Family is one of those things in life you just can’t take for granted. No matter what the world throws at us, a solid family foundation can get you through the worst of times and make the good times seem all the better.

This Valentine’s Day, Bacon Today reader Mark M. learned just how good family can be. He was given the most wonderful gift from his parents. In fact, he was given two: bacon and a bacon quiché which accoring to Mark “was still warm when i got home from work on friday afternoon.” What a wonderful mother and father. Here is son Mark’s reaction to his fabulous and loving gifts:

bacon for v-day! from mark mcintyre on Vimeo.

I Love Bacon Shirt only $10.99

Sweet indeed. In Mark’s own words “bacon r00lz!”

Cover photo credit: http://flickr.com/photos/tandemracer/833281323/

Valentines Day is fast approaching. We know you’re all rushing out to buy your sweetheart a suggestive bacon strip tank top, but you can’t just give your special lady a gift without a greeting card.

Enter “The Point”. Needlecraft and fabric art is The Point’s specialty and they recently came up with a one-of-a-kind greeting card that is an inspiration to bacon lovers this Valentine’s Day.

I love reusing packaging to make cards, envelopes and postcards, so it only seemed natural to use the most beautiful pictures in the world (i.e. pictures of bacon) and make love cards out of them! I have received terrific feedback on my bacon cards. I plan to expand the Bacon Love line to include gift tags and post cards. — The Point Needlecraft proprietor Jody

The Bacon Love Card sold quickly, but the idea may just spark a bacony cupid to make his appearance this year. Make sure to check out the other offerings from The Point. While not specifically related to bacon, many other original items are available for just about any occasion.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our U.S. readers!

To honor the holiday, we’ve dug up 10 Thanksgiving-related bacon recipes from around the web. If you happen to try any of these, let us know.

1. Stuff that bird with style:
   Bacon, Mushroom, & Oyster Stuffing
2. Don’t worry, your kids will eat them:
   Bacon Brussle Spouts
3. Salty & Fruity:
   Bacon-Apple Stuffing
4. Swap chicken for turkey and we’ve got a winner:
   Bacon-Wrapped Drumsticks
5. Start that meal off right:
   Greens with bacon and avocado dressing
6. What’s Thanksgiving without a cheese log?
   Cheese mobis with bacon, spinach, garlic, and roasted pine nuts
7. Smash those taters:
   Bacon smashed red potatoes
8. White (meat) Wrapper:
   Bacon-wrapped turkey with pear cider gravy
9. Still not stuffed?
   Bacon and bourbon stuffing
10. When the party’s over:
    Leftover Turkey, Sweet Potato and Bacon Chowder

This one goes to 11:
If you’re looking for a good pre-meal snack (and you can get them imported), make sure you have some turkey & bacon flavored crisps (potato chips) from Walkers. These look very intriguing to a bacon lover around the holiday season.

Photo credits:

http://flickr.com/photos/gilgongo/335014132/

http://flickr.com/photos/dyobmit/67409642/

Just in time for the winter season comes a recipe that is sure to bring bacon lovers some warm holiday cheer. Turbaconducken. That’s right — a chicken stuffed in duck stuffed in a turkey, all wrapped in bacon. Otherwise known as a bacon-wrapped turducken. Just how did we create this meaty madness? Read on.

It all started with a dream…and a whole bunch of bacon. Five pounds of bacon to be exact. For some variety we used three types of bacon, including Rocco’s Country Peppered Bacon for the decorative topping.

We used a 15 pound turkey, a small duck, and a pre-cut whole chicken. We consulted the internet for a turducken recipe and hoped for the best.

We started by wrapping the chicken pieces in bacon.

Then we split the duck into two halves…

…and wrapped the duck halves in bacon.

At this point the chicken and duck started looking pretty big, so we test fit the pieces into the turkey. There wasn’t any room to spare but we managed to get all the pieces in there.

Then we wrapped the turkey in bacon and the feast was ready for the oven.

We cooked the birds in a roaster oven on low heat. Cooking took all day but the results were worth the wait.

The cooked concoction looked mouth-wateringly good after pulling it out of the oven.

Some of the bacon shifted during cooking, but overall the bacon held together quite well after an entire day in the oven.

The final product was moist and absolutely delicious. We used no seasoning whatsoever. The bacon gave the poultry just the right hint of salty goodness. The perfect holiday meal for bacon lovers everywhere!

Smaste™ rating: 45.953

It’s this Holiday season’s most sought after gift. Buy it for someone you love.