It’s the weekend and that means its time to anther installment of “Weekend Cooking“. This weeks recipe comes from Elisa, a friend from work. She made me Chocolate Chip-Bacon-Pecan Cookies for me for my Birthday.

She made these before and I thought they were amazing. Other people were a little taken back, but I think thats because they don’t like the idea of eating bacon for a dessert. Everyone said that the flavors were good and they enjoyed the cookie but they couldn’t eat it with out making a face.

This time when she made the cookies I didn’t share many with the people at work. I wanted to share this batch with fellow bacon lovers. Sadly, I eat most of them myself so the only other people that tried them were Beth and my Mom. They both loved them and really like that fact that the bacon added something savory to the cookie.

Here is an eating tip: The longer you have these cookies around the more bacony they taste. These cookies are like a good soup, there better the next day.

Next time your in the mood for cookies give these a try. Elisa says that she really like the cookie dough this recipe makes. You can add any mix ins you want to the dough to make an original bacon cookie.

Chocolate Chip-Bacon-Pecan Cookies

Makes about 18 thick-and-chewy cookies

What you will need:

• 5 strips bacon
• 1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, turning several times, until browned and done, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Chop finely.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt.
4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla extract, and beat until just blended. Add the dry ingredients; beat until just incorporated and the flour is dissolved. Stir in the chocolate chips, pecans and bacon.
5. Drop one large tablespoon cookie dough 2 to 3 inches apart (as they will spread) on baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until firm and golden brown around the edges, and still slightly soft in the center. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes.
6. Can be stored on countertop for one to two days, then refrigerated in an airtight container.

This recipe is from a NPR article called, Bacon Gets Its Just Desserts. Be sure to check out the article there are a few other good looking recipes you might want to try.

We made a bacon rocket! Rocket Science and Bacon Science, 2 disciplines at the pinnacle of human achievement, finally united!

There are two things I love about this video

1. The song in the background.
2. The smoke alarm that kicks in at the end of the video.

This is a great advancement for bacon and I think the next step would be to use bacon for brain surgery. But something tells me that wouldn’t be a funny video to watch, so maybe we should just stick with rockets.

When he came out the first thought they came to mind was,”Wow, this could get offensive”. Some people don’t think it’s funny to make a joke out of our National Anthem (but I would be ok with it). Once the guy started singing I was shocked, this guy could really sing!

It was a great way to start an event to celebrate bacon. I am not sure who’s idea it was or where he came from, but I like it. And I am glad someone got it up on YouTube so everyone else could see it.

This is going to be my last post about the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival for awhile or until they have more details to share about next year’s event. Elvis has just left the building.

Now on to the stats. So the burger in the video is a Baconator that has been tripled. Which means they add three more patties to it for a total of six. Sadly, they don’t add three more layers of bacon. They say that this burger would have 2520 calories, not sure if that is true since I didn’t do the math myself.

The big question that is on every Bacon LIVE fan’s mind is “I wonder if Sean could eat two of these?”

If you talked about the event and would like to be added to the post please comment or email us. I will be coving everything that I ate at this years event on Bacon LIVE Wednesday March 3 2010.

Blue Ribbon Bacon Photos

• Photos courtesy of Maharry Photography. You can order prints off his website.
• Metromix Des Moines photos of 3rd Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival
• Photos courtesy of Philip Luedtke These photos are amazing!

Blue Ribbon Bacon Video

• 
  Courtesy of Des Moines Metromix Note to RSSers the video above is flash so you will need to view in on my site and not in a feed reader.
• Check out the WHO-TV coverage too.

The Bacon Board was worried that with the bigger venue that the event would lose something. I would just like to say, this years event was just a fun and amazing as the ones at the El Bait Shop. Yes, it did lose some of the intimacy, but it made up for it in the sheer size of the event and the amount of food that was available. Also hearing 750 bacon lovers scream “Ohhhh Bacon” is something I will not soon forget.

Watch this weeks Bacon LIVE to see and hear my full recap of the event. I am sure Sean will pull all the crispy details out of me.

Today is the 3rd Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival and that means I will be tweeting like it’s going out of style. I will be using the hashtag #brbf10 to keep things organized. If you would like to join in the fun feel free to do so on twitter. Just remember to tag your tweets.

