Bacon Today » bacon

Bacon Dip!

Brianne — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:53:52 +0000

So Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner and you’re already planning your party. You’re also looking for a dip that’s different than the usual “throw some bottled salsa into a bowl”. You want something that people will enjoy and actually talk about in between outbursts of cheering and yelling. Oh, and of course it must include bacon! Therefore we’re bringing you an awesome bacon dip recipe that will make you look like the Super Bowl Snack Pimp. Read on.

Bacon Jam Spinach Dip

Ingredients:
-Kosher salt
-1 10-ounce bags spinach, stems removed
-1 10-ounce bag of arugula
-1 tablespoon unsalted butter
-2 tablespoons minced onion
-1 clove garlic, minced
-2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
-1 1/4 cups whole milk
-1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
-1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
-1/4 cup Skillet Bacon Spread
-1/2 cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
-1/2 cup frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, squeezed dry and finely chopped
-Tortilla chips and salsa, for serving

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the spinach and arugula and cook until bright green, about 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold water; squeeze out the excess moisture, then finely chop.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, bacon jam, Parmesan and sour cream. Return the pot to low heat. Add the spinach, cheddar and artichokes and stir until the cheese melts and the dip is heated through, maybe 1 minute. Serve warm with tortilla chips, or a sliced baguette.

And enjoy! Who knew bacon and spinach could be so delicious together? Wait… we did.

Bacon Food Truck: Get Your Lardon!

Brianne — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:00:34 +0000

It all started late one night, with a beer and a taco sitting on my lap.

After a night on the town, my friends and I being the traditional Los Angelenos that we are, had just gotten back from the local Taqueria. We sat on plastic folding chairs in the back yard and discussed all the great tasting food in the world. And even though it was an April night, we still tried to get the fire pit going. As I raised the taco to my lips, my friend proclaimed, “Do you know that there’s a bacon food truck around here?”

And that’s all it took. Since hearing those words, I became obsessed with learning more about this bacon truck and finding out where it was going to be next. I scoured the internet and finally found the name of the truck and their site. Oh, behold the glorious world of bacon! The pictures! Oh, the pictures! With a menu consisting of a brioche French toast sandwich filled with crumbled bacon and bacon bourbon maple syrup… I was drooling all over my keyboard. And they’re asking me if I could “Like” them on Facebook? Of course I will “Like” you on Facebook! I will like you in real life too. As a matter of fact, I want to love you! Just tell me where you’ll be next!

It wasn’t until a very long, dragging week later that I finally got to experience the Lardon Bacon Food Truck. I found out they were going to be at my local pub and I decided that it was time for a night out. A night out with bacon of course!

After waiting in a long line of bacon hungry people, I decided upon what they called the “The Baco”. A ball of potatoes and cheddar, wrapped in a bacon shell, served with a horseradish bacon sour cream. After the first bite, my taste buds had transcended to another level of bacon awareness. I had reached the gates of Heaven and they were made of bacon strips.

On their menu, they also had the most amazing chicken wings I had ever heard of. Chicken wings cooked in bacon hot sauce, topped with hot sauce covered bacon, and served with bacon bleu cheese dipping sauce. Now, for those of you that like chicken wings, I would highly recommend this. For those of you that don’t live anywhere in the Los Angeles area, and want your own chicken wings cooked in bacon hot sauce, douse your chickies with this bad boy.

A little background on this glorious truck: It was started by Heather and Jeremiah Crowley. One sunny day in Silver Lake, they were sitting on their porch drinking margaritas when they realized that they needed to open a bacon restaurant. And after Heather had finished her Master’s at UCLA; she had worked on many food trucks and learned the business of food trucking. Not long afterward, the two bacon connoisseurs took their idea of a bacon restaurant and transformed it into a bacon food truck. That’s when their truck hit the road, telling people to “Get their Lardon”, and the Crowley family of five hasn’t looked back since.

Follow them on twitter or “Like” their Facebook page. Or even check out their website for the full menu!

Bacon is Good For You

Brianne — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:17:48 +0000

These days, within the diet world, it seems that people are on either end of a very wide spectrum. People are either embarking on crazy fad-diets with absurd invariables, or they consume as many calories a day as a small Ethiopian village does in a week.

