Posts from — January 2009

I am TOTALLY making these on Sunday!

Why wouldn’t I?

Photos and review of my culinary skills to come…

Thanks to the fine folks at Bacon Today for the recipe.

How a “FOB’s” (Friend of Bacon) brain works…

Click image to see full chart!

Part two of our continuing search for good “over the counter” packaged bacon!  Today it’s Smithfield Naturally Hickory Smoked.

This is actually the brand that we seem to eat the most at the Baird household, usually you can get it on sale at one of the grocery stores or at least for a pretty decent everyday price.

This standard 16oz. package yielded 14 good slices.  There was a 15th, but it was so paper thin that I just chucked it.

Color was real good, a little fatty but I still thought it had a fairly good meat/fat ratio.

Bacon was split onto two foil lined sheets and each cooked separately at 425 for 12 minutes.

Look at that!!  Really held it’s shape well, not a lot of shrinkage.  There was a really nice aroma to the house as these things baked up.

They cooked really even (except for that one little spot on the top of slice 6) and had a nice crunch with the first bite, but didn’t crumble.  There wasn’t that much of a smoked taste to the meat and was actually a little sweet.

This held up real well as my breakfast side and on a sandwich later.  Smithfield, you made a good little bacon!

I give you…Eight PIGGIES EATING BACON!  Next time you are on sale, you’ll be in my cart!

OINK!

It’s called “The Bacon Explosion“!

photo from bbqaddicts.com

The bacon-blogosphere is completely buzzing about it!  “The New York Times” even ran a story about it in today’s paper.

This Frankenstein meat log was created by the guys at my new favorite blog – bbqaddicts.com

I can not be considered a serious source of  bacon news if I didn’t share this!

WARNING:  Just reading the article could cause heart disease.

I had a long day, so today is a LINK day!

Here’s a bacon cookie recipe from a former Quicken Loans colleague of mine (thanks Chris for the link)

How about a bacon wrapped hot dog this Super Bowl Sunday?

New Domino’s Pizza varieties…includes a new Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza.

How Detroiter’s roll – buying their bacon local. (Thanks Suneil for the link)

Butter pecan ice cream in this bowl would be yummy! (Thanks Matt for the link)

A photographic “Ode to Bacon”. (Thanks Jeff for the link)

and finally…

“IT’S BACON!!”

See you tomorrow.

Weekly Deals for Detroit Area Stores – 1/26/09:*

Kroger – Kroger Bacon, Any Variety (2 for $5 w/ card)

Meijer – Thorn Apple Valley (2 for $5)

Hiller’s – Oscar Mayer ($3.99 your choice – original & low salt 16oz., center cut & all natural 12oz.)

Busch’s – No advertised bacon deals this week.

Go Get Some!!

Need to see another store on the list…let me know!

* I don’t believe in Wal-Mart, so if you grocery shop there, you’ll have to find out about the specials your own self!

Oh “Morning Edition“, is there nothing that you can’t teach me as I make my way to work each day?

Today, Nigella Lawson was interviewed talking about Winter comfort food and what came up?? Why BACON of course!

Lawson also turns to savory pies to fight winter’s grip. Her chicken pot pie is made with an all-butter puff pastry, mushrooms, bacon, floured chicken strips, dried thyme and stock and often a touch of Marsala, the Italian wine.

I’m down with that (except the mushrooms, cause I don’t dig on fungus)!  Better Half already makes terrific chicken pot pies from scratch, but this might be something to try.

In the interview she also talks about two other unique and simple recipes that I am giving serious thought to trying, a sweet corn chowder and a chocolate pear pudding cake.  You can find the recipes and interview HERE.

I am thinking…that sweet corn chowder…maybe add something to that recipe…hmmmm…what could that be?

Well last week I was super nerdy.  This week, not much…

I did spend Thursday in front of the TV with that stomach virus, but I just got caught up on “Top Chef” and a really old episode of “Bones“.  There was an interesting special on Air Force One on History Channel, but I don’t remember too much of it.

I am enjoying “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” cartoon series on Cartoon Network.

Ohhhh, like my show you do?

I know the movie was crud, but that was because they tried to take three 22 minutes episodes and squeeze them together as a theatrical.  The series is really crisp with some interesting story lines. Even the two episodes that have had Jar Jar in them weren’t that bad.  The one thing I am surprised about though is the body count.  I know they are clones and hence dispensable in war, but is this not a kids show?

No time for video games this week, so nothing new there.

My missing Lego pieces came in on Friday, so the Death Star is FINALLY COMPLETE!  More on that this week.

There is a new “Watchmen” viral campaign that launched this week.  This site features a really cool 70′s newscast clip about Dr. Manhattan.

I did get time to read the second volume of “Ex Machina“.  Written by Brian K. Vaughan (also author of “Y: The Last Man” – a MUST read, seriously!), it’s the story of an engineer who accidentally becomes a superhero, ends up saving one of the twin towers during 9-11 and goes on to become the mayor of New York.  It is a great read and one that I am sorry to say I didn’t pick up on when it first came out.  Thank the maker for graphic novels.

The only other thing is to figure out what nerd stuff I will be putting in my new office at work.  TOMCAR has been sharing office space with another company and we’ve all sort of been intertwined.  We’re sort of formalizing space in the building now and the side we are taking included enough office space for yours truly to get his own little office.  It’s great cause it’s right on the corner of the building and has two walls of glass!! But two walls of glass also equals a cold room in the middle of January.  Oh well, price to pay.

Here’s hoping for a more nerdy week this week!

that is the question.  At least for today!

I call this the “Quizno’s Conundrum” as it was while watching my Quizno’s sandwich being created, I noticed that my Honey Bacon Club was made with a handful of crumbled bacon.  How did I not know this before?  I have been eating Quizno’s for over 10 years and it is almost ALWAYS the exact same sandwich – the Honey Bacon Club.  Crumbled bacon?

Now I understand why you would use crumbled bacon.  From a food service standpoint, I bet the crumbled bacon goes much further than strip bacon and it is easier to store and ship.  Crumbled bacon allows for you get more “bacon flavor” across the entire sandwich…but does it really?

Does bacon crumbled – especially when it’s paired with ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato and their honey french dressing – even stand out at all.  You don’t see strips extending from your sandwich, you can’t really smell it, there’s nothing crisp in your bite, no audible crunch.  Does the bacon even exist if you can’t experience it with any of your senses?

Hmmmmmmm?!?

Now, I will continue eating at Quizno’s (I do like the oven roasting, there is one right by my office and the sandwiches are now pretty cheap) but I am really torn over this use/misuse of bacon.  Might be time to switch to an Italian…

Today is BACON SUNDAY!

What is BACON SUNDAY?

Well, it is my way of trying to encourage all to go out with family, friends or even just by yourself with a big old newspaper, and enjoy a big breakfast / brunch!  And of course, that breakfast / brunch would include bacon!

I announced BACON SUNDAY this last week on “The Daily Bacon’s” new Facebook group and I am happy to say that this virtual event has 55 confirmations!

Join the party!  Have a big breakfast today!