Bacon Bourbon Maple Jam: Don’t worry: You don’t need to know how to can! This is a refrigerator jam.

Cook 1 lb. of bacon, cut into 1 in. pieces, in a large, deep skillet until the bacon begins browning. Pour off all but ½ cup of the drippings. Add 2 large yellow onions, cut into thin slices; sauté until tender. Add ½ cup packed brown sugar, stirring in. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions are sticky. Stir in ¼ cup of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Cook, stirring often, until garlic is tender. Stir in 1 cup bourbon whiskey, 1 cup coffee (brewed), ½ cup sherry vinegar, and ½ cup pure maple syrup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often, for about 35 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in ¾ cup catsup; cook 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and allow to cool. Using an immersion blender, food processor, or a traditional blender, process until spreadable but chunky. Pour into jars and keep refrigerated. Use within 2 weeks. Makes 4 cups.

Bacon Maple Muffins: In a bowl, stir together 1 cup all purpose flour, 8 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. In another bowl, stir together 1 egg, ½ cup milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, and 2/3 cup pure maple syrup. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until just combined. Pour into a greased muffin tin and bake in a preheated 400 degree F. oven for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about a dozen.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together 1 ½ cups granulated sugar and 1 cup room temperature butter. Mix in 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Mix in 2 cups all purpose flour, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Fold in 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks and 6 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon. Drop batter by rounded spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 35o degree F. oven for 10 – 12 minutes. Allow to sit 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Makes about 3 dozen.

How to Grill Vegetables

Wash and cut vegetables to approximately the same size – keep slices of thick veggies about ½ in. thick. Brush generously with melted butter or olive oil. (This important step keeps the vegetables from sticking to the grate.) Place prepared vegetables on the grill rack over medium to medium-hot coals, using direct heat. Grill uncovered until tender, turning once in a while.

Some tougher vegetables, including asparagus and carrots, benefit from being partially cooked before going on the grill. Fill a saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add the vegetables and return the pot to a simmer. Cover until almost tender, then follow the directions above.

If desired, brush vegetables with a marinade before grilling: Mix together olive oil and a tablespoon or so of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice – plus whatever seasonings you like.

Great Grilled Vegetable Recipes:

Grilled Asparagus with Ham

Grilled Sweet Corn

Grilled Spicy Corn

Grilled Onions

Grilled Eggplant

Grilled Romaine Hearts

How to Grill Fruit

Wash fruit that is almost – but not quite – ripe. Hard fruits, including pineapples, apples, and pears, are the easiest to grill. Cut up the fruit – most can just be cut in half – but keep the peels on to help hold the fruit in place while grilling. Larger fruits and all citrus needs cutting into at least quarters.

So the fruit stays juicy, soak it before grilling. Fill a bowl with water, plus a little lemon juice, and add the fruit. Make sure the water completely covers the fruit. Soak for half an hour.

Pat the fruit dry and brush with melted butter. Place prepared fruit over medium heat and direct grill. Make sure the grate is very clean so the fruit doesn’t take on the flavors of whatever was last cooked on it.

If desired, you can add additional flavor to the fruit by adding seasonings to the soaking water. For example, try adding a cinnamon stick to soaking apples.

Great Grilled Fruit Recipes:

Grilled Bananas

Grilled Apples

Grilled Tomatoes

Peach Salsa made with Grilled Peaches

How to Light a Charcoal Grill

1. Begin by ensuring the grill is on steady, solid ground, away from anything that might catch fire, including overhead branches, buildings, or fabrics.

2. About 25 – 30 minutes before cooking, open the grill vents and ensure they are free from ashes. Place charcoal in a pyramid in the middle of the bottom of the grill. As a rule of thumb, use about 30 coals to grill 1 lb. of meat. You will need the coals, when later raked into a single layer, to extend about 2 inches beyond the food you are cooking.

3. Lighter fluid should be avoided; it taints the food and can be hazardous. Instead, use an electric starter. Nestle it in the coals and plug it in. In 8 to 10 minutes, ash will begin appearing on the coals; unplug and remove the starter. Place it on something heatproof. When the coals are ready for cooking, they will be approximately 80 percent ash gray (at night, they will glow).

