White Balsamic Apple Vinaigrette

I've always enjoyed a good salad, but ever since I became gluten-free about 4 months ago, I've taken my salad game to a whole new level.

Which is probably for the best, since we signed the Mini up for a "parent & me" swim class and I've had to squeeze my doughy, ghost-white body into a bathing suit two months earlier that I usually would.

It doesn't help that my partner in crime looks adorable in her bathing suit.

Ah the things we do for our children.

In any event, I am a creature of habit and when I find something I like, I stick to it.  For example, I have spent countless lunches at Panera Bread with my coworkers over the years, and have only sampled probably 4 different menu items.

Even before I went GF, one of my main go-to meals has been their Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. A-mazing.  I don't know who decided apple chips would be a good topping for salad, but I would like to thank this person for changing my life.

However, I am not much into Gorgonzola cheese, so I always ask to substitute with Feta cheese.  I also prefer almonds to pecans when I make it at home.  So it's totally up you what you put this on, but my recommendation for a salad base is as follows:

-mixed greens/baby lettuce
-grilled chicken strips
-tomatoes
-slivered almonds (or pecans)
-crumbled feta cheese (or Gorgonzola)
-red onion
-crispy apple chips (you can find my recipe here, or use store-bought)

Either way, you can't go wrong.

White Balsamic Apple Vinaigrette

• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 C. apple juice (I recommend using a "natural" apple juice)
• 3 T. white balsamic vinegar
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 t. lemon juice 
• 1 t. sugar
• 2 t. honey
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. xanthan gum (optional - it just makes the dressing a little thicker)

Whisk all ingredients together, or process in a blender to emulsify.  Makes about one cup of dressing.  Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Original Recipe

Honey Garlic Chicken Kabob Marinade

Hello, Rabbit!

(You can thank me later... according to my grandma, that phrase brings good luck on the first of the month.)

I seriously cannot believe it's June 1st already.  I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend - I know we did!

After Superstorm Sandy, it's awesome to see that so many places along the shore here in Jersey are open for business.  There's still a lot of rebuilding to be done, but we've come a long way in a short period of time.  Gives a whole new meaning to Jersey Strong - I am so proud of my home state!

This week, President Obama met with our governor, Chris Christie, to see the recovery efforts at the Shore.  He visited my hometown of Point Pleasant Beach, and also Asbury Park (where Mr. Vittles and I lived before we bought our house last year!)

I really never thought I'd see photos of the President of the United States on the boardwalk I've been going to since I was a little kid.

Yup, in this one they were right in front of the Aquarium Gift Shop, where I worked my first summer job at the age of 14.  Surreal!

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Now as I've told you before, despite what the calendar may say, Memorial Day weekend is the official start of summer around these parts.  And with summer comes not only visits from The Prez but also GRILLING!

On Sunday, we attended a wonderful barbecue at our friends' house nearby.  (Remember Pauline, who so generously shared her recipe for Pumpkin Tiramisu with us at Thanksgiving?)

She and her husband Bryan made a fabulous meal of pulled pork, potato salad, grilled pineapple, and a corn salad which I will hopefully share with you soon (a-mazing!).

Then on Monday, we took the Mini for her first day at the beach...

... and marinated some kabobs for the grill!

Yup, summer's back and so is Jersey.  Take that, Sandy!

Honey Garlic Marinade for Chicken Kabobs

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag (or large glass bowl/dish with cover) and mix well.  Add 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and marinate at least 3 hours or overnight.

Thread chicken on skewers and grill (or broil) until cooked through and no pink remains.

Recipe Adapted from Thriving Home

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast 'Cheesecake'

At my shower, my mother-in-law gave me the fabulous gift of a newborn photo session for the baby.  The original photographer's studio was unfortunately ruined during Sandy, so she had to schedule with a new one & we had the shoot at my in-laws house yesterday.  (BTW- considering the fact that Mara is no longer a sleepy, pliable newborn it went surprisingly well.  I am SO excited to see the pictures!)

The photographer is a mother of two children (3 and 5 years old) and one of her first questions for me was, "How are you adjusting?"

My immediate answer was "Good!" with raised eyebrows & a happy little smile.

And I realized right after I said it... that's not true at all.  (And she probably knew it!)

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that having a baby is not the most incredible thing in the world.

