There aren’t too many foods out there that are both delicious and capable of being a major part of every type of meal. Bacon is one of these glorious foods, and aside from being served with breakfast, wrapped around shrimp, and thrown on a cheeseburger here and there, bacon is all too often neglected. Why this happens, I’ll never understand, but this article is taking the first step in changing this unfortunate circumstance.

After whipping up the recipes below, you’ll finally realize how much you’ve been missing out when you don’t occasionally incorporate bacon into your menu. You can’t be afraid to get creative and excited about using common ingredients in new ways. If you’re looking for more bacon-based recipes, search Recipe Finder for any course meal. While going through these five courses, channel the frantic excitement of the Beggin’ Strips dog (“Bacon! Bacon! Chewy, yummy, smoky Bacon!”) and get psyched to cook!

Salad: Classic Cobb

Cook time: 25 minutes

Difficulty level: 1/5

Recipe: here

Even though I want to promote fresh ways to incorporate typical foods, this first recipe will start off in a classic way. If you’re making this menu for your friends, this will help them ease into the whole idea of eating several courses centered on bacon. Their hesitancy is normal, but trust me — it won’t be confirmed once they’ve bitten into these juicy foods.

Cobb salads are common but they’re equally delicious, and this type of salad calls for real, hearty bacon. I’m not talking about tossing around some pre-packaged bacon bits, here, people. I’m talking crisp, thick pieces of cooked bacon strips. Bacon serves as a main ingredient of a cob, so make sure you give it the attention it deserves.

Soup: Chickpea and Bacon Soup

Cook time: 20 minutes

Difficulty level: 2/5

Recipe: here

Now we’re getting into the less traditional stuff. You’re probably used to seeing chickpeas with more Greek-style foods, but they go perfectly well with bacon. (See, if you don’t try to use different foods together, how will you ever discover unexpected combinations?)

This soup doesn’t take long to make and features chickpeas and bacon alongside some great soup additions: onions, garlic, and other delicious herbs. This is a heartier soup, which is why the bacon is so perfect to add to its ingredients list; bacon adds that touch of smoky, meaty flavor without being too filling.

Appetizer: Bacon Hush Puppies

Cook time: 25 minutes

Difficulty level: 3/5

Recipe: here

Everyone loves hush puppies. Not that I’ve done a survey or anything, but based on my intense love for them, I find it inconceivable someone wouldn’t. So why not take something great and make it fantastic? Hush puppies have flavor, but they can do with a little more. Throwing in some bacon bits can really do the trick.

The recipe calls for store-bought bacon bits, but I’d encourage you to just cook up some bacon strips and cut it into tiny pieces. Taking that extra step will go an extra mile in taste. Because they only take 25 minutes to make and serve 10 people, they make the perfect appetizer for the bacon-lovers in your life.

Entrée: Bacon and Onion Tartlette

Cook time: about 1 hour

Difficulty level: 5/5 (still not too bad, though)

Recipe: here

Really, what sounds better than bacon, onions, peppers, and cheese all working together to form a scrumptious tartlette? Maybe double bacon. But that’s your call. This delicious meal could also serve as a nice appetizer, but either way, you’ll be pleased with your culinary creation.

While it might seem like it takes a while to make (1 hour), that’s only if you follow the recipe’s portion about creating the pie crust from scratch. If you’re feeling ambitious, go for it! If not, try a store-bought approach; cooking the filling will probably only put you back half an hour, which is a totally reasonable cooking time for such a good dinner.

Dessert: Bacon Caramel Maple Ice Cream

Cook time: a few hours

Difficulty level: 4/5

Recipe: here

Yep, you read that right. Bacon ice cream. Don’t run away. It’s possible for smoky and sweet flavors to combine into a delicious dessert for you and your dinner guests, and this recipe will show you how. Merging contrasting but complimentary tastes can be one of the best things you do for your taste buds!

The recipe involves store-bought bacon caramels, but if you can’t find them or you want to be adventurous, you can try this bacon caramel recipe to use for the ice cream. And don’t be scared off by the cook time; ice cream just involves a lot of freezing, so while you’re preparing dessert, you’ll have time to listen to all of your friends rave about your previous four courses.