• MrBaconpants: At the Bacon Fest. Just about to start!!!
• BBQAddictsJason: Bacon Bloody Mary! http://tweetphoto.com/12697182
• MrBaconpants: It has begun http://twitpic.com/15nloy
• MrBaconpants: Mmmmmmmm Bacon Donut! http://twitpic.com/15nmnh
• BBQAddictsJason: Bacon wrapped hottie!!!! http://tweetphoto.com/12698999
• BBQAddictsJason: T-minus 10 minutes until 70 Bacon Explosions hit the smoker.
• MrBaconpants: Bacon Explosions are going in the smoker. http://twitpic.com/15nscq
• BBQAddictsJason: Bacon wrapped pineapple! http://tweetphoto.com/12703476
• iheartcells: favorite thing so far…bacon doughnut!! great time at Bacon Fest 2010!
• MrBaconpants: Learning about bacon!http://twitpic.com/15nyp0
• BBQAddictsJason: The giant strip of tweeting bacon. http://tweetphoto.com/12710165
• mipo777: I just had bacon that costs more per lb than heroin.
• mipo777: Holy crap bacon explosion! It’s like the colors in my life just jumped from a box of 8 crayons to 128.
• iheartcells: Chef Lances banana foster was amazing! love the caramel sauce with templeton rye.
• BBQAddictsJason: Chocolate Dipped Bacon. http://tweetphoto.com/12725825
• BQAddictsJason: Maple Bacon Butter Pecan Ice Cream. http://tweetphoto.com/12726646
• MrBaconpants: Bacon eating contest is about to begin http://twitpic.com/15peqc
• MrBaconpants: The three time bacon eating champ!! http://twitpic.com/15pl2f
• BaconUnwrapped: Manni is truly the king
• MrBaconpants: Back im the hotel room. The bacon fest was grrrrrreat!

After the event is over I will be updating this post with all the tweets so they will be saved. This post will update automatically so I can not control what shows up here. Please try to keep things clean. Thanks and Enjoy Bacon!

Tonight the Bacon Board and the guys from BBQAddicts made 75 Bacon Explosions for tomorrow’s festivities. I would like to thank everyone that makes the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival possible, it really is the premier bacon event in the world! Cant wait for tomorrow.

This post is now updated with photos and our notes.

Bacon Inspired Dinner: Taste of Bacon Elegance

Cafe di Scala : February 24, 2010
644 18th Street | Des Moines, IA 50314-1043 | (515) 244-1353
www.cafediscala.com

• Course I
  
  bacon, egg and cheese napolean with a sweet garlic sausage bechaemle
  Drink: Coors Banquet Beer

  Notes: This is what we would call the perfect breakfast. It reminded me of biscuits and gravy. Beth thought a biscuit would have been delicious with the dish, but that the pastry was a nice way to keep it light as the first course of the meal. I thought that the pastry added a bit of elegance to the dish. I need to make bacon gravy sometime in the near future.

• Course II
  
  korean styled pork belly with kim chi
  Drink: Pearl Vodka Martini

  Notes: Beth enjoyed the food and drink pairing with this one. The Pearl Vodka Martini was able to stand up well to the strong flavors of the kim chi and the succulent pork belly. It did add something to the dish. A pork belly has three layers, a meaty part which was perfectly seasoned and tasted amazing, a fatty part which was buttery, and the skin which was a bit tough/crispy.

• Course III
  
  cream of potato soup with a chive creme fraiche & bacon bits
  Drink: Blue Moon

  Notes: They made this soup last year and it was amazing. This year was no different. I wish I could eat this soup everyday of my life. Beth really enjoyed the velvety texture of the soup. This soup is the perfect wintery comfort food. The beer pairing with this dish was Blue Moon, a beer that we envision as a summery drink, with orange notes and light wheat flavor. It went surprisingly well with the soup. I guess in this case it’s true what they say: opposites attract!

• Course IV
  
  gorgonzola stuffed Iowa Farm Families pork loin wrapped in bacon
  served over a soft polenta with Niman Ranch pancetta and demi sauce
  Drink: Pinot Noir

  Notes: This dish had mixed reviews. It was very rich and had a lot of flavor. Sadly, not all of it was good. The bacon on the outside of the loin was fatty. A crispier bacon would have worked well with this dish. The loin itself was amazing and saved the plate. The polenta had a great flavor and texture and the pancetta was a nice touch, but some of it tasted burnt or over smoked. I thought I would have enjoyed this dish more if it came as an early course or if the rest of the meal was not as rich and heavy. The pairing with this dish, a Pinot Noir (Volpi, Barbera d’Asti – 2005), was an excellent match with the smokey flavors of the pork.

