I just realized that one of reasons I’m so obsessed with bacon is that my husband is an enabler. He finds more and more ways to use the magical meat in recipes I would never have considered. This week, after a particularly difficult day, I came home to a lovely meal featuring the bacon delight pictured here.
I’m a huge fan of caprese salad…I just love that a “salad” can have cheese as its main component. We had the mozzarella and the tomatoes, but sadly we were lacking for basil. Where I would have rushed to the market to procure the missing ingredient, my husband simply looked at it as a chance to improvise. In this case, he diced and fried a couple slices of bacon, and went forward with the rest of the preparation as usual. Topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of pepper, I assure you I did not miss the basil one bit.
I live in California, a state notorious world-wide for being non-smoking. Anytime we run into a French person (and that could happen anywhere), they guess where we’re from when we decline their offer of a cigarette. Whether in Central America or Asia, the response is now familiar: “Aaaah, Californian.”
While I’m pretty fond of the goody-goody reputation, this product almost makes me want to give smoking a try. Juicy Jay’s Bacon Flavored Papers will give your next puff a smoky goodness that conventional cigarettes lack. Add that to the fact that you’re rolling your own, and you’re now the coolest smoker on the block. The only thing missing is a little maple-flavored tobacco to make this a perfect breakfast treat. Are you allowed to smoke pipe tobacco in cigarette form? Because if so this idea could make me a millionaire.
I’m a very committed Californian, and I really don’t want to condone smoking to anyone, young or old. However, I know there are those of you out there who will smoke regardless of all the health hazards; the surgeon general be damned. So all I can say is that if you MUST kill yourself, at least you can go out with the taste of bacon on your lips.
A few years back, and rather late in the evening, my husband, our good friend and I discovered that none of us had ever really been to Vegas, other than driving through en route to further destinations. Given the lateness of the evening and the perfect amount of bourbon consumed, this seemed a great injustice to all members of the party, an injustice that had to be rectified immediately! Immediately, I say!
And so it was that at 10:15 on a Friday night we three fueled up on espresso and headed for Sin City. I took the first leg of the drive, amped on the excitement of a late night road trip. I drove for two or three hours before handing the wheel off to my husband. I then drifted gently to sleep in the back seat.
When I awoke, we were just dropping onto the strip, and I was strangely…furious! Now down from the alcohol and espresso buzzes, this seemed like the world’s most stupid idea.
“What the eff are we doing here? Did we really think we could just stroll into Vegas at 3:30 am and get a cheap hotel room? Why the heck did we even want to come to Vegas?” I was a real joykill, I can tell you that.
We did find a hotel room, although it wasn’t cheap. The tales of cocktail waitresses plying you with free drinks while you gamble turned out not to apply to the nickel slots. Even so, my husband and I gambled away the small amount of cash we had alloted ourselves in very little time. Our friend did better than we did, but still it was less than 16 hours after we arrived that we found ourselves driving away from the bright lights and be-feathered showgirls. The one saving grace of the entire trip was a $6 breakfast buffet and this amazing tray of bacon. Notice the comparative size of the sausage tray. Clearly Vegas knows which breakfast meat is superior. And that’s the best thing I can say about the entire trip.
Somebody please call my roommates, because they won’t listen to me. I’ve been trying to convince them that pigs ears (like horse hooves and other disposable animal parts) are a perfectly natural thing to give to your dog. Seriously, if I saw a real pig, do you know what I would do first thing? I’d run up and chew on his ears. They look that good.
If you’re unable to convince them, then at least talk them into these fake pigs ears, flavored like bacon: Better Than Ears Smoky Bacon Flavor I seriously doubt they’re as good as, much less better than, real pigs ears. But hey, I’m willing to give it a try. It has to be better than the carob brownies they bought. Yeesh.
In the meantime, don’t tell my roommates that bully sticks are made of bull penis. On second thought, go ahead and tell them what they’ve been handling all these years. They’ll be running for the pigs ears in no time.
PS: Don’t believe me about the bully stick? Go ahead…Google it.
There are so many things to love about springtime in Santa Barbara. Warm weather. Long days. The smell of jasmine. Beautiful fruit. Fresh, crisp veggies. One of our favorite spring and summer activities is to fire up the BBQ, no matter what we’re cooking. Yes, we’ve even mastered BBQing bacon.
I used to fancy myself the outdoor chef, but in the last year my husband has really let his colors show. He has become the ultimate grill master, and I will happily let him have the title. There’s nothing the man can’t accomplish with some fire, foil and a little propane. Last night was an extra special treat. Not only did he wrap our farmers market asparagus in many slices of bacon, he also grilled up a beautiful white seabass that he himself speared at our local islands. Top that off with rosemary from our own yard and we were feeling pretty darn organic. Mmm…organic and bacony.
We often talk about the fact that we have access to so many more great, fresh ingredients than our parents did when we were growing up. A bag of mixed salad used to be iceberg lettuce and some carrots. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts were a crazy extravagance in which our mothers would never have indulged. And, not growing up in Santa Barbara, we never saw a real farmers market until we were adults.
