bacon – Loving Food, Fashion, & Life

Spaghetti With Pancetta & Chickpeas

Posted on March 30, 2014 by LFFL

Made with spaghetti, turkey bacon, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, chickpeas, fresh parsley, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.

Yes, it’s yet another pasta dish. What can I say? I adore pasta and a lovely dish this was. But instead of putting pancetta in it like the recipe called for, I put turkey bacon into mine.

Sometimes when a recipe calls for either pancetta and prosciutto, I’ll substitute. The first time in my life that I ever shopped for pancetta and prosciutto at my health food store specifically for recipes I wanted to make, I didn’t realize these items cost close to $5278.99 per pound!!!

So once I realized I could easily use bacon instead of pancetta and ham instead of prosciutto—I went this route with substitutions in recipes. NOT every time, mind you—but for the most part. Once every triple blue moon, I will splurge on these fancy meats when I’m feeling a bit gutsy and adventurous.

Recipe for—Spaghetti with Pancetta & Chickpeas

So, if you have nothing else to do today, I dare you to take out a bank loan for half a pound of pancetta and a quarter pound of prosciutto.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Bacon can be a great substitute for pancetta and ham can be a great substitute for prosciutto if you’d rather not take out a home equity loan for these items.

Ooooo—A New Hometown Cafe!

Posted on March 15, 2014 by LFFL

Baked goods at their finest.

Oh, I just LOVE when new little cafes pop up around town. I had the fortunate pleasure of being invited to a “Grand Opening” of this new cafe in town. Meaning FREE FOOD for the invitees. O-kaaaay! Who am I to turn down a free meal?

I just happen to know the manager who will be running this little shindig called Corner Bakery Cafe. The place is marvelous and I could not possibly speak enough about the baked goods that I saw through the glass case as my eyes got bigger and bigger.

Egg Scrambler with potatoes, toast, and muffin.

French Toast with bacon and fruit.

Egg Scrambler made with eggs, applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, green onions, cheddar cheese, and avocado; served with potatoes, toast, and a cinnamon muffin.

French Toast made with cinnamon-swirled brioche bread baked in vanilla custard and a side of maple syrup; served with applewood smoked bacon, and fruit.

I was offered the chance to come to either breakfast, lunch, or dinner and I chose to go early morning to breakfast. My, my, my—how I just LOVED my egg scramble. That sucker was amazingly good. I’m definitely going back for another helping of that at some point.

Why do all of these hometown cafes have to be so good? I mean, now we’re talking this makes the THIRD different cafe I will now be shuffling back and forth to. All three of them literally make a big triangle in my city—or at least a funny looking shaped triangle, but a triangle nonetheless.

They are spaced country miles apart from each other—which doesn’t help ME any! Who’s bright idea was this? I don’t understand why they can’t all be right next door to each other to make MY life easier.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, search high and low for new cafes/hometown diners opening up in your part of town and give them a try. You just may discover some new deliciousness in your part of the world.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Running around between three different cafes in town spaced miles and miles apart from each other is a lot of work—but someone’s got to do it so it might as well be you.

Pasta With Bacon & Leeks

Posted on March 8, 2014 by LFFL

Made with rigatoni pasta, turkey bacon, leeks, salt & pepper, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley.

This was a quick and easy pasta dish to make today and it tasted marvelous. But what I want to know is—why are leeks SO crazy dirty?! Have they had a hard life or what? I’ve never seen such filth between leaves like that. Yuck.

I don’t have much experience with leeks but, ohhhh, how I love the flavor leeks can add to dishes. That slight onion flavor is just right.

Crispy up the bacon.

Leeks ready for chopping.

Chopped leeks sauteeing.

Topped with cheese & parsley ready to eat.

Recipe for—Pasta With Bacon & Leeks

So, if you have nothing else to do today, make a quick and easy pasta dish for lunch or dinner incorporating leeks.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Always get out the dirt that’s hiding inside the crevices from deep between the leaves of leeks before doing anything else with them.