Conclusion

This menu will really represent how many ways bacon can work with other foods and combine with other tastes to create original, delectable flavors. When you have an ingredient like bacon that is so well-liked and not very expensive, you have to appreciate its versatility. Good luck cooking, and enjoy each and every course!

This was a guest post written by Christina Jones of Jones Baby Love.   Feel free to stop by and say hello and connect with her on twitter.

Risotto is an awesome type of rice-ish pasta. Ok, it’s really rice but it reminds me more of pasta so pardon me! The trick to making a good risotto is the slow addition of the broth. It takes a little more effort, but I promise, it pays off! If you slowly add in your liquid, you get a much more flavorful and fluffy risotto. I read a while back (the internet never lies!) that cooking it this way lets the starch release slowly and that is what causes the awesome creamyness. I remember this because I thought, hm I need to try that! And since then, I have made risotto plenty of different ways. This recipe is sort of my basic risotto. It’s nothing fancy, but it is very easy to make and full of flavor!

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• Chopped onion
• Chopped mushroom
• A couple of minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1 1/3 ounces white wine (about 1/8 of a cup)
• 1 1/2 cup broth
• Salt
• Pepper

This made 2 very large servings for the hubby and I. Also, I didn’t specify how much onions, mushrooms or garlic to use because it really depends how veggie-filled you want the rice. I normally use 1/2 an onion, 6-8 mushrooms and 2-3 cloves of garlic. It’s a nice mix for me, but change it up how you think you’d enjoy it most!

Heat some olive oil in a medium pan. Saute you onions, mushrooms and garlic look super awesome…. or for about 8 to 10 minutes!

 Toss in your rice and saute it for a minute or two. Next, add in the wine. You want to simmer this until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring fairly often.

Now comes the part that takes a little time. You are going to add in a little bit of the liquid at a time (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup, depending on how patient you are) and let it cook until it’s absorbed.

Repeat this until you have no broth left! Add in your salt and pepper to taste and serve! The hubby likes his with a little parmesan cheese on top.

This risotto is a wonderful side dish. Just look how creamy it is… yum. I normally grill up some chicken to go with it, as well as a big side of veggies! It’s pretty simple and the extra time you spend adding in the broth really pays off in the creamyness of your risotto. Try it out!

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away, and if you are planning a romantic dinner and have not decided on your masterpiece just yet, you may want to take a look at this romantic and delicious article All Roads Lead to Rome — Even on Valentine’s Day! by five time cookbook author, restaurant owner and TV show host Lidia Matticchio Bastianich.

 Lidia shares two recipes in this article.   For Dinner Linguine Alla Carbonara and for Dessert Crepes with Chocolate and Walnuts

ENJOY!

All Roads Lead to Rome — Even on Valentine’s Day!

By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich,
Author of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday, and I’ll be celebrating it with my kids and grandkids “Roman style”. After all, St. Valentine’s origins are actually considered Roman, although many of us look for romantic dishes like lobster, oysters and chocolate covered strawberries. I say keep the holiday simple, wholesome and still full of love with one or two delicious pasta dishes that can be put on the table in literally twenty minutes. That way, there’s more time for lots of hugs following dinner!

 Regardless of whether you decide to treat your spouse, loved one, or the entire family to these dishes, Valentine’s Day does need a little chocolate to top off the meal. And at my house, I’ll be serving my traditional chocolate crepes, served with a little fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Now THAT’S AMORE!

 LINGUINE ALLA CARBONARA
From Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen, published by Alfred A. Knopf

Makes 6 servings

• Salt
• 6 ounces slab bacon, in one piece
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, sliced ½-inch (about 3 cups)
• 1 ½ cups hot Chicken Stock or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth, or as needed
• 1 pound linguine
• 3 egg yolks
• Coarsely ground black pepper

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to the boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.

Remove the rind, if necessary from the bacon. Cut the bacon into ¼ inch slices, then cut the slices crosswise into ¼ inch strips. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until the bacon is lightly browned, but still soft in the center, about 6 minutes.

