Bourbon Bacon Jam

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

I found this on the web and oh my, it has me intrigued. If you can find thick cut Applewood smoked I would suggest you use that because it has a nice smoke flavor that will not overpower the jam as the bacon mixture reduces. Good quality bourbon is also a suggestion I would make. Don’t go crazy and use best quality, but please do not use anything in a plastic bottle for this. The maple syrup, however, should not be the very best quality. Any B grade will be fine here because you want the deep maple flavor and the sweetness, but since it is not the star don’t spend the money. Serve this jam on toast, in a panini, on a buttermilk biscuit, with sliced apples, or with some sharp cheddar cheese. I will not disappoint.

Bourbon Bacon Jam Yield 1 1/2 cups

1 pound thick-cup applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1″ pieces
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/4″ thick slices
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon dry chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup good quality bourbon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon hot sauce

In a large skillet over medium high heat cook the bacon pieces until the begin to crisp at the edges but are still soft in the center, about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes per side. Set aside to drain. Pour all but one tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the pan.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onion and brown sugar. Cook until the onions are well caramelized, about twenty minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook an additional five minutes.

Add the liquid ingredients and the bacon to the pan. Increase the heat to medium heat bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about two hours. Check the mixture every 30 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry add a few tablespoons of water. You want the final mixture to be moist and very sticky.

Let the mixture cool slightly them put it into the bowl of a food processor, or blender, and pulse about 20 times, or until it reaches your preferred consistency. (I prefer mine slightly chunky so you really notice the bacon)

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Coconut Macaroons

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

I have tried about 12 batches of macaroons and this is by far my favorite. It is not too sweet, it is light and airy, it tastes of coconut and not just sugar. Give it a dip in semi-sweet chocolate, and it is over the moon. I am so proud.

"Everything is better with coconut!"

While most recipes use Sweetened Condensed Milk, I don’t like the taste of it. So, use Sweetened cream of coconut, often used to make pina coladas and other cocktails, can usually be found in most supermarkets by the booze, canned and under the brand name Coco Lopez. Finding the sweetened coconut is no problem in the baking aisle, but for the unsweetened coconut, you may have to check the Asian foods aisle or a natural foods store or you can buy it online on Amazon. You want the finely shredded, baker’s coconut. No excused. Find the right coconut. It helps with the texture and the lightness of the macaroon.

Dipped in Chocolate. I’m in heaven.

Makes 2 dozen
1 cup cream of coconut
2 tablespoons light corn syrup or Agave syrup
4 large egg whites
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or almond
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3 cups sweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1/4 cup all purpose flour

10 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate chips (I like Guittard semisweet)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cream of coconut, corn syrup or Agave Syrup, egg whites, vanilla and salt until well-blended. In another large bowl, using your fingertips, toss together the flour and shredded coconuts. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a rubber spatula until evenly moistened.


Drop the mixture by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Form the cookies into loose haystacks with your fingertips (moistening your fingers with water will prevent sticking). Bake until the cookies are softly set and golden in spots on top and bottoms are deeply browned (everyone loves that crunch), about 15-17 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets for 15 minutes. Melt the Guittard chocolate on high power in 30 second intervals, stopping to stir after each interval until melted. Dip your cool macaroons into the chocolate and then place them back on the parchment to set up. Yummy good.

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14 Carrot Braised Pork Shoulder with Apple Gravy and Pulled BBQ Pork

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Two Amazing Dinners with minimal effort.

2 Pork Shoulders, the package from Costco is perfect.

Pork Roast Apples, Onions and Carrots

2 Onions sliced

1 Celery Stock

14 Carrots

 Potatoes cut in quarters (Optional)

 Turnips (Optional)

 1 cup Apple Juice

 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

 4 cups of water

 Rinse the meat and fit in a large braising pan. Add the vegetables along the sides.  Add the liquids.  Put the top on your pan. Bake in the oven for 6 hours at 350 degrees. I put this in the oven before leaving for work and have my hubby shut off the oven during his lunch.  Careful, he may just have an early snack!  You want to keep liquid in the pot for proper braising.  Yes, you can do this in a crockpot, but I like the flavor better from the oven. Who would have thunk it.

