My husband goes wild over bacon.  I choose to eat a bit more conservatively when it comes to fatty meats, so I discourage bacon at every meal.  He would live on it if he could.

Needless to say, we still end up with multiple packages of bacon in our refrigerator because my husband also likes to shop for groceries.

Now that I have several packages of bacon in my refrigerator, and would rather use it up in more imaginative ways than just four strips alongside eggs on my husband’s breakfast plate, I’m wondering if anyone has an interesting way to use bacon in a main dish.

I must admit I love those broccoli salads that have crumbled bacon and raisins in them.  That’s such a neat combination of flavors and the salads are actually rather healthy, even with the bacon.  Any time I can combine some kind of green food along with the bacon, I feel a bit better about what I’m serving and eating.

Do you have any other ways to include bacon in a salad or main dish that would suit both my bacon-loving husband and a person who’s trying to eat a bit healthier, such as myself?

I’d love to hear your ideas!

I thought I had my fill of turnip greens when the season ended last year, but I’m back for more!  They are just so good.  My whole family has become somewhat addicted to a lot of greens, including kale, collard, and turnip greens.  So, I find myself at the farmer’s market every weekend again, stocking up.

As with any favorite food, you’ve got to find new ways to cook and serve them so you don’t get tired of them.  I’ve basically used the same recipe for turnip greens time after time and really need to try something totally different.

I usually cheat and buy already washed and trimmed turnip greens.  Our farmer’s market has bags of prepared greens all ready to go, or you can buy bunches and clean them yourself.  I’m just a bit lazy when it comes to washing greens.  If you’re forced to wash your own, cut off the thick ends, split the ribs right down the middle, chop up the greens into bite size pieces (a scissors works well for that) and dump them into a huge tub of cold water to soak.  You’ll need to change the water two or three times to get rid of the grit.  When I’ve been forced to clean my own greens, I’ve used a big plastic storage bin placed in my bathtub.

The recipe I use is a simple tried and true method.  Just the greens, salt pork if I have it, or bacon or ham will do, water, onion, garlic, a touch of brown sugar, sprinkle of vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, and just a few crushed red pepper flakes.  Add water and start simmering.  You’ll know when it’s done because the greens will become tender and the flavors will blend nicely.

What I’m wondering is if anyone has developed a good alternative turnip greens recipe that’s as satisfying as the traditional one.  I’ve made creamed spinach in the past and wonder if there is a creamed turnip green dish that works.

I’d love to hear your ideas on the whole turnip green subject!

Rhubarb season has just about finished here, and so has my rhubarb pie making.  Of course, I have several leftover packages of strawberry gelatin that didn’t get used in my Rhubarb Strawberry Pies.

Our family is not big into Jello-Type desserts, so the strawberry gelatin will probably sit in my cupboards until I come up with something else to use them for.

I do have one more rhubarb dessert recipe I can make, which isn’t a pie.  It only uses two cups of rhubarb so I think I could squeak out this last recipe, but it still won’t use up all the strawberry gelatin I have left.  I’ll share this Easy Rhubarb Strawberry Bars recipe just in case you’ve got a hankerin’ for another rhubarb dessert.

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 egg, beaten with fork
• 1 tblsp milk

• 2 cups rhubarb, cleaned and cut small
• 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin
• 1 cup sugar

Mix together in bowl the flour, baking powder, and salt, then cut in the butter.  (Take 1/2 cup of mixture out and set aside for the topping.) Add the egg and milk to your main bowl and mix well.  Pat mixture into an 8 inch square baking pan.  Put rhubarb on top and sprinkle with the strawberry gelatin.  Mix the 1 cup of sugar with the 1/2 cup of reserved topping and sprinkle over the rhubarb/strawberry gelatin mix.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees.  This can be served warm like an Apple Crisp, with ice cream.  Or cool a little and cut into bars.

Any other ideas for using strawberry gelatin?  I’d love to hear from you!

I got hooked on using buttermilk for homemade salad dressings many years ago.  It’s lower in calories than most salad oils, and I prefer a creamy style salad dressing, so it works well for me.  I like the tangy flavor that buttermilk gives any herbed dressing recipe.

As far as cooking with buttermilk, I will say that I use buttermilk in many marinades, especially with chicken.  Buttermilk is more acidic than regular milk so it really does the marinading thing very well, making meat and chicken nice and tender, and, again, the flavor boost is a bonus.

I must say, I can not bring myself to drink it, but have found many other uses for buttermilk.  And, now that I found out the truth that it is actually low in calories and fat, I’m finding more uses for it.  I’ve started using buttermilk in more sauces and creamy dishes, like Beef Stroganoff.  I used to stir in sour cream, but find that buttermilk works just as well.

If you’re looking for a simple side-dish recipe to try buttermilk in, I’ll share my Skillet Potatoes recipe with you.

• 2 tblsp butter, or oil with a touch of butter
• 2 large potatoes, diced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk

Melt the butter (or oil/butter mix) in large heavy skillet and add potatoes.  Cook on medium heat, stirring until potatoes are browned nicely.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper over, then pour in the buttermilk.  Simmer slowly uncovered until potatoes get tender and the buttermilk thickens up.  This will take about 15 minutes or so.

This is a surprisingly delicious potato dish.  You may want to sprinkle a little freshly snipped chives or green onions on top when you serve.

These are just a few ideas for using buttermilk.  What are some of your favorite ways to use up some of your buttermilk?

I simply don’t drink martinis… so what can I do with a jar of stuffed green olives?  I actually got saddled with a jar of olives a few years ago and ended up throwing them out.  This has apparently been bothering me ever since because I’m wondering what I could have done with them.

