Baking Bacon On The Farm

Happy Thursday from Our Farm to Your Home...............

Who doesn't love them some scrumptious bacon??? 

I am all about the simple way of life. That includes the easiest way to make everyone's most favorite of the food groups, BACON! 

When I say easiest I mean EASIEST way to make and clean up after making bacon. 

Truth is there is nothing like the smell of frying bacon...........Mmmmm Mmmmm.  But how much do you love cleaning up that mess made by the splattering and the several cups of bacon grease in your fry pan?

I am about to tell you the easiest and least messy way to cook your bacon. No fuss no muss. You will never cook your bacon another way.......

First thing is to start preheating your oven to 350 degrees. It is not necessary that it reach temperature before you put the bacon into the oven. 

Second you want to take your nice shiny cookie sheet.........its ok if it's not shiny :) 

Than take some wonderful parchment paper......trust me on this one. ;) Line your shiny cookie sheet with said wonderful parchment paper..........

Now take your package of lovely bacon and place each slice onto the parchment paper. My cookie sheets hold 10 slices of bacon. It's ok if pieces touch as even in the oven bacon shrinks in size. Don't overlap but touching each other is ok. 

Place your cookie sheet loaded with bacon into the oven and set the timer for 25-29 minutes for regular thin sliced bacon, or up to 50 minutes for the thickest sliced bacon. The time depends on how crispy you like it. I used to only eat my bacon almost burnt crispy but now I eat it cooked brown and through but still a little bit chewy. This thick bacon I cook anywhere from 45 to 50 minutes. Walk away and let your oven do its thing. When the timer goes off check it to make sure it is done to your liking and if not let it go for a few more minutes until your bacon is perfect for you. Be careful removing it from the oven as your cookie sheet is holding all that bacon grease you will use for future cooking projects. IT WILL BE HOT! 

Enjoy your beautifully baked bacon and after your third cup of coffee and relaxing a bit it is now time to clean up. If you use bacon grease for other cooking projects, now is the time you want to pour the grease into your bacon grease jar or can that you keep in the refrigerator. Easy to do with an oven mitt and some practice. 

This is your final clean up. Roll up your parchment paper and throw it in the trash. Your cookie sheet should be nearly spotless if not spotless and you should have nothing to scrub. 

That's it! You have now made the perfect weekend morning breakfast bacon or the perfect slices for BLTs!!! 

Never Fail Homemade Pizza Dough

My Farmer loves pizza! He LOVES it like us girls LOVE chocolate.........

We have a local Pizza Shop that makes a pretty good pizza, but there is nothing like being able to create it yourself in the comfort of your own home. 

This is so easy and so difficult to do incorrectly...........The fact that you can top it with whatever you want and make it as big or as small as you like is what makes it great  for a special family night or a friendly get together with your besties........

Although this recipe has nothing to do with eggs, it does have everything to do with being committed to our homesteading lifestyle and leading a simpler life.

Never Fail Homemade Pizza Dough 

Ingredients:

2 Cups warm (not hot) water

1 Tablespoon yeast (I used rapid rise) 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

5 Cups All Purpose Flour (divided into 2 1/2 cup increments)

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil ( you need 2 Tablespoons per pan) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1.) Mix warm water with the yeast and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes while the yeast proofs. 2.) Meanwhile, put 2 1/2 cups of flour in your KitchenAid mixer, or your large bowl. 

3.)After the yeast is done working its magic in the warm water, add it to the flour. If you are using your KitchenAid Stand Mixer use the dough hook. Mix yeast & water mixture with the flour until completely combined. 

4.)Next, add the another 2 1/2 cups of flour and the salt to this. Knead until smooth with your KtichenAid Stand Mixer or by hand. 

5.)Cover your bowl with plastic wrap to retain heat and let it sit for 20 minutes. It will not rise a lot but that's perfect. 

6.) Pour 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil onto your baking sheet or pizza pan and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. 

7.) Remove your dough ball from the bowl to a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2 sections or more if you are making smaller pizzas. 

8.)Use a little flour on the top of the first section to pat it down. Use a rolling pin to roll it thin and to the size you need. You want it to be about 1/4" in thickness. 

9.) Put the rolled out dough into your pan and pull gently to make it fit the pan. 

10.) Now comes the fun part: Top it with your favorite toppings, sauce, cheese, veggies, meats, whatever your hearts desire. Remember to leave about 3/4" between sauce and edge of crust.

11.) Bake for 18-22 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing. 

As you can see I made a large baking pan size 17x13. It will make 2 this size. I put the other in the freezer for future use. 

ENJOY! 

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A Tisket a Tasket There are Biscuits in a Basket............

Happy Sunday to you all!

For the first time in my entire 40 something years I attempted to make biscuits from scratch.......If I do say so myself, they come out pretty dang yummy!

My Mom always made biscuits but she never taught me how to make biscuits. Wish she had because they were always wonderful. She would serve them warm with butter and jelly if she had made them for a snack or she would use them as the cake part of Strawberry Shortcake but no matter the occasion they were always delicious.

The recipe I used is titled 7up Biscuits and I will share it below.

                                                           

7 Up Biscuits

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose baking mix 

1 cup regular sour cream 

1 cup 7 up 

1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter and pour into the bottom of a large cookie sheet or 9X13 pan. ( I had to use 2 9X13 pans)

Mix the baking mix, sour cream, and 7 up together. Sprinkle some baking mix on your counter top or other work space. The mixture will be very wet and sticky but that is normal. Turn your sticky wet mixture out onto your work space and knead and fold it until you are able to pat out your dough. It takes some time to get to this stage but worth the work. 

