauce on it (which he does with just about everything, really), but I prefer it plain, or with a bit of mild salsa.

to go with the leftover soup. Will make colcannon on Thursday, to use the rest of the potatoes and cream. It's chilly, the days are short and the dark comes early--time for comfort food!

If any of you are looking for last-minute take-along food for any of the parties you might be attending, here are a couple easy recipes that I have (so far) found to be foolproof.

This one is from the Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner). Every woman should own it.

That Pumpkin Stuff Dorothy Makes

( 3 recipes behind the cut. )

yffy posted a recipe for yogurt cream a while ago, and I finally got around to making some the other day. Oh, my god. That stuff is so, SO good. I've had it on granola, bananas, and blueberries, so far, and it only gets better. Here's a link to the source and the recipe, in brief:

Yogurt Cream

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream/whipping cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar

Whisk the yogurt and cream together in a bowl. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top (avoiding lumps) and cover with a tight lid or plastic wrap. Pop it in the fridge all day (or overnight). When you take it out, it will have separated a bit. Don't fret--just whisk it until it's smooth and creamy. Serve over fresh fruit, or atop anything you'd usually serve with whipped cream or fruit dip.

(NOTE: I tried this with fat-free yogurt, and while the taste was *almost* the same, the consistency was eh--very, very thin, verging on runny. If you're happy with that, go for it, but if you're making this for others, I strongly recommend using full-fat, plain yogurt.)

According to emmett_the_sane...

Circus Peanut
4oz Tropicana Orangeade (sugarfree or non)
3/4oz Banana liqueur

(May require some tweaking of the banana component to get it just right.)