Every day I look into the eyes of this adorable little person and think, "Holy crap.  We created her."

But I'm not gonna lie... this mom business is exhausting.  "Adjusting" to not sleeping and spending your days & nights tending to an extremely needy little critter is no easy task!

As a person who functions best with about 8 hours of sleep per night, six weeks of catnapping is really not cutting the mustard.  (Also I would just like to say for the record that the next person who tells me "Sleep when the baby sleeps!" is taking their life in their hands.)

It was also not helping matters that our munchkin was having terrible gas pains that were making her miserable.  Sleep, eat, cry, repeat - this was how it went for weeks.  We tried everything to help her, even the pediatrician was out of ideas.  Then my dad pointed out that as a wee Maggie, I too cried all the day long.  Eventually they discovered I had a sensitivity to lactose.  He said my mom had to stop breastfeeding & switch to a soy formula, and then I was "a very different baby."

At Mara's one-month checkup, the pediatrician noticed the gas situation right off the bat, and actually told me to avoid dairy... (and vegetables... and anything else that might potentially be gas-producing.  Which is, like, everything under the sun.)

Like a good little mommy I tried to avoid it but a) it's in sooo many things you don't even realize, and b) telling me I can't have dairy is like telling me I can't breathe air.  I pretty much live for cheese and Greek yogurt.

So after a week of us BOTH being absolutely miserable, I called the pediatrician back and said nothing I had tried was helping.  She was fresh out of ideas, so I started doing some poking around on the internet about lactose sensitivity.  As a last resort, I decided to try two days of strictly hypoallergenic formula - and lo and behold we had a much calmer and more pleasant Mara.

So, long story longer... I'm not sure she'll be enjoying any 'breakfast cheesecake' anytime soon?  Especially not of the peanut butter variety.

But at least I can again.

 :) :) :)

Please note:  This is a breakfast, not dessert.  So don't expect the ingredients below to magically morph into a 1,000-calorie slice of heaven from The Cheesecake Factory, ok?  It still beats a a bland bowl of oatmeal any day!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast "Cheesecake"

• 1 6-oz. container plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
• 3 T. creamy peanut butter
• 2 t. honey
• 1 1.76-oz package chocolate BelVita breakfast biscuits (4 biscuits), crushed

Mix yogurt with peanut butter and honey in a small bowl.

Reserve a bit of the crushed biscuits for topping, then divide remaining crushed biscuits between 2 separate, small serving bowls/cups.  Top each with half of yogurt mixture, then reserved biscuit crumbs.  Serves 2.

Original Recipe

Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Bars

So I feel badly that I haven't posted in over a week, but the last seven days have been pretty interesting for us.

Between paying our income taxes (plus the accountant), paying off the first year of insurance for our new house, packing our belongings, dumpster diving for free cardboard boxes, and having my brain scrambled by the (extremely adorable & well-meaning) seller who tried to teach me about all her beautiful plants around the house.... it turns out I am not only poor, but also botanically-challenged, and incredibly tired.

(And... we haven't even had to sign away our life savings and our first-born child at closing yet.  That's next Monday.)

Sooo... needless to say I haven't spent much time in the kitchen lately.  But a few weeks ago I got a recipe from Mr. Vittles' aunt for 'granola bars' that are super yummy.  They are basically like oatmeal cookies, but without a leavening agent, and for breakfast.  

Raise your hand if you like cookies for breakfast?

(P.S. if you didn't raise your hand, I will forced to rethink our friendship.  Just sayin'.)

His little cousin actually made the ones we tried at their house, this is a good recipe for kids.  (BTW, she was also helping her mom make chocolate cake while we were visiting - definitely a girl after my own heart!)

Sadly my bars came out a little more dry than hers, I think maybe because I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose.  (I also added whole flax seeds, but that shouldn't really affect the moisture in the bars).  But they were still really good.  You can use whichever flour you prefer, or a mixture of both, and feel free to switch up the dried fruit too.  Just be sure to watch these carefully in the oven, because they do burn easily!

Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Bars

• 2 C. old fashioned oats (not the quick-cook kind)
• 1 C. flour (all-purpose or whole wheat, or a mixture of both)
• 3/4 C. brown sugar
• 3/4 C. raisins (or other dried fruit of your choosing)
• 1/2 C. wheat germ
• 1/4 C. whole flax seeds
• 3/4 t. salt
• 3/4 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 C. canola oil
• 1/2 C. honey
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients (oats through cinnamon).  In a small bowl, whisk together canola oil, honey, vanilla, and egg.  Add to dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until evenly coated and well-combined. 

Then, with wet hands, place 5 clumps of the mixture on the cookie sheet and shape them slightly into even bars.  (This should use half your mixture - you will have about 10 bars total, depending on how large you make them).  Bake 18-20 minutes, watching carefully toward the end of the baking time so bars do not burn.  Cool briefly on pans then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining half of mixture.

Makes about 10 breakfast bars.

Adapted Slightly from Family Recipe

Honey Wheat Pizza Dough

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be married to the weirdest man in the world?

Well, let me tell you.

The weirdest man in the world will go on your Facebook account when you leave it open on your computer. 

Will he look at your emails? 

No way.  That's too boring.  

Because it's much more fun to post ridiculous status updates like "I love turf equipment," and "I have itchy toes."

And you will not realize that he has posted these things until a very confused person comments, "Why don't you scratch 'em?"

(Sooo happy that my 300 some-odd "friends" were thinking I was suffering from some type of pesky foot fungus.)

The weirdest man in the world will also hijack your phone when you're not looking.

Will he read your texts and inspect your missed & outgoing calls?

No way.  That's too boring.

Because it's much more fun to send a text message from 'you' to your sister-in-law that says "I eat boogers."

(And if your sister-in-law happens to have the weirdest man in the world as her brother, then she will simply respond "Me too," and nothing further will need to be said.)

Luckily, I found the one to my dad that said "I LOVE snails" while it was still in Drafts, before I got a concerned phone call asking if I was on drugs or something.

But you know what?  That's ok.  

Because I can play tricks too.

And for my next trick... I will make whole wheat flour into a pizza crust that tastes mighty fine (thanks to a wonderful blog called Budget Bytes.)

Don't believe me? 

You'll just have to try it for yourself.


Honey Wheat Pizza Dough

• 1 C. warm water
• 2 T. honey
• 1 pkt. active dry yeast
• 3 T. olive oil (plus a little more to oil bowl)
• 1 1/4 t. salt
• 3/4 C. whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ - 2 C. all-purpose flour, divided

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if you don’t have a mixer) stir together warm water with yeast and honey.  Let sit 3-5 minutes or until frothy on top.

Using paddle attachment in mixer, stir in olive oil and salt, then whole wheat flour.  Stir in 1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour until mixed in evenly.  Then increase speed to medium (reducing speed to add more all-purpose flour by the tablespoon as necessary) and mix until dough is stretchy & soft but not sticking to anything.  (If you do not have a mixer, stir in flour until you can no longer use a spoon, then switch to kneading on a floured surface).

Remove dough and place on lightly floured surface. Oil bowl lightly with olive oil, then replace dough and cover top lightly with more oil.  Drape a towel over bowl, and let rise until doubled in size (about 45 mins).

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, and shape into a round of desired size.  Transfer to a pizza stone or greased pan covered in corn meal to prevent sticking, and top as desired.  Bake in 425 degree oven for 16-18 minutes or until edges are golden.  Makes 1 large (about 16-inch) pizza or 2 medium pizzas.

Recipe Adapted from Budget Bytes

Crunchy Granola Bites

Do you like granola bars?

I do, but unless you get some expensive organic brand, you probably don't like what you see on the side of the box.

You know, the likes of high fructose corn syrup...  partially hydrogenated oil.... artificial flavoring...

Ech.  Not ideal for a supposedly "healthy" breakfast or snack.

My friend, Super Mom Natalie, already shared with you her fabulous recipe for granola, but sometimes I want something that doesn't require a bowl.

Something I can easily grab and eat on the go.

Like a granola bar.  But without all that bad stuff.

So that's why I made these.  They are full of wholesome goodies like oatmeal, flax seeds, almonds, and pumpkin seeds, and wheat germ.

Also, if you're feeling crazy, they are easily customizable to whatever you're craving at the moment.  Raisins, cranberries, pecans, mini chocolate chips (I won't tell if you won't!), sesame seeds - anything your little heart desires.

