Yummy, Yummy Bacon and Other Stuff

That’s right…you heard me correctly…BACON…BEER…CORNBREAD!

Hmmmmm…

I like beer…

I like bacon…

I like cornbread…

WIN!

Bacon Beer Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups finely ground cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of your favorite beer
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

More photos and directions over at How Sweet It Is. Go visit!

For just about three and a half year now I’ve been writing this blog. Our longest running segment has been “Better with Bacon” where we highlight simple and quick bacon recipes.  We’ve featured just about every food you could think off (and some foods you’d never thing about) wrapped in bacony goodness…yet somehow, in it’s simplicity, we’ve missed this…

Bacon Wrapped Barbeque Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

• chicken strips / tenders
• bacon
• barbeque sauce

That’s it, that’s the list!

Forget the frying and leave those nuggets in your grocer’s freezer.  Why would you eat that stuff when you can much on these?

For “directions” (if you can’t figure them out) and more photos, head over to Baked By Rachel.

That redhead with the strangely stiff pigtails invited me to her restaurant a few week’s back to try their newest sandwich – the Spicy Guacamole Chicken Club.  One thing lead to another and I just couldn’t get to the restaurant, that is until today! I planned my work travel today to take me right be a Wendy’s at lunch time.  Triumphantly I arrived just as planned and found…

uhhhhh…

Excuse me Mr. Manager behind the counter…do you still have the Spicy Guacamole sandwich.

No.

Oh.

(blank stare)

I guess I’ll try that Asiago Ranch Chicken Club then.

We still have the guacamole if you’d like, just not the pepper jack cheese.

Ok. Thanks!

And there you have it.  While initially invited to try one new sandwich, I get there sooooo late that I’m now trying ANOTHER new sandwich…but I gotta tell you, I’m glad I did.

This was a really tasty sandwich!

I’m not one to order chicken at a fast food joint, but I thought this was really good.  It had asiago, lettuce, tomato, ranch sauce, guac (at my request), and plenty of bacon!  I was very glad to see the small pile of pork laying over the cheese.  The chicken was moist and it had some good spice in the batter.  The sauce wasn’t overpowering, the guac very tasty (and chuncky) and a good bacon crunch in just about every bite.

I’ve been on the Wendy’s bandwagon for a while.  They had a decent “Fast Food Friday” score (although you wouldn’t know that after reading my review) and that was before the changed their bacon.  As the first big QSR to make the leap to thick cut bacon, I got some respect for them (even though the price of my Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger rose about 70%).  A sandwich like this keeps them on the top of my list.

Did my “invite” from Wendy’s affect this write up…not at all TDB’ers.  I hope you’ve come to know me better than that.  I just had a nice lunch, one that I’m sure I’ll be having again.

Care to try one?  I’ve got two $7.00 gift cards (just enough to get the combo) to Wendy’s that I’ll be giving away tomorrow on the TDB Facespace page…so pop on over.

“Moments of Timeless Pleasure” indeed!

My friends, I am getting nothing for this post…NOTHING!  But I am compelled to tell you just how absolutely amazing these little squares are!

When we were in Downtown Disney two weeks ago, Better Half wanted to grab a hot chocolate at the Ghirardelli store.  We pop in and there on the counter were these NEW bars.  Intrigued, I picked one up with my coffee and then proceeded to turn into Smigel…hovering over my precious!!!  Smigel likes his new chocolatessssss…

And then how great is Better Half? For my birthday last week, there was this lovely bag above waiting for me.

I know you kids enjoy the sweet and savory…so I know you will love these.

Now Ghirardelli, if you would like to reimbursement for this stellar endorsement, I wouldn’t mind another bag

You can grab a bag from their online store RIGHT NOW!

As friends of TDB you may have come to over these last few years that I have a “thing” for carbonite.  Most specifically, Han Solo in carbonite.

The ONLY thing that I truly covet is a life sized Han Solo in carbonite.

While my dream has still yet to be realized, I have amassed quite a collection of substantially smaller versions, many of which have been highlighted on these electronic pages.

