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!

Sometimes company comes over unexpectedly for a surprise visit and the next thing you know, it’s getting late in the day and you want to make something special to mark the occasion and ensure that the event is a memory making experience.

So what do you do when you want to impress your guests without breaking the bank or spending too much time in a hot kitchen? That’s where Bacon Wrapped Roasted Beef Tenderloin comes in. It’s most definitely sophisticated and fancy, but at the very same time it’s uniquely hearty and down-home delicious!

Bacon Wrapped Roasted Beef Tenderloin

(Serves 8 with a slightly chilled, full bodied “red wine.”)

Ingredients:

3 pound beef tenderloin piece (large end), trimmed

2 1/4-inch-thick slices peeled garlic (from about 4 cloves)

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 pound bacon slices

3 8 inch long fresh rosemary branches

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Using a small, sharp knife, cut twelve 1-inch-deep slits all over beef tenderloin.

Insert garlic slices into slits.

Rub pepper all over tenderloin.

Arrange bacon slices on work surface, overlapping slightly and forming rectangle.

Place 1 rosemary branch down center of bacon rectangle, perpendicular to bacon slices.

Place tenderloin atop rosemary branch. Place remaining 2 rosemary branches on top of the tenderloin.

Wrap bacon slices around tenderloin and rosemary to enclose tenderloin completely.

Place tenderloin in roasting pan, bacon ends down.

Roast tenderloin until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125°F

Rare: roast for about 1 hour. Well Done: Roast for around 1 hour & twenty minutes.

Remove from oven.

Tent the roast with foil and let tenderloin stand for 10 minutes.

Transfer tenderloin to cutting board.

Using large sharp knife; cut tenderloin through bacon and rosemary into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Serve & Enjoy!

Directions:

Beat the cream cheese and milk together in a small bowl until it is smooth and creamy.

Now add the onion, green pepper, cheese and eggs to the bowl and mix well.

Separate the dough into eight triangles

Lubricate your muffin pan cups with a thick coating of gourmet olive oil.

Place the dough triangles into the muffin pan, pressing the middle to the bottom and pushing the sides up the sides of the pan.

Sprinkle half of the crushed bacon pieces into cups.

Pour the egg mixture over bacon.

Top the cup off with your remaining bacon.

Bake the muffins in the oven, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until you can stick a butter knife in and it comes out clean!

Allow to cool for approximately 3 to 5 minutes to avoid burning your mouth.

Pig out!

Quite possibly the best invention since whatever came before sliced bread, the Wake’n Bacon alarm clock is a work of pure genius. The shape of the device is modeled after pre-bacon and the concept is so simple I can’t believe it’s not already in mass production. You simply place a piece of frozen bacon in the alarm clock when you go to sleep and set the clock. 10 minutes before you’re wake-up time the clock starts cooking your bacon and you are awakened to the smell of bacony goodness. What could get the day started off any better? Well, maybe the aroma of Applewood Smoked Bacon…but I digress.

We’re definitely not the first to report on the bacon alarm clock, and will certainly not be the last. It’s already been featured on such sites as: Wired, American Public Media’s “Splendid Table”, Engadget, Ubergizmo, Gear Live, Design Boom, and many more.

To see the original article from “mathlete” go to: http://www.mathlete.com/portfolio/wakeNbacon.php

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via: devnulled — thanks!

It seems like every prominent chef and posh restaurant is coming up with one deliciously decadent dessert after another made with humankind’s all-time favorite flavor, bacon.  Here is an amazingly outrageous dessert that combines one of Bacon Freaks most popular gourmet bacons with one of the worlds all time favorite dessert treats.

You absolutely have to check these out for yourself and be sure to use the correct bacon, as the flavor is definitely not the same without the gourmet sweet, salted sizzle with the perfect blend of cinnamon and apple. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. – Bubba’s Butcher Block: Apple Cinnamon Bacon.

1 Box – premixed Brownie Mix. (Premium Quality Gourmet Mixes definitely blow the cheap, mass produced or generic brands completely out of the barn-yard.)

2 – 4 Large AAA Eggs (Depending on what the brownie mix that you choose calls for / We Prefer Brown Eggs)

1-2 splashes of  Olive Oil

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees

Lay your bacon out in a large baking pan blanketed with a layer of aluminum foil.

Place the bacon in the oven for approximately 3 minutes.

You are NOT seeking to fully cook the bacon to completion at this point, simply to partially cook it to the point where it is lightly browned and slightly crispy.

Remove the bacon from the oven and allow it to cool on a plate lined with paper towels in order to drain off any excess bacon grease.

