A few tips for baking bacon:

1. Use a high-walled baking sheet. This is not a time for your cookie sheet, as the grease will collect, and if you don’t have a proper wall there to contain it, you’ll be left with a large mess on the bottom of your oven.
2. Take the bacon out when it looks browned and the white fat portions are starting to contract and shrivel a bit. The bacon won’t be completely crisp. If you wait for it to crisp, it will burn. Instead, pull it out when it looks done, move it to a paper towel to drain, and then wait patiently a minute or two for it to crisp as it cools.
3. Don’t be afraid to bake at a different temperature. If you having something else going on in the oven that won’t be disturbed by a sheet of bacon in there, give it a go. It may take longer at 375º F, but if it’s convenient to put it in with a casserole, then put it in with a casserole.

How to Store Bacon Slices or Bits

• To Freeze: For full sliced and bacon pieces wrap in plastic wrap first, placing inside a zip-top bag, and then sucking the air out of the bag with a straw before sealing.
• Refrigerated: Store in an airtight container and use withing the first 2-3 days.

Where to Use Bacon

::Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
::Asparagus, Bacon, and Feta Pizza on Flatbread
::Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Sage
::Bacon and Blue Cheese Sliders | Simple Bites
::Bacon-Stuffed Avocado Swiss Chicken | Cheeky Kitchen
::Bacon and Cheese Breakfast Muffins with a Kick | Dine & Dish

1. Don’t overdo it. Unless you have a commercial sized fridge and giant grill, keep it simple.

2. Premix your seasoning. Don’t bring the salt and pepper shakers and secret spices all out to the grill. Mix up a small bowlful ahead of time; it makes seasoning quicker and more consistent.

3. Go with what you know. New recipes take more time and concentration. Group grilling is meant to be social, so stay in your comfort zone.

4. Know your fuel. If you use gas, make sure the tank is full. If you’re a charcoal griller, be sure to pick up an extra bag the day before.

5. Tag team it. When grilling for yourself or your family you might be able to get away with doing it all yourself, but when larger groups are involved, try to have someone else take care of other needs so you can focus on the grill.

6. Foil pans rule. Get a few foil pans lined up that can hold the meat when it’s done. There usually are a few last minute details that need to be attended to prior to serving. Don’t let the main course dry out on the grill; move it to a covered foil pan to let it rest.

7. Provide an easy alternative. With large groups there is bound to be a few picky eaters (possibly vegetarian). Have some hot dogs and veggie burgers waiting in the wings to keep everyone happy.

In a case of perfect timing, I’ve also been working with Mandi from Life… Your Way to gather a collection of over 30 barbecue-friendly recipes from 15 bloggers to make planning easier. Download or print your copy of Backyard Barbecue Recipes today. Plus, Mandi and all her Type-A ways created six free printables to keep you organized while you’re planning your get-together!

:: Backyard Barbecue Planner
:: Dirty Dozen / Clean Fifteen Cheat Sheet
:: Freezer Storage Cheat Sheet
:: Internal Cooking Temperature Cheat Sheet
:: 3×5 Recipe Cards or 4×6 Recipe Cards
:: Shopping List or Half-Page Shopping List

Bush’s sent over a gorgeous grilling kit for our barbecue, and we get to give one away to our readers! (This is a photo of Wenderly’s grillin’ kit, photographed by her. Thanks, Wendy!)

THE PRIZE
One Bush’s Grillin’ Beans Grilling Kit that includes:

• Emile Henry Dutch Oven
• Rosle Barbecue Tools
• Bush’s Apron, Can Opener and Grillin’ Beans
• $50 Visa Gift Card

HOW TO ENTER TO WIN

1. Leave a comment. What is your favorite barbecue dish?

2. Follow @BushsBeans and @FoodforMyFamily on Twitter and tweet the following, and come back and let me know you did:

Win an Emile Henry Dutch Oven and @BushsBeans BBQ set from @FoodforMyFamily http://su.pr/56DVrO

3. Join the Food for My Family community on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

4. Join the Bush’s Beans community on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

THE RULES:

This giveaway will run until Monday, May 30th at 11:59 p.m. EDT and is open to all U.S. residents. A winner will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries. Each reader has 5 chances to win by completing the above tasks and leaving a separate comment for each entry method completed. Chosen winner must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

This post is sponsored by Bush’s.

If you’ve ever started dinner only to realize that you’re out of one thing or another, then you’ll know how easy it is to give up on dinner and just head for the nearest eating establishment. I mean, you’re going out anyway, right? A well-stocked pantry is one of the first keys to successful home cooking.