On the extreme dieting end, you hear about all the new celebrity fad-diets that would have the traditional 1950s, meatloaf-loving, American completely aghast. One diet in particular consists purely of water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper; daily. Oh, correction. That would be the “Master Cleanse” where you are supposedly “ridding your body of toxins”. But last time we checked, a diet where most of your time is spent sitting on a toilet, doesn’t exactly sound like an enjoyable one. Or a very social one at that. And doesn’t someone who poops on the regular, not have to worry about said “toxins”? The intestines act as a filter for your system. They retain the good nutrients your body needs to sustain itself and pushes out the excess. Whatever toxins you’ve ingested would be dumped out into Mr. John naturally. If you’re worried about toxins you should probably stop drinking that bottle of toilet bowl cleaner.

There’s also the cabbage soup diet. While it is quite boring in flavor, it also alienates you from people since you will constantly be fertilizing the air with your flatulence. No, there wasn’t an error with Facebook. You purposely were not invited to that party.

There are so many crazy fad diets that an extreme dieting site has been erected onto the World Wide Web. Guess it’s not that surprising since people think swallowing only air could be called a diet. But aside from these absurd fad-diet eaters, you have the extreme eaters. Extreme in the way they pile the food onto their plates. Eaters, the fast food Moguls have a field day marketing new foods to.

Take the Double Down sandwich from KFC as an example. Fat strips of bacon and gooey slices of cheese, sandwiched between two fried chicken patties. While we are huge fans of bacon, and this sounds really delicious; the aggregated amount of glutinous, caloric intake has us feeling a little… unpleasantly greasy. We also feel that this sandwich would only be delicious until your fifth bite. We’re a little afraid of what would happen to our bodies afterward.

At In-N-Out, you can order a 4×4 if you want. That’s four meat patties and four slices of cheese. Mix it up and get a 2×4. That’s two meat patties and four slices of cheese. Heck, pick any number you want. Apparently, the lovely and ever-pleasant cooks at In-N-Out will even make you a 20×20. Why or how anyone would consume this cheeseburger is beyond us. Especially when it’s larger than your own head.

Now this leads us back to the world of glorious bacon. Because we know you’re probably pretty hungry now. And we know you’ve been asking, “What do these diets have to do with sexy, sexy bacon?” And to answer that question we would like
show people how bacon can be healthy and a good-for-you kind of diet. We know a lot of people like to vehemently denounce bacon’s nutritional value. And even though we’d like to slap them silly with a fat strip of bacon, we’re here to maturely negate their silly arguments. It’s one simple truth: Bacon is, indeed, good for you.

Here are the bare minimum facts:

Studies have shown that pregnant women who eat bacon, boost the intelligence of their child. This is because bacon is a good source of choline, which aids in the development of the child’s memory. It also protects against heart problems and premature birth.(1)

People also like to proclaim that because bacon contains nitrates and nitrites, (compounds used to preserve meat), it will cause cancer. Correction: The nitrite byproducts that actually cause cancer, known as nitrosamines, are found only in overcooked bacon. Plus, bacon that is cooked in the microwave has less nitrosamine than fried bacon.(2) And honestly, it seems that people claim everything causes cancer these days. You could be sitting on a park bench on a sunny day and someone will point out to you, “Hey, you know that sweetener you’re putting into your tea causes cancer.” And in turn you reply, “Umm, you know that sun in the sky, directly over your head causes cancer?” It’s quite a cancer-fearing world we live in these days. All in moderation, folks. All in moderation.

And if you’re still concerned about the nitrites, Bacon Freak has a Nitrite free hickory bacon. Be sure to cook it in the microwave in case you’re still concerned.

And if you’re worried about the fat content, 45% of the fat in bacon is monosaturated. The good-for-you, oleic acid, fat that can help lower bad cholesterol levels; the same fat found in olive oil.(3) There are also many studies that have revealed that eating a protein-rich diet in the morning, lowering your carbohydrate intake, and eating smaller meals throughout the day; will in fact leave you feeling full longer, help you lose weight, and boost your energy. Add in an adequate amount of exercise and you’re more likely to loose weight and keep it off.(4) More effective than consuming cabbage soup. And aside from it being tastier, you won’t be crop-dusting your coworkers all day.