4. Using grilling tongs, spread the coals into a single layer.

How to Light a Gas Grill

1. Open the lid. Never skip this step! Ensure all the burner knobs are turned off.

2. Turn the gas on, following the owner’s manual.

3. Allow the grill to preheat for about 10 – 15 minutes with the cover closed and the burners on high.

Direct or Indirect Heat?

Depending upon the food and your personal preferences, you will cook different foods with different grilling methods. The two main methods are direct heat and indirect heat.

Direct heat grilling is the most commonly used: Place food on the grid, which is directly over the coals. If you’re using a gas grill, the burners are usually left on high until the food is seared, then reduced to medium. Direct heat is used for hamburgers, fish, steaks, vegetables – anything less than 2 inches in thickness.

Indirect heat grilling requires that the cover be on the grill and the food is cooked “low and slow” – that is, on low heat for a longer period of time. With charcoal grilling, place the food on the grid, putting a drip pan beneath. Coals must be on either side of the drip pan, or sometimes to one side of it. With gas grilling, turn off the center burner after pre-heating and set the side burners to medium. Consult the owner’s manual for instructions about drip pans. Indirect heat is used for roasts, whole poultry, or anything more than 2 inches in thickness.

Temperature

The final key to great grilling is using a thermometer. Since removing the lid or lifting it partially dramatically changes the grill’s temperature, you’ll need a thermometer that goes into the meat before it goes on the grill and stays in it while it’s cooking. The thermometer should have a read-out that sits outside of the grill. Follow the recipe’s directions or these standard guidelines for the ending temperature.

Great Grilling Recipes:

Apple Cider Grilled Baby Back Ribs

Honey and Onion Ribs

Grilled Whole Chicken

Grilled Mustard Chicken Breasts

Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

Grilled Chicken with Apricots

Grilled Whole Duck

Grilled Rack of Lamb

Grilled Flank Steak

Grilled Candied Garlic Salmon

Grilled Trout

Grilled Shrimp

Free Range: The chicken was allowed the opportunity to go outside and scratch around, as it naturally would. However, farmers only needs to give the chickens a tiny door and a minuscule “outside” area to qualify for this label. Most grocery-store “free-range” chickens come from birds who live crowded indoor lives and have no real opportunity to scratch around. Truly free range chickens are allowed plenty of outside room to scratch, eating bugs and weeds; local farmers are your best bet at finding true free range chicken.

Pastured or Pasture-Raised: Birds were allowed to free range and got about 20% of their food in the pasture (including bugs, weeds, and grass).

Fresh: The chicken was never frozen.

Mechanically Separated Poultry: The chicken was put through a machine that removed scraps of edible parts of the bird and mixed them together to make such products as chicken nuggets.

Natural: The chicken has no artificial ingredients added to it. This label also means the bird was “minimally processed” – nothing was done to “fundamentally alter” the chicken.

No Hormones: In the U.S., no commercially raised chickens may be given hormones. Therefore, a legal label will actually read: “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.”

No Antibiotics: Just what it says: The chicken was never given antibiotics.

Cage-Free: Most commercially-raised hens are raised in small wire cages that don’t allow them to spread their wings or move much. “Cage-free” chickens come from birds who typically live in an open barn, without individual cages. These barns are usually crowded, however.

Certified Organic: The chicken was never given antibiotics (or hormones) and the bird was fed organic food. That food can’t be GMO, nor can it come from land that has had chemicals sprayed on it in the past three years. However, chickens given a natural diet of bugs can’t be USDA certified organic – because the government doesn’t know where those bugs came from or what they’ve been eating. Organic chickens eat grain.

Certified Humane: Chickens with this label live cage free, usually inside barns that are not as crowded as typical “cage free” barns; however, chickens don’t naturally live in huge flocks. They find this stressful and will peck each other; therefore, removing the hens’ beaks is still permitted. Certified Humane hens are allowed to nest, perch, and dust bathe – all things a hen does naturally, given a friendly environment.

