Cook Bacon in the Oven

Save time! Save the hassle of cleaning up - washing a skillet full of grease, getting popped by the grease while the bacon is cooking...

You, too, can cook bacon in the oven. I first heard about this on Our Best Bites and I have done this multiple times now, with great results.

Turn your oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. It doesn't need to be nonstick. Lay out bacon slices in a single layer. You don't need to wait for your oven to preheat. Place pan in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, and then start watching it until it's at the crispiness that you like.

You can save the drippings or wrap them up and toss them!

I LOVE this way because it doesn't take up an extra stove eye and it is SO easy to clean up. The picture above is turkey bacon but I've done regular bacon as well. They both turn out perfectly.

You're welcome.

Grilled Chicken BLT

From: Lawry's Website

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1/2 cup Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt Marinade, divided
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 Kaiser or other crusty rolls, toasted
8 slices cooked bacon
1 medium tomato, sliced
4 lettuce leaves

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add 1/4 cup of the marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp of the remaining marinade in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat 6-7 minutes per side or until cooked through, brushing with remaining 2 Tbsp marinade. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on rolls. Top with chicken, bacon, tomato, and lettuce.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I quartered it because I was just making one sandwich for myself.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Delicious! I don't normally add anything to my BLT - I think it is perfect just the way it is. But I got some Lawry's marinade in the mail today and this recipe looked so good I just wanted to go ahead and whip it up! Actually, I got some seasoned salt from Lawry's as well so I made homemade french fries (got a 5-lb bag of potatoes at the store today for $1.00!!!) and made them with seasoned salt instead of sea salt. Yummy!!

Grilled Chicken BLT

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1/2 cup Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt Marinade, divided
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 Kaiser or other crusty rolls, toasted
8 slices cooked bacon
1 medium tomato, sliced
4 lettuce leaves

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add 1/4 cup of the marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp of the remaining marinade in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat 6-7 minutes per side or until cooked through, brushing with remaining 2 Tbsp marinade. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on rolls. Top with chicken, bacon, tomato, and lettuce.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Ingredients:
8 oz uncooked tube or spiral pasta
1 lb ground beef
6 bacon strips, diced
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In skillet, cook beef over medium heat until done; drain and set aside.

In same skillet, cook bacon till crisp; remove. Pour out drippings. Drain pasta; add to skillet. Add soup, beef and bacon, heat through.

Sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook until melted.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used ground venison and turkey bacon, but other than that I did everything the same.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up for me! Stephen wasn't a huge fan but I didn't think he would be. I really liked it, but it definitely did remind me of Hamburger Helper... which is good if you like HH! It was very quick and easy too. And I love one-pot recipes (except the pot to cook the pasta which shouldn't even count.)

Ingredients:
8 oz uncooked tube or spiral pasta
1 lb ground beef
6 bacon strips, diced
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In skillet, cook beef over medium heat until done; drain and set aside. In same skillet, cook bacon till crisp; remove. Pour out drippings. Drain pasta; add to skillet. Add soup, beef and bacon, heat through. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook until melted.

Potluck Beans

From: This awesome website

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground meat, browned and drained
1 pound smoked bacon, browned, drained, and diced
1 medium onion, diced and browned
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 (30-ounce) can Pork n' Beans
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon liquid smoke

In a skillet, brown the hamburger, bacon and onion. You can do it together or separately. While they are browning, add the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Don't stir too much or the beans will fall apart. Drain the meats well and dump into the slow cooker. Use a large spoon to gingerly fold in the hot ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. If you are making the full amount of this recipe, you should use a 6-quart or larger crockpot.

Note: Did not get my own picture because it was eaten fairly quickly. This picture from Stephanie's website will have to do!

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used venison instead of beef, turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, and I halved the recipe. For that reason, I only cooked it about 6-7 hours on low.

What I'll do differently next time:
The same things, most likely. Although I might make a full batch and freeze half. If you freeze it, pull them out the night before eating and thaw in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Amazing that such a small amount of brown sugar could really sweeten up this recipe! Supposedly this is a bean recipe for people who don't like beans (me). I say, Yes! I would willingly eat this anytime. It was also a nice cross between soup/stew/meal if you know what I mean. Very hearty!

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients:
Biscuit/bread
Bacon/Ham
Egg
Cheese

Place biscuit, open, on a baking sheet. In a skillet, cook one slice of bacon (split in half) and one egg. After egg is cooked, place on one slice of bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay one slice of cheese on top of egg. Top with both halves of bacon. Place in the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts.

This recipe is an original. I was hungry this morning, and too hungry to make a breakfast casserole which is what I really wanted. I had leftover biscuits that I needed to use up, so I decided to try my hand at bacon, egg and cheese biscuits. This is such a basic recipe that you can switch it up however you want. Got leftover ham? Toss it in there. Hate cheese? Leave it out. If you like McGriddles from McDonalds, pour a tiny amount of maple syrup onto the biscuit first.

It took only a few minutes to make and was really filling. I almost stopped after just one because it was so filling, but of course I went back for seconds.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Quick breakfast = happy mom with almost no free time!