Everything goes better with bacon! A "Luther Burger": beef, bacon, swiss cheese and a grilled Krispy Kreme doughnut
As mentioned in an earlier post, we don’t do resolutions in the 101 Centavos household. We have plans and projects that spill over from year to year, so it’s not too terribly practical to start at the magical stroke of midnight on New Year’s day.
For example, that Holy Grail of New Year resolutions, weight loss, was something I started back in July and kept on through today. Goal met, over and done with, now in maintenance mode. Although I got through the over-indulgences of the season with only a minor weight loss (1/2 lb on average), other years I’ve not fared as well — as haven’t millions of others.
Party on, eat, drink and be merry, and wake up from the over-consumption coma in January resolving to never eat, drink or spend ever again. What a First World problem, eh? Thankfully, many solve the New Year’s Day remorseful blahs by simultaneously pledging to shave inches off that butt, and feed little M’Butu in Nigeria for only $0.25 a day.
Sure. And as fitness gym owners can attest to, the bulk of their operating costs (and their sweet sweet rides) are funded by the good intentions of the formerly-motivated and still-overweight.
Plans and Good Intentions
We have a long (long! Damn it’s long!) list of projects and honey-do’s, in various stages of planning and completion. A random sampling:
- modify boat trolling motor mount (thinking about it)
- repairs on the house in Italy (in progress, 50%, contractor is slow and the weather’s not cooperating)
- new siding at farmhouse (0%, back seat to Italy house)
- fix outlets in bathroom (it WILL get done, Mrs. 101 informs)
- trim willow tree (rethinking it, too high, call the tree guy)
- fix trim on chimney (in progress, 60%)
- solar-powered drip irrigation at remote garden (wishful thinking)
- Mrs. 101′s novel (edit in progress, 10%)
- outdoor spa demolition (in progress, 50%)
- baseboard in hallway (good intentions stage)
- new shower in master bath (can’t hear)
- install new chandelier in master bedroom (change the subject)
This is but a partial list. Should we consider *all* of the projects as having to be started and completed in one year, we’d be abject failures and get all depressed and stuff.
So, we can focus on some doable goals. Which brings us to bacon.
Everything Is Better With Bacon
Mrs. 101 and I looked back at our culinary repertoire, and realized that family dinners menus were getting a little stale and repetitive. So we resolved decided to broaden a bit by trying out 20 new recipes from our cookbook library. Mrs. 101 picked the hugely popular Pioneer Woman’s cookbook
First out of the gate were PW’s loaded Potato Skins and Skillet Cornbread.
The potato skins were screaming good, and dead easy to make. Bake the taters, cut them in half lengthwise, brush on both sides with melted butter bacon fat, bake them again, and then load ‘em up with bacon bits, cheddar, sour cream and green onions.
Likewise for the skillet cornbread: a simple recipe made better by good photography and an easy narrative. Cornmeal, flour, baking powder, a little milk, an egg, buttermilk, and shortening bacon fat.
In this case, the bacon fat made the cornbread tastier and richer (or so we think). The batter just sizzled UP! the sides of the hot skillet. Damn! Bacon cornbread, cowboy beans(**) and Choc beer, and a good time was had by all.
Generic photo of cornbread in a cast iron skillet --- unknown if baked with bacon (all photo credit goes to Zankopedia)
So what’s the point of all this?
Nothing much, except that a simple goal of trying out 20 new recipes is already 10% done, that it’s going to be dead-nuts easier than losing 12 pounds, and that bacon makes everything better. And, we’ll have to think of something else for little M’Butu in Nigeria: he’s likely Muslim and doesn’t eat pork.
Thanks for reading and dropping in, always highly appreciated. Most welcome to spend some time noodling around the archives, too. There’s probably some good stuff that I’ve forgotten about.
For those keen to keep up and be counted as a subscriber, Email is tops, closely followed by Twitter (or so we’re told by social media experts). Me, I still like the RSS feed to stay up with my favorite bloggers.