Braised Pork Shoulder

When you remove from the oven, set aside the meat under a piece of foil to keep warm.  In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and add 1/4 cup of flour and brown the flour.  Ladle the braising liquid over the golden brown flour, add salt and pepper to taste.  You may want to strain the gavy f you want it to look polished. Otherwise, if you are okay with the rustic coutry look, go with it.  Plate by floating the gravy on the dish, add a sliced piece of pork, alongside add the potatoes, carrots and carmelized onions.

 If you are a mashed pototoes kinda person, you can go with that as well. 

 So very yummy.

 With the remaining pork roast or left overs, pull the pork with a fork and it will shred apart.  Add your favorite BBQ sauce, go easy. No too much, just enough to flavor the meat.

Pulled Pork Anyone?

Serve with Coleslaw and toasted buns.  Excellent.

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Garlic Confit

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

One of the items in my pantry I cannot live without.  If you want to put good food on the table, you must get a kick start by making a few items and having them on hand. 

Garlic Confit is used to make garlic bread, as a spread on a roast beef sandwich, and this makes everyone think you have been cooking for hours!  I will always have this in my pantry. I love it. The taste is roasted garlic. Sweet.

Doing it the hard way. Peel the garlic yourself. I used to do this until
I found the large peeled fresh garlic at Costco.

Garlic - like it!But from time to time, I do have heads ofgarlic that need to be used. So, peel garlic easily like little onions and other fruits like peaches. For garlic and onions, cut off the root end, then drop into boiling water. Leave for 1 minute, purge into ice coldwater. When cool pop them from their wraps.         Place the peeled cloves in a pan, cover with olive oil. Low simmer until they aretender. This simmer is so low, you should barely see little air bubbles rising to the surface. They should stay white. When you put the garlic in the jar, oil needs to cover the garlic to keep it preserved.Place in a jar and keep in refrigerator. I am going to try to process them in a water bath for longer term storage.Yes, this is make a lot, but I usually give a couple of jars away. My friends love me!

Use the garlic oil for sauted spinach or salad dressing or ,
garlic bread, anything you want garlic for.
I used them also as condiment for sandwiches. Just spread onto
your bread then add your mayo. Excellent.

Another great use, you can add them into the center of your meatballs or a thick steak you bbq. Remember, it has been cooked, so the flavor is sweet.

FYI: 1 T is about 3 cloves of garlic.

Yes, this is make a lot, but I usually give a couple of jars away. My friends love me!
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French Onion Soup. Come over and I’ll make you some!

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Oh my, this is so good. Comfort food at its best!  One of my gifts from my mother, she taught me to make soup.

Onion Soup - One of my favorites.

6-8 Yellow Onions or you can use white, but I like yellow
4 Cups Broth – Beef or Chicken

seasoning for Chicken Broth
2 Cups Wine – White. I like Chardonnay, so I use it.
1 tsp White Pepper
Salt to taste.

Seasoning if you are using Beef Broth

2 T Canadian Rub for Steaks

2 Cups Teriyaki Sauce

1 Cup Brewed Coffee (Great base note for this soup)

Optional: Beef or Pork cubes
Optional: Arugula or Kale or Flat Parsley
Optional: 1 tsp Herbs de Provence

Hot, steamy soup. Onion with browned cubed pork or beef. Hmmm. 1 tsp Herbs de Provence.

Chop yellow onions. Slice them in half from top  to bottom and then slice top to bottom, not like making rings. This slice is so much nicer for this soup.

in 4 Tablespoons of stock to cook the onions in and let it cook off.
(Onions will not carmelize until all broth has cooked off).  You want to get your onions nice and carmelized for the flavor and color. 

In a separate pot, add the rest of the stock and wine and reduce by 1/3 while you are carmelizing the onions.

After onions have carmelized a nice rich color, add 2-3 tablespoons of flour. This will thicken with the onions, then add the reduction of broth and wine. Simmer until the broth
thickens. Add your seasonings.
Salt and white pepper for purists, or 1 tsp of Herbs de Provence.

To serve –

Place crouton on bottom of serving bowl
Top with onions
Add broth
Add cheese – asiago, parmesan, 1 tsp of blue cheese

broiler oven for 5 minutes.

OR

I love this soup, and sometimes I want to take it to serve my office. (They ate it all!) We don’t have an oven. So instead of adding the crouton and broiling, make cheddar cheese spread and serve with fresh bread alongside the onion soup.

