Pig Out at the Missouri State Fair

It's state fair time again! 

The Missouri Pork Association is serving up some tasty goodness on August 13th and Team Bacon Blogger will be there with bells on.

Come to the fair and say "HI" to all the Pork Proud folks serving up grub, including us.

You can find a schedule of events for the Missouri State Fair HERE.

 Hope to see you at the fair.




It's good, wholesome, cheap fun! Plus, CHICKS DIG IT!

 

Family Farm vs. Factory Farm

 vs.

Image from farmamerica.org

Image of hog barn from our farm

      

I’m no writer but here’s my thoughts on this whole family farming vs. factory farming thing. People have this idea that the “traditional” family farm is ma and pa with 50 pigs out back and a big red barn because that’s the way farming use to be so that’s the way it is today. But the thing that we need to tell people who have that idea that a big farm can’t be a family farm is that the family farm is still the same it has just changed its looks. We had that little ma and pa type farm but it couldn’t support one household let alone four like it does today. By going bigger and using these hog barns we are able to grow the family business and now the whole family works on the farm. We are even taking better care of those pigs and they spend their days a whole lot more comfortable than I do especially in this Missouri heat. The family farm is still the family farm no matter what size it is but it just looks different and that is not a bad thing. We’ve made lots of improvements and we continue to look for better ways to farm. But this is what we do and how we do it and we are proud to be farmers.

Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Burgers

It's no secret, I love pork. Pork steaks, pork sausage, pork and beans, bacon, ham, the list goes on but nothing says summer like a nice, big, juicy, hand slapped, grill marked pork burger.

Pork burgers meet Proscuitto...

Proscuitto meet Pork burgers...

That's right, embrace the pork...

Love the pork...

Be grilled with the pork...

I'm sorry Mina, this is people food.

Phantom, you don't get any either.

Now, add a bun, some fresh tomatoes, a little lettuce, and some home grown corn...wait, let me wipe my mouth, I'm drooling.

Supper is served.

Oh, yes, I'm inspired how about you?

Eat Breakfast Like a King...

Adelle Davis courtesy of the Adelle Davis Foundation website.

Adelle Davis had it right when she said: "Eat Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper" and researchers agree. According to Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D eating a good breakfast can lead to weight loss. Here are a few of her reasons why you should never skip breakfast:

• Eating breakfast reduces your hunger later in the day, making it easier to avoid overeating. When you skip breakfast, you may feel ravenous later and be tempted to reach for a quick fix, such as candy from the vending machine. In addition, prolonged fasting — which occurs when you skip breakfast — can increase your body's insulin response, which in turn increases fat storage and weight gain. In fact, skipping breakfast actually increases your risk of obesity.
• Eating breakfast gets you on track to make healthy choices all day. People who eat breakfast regularly tend to eat a healthier diet — one that is more nutritious and lower in fat. When you skip breakfast, you're more likely to skip fruits and vegetables the rest of the day too.
• Eating breakfast gives you energy, increasing your physical activity during the day. A healthy breakfast refuels your body and replenishes the glycogen stores that supply blood sugar (glucose). Skipping breakfast is associated with decreased physical activity.

In addition, according to research done by University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB) eating a higher protein/fat/carb combo for breakfast can actually help control your weight. Bacon and eggs are among the highest protein foods you can wrap your lips around. If you are concerned about the fat and cholesterol content, don't be. Once cooked bacon only accounts for 1 gram of saturated fat, of which only one-third effects cholesterol and research by Wake Forest University shows no connection between eggs and heart disease.

So, tomorrow morning when you're debating over a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich or a cup of coffee with a rice cake for breakfast...go on, eat that big sandwich, you'll be healthier for it......

In proper proportions, of course.

Soup and Sammie--YUM!!

I know the weather is getting nicer and yesterday was the first day of spring but I just have to share this yummy something that we ate the other night.

As most of you may (or may not) have figured out by now, I am a soup fanatic. I love making it and I love eating it. 

This is my latest concoction. It is one of my many potato soups. I use Yukon Gold potatoes so I don't have to peel them (I hate peeling potatoes).

Of course, it has bacon in it...naturally.And a bunch of other stuff--2 cans of chicken broth, a little water, minced onions, celery flakes, sea salt, thyme, pepper, and milk. Everybody has those ingredients!

 

My baby boy helped me cook up this soup. He put everything into the pot and decided how much was enough (with a little advice from mom). He just loves to cook.

He said to me, "Mom, I'd like to be a chef but I think I like to farm more." He is so cute.

