August 4, 2009 by Marianne

August 4, 2009 • Filed Under: Random Bacon , Bacon, Breakfast

Most days my posts have to do with some great bacon find, or a cool recipe, or a weird product. Today I just want to talk about eating bacon, the way we did on Sunday morning.

Saturday evening Naseem and her crew threw a big backyard BBQ. Something like 40 people were there, people from all different circles and spheres of her life, brought together for one big event. It was super fun, and my husband and I got to catch up with some of Naseem’s long-time friends that we don’t see very often. She attracts a great crowd.

The coolest thing about a big Naseem event is that a bunch of folks end up spending the night, sitting around a bonfire until 3 am and camping on the lawn. We never make it that late, but the campout always leads to my favorite part of the event: Sunday morning breakfast! Before we cabbed it home Saturday night, we told Cory and Mike to text us in the morning when the bacon was cooking. Thank goodness they did or we would have slept right through it.

By the time we arrived, there was already a giant pan of potatoes frying, and Naseem was in the middle of cooking FOUR POUNDS of bacon! Because there were 13 people planning to eat, so…right. That equals about 4 pounds. (Note this photo of the fastest bacon flipper in the West!) There was the “before” bacon (everyone’s allowed a slice while breakfast cooks) and the “during” bacon, not to mention the bacon grease which was used to cook the scrambled eggs.

A big topic of conversation was how gross it might really be to chug a cup of bacon grease, and whether it should be an activity at this year’s Bacon Day. I contend that it’s basically liquid bacon, so it can’t be that bad. Everyone else contends that I’m an idiot and they’d like to see me put my money where my mouth is. We’ll see how that one plays out…

November 25, 2008 by Naseem

November 25, 2008 • Filed Under: Bacon Reviews , Bacon, Breakfast, cheeseburger, mashed potatoes

Even before bacon exploded in bits all over the internets, I have to admit I considered myself somewhat of a bacon connoisseur.  However, my proof of expertise back then was that I had tried all the local grocery store brand bacons and concluded that the Vons brand was the best, hands down, case closed.

Seriously? I had no idea.

This whole bacon blog business has opened my world up to a deliciously intimidating world where there are endless flavors of bacon, and endless bacon flavored you-name-its.  Case in point: Bourbon Street Cajun Country Bacon.

Dry rubbed in all sorts of cajun spices, we weren’t quite sure what to make of bacon.  As we fried it up, it didn’t have that standard bacon scent.  It took us awhile to figure it out but once we did it was unmistakable:  it smelled like pizza!  Pizza scented bacon? Pretty great review so far!

This first batch of Cajun Bacon was the star of breakfast with supporting acts of scrambled eggs, home fries, and coffee.  Tasty and spicy, but perhaps a bit overwhelming in flavor as a solo act, our feeling was perhaps this type of bacon is one of the few that does not belong as the star of the show.

Ultimate Cajun Bacon Cheeseburger
Now this is where this bacon belonged:  glued to a ground sirloin burger by melted cheese on a toasted bun with no veggies.  Oh come on! Admit you’d forgo the lettuce and tomato if no one was watching!

This burger was a huge hit and ended up being lunch, dinner, and then lunch again.  Give it a try - you won’t regret it.

Ingredients
2 slices Bourbon Street Cajun Bacon
1/4 pound ground sirloin burger patty
Lots of cheddar cheese
1 toasted burger bun
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation
Burger it up!

If you are one of those health freaks (if so, what are you doing on this site??), Bacon Freak features an awesome looking BLT recipe which uses the Boubon Street Cajun Bacon.  Check it out and let us know how it turns out!

Cajun Bacon Smashed Potatoes
This was another huge hit, and actually overshadowed the filet mignon that sat right beside it.  The kicker here is that we added some of the delicious cajun-flavored bacon grease in addition to the bacon bits.

Ingredients

6 slices Bourbon Street Cajun Bacon
2 tbsp reserved bacon fat
4 pounds russet potatoes, quartered.  Do not peel.
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation
Fry up the Cajun Bacon in large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Crumble bacon and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain well. Return potatoes to pot; mash. Add milk, butter and reserved bacon fat and mash again. Add chives, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Top with bacon and serve.

Hope you get a chance to try this bacon some day and try these recipes.  If you do,  let us know what you think!

