May 18, 2009 by Marianne

May 18, 2009 • Filed Under: Bacon Recipes , Bacon, twice baked potatoes

I tend to get really lazy about cooking when my husband is out of town, which is good in some ways. More salads, fewer rich cream sauces, less red meat. But my husband’s gone a lot so eventually I get bored with whatever I’m doing and have the urge to cook something a little more time-consuming and artery clogging. This week I had an overwhelming desire for a baked potato smothered in butter and sour cream, so I made one. Actually, I baked two, but of course could only eat one, leaving me with a cold, baked potato. Exciting.

I thought I’d use it for making breakfast the next day, but that’s crazy talk because I almost never eat breakfast. Next I decided I’d throw it away and serves me right for being an idiot and cooking too much. But then an idea occurred to me: twice bake it!

I started by frying two slices of bacon (I should have used at least three, maybe 4). I chopped the bacon and set aside, and hollowed out the potato skins. I rubbed the insides of the potatoes with some of the bacon grease and stuck them in a 350 degree oven to warm up. I was hoping they’d crisp up some but I didn’t leave them in long enough. Should have been 20 minutes or more.

In a bowl I used a potato masher to smash up the cold potato innards, then added 2 tablespoons of sour cream, an ounce of grated cheddar cheese and the chopped bacon. Really, I should have gotten the beaters out and whipped the potatoes, but they were hard to work with because they were cold. As it was it was fine, just could have been better. Also could have used a little salt.

I over-stuffed the warmed skins with the smashed potato mixture and baked on a foil-lined pan for 30 minutes. Then I turned the broiler on for 5 minutes in an attempt to crisp the tops. They tasted really good, but there was still that lingering flavor of day-old potato, which might have been resolved by whipping the potatoes with a little cream before adding the sour cream, cheese and bacon. All in all, though, I’d give this recipe a solid B with room for easy improvement.

May 13, 2009 by Marianne

May 13, 2009 • Filed Under: Bacon News , Bacon

A late night snack? FIVE POUNDS of bacon?! That’s really…something.

Thanks Joelle!

May 12, 2009 by Marianne

May 12, 2009 • Filed Under: Bacon Art, Bacon Gifts , Baconfish, Hamburgerpanda

As our faithful readers already know, RBS headquarters are located in Santa Barbara, home of no less than three major wildfires in the past year. It’s been scary and chaotic, but I recently had the super fun experience of having Naseem and her mini-farm stay with me while she was evacuated. Said mini-farm included two adorable baby chickens that she just got. She wondered if owning pet chickens might turn her against eating chicken. I said that was okay by me, as long as she didn’t get any pigs. A Naseem who doesn’t eat chicken is one thing. A Naseem who doesn’t eat bacon might cause a tear in the fabric of the universe, and I’m fond of my existence.

Speaking of edible pets, Cindy from the Hamburgerpanda Etsy shop sent me a link to a creation that I’ve long wished for: The Baconfish. Seriously, I’ve Googled Baconfish more times than you can imagine, just hoping that something like this would appear. And now it is a reality, at least in someone else’s head besides my own. I love that it looks like a puffer fish, one of my favorite species to find when I’m diving.

You can get this stylish design in both hangable and wearable artforms. Thanks, Cindy, for making just one of my bacon dreams come true!