It basically fries down to this: (See what I did there?) Eating a healthy amount of bacon with a side of exercise is good for you. Wow! Who knew? So put away that whole pound of bacon sitting on your plate; use the maple syrup on your pancakes instead of mixing it into a colon cocktail, and embrace the art of bacon moderation. No need to get too excited, we know it’s delicious. But think of yourself as the kid in the candy store that ate half the store and made them self sick. Too much of any good thing can be treacherous. Treat your body like a temple and a playground. You’ll realize the world is a much better place with bacon in it. No need to thank us. Thank bacon.

(1)http:www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1240932/Bacon-eggs-help-pregnant-women-boost-babys-intelligence.html?ITO=1490
(2)http://www.extrension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ0974.html
(3)http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshows/2009/06/the_terrific_ten_slideshow slide=1
(4)http://www.annals.org/content/140/10/778.abstract?etoc

The Turbaconducken Feast

Brianne — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:00:28 +0000

It’s that time of year again! Recipes, grocery store trips, turkey defrosting, seeing family you’ve missed, seeing family you can do without… You know, the annual pig-out day of Thanksgiving! The day where kitchens are all a bustle and everyone is licking their chops in anticipation of the feast.

But you know what? We don’t care that much for the usual boring turkey. It’s been done too many times. And adding some new seasoning isn’t fooling anyone. We want something new and exciting because we’re all interesting and awesome people. Let the boring folk dig into their typical annual turkey. We want the bacon! We want pork! Bring it on!

We all know about the infamous Turbaconducken. A chicken stuffed in a duck, stuffed in a turkey, and then all wrapped in glorious bacon. (Cleaning the drool off the keyboard… Hukjbklwekvfw… Okay, we’re good now.) That’s three birds all wrapped in a pig! You really have to try this beast! It’s something that will have even the grumpy, judgmental in-laws smiling from ear-to-ear. Kids love it because not only is it delicious, it looks so monstrously cool. As for the vegetarians; well, we feel very sorry for them and can’t help them with their “problem”. But for you awesome carnivores out there, the brilliant minds at Bacon Freak have created some flavored bacon bundles to wrap your birds in some pig! It’s the Turbaconducken Bundles! Each bundle contains delicious flavored bacon so you don’t have to add any seasoning! Hey, less work for you right? There’s the classic peppered bacon bundle for those of you that love that peppered meaty taste. A honey BBQ bacon bundle for those that love the sweet and savory flavor of a down-home BBQ; an apple cinnamon bacon bundle who like their meat sweeter, and a jalapeno bacon bundle for those who like their meat to have a kick! They even have an awesome side dish for you to create: The Ultimate BBQ Bacon Mashed Potatoes. Because garlic mashed potatoes are so last year.

So add some bacon to your holiday! Because like Bacon Freak states, “Bacon makes every meal taste better. It also makes uncomfortable family situations more bearable. (No more wine for you, Aunt Agnes!)”

Amen to that. A-men.

Night of the Sizzling Dead

Brianne — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:00:36 +0000

It was late in the night and the lights were all out in the house. I felt a rolling sensation right behind my belly button. That familiar growling sound escaped from the depths of my stomach as I tossed and turned in my bed. I knew I would not be able to go to sleep with this unavoidable hunger scratching at the insides of my belly. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it. Crisp, salty, thick slices of gorgeous and tongue tantalizing bacon. Earlier that day at lunch, I watched my friend order a BLT with extra bacon. He even pulled out of his pocket, a small plastic container. Which, at first glance, I thought was salt. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Bacon Seasoning! Extra bacon and bacon seasoning? I could feel the saliva filling up in my mouth. I watched him sprinkle the seasoning over the lettuce and tomato. He then slapped his sandwich back together, raised it to his lips, and began to devour it while my fork laid lifelessly in my hand. Suddenly, the salad I ordered was as appealing as a bowl of maggots and puss.

The nerve.

Didn’t he know I was trying this diet thing? Suddenly I developed an image of me smacking him against the head with my salad bowl, lettuce leaves sprawling out into the wind, and fork scudding across the ground. Grabbing his sandwich, I begin shoving the thick, savory slices of meat candy into my mouth, as his head lay upon our lunch table; silent and unmoving.

