Hello friends!

It’s been two count ‘em TWO years since I started this little food blog!

At first I wasn’t sure how I wanted to go about celebrating this event, and as many of you know I was in a bit of a blogging burnout last week.

Though I have to tell you, I cannot properly express in words how wonderful you all are. The comments you left expressing your support and advice were heartwarming to say the least; to think that over the past two years I’ve formulated such strong friendships with all of you that you thought to share your love and strength with me makes every bit of these past two years worthwhile.

THANK YOU FRIENDS!! (applause) When I win the lottery and have ample amounts of cash I will be creating muffin baskets for all of you! heehee

So as many of you suggested, I took a wee break from blogging to get my head straight and feel inspired. I have the wisest readers, since it worked perfectly!

I realized that it’s been two years since I began taking photos with my iPhone and documenting my adventures in baking, and that if you were to tell me I’d reach over 200 readers and a  thousand pageviews a day, I probably would’ve laughed for a full five minutes.

But I did it.

I really, actually, did it. I set goals that I surpassed, which led me to the thought:

“I think it’s time to set some new goals.”

So, friends, I hope you’re all prepared for a little re-vamping here On Sugar Mountain.

After feeling burnt-out last week, I got to wondering how some of my blogging buds managed to constantly create recipes each week.

IT”S SO EXHAUSTING!

I mean I am a muffin maniac, so those don’t count; also I’ve been baking for over a decade so that aspect of cuisine I’ve sort of mastered to an extent.

But cooking? I am constantly drawing a blank. Like many others of my generation, I was far too busy doing a million-and-one things to ask my mother to teach me to cook, and even when I did, her style of cooking baffled me.

No measurements. Ever. Also, she can just smell things and know what it needs to make it perfect.

MOM MAGIC.

But seriously, I lack all many essential cooking skills that I think would make me into a better cook. If I knew what on earth braising was, or how to poach an egg, or which spices go with what etc, maybe creating recipes wouldn’t be so freaking overwhelming.

Then it hit me.

My niche.

The one I’ve been searching for for the past two years.

I am a nerd. I am proud of this (took 22 years but hey, better late than never) and I am proud of my never-ending desire to learn.

Why can’t I just teach myself these skills?

With help from a few classic cookbooks that sit forgotten on my bookshelves, and of course the aid of my fellow food bloggers who know no fear when it comes to food, I shall become…..

THE MOST FEARLESS COOK TO HAVE EVER LIVED.

Ahem. Or just a great cook. You know, whichever comes first.

But don’t worry! Your sweet treat fix will still be brought to you each Monday and Wednesday, but now there will be more exploration of cooking skills and techniques, ultimately ending in my own recipes highlighting the new lessons I’ve learned.

For example:

• Braising
• Poaching
• Deep Frying
• Pie and Pastry Doughs
• Pasta Sauces
• Cooking Whole Birds (eek!)

and more!

I hope you all come on this journey with me – I firmly believe that we under-value the skills of home-cooking here in the US. We have huge issues with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and yet we see no reason to re-introduce home-ec and we still eat most of our food on the go or from pre-packaged containers.

However, I think the realm of food blogging has done wonders for home-cooks, and I see no better set of teachers from which to learn these skills from than my colleagues.

I’ll also be bringing back my book reviews, but including recipes that are inspired from the works I read, as well as discussing food in culture here and there when the inspiration hits me.

Phew. I think I may have rambled on enough about my new goals, huh?

If my readers read all of the above, YOU ARE THE BEST EVER!

If not, and you are here for these beer bread muffins, you are still awesome, and I can’t say I blame you.

They ARE freaking delicious.

On to the recipe!

I’ll talk more about these new plans as I dive in tomorrow with homemade vegetable stock! :O

Excited? Me too!

Happy Baking!

Cheddar Bacon Beer Bread Muffins

• 8 strips of bacon
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup beer (I used Blue Moon, but I think any amber beer or IPA would be great!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crispy, and reserve the bacon grease. Let bacon cool, then crumble/chop and set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk togethre cheddar cheese, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together egg, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tbsp of the reserved (and cooled) bacon grease) and then the 1 cup beer.
3. Pour wet ingredient mixture over dry ingredient mixture, and begin to stir with wooden spoon. While streaks of flour still remain, stir in bacon pieces, and gently stir until evenly distributed.
4. Scoop 1/3 cup muffin mix into the cavities of the prepared pan (I used an ice cream scoop and it was perfect). You should get about 10 muffins.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with remaining bacon drippings, then return to oven for an additional 3 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean/only a few dry crumbs.
6. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then gently remove to a wire rack to cool completely

Makes about 10 muffins

All Photos, Recipes (Unless Otherwise Specified) And Writing Copyright © 2013 Jessica Gonzalez | On Sugar Mountain