And so we pledge to take every advantage of how small our world has become, and how accessible its delicious bounty. Join us! Get out there, enjoy the springtime weather, and do some grilling! And never forget, everything tastes better wrapped in bacon.
Lately I’ve been trying to determine my specific relationship to food. I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen, but I’m no gourmet. I love to eat, but I don’t think I qualify as a “foodie.” I think what it all boils down to is an indulgent personality, which provides me with a daily struggle not to eat every fatty food that comes to mind. What’s life without a challenge, right?
Because I have so many food favorites, I have to pick my battles. One such battle is the war with potato chips. I’ve managed to swear them off pretty successfully, despite their many wonderful qualities. They’re salty and crunchy and greasy…practically a bacon substitute on many levels. All except that delicous, smoky flavor. Which brings me to today’s tasty treat: Humpty Dumpty brand Smokin’ Bacon potato chips.
Thank heaven this company is based in Canada and I can’t get my hands on these chips. For one thing, what if I love them? Will I be able to maintain my vigilant stance against the foe? Or even worse, what if they’re terrible? If there’s one thing I learned in Asia, it’s that American snack foods and foreign spices do not always make a pleasant experience. I know bacon isn’t “foreign,” but maybe it’s a ruse! Maybe it’s really Canadian bacon! I’m not sure I could stand the disappointment.
Despite my concerns, if you happen to find yourself in Canada, I hope you’ll find yourself some Humpty Dumptys and try one of their many interesting flavors. (Ketchup? Yikes.) And if the bacon chips are good, bring some back! On second thought, cancel that order. I don’t think my resolve can take the strain.
I have to say that when I think of Japanese food, bacon may be the very last thing that comes to mind. Fish eyes, whale blubber, shellfish reproductive organs and dried squid all scream Japan to me. Can anyone tell me exactly what is going on here?
Lately my husband has been extolling the virtues of popcorn as an evening snack over, say, chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. He particularly likes to share a big bowl if we’re planning to watch a movie or a marathon session of The Office episodes. He likes to sprinkle his with a little Tabasco for flavor. I, on the other hand, am a strict butter and salt girl. Which, I understand, undermines popcorn’s naturally healthy, low-cal benefits.
So as long as I’m putting my health and waistline at risk for the sake of flavor, why not take it to the next level? This recipe from Noshteria gives me the snacky goodness I desire with the daily bacon intake I require. Not only does she put fresh-fried bacon in the popcorn, she also recommends using the bacon grease to pop your kernels! That’s right, kids. Put away the air popper. We’re poppin’ and noshin’ old school.
Being as its Friday and I just got the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie from Netflix, you can guess what we’re doing for date night. You should drop by! We’ll be kicking off our shoes and enjoying a big ol’ bucket of bacon snack paradise.
So I was “surfing the net” as you humans say, and I found this great photo of a bacon-wrapped cat. Well, I guess that’s an exaggeration, but it is a cat with bacon on it. Was I searching for bacon-wrapped cats? Maybe. The point is, there it is. A Bacon Cat.
My roommates don’t have a cat, but they used to. I hear them talk about her sometimes. I hear them saying they wish they could have another one, which I find utterly exasperating. I mean, hello! You have me, not just a dog but a total wonderdog. But you really can’t tell the roommates what to do; they do not listen to reason. So, in preparation for any more discussion on household additions, I thought I ought to brush up on what kind of cats are available. And I think this is the one for us.
Unfortunately, this is the only Bacon Cat I’ve found and it doesn’t appear to be for sale. So I’m turning to you, faithful reader, to help me find more examples of this delicious intelligent-looking cat. Have you ever seen one? Do you know where we can buy one? Do they come in other flavors? I think we’d be looking to adopt a full grown specimen, the larger the better. I’m a big dog with a hearty appetite. For friendship. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
I just realized that one of reasons I’m so obsessed with bacon is that my husband is an enabler. He finds more and more ways to use the magical meat in recipes I would never have considered. This week, after a particularly difficult day, I came home to a lovely meal featuring the bacon delight pictured here.
Somebody please call my roommates, because they won’t listen to me. I’ve been trying to convince them that pigs ears (like horse hooves and other disposable animal parts) are a perfectly natural thing to give to your dog. Seriously, if I saw a real pig, do you know what I would do first thing? I’d run up and chew on his ears. They look that good.
There are so many things to love about springtime in Santa Barbara. Warm weather. Long days. The smell of jasmine. Beautiful fruit. Fresh, crisp veggies. One of our favorite spring and summer activities is to fire up the BBQ, no matter what we’re cooking. Yes, we’ve even mastered BBQing bacon.
So I was “surfing the net” as you humans say, and I found this great photo of a 
Unfortunately, this is the only Bacon Cat I’ve found and it doesn’t appear to be for sale. So I’m turning to you, faithful reader, to help me find more examples of this 
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