3023. KENTUCKY BOURBON BACON CHEX MIX®

makes twenty servings


1 bag (15 oz) Chex Mix® traditional snack mix 
1 cup pecan halves 
1/2 lb. bacon (6 to 8 slices), crisply cooked and crumbled 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar  
1/2 cup butter 
1/4 cup light corn syrup 
2 tablespoons bourbon 
3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder 

Heat oven to 300°F. Line two 15x10x1-inch pans with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix snack mix, pecans and bacon. Set aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat brown sugar, butter and corn syrup over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly around edges. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Cool 2 minutes. Carefully stir in bourbon and chipotle chili powder. Pour over snack mixture; toss until evenly coated.

Spread snack mixture on pans. Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, to caramelize mixture. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Break into pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Betty Crocker, General Mills, Inc., P.O. Box 9452, Minneapolis, MN 55440 

1811. BACON, CEREAL and ORANGE JUICE BREAKFAST COOKIES

makes 12 big cookies


3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons thawed frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 strips bacon, cooked very crisp, drained and crumbled
1/2 cup Grape-Nuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, orange juice concentrate and peel, until light and fluffy. Add flour and baking powder, beating until well blended. Stir in bacon and cereal, stirring only until incorporated. Using an ice cream scoop (I used a big one), drop 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove cookies from sheets while still warm and cool on racks.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jessie Oleson, cakespy.com, Seattle, Washington for Serious Eats, September 14, 2009 | adapted from Cookies by Natalie Hartanov Haughton

1784. RICE KRISPIES BACON and CHEDDAR MUNCHIES

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 pinch cayenne
1/4 cup butter
6 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup Rice Krispies cereal

Mix flour, cheddar cheese, mustard and paprika and cayenne. Blend in butter. Crumble bacon and add to above mixture with Rice Krispies. Blend in well and make small balls. Bake on cookie sheet at 450 F. for 10 to 12 minutes until firm.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Rock's Recipes, March 23, 2010

405. PEANUT BUTTER, BANANA, and BACON STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

yields 4 servings


Strawberry jelly
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal, or lightly crushed cornflakes
8 slices stale white sandwich bread (2 to 3 days old)
8 teaspoons smooth peanut butter
4 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into thin circles, plus extra for garnish
1/2 pound apple smoked bacon, cooked until crisp
1 stick unsalted butter
Confectioners' sugar for serving
Chopped peanuts, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the jelly in a plastic squirt bottle. Heat a small pan of water on the stove. Water should be hot, but not boiling. Place the squirt bottle in the water.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Add the half-and-half and whisk to combine. Place the cereal on a large plate or in a shallow baking dish.

Place 4 slices of bread on a work surface and spread each with 2 teaspoons of the peanut butter, and a layer of banana slices. Top with the bacon and the remaining bread to form a sandwich and press to tightly close. Place 1 sandwich in the bowl with the batter and let sit until well moistened, about 2 minutes, turning to coat both sides. Place in the dish with the cereal, turning to coat on both sides and pressing to adhere.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Dredge each stuffed and soaked sandwich in rice cereal and add to the pan. Cook undisturbed until golden brown and crusted on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Place on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, place 1 stuffed French toast on each of 4 plates. Sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar and top each serving with chopped peanuts and banana slices. Squirt the strawberry jelly over the French toast. Serve immediately.


courtesy of: Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Live, "Let's Play with Food," 2004

310. BACON-CHEESE MUFFINS

yields 12 servings


½ lb. bacon
vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup milk
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar *
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup Grape Nuts cereal

* You may reduce the sugar to 1 tablespoon, if you wish. *

Heat oven to 400 F.

Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Measure the drippings; and add vegetable order to make 1/3 cup, if needed. Combine drippings with egg and milk and set aside. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add the dripping/egg mix all at once. Stir until just moistened; the batter will be lumpy. Lightly fold in the crumbled bacon, cheese and cereal.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 20 mins, or until lightly browned.


courtesy of: Bonnie Engel, the Shawano County Fair, Shawano, Wisconsin / The County Fair Cookbook

291. BACON BREAKFAST COOKIES

1/2 pound bacon
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups of multi-grain flakes or corn flakes
1/2 cup raisins

Cook bacon until very crisp, drain well and break into 1/2 inch pieces. Beat together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine flour and baking soda; stir into butter mixture. Stir in bacon, mult-grain flakes and raisins.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Space 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove to rack to cool--about 2 minutes, then remove from rack.


courtesy of: The Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Rector, Grace Episcopal Church, Episcopal Chaplain, Syracuse University, Cookin' in the 'Cuse

33. HONEY MAPLE-GLAZED CRISPY ATLANTIC SALMON with PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM-BACON-SPINACH HASH

GLAZE
equal parts honey and maple syrup
red pepper flakes to taste

SAUCE
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Guinness stout
2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
salt and pepper to taste

HASH
2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled, medium dice
2 Portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons diced raw bacon
1/3 cup baby spinach
oil for sauté
salt and pepper to taste

SALMON
2 6-ounce pieces Atlantic salmon
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
Rice Krispies – enough to coat salmon pieces evenly
salt and pepper

GLAZE: Combine honey, maple syrup and red pepper flakes. Store in plastic bottle.

SAUCE: Combine mayo, Guinness and mustard; whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.

HASH: Remove the gills from the Portobello mushrooms. Use a small dry brush to clean (do not rinse).

Dredge mushrooms in balsamic vinaigrette, then bake 4 minutes at 350˚F. Remove the mushrooms and slice them into 1/4-inch strips. Set aside.

Place a sauté pan over high heat, add enough oil to cover bottom of the pan. Add potatoes and sauté until golden brown.

Add diced bacon to the potatoes and place pan in 350˚F oven until cooked through (about 10 to 12 minutes).

Toss the mushrooms slices with the potatoes. Place the potato/mushroom mixture on stove and cook over medium heat until mushroom is hot.

Add spinach to the potatoes; cook until wilted

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tip: Put the hash in the oven before preparing the salmon – then both will be ready at the same time.

SALMON: Season salmon with salt and pepper, then dredge with flour.

Dip the dredged salmon into the beaten eggs, then place the salmon into a small bowl or plate of whole Rice Krispies. Coat evenly.

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Place the crusted salmon in pan and sauté about 2 minutes each side or until golden brown.

Place the pan in 350˚F oven 5 to 7 minutes.

When the salmon is well heated, remove pan from oven and spoon a generous amount of glaze over salmon. Return the pan to the oven for 2 minutes.


courtesy of: Chefs Janine and Todd Gray, The Inn at Osborne Hill, 150 Osborne Hill Road, Fishkill, New York, (845) 897-3055. Reprinted From: “A winning recipe,” The Valley Table, March-May 2003. page 36