Family-Style: Labor Day BBQin’

Posted by Erin L. in Family-Style, To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with bacon, BBQ, bell peppers, burger, butter, cheeseburger, corn, cucumbers, grill, Labor Day, pasta salad, romaine, tomatoes, triple smoked bacon, turkey burger September 13, 2009

I couldn’t make it thru Labor Day weekend without some BBQ action, so I dug deep into the freezer for some ground beef & turkey to make burgers. The budget was tight, so I did my best to work with what I already had, including fresh Plum Tomatoes, a variety of Bell Peppers, & Sweet Corn on the Cob from my Zern’s stop on Saturday night. I seasoned the burgers, tossed them and the corn onto a hot grill, & chopped veggies for a light, simple Pasta Salad. Friends arrived, beers were cracked, & BBQ action we had!

Labor Day BBQ

Labor Day BBQ:

Grilled Beef & Turkey Burgers – Topped w/ American, Triple Smoked Bacon, Ripe Plum Tomatoes, Romaine, Ketchup, Gulden’s, & Mayo

Balsamic Pasta Salad – 1lb of Mini Shells, Farm Fresh (non-waxed) Cucumbers, Yellow Peppers, Violet Hybrid Peppers, Ripe Plum Tomatoes, & Shredded Asiago – Dressing: 3T Balsamic (or any vinegar), 1T Olive Oil, S&P, Fresh & Dried Herbs, 1 tsp Hot Chili Garlic Sauce, 1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Grilled Sweet Corn on the Cob – Finished with Butter & Salt

Labor Day BBQ Feast

Tip Time! Freezing Bacon

Posted by Erin L. in Tip Time! and tagged with bacon, freezing, storage, triple smoked bacon, Zern's September 8, 2009

Every time I visit my hometown, Pottstown, I’m sure to make a stop at Zern’s Farmers Market. They have the cheapest produce, amazing butchers, & everything (literally everything!) you could imagine. I had Lindsay, my best friend from home, and her beautiful daughter, Franchesca, in tow so it was a quick trip. I look forward to next time so I can shoot more photos to share the wonders of a Zern’s experience with you all!

One item I’m sure to pick up on every visit is Triple Smoked Bacon. There’s really nothing that compares to the taste & freshness. I could smell the smokey essence the whole car ride back to Philly! Seeing that I stock up between visits, I usually cook a pound to eat fresh and freeze the rest. I wish I could find where I learned this trick, but when I search “bacon” in my history, far too many websites come up!

Triple Smoked Bacon - photo via Dre

To freeze bacon for easy access, I roll up each slice & place into an airtight storage container. I prefer this approach as it’s more green versus separating slices with wax paper & using storage baggies. With this “roll & freeze” method, you can easily pull out as many pieces as you’d like & they’re not stuck together.

Enjoy bacon & enjoy it often! It’s good for your soul.

Triple Smoked Bacon - Rolled for Freezing & Easy Access

Weekend Update: Mmmm, Bacon Sunday

Posted by Erin L. in Weekend Update and tagged with bacon, banana, basil, blt, breakfast, brunch, italian market, lemon-thyme, mayo, pancakes, parsley, philadephia, romaine, strawberries, tomato August 4, 2009

Sunday morn, the man & I made a quick Italian Market trip for some fresh bacon! We popped into Cappuccio’s Meats (1019 S. 9th St.) for 2lbs & headed home for a very late day brunch for 4. My awesome mama sent me Kona Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix from Hawaii, the perfect main course. I’m glad I remembered I had a heart-shaped pancake mold in my kitchen gadget stash, as they were adorable & delicious with ripe bananas & strawberries!

Heart-shaped Banana Kona Chocolate Chip Pancakes (breath), Fresh Banana & Strawberries, Bacon, & OJ

Bacon Sunday wasn’t complete without another round of fried piggy greatness! The next best way to serve bacon besides straight-up at breakfast is the trusty BLT. I stuck to a pretty traditional setup of Bacon, Ripe Tomatoes, & Romaine on Country White Bread.

My man requested some Garlic-Herb Mayo to finish it off & I couldn’t let him down! The result was perfection on a new level!

Shallot-Garlic-Herb Mayo – Classic Hellman’s w/ minced Garlic & Shallots, sauteed in bacon fat (of course!), & chopped Parsley, Lemon-Thyme, & Thai Basil

BLT w/ Sauteed Garlic-Shallot & Fresh Herb Mayo on Country White Bread

Visit my Flickr Photostream for more pics of my Heart-Shaped Brunch & Garlic-Herb BLT!

Restaurant Rewind: P.Y.T.

Posted by Erin L. in Restaurant Rewind and tagged with avocado, bacon, burger, cheeseburger, chips, dinner, french fries, fries, ketchup, kettle chips, milk shake, onion rings, Philadelphia, potato roll, pyt, restaurant, summer July 28, 2009

Friday night, I scooped the man from work & we headed to PYT, TommyUp’s newly-launched burger & shake bar at the Piazza at Schmidt’s. My patronage is the least I can offer to someone who has provided me with some epic party memories over the last 5 years! A storm was astir, so we sat ourselves at the strategically-placed yellow tables protected by the tunnel entrance-ways. We placed our order with the anticipated hipster waitress, adorable in her leopard dress, platinum bangs, & bright smile. 20 minutes later, magic arrived… complete with a stunning boom of thunder!