October 17, 2008 by Naseem

October 17, 2008 • Filed Under: Funny Bacon , Bacon, Beavis & Butthead, Breakfast, Frasier, Futurama, Homer Simpson, Invader Zim, That 70's Show, The Office, The Simpsons, Will & Grace

1. “If you call ham “Canadian bacon”, what do you call bacon?”
   Michael Kelso, That ’70s Show
   
2. “Yes, I’ll have a non-fat, decaf latte, please. Oh, what the hell? Look, make it a full-fat mocha with extra whipped cream. What the hell, put a slice of bacon on it!”
   Dr. Frasier Crane,  Frasier
   
3. “Special day! Oh, what have I forgotten now? Now, don’t panic. Is it Bacon Day? No, that’s crazy talk!”
   Homer, The Simpsons
   
4. “Uh, “Hello, room service? I’d like some bacon, a couple of cokes, and a bunch of whores.”
   Butthead, Beavis and ButtHead
   
5. “I’m never gonna get used to the 31st century. Caffeinated bacon? Baconated grapefruit? ADMIRAL Crunch?”
   Fry, Futurama
   
6. “I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon, sue me. And since I don’t have a butler, I have to do it myself. So, most nights before I go to bed, I will lay six strips of bacon out on my George Foreman grill. Then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I plug in the grill. I go back to sleep again. Then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It is delicious, it’s good for me, it’s the perfect way to start the day.”
   Michael Scott - The Office
   
7. “Good Morning sweety. Oh my God, is that bacon? I love you, I love you, I love you.”
   Grace - Will & Grace
   
8. “Let’s see-Farmer Billy’s smoke-fed bacon, Farmer Billy’s bacon-fed bacon, Farmer Billy’s travel bacon… Mr. Simpson, if you really want to kill yourself, I also sell handguns!”
   Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, The Simpsons
   
9. “Why was there BACON IN THE SOAP?
   Zim, Invader Zim
10. “Mmmm… unexplained bacon.”
    Homer, The Simpsons

And yes, there are plenty more bacon quotes from Homer Simpson.

September 25, 2008 by Marianne

September 25, 2008 • Filed Under: Bacon Gifts , Bacon, Breakfast, cufflink

As I mentioned yesterday, there are times when you want to step up your fashion game a bit. Whether you’re interviewing for a job, have a public speaking engagement, or are walking your daughter down the aisle, you still want to express yourself while looking your best.

If the bacon necktie is a bit too much for you, perhaps the more subtle approach of the Bacon & Eggs cufflink is just the thing you need. First we have the Barney’s / Antique Jewel Box version. This one shows only eggs on the outside with the bacon hidden in the sleeve to keep the eggs in place. While it’s very cute, I think the bacon should be more prominently placed. And at $300 - $350 a pair, I think I should get what I want.

The second version shows eggs on one sleeve and bacon on the other, giving equal face time to breakfast’s two greatest heroes. It also has a very stylish frying pan handle, adding a little more flash to the scene. And at just $27.56, I think I’ve just found the perfect stocking stuffer for my dad.

September 18, 2008 by Marianne

September 18, 2008 • Filed Under: Bacon Reviews , Bacon, Bacon Freak, Bacon Recipes, Breakfast

As I mentioned during the Bacon Day posts, Rocco from BaconFreak gave us A LOT of bacon. We had already purchased many pounds of bacon ourselves, so were not able to use it all on Bacon Day. Fortunately, this means that we get to sample it at our leisure and tell you about each one individually.

Last week my husband and I busted out the Coastal Caliente Smoked Jalapeno Bacon. This appealled to my husband immediately because he loves everything to be spicy. The bacon is rubbed with a dry spice mix and dry cured. The spice mixture was pleasant and not too spicy, but then again we eat a lot of hot foods at our house. For those with a more sensitive palate, it might seem muy caliente. I tend to be boring when it comes to bacon, avoiding even maple flavoring and sticking with just a strong smoke flavor. My husband, however, loved this spicy new taste and was more than happy to snag the last slice in the pan.

A few days later, we made some white bean chili. I usually start my chilis (and almost everything I make) with a few slices of bacon, so we decided to try it with the jalapeno variety. It was fabulous! I usually put lots of chili powder and cumin and other spices in the mix, but the bacon took care of all that. A little black pepper and crushed chili flakes and the flavor was perfect. My husband called it the best we’ve ever made. So there you have it: from the breakfast table to the stock pot, jalapeno bacon is a great way to add some spice to your life!