When I was adapting my sister Bridget’s recipe for Microwave Corn Chowder to make Crockpot Corn Chowder this week, I may have come across the greatest time-saving and cleanup-saving tip of all time. To add crispy chopped bacon to a crockpot recipe usually meant a big mess and some time and diligence cooking up and chopping bacon, or chopping, then extra diligence because small pieces burn faster.

Bridget’s recipe, however, uses a pair of kitchen shears to cut the bacon into small pieces. Place the bacon in a 4-cup glass measure, cover with a paper towel, and microwave for 5-6 minutes (I paused after about a minute or two to stir them up, so they weren’t stuck together). Voilà! Crispy bacon pieces for my corn chowder in no time, with minimal mess!

For the final cleanup, this tip is from my cousin Jenn’s husband Frank: Place a piece of aluminum foil so that it sets in your sink drain, and turn the edges up a little to catch the bacon fat as you pour it into the foil. Let the fat congeal, wrap the foil around the fat, and toss it in the trash!

Thanks Bridget & Frank for making my life easier this week!

Miracle food: Broccoli?

31 Days of Blog: Day 9.On location in New York.

Last night we arrived at my sister's late (midnight), and I had trouble sleeping so I perused the July issue of SELF magazine. I was very surprised to learn, in two different articles, that broccoli can help shield your eyes from the damage caused by the sun, and that it can also reverse the damage to body tissue and organs caused by age. The luteins in broccoli give it the antioxidant power to protect you from the sun. The sulforaphane in broccoli reverses the aging process (well, perhaps I overstate).

• Now, I have always known that it is high in calcium. One serving of broccoli doesn't quite equal the calcium in one glass of milk, but it's a great boost to the calcium in your daily diet. For your own reference, calcium not only builds strong bones and staves off osteoporosis, it also helps keep blood pressure lower, and is connected with a healthy, cancer-free colon.
  
• Broccoli is also one of those "dark, leafy greens" always extolled for being rich in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene (Vitamin A) and Vitamin C (also abundant in these green "trees") have been linked to the reduction of cataracts and heart disease.
  
• Broccoli is also contains folic acid, especially important in pregnant women. I remember craving it when I was pregnant with my third son, Jude, and the doctor definitely encouraged my indulging my craving. It has been linked to helping create healthy fetuses, it also seems to prevent cervical cancer and can reduce osteoporosis. In both men and women, it helps combat heart disease. It also releases serotonin, which makes it act as a mild antidepressant.
  
• The fiber in broccoli is half soluble and half insoluble, both of which a body needs.
  
• Broccoli is also a member of the cabbage, or crucifer, family. Crucifers are thought to reduce the risk of bladder cancer.
  
• In addition, broccoli provides kaempferol, also found in green tea and onions, which has been found to lower a woman's risk of ovarian cancer.

This is no light list. I think I'll up my intake of this veggie!

Broccoli is basically a cool-weather vegetable, though through refrigeration and trucking it is available year-round, its flavor is best from late fall through early spring.

Often broccoli (both raw and cooked) suffers from the smell of sulfur. Often times, you can avoid this by eating the broccoli before it begins to wilt in your refrigerator. When cooking, avoid this smell of sulfur by just steaming the broccoli until bright green, then running it under cold water or immersing it in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process. Cooked broccoli tastes best when cooked al dente; it looks most appetizing (bright green) that way too. Raw broccoli, while tasty, repeats on you more than cooked broccoli does.

When my boys were young, my husband always called broccoli "trees" to make them laugh, and try one more bite. We usually served broccoli with something for the kids to dip it in: ranch dressing, cheese sauce, ketchup, marinara sauce, you name it, if those boys could dip it, they would usually eat it, eventually. I love white pizza with broccoli and pasta with broccoli and chicken; my husband doesn't think broccoli belongs on pizza or in pasta, so those don't often get prepared at Chez Habib. We do, however, pile it on stuffed baked potatoes, usually with generous helpings of cheddar cheese and sour cream.

The most commented on salad I've ever served is Broccoli-Bacon Salad. It's something my mom would've served in the '60s and '70s. No one in health-conscious 2008 would have developed this recipe, but it is the #1 hit at every party I've ever served it. My recipe comes from a collaborative cookbook put together by the PTO at my boys' school when my oldest (now a sophomore in high school) was in 1st grade. My friend, Nancy, submitted the recipe, her daughter was in my son's class at the time. Our paths don't cross as often anymore, but I love thinking of her each time I make this salad.

Broccoli-Bacon salad

1 head broccoli
10 slices bacon
1/4 c pecans
1/2 c cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c sugar
1 c mayonnaise
2 T white vinegar

Cook bacon until crisp; cool, then crumble. Place raisins in 2 c very hot water to plump. Cut broccoli heat into very small bite-size pieces. Mix broccoli with nuts, cheese, and raisins. Combine sugar, mayo, and vinegar to make dressing. Store in refrigerator. Just before serving, dress and toss.

Happy 4th of July!

31 Days of Blog: Day 4. Our fireworks got rained out last night, and it’s too cold for the beach day we had planned, so we’re watching old videos of the kids when they were little, thinking we might call some of the friends we usually meet at the beach to have an impromptu cookout.

Last year this fabulous burger reared its lovely head at my friend, Lynne’s 4th of July extravaganza at Lake Winnepesaukee. Lynne’s parents live on an island in Lake Winnepesaukee. Her dad, Frank, and her son, Matt, both have birthdays over 4th of July weekend, and they always have a big family gathering. Last year Frank treated the family to these burgers. Lynne brought them to me via our weekly dinner group (we cook together and test out new recipes on our guinea pigs, I mean, families). These were one huge hit!

Stuffed bacon cheeseburgers

½ c cheddar cheese, shredded
4 slices
1 lb ground chuck
2 medium onions, divided use
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 clove garlic
1 T sugar
Barbecue sauce
4 large hamburger buns, split

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Let cool, crumble. Dice one onion and sauté in bacon drippings until translucent. Let cool. Combine cheese, bacon, and onion in a bowl. Season ground beef with salt and pepper. Create 8 flat patties from the meat mixture. Squeeze together 4 balls of the cheese mixture. Place the ball of cheese mixture between two ground beef patties; bring up the sides of the patty over the filling, making sure the cheese is completely covered by the meat. Flatten slightly for a nice patty shape. Refrigerate.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Brush burgers with barbecue sauce and place sauce-side-down on grill. Brush top-side of burger with barbecue sauce. Grill the burgers for 7 minutes per side for medium.

Meanwhile, heat second sauté pan. Add olive oil and butter to pan. Slice second onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar, continue to cook until caramelized. Combine onions with remaining barbecue sauce.

Remove the burgers to a clean side plate while you toast the buns, if desired.