Products I Love: Ayesha Curry Bacon Grease Can

Ah, Bacon. The sizzle, the crackle, the smell. Just the smell of bacon makes gives me all the feels. The smell of bacon brings back childhood memories of camping, my Mom cooking in the kitchen on a Sunday morning with the smells of fresh coffee and pancakes lingering in the background. Bacon is a comfort food we can all appreciate.

And I like to save my bacon drippings for other added flavor and seasoning. If you've never saved your bacon grease but want to start, make sure you strain the bacon grease with a cheese cloth and then transfer it into an air tight container. After you transfer your bacon grease into an air tight container make sure to put it into the refrigerator. Storing your grease in the refrigerator can actually stay good for up to 1 year! But you never want to store the bacon grease with bits of meat because it can turn rancid with a few weeks. So strain that bacon grease!

I love to use this ADORABLE bacon grease can by Ayesha Curry. You can get yours on Amazon Prime for $11.55 Click on this link to order yours: Ayesha Curry Bacon Grease Can other colors are available but at different prices.

Save your Bacon Drippings using this adorable can! Click on link above!

I just love this little bacon grease can, it's way cuter than using a coffee can and it's air tight, just what you need! Plus, when digging through your refrigerator, you always know where your bacon grease is thanks to Ayesha Curry's super cute design on the front. 

So with that said, Christmas is coming up and I know some of you have Mama's that still use bacon grease like I do. So why don't you gift your favorite bacon loving Mom with this Bacon Grease Can from Ayesha Curry sold on Amazon

Still not sold on saving your bacon grease drippings? Check out these 8 uses for bacon grease! Enjoy!

From A Private Life To A Public Life

When we decided to enroll our two youngest children in private school it wasn't an easy decision. We knew the financial cost would be pressing. And we knew the judgement would be harsh. When most family and friends hear you are enrolling your children into private school they think you are "too good for public school" and that you are "showing off your wealth." We certainly weren't too good for public school and we are anything but wealthy. For us it was all based on providing our children with the best education, and with daily doses of faith to prepare them for the Godless world around them. I was never good in school, I struggled when we moved from Iowa to Arkansas and I never bounced back. School was hard for me but faith was easy for me. My husband was the opposite. School has always come easy for him and faith wasn't. We wanted to give our children the best of both of us and after lots of research and doing our own homework we decided that private school was the best choice for our children at the time.

Back to school garden flag, for purchase click on link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Evergreen-Burlap-School-Double-Sided-Flag/dp/B00Y3C2NQU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504619984&sr=8-3&keywords=back+to+school+garden+flag

Fast forward 3 years later and we found ourselves at a crossroad again. With the buying of an older home, we have found ourselves making constant updates and splurging with a purchase of an in ground pool for our children. We had long decided that this home was going to be our forever home and so we want to make memories now instead of after the children grow up and move away. One in college and one a senior in high school, its very likely we'll have grandchildren before our youngest two are high school graduates. So we wanted to invest in something the whole family could enjoy now and later. But with the purchase of a memory maker like an in ground pool, we're not talking pocket change....it's a big investment. Now with the cost of a pool payment, private school, home repairs, one in college and one with an upcoming jaw surgery and still in braces, we HAD to make cutbacks so we could pay off debt and put money in savings. And sadly that cutback came from private school.

My little girl in her Catholic school uniform and school picture.

 I'll admit I miss the uniform, but she doesn't.

Pulling our children from private school was the hardest decision I had to make. I felt like I was failing them in so many ways. I felt like I was failing God. I felt like a bad Mom. I know, you're probably thinking its completely silly to think like that over a school but it wasn't just a school for us. This is our Church, and I felt like I was abandoning our faith and turning away from God. After so much prayer and financial planning we decided it was time to go from private school to public school.

Printable made by me, Kat Smith: feel free to download and use. 

Now I'm not a sugar coating, lie to my children kind of Mom. I talk to them like young people but I focus on the positive. I do not like saying negative things about one thing to make the other thing sound better. If I'm happy, they're happy and if they are sad, I will talk and listen to their words and we work through it. But I do not lie to make them feel better. Being upfront and honest about the change of schools was hard but they were amazing about it. I mean, when you tell your 7 year old she doesn't have to wear uniforms anymore and she can wear flip flops, it's not hard to get them excited about changing schools. Missing their friends would be hard, but we are pretty good about keeping in touch with others. Already, she's seen old school friends multiple times.

Swimming with old school friends, a few weeks after school started.

So summer came and went way too fast this year....we started our new school and its been amazing for them. They are adjusting so incredibly well and the school-oh my goodness this school-we all love it!!!!! It's a change we needed and a change that we don't regret. Now we are paying off debt and we are praising God for helping to guide us into this new direction in our children's lives. I think God made this change happen for a reason. My daughter, at 7 years old, has already witnessed to a girl in her class, asking her if she knew about God. And if it wasn't for her time in private school, she wouldn't have thought to ask that question. She's so secure in her faith at only 7 years old, I think God knew this school or that one girl needed someone like Mary Kate, who not only shares her toys but shares her love of God too.

First Day of School in our new clothes! No uniform required!

First Day of Kindergarten-Will never got to experience the joys of school uniforms.

Homemade Brown Sugar-N-Cinnamon Pop Tarts with Candied Maple Bacon

Every now and then I get the urge to go completely outside of my comfort zone and try something new. This morning was one of those urge days. Over the weekend I bought a new cookbook and it has so many delicious recipes, y'all. So far I've tried 3 recipes in this cookbook and all have been very successful! The cook book is "The Southern Pantry Cookbook" and I can already tell it'll be a staple go to in my kitchen. I bought my locally, but you can order one at Amazon by clicking on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Pantry-Cookbook-Recipes-Already/dp/1401605214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462978259&sr=8-1&keywords=the+southern+pantry+cookbook

 

This morning I made the homemade pop tarts and candied bacon, however, I used maple bacon. I had already made pie crust in my freezer I needed to use. So my crust is not from scratch but if you have the time, by all means shoot for the stars and make your own homemade pie crust. I hope you enjoy these as much as me and my family did! 

Homemade Brown Sugar-N-Cinnamon Pop Tarts

Ingredients for Brown Sugar Filling:

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Ingredients for Icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Toaster Tarts:

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Ingredients for Egg Wash:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper

2. To make brown sugar-n-cinnamon filling: In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour.

3. To make icing: In a small bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Drizzle over pop tarts, serve warm.

4. To make egg wash: lightly beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water

5. To make the pop tarts: Roll out the dough and stack on top of each other and cut into even squares, making sure to keep matching tops and bottoms together. 

6. Separate the top and bottom of each pastry and brush matching sides with egg wash.

7. Spoon one pastry with about 1 heaping tablespoon of the brown sugar-n-cinnamon filling

8. Place matching pastry on top and seal edges using the tines of a fork around all the edges to crimp the dough.

9. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and place the baking sheet on cooling rack. Drizzle with icing and Enjoy!!

Candied Maple Bacon

Ingredients: 

Non Stick cooking spray

1/2 cup finely packed light brown sugar

12 slices center cut  maple bacon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Generously spray a wire baking rack with cooking spray and then place on top of a lined rimmed baking pan. {I used parchment paper for easy clean up.}

3. Place the brown sugar in a shallow baking dish and evenly dredge both sides of the maple bacon

4. Placed bacon on to the wire rack in a single layer with no overlapping pieces.

5. Bake until the bacon is crispy, 20-25 minutes.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!