Why Stock Your Pantry?

::As I stated before, having ingredients on hand means you’re less likely to run to the nearest fast food chain, order takeout, pizza or go out for dinner in general. It’s amazing what simply having the necessary ingredients available can do for your mealtime habits.

::A well-stocked pantry makes grocery shopping easier. When you plan a meal, only having to buy the building blocks of the meal (meat, vegetables and other fresh ingredients) and not every herb, sauce or tablespoon-sized ingredient makes it easier and more cost effective. Having those things on hand saves you money at the store because you can stock up on pantry items when they are on sale, and you can also plan your meals around meat and produce sales as well. Plus, not having to buy as much when you walk into the store makes it take less time, and a little extra time is something most of us could use.

::It’s better for your health and the health of your family to cook at home from scratch. As I mentioned recently in my post on Complete Organizing Solutions, having your pantry stocked so that you’re cooking more from home and from scratch is the first step to a healthier you. Prepackaged food items contain preservatives and additives that have no business in your food or your body, and the benefits of a home-cooked meal over a fast food one are fairly obvious: You control the amount of salt, fat, sugar that goes into everything, and you control where it came from. Simply eating real food goes a long way in improving your overall diet.

My Pantry Necessities

Basics:
Flours (unbleached white, wheat, rice, cake, almond)
Sugars (brown, cane or beet, powdered, turbinado or demerara)
Dry Pastas (a few different shapes and sizes)
Grains (couscous, rice, barley, quinoa, oats, flax, cornmeal)
Oils (olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, sesame oil)
Vegetables (onions, potatoes, garlic)
Canned/Jarred Tomatoes (sauce, diced, stewed, paste)
Nut Butter (peanut, almond, hazelnut)
Spreads (jam, jelly)
Natural Sweeteners (honey, maple syrup)
Vinegars (balsamic, white, red wine, apple cider, rice wine)
Specialty Sauces (hot sauce, Tabasco, oyster sauce, mirin, rice wine, soy sauce)
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, coconut)
Dried Fruit (raisins, apricots, dates, cranberries, cherries)
Dried Beans and Lentils (black, navy, pinto, kidney, red, green)
Specialty Items (artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives)

Herbs and Spices:
Oregano
Basil
Parsley
Rosemary
Dill
Cumin
Bay Leaves
All Spice
Cardamom
Celery Seeds
Ground Mustard
Spice Blends
Beverages (coffee, tea, cocoa)
Pepper (black, white, pink, specialty)
Salts (kosher, sea salt, pickling salt, rock salt)

For Baking:
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Cornstarch
Cream of Tartar
Cocoa Powder
Chocolate Chips or Chunks
Extracts (vanilla, almond, lemon, peppermint)


This list is not all-inclusive, obviously, and it may differ based on your family’s likes and dislikes, dietary reasons or other factors. What do you have on hand in your pantry?

With our weekly menu on display for everyone to see, it may be hard to believe that we ever eat out, but we do. In fact, there are days when the fast food flows as I sit behind my computer and toil away, leaving no time for the things I enjoy, one of them being spending some quality time in the kitchen, seeing what I create.

It’s an easy pattern to fall into, eating out. You worked late and it’s already 6:00. If you just grab something to go, there’s no mess, no time investment and you’ll be able to relax and take a break for once. One appointment piles on after another, sports practices, music lessons. Eating out is convenient. But it’s also expensive and generally seriously lacking in the nutrition department.

When Mandi from Organizing Your Way asked me to share my experience with managing to keep our meals in our home and around our table, prepared with my hands – Ole’s hands – I laughed. It was the middle of the Christmas season. I was up to my forehead in work and drowning in to-do lists and Christmas preparations (no, I still have yet to mail our cards, thankyouverymuch). I think I may have even been debating throwing that night’s meal plan out the window and heading straight for the nearest Chipotle.

Every day this month, Mandi and a fantastic group of bloggers will be sharing tips on getting yourself organized for 2010. As organization is always one of my goals (and one I fail too often at), I was thrilled to participate in the area of my life that I have control over and *usually* succeed at: getting it done in the kitchen. Today is Day 12 of 31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010: Cook more often.

:: Menu Planning

Planning a menu, writing down your meals, shopping for them, it really works. Without the ominous “what’s for dinner?” question floating around, a list of meals that you have all the ingredients for will make whipping it up seem like less of a job and definitely less of a decision.

::Make a Shopping List

Along with planning a menu comes making a shopping list and actually picking up all the things on it that you need for making your planned meals. A meal plan without groceries is like a beehive without pollen. Not a lot of honey-making going on.