To make a long story short, I bought a jar of gourmet stuffed green olives for my brother-in-law who loves them in martinis.  But then the ban on flying with any liquids went into effect and I couldn’t bring them on the plane when I went to visit my family.  So, they stayed in my cupboard for about a year until I finally flushed them down the toilet, which is an interesting story for another day.

Now, I’m just curious what you would use green olives for in cooking.  I most often see them used in different Mediterranean inspired dishes.  Also, they are quite prevalent on anti-pasto trays at Italian dinner tables.

What would you use them in if you were trying to finish off a jar?  I do have a memory of being in grade school and eating a tuna-macaroni salad at the school picnic, and there were cut up stuffed green olives mixed in.  I can’t remember if I like it though.

I’d love to hear your opinions and recipes for using up a jar of olives.

I came across a nice sale on pie crusts, you know the ones that are in the refrigerated rolls section of the grocery store.  You just lay them out in your pie tin and it’s ready to bake.  I like to keep a few on hand to get ready for berry picking season, but the price was so good, I bought more than I’ll ever use for berry pies.

The first thing that comes to mind to use up pie crusts is Chicken Pot Pie.  I’ve never had a great deal of luck with my pot pies, so am a little hesitant to try again.  Mine are normally a bit too runny, and I’m just not sure what I’m doing wrong.  I have considered making them smaller, more like individual pies, just to keep them from staying too liquid in the middle.  Any ideas?

Has anyone tried to cut up a pie crust into strips and just creating a nice crust on top of a casserole, sort of Shepard Pie style?  I would think that would be pretty good.

I also had an idea that I could cut the pie crusts into smaller circles that would fit in a muffin tin and making little “breakfast pies” by putting some sausage and egg mixture in each one and baking them.  Doesn’t that sound cute?

I’d love to hear from you with any tips and ideas you might have to use up my pie crusts!

No, this isn’t a trick question.  I know just eating a bowl of applesauce should be good enough, but our apple trees went crazy last fall and I’m still looking at jars and jars of applesauce in my pantry.  People are starting to avoid me when they see me coming with my arms full of jars of applesauce to give away.  Yes, even free applesauce has gotten to be a burden.  So, what can I make with applesauce that will get me in good with the neighbors again?

I did stumble across a fantastically inventive recipe that I am really anxious to try.  It was scribbled on a piece of paper stuck in a cookbook I bought at the library’s book fair.  My husband makes a pretty mean meatloaf, so I’m going to challenge him with a meatloaf “cook off” with this recipe.  Here it is, see what you think.

Dijon Applesauce Meat Loaf

• 1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 small onion, diced finely
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb ground beef

• Topping:
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tblsp brown sugar
• 1 tblsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

In a big bowl, mix together the egg, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup applesauce, onion, celery salt, 1 teaspoon Dijon, salt, and pepper.  When it’s mixed well, add the beef and mix it up nicely with your hands, being sure not to over mix it.  Form loaf and put in greased loaf pan.  Whisk together the topping ingredients and spread evenly over the meat loaf.  Bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

I really like the change from the regular tomato based meat loaf.  We’ll see if my husband agrees!

Any other ideas about how to use lots and lots of applesauce?  I’d love it if you would share your recipes with me.

Evaporated milk is one of those things I remember having in the cupboard all the time when I was a kid.  My Mom used it quite often for a variety of reasons.  It was convenient, cheap, and kept for a long, long time.  Living out in the country, fresh milk was not easily available, so was guarded and kept for drinking and not cooking.  So, to make cream soup, chowder, or even frostings or other desserts, Mom would pull out the evaporated milk to substitute for cream or fresh milk.

I actually prefer using evaporated milk in my Fish Chowder, and other creamy soups.  The texture is very nice and you don’t have to worry about scorching the milk if you let the temperature get away from you a little.  I’ll share a Real Simple Fish Chowder recipe that I use when I want to make it simple, but good.

• 3 cups of cooked fish, any kind you like, flaked up a little
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 big potatoes, cooked (mash half, cube half)
• 2 strips bacon, fried, drained, crumbled
• 1 tsp, more or less, salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1 1/4 cups evaporated milk

Melt the butter in a soup pot and lightly saute onion.  In separate pot, cook potatoes, mash half and cube half.  Fry the bacon in separate skillet, drain, and crumble.  Now, add all the ingredients once they’re ready to the soup pot with butter and onion.  Give it all a good stir and heat through.  Refrigerate, and reheat the next day… it always tastes better the day after.  Serve with crusty bread, and sprinkle a little fresh chives on top of the chowder.  Very simple and good.

I’ve used half-and-half instead of the evaporated milk in this recipe and it just doesn’t taste like home.  How do you use evaporated milk?  Any fun new recipes?  I’d love to hear from you!

I’ve been stocking my freezer with bags of edamame, aka shelled soy beans, because they’re good and good for you.  Loaded with dietary fibre, great source of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and iron, and all while being almost fat free.  What’s not to love?

However, all I’ve been doing with them is heating them in a pot of boiling water, adding a little salt, and just eating them as is.  Not very inventive or appetizing after a while.

I ask you, what in the world can I make with edamame?  I thought they could be used as an alternative for lima beans, but the texture isn’t the same.  I had a little success mixing them with diced tomatoes just to give them a bit more flavor.  I hate to get too tired of eating them because of the health benefits.

Has anyone tried adding them to soups or stews?  What about a wild rice side-dish?  I look forward to hearing from you!