But nooo hydrogenated oils or corn syrup in these bad boys.

And they're more fun than a granola bar because they are bite-sized.

Everything is more fun when it's mini :)

Crunchy Granola Bites

• 1 1/2 C. old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 C. flax seeds
• 1/4 C. sliced almonds
• 1/4 C. pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 C. shredded coconut
• 1/4 C. wheat germ
• 2 T. blonde coconut palm sugar (or light brown sugar is fine)
• 1 T. molasses
• 2 T. honey
• 1 T. agave nectar
• 1 T. almond butter
• 4 T. Earth Balance spread (or butter)
• 2 t. pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 - 1/4 t. salt (to taste)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin tin and set aside.

Combine oats, flax seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds, coconut, and wheat germ on a rimmed baking sheet and spread into an even layer.  Bake 20 minutes, stirring every 6 or 7 minutes, until ingredients are lightly toasted.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, honey, molasses, agave, almond butter, and Earth Balance spread in a small saucepan on stove.  Heat over medium-low, stirring until melted, and bring to a gentle simmer.  Stir occasionally, lowering heat if necessary to prevent burning, until oats are done.

Empty oat mixture from baking sheet into a bowl, and stir.  Remove sugar syrup from stove, and add vanilla and salt.  Pour syrup over oats in bowl, and stir to coat mixture well.

Increase oven heat to 325 degrees, then divide granola mixture among cups of prepared mini-muffin tin (I used a small cookie dough scoop to distribute evenly).  Press mixture firmly into cups - you want the mixture to adhere to itself, otherwise you'll just end up with cups of loose granola!

Bake in pre-heated oven for 13-15 minutes until golden.  Let bites sit in pan for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on wire rack.

Original Recipe

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

On this night before Thanksgiving, I am taking a break from making some dishes for tomorrow's feast at my in-laws to wish you all a lovely holiday!

At times, this past year has been trying ... in general, it seems the things that I want to stay the same won't, and things that I want to change stay the same.  As I'm sure you all know - sometimes it's just difficult to deal with loss and life's disappointments.

But that being said - I have sooo many things to be thankful for that it's almost unbelievable!

I have a wonderful, loving husband who makes me smile single every day. 

I have amazing friends and family members that I couldn't live without.

I have a good job and a roof over my head and enough money to pay the bills - plus some extra for fun things as well.

I have found a special hobby in blogging that has allowed me to share one of my passions with incredible people, some of whom I probably wouldn't have 'met' otherwise.

(That's right - I'm thankful for YOU!)

And ... I have discovered this side dish that makes a vegetable insanely delicious!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• 2 lbs. red-skinned sweet potatoes
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. honey
• 1 t. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 t. salt
• (optional: 1/4 t. cinnamon + 1/2 t. chili powder OR 1/4 t. garlic powder + 1/8 t. cayenne pepper)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel & cut potatoes into 1" cubes and put in a 9x13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey, lemon juice, salt (and optional seasoning, if desired).  Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat.

Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Recipe slightly adapted from Food Network's Ellie Krieger

Jalapeno Honey Chicken Tenders

I think I mentioned a while ago that we went to a wedding on Mr. Vittles' 30th birthday.  The wedding was in Cape May NJ (an adorable shore town) and had a beach theme, and they gave out the cutest favors - small jars of Old Bay seasoning accompanied by a recipe for crab cakes.

However, as most of you know, I do not enjoy seafood in the least - so I was not about to be making any crab cakes.  I knew that you could put it on a number of other things (I've seen Old Bay seasoned potato chips) but I don't know exactly what foods the flavors go best with.

So to the Old Bay website I went, where I was able to find some good non-seafood recipe suggestions.

This one reminded me of my childhood when one of my favorite foods was chicken tenders dipped in honey.  The jalapeno and Old Bay give it a nice twist.  Mr. V and I both thought it was pretty tasty!

Jalapeno Honey Chicken Tenders

• 2 T. honey
• 1 egg
• 1 t. finely minced jalapeno
• 1/4 C. flour
• 3/4 C. unseasoned dry breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• 3 t. old bay seasoning
• 1 T. dried parsley flakes
• 1 lb. chicken tenders (or breasts, cut into strips)
• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 t. salt

Preheat oven 425.

