October 31, 2008 by Marianne

October 31, 2008 • Filed Under: Bacon Photos , Bacon, Halloween

It’s my second favorite day of the year. I wish I could tell you I was going out tonight dressed as bacon like Gavin Rossdale, but I’m not. I’ll be Alice in Wonderland, an old tried and true. Because I’m being both cheap AND lazy this year! Remember in Alice when that baby turned into a piglet? Maybe I’ll wrap a package of bacon up as a baby and carry it along. Wouldn’t want anyone to think of me as NOT the bacon lady!

In celebration of this special day, I’m bringing back the Bac-o-lantern for your holiday viewing pleasure. Happy Halloween!!

October 30, 2008 by Marianne

October 30, 2008 • Filed Under: Bacon Recipes , Bacon, candied bacon

There’s been a lot of talk about candied bacon, maple bacon, chocolate covered bacon, basically the ongoing quest for bacon made sweet. Further, people have mixed bacon into their favorite sweet treats, like pies, ice cream, chocolate and, of course, cinnamon rolls. I could link to at least one of each of those creations, but you’ve already seen them all.

That said, I was pretty impressed with the Boston Globe’s list of recipes for lacquering your savory bacon with sugary goodness. The first is a simple brown sugar and orange juice glaze that sounds just amazing and I fully intend to try. But then the list goes on to add chile, cinnamon, black pepper, honey mustard, mango chutney…you name it, you can add it to your bacon!

So go crazy. Experiment. Find out what works best for you and those you love and report back. We’re always looking for new ways to make our bacon even less healthy!

October 29, 2008 by Marianne

October 29, 2008 • Filed Under: Random Bacon

I’ve always been happy to be a member of my generation. Sure, we’re considered slackers and technology addicts, and many of us are terrible at geography and world affairs. But hey, the Internet? Reliable cars? The Pixies? The comforts of my life more than make up for the bad reputation. One of these small but incredibly convenient comforts is highly absorbent paper towels. I use them for everything from cleaning the bathroom mirror to substituting for a proper napkin at the dinner table. Apparently in 1964, this was some kind of impressive luxury, something new and improved. Yes, double-ply paper towels thick enough to handle bacon grease! And Kleenex is the brand to bring it to you! Will wonders never cease?

Do two-ply paper towels even exist anymore? I’ve never bought one. And aren’t paper towels now the quintessential partner of bacon? You can’t eat bacon without first draining it on paper towels. Was this where people first got the idea? Did Kleenex invent this concept? Did people just eat really greasy bacon before 1964?

Wow, that sounds gross. See? Chalk another one up for Generation X.

October 28, 2008 by Marianne

October 28, 2008 • Filed Under: Bacon Recipes , Bacon, baked potato, chowder

Over the past few years, I’ve been building my soup repetoire. I’ve got everything from mulligatawny to chicken & dumplings to albondigas in the line-up, and each fall I start seeking out new recipes to add to the list. Last year I took on seafood chowders at my husband’s request. The clam chowder was good, but the crab chowder was great! It’s now a regular in our winter rotation.

Over the weekend I was in the mood for chowder, but didn’t want to go to the store for the necessary clam juice and crab, so I just poked around in the fridge for some inspiration, and came up with Baked Potato Chowder. While this recipe probably isn’t original, it was a first for me and I really liked it.

I began with three slices of thick-cut bacon, diced and fried until well done. If you like onions (which I don’t) I’d suggest adding a fine dice of them to the bacon. I poured off about half of the bacon grease into a second, larger pan for use in a later step. Add one medium russett potato, diced with the skin on. The skin is optional, but I thought it would make the soup taste more like a baked potato. Fry for about 3 minutes before adding one can of chicken stock and one cup of water, and boil for 15 minutes. Set aside.

In the second pan, add one tablespoon of butter to the bacon grease and heat until melted and bubbly. Add one heaping tablespoon of flour to make a roux. Cook for about 5 minutes until roux begins to turn golden brown. Then add the bacon/potato/broth mixture. Simmer until the chowder begins to thicken, then add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream and continue cooking until desired thickness is reached. I also added about 1/3 cup of frozen corn at this point…not because it has anything to do with a baked potato, just because I like it. This recipe serves 2.

I served the chowder with a small handful of grated sharp cheddar, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh bacon bits. You could also add chives, which would give it some nice color. This is a perfect hearty soup for the increasingly chilly weather. If you have any other soup ideas for my repetoire, especially those involving bacon, please send them my way!

October 27, 2008 by Brutus

October 27, 2008 • Filed Under: Random Bacon

I know you’ve heard a lot from me lately, but today I really HAD TO write. Last Friday was my 3-year Adoptiversary, and man did I score! I started the day by receiving a snazzy new collar that totally complements my caramel color. I came to work as usual, but I had a sneaking suspicion that something special was going on when Marianne got out the camera and started snapping pictures of me. Then I smelled something, an aroma both familiar and delightful.

It was bacon.

In honor of the occasion, Marianne made me a peanut butter carrot cake, topped with maple-bacon-cream cheese frosting. Yum! It wasn’t exactly a gourmet’s creation, but it made me feel pretty special. The whole office came out to watch me eat, which was a little embarrassing, but I managed to muddle through. Here you can see me, the new collar, the cake, and a bottle of Bowser Beer. No party would be complete without beer, right?

After the party ended, I got to my favorite part…tearing up the wrapping tissue. All this excitement was immediately followed by a serious food coma that lasted well into the afternoon. I can’t remember when I last felt so good.

Is it next year yet?