Vegetarian: Chickens who lived with a vegetarian diet. However, chickens are naturally omnivores – they eat both plants and meat. This label implies that the chickens were not allowed to free range (and eat bugs).

Heritage: The chicken is a heritage breed – meaning it’s an old-style breed of chicken that may be more nutritious and flavorful. It’s rare to find heritage chickens in a grocery store; local farmers are a better source.

Want to learn more about labels used to sell chicken eggs? Click here.

Brown vs. White: Assuming the hens who laid the eggs are healthy and have essentially the same diet, there is no difference in taste or nutrition between white- and brown-shelled eggs. Egg color is determined by the color of the hen’s ear lobes (not her feathers, as some claim). Hens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs; those with white ear lobes lay white eggs.

Organic: Eggs marked USDA Organic come from hens who do not receive vaccines, hormones, or antibiotics; in addition, their feed must come from land that’s been free from chemicals for at least three years. GMO grains are not allowed. However, the problem with this label is that hens given a natural diet of bugs can’t be USDA certified organic – because the government doesn’t know where those bugs came from or what they’ve been eating. Therefore, organic eggs come from hens who are only given chicken feed – which, as we’ll soon see, means the eggs aren’t as healthy as they could be.

Free Range: Eggs marked “free-range” come from hens who have the opportunity to go outside and scratch around, as they naturally would. However, a farmer only needs to give the hens a tiny door and a minuscule “outside” area to qualify for this label. Most grocery-store sold eggs marked “free-range” come from hens who live crowded indoor lives and have no real opportunity to scratch around. Truly free range eggs come from hens who are allowed plenty of outside room to scratch, eating bugs and weeds; such eggs have higher nutritional value (2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3s, 3 times more vitamin E, and 7 times more beta carotene) and less cholesterol (about 1/3). Typically, you’ll only find this type of true free range egg locally, from small farmers or backyard hen owners.

Cage-Free: Most commercially-raised hens are raised in small wire cages that don’t allow them to spread their wings or move much. Commercial eggs from “cage-free” hens come from chickens who typically live in an open barn, without individual cages. These barns are usually crowded, however.

Natural: This label is pretty meaningless, because all chicken eggs are natural. This label has nothing to do with chickens receiving a natural diet, either.

Vegetarian: Vegetarian eggs are laid by hens who are given a vegetarian diet. However, this is not a hen’s natural diet. Chickens are naturally omnivores – they eat both plants and meat. Although I can find no studies about the nutritional value of eggs laid by vegetarian hens, it makes sense that depriving hens of their natural diet is detrimental to both the chicken’s health and the quality of the eggs produced by that hen.

Pasteurized: Some eggs are marked “pasteurized,” which means they are heated to 140 degrees F. for 3 ½ minutes. This kills harmful bacteria, but also reduces the nutritional value of eggs. Nonetheless, some experts suggest children and the elderly – both at the highest risk for dying from salmonella poisoning – eat pasteurized eggs.

Certified Humane: Eggs marked Certified Humane come from birds that live cage free, usually inside barns that are not as crowded as is typically found in “cage free” barns; however, chickens don’t naturally live in huge flocks. They find this stressful and will peck each other; therefore, removing the hens’ beaks is still permitted. Certified Humane hens are allowed to nest, perch, and dust bathe – all things a hen does naturally, given a friendly environment.

To learn about labels used to sell chicken meat, click here.

How to Make Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette is the easiest salad dressing to make – and probably the healthiest, too. The basic formula is simple: 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. From there, it’s just a matter of choosing your oils and vinegars. Extra virgin olive oil is usually the healthiest choice for oil, but your choices for vinegar are almost never-ending. I personally favor raw, organic apple cider vinegar, but balsamic vinegar gives a complex flavor, and any of the flavored vinegars, from raspberry to dandelion to sherry, add their own interesting touches.

How to Make Ranch Dressing

Ranch is also easy to make at home – and far superior to anything you can buy in a bottle.

1. Measure out ¼ cup of milk. Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar to the cup. Set aside.

2. Puree ¾ cup mayo, ¾ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, a handful of fresh chopped chives, a handful of fresh parsley leaves, and 1 garlic clove until the herbs are in very small bits. Season with salt (if desired) and pepper. A little at a time, add the milk mixture, until the dressing is the thickness you desire. (The dressing thickens once it’s chilled.)