(*) The hyperlink to Pioneer Woman’s cookbook will lead to Amazon, a sure way for this blog to score about $0.59 commission on each sale. Early retirement, here we come! Mrs. 101 likes Pioneer Woman, by the way. They’re up in Pawhuska, not too far away from us in Tulsa, and it’s a good love story
(**) farts are funny
This post graciously featured in the following blog roundups:
Fighting giraffes, surreal landscapes, dancing with unicorns and restoring a Vanagon, over @ Jim Collins in New Hampshire (or jlcollinsnh for short).
That’s exactly how I make my potato skins – she stole my recipe! Although sometimes I half-cook the bacon (to get the liquid out) and then finish cooking it right on the skins (that’s the lazy way so you don’t have to bother brushing the inside of the skin.)
Jacq recently posted..The best laid schemes go oft awry
Even better! A good 5S solution to minimize handling.
Lol, nice. I genereally agree about resolutions. WHen people are going thorugh life and decide on things they need to do, shouldn’t they jsut do them immediately instead of waiting until some magical day?? It’s ridiculous.
THat being said, I did make a resolution this year, although, I’ve been doing it for awhiel now and I guess it was more of a “renewal” on continuing it than a proper resolution.
PS Yes, farts are funny.
TB at BlueCollarWorkman recently posted..Knowing When it’s Time to Quit Your Job
Resolutions and procrastination, skipping down the path to the New Year hand in hand.
I agree, that is why I decided to change my resolutions this year. I have just committed to change.
krantcents recently posted..The Best of Krantcents
@ KC
Looking back through The Best Of Krantcents and other writings, sounds like change has been a constant in the KC household.
I see your personal finance book is not on the to do list. Oh sad.
You inspired me to go cook up 2 slices of bacon and eat them up right here and now. Yum..they were good.
My to-do list never starts or ends. It’s a living document that I’m constantly tweaking depending on what life throws my way.
Happy New Year.
First Gen American recently posted..Life Changing Advice – Part 3 Networking
Ah yes, *that* book. A casualty of priorities, I’m afraid.
Likewise, all the best to all the First Gens and to Babci.
this past Sunday my wife added bacon to our breakfast. Not sure why, but it was nice to see that old friend back. tasty, too.
you’ve inspired me to put to paper my ‘to do’ list. somehow I figured in retirement I wouldn’t need such a thing. silly me.
jlcollinsnh recently posted..How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
Escaping from to-do lists? Unthinkable.
Bacon is a sad thing in China, by the way. Don’t understand why some hotel breakfast buffets offer beef bacon (!).
Mr. LH wants me to learn how to cook 3 dishes this year so I might have to check out this cookbook. And things are better with bacon – except, I still don’t know if bacon belongs in a shake (Jack in the Box has been marketing this concept). What do you think?
Little House recently posted..Generational Family Businesses That Work
last Spring I came across a vanilla milkshake with bacon bits on a menu in Cleveland. The waiter convinced me that yes it was for real and that yes it was good. I ordered it.
It is disturbingly good. So much so I was back the next evening for another.
jlcollinsnh recently posted..How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
Bacon shake, sounds delicious. I’ll need to find a JITB.
You had me at bacon…
Mark
Hmm. Sizzling bacon. Mmmm delicious and so bad for the cholesterol!
I liked your list – rather like ours. Maybe it’s better to get a good builder to do things for you and earn the money other ways.:-)
Don’t worry about M’butu being Muslim. One of our friends is very Jewish and her favourite is a Sabat Special – fried bacon. I suspect a starving child really won’t care too much but M’butu could of course be Christian in southern Nigeria anyway.:-)
Good luck with arranging things in Italy – it’s a place you need to be there to get things done rather than across the pond! One of my dreams too anyway – we haven’t been there for a little while but I always feel at home.
John@MoneyPrinciple recently posted..About New Year’s resolutions, saving and wasting
@ John,
I had Burkina Faso in the first draft, in Nigeria’s stead. I blame Mrs. 101.
Good thing the contractor is a friend of the family, or it would never get done.
I love that list. Soo true! I wish I had read this post when I wasn’t hungry! That food sounds amazing:)
Don’t need to be hungry to have bacon. And cornbread.