But now I have found quite possibly the SECOND greatest carbonite related product, this thanks to Lucasfilm and Disney World as part of their Star Wars weekends at Hollywood Studios…

Guests at Star Wars Weekends this year will be given the opportunity to step into a “Carbon Freezing Chamber,” located near The American Idol Experience in the theme park, and have their faces 3-D scanned using multiple cameras to create a 8-inch figurine depicting themselves frozen in carbonite. It also comes with a light-up wristband.

What, what, what?!?

First thing I felt? Excitement – This is the coolest thing ever!

Second thing? Regret – Why did we book our Disney vacation when we did?

Third? Bargaining – How could I POSSIBLY get back down to Florida next weekend?

Fourth? Acceptance – I’m never going to have this.

AURGH!!!!!!

So, to any of you will either live near the happiest place on earth or are planning on already attending the family nerdfest that is Star Wars weekend…don’t be like me and miss out!  Save those pennies (it costs $99.95) and go get yourself frozen!

via Nerd Approved

Duh!

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BAM!

Tell you what Taco Bell…the minute you drop those Dorito shells and come to market with this bad boy, then I’ll be back to enjoy your sand meat.

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They don’t call him “Annoying Orange” for nothing…

If you can get through the first 30 seconds there are some funny bits in here.

BACON! BACON! BACON!

Hope you had a great Monday!

Today, May 4th, was my grandfather’s birthday.

On this day, every year since I started this blog, I have been re-posting this remembrance. Thank you for indulging me as I take time out to remember the man who profoundly shaped who I am today.

(Two Bald Dudes – circa 1998)

Ronal Willard Scites was born in West Virginia in 1921. A true “hillbilly”, he went barefoot in the mountains. He would tell us story after story that ended with him getting a switch across the backside, whether from a teacher or his parents. Grandpa liked to get in trouble a little.

He served in the Philippines during World War Two and found his way to Detroit when he returned home. He married Betty DeRush and stayed together until her death in 1987. They raised two daughters, Gail and Renee and lost one son at birth.

Grandpa went to work for the U.S. Postal Service and was a mailman for over 25 years. Eventually his back, injured during the war, would not allow him to continue doing the job he loved and he retired early. That didn’t stop him though…he finally found medical relief for his back and would end up working for yet another 25 years in some respect or another.

He didn’t travel outside of the U.S. after the war, but saw plenty of this country from the driver’s seat of his Chevy Impala. I remember many trips in the back end of his power blue boat!

When I was a child, I started calling him G.P. and that remains my name for him. He loved that nickname and would tell all the neighborhood kids to call him that.

He bought me my first baseball glove and many summer nights were spent in his lush, green backyard playing catch! I’d always try to throw the ball as hard as I could to make his glove snap and see him shake his hand as he did a little “ouch” dance.

Grandpa was very involved in the local Masonic organizations. He was a Mason, Eastern Star, a member of Scottish Rite and a Shriner. Through him, his daughters were introduced to the Masonic fraternity through Jobs Daughters and his grandchildren through Jobs and DeMolay.

He was the first person I wanted to tell everything too…I lived to make him proud! To see his smile meant the world to me.

To this day I have NEVER had pancakes as good as those he made!

He passed away (NOW) four and a half years ago, but the hole in my heart still hasn’t closed. I will always miss him.

He wasn’t a great man nor a perfect man, but he was an incredible role model and I can only hope that I’m even half the man, son, brother, father, grandfather he was!

Looking through some items the other day, I found this interview I did with him for a class I had at MSU. Hearing his voice again, even with us discussing something like WWII, brought a smile across my face. I have attached it below. Please ignore my rudimentary interviewing skills…

I love you G.P.

I have come to really enjoy watching Chef Alex Guarnaschelli cook!  I gained a ton of respect for her while she was on Next Iron Chef, not just for her cooking but for her competitive spirit!

Chef was on CBS This Morning: Saturday this last week and broke out this wonderful piece of bacon goodness…

I mean seriously, LOOK AT THAT BIRD!

Watch the segment below and treat yourself to one heck of a dinner this weekend.

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