Mix jalapeno, honey, and egg in shallow dish.  In separate shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, flour, old bay, salt, and parsley.

Dip each chicken tender in honey mixture, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture and place on a dish.

Heat the canola oil on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.  Turn sheet to coat surface evenly with oil.

Immediately place chicken tenders on sheet and bake 7 minutes.  Flip and bake another 7-8 minutes until cooked through & no longer pink.  Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Recipe slightly adapted from Old Bay.com

Homemade Granola

On this last day of August, I have got a treat for you - a guest post by Natalie Vittles!

She has been kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to share not only her super-secret and super-delicious homemade granola recipe, but also a little history of how it came to be!

Ahhh!!
 
I'm not sure which I'm more excited about.

You be the judge.  Enjoy :)

As Maggie mentioned in her last post, I don't have a lot of spare time on my hands these days. I am a mother to a very rambunctious 3 year old boy and a happy-go-lucky, but still needy 5 month old infant. Oh and I just started law school.  I ever-so-wisely rode the late pregnancy hormone-induced wave of ambition straight into that logistical calamity.

As you may have guessed, a lot of my time-consuming stay-at-home-mom-with-a-perfectionist-hippie-streak obsessions have fallen by the wayside. While our first child was on a super strict cloth diaper regimen (which even included toting giant bags of soiled linens on vacation) our second receives this conscience-soothing treatment in increasingly rare cases such as when the toosh isn't a little bit irritated, or when he isn't about to take a nap, or for that matter when dirty diapers aren't in queue behind 2 days of backlogged laundry - i.e almost never.

But there is one law school felled tradition that I quickly resurrected - making my own granola. It's just too good. It makes the store-bought stuff (even the organic, pumpkin seed, super omega, etc. stuff) seem like Cap'n Crunch in comparison. Nothing against the Cap'n, but that's dessert not breakfast.  

I had been making this recipe every week for a year, slowly changing things as I went along. Finding a good granola recipe to start with was no easy task. Even my trusty Mark Bittman, the man who taught me how to cook..well.."Everything..," left me with burnt and bland granola after way too many steps and way too many pans and bowls. I eventually adapted a recipe from Delicious Living magazine, a free handout at our local co-op. 

If you compare the recipes, you'll see that in the end I just added almond butter (to create the crunchy clumps), subtracted the coconut (because it really didn't add anything to the taste), and greatly reduced the cooking time (to avoid the burnt taste). Amazing how it took me a whole year to get to this point, but hindsight is 20/20. 

The final recipe is very adaptable and customizable. You can add different seeds, nuts and dried fruit for a completely new taste. It's equally as good with yogurt as it is with milk, which is a plus since I've been addicted to Greek yogurt lately. Is that stuff amazing or what?!  And I assure you that you do not need to be a domestic goddess like Ms. Vittles to make this recipe. If your idea of cooking is throwing ingredients into a giant bowl (or if you've just got a lot on your plate), this recipe is for you:

Homemade Granola

• 8 cups uncooked rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup almonds, chopped or sliced
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil*
• 1 TB Molasses
• 1 TB vanilla extract
• 1 heaping spoonful (or more) Almond Butter
• cinnamon
• salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix first 5 dry ingredients. Make well and add in next 6 ingredients. Stir to combine. Press mixture into two jelly roll pans and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and a lot of cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, and bake for 10 additional minutes. Remove granola from pans immediately (otherwise it will stick) and put in resealable bag or storage container. I keep mine in the same giant Pyrex bowl that I used to mix the ingredients. After it comes out of the oven you can add dried fruit to the recipe.

*Any neutral, high heat oil could probably be used if sunflower oil isn't available.

Recipe Adapted (by Natalie) from Delicious Living Mag.com

Honeyed Bacon BLT

I guess you could say I was feeling the spring fever yesterday.  For one it was beautiful out, and then, while I was doing a little evening workout, I rather belatedly came up with the perfect April Fools joke to play on Mr. Vittles.

Let me start by saying Mr. V takes every opportunity to get people to believe crazy things.  It's happened to me many times.  Stepdad Chris Vittles is also like this, so luckily I've had 22 years of preparation for what is now going to be a lifetime of wondering, "Is he being serious?"

But Mr. V and I had already discussed the fact that it was April Fools... meaning, any jokes coming from me would put him on high alert.