Alas, that never happened. I allowed him a peaceful and happy lunch of extra bacon. And now I was paying for my lunch salad mishap. I thought long and hard about what I had in the kitchen. I had cooked Boss Hog Honey BBQ bacon in the freezer. I knew that all I had to do was pop that in the microwave. But then there was that package of Bacon Jerky I had hidden in the high reaches of my pantry. The Bacon Jerky was ready to go. No microwave needed.

My stomach let out a loud growl of affirmation. I couldn’t handle it any longer. Throwing up the fluffy white down-filled comforter and tossing aside my beloved bacon pillow; I slipped on my piggy slippers and proceeded to shuffle into the kitchen. It was dark and quiet throughout the house. I didn’t want to turn on any lights because my guilty mind felt I was being less mischievous if I cheated in the dark. Although concealment was key, I still needed to see. I grabbed the flashlight on the kitchen counter, switched it on, and opened the pantry door. I unfolded the little wooden ladder at the foot of the walk-in pantry and climbed to the top. I could see the Peppered Bacon Jerky package on the top shelf, peeking out from behind a pack of bacon pancake mix. As I reached up and pulled down the pancake mix, I heard a thump outside my kitchen window. I paused. BOOM. More forceful and louder this time, I jumped; fumbled with the pancake mix, and dropped my flashlight as puffs of powdery mix spilled onto my face. I heard a soft squealing noise as my flashlight rolled along the tile kitchen floor. The flashlight stopped rolling, then rocked back and forth; the beam of light flashing along the walls. It then rested to a stop and highlighted something peering at me through my kitchen window.

There, on my neatly manicured front lawn, was a beast much larger than any of its kind. It must have been the size of a bear! It had flopped pink ears, a squiggly tail, large red eyes, and an enormous snout. The snout had a red, wet substance smeared across its pink skin. It looked to be blood. I could see its hot breath in the cold night air as it exhaled. With large, crimson eyes, it scanned my kitchen carefully until they found me. The calculating eyes narrowed as it focused on me reaching for the Peppered Bacon Jerky.

It let out an enormous growl that slightly resembled a baritone squeal. As it growl-squealed, I saw sharp incisors the size of my fist. Blood dripped from the fangs onto its pink chest. The crimson eyes became fiercer and seemed to glow. The beast was morbidly grinning at me. It was huge; its “squeal” shaking the glass of my windows. Saliva dripped down the corners of its mouth, ironically reminding me of the way I drooled over my friend’s bacon sandwich earlier that day. It was only a matter of time when it would lunge at me from behind my patch of begonias. Shakily, I grabbed the large butcher knife on the lower shelf of the pantry closet. I checked my exists. I didn’t have any. My stomach growled again, this time almost as loud as the beast’s. I then smiled too. I was hungry. And man, that thing would make a seriously good amount of delicious slabs of the other white meat.

Suddenly, I heard the glass shatter. I tightened my grip on the knife. It was time.

Bacon and Booze: Recipe for Champions

Brianne — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:33:34 +0000

How and when bacon was created, we’re not exactly sure. We think that many years ago, upon searching for the Holy Grail, man found bacon instead. And with it, the knowledge to make more bacon. We know. It’s quite a miraculous thing; the human race hasn’t been the same since.

And now, in the 21st century, bacon is sweeping the nation with its salty, bacony goodness. It’s one of the biggest, baddest meats around. Coiling itself around other foods, creating a whole new edible beast; transforming dishes into something that is almost otherworldly in flavor, and laying the smack down on vegetables. Who knew asparagus could be so bold and… sexy? But have we really exhausted all of bacon’s resources? I really didn’t think so. Therefore, I wanted to take bacon to a greater, more adult level. I wanted to pair it with something boisterous and jovial. With the help of a few good friends, I went on a quest to combine two treats many of us Americans adore: Bacon and booze.

Booze is the quintessential ingredient of good old fashioned tom foolery and comical shenanigans. However, she can be quite the temperamental vixen and must be treated with the utmost care. Otherwise she’ll turn on you just when you think all is fun and copacetic. In order to avoid this drama, (and not to mention headache), you must pair her up with other ingredients in just the right way. However, I decided to throw caution to the wind and dance with the devilishly good pork candy. You throw in bacon, and things just get a little crazier. Like when someone decides to use a piece of frozen bacon as a ninja sword… Yes, this happened. No, we don’t have video… unfortunately.

