Mmmm, Baked Bacon.

This week has been a blur. Last weekend Dave and my friend Elie took me camping in the Ozarks for my 31st birthday, and on Saturday it rained biblical proportions on a tent that was downright sinful (and soggy).

Despite the downpour, life was still good. We found a greasy spoon diner in Osage Beach called Kay's Home Cooking--home of the all-you-can-eat breakfast, no kidding--and drank hot, plentiful coffee, ate biscuits and gravy, Western omelets, French toast, and sausage links until we were about to burst. S'mores, grilled steak, roasted carrots & garlic, and biscuits on a stick were also a part of Dave's campfire cuisine prior to the Kay's orgy. His food was decidedly more tasty and healthy, and our hike down to the Lake helped burn off a S'more or two until we headed in town for Kay's.

Ultimately, dear readers, there is something you should know: Dave is the cook in our relationship; I am the baker. And boy howdy did he cook last weekend. Elie was expecting hot dogs (and I was too), but Dave wouldn't hear of it. He even roasted a surprise baked apple that was quite delicious.


So, I let Dave continue cooking when we got back from the Ozarks. On Tuesday night, Dave made dinner--BLTs with a twist. Dave baked the bacon at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, paired the center-cut bacon with sourdough I had bought from a local bakery, patio tomatoes I grew on our front porch (they're still growing and supplying us with late-season goodies), Boston leaf lettuce, and Hellman's mayo to make my favorite sandwich of all time. The sandwich that was, and will forever be, the figurative apple Eve gave to Adam if Adam were a vegetarian and that apple were a tasty pork product. I know pigs are sentient, intelligent creatures, but as long as there are BLTs, I will no longer trek in vegetarian cuisine despite all of the Molly Katzen cookbooks I own (and love).

So, dear readers, try baking your bacon sometime. We're not sure if it's any healthier for you, but the bacon is crispy, which is my favorite, and still tender.

And since fall is finally upon us, I hope to go apple picking this weekend so I can make an apple pie. I think, thanks to my friends Jane H. and Joni, that I know the trick to flaky, lovely pie dough too. So, stay tuned for more ovenly goodness.

Hugs and high fives,
Kella