Pour off the bacon grease into a sink and directly down the drain with very HOT water running to avoid a drain clog when the grease cools and hardens.

Rinse the pan off with very hot water and dry with paper towels.

Prepare the Brownie mix by following the instructions on the box, combining the mix with the proper amount of eggs, olive oil and water as called for in the mixes instructions.

Lightly coat the pan with a generous amount of olive oil.

After the brownie batter is mixed, pour half of it into the pan.

Add as much of the bacon to the batter as meets your fancy.

Place the remainder of the bacon is an air tight container and save for a salad, BLT or any other meal that includes bacon (Don’t they ALL?)

Pour the rest of the brownie batter on top of the bacon, being certain to cover it all.

Bake the Brownie Bacon mix in the oven for as long as that particular brand of Brownie mix instructs, approximately 22 to 25 minutes, depending on how soft or hard you like your brownies.

Allow the brownies to cool and harden for 10 minutes.  Enjoy

This was a post about bacon, the person that originally posted this recipe did not want to share.  This is a sad day for Bacon Lovers everywhere!

Hey remember “Mmmm Bacon” ,that really cool country western song / video that we featured a while back, written, performed and sung by our good pork passionate pal, Junior Redwood?

Well, thanks to another loyal, fellow Bacon-Buddy; Will Mueller, we’ve just gotten word that Junior has started up a pretty awesome culinary video series called “Cooking With Junior,” and to nobody’s surprise, episode #1 is all about bacon, pork and more bacon … and, by the way … did we mention bacon?

Yessiree Bub, Junior shows you step by step, exactly how to make the ultimate “Bacon-Wrapped Pizza Log” and I’ll tell you what … judging by the comments, body language and facial expressions of the four gentlemen who get the honor of sampling Junior’s recipe after he has completed cooking it to absolute perfection, I can’t wait till tomorrow when I’m going to run to the store and get everything I don’t already have on hand in the pantry to make this meal a manifest masterpiece!

I’ve got to be completely honest with you here, I just find this guy to be so down to earth and sincerely REAL, that’s it’s truly a pleasure to watch him do something that he truly loves from the center of his being … or stomach!

Don’t let his relaxed, down home style fool you however, this guy really knows exactly what he is doing and the video is far superior to most recipe preparation videos that you usually find online.

It’s extremely well organized, well shot and well edited, heck there’s even a clock up on the wall the whole time he’s preparing the meal, so you always have a good sense of how long things really takes, even though he is kind enough to edit the video in such a way as to avoid long, laborious boring segments of dragged out, wasted time.

Cooler than cool, but without “acting” like he thinks or knows that he’s cool, Junior cooks in a very laid back, at ease manner, drinking 1 or more chilled cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, while articulately explaining everything that he is doing … and why … in a approachable manner, adding in a lot of additionally interesting stories and side bars to keep the whole experience very entertaining and informative.

Warning: This recipe is for ONLY serious Baconistas, as it includes a pound and a half of gourmet bacon, an absolute ton of Italian pepperoni, as Junior says: ”You can’t have too many pepperonis, it’s just not possible” and a pound of gourmet Sausage.

So how good is the recipe? According to the c 

omments received by those lucky folks that got to taste it: “It’s the best thing I’ve eaten this year” and “This is excellent … I’m at a loss for words here!” I’m sold and will be trying it tomorrow, just as soon as the local grocery store opens! Enjoy!

This is a little something that we came up with when having an elegant evening of fine dining with some prominently prestigious “gourmands” as special guests in attendance.

What better way to perfectly combine the sophisticated tastes that professional “foodies” have come to expect, with an impressive sampling of some truly delightfully delicious, premium cut, country style, smoked bacon dished up with a deliriously decadent, smoked mozzarella cheese.

Needless to say, the entire evening was a huge success and patrons of numerous posh and popular, fine dining establishments began to get a regular taste of what it means to be a real Bacon Freak, both with the smoked bacon, as well as the smoked cheese!

Smoked Bacon, Mozzarella & Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms 

(Serves 10)

Ingredients:

 
10 slices, finely chopped Boss Hog Hickory Smoked Bacon 

50 fresh, pre-stemmed mushrooms 

10 oz grated, Smoked Mozzarella Cheese  

4 minced shallots

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

2 tbsp gourmet olive oil

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions:

Line 2 large cookie sheets with aluminum foil, shiny side up

Place the mushrooms and the gourmet olive oil in a large mixing bowl and carefully coat the mushrooms to with the oil.

