Oven Cooked Bacon

Maybe I can finally cook bacon without a water gun in the other hand to stave off the cats!

Step One
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Step Two
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Step Three
Lay bacon side-by-side, it can be touching, but not overlapping.

Step Four
For thick cut bacon bake 20 minutes for a chewy and slightly crispy texture and 25 minutes
for less chewy and more crispy. For medium to thin cut bacon bake 15-20 minutes.

Step Five
Drain cooked bacon on a paper-towel lined plate and enjoy!

Bacon Cupcakes

I found this recipe over all over the net originated with a
blog called Vanilla Garlic.

What You'll Need...
4 1/2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1/2 tablespoon of bacon drippings (left in the fridge to become solid)
1 egg
5 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/4 cup of self rising flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
tiny tiny pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of minced bacon, cooked and drained

What You'll Do...

1) Cook some bacon in a fry pan (about 6 thick strips). Reserve the drippings and place in the fridge to solidify. Mince 1/4 a cup of the bacon. The chef should eat whatever is left to assure that the bacon is tasty.

2) Beat the crud out of the butter and solidified bacon fat 'till light and creamy. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat well until combined.

3) Add the egg and beat until incorporated.

4) Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and powder together.

5) Add some of the flour and mix, then some of the milk, then continue to alternate the dry and wet ingredients, ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in the bacon. Taste and add more maple syrup, flour, or milk if needed for desired taste. Keep in mind the maple frosting is very sweet, and to add in very small increments for alterations as maple syrup in large amounts can break a cake batter.

6) Scoop into cupcake papers and bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes for even baking.

Maple Syrup Frosting
What You'll Need...
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 cup of powdered sugar
turbinado sugar (optional, but recommended)
coarse grain sea salt (optional, but recommended)

What You'll Do...
Combine the syrup and butter until combined. Add the sugar, a bit at a time, and whip at high speeds until combined. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Sprinkle on sea salt and turbinado sugar for decoration and a lot of added flavor.

Wild Mushroom Brunch Casserole

8 strips lean bacon
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, ceps, shiitakes, or morels) stems removed or tripped and cut into bite-size pieces
4 scallions (white part only), chopped
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
10 slices multigrain bread
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (preferably aged)
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 1/2 quart casserole and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till crisp, drain on paper towels, crumble, an set aside.

3. Pour off the fat from the skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the mushrooms, scallions, and bell pepper, cook, stirring, till soft, about 10 minutes, and remove from the heat.

4. Arrange 5 slices of the bread in the casserole, top with half the cheese, and spoon all the mushroom mixture over the cheese. Arrange the remaining bread slices over the mushrooms and top with the remaining cheese.

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and mustard, season with salt and pepper, and pour evenly over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and tomato over the top and bake til a knife inserted in the middle comes out almost clean, about 45 minutes.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.