The amount of fat in the skillet will vary depending on the bacon. If there is more than 3 to 4 tablespoons of fat in the pan, pour off the excess. If there is less than 3 to 4 tablespoons, add enough olive oil to measure that amount. Add the onions and cook until wilted, but still crunchy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and adjust the heat to a lively simmer. Cook until the liquid is reduced by about half.

Meanwhile, stir the linguine into the boiling salted water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, about 8 minutes.

Ladle off about a cup of the pasta cooking water. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt if necessary. If necessary, add as much chicken stock or pasta cooking water as needed to make enough sauce to generously coat the pasta. Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg yolks one at a time, tossing well after each. (A salad fork and spoon work well for this.) Add the grated cheese, then the black pepper, tossing well and serve immediately in warmed bowls.

CREPES WITH CHOCOLATE AND WALNUTS 
Palacinke
From Lidia’s Italy, published by Alfred A. Knopfpalacinke, serving 6 or more

Makes a dozen

For the palacinke:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour
• 8 tablespoons melted butter or more
• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

For serving:

• 10 ounces excellent bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (12 ounces, or more, for extreme chocolate lovers)
• 1 ½ cups walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled (plus sugar to taste)

Recommended equipment:

• A small ladle (⅓ cup volume or slightly larger)
• A 7-inch crepe pan or a non-stick skillet, 7-inches wide on the bottom

To make the palacinke batter, whisk together the eggs, water, rum, vanilla, sugar and salt in a large bowl, until well blended. Sift the flour on top, a bit at a time, whisking each addition until smooth. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the melted butter, whisking until the batter has slightly thickened, with the consistency of melted ice cream. Finally, whisk in the lemon zest. Put the remaining 4 tablespoons of melted butter in a small cup and keep it warm.

Break or chop the chocolate into small pieces and put them a bowl set in a pan of hot (not boiling) water. When the chocolate begins to melt, stir until completely smooth and keep it warm, in the water, off the heat.

Set the crepe pan or skillet over moderate-high heat until quite hot. Pour in a couple tablespoons of butter, quickly swirl it all over the pan bottom, then pour excess butter back into the cup, leaving the bottom lightly coated with sizzling butter. (If the butter doesn’t sizzle, heat the pan longer before adding the batter). Immediately ladle in a scant ⅓ cup of batter, tilt and swirl so it coats the bottom, and set the pan on the burner.

Lower the heat to medium and cook the palacinka for a little less than a minute, until the underside is lightly browned in a lacy pattern. Flip it over with a spatula and fry for a half minute or longer, until the second side is lightly browned, then remove it to a warm platter. Heat the empty pan briefly, then rapidly coat it with butter, fill it with batter and cook another palacinka. Repeat the sequence, stacking up the finished palacinke on the platter, until all the batter is used up.

Fill and serve the palacinke as soon as possible, while fresh and warm. Keep the platter in a warm spot and cover the stack with a tent of foil or a large bowl turned upside down. Whip the heavy cream, unsweetened or with sugar to taste, to soft peaks. Stir the melted chocolate and reheat it if necessary so it is smooth and warm.

Take one palacinka off the stack and place it with its lacy-patterned side down. Spoon a generous tablespoon (or more) warm chocolate in the center of the pancake and spread it over the palacinka, leaving an inch wide border uncoated. Scatter a spoonful of chopped walnuts on the chocolate layer then fold the round in half, hiding the fillings, and fold again into a plump quarter-round.

Fill and fold all the palacinke the same way. For each serving, place two rounds, overlapping, on a dessert plate, heap some cream on top, scatter some nuts on top of the cream and drizzle warm chocolate in streaks and squiggles over the palacinke and the plate.

© 2010 Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, authors of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

Author Bio
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, coauthor of Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipe, is the author of five previous books, four of them accompanied by nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of the New York City restaurant Felidia (among others), and she lectures on and demonstrates Italian cooking throughout the country. She lives on Long Island, and can be reached at her Web site, www.LidiasItaly.com