Fancy enough for company, these baked potatoes look like you fussed but are really simple to fix. Our home economists sliced each one into a fan, covering them with cheese, bacon and savory seasonings. (For a quick how-to on creating potato fans, turn to page 50.)
The fishermen of Bodega Bay, California shared this favorite, quick and easy recipe with my sister during a Fish Festival. It is one of the best chowders I've had, and my kids love it too! We top with bacon bits and a few shakes of hot sauce for a little spice. Enjoy!
Breaded tofu a la parmigiana. You'll just about swear this is eggplant or veal! One of my husband's favorites, and he doesn't even suspect! Serve with a simple crisp green salad, angel hair pasta and garlic bread.
Italian-inspired rice balls made with lean ground beef are rolled in crumbs and baked, not fried. They are flavored with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and served with prepared pasta sauce.
Cabbage cooked in bacon drippings and seasoned with garlic, red pepper flakes and caraway seeds makes a cozy nest for smoked Polish-style sausage in this homey, hearty and satisfying supper.
Potatoes, half and half, bacon, and clams. This is the New England chowder of your childhood. Easy to make, ready in less than half an hour, a great dinner standby.
Bacon sure does something wonderful for broccoli, and that 's the case with this great party salad. It 's fried up and crumbled and sprinkled on the fresh broccoli along with toasted sunflower seeds. Onions and raisins, also make an appearance.
Tender chunks of venison are marinated twice, and wrapped in thick bacon before being grilled until crispy on the outside. A venison version of Filet Mignon. This is a heavenly use of the best part of a deer. For the BBQ sauce, I prefer hickory flavored.
Delicious garlic and fresh tomato sauce cover tender pork cutlets. Serve with crusty bread, a leafy salad, and maybe a side of buttered pasta with a little of the sauce on top. Terrific and fast.
Kidney beans, baked beans and butter beans are combined with ground beef, bacon and onion in this hearty meal. You can also put the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook for about 8 hours on low.
I make this creative pizza for Super Bowl parties. The sour cream, bacon, onions and cheese make every bite taste just like a loaded baked potato. --Gina Pierson, Centralia, Missouri
Mushrooms, onions and ground beef in a ready-made pasta sauce are layered with cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and Parmesan between uncooked lasagna noodles. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top and bake. It's that simple!
You'll find many uses for this versatile pasta sauce. Let tomatoes, garlic, sugar, parsley, garlic powder, oregano and basil go for a nice, slow simmer with zesty jolt of flavor from capers and crushed red pepper.
A smooth, tasty celery seed dressing is whipped up in the blender and poured over the luscious salad fixings - Bermuda onions, chopped spinach, hard boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, mushrooms and a smattering of croutons. Serves six.