So within my bacon dreaming and boozy scheming, I wanted to take on two bacon drinks: The Bloody Mary Sue-eee and the Hawaiian Luau. Since I didn’t have six weeks to create my own bacon infused vodka, I went on a liquor store hunt for it ready-made. Instead of looking online, I went the old fashioned way of driving from location to location searching for this alcoholic enigma. (I did say this was a quest, right?) After what seemed like a dozen locations, and many puzzled expressions, I finally had it within my possession. Ready to take on the beast, I needed a small group of fellow soldiers to help me in this battle.

After I had gathered a few eager guinea pigs, err… I mean, soldiers, we were ready for our bacon drink challenge. However, much to my chagrin, a few of my fellow comrades got cold feet and decided to play the game of, “Oops, we broke the bottle of bacon vodka”. Not cool, guys. Not cool. Way to back up your Captain, soldiers. Luckily, after they saw my Lieutenant’s wide-eyed incredulous expression, as well as my mounting anger, they laughed and admitted that the bottle was hiding in the freezer. Good thing too. We definitely didn’t need mutiny among us, let alone the fact that we were quite thirsty. Finally the bacon drink challenge was going down and we were eager to face the beast.

First up was the Hawaiian Luau:
1½ oz Bacon flavored vodka
3 oz Pineapple Juice
Splash (½ oz) Butterscotch Schnapps

Chill and serve in a hi-ball glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge or other fruit. It can also be served as a martini or shot. I decided to go with the martini glass. We all agreed that this drink tasted just like you were at a Luau, eating succulent pork and juicy pineapple. We imagined ourselves surrounded by grass skirt and coconut top clad women dancing as the BBQ pit fire raged on. We could hear the drumbeat in the distance. It was an amazing combination; a genius creation of flavorful science. We rated this drink an eight out of ten points.

Second on the list was the Bloody Mary Sue-eee:
1 oz. Bacon flavored vodka
4 oz. Tomato Juice
1 oz. Bacon Hot Sauce (or more if you like it hot)
A couple dashes of Bacon Salt Peppered
A couple dashes of lemon juice
Garnish with a couple of strips (or more) of Coastal Caliente Jalapeno Bacon (cooked).

Grab a cocktail shaker and add ice. Combine ingredients into the shaker. Shake and pour into a glass. Add the bacon in place of a celery stick. You can add olives if you wish. We didn’t, we just wanted to get down to it! This baby was the ultimate crowd-pleaser. It was definitely the best Bloody Mary we ever had. We all mastered this one and gave it a ten out of ten. I’m not even sure I want a regular Bloody Mary anymore. Once you go with bacon, that’s all you’ll be makin’.

The Bloody Mary Sue-eee concluded our bacon drink challenge and we came out victorious. The beast had been conquered and we felt confident that we could do it again. However, the challenge wasn’t over yet… Our friend, Rev, from Burger Conquest, also decided to mix booze with bacon and created an edible beast of his own. Instead of Russia’s favorite toasting drink, he decided to use bourbon. With this magical meat and drink medley he created the Bourbon Soaked Bacon Beast- mini burger style. Talk about a seriously enticing challenger! His soldiers devoured this beast and were anxious for more. We recommend taking it on yourself.

Bourbon Soaked Bacon Beast Ingredients
3 TBSP Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Handmade Whisky
1 pound ground Sirloin at least 20% fat
1 TBSP Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 TBSP Crushed Garlic
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt to taste
1 package of smoked Gouda Cheese
1 package of Bacon
Martin’s Mini-Burger or Hot Dog Potato Rolls
Rev’s full recipe of beastly flavor!

Honestly, we feel that the bacon and booze challenge may never be over. We encourage others to embark on this journey and to conquer their own beasts. Do you consider yourself a champion of bacon? Gather your own soldiers and create one epic battle. Bacon deserves nothing less. Bacon and Booze: Recipe for Champions. Seriously.