• Course V
  
  applewood smoked bacon bread pudding with a
  Templeton Rye caramel sauce and Picket Fence vanilla ice cream
  Drink: Templeton Rye Butterscotch shot

  Notes: Amazing! I love bread pudding, ice cream and bacon so this was an instant hit with me. Beth was never a big fan of bread pudding, but she loved this one, especially the Templeton Rye caramel sauce. The candied bacon made the dish, as always. The Templeton Rye Butterscotch shot was smooth and tasty, a welcome addition to the final course.

Last years dinner was great, but the dishes were safe choices to make. This year they took more risks and some of them payed off and others did not. I enjoyed the dinner and I am glad they took risks this year. It was an impressive showing of skill and guts. They took bacon to new levels last night. Can’t wait to see where they take bacon next!

The event is Saturday, February 27 at the Scottish Rite Consistory but I will be leaving of the Iowa today. The goal is to make it in time for some of what the bacon event planners are calling “Bacon Week”. During the week they are having smaller satellite events at local restaurants. You can learn more about them on the events website.

While I am in Iowa I will be tweeting like it’s going out of style. I will be using the hashtag #brbf10 to keep things organized. If you would like to join in the fun feel free to do so on twitter. Just remember to tag your tweets.

I also plan to do a Bacon LIVE from my hotel room either Wednesday afternoon or night. Watch twitter for details on that. If the restaurant as wifi I may even do it at the bacon dinner. Also, Sean may call in with bacon update from Pittsburgh.

This is going to be a crazy week ahead and I will try to keep you as up-to-date as I can. If you are asking yourself “Why do I need care about whats happens in Iowa” then you are not a true bacon lover. This is the heart of bacon nation; this is where boys become men and pigs become bacon.

Its official the new internet bacon meme is cute animals. I first noticed this trend a few weeks ago when the bacon turtles photo was posted to the blog “This is why your fat”. Well now a Celeb is getting on this new meme.

Last night Ke$ha(maybe NSFW), the girl that sings songs about getting drink, posted a tweet about a new bacon animal, a Narwhal. Yes, I think a Narwhal is kind of cute.

The tweet that went along with this photo was a little unsettling, Kasha says, “Gross. But. Amazing.”

I hope when she said gross she was talking about whatever it is that is making up the horn of it and not the fact that it was something wrapped in bacon. Since she is a drunk (or a lot least that’s what her songs make her out to be) I can almost bet the “amazing” part of the tweet was referring to the bacon.

There is nothing better than a big old mess of pork belly when you’re drunk. Just ask the people that work at late night breakfast buffets. There always running out of the stuff.

Back to the point of this post, I believe that cute animals made of bacon will be what we are going to nuts for this year. I guess a better way to say it would be, bacon animals is this year’s bacon explosion.

I can’t wait to see how far this meme will go. Will someone make a pig next, or better yet make Kevin Bacon out of bacon! I guess we will have to wait and see, the year is still young.

While I was writing this post I couldn’t get her song “Tik Tok” out of my head. Damn you Kasha for being so damn catchy.

When I first read about this my initial thought was, “This is ridiculous, why would anyone want a caffeinated lollipop?” But then I thought about it for a few more seconds, “Wait a minute, I could eat this thing in the morning on my commute to work.”

Yes, instead of trying to carry my maple bacon in one hand and a coffee in the other, while driving, I could just suck on a Caffeinated Maple-Bacon Lollipop. No more side-swiped pedestrians and dirty looks from other drivers for me. Thanks to the fine folks at Lollyphile, I can save time and lives.

Caffeinated Maple-Bacon Lollipops

• 4 Maple-Bacon Lollipops- $10
• Dozen Maple-Bacon Lollipops- $24
• Case of 36 Maple-Bacon Lollipops- $52

Whoa! After looking at the price it might be expensive for them to replace my morning cup of joe. They’re $2.50 a piece, which is just as much as overpriced designer coffee, but I don’t drink overpriced designer coffee on weekdays. I guess these will have to be my weekend pops and I will still have to juggle my bacon and coffee on my way to work.

