The Alpha and the Omega...

In Southern cooking, you will hear the TRINITY mentioned quite a bit: onions, bell pepper, and celery are perfection together. However, there is another essential southern addition/ingredient that makes all things better- Bacon.(Hey, let's put bacon in this here butter- Sure, why not???) I really do not know what could NOT be improved by the flavor of bacon... well, maybe ice cream or beer, but I am sure that in some place, both of those items have been make with bacon! But as a Southern girl, nothing beats bacon...

I grew up watching my Nana use the 'drippins' on her stove to flavor most everything that came out of her kitchen. What is 'drippins', you might ask? It was a collection of bacon grease (and maybe a little sausage) saved from my Papa's daily breakfasts. Yes, it was just LEFT out on the stove in a container- covered- but oh the goodness that came from my Nana dripping just a little of that fat into anything.... I, however, do store mine in the fridge because well, frankly leaving drippins just out on the stove scares me a bit- funny how as kid, you don't worry so much about food poisoning or salmonella? (Want to eat some UNCOOKED cookie dough made with raw eggs?? YES!)

Yet, as an adult, I realize those 'drippins' were the secret to the best scrambled eggs in the history of the world- my mommma did not use bacon fat and used (well, I really don't know what the woman used) and they never tasted like my Nana's. There is little wonder I was a fat girl (still am I suppose) as my Nana indulged the savory and sweet tooth in me. See her molasses cookie recipe

So if you want to add a great shot of flavor to ordinary canned green beans or limas, save your bacon grease! As I said, I store my drippings in the fridge- the great thing is you only have to use just a bit to get the flavor. Bacon turns ordinary canned greens or green beans into something MORE than ordinary! Ah sweet, sweet bacon-- the alpha and the omega of the southern cook. Happy contented smile and the smell of bacon....