So my idea was to get his sister, Melissa Vittles, to call and tell him she was receiving compensation to carry the child of one of her rich friends - who was afraid he'd be perpetually single & wanted to ensure his "legacy" would carry on.

Sounds a little far-fetched, I know.  But Mel V is known & loved for her free spirit and free thinking... and she has a friend that could potentially fit this description.  So this is an entirely possible scenario.

Ok, well maybe not 'entirely'.  But enough possible-ness (?) to get Mr. Vittles going for a while.

Anyway, since my evil plan depended on the help of both my sister-in-law and mother-in-law (in case Mr. V called his mother to verify), I had to call them and get that all set up before the hubbs got home from the gym.  I also had to fit a shower in there somewhere.

Plus after all that baking of cakes and cupcakes I did the day before, I was not in the mood to cook much of a meal anyway.

So the moral of the story is - the day got away from me, people.  Don't judge.  BLTs are fine for dinner, I swear.

But aside from the laziness factor, I had just seen an inspiring recipe on Food & Wine magazine's 4/1/10 newsletter "The Dish" for Crunchy Asian Pea Salad with Honeyed Bacon.

Honeyed bacon sounded pretty heavenly to me.  So I got to thinking about the tomatoes and nearly-bad lettuce and package of bacon I had in the fridge.

Which means I got to forgetting about the whole "Asian Pea Salad" part.

I'm sorry, pea salad.  Don't be angry, it's nothing personal.  I'm sure you're great.  Just look at you!

© Kana Okada, for Food & Wine

Now the kind of bacon I had wasn't thick slices, and I also don't have Chinese five-spice powder (to be perfectly honest, I have no clue what that even is?).  So I just made a little mixture of honey & soy sauce to brush on the bacon, and then I sprinkled a little garlic powder & ground pepper on top.

 

I personally thought this bacon made a great BLT, and Mr. Vittles agreed.  He said he could tell that something was different about the bacon, but he wasn't sure what it was.  (He is admittedly dreadful at identifying ingredients).  When I told him it was honey, the look on his face told me that was definitely not his first guess.

But that's ok, that's why I do the cooking around here.  And let's be honest - that certainly wasn't the biggest surprise he'd have that night! Heh heh.

So anyway, go make yourself up some honeyed bacon and enjoy a delicious BLT.  I'm pretty sure you guys don't need an ingredient list or instructions on how to make the sandwich part... but I'll pretend you do, just in case :)  This recipe made 3 sandwiches.

Honeyed Bacon BLT

• One 16-oz. package of bacon
• 2 T. honey
• 2 t. soy sauce
• garlic powder & ground pepper to taste
• 1 tomato, cut into thin slices
• a few leaves of lettuce
• 6 slices toasted wheat bread
• mayonnaise for spreading (optional - Mr. V hates mayo!)
• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat your oven's broiler & set top rack about 8 inches from the heat source.  I wouldn't put the broiler on full blast unless you want blackened bacon - but you want it fairly high (heat source should be glowing red).

In a small microwave-safe bowl, mix honey with soy sauce and microwave for 10-15 seconds until honey is runny.  Stir.

Spread bacon slices out on a baking sheet.  They can overlap, but not too much because you want to be able to get the honey mixture onto as much of the bacon as possible. (My sheet fit about 14 slices comfortably, which was plenty for 3 sandwiches.)

Dip a pastry brush in honey mixture, and brush lightly onto each bacon slice. Sprinkle with as much garlic powder and pepper as you like.  (Surprisingly for me, I went with a very light sprinkle of both and I thought it came out perfect).

Put pan in oven under broiler, and leave oven door ajar slightly.  Cook five minutes, then take pan out & flip slices.  Brush other side of bacon with honey mixture and repeat sprinkling of garlic & pepper if desired.  Cook an additional 4-5 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your bacon.  Drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Slice tomato & toast bread slices.  Spread mayonnaise on bread if desired, & assemble bacon, lettuce and tomato however you like.  I usually sprinkle a little salt & pepper on the tomatoes, and use 4 slices bacon per sandwich.

Honeyed Bacon adapted from recipe by chef Ratha Chau for Food & Wine magazine


And just in case you're wondering... Mr. Vittles totally fell for the joke :)  Or should I say Uncle Vittles?  Haha!