I have yet to try these, so if you know how that taste let us know via a comment. I have had other bacon pops and liked them so I am sure these are good too.

This week’s weekend cooking is “Feta Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breasts”. Beth and I both thought that the recipe was great. I just added an extra strip to each chicken breast. Beth asked me, “Why do you always have to add more bacon”? I must of gave her the crazy eye, because after she said that she took one step back. Never question a man about his pork belly.

Feta Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Prep Time: 15 Min | Cook Time: 30 Min | Ready In: 45 Min

What you need:

• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 4 slices feta cheese
• 8 slices bacon, fried and drained

Putting it all together:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix together. Place chicken in a 9×13 inch baking dish and pour oil mixture over chicken.
3. Stuff each chicken breast with 1 slice feta cheese and 2 slice bacon. Secure open sides with toothpicks.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes.

This recipe is based off one from AllRecipes.com

I am all for stem cell research but has this gone too far? Would bacon that was grown in a petri dish still taste like bacon?

None of the researchers have actually eaten the lab-made meat yet, but (Mark) Post (a biologist at Maastricht University) said the lower protein content means it probably wouldn’t taste anything like pork.

Well I guess that answers that question.

I don’t think I am ready to live in a world without pig farmers. Call me old fashioned but I like my pork to come from a pig, not a Petri dish. Save the stem cell search for finding cures for diseases and keep it off my dinner table.

Any meat eater knows that meat tastes different depending on the life experience that animal had before it was killed. For example, when a hunter shoots a deer that was living near a farm the meat will taste less “gamey” then if they shoot a deer that was living in the woods (based on its diet). The same goes for pigs. A happy pig makes better bacon, and to be a happy pig that pig would need to exist.

Thankfully right now we don’t need fight this battle. Growing meat in an industrial scale is still a long way off. Who knows maybe when it’s finally here my opinions about it will change, but right now I have to say no to Petri Dish Bacon

[via Yahoo News]

I personally think this is the best bacon soup we made so far. Beth really like it too, but since you use the bacon grease in the soup she thinks its not the healthiest thing to eat. I guess there is some truth to that fear, the recipe say is has 458 calories and 21g of fat per serving. Since its the winter I feel we need the extra calories to stay warm so I am not that worried about it.

Bacon Chicken and Dumplings

Prep Time: 20 Min | Cook Time: 30 Min | Ready In: 50 Min

What you will need:

• 3 slices bacon (I would prefer more)
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – diced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 1/2 cups biscuit mix
• 1 cup milk

How to make it:

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside; reserve bacon drippings in skillet.
2. Add potatoes, onion and chicken to bacon drippings and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in chicken broth; season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir in corn, and simmer all together for 15 minutes.
3. Pour in half-and-half and bring to a boil; add crumbled bacon. In a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix with milk and mix well (dough should be thick). Drop tablespoon sizes of dough into boiling mixture; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, then another 10 minutes covered. (Note: Do not stir while simmering, or dumplings will break apart). Serve hot.

This recipe is from AllRecipes.com and the photo is by docswife.

Over the weekend my inbox exploded with emails about a story that posted on Yahoo about bacon. It seems the people at Rachael Ray Magazine think they can review bacon better than I can. They’re lucky there is not a pork blogger union, if there was I would be talking to my steward right about now.

I am going to go down Rachael Ray’s list of “top” bacon and give you my 2 cents on them. I was surprised to find out that I do agree with a few of them on the list.

Rachael Ray’s Top Bacon Picks:

