3 Bento #278 - Bacon Heart & Toast

Who doesn't need a little bacon now and then...and in the shape of a HEART?! This was completely accidental when I started arranging it, but it turned out really cute. Some Texas toast to go with the bacon, and cubes of cheese make up the entree, with fresh organic kiwi, organic cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

Bento #278 - Applewood smoked bacon, Texas toast, cheese, organic cucumbers, tomatoes and kiwi.  Snack - Organic black plum.

Items used in this lunch:

2 Bento #275 - Bunny Bacon Bites

Simple, yummy lunch - a grilled bacon and cheddar sandwich, cut into cubes.

I bought these carrot and bunny accessories back in the Spring at Dollar Tree.  They are good for a few uses, and so cute!

I have them filled with carrots (natch) and Pirate's Booty! That stuff is seriously addictive.

Grapes and celery sticks round out the lunch.

Packed up:

Bento #275 - Bacon & cheddar on whole wheat, grapes, celery, carrots and Pirate's Booty

In this lunch:

1 Bento #273 - Breakfast for Lunch

Ella asked for scrambled eggs for lunch, and I obliged her with a full breakfast accompaniment.  Thick center cut applewood smoked bacon, mini organic blueberry waffles, and organic berries, when thawed can be eaten syrup-like with the waffles.

However, what I'm most excited about is the new lunchbag I found on Amazon. Ella's super-cute owl backpack started falling apart, which forced me into a search for a new one.  The one I purchased by Wildkin had a matching top-carry style insulated lunchbox (which is essential for bento) and I was THRILLED when it arrived and I discovered it fit perfectly accommodated my beloved EasyLunchBoxes.  Check it out.

The top is nice and roomy too.

We have used this bag almost exclusively since we got it!

Bento #273 - Scrambled eggs with cheese, applewood smoked bacon, organic blueberry waffles and organic berry mix.

2 Bento #238 - Cucumber-Bacon Sandwiches & Cherries

This idea was WAY cuter in my head!  I had envisioned thin slices of cucumber with a strip of bacon and topped with spinach artichoke cream cheese and rolled up and secured with a pick.  Unfortunately, my hand-slicing wasn't quite thin enough.  I really needed to bust out my mandolin.  In any case, we have cucumber sandwiches instead of rolls.

Fresh cherries, and a side of almond-raisin granola and Goldfish crackers.

Bento #238 - Cucumber, bacon and spinach-artichoke cream cheese sandwiches, cherries, granola and Goldfish crackers.  Snack - Clementine and roasted peanuts.

0 Bento #214 - Bacon Sandwich & Peaches

I am so excited, we finally purchased a gas grill for our deck!  It's been 6 years since we sold our house in Maryland and my husband decided to leave our grill.  So sad.  We've been limping by this summer with a very inadequate charcoal grill which I was fearful would burn our deck down.  This weekend I had the entire family over for grilled beer brats.  This thing is awesome!  So happy I can now go outside to grill.  What's funny is that I never actually grill steaks; I always use a cast iron skillet so that I can get a great crust on the exterior when it sears in its' own fat.  And now I can use the side burner on the grill outside and not gunk up my kitchen cabinets with airborne grease. Thank you!!

My mother-in-law brought over a bag of garlic bread sticks last night, and I thought they would be a convenient size and shape for a sandwich.  We had leftover bacon from brunch (scrambled eggs with cheese, fried tomatoes, potatoes & mushrooms, baked beans and toast!)  which fit perfectly inside one of the bread sticks, split down the middle.

There is a little bit of some black bean and corn couscous which I picked up in the fresh section at Super Target.  It's really flavorful!

I also peeled and quartered a fresh Georgia peach (just like little Miss E.)

Bento #214 - Bacon & Colby cheese sandwich, black bean couscous and a peeled fresh peach.  Snack - Apple Carrot Crusher and Kettle chips.

1 Grilled Chicken Ravioli au Gratin with Bacon

Okay.  YUM.  I was so, so excited to try this last ravioli idea out.  The method is like a traditional gratin, but using this delicious grilled chicken & herb ravioli (again, compliments of Pasta Prima.)

Ingredients:

1 package of Grilled Chicken & Mozzarella Ravioli , uncooked
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup heavy cream
4-5 strips of cooked and chopped crispy bacon
salt & pepper
soft butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter an oven and stove top-safe au gratin or baking dish.

Next, layer the ravioli pieces evenly in the bottom of the dish, and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.

Sprinkle chopped bacon on top of the ravioli.

Spread shredded Swiss on top of the bacon.

Repeat with additional ravioli, if desired, topping with more salt, pepper, bacon and cheese.  After topping with the last bit of cheese, slowly add the cream over the top.  You may or may not need the whole cup, just so it comes about halfway up the dish.

Set the entire dish over a medium-low flame on the stove, and bring to just barely a bubble.  As soon as you see that, take it off and pop it in the hot oven.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbling gently.  If it bubbles more than gently, turn down the heat so that the sauce doesn't break.

Voila!

Creamy, cheesy yumminess!  Serve and top with a bit of parsley or thyme on top.  The melted Swiss top is crunchy and amazing just by itself.  I'd love to try this method out with other ravioli fillings too, like spinach.  Easy and delicious, comfort food at its finest.