International Bacon Day

Brianne — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:53:38 +0000

*GASP* A day dedicated to the world’s best salty, savory, and crunchy version of the other white meat? Have I died and gone to hog heaven?

Nope, you are very much still alive. There truly is a day dedicated to our beloved pork treat. Oh bacon, how we love thee. We have devoted an entire day to celebrate your scrumptious existence. According to Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia, “International Bacon Day or Bacon Day is an unofficial observance, often celebrated on the Saturday before US Labor Day (the first Monday of September)… Bacon day celebrations typically include social gatherings during which participants create and consume dishes containing bacon, including bacon-themed breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and drinks.”

Well, there you have it. Permission to indulge in all that is bacon. Because you know that once it’s been published on the internet, it must be real. And you must observe this day of devout love for pan-fried pork goodness. Start calling your neighbors, invite the family, text your friends, gather the kids… Join together in celebration of epic bacon proportions! Bring on the bacon dishes and bacon drinks! Yes, bacon drinks! Bacon goes well with booze, right? Sure, it does. Bacon goes well with everything! And if you don’t know how to make a bacon drink, we’ll help you out. Here are a couple of gourmet drink and food recipes that are sure to impress the most knowledgeable swine connoisseur:

The Bloody Mary Sue-eee

1 oz. Vodka
3 oz. Tomato Juice
2 oz. Bacon Hot Sauce
A couple dashes of Bacon Salt Peppered
A couple dashes of lemon juice
Garnish with a couple of strips (or more if you’d like!) of Coastal Caliente Jalapeno Bacon (cooked)

(Grab a cocktail shaker and add ice. Combine ingredients into the shaker. Shake and pour into a glass. Add the bacon in place of a celery stick. Add olives if you would like.)

Pair this bacon version of a Bloody Mary with some bacon wrapped hot dogs and you’re good to go! For an appetizer, wrap up some garlic stuffed olives with a half slice of bacon, place a toothpick in the center to hold the bacon and olive together, and bake until crisp.

Feel like indulging in the fancier side of swine? Want to impress your friends and make the ladies “squeal”? Try this gourmet martini on for size. It’s a One-Size-Fits-All-Who-Love-Bacon.

The Bacon Appletini

2 oz. Vanilla vodka
1 oz. Amaretto
1 oz. of Baby Bubba’s Gourmet Apple Syrup
Half a strip (or two) of Baby Bubba’s Apple Cinnamon Bacon (cooked) to garnish

(And remember, this martini is “bacon”, not stirred. Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice, then pour into your favorite martini glass. The bacon slice will float beautifully on the top, adding its savory-sweet flavor.)

For a delightfully decadent sandwich to pair up with this swanky swine-tini, try this recipe:

Swiss Apple Bacon Melt

1 sliced green apple
2 pieces cinnamon raisin pumpernickel bread
4 slices of bacon
2 pieces Swiss cheese

Directions:

Butter bread on one side of each piece
Place a slice of Swiss on one slice of bread.
Add sliced apples and slices of bacon. Top off with second slice of cheese and other piece of bread.
Add butter to sauté pan on medium heat. Add sandwich with butter side of bread into the pan.
Cook for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Flip sandwich and repeat.

There you have it folks. A rockin’ good start to celebrate International Bacon Day in style! Mark your calendars for International Bacon Day! To help you celebrate this pig-tastic day, grab a delicious bacon bundle of six different kinds of flavored bacon. In this bundle, you will find the Coastal Caliente Jalapeno Bacon and Baby Bubba’s Apple Cinnamon Bacon needed to make your bacon cocktails!

Enjoy the bacon and spread the bacon love!

(Swiss Apple Bacon Recipe: Jahn Kirchoff and Mike Maler of Lane Cafe and Tavern
Visit their website at www.delilane.com)

Exotic Candy – Mo’s Bacon Bar

Mr. B. — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:00:16 +0000

This article was written by Ashley Bayles and can be Found Here:

So last night my (current) favorite local home decor store, Homewerx, was having its third anniversary party. I stopped by to check it out with a friend and of course tried not to let myself spend too much money. I managed to succeed for the most part except for one tiny problem… the chocolate bars. They had a table full of “exotic candy bars” basically a bunch of different flavors of chocolate bars. What did I see but one with a photo of a nice crisp piece of bacon on the front! Yes! BACON CHOCOLATE BARS! I had died and gone to heaven. Of course I bought one, a bargain at only $7.50. So they call it Mo’s Bacon Bar.. which is actually less than appetizing and many of my friends who I shared it with said the photo of the bacon on the front was a bit unappealing. Yet that is the reason I even noticed the bar to begin with. Maybe I am obsessed.