How to Make Thousand Island Dressing

Even easier! Stir together 1 cup mayo, ½ cup catsup, 1 cup sweet pickle relish, and a little salt and pepper.

How to Make Greek Dressing

So easy – and delicious. Stir together 1 cup each olive oil and red wine vinegar, 2 ½ teaspoons each garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil, and 2 teaspoons each pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon mustard.

Start with Bread

Croutons are made of bread. You can make the bread yourself, or you can choose an organic, all natural bread without weird ingredients. Traditionally, a crusty bread like a French baguette or Italian loaf is used, but you can use ordinary sliced bread, too. Ideally, whatever bread you choose should be a bit dry and stale.

You may cut the bread neatly into squares, or you can tear it into approximately ¾ in. pieces. You’ll want about 2 cups worth (which makes about 8 servings of ¼ cup).

Basic Crouton Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil. (Don’t use margarine; it’s less healthy – and also contains too much water.)

3. Toss the croutons in the melted butter until well coated. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir. Bake another 10 minutes, or until croutons are browned and crisp. Allow to cool completely before storing in an air tight container.

Crouton Recipe Seasonings

Most store-bought croutons are seasoned; you can season the homemade kind, too. Just whip the seasonings together and toss them into the croutons when you toss them with butter.

A basic Italian seasoning is a favorite choice, or try a Mexican spice blend, or herbes de Provence. Use about ½ teaspoon. ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder is another good choice (or use 1 minced fresh garlic). Or mix your own spice blend and use about ½ teaspoon.

For cheesy flavor, add 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan. Or, once the croutons are on the baking sheet, sprinkle ¼ cup of freshly grated cheese of your choice over the croutons before baking.

And Stuffing, Too_…

And now that you know how to make croutons, you know how to make stuffing, too. That’s right. Stuffing is just cubed, dried, seasoned bread. You’re welcome!

Strawberry soup

Strawberries are one of the most commonly found and eaten fruits. But just because almost everyone eats them doesn’t mean strawberries aren’t exceptional. In fact, among foods ranked for their antioxidant value, strawberries rank 3^rd among popular American foods. In addition, strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, and a very good source of manganese, fiber, folate, iodine, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin K – and they even offer some Omega 3s.

How to Buy, Store, & Prepare Strawberries

Scientific studies show the fresher the strawberry, the better it is for you. After 2 days, strawberries show a significant loss of vitamin C and antioxidants. That means strawberries from a typical grocery store are less healthy than strawberries from a pick-your-own farm, farm stand, or many farmer’s markets.

In addition to seeking out the freshest strawberries you can find, look for firm, shiny, bright red berries The fruit’s green leaves should look fresh. Avoid berries that are partly white or green; strawberries don’t continue to ripen after being picked.

Once you bring strawberries home, put them in the refrigerator. Strawberries last longer when given higher humidity than most refrigerators offer, but the cold storage bin is generally more hospitable than the rest of the fridge. Some people like to place a wet paper towel in the bin, too.

Do not wash strawberries until you are ready to eat them. To prepare strawberries for eating or cooking, place them in a colander and run water over them. Pat dry. After washing, hull or cut strawberries as desired. (Cutting them before washing can make the berries taste watery.)

Favorite Strawberry Recipes

Strawberry Soup – a cool, refreshing summer soup

Red fruit festival – a multi-berried ice cream

Strawberries with Basil – an extremely simple treat with just two ingredients

Strawberry-Lemon Salad – a dessert made with macaroon cookies, strawberries, and lemon sorbet

Fruit Kebobs – a very easy, healthy treat, perfect for parties

Strawberry Muffins – perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a snack

Strawberry Milkshake – a classic

Strawberry Omelet – and easy and healthy way to add strawberries to breakfast

Berry Buttermilk Soup – another cold soup; this one has a mixture of berries

Strawberry Mint Vinegar – superb when used as salad dressing

Strawberry Wine – a fun way to experiment with wine making

Strawberry Cordial – a sweet, alcoholic beverage

Cream cheese gratin with strawberries and vanilla ice cream – a gourmet treat

See Also: Top 3 Strawberry-Rhubarb Recipes

Scapes are garlic stems. Farmers and gardeners cut them off in spring because allowing the garlic to flower results in smaller garlic cloves. But those funny looking scapes are great eating; they taste like garlic.