2 Bacon Wrapped Salmon

Woo hoo!  My recipe made it to allrecipes.com!  Check it out here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bacon-Wrapped-Salmon/Detail.aspx

*************************************************

Emily, more bacon??  Yes!  While I was visiting my family a couple weeks ago, my mom intrigued me with her mention of a new recipe she made in which she wrapped salmon in strips of bacon.  A delicious use of some of my favorite things - bacon and salmon!  My mom is a great cook (she's who I got my skills from) and so I knew it would be good.  This is my take on it.

Here's what you'll need:

1 salmon filet per person (skin on, if possible)
olive oil
good bacon, raw
garlic powder
dill
salt & pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 375.  Take a baking sheet and spread it liberally with olive oil, and place salt and peppered (both sides) salmon filets skin-side down.  If you don't have salmon with skin, you could always use more bacon on the bottom.  Sprinkle the tops with garlic powder and dill, as much as looks good to you.  You really could use any herbs and seasonings that you like.  I was actually hesitant to use the dill with the bacon, but it is surprisingly VERY good.

Next, cut your bacon strips to size, long enough so that they cover all the salmon, but don't overlap too much.  Is this too Silence of the Lambs?  It's bacon, though, no worries.  A little cracked pepper on top of the bacon at this point would be nice too.

At this point I threw on a bunch of cut-up veggies that I could roast along side the salmon - asparagus, sweet peppers, baby portabellas, onions and tomatoes.  Just toss them with some more olive oil, salt and pepper, if you wish.

Cook everything for about 20-25 mins, tossing the veg once, then turn your broiler on High and broil to help the bacon crisp up.

My husband and E loved this, the salmon stays really moist from the bacon, and the skin helps protect the bottom from cooking prematurely.  Props to my mom for this great idea!!

ETA 7/1/10 - This recipe was published on AllRecipes.com today!  Go check it out here:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bacon-Wrapped-Salmon/Detail.aspx

5 Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Sweet Shallot Butter

I love bacon, I love asparagus, and of course, I love butter!  Three of my most favorite things, combined into one amazing side dish.  Actually, I could eat these as my main dish.  Like, ten of them.  Srsly.  They are very easy to make, too.

Oh my gosh, I wish I had a plate full right. now.

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb of fresh asparagus spears (enough for about 3-4 people...or maybe just one Emily)

6-8 strips good bacon, uncooked.  Good stuff, people.
3 tbls butter (the real deal - let's not waste time discussing margarine.)
2 large shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbls sugar (or sub - I use xylitol.)
2 tbls red or white wine vinegar (I've used both, and both are delish.)
salt to taste, about 1/2 tsp

Preheat the oven to 400.

First trim the asparagus spears to be even-lengths.  Sometimes I do the traditional snapping one-by-one, but hey, that takes a long time and not all of them turn out the same length.  Coincidentally, I watched "The Age of Asparagus" Good Eats programme a couple days after I made this, and I was nodding my head in agreement the entire time.  Smart man, that Alton Brown (who happens to live in my town...not that I stalk him at Harry's or anything!)

Next, the asparagus need to be steamed for a few minutes before oven roasting, but instead of boiling a whole pot of water, I lay them in a microwave-safe dish with a splash of water, sprinkle them with a little salt and cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 3 minutes.

When they come out I immediately soak them in an ice bath, making sure to move them around so that each spear gets cooled down.

When they're all cool, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Separate the spears into even piles.

Next, lay out a strip of bacon and wrap on the diagonal, making sure that the bacon doesn't overlap too much.

Isn't that a cute little bundle? 

Arrange the bundles seam-side down on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the bacon crisps (you may need to put them under the broiler at the end for a minute or two to help it along.)

Meanwhile, in a small pot melt the butter and start cooking the garlic and shallots with some salt until they start getting some color.

Then add the wine vinegar and sugar, and simmer over low heat...

...until it reduces and becomes caramelized.

Quick, check your asparagus!

Whoa, that looks good all by itself.  At this point I stuck them under the broiler for a minute to get the top more crispy.  Watch for fire, and have your husband standing by the smoke alarm, which happens to go off every single night.  I think ours has a vendetta against me and tries to make me look bad.

Plate and serve with the shallot butter sauce over the bundles.

Mmmm.  This recipe would also be super excellent with broccolini, green beans or I would guess even tender carrots.  The fish next to it is mahi mahi marinated in a ponzu-cilantro sauce...recipe coming!

1 Creamed Spinach with Shallots & Bacon

I just LOVE spinach, and I love creamed spinach very muchly.  I had a lot of spinach on hand, so I decided today to make some with it.

1 tbs butter
2+ tbs olive oil
8 cups fresh spinach
5 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 shallots, sliced
1.5 cups heavy cream
4 slices crisp bacon, minced
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs garlic powder
3 dashes nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste.

I really avoid using thickeners like cornstarch and flour these days, so for this creamed spinach recipe, I just left it out, and to no ill-effect.  You just have to take enough time for the cream to thicken on its own.

In a very large sautee pan, melt butter and olive oil and add garlic and shallots.  Add s&p to taste.

Next throw in half your fresh spinach and wilt down enough to make room for the last half of the batch.  Make sure you don't let the bottom burn.

When the spinach is good and wilted, and there isn't a whole lot of water left, add your heavy cream 

Add in your nutmeg, garlic and onion powders (they will help thicken as well.) Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low until it thickens, about 10 mins. 

Pretty thick!  Add in your bacon and stir through.  Enjoy!