::Make Extras

Whether it’s an extra pan of lasagna that you can store in the fridge or a few extra chicken breasts tossed on the grill, load up now. Having precooked chicken breast slices can make a side salad into an entrée or become an easy pasta topper to round out your meal. Taco meat turns into enchiladas and leftover pork tenderloin can be tossed together with stir-fried vegetables to make a completely different meal. Making a larger batch takes very little extra energy, and it will really pay off for those days you’re tempted to run out to grab a bite to eat because you’re just too busy to prepare something.

::Make it a Family Affair

Don’t trap yourself in the kitchen. At our house we make meal preparation something we do together. Tasks are delegated to age-appropriate members of the family, whether it be grilling, chopping vegetables, assembling salads, setting the table, pouring drinks or serving, we’re all in it together and happy to be here. Try keeping your kids around by having them do homework in the same room as you so you’re close at hand for questions, or give them an activity to do. It’s a great time to teach them all of the things your parents or grandparents may have taught you about cooking, and it can be a great time to discuss the foods we eat and why. Hit on the basics of nutrition, exercising, choosing where our food comes from and more. Dinner can be a learning experience and a great time to bond as a family.

::Schedule Meals Away

Sometimes the anticipation of knowing you’re going to be eating out the day after tomorrow is enough to keep you eating in today. Mark off days on the calendar, whether they’re particularly busy days or just free nights that you’re looking to treat yourself, and make time for meals away. I know that there have been plenty of times where I just want to throw in the towel on dinner but manage to whip something out simply because I know there’s a prescheduled event in the future.

I hope this motivates you to spend a bit more time in your kitchen and a bit less time filling your gullet with the convenience foods of yore. Remember, if you end up with leftovers, repurpose…or just bring them to me.

How do you stay motivated in the kitchen?

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There’s a turkey to purchase, a menu to plan, recipes to thumb through, grocery shopping that needs to happen and cleaning. Don’t even get me started on the cleaning. Traditional Thanksgiving dinners can be a lot of work, and planning and organization go a long way to ensuring yours comes together all at the right time. Before you pass on the turkey and stuffing, take a look over at Organizing your Way today where I am sharing a few tips on how you can make your Turkey Day stress free by staying on top of the food preparation and keep the chaos out of your kitchen.

Is there anything you do to get ready for Thanksgiving to keep the stress level at a minimum?

Do you have a special Thanksgiving tradition?

Our initial reason for gardening, before we even owned our own home, was to make pesto. We had always enjoyed pesto, and at the time with Ole in graduate school, buying the often expensive jar of it at the supermarket wasn’t something we were willing to do. And the “pesto pot” was born. The pesto pot is nothing more than a pot planted with Genovese basil and flat-leaf parsley. If you don’t have basil and parsley already growing in your garden, fear not. Parsley is cheap and easy to come by fresh. Basil is also available fresh in the grocery store; however, it may cost you a bit more. Try checking out your local farmer’s market. We have a vendor at ours that sells 2 cups of packed basil for $2.00, quite the bargain price.

The other thing that drives up the price of pesto are the pine nuts. We buy ours at Trader Joe’s or from a co-op; both are the cheapest prices we’ve been able to find. If you can’t find reasonably priced pine nuts, try substituting walnuts.


I pack my leaves on the bottom of the food processor or blender and top it off with all the heavier ingredients (hold the olive oil for now). This helps to weigh down the leaves and feed them towards the blade.


After a good mix and chop, I add half of the olive oil and blend again. The last half of the olive oil won’t be added until I’m ready to use each individual serving of pesto, and sometimes not at all.


Because we went light on the olive oil, this pesto is easy to work with. It doesn’t pour well into containers, but it will scoop onto sheets of plastic wrap or into tightly-sealed containers. If using a container, make sure you fill to the top to avoid freezer burn. For the plastic wrap, just pull the corners together and twist. Fold the end under the pesto ball and you’re done.


Into the freezer bag and into the freezer for these. When I am ready to use, I remove from the freezer an hour or two before and thaw in a bowl on the counter. Just before serving, I stir in the extra olive oil I left out, reviving the pesto and making it instantly easy to work with and use.


What to do with the pesto? Try mixing it into a pasta.


Or make pesto cheese bread for a twist on traditional garlic cheese bread.


You could also mix with a bit of butter, spread on salmon and bake in the oven. Mix it into steamed vegetables or even top a steak with it. Whatever you do, enjoy it. And because you froze it, you can enjoy a bit of summer freshness in the dead of winter on those really, really cold days when the sky is gray.