Pat out your dough and cut your biscuits with a biscuit cutter. 

( I have this really neat wooden one I just love) 

After you have cut your biscuits put them in your baking pan on top of the melted butter. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and admire your beautiful golden brown homemade biscuits! 

Serve them warm with butter and (blackberry) jam and enjoy your creation. Don't forget to share! 

Have a blessed day and a blessed new week. 

What's For Dinner? ................Homemade Chinese YUM

A couple of weeks ago I made for the first time Homemade Chinese food. I must say it turned out fabulous and my family loves it! I always ask "Is this a keeper recipe?" and this time it was a definite YES!

Here are the recipes for each of the foods on this plate...........Looks pretty yummy huh?

Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2/3 Cup water
1/4 Cup ketchup
2 teasp. lower sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Mix everything together in a sauce pan EXCEPT the cornstarch. Heat on Medium/Low to a low slow boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix enough water with the cornstarch to make it thick but liquid, this is known as cornstarch slurry. Once the ingredients in the sauce pan come to the low and slow boil with a whisk slowly add the cornstarch slurry until the sauce thickens. Serve with chicken.

Speaking of chicken........Best ever recipe right here:

Chinese Chicken Fingers

1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into tenderloins (or you can just purchase tenderloins)
3 eggs slightly beaten
Cornstarch to coat
Sesame Oil or Oil of choice

In a large skillet or wok heat enough oil to "fry" chicken on Medium/Hi heat. Dip chicken pieces in beaten egg and then dredge through the cornstarch on all sides. Place chicken pieces in single layer in skillet turning at least once until golden brown and cooked thoroughly.  Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce OR Chinese Fried Rice.

And now that you have mentioned Chinese Fried Rice here is the best recipe for it I have ever had.........

Chinese Fried Rice

3 Cups cooked white rice ( make this in the morning or the day before so its good and sticky)
3 Tablesp. Sesame oil or oil of your choice
1 Cup Frozen Peas & Carrots (I used frozen peas, carrots, corn and green beans)
1 Small onion chopped
2 Teasp. minced garlic
3 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 cup Lower sodium soy sauce

On medium/hi heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the onions and garlic and stir fry until tender. Add the vegetables to this and stir fry until heated through. Lower the the heat to medium and push this mixture to the side. Pour the beaten eggs on the empty side of the skillet and scramble the eggs until cooked through. Now add the rice and the soy sauce blending it all together and stir fry until thoroughly heated.

This is so easy to make and so yummy to eat. I did use a lot of dishes and pans but it was worth every dish I had to wash, or rather every dish my Honey washed! Thanks Honey for participating in the clean up!

I have  many, many recipes that I will be sharing in the days, months and years to come. So if you are looking for home cooked meals that your family will enjoy, come back to my Little Cottage by The Woods for family recipes.

Have an awesome week!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy a girl could ask for. This is his first Father's Day in heaven and I am sure he is having the time of his life with Mommy, his Mommy, his Dad, his Son, his Granddaughter, and his Brother.


My Dad was a patient man, forgiving to a fault yet he never forgot those who loved him. He had the biggest heart and the best hugs!

As I sit here reminiscing about all the times we had together, it brings tears to my eyes knowing that I will never spend another Father's Day with my Dad.

So I challenge you today that if your Dad is still alive that you go and see him, spend some time with him, reminisce with him, and above all tell him you love him. Whether he be your biological Father or your Step Father he is still that person who has your back ALL the time.

So Daddy I wish you a very Happy Father's Day and I wish that you were still here with me to call and tell you I love you.

To my Honey...........You have been an amazing Daddy to your daughters and an amazing Dad to our Son. Although he doesn't realize it yet he will see that you have loved him with all you have. After all who would go and sit for hours while their Son takes the ACT test on a beautiful Saturday? :) To a mother, the most important issue to her is that her man love her children as if they are their own.  I love you and am so thankful that you are mine.

Welcome to The Cottage By The Woods

Welcome to our Cottage By The Woods!

From August 2005 until March 2014 we lived aboard our lovely 36 foot sailboat on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. 

In February of 2014 we purchased our little piece of heaven in rural Tennessee on 5 acres of wooded property. 

To say that life is different here in Tennessee is an understatement. We are more relaxed and enjoying our day to day life. 

I work fulltime for a Southern grocery chain as an Health and Beauty Aids Clerk and although the hours are long and the work is hard I enjoy the job. 

My Honey works at home tutoring students from Kindergarten through College and beyond. He is a born teacher and enjoys his work as well. 

We have 5 children between us. I have 3 amazing sons who have become amazing young men and I could not be prouder a Mom than I am. Honey has 2 daughters who I very much consider daughters of the heart. They are amazing young women and we are both proud of them and their accomplishments. 

And on top of these 2 legged children we also have 4 four legged children. Tiki is our beloved and old Maltese, Scarlet is our rambunctious yet sweet Morkie (she is a cross between a maltese and a yorkie), we also have 2 rescued cats who were just days old when we rescued them, Maddie and Zoe. They happen to be sisters that we rescued after Hurricane Katrina when we found them in the bushes. Their mother had been killed in the storm.

I started this blog to journal this new chapter in our lives, a story of sorts, a record of one chapter in  this book of life. 

So get yourself a cup of something that makes you happy and enjoy our adventures to come...............