How photos of food entice us to cook — and eat!

With food, a picture really is worth 1,000 words. A good photograph of a dish can make taste buds awaken and stomachs grumble.

It is also true that while a photo of food may entice us, reading how to prepare that recipe may send us running in the other direction! I have been drawn into a recipe by a photo, then decided I’d never make it after reading the list of ingredients and directions.

That’s when I can only dream someone will make it for me.

These two recipes spoke to me last week as I was perusing online newsletters. The first is from Betty Crocker. I think that while the photo could be more appealing, the idea of baking waffle pieces and bacon in an egg mixture that includes maple syrup had me drooling! This recipe is just right for a weekend breakfast.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10-by-6-inch (1 1/2-quart) glass baking dish with shortening or cooking spray.

Spread waffle pieces in an even layer on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, or until crisp.

Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks, salt, milk, whipping cream, maple syrup and vanilla with whisk until well combined. Carefully stir in waffle pieces and bacon until evenly coated. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour mixture into baking dish; press down with back of spoon. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, removing foil during last 10 minutes of baking, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Brush top with melted butter. Cut into squares; serve warm.

Put a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, slice your bacon into 1/2-inch slices and put it into a hot skillet. Stir and cook on medium until cooked and starting to crisp, about 7 minutes. Strain out some of the fat but leave a good few tablespoons in the pan.

Add the can of tomatoes with the juices and the arugula and cook until the arugula is wilted, about 5 minutes. Whisk the mayo and cream together and pour it into the skillet. Stir well and turn heat to low.

The water should be boiling at this point, so make sure it is salted well and drop your pasta in. Cook the pasta for only about 3 minutes. Strain the pasta and add it directly to the skillet. Stir and cook for 2 minutes before serving.

CHECK IT OUT: For those of you who are both print and online readers, The Recipe of the Day has been added to the “Latest News” section of our website, bnd.com. It will post Monday through Friday at 11 a.m., just in time to make you hungry for lunch.

PIZZA, PIZZA: The Daily Meal, the world’s largest food and drink lifestyle site, just unveiled its annual list of the 101 Best Pizzas in America.

I have to give a shout-out to my favorite deep-dish Chicago pizza place, Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, which earned the No. 25 spot. While there were two other Chi-Town pizza places that got higher marks (and two lower), Lou’s is still the best deep-dish to me. Pi in St. Louis was No. 81.

The Daily Meal started with a list of 800 pizza places throughout the country, eventually narrowing down to the 101 that made the list. The pizzas were chosen by a panel of food experts.

This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 7:08 AM with the headline "How photos of food entice us to cook — and eat!."