Makin' Bacon (Bits)

We like to add bacon bits to salads. I've bought those fake bacon bits many times. But it bothers me that there are some artificial ingredients in those imitations bits. The real bacon bits sold in packets seem to be a more natural choice. I've made my own bacon bits from sliced bacon many times. However, I've only made them on an "as needed" basis.

Last week at Grocery Outlet I found 12oz packages of sliced bacon for $1.99. That's a great price for bacon in my area. The catch was that the packages expired in about 7 days. I decided right then and there to buy 2 packages and make a couple of large batches of bacon bits to keep in the freezer. (I didn't have more cash on me that day to buy more than 2 packages, in case you're wondering why I didn't buy more.)

On Saturday I cooked up my bacon bits. From each 12-ounce package, I ended up with about 4-5 ounces of bacon bits and about 5-6 ounces of bacon fat to use in cooking, all for $1.99 per pack. 

I checked Walmart's prices on packages of real bacon bits. For $1.98, Walmart sells a 2.5 ounce package of ready-to-eat real bacon pieces. By cooking my own at home, I about doubled the yield for the same price, plus I saved the cooking fat which will replace oil or butter in sautés.

I bagged my bacon bits and am storing them in the freezer until needed. They crumbled apart easily even when frozen.

The time spent cooking the bits amounted to about 15 minutes total. Not a bad time exchange to pay half the price for an item.

What are your "bacon" tips? How do you save on bacon?

The Finished Chair-Bench

Over the weekend I finally finished the chair-bench. I love how it turned out. It's not a perfect-looking bench. But it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to look like a hybrid between a couple of chairs and a bench.

As you may remember, I combined the metal frames from 2 thrifted chairs ($5 each) with several cedar pickets from an old fence (free, repurposed) to make this bench. My husband helped me cut the pickets down to size. I braced the pickets together on the underside with shorter lengths of fence pickets to form a seat. And we cut notches to fit the seat to the metal chair frames at the back. 

I painted the pieces at a couple of different times in the crafting of the bench, doing sides and undersides of pickets as well as one coat of black paint on the top. Including the paint and sealer purchased last year for the chairs, I spent about $20 for spray paint/sealer. Added to the $10 for the chairs, my new bench cost about $30 plus my time. Not bad for a garden bench.

This weekend, I attached the seat to the metal chair frames and put the final coats of paint and clear sealer on the seat top.

I've set the bench on the small patio adjacent to the front porch of our home. I really like the way it looks in its setting. The scrolls of the metal chair frames echo the scrolls of the wall planters and wall scones by the front door. Meanwhile, the slats of the bench pair well with the slats of Adirondack chairs on the porch. And the bright green cushions (made from a shower curtain bought at Value Village last year) are a near match in color to the green of the spray-painted flower pots on the porch.

To prolong the useful life of this bench, my plan is to move the bench inside to the entry hall in late autumn, then moving it back out to the patio in spring each year. In the entry hall, it will occupy the short wall beneath the staircase. I think it will look nice right there during the holiday season. I'll be able to add a couple of wintry decor items on the bench seat for Christmas. Just a little teaser -- I'll post more later this week about a thrifted find to use as a winter holiday decor piece.

I'm glad to add this new piece to our furniture collection.