Baked Bacon

I love bacon; I hate cooking it! There's nothing worse than walking around smelling like bacon for the rest of the day! This method of cooking bacon is perfect for keeping the mess (and the stink) to a minimum.



Preheat your oven to 350. Place thick cut bacon slices, in a single layer,  on a broiler pan with drip tray. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until bacon is thoroughly browned.


* For a yummy variation, sprinkle bacon with brown sugar or cracked black pepper (or both) before placing in the oven.

* For maple bacon - cook bacon for 12-15 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Remove bacon from the oven and drizzle with real maple syrup. Return to the oven and bake until thoroughly browned.

Oatmeal Bread

This is one my favorite loaves to make because it is not only delicious, but it keeps well. Some breads dry out if not consumed the day of baking, but not this one. This loaf will taste just as good 3 days after baking which makes it perfect for sandwiches. To keep it at its freshest, store uneaten bread in a sealed container with a paper towel inside and only slice off what you are going to eat.

Yields - 1 loaf

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/4 C. warm milk
1/3 C. brown sugar
3 C. bread flour
1 C. old fashioned oats, plus 1 Tbsp. , divided
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. softened butter, plus more for greasing pan


In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, milk, and brown sugar. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Add 2 C. bread flour and stir to incorporate the flour. Add remaining flour, oats, and salt and mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Cut the butter into 4 pieces. With the mixer on low speed, carefully drop the butter into the dough, one piece at a time. Remove dough hook. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or waxed paper (do not put the plastic wrap onto the surface of the dough). Allow dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

After dough has risen for 1 hour, remove the plastic wrap and punch down dough**. Shape dough into a log and place in a buttered loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbsp. oats onto the top of the dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, again not putting the wrap onto the surface of the dough (it needs room to rise). Place pan in a warm spot and let rise for 1 hour more.

10 minutes before the bread has finished its second rise (after 1 hour and 20 minutes), preheat the oven to 350. When the bread has finished its 2nd rise, bake for 35 to 40 minutes. When bread is done, it will have an even golden color. If you turn it out of the pan and tap on the bottom of the loaf, it will sound hollow. When bread is baked, allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting and serving.


** To punch down the dough, if you are new to bread making, ball your hand into a fist and push down into the dough to push the air out. Fold the dough over and push the air out again with your fist. After punching the dough, 3-4 times, it is ready to shape.