On first tasting, frankly, it was revolting. I have never doubted my love for bacon until the moment I first tried this chocolate bar. I could have cried if I hadn’t gone through the effort of putting on eyeliner that night. Everyone I shared it with were also disgusted. Until this life changing experience I had thought that bacon could do no wrong…

So today I decided to give it another shot. And while I am still not sure I fully agree with it, I must admit it is slightly more enjoyable today than it was last night. I am going to have to conduct some further testing before I can come up with a final decision. There are also recipes that you can use this chocolate in and the website also has handy instructions on how to eat chocolate (thank god, how else would i be able to eat it without 5 in-depth steps to follow). They even have a downloadable sensory wheel in case you are confused about the experience you are having. I guess it’s like losing your virginity. Practice makes perfect. I now know how to eat my chocolate the correct way for a complete sensory overload of chocolatey bacon delight. I am starting to like this stuff… maybe by the time I finish the entire bar I will be a bacon chocolate addict. It seems entirely possible.

Through this process I have discovered I must not be the only person in the world who absolutely loves bacon. There is actually a guy who made a Candied Bacon Ice Cream Recipe. Bonus points to anyone who makes it and lets me have some (my birthday is November 10 hint hint).

Final verdict by the end of the post and a few more pieces of bacon chocolate… it is actually quite tasty. I think for me the only complaint I would have is not the bacon (I could never complain about bacon) but the fact that near the end it gets just a tad bit too salty (and I love salt as well). Now I better find the Flying Chocolate Pig (with bacon inside, of course) under the Christmas tree this year!

My life is slowly becoming more complete by the day. My friend Shannon (Thank you!) actually bought me steak bandages (the store was out of bacon ones) as a graduation gift, how awesome is that? Meat on my bandages and in my chocolate! LIFE IS GOOD!

Make a Bacon Soup Bowl

Mr. B. — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:00:44 +0000

This bacon soup bowl, and bacon spoon, is a fantastic creation that I will be trying to make myself. If you would like to learn how to make your own click here and follow the instructions.

Bacon is the New Black

Mr. B. — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:00:10 +0000

This article is written by Ashley Bayles, and can be Found Here.

I tried to calm down my bacon obsession a little bit over the past while. I even removed a few of my posts about bacon off this blog. Yes, I tried to change history. Maybe that makes me a bad person in someone’s books, but I know you will forgive me. I find every year around my birthday, bacon reappears in my life and becomes a strong element of my dad to day living. My friends know that even if I talk about bacon less frequently, my love for it is still as strong as ever. My friends always seem to get me something bacon related around my birthday. Bacon salt, bacon wallets, bacon air fresheners, bacon bandages…. the list goes on.

A girl I used to work with, Noelle, would make me bacon at the office and deliver it to my desk. She would even cover it in syrup and brown sugar sometimes. She was everyone’s favorite for the simple reason that she provided bacon. I am not working there right now since I am doing my Bachelor of Education full-time, but she still brings the bacon love. Noelle went so far as to recently organize a KFC double down lunch day at the office. The jury didn’t seem to be such a fan of this one, although one of our still co-workers managed to eat three of them for lunch that day!

Then yesterday, I stopped by the office since Noelle said she had a birthday present she had made for me. I show up and jokingly asked if she had made some bacon for me. I obviously underestimated the woman. She hadn’t made bacon for me. She had gone one step further. She had made BACON CHOCOLATE for me! Homemade! Then she wrapped each piece up individually for me. How sweet is that? It was so delicious and unexpected. That right there is true friendship. Sorry for the low quality image, I didn’t really want to stop eating it just to take a photo, so I did a quick BlackBerry shot as I was eating it.

Bacon is the new black. It is officially better than black. And now you can drink it! Thank you to J&D and Jones Soda!