Homemade Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

I love to make and eat breakfast on the weekends…especially cold, wintery ones that cause me to linger in bed for an extra hour or two.

My chickens are still producing quite a lot of eggs this winter (usually they slow down this time of year) so fresh eggs are always in abundance. Also uncured Applegate Farms Organic bacon is a mainstay in my fridge or freezer.

This past weekend, I thought, why not change things up a bit – well, just a little – and make a bacon egg and cheese sandwich with homemade biscuits that are a touch healthier? I swapped out half of the all-purpose white flour with whole wheat and replaced some of the butter with buttermilk. To my surprise, the result was a flaky, crumbly, better-for-you biscuit!

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Goodbyes Are Bittersweet

By Katie Barreira
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

To all the Newbie readers, whether you’ve tuned in for one blog or all 121 (thanks, Mom!) I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, and hopefully cooking along, as much as I have enjoyed sharing.

Today will be my last post, but continue to follow Special Fork’s blog – I promise you won’t be disappointed by the the next act! I must say, I’m sad to go, so like any good cook, I’ll balance out the bitter by leaving you with a little something sweet to remember me by.

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What’s for Dinner? Pulled Chicken in 30 Minutes

Andrew and Marilyn Hunter are on hiatus as Andrew begins shooting the premier season of a new reality TV show. During their absence, The Family Table will be penned by our Special Fork Food Editors.

By Joanne Lamb Hayes
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

When my family discovered pulled pork sandwiches at a local barbecue restaurant, they asked me if I would make them at home and I said, “Well, maybe.” But every time I thought about marinating, wet mopping and slow roasting a big chunk of meat for hours, I decided to just take them back to the restaurant.

Then on one visit we noticed something new on the menu, pulled chicken. It was delicious and I said, “This I can make!”

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Having a “Temper” Tantrum?

By Katie Barreira
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Tempering chocolate can be one of the more intimidating, exacting and maddening culinary tasks. But it doesn’t have to be.

Why temper?
If you’re going to melt chocolate for coating, candy making, or dipping you’ll have much snappier results if you take the time to temper.

When heated above 90 degrees the fat in chocolate (cocoa butter) separates and forms streaky grey crystals when cool if not first recombined.

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SPAMMED – the Food Kind!

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

If you grew up in Hawaii and you claim Spam has never touched your lips, you are: 1) a hermit 2) a protected child of food snobs or 3) telling a lie.

As everyone knows, Hawaii boasts the highest per capita consumption of Spam in the U.S. Spam meals and snacks are sold at local drive-ins, McDonald’s and even the 7-Eleven.

So tonight, when I attend the annual ancestral potluck of the San Francisco Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, an august gathering of food influencers, guess what I’m taking to represent my heritage? Spam musubi!

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