Preparing Garlic Scapes

Leave scapes in tact until you’re ready to cook with them. Then chop or mince and add to dishes. If desired, you may chop up scapes and place them in a freezer bag, freezing until you’re ready to cook with them. (There’s no need to defrost first.)

How to Cook with Garlic Scapes

Many recipes calling for garlic ask the cook to sauté sliced, chopped, or minced garlic in a little oil before adding other ingredients. You can do the same thing with scapes, although they won’t brown the same way white garlic cloves do. Just add them to warm oil for 30 to 60 seconds, then continue with the recipe. If you like a strong garlic flavor, you may also mince scapes and use them raw.

A Few Garlic Scape Recipes

* Garlic scape pesto. Use a basil pesto recipe, but substitute ¼ inch pieces of scapes for the basil. (There’s no need to add garlic.)

* Garlic scape pickles. In a saucepan, heat 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 4 teaspoons kosher or canning salt, and 4 teaspoons sugar. Simmer until the sugar and salt dissolve. Warm a canning jar by running hot tap water over it. Chop scapes into 1 inch pieces and place in jar (or for a very pretty presentation, just coil the scapes into the jar). If desired, add one whole chile. Pour the hot vinegar liquid over the scapes, covering completely. Secure the jar’s lid and allow to come to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 6 weeks before eating.

* Grilled garlic scapes. Toss a little olive oil, salt, and pepper over the scapes and grill over direct heat for 2 minutes or so, turning them over halfway through the cooking. If desired, serve with a little quirt of fresh lemon juice and some flaky salt.

* Steamed garlic scapes. Cut scapes into 1 or 2 inch pieces and steam until just tender.

Classic strawberry-rhubarb pie

Two of spring’s stars are strawberries and rhubarb – foods fated to be together forever. Strawberry-rhubarb pie is widely eaten all spring long; strawberry-rhubarb sundaes are an even easier way to get that wonderful rich flavor; and strawberry-rhubarb soup is a chilled dish both unique and delicious. Give them a try!

Classic Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

1 3/4 lbs. rhubarb, cut into ¾ inch pieces

6 oz. strawberries, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon orange zest (grated peel)

1 tablespoon orange juice

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

Butter

Pastry for 2 (9 inch) pie crusts

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, zest, juice, and salt. Set aside. Place one crust in a 9 inch pie plate. Pour in the strawberry-rhubarb filling. Dot the top of the filling with a few dabs of butter. Refrigerate.

Lay the second crust on a flat working surface. Cut about 15 strips ½ inch wide. Remove the pie from the refrigerator and lay the strips horizontally across the top of the pie. Lay more strips vertically across the pie. Trim strips as needed. Refrigerate for half an hour.

Beat the egg and brush it over the crust. Sprinkle the crust with sugar. Bake on a foil-lined baking sheet in the center of the oven until the filling bubbles, about 1 ½ hours. Allow to cool at least 2 hours before serving.

10 Minute Strawberry-Rhubarb Sundaes

1 lb. strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 rhubarb stalks, cut into ½ inch pieces

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Vanilla ice cream

Place the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, and ¼ cup of water in a large saucepan placed over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring once in a while. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until the rhubarb starts breaking down – about 6 to 8 minutes. Refrigerate 2 hours or more. To serve, spoon the strawberry rhubarb sauce over ice cream.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Soup

4 cups rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces

3 cup water

1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Pepper

Place the rhubarb and 3 cups of water into a large saucepan placed over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Stir and cook until rhubarb is broken down, about 5 to 8 minutes. Pour the rhubarb into a bowl and refrigerate, stirring every 8 minutes, until cool. Pour into a blender. Add the strawberries, sugar, and salt. Puree. Pour back into the bowl and stir in mint. Serve the soup with freshly ground pepper over the top.