Next, while the soup is simmering, grab some hoagie buns, some ham slices, and a few slices of provolone cheese (Munster is good too).  

Set your oven to BROIL.

And make it melty.

Watch is close! It only takes a minute or two to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

Add some lettuce, mustard, mayo, and whatever else you fancy on your hoagie.

Then enjoy your soup and sammie--one of my favorite meals.

YUM!

Favorite Pics Round Three: Pork Pics

I've saved the yummiest for last. Prepare yourself for...Pork Pics.

Mmmm. Shredded pork.

Pork Loin...Delicious!

More loin...Me likes the loins.

A big beautiful ham. So good!

Well look at that, another loin.

Pork Calzones! Yum.

Sausage Balls! Mmm, Mmm Good!

So moist, so tender, so juicy...I love pork.

Be Inspired...by pork waffles!

The new slogan is officially official…Pork Be Inspired! Well, I’m inspired and you should be too. With the versatility of pork, the yumminess of pork, and the low fat, high protein nutrition pork offers you can make anything out of this stuff. 

Check out the great video to get you inspired with some slowcookin’ pork with Cameron Bure. YUM! You can even get freebies, recipes, pork basics, nutritional facts, and a whole slew of stuff from the Pork Be Inspired website.

 

I know, I know, we all love The Other White Meat slogan but fret not my pork consuming friends. The Other White Meat is not gone forever. Read more about the history of pork and its heritage brand. 

In honor of such a yummy and inspiring new slogan, here is a great pork recipe that mixes sweet with meat and turns out one tasty dish that is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner...Buttermilk Bacon Waffles:

These are yummy in your tummy good. Just imagine a bite of buttermilk waffle, sweet syrup, and bacon all in one delicious mouthful! Oh. Yeah. Mmmm.

Now, I know that most of my recipes are somewhat vague because I rely on smell, sight, and taste to cook--not so much on written recipes--but this one actually has a really, real recipe with measurements and all.



Here is a little tip: If, like me, you don't always
come to battle completely prepared, keep some
REAL fully cooked bacon bits in your freezer.
That way, even if you don't have bacon on hand, or you just don't like crumbling it, you can heat theselittle beauties up and voila! you're ready to go.



Such pretty eggs...

Eggs, Buttermilk meet Flour. Flour, this is Eggs and Buttermilk.

Mmmm... Bacon...

It goes in a liquid...

And comes out a solid...

Stack-O-Wafflishious

My cat-boy will now demonstrate the final step in waffle making...Pay attention! This is the most important step.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Bacon Waffles



2 cups Flour

1 tbsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
4 Eggs
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
4 tbsp. Butter, melted
3-4 strips Bacon, cooked and crumbled OR
¾ cup REAL Fully Cooked Bacon Bits

In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (I like to beat my eggs separately then beat in each ingredient, one at a time but that is just me). Add wet to dry and mix until lump-free. Stir in bacon. Pour about ¾ cup into waffle maker and there you go…you’re makin’ waffles!

Back From the Dead!

I am the Bacon Blogger and I have come back to life!

I realize it has been a while since my last transmission but I have managed to crawl out of my grave and with my zombie pig friends we are ready to blog. My piggy minions and I are stalking back to blogger to talk shop, cook pork, and agvocate like crazy. Stay tuned for some recipes, pork news, and more photo shopped (or not) piggy pics.



"We're coming for you..."



There's A Pig in My Bacon

As a Missouri pork producer, family farmer, mother, wife, and concerned consumer I feel it is my duty to call to your attention the frightening and somewhat ridiculous fact that the American people do not realize bacon and ham come from pigs. Shocking as this may seem, it is the only explanation that I can come up as to why the purchase of pork steak, pork roast, pork loin, pork chops, pork etc. drastically declined during the 2009 so-called "swine flu" panic, while bacon and ham actually increased in sales. Alternatively, since those products didn't have the word "pork" in their name, consumers may have felt that that particular section of the hog was unaffected by the flu virus. Not that you can get the flu from eating meat, unless of course, someone sneezed on it but this could too be the explanation, however unlikely.

I also feel that as a writer and agvocate (ag + advocate for those of you who don't tweet) I have a moral obligation to shed some light on the subject of swine. It is my moral duty to tell the world--or at least the American public--that there is, in fact, a pig in your bacon. The people have a right to know and I will uphold that right. Not only am I proclaiming the truth of your bacon's origins, I am going to tell you how that pig got in your bacon in the first place. The people need to know and it is high time the truth was told straight from the hogs mouth.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story...