This was Mer’s delightful creation one night, so I’ve left it in her words rather than the format I typically use for recipes. It’s simple and flavorful and yummy.

Take take two strips of bacon, fry them crispy, and remove them from the pan. Saute half a teaspoon of garlic paste, several shakes of oregano, several shakes of basil, several shakes of dried onion, and saute until brown. Add two cups of cooked pasta (I used mafalda, but just about anything would work in a pinch), toss, and saute until it’s sufficiently brown. Add in a cup of peas and the bacon (now crumbled), toss and keep cooking until everything is hot and yummy. Plate, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, nom.

Via @paulandstorm

One of my current vices is the new bacon-cheddar ciabatta breakfast melt from WaWa. I’m not a big “breakfast out” person (no people before coffee on the weekends), so this morning I set out to create my own. Fresh eggs and bacon, with a generous helping of butter, I’ll be sticking with this from here on out.

I learned the fluffed egg technique years ago from an ex – the wooden spoon (or other wide, flat utensil) is crucial here. Using a fork for this technique will produce ribbons rather than cloudy poufs.

Brown Butter Fluffed Egg Sandwiches

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon half and half
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 flat, crusty roll, sliced in half lengthwise (I used a Portuguese roll from my local bakery)
• 2 slices bacon, cooked as per your preference
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons ketchup*

Combine eggs, seasonings, and half and half; whisk to combine. Set aside. Heat one tablespoon butter in a medium pan over low heat. Add half the roll, cut side down, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook until edges are golden brown. Remove bread and repeat with another tablespoon of butter and the other bread half. Set aside.

Decrease heat to medium and add final tablespoon of butter. Add eggs and immediately begin stirring with a wooden spoon, making sure to get all areas of the pan. Stir constantly until eggs have come together and are fluffy but still wet. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Transfer to roll and top with ketchup and bacon. Serve immediately.

Serves 1.

*We (well, most of us) put ketchup on our eggs in this area of Pennsylvania. It’s awesome. If this is too weird for you, feel free to substitute your condiment of choice. Meredith suggests HP Sauce.

Happy belated holidays to one and all! After the semester ended, Mer and I got to work on our holiday baking. We split our projects between family traditions and our own take on other bloggers’ recipes. Stay tuned for my Magical Mint Cookies, Mer’s Date Squares, and our version of the Ginger-Cinnamon Caramels posted at The Kitchn at Apartment Therapy.

Today’s recap is our version of Muffin’s bacon chocolate chip cookies with maple glaze, posted in the first week of December at Never Bashful with Butter. We tweaked the basic cookie recipe a bit, changed the nuts, and used a completely different glaze. The result was a delightful surprise: not only were they delicious, but they didn’t just taste like bacon cookies. They stood well on their own as a dessert, and made for a fabulous conversation piece at the holiday gatherings we attended.

Bacon Cookies with Maple Glaze

Ingredients for cookies:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 2 cups bacon bits

Ingredients for glaze:

• 4 tsp butter
• 4 tsp real maple syrup
• 1 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Stir in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in chips, nuts, and bacon. Using a small small disher, drop dough onto greased or non-stick cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on wax paper laid over newspaper or kitchen towels.

While cookies cool, combine butter and maple syrup in a small heavy-bottomed sauce pan and whisk until butter has melted and liquids are well-combined. Whisk in confectioner’s sugar. Drizzle warm glaze over cooled cookies. Allow glaze to set completely before packaging.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

So, what yummy goodies did you create this holiday season? Tell us all about it in the comments.