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| (Ruthy note: Oh my stars, what a lovely view!!! All you need is a candle or two and a cute guy! :) I love romance!) |
Today I’m going to share another favorite appetizer recipe (see yesterday’s “Steak Salad” post for the history of these recipes). Except for an occasional pie or a batch of pumpkin or molasses cookies, I’m not much of a holiday baker. But...I DO love making (and eating!) appetizers!
WATER CHESTNUTS IN BACON
2 8-oz cans WHOLE water chestnuts, drained
Soy sauce
Brown sugar (approx 1 cup but may take more)
1-2-lbs bacon – NOT the really thick stuff - strips halved
Soak water chestnuts in a bowl of soy sauce overnight.
The next day or just before baking, drain off liquid.
Sprinkle brown sugar over each half slice of bacon.
Wrap bacon strip around chestnut. Then pierce bacon and chestnut with toothpick to secure (I find it helpful to “fold” the bacon end slightly to better hold the toothpick).
Spray lasagna-size pan with cooking spray & line with foil, Then make a 'tighter' second layer of foil so it lifts slightly off the lower layer (bacon will drain to lower layer)
Arrange water chestnuts on top layer of foil, piercing the foil with the toothpicks to hold them secure and provide drainage.
Bake at 375° for 60 minutes, turning several times to ensure even baking.
Place in small slow cooker to keep warm for serving.
Please notice that this is NOT an “exact” recipe as far as amounts and times and such. You have to be flexible when making this as the number of water chestnuts in a can, slices of bacon in a package, amount of soy sauce, baking time, etc., may vary. You need to keep a close eye on them when baking as you want the bacon cooked so it’s safe but flavorful to eat, not hard or burned. Regardless of the extra TLC this recipe takes, the final product is worth it!
Oh, Glynna, you had me at BACON! I love it. And I'm sure I'll love this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing it. I can't wait to try.
ReplyDeleteMissy--who just finished off the scraps from my son's bacon this morning. Could not throw any of the precious bits away. :)
I LOVE MISSY TIPPENS! HEY Y'ALL, THIS IS THE YANK COMING TO YOU FROM THE HOME OF COUNTRY MUSIC IN NASHVILLE TENNESSEE WHERE MARY-THE-BRAT CONNEALY WAS PRETTY SURE DISASTER WOULD FALL WHEN THE HEAVENS REALIZED I WAS COMING TO VISIT...
ReplyDeleteIT HASN'T HAPPENED YET, LOL! Anyway, Missy, thank you for putting together Melanie's post for tomorrow! I popped in to do it and there it was, spit-shined and perfect! You rock, dudette!
And Glynna, this is a family favorite of ours. We do add (do not get weird, it's yummy) a piece of chicken liver to some so that the water chestnut and liver is wrapped by the bacon. And you're right, if the bacon is too thick, it doesn't cook as well, so I forego my delicious Hickory Ridge bacon from Sam's Club and buy standard cut at the grocery for this. Thank you for reminding me to put this stuff on my grocery list!
Hey, Ruthy, don't be bringing down the heavens on my sister and BIL in Nash-vuhl. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great time!!!!
(and now let me go before I wretch again thinking of chicken liver ruining perfectly good bacon!!)
Glynna, I've had these before, but never knew how to make them! I know the bacon will be a hit around here, but I'm not sure about the water chestnuts...it's worth a try.
ReplyDeleteNo chicken livers, though. No way.
We started a tradition a couple years ago of having a "Christmas Tea" for supper on Christmas Eve. Everything can be made ahead of time and brought out to enjoy in spite of differing work schedules. The idea is to get home from work, go to church, come home to an elegant, easy supper.
It worked pretty well the first year. We'll see how it goes this year. It's hard to move traditions from one house to another, which is why our family is always starting "new" ones:)
This recipe and yesterday's both sound perfect for Christmas Eve.
Missy, I'm sure there was a typo in your post up there - you said you finished off the scraps from your son's bacon this morning? Your son left scraps? I don't understand...
And Ruthy, I'm sure Nashville is loving you - as long as you don't bring an up-state New York snowfall with you!
LOL, Jan. I wondered if my comment would make sense. :) I bought him some of the already cooked bacon that you just heat in the microwave. Well, this batch was sliced really, really thin (too thin). He picked over it and asked if I wanted what was left. I looked at it funny, and he said, "I don't like the fat."
ReplyDeleteWell, it wasn't all fat! It was just really thin meat you could almost see through. LOL So I said, sure, I'd eat it. [grin] No, I didn't tell him it was really meat. I just gobbled it up. hahaha
Oh, also meant to correct my spelling of retch. LOL
ReplyDeleteOoh, that's similar to something my sister makes every year for our Christmas Eve appetizer party, only she uses marinated venison steak strips around the water chestnut. It's called Rumaki and is (I think) the longest standing recipe in the family for our Christmas Eve get together. That and mushroom turnovers.
ReplyDeleteYummy, Valerie! Mushroom turnovers sound wonderful, too!
ReplyDeleteY'all, Glynna just emailed me that she's been by several times today and tried to comment. A couple of times it even appeared the comments went through. But then they disappeared.
ReplyDeleteShe said she's sorry she seemed like a no-show! But she's finally given up and decided it's time to eat supper (a late one!).
Glynna, thanks for trying!