Oven Baked Bacon

I am finding that there may be a few ways on how to achieve the ultimate cooked bacon. My son had watched a video on how to cook bacon in the oven and was describing the method of such. I have cooked bacon in the oven before however never covered the tray. Covering does change things and although I did not use wire racks, supposedly like the video did, to allow the bacon grease to drip; I am fine with that because I am all about curbing ones cleaning and washing up. 

Quite simply preheat the oven to 400ºF, take a baking tray and line the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. Place the bacon on the prepared baking tray. Cover with more aluminum foil and place the tray in the oven and allow to cook for 15 to 25 minutes or until crispy, checking after 10 minutes and turning once. Cooking time depends on how many slices you are baking and how you like your bacon cooked. Remove bacon slices that are cooked sooner to drain on a plate lined with kitchen towel (paper towel).  

I found that this is an easier way to cook bacon as there was little clean up and no greasy mess. Just allow the grease to cool then careful roll the foil, from the baking tray into a ball and place in the garbage. This also allows one to utilize the stove top, get on with prep work, wash dishes or do something else while the bacon is in the oven.  


Hope everyone is having a good week. - JD     

Growing Herbs for the Kitchen

I thought this was a special little book and it does read more like a reference text. It offers help to those wanting to try their hand at growing herbs in the garden or for those wanting a lovely herb window box.

Notable herbs are listed in alphabetical order. The usual herb suspects are there although some notorious ones as Borage, Catnep, Lemon Balm, Lovage, and Sweet Cicley make an appearance. A herb is dedicated to each page with a point form explanation detailing such as the botanical name, botanical family, life span, appearance, flavour, soil, position, propagation, germination, quality to grow, plant, culture and finally pots... whether the herb may be potted or window boxed. It really is a quick guide. The opposite page has a sketch of the featured herb. 

Unfortunately, there are no recipes however at the back of the book there is Climatic Information; telling how much cold, as in temperature, each herb can or will withstand. After that there is a table called Flavour Makes the Dish. The herbs are listed with a suggested food list. Which it also states not to use too many herbs together in one dish and a point to note... "One - half a teaspoon of dried herb is roughly equal to two teaspoons of the fresh chopped, and a quarter teaspoon of the powdered herb."

It is great if you have chosen your dishes for a meal and want to make each dish a savoury one. Choosing will help find what herb compliments best. Considering the book was published in 1972 a few things have changed involving the world of herbs and infused cooking... cross-over cooking, one might say, is one of them which means somethings in the culinary world are not written in stone. 

Since it is Thanksgiving weekend I am sure a central feast will be cooked in many kitchens across Canada. Here are this books herb suggestions for...

Turkey: Chervil, Garlic, Oregano, Parsley, Shallots, Sweet Marjoram, and Tarragon
  
Ham: Savoury

Vegetables: (in general): Basil, Chervil, Chives, Garlic, and Lemon

Potatoes: Chives, Chervil, Dill, Marjoram, Mint, Parsley, Sweet Cicely, and Thyme

Carrots (and other root vegetables): Chervil, Chives, Dill, Marjoram, Parsley, Sweet Cicely, and Thyme

Squash: Basil, Bay, Chervil, Dill, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Savoury, Tarragon, and Thyme 

Peas: Basil, Chervil, Dill, Marjoram, Mint, Rosemary, Savoury, and Thyme


Looking forward to the long weekend. Have a great weekend everyone! - JD

Potato Masher

Most potato mashers that I have owned usually break, are not sturdy or did a poor job even though my arm got a really good workout. With the former potato masher I had, I slightly dreaded the dinners when mash potatoes were requested. Perhaps I relished the arm workout however agonizing over something so simple put me off completely. Therefore I was searching for a good masher that would get the job done and meet a few requirements. When I spotted this one from the Italian Centre here in E-town potato mashing seemingly was going to the next level.    

The weight is hefty and the dual mashing plates are handy. The zig zag plate does mega mashing to cut down large cooked potatoes and the other perforated plate for small mashing to reduce the amount of lumps. Just pinch the side purple buttons to switch between plates. Two potato mashers in one! Convenient and the stainless steel cleans up nicely. I luv the purple and black combination. It gives this a bit of a gothic feel as far as kitchen gadgets go. 

And it did go to the next level. Here is the potato masher in action. Both plates were used and the mashed potatoes went smoothly. No more dread over mash potatoes and as far as the arm workout... it still exists. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! - JW   

A Spurtle, Egg Topper, and a Salt Spoon

While I was in Scotland I did not hesitate to look at kitchenwares focusing my eye on oddities. First, was the spurtle, a Scottish spoon for stirring porridge. I do not know what makes stirring oatmeal with a spurtle better than a wooden spoon, however I was intrigued. I imagine that it will not bash around the oats as much. This fall and winter I will experience my porridge in a new way. Thanks to the mighty spurtle.  