A Smile At Houston's

Posted on November 2, 2013 by LFFL

Hand-Cut French Fries with honey Dijon and ketchup.

Here was the highlight of my day today—FOOD at Houston’s! I started off with a fabulous appetizer of none other than fries. These put a smile on my face all on their own.

Club Salad made with crispy chicken, smokehouse bacon, avocado, egg, and tomato with buttermilk garlic dressing.

Five minutes later, there’s my club salad looking lovely as always. Naturally, I always have to ask for an extra side of dressing. The amount of dressing they put on the salad just doesn’t cut it for me. I need it loaded with a blanket of that creamy goodness.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, eat fabulously at a place whose food always puts a smile on your face.

Take-Away Life Lesson: It’s the little things in life that can make your day.

Gouda Fries

Posted on October 21, 2013 by LFFL

Well, I went back to the same burger joint where I got a ‘basket’ of fries before—and by ‘basket’ I mean shopping cart.

I plopped myself right up to the bar and perused the menu—and low and behold therein lied a new menu item. I just love when new items are put onto menus. It gives me the opportunity to try something new.

These lovelies were called Gouda Fries made with hand-cut fries, smoked gouda, apple-wood smoked bacon, and green onions; served with chipotle aioli sauce & sweet ketchup. Oh, my word!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, locate some place that can make you a big fat plate of gouda fries—and if not, make them yourself.

Take-Away Life Lesson: You’ll never be able to eat just one of these fries.

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Fries In A Basket

Macaroni & Cheese Pools

Posted on October 16, 2013 by LFFL

Made with wide egg noodles, butter, heavy cream, milk, flour, Fontina cheese, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, diced cooked ham, fresh Italian parsley, and salt & pepper.

This is my favorite macaroni & cheese ever—or at least so far. This is my go-to macaroni & cheese dish. The cheeses are perfection together and my taste buds know nothing better.

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

Made with ziti pasta, milk, heavy cream, minced garlic cloves, Gruyère cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, butter, and salt & pepper.

Unfortunately, I could no longer find this recipe available on Colin Cowie’s website.

Macaroni & Cheese (The Neelys)

Macaroni & Cheese (Paula Deen)

Made with cavatappi pasta, butter, flour, milk, dry mustard, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, crushed potato chips, crumbled cooked bacon, and salt & pepper (on the left).

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

Made with whole wheat elbow macaroni, cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, eggs, sour cream, Dijon mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, and Parmesan cheese (on the right).

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese (Kraft Recipes)

Macaroni & Cheese (Art Smith)

Made with Velveeta macaroni & cheese dinner, cheddar cheese, sour cream, red pepper, Ritz crackers, and melted butter (on the left).

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

Made with penne pasta, butter, flour, milk, extra-sharp cheddar cheese, hot sauce, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper (on the right).

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

So, if you have nothing else to do today, make loads of different kinds of mac & cheeses until you find your favorites.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Make sure you have plenty of fiber close by to offset all the cheese you’ll be eating.

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I Can’t Get Enough Of Macaroni & Cheese

Black-Eyed Peas With Bacon & Ham

Posted on September 29, 2013 by LFFL

Made with black-eyed peas, crumbled bacon, smoked ham, onions, scallions, green bell pepper, minced garlic cloves, dried thyme, butter, cayenne pepper, chicken broth, and salt & pepper. Served with Rice Pilaf made with long-grain brown rice, shallots, butter, chicken broth, and salt & pepper.

Oh, MAN! This is SO righteous! Now this is some GOOD STUFF. I couldn’t stop eating. The combination of all the flavors was crazy good.

Recipe for—Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon

Recipe for—Hoppin’ John

So, if you have nothing else to do today, make some Hoppin’ John black-eyed peas deliciousness.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Bacon and ham can amp up almost anything.