Variation: If you have leftover roast beef or pork, cut into cubes, brown and add to the soup.

Don’t be afraid to add some arugala or kale to the soup an hour before you serve it. I like the green peppery kick.

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Vegetable Beef Soup

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Vegetable Beef Stew

Came home on Saturday night from a long day trip and in the kitchen within the crockpot my husband Dennis had browned some sirloin cubes and concocted the following broth:

2 C Teriyaki Sauce
1 C brewed coffee
6 C Water
2 T Steak Seasoning Rub
After searing the sirloin strips, he added all parts in the crockpot and let it cook on high (He only uses high settings for everything he does), put the top on and left it alone.
When I arrived home, wow…the meat was tender and the teriyaki broth was sensational.

We could have easily served as is with rice.

Sunday morning, I gathered the meat out of the broth and added chopped carrots, onions and potatoes to the mix.

6 carrots chopped

6 potatoes diced

1 onion diced

Turned the slow cooker back on, added 6 cups of water and let it stew.
Perfect soup 4 hours later. Perfection. Boy, this guy can cook.

I also saved some of this broth and made the base for french onion soup. 2 soups from one both. Excellent.

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Coffee Cake – Coconut Blueberry or Blueberry Raspberry or Walnut Coconut

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Want some?

Combine
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
In mixer, add
1/2 cup crisco or soft butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract

Top with
1/2 cup blueberries and 1/4 cup coconut
or 1/4 cup blueberries and 1/4 cup raspberries
or 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and coconut
or apricots or peaches…. You get the idea.

Spray Pam in two 9 inch square or round baking dishes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Divide and spread the batter between the two pans. Top with fruit.

After baking, top with glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract
3 T milk

Want some?

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Linguini with Bolognese Sauce – Did someone say bacon?

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy
Linguini Bolognese

Did someone say bacon?

Since you’ve decided to have pasta, put on a pot of water add some salt and let is start to boil.

From the refrigerator, I found:

Peppered Bacon – cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 Cup of Cream

2 Pkg of  fresh Linguini or Spaghetti (You’ll love the leftovers. Search for Spaghetti Frittata.)

1 medium white onion

2 cans stewed tomatoes or substitute the tomatoes you have.

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese or Romano.

Start heating the frying pan and add the bacon. Let’s get this meal on the table.  As the bacon crisps, put a small dice on one onion.  Once you have set aside the bacon and have it draining on a paper towel, remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan. Add the onions and let them sweat.

Run to the pantry and figure out what type of canned tomatoes you have available. I had stewed tomatoes that were preseasoned with oregano.   When the onions are tender, add the tomatoes and sauce from both cans.  Add a splash of cooking sherry and bring to a simmer.  Your water should be boiling. Add the pasta.

Add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of cream to the tomato mixture and turn the burner down to low.

As soon as the linguini is al dente, strain and add to the tomatoe mixture. Stir and allow the linguini soak up all the goodness.

Add a nice mound to the center of the plate, sprinkle the crisp bacon on top.  Serve to the hungry crowd.

As my son would say, “Did someone say bacon?”  Hmmm irresistable.

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Decorating – Thanksgiving

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Nephew Matt's Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with a dash of nutmeg

 

Thanksgiving Table

 

Looks so pretty!

Happy Thanksgiving Turkey! Place Markers, how sweet!

Glinda my little decorator trying to steal the show.

Apple Pie and coffee for the hostess after everyone has gone.

The Dessert Buffet Table

Pumpkin and Apple all decorated pretty.

Buffet Table - Dinner rolls

Army of Turkeys

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Maple Pecan Pie

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Pecan Pie –

4 eggs lightly beaten

1  cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tablespoons melted butter

2 Tablespoons Bourbon

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup of chopped Pecans

1 – 9 inch pastry shell

Honey Pecan Topping 

Mix all the ingredients and then add the chopped pecans.  Pour into the unbaked pie shell and bake with foil covering for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 15 minutes. Add the Honey Pecan Topping carefully to the top.  Return to oven about 10 minutes and then remove and cool the pie. 

Honey Pecan Topping.  In saucepan, combine  1/3 cup brown sugar, 3 T butter, 3 T honey.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Cups Pecan halves. 

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