Now carefully place the mushrooms in a single layer on the baking sheets

Bake the mushrooms in the oven at 375 F for approximately 22 minutes or till tender.

Cook your bacon in a large skillet, over a medium-high heat for about 8 minutes or until crispy.

Pat dry with paper towels placed on a large plate in order to remove the excess bacon fat.

Now discard all but 1 tbsp of the bacon grease.

In same skillet, add in your shallots and reduce the heat to medium and cook them for just about 3 minutes or until soft.

Add in the garlic and continue cooking for another minute.

Place the shallots and garlic into a large mixing bowl and allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature.

Mix in the grated, Mozzarella cheese and the walnuts and be sure to mix well.

Now stir in the parsley and rosemary.

Carefully place 1 tsp of filling in each mushroom.

Now bake the mushrooms with the filling / topping included; in the oven at 375 F) for just about 10 minutes or until fully heated through and through.

Enjoy!

Photo Credit: http://www.walnutinfo.com/upload/188_recipes.jpg

With all the great Holidays coming up Baconfreak.com has put together a Holiday Bacon Cookbook.  In this cookbook there are bacon recipes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.  The best part is Baconfreak.com is offering this Holiday Cookbook as a free download just click here!  Listed below are the chefs and recipes this cookbook contains.

Rick Bayless – Guacamole Fit For A (Bacon) King

Andy Husbands & Joe Yonan – Scallops with Dried Cranberries & Bacon

Jill Nicolson – Jill’s Tomato, Bacon, and Swiss Tartlets

Elizabeth Fournier – Bacon Cranberry Stuffed Balls

Bacon Today – Turbaconducken

“The Joy Baker” – Maple Bacon Kettle Corn

“She Gets Baked” – Bacon Monkey Bread

Bacon Today – Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

Marc Matsumoto – Bacon and Pecan Pie

Enjoy Baconistas!

Some people still haven’t fully bought into the power and popularity of the raging, trending “Baco-Mania” movement, but there was definitely something very “Bacony” going on in one of the most posh, elegant and luxurious venues in these here United States.

That’s right; behold the world renowned, “Hudson Terrace,” with its magnificent urban vista, known throughout the swanky New York party crowd, regularly “putting on Their Ritz” and getting down with class and style.

Considered an unparalleled entertainment destination, discreetly tucked at the edge of midtown along the Hudson River, this spectacular haven of serene opulence offers one a vast plethora of unforgettable venue amenities. Built up from imported heirloom woods, handcrafted tiles and treasured stone, this venue promises its prominent patrons nothing short of uncompromised artistry.

So what else would people be doing at such an elegant and elite establishment than cooking, competing and chowing-down on a bunch of bacon-based meals, all cooked in the confines of a conventional, ceramic crock-pot.

That’s right …“Happy Crocktoberfest everyone!”

So just what exactly is “Crocktoberfest, you ask?” Well … quite simply it’s a cleverly casual, crock-pot (that’s crock pot, NOT crack-pot) celebration of creative culinary concoctions featuring bacon, sausage, made from bacon, sausage, ham and other pork products held in, of all places, a posh, upscale, NY lounge that is the usual haunt of sophisticated socialites.

So, high up above the aggressively persistent traffic, sitting high on a palatial pinnacle of the elevated skyline of the city that never sleeps, bacon takes the day at this extraordinary rooftop garden lounge, which for the culinary celebration of “Crocktoberfest,” had been completely commandeered by the National Pork Board, Reynolds and Crock-Pot Slow Cookers.

Their agenda: to determine, out of the 500 + total entries, which “pork-tastic” recipe would effectively and officially crown the creative chef that came up with it, the title “America’s Next Crock-Star.”

In her “I Heart Pork” apron, Ms. Shannon Dolan of Villanova, Pa. explains about her personal submission, “Herbes de Provence Sausage, as well as the recipes of the other contestants, that they rules are set up so that each recipe “has to be eight ingredients or less and you have to be able to make it within 30 minutes.”

Chef Hosea Rosenberg, the winner of “Top Chef” Season 5 and the popular actress Candace Cameron Bure were judges in the event which presented a new crock pot, a $5,000 check and 500 pounds of pork to the champion Crock-star’s local food bank.

On a night that proudly featured samplings of “Bacon This” and “Sausage that,” mot to forget to mention “Ham whatever else,” the eventual “Croctoberfest” winner, Ms. Linda Cifuentes, a nurse from Mahomet, IL took the Blue Ribbon with her delicious recipe for “Kapusta Pork.” A very hearty and well earned congratulations to Ms. Cifuentes.

Photo Credit: http://online.wsj.com