Second, is the egg topper. Usually I use a knife to slice and crack open my boiled eggs. Looking like an oddly shaped pair of scissors I thought this could simplify things and be a bit fun at the breakfast table.  

Just place the egg topper over the top of the cooked egg. Pinch or squeeze the handles together so the sharp metal teeth grab hold of the shell. Twist to the left then twist to the right and voila the egg has been topped. As simple as it is it does take some getting used to. This gadget may be great for kids who are not so skilled with a knife.  

Third, a salt spoon. This spoon is wee but deep and comes with much debate. Whether or not it is proper to use a metal spoon or a wooden spoon when dealing with salt. I will let you decide what works best for you. I erred on the side of the salt gods and went with a wooden one. For £1.99 I think dishing out salt for my favourite recipes won't be so bad after all. 

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. - JW 

Copper Wok

To ease my love of all things copper my husband found this wonderfully priced wok for me. And I am certainly grateful. Seeing how our other wok was showing a considerable amount of wear and tear. I was a bit apprehensive regarding the stainless steel interior however after many uses food sticking is not a problem. Cleaning is a breeze. The most important thing is heat. The heat is even and is retained very well when using this wok. This is my third copper piece of kitchenware and I am very please. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JW 

Copper Roasting Pan

Keeping up with my magpie status this was a recent find or more to the point a purchase. After looking online and being quite discouraged at the cost of copper cookware, finding this one at Winners meant the heavens had opened wide, very wide that day and granted me a wish... semi affordable copper cookware! To christen this I made the most hearty lasagne. I found the cooking and heat was even. And it cleaned up very nicely like a whistle. Have a great weekend everyone! - JW     

It's all Butter Boxes and Measuring Cups to Me!

While I was away I did manage to pop into some kitchenware stores. The one that I most wanted to go to was closed for renovations. Instead I sought out other options and a good thing I had. Sometimes it is the little things that offer the most help. 

Charlotte Watson's Butter Box. The butter server I had was small and narrow and cutting the butter to a size that would fit was becoming a challenge. Not to mention in the summertime when temperatures rise, the butter falls and melts and comes out the sides. Not my idea of fun. This butter box makes it easy. A whole pound will fit... you might have to squidgy it down a bit however it has saved me some time, mathematics and some buttery fingers.  

European Measuring Cups. Measuring in pints, fluid ounces, milliliters has become exact! Even though I do not mind getting up to a challenge in the kitchen, with converting measurements, however when you do those conversions there is still a chance that one can be slightly off. And that poses a 50/50 chance that whatever one is baking may or may not turn out. I would rather get on with baking than be in a state of tweaking this and that. These measuring cups will take some of the guess work out of it and those British, Vintage and European cookbooks I have will be even more handy.

Have a great weekend everyone! - JW    

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread

Most of the time I luv to browse through my cookbook collection searching for promising recipes. However sometimes recipes just fall into my lap, as did with this one. A friend posted it and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and voila! I had all the ingredients except the soy milk. Not a problem I went to the grocery store and bought some. This recipe came from a website called Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. It is a wonderful blog with many recipes. I am not vegan however I do like to try different recipes and do not mind eating vegan dishes. This recipe is absolutely delicious! And I can not stress that enough. For the recipe click *HERE* This recipe will probably replace all the other banana bread recipes I use. Also read the thread of comments for suggestions and substitutions. I will be making another loaf this time I will substitute the blueberries for strawberries. Enjoy the recipe and have a wonderful weekend! - JW 

Into the Frying Pan

The previous non-stick teflon fry pan I owned went the wayside in only a matter of months. Very disappointing! Perhaps they aren't making them like they used to or the quality was really not great... I have forgotten who it was made by. Still it wasn't an inexpensive brand. Regardless I was perplexed when that pan finally headed straight into the garbage.

This is my current kitchen buy, to replace that other frying pan and I luv it!!! It was expensive but I didn't bat an eye when buying it. I like my kitchen wears and I like when they perform well. This Paderno EcoPan made with a non-stick ceramica coating not only cooks evenly, it cleans up very well too. Making life in the kitchen easier and efficient. It is also PFOA and PTFE free. If given the chance to buy more pans with the ceramica coating I would. If you are considering replacing that worn out fry pan I strongly suggest one of these. - JW