• BEST ORIGINAL: Ozark Trails Hickory Smoked and Peppered Bacon
  I do enjoy hickory smoked and peppered bacon but I wouldn’t call the combination of the two the best original bacon. I think Sean and Dogfish Head Brewery (they used the bacon I will soon mention in their pork dinner) would agree when I say Mountain Products Smokehouse Maple-Cinnamon bacon is the best original flavor. I blew our minds when we first tried it and we still talk about it to this day.
• BEST THICK-CUT: Jimmy Dean Thick Slice Premium Bacon
  Any bacon lover knows Jimmy Dean’s bacon is not something to put on a best of list. Its usually a fatty flavor injected mess. Now I haven’t tried there “thick sliced” bacon but I am sure it’s just like their normal variety. I would have picked Oscar Mayer’s Applewood Super Thickcut Bacon for this category.
• BEST TURKEY: Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon
  This just proves that the writers at Rachael Ray Mag are NOT bacon lovers. True bacon lovers would not waste their time with turkey bacon. I guess I should be happy they didn’t put veggie bacon on the list. Veggie bacon is more offensive to me then someone calling me a vegan lover.
• BEST SWEET: Beeler’s Uncured Apple-Cinnamon Bacon
  Ok, I can agree with this one Ms. Ray. Beeler’s is known for making some great bacon and I am sure their Apple-Cinnamon Bacon is top notch. I am going to have to add this bacon to my must review ASAP list.
• BEST ODDBALL: Mountain Products Smokehouse Chipotle Southwest Smoked Bacon
  Wow! It looks like they did their homework for at least one category. Sean and I both enjoy this bacon when we had it and it was a great oddball flavor. I am impressed that they knew about Mountain Products Smokehouse, but now it opens up a lot of questions about how their Maple-Cinnamon bacon didn’t win best original. Maybe they didn’t want them to steal all the glory by winning two categories.

I would like to thank the writers at Rachael “I kinda know a little about bacon” Ray Magazine for putting some great bacon in the spot light. Next time though, please consult with an expert before you start claiming you know what the best bacon is.

[via yahoo]

For this week’s Weekend Cooking I am pulling out an oldie but goodie, the Bacon, Cheese, and Potato Chowder. This was one of the first recipes Beth and I made together back in 2007. Our only complaint was that it called for two strips for six bowls. It should be more like two strips for each bowl.

I am glad I found this recipe again and Beth and I will hopefully get to make it again this weekend. I have one pack of the Nueske’s Cherry wood left and this would be a great way to use it.

Bacon, Cheese, and Potato Chowder

Ingredients (Makes 6 servings)

• 3 cups milk
• 1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of potato soup
• 2 cups frozen Southern-style hash browns
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled (originally called for 2 strips)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Cooking Instructions

1. Mix milk and soup in large saucepan. Stir in hash browns. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Ladle into 6 soup bowls.
3. Top evenly with the cheese, bacon and onions.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe that was posted on tarahsrecipes.wordpress.com

“This year we’re preparing to accommodate our largest crowd ever, and I am finally beginning to feel comfortable with our bacon inventory,” Brooks Reynolds, Bacon Board spokesman says with relief. “So far, we’ve secured 1,050 lbs of bacon from our purveyors. With 600 participants expected, we’re guaranteed to have an average of 1 ½ lbs per person.” Last year 583 lbs of bacon was consumed by a crowd of 346 individuals.

Jeffrey Olson, M.D., the festival’s 2010 Honorary Cardiologist added, “I’m extremely excited for this year’s bacon festival. And, I plan on passing out business cards!”

The theme for this year’s festival is: “A Bacon Odyssey, One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Bacon.” Ticket cost for the event is $35 per person – ticket sales will be limited to 8 tickets per order. The ticket entitles the holder to a commemorative t-shirt, koozie, a menu of 7 bacon items, unlimited bacon samples at the Bacon Showcase, live music, a seat in two bacon educational lectures, and a free bacon bloody mary.

Schedule of Events

• 10:00 am – Doors Open, Blazing Bacon Bloodies are Served, 1st Course is Served, Sign In for Bacon Eating Contest Begins (Sign In Closes at 2:30 pm), DJ Patrick Porto Sets the Mood
• 10:45 am – Opening Ceremony, National Anthem by Special Guest, Bacon Invocation by the Godfather, Opening Remarks and 1st Official “OHHH, Bacon!” Cheer
• 11:00 am – Bacon Showcase Opens and Parade of Pre-Cooked Bacon Explosions
• 11:15 am – Live Music Begins by the Saylor Hill Sliders, Lecture Hall Opens with First Seminar Entitled “A Driving Tour of Iowa Bacon” by Leo Landis, The Bacon Professor (This Lecture Will Be Repeated at 1:15 pm)
• 11:45 am – Second Seminar entitled, “Why Everything is So Much Better with Bacon” by Jonathan A. Campbell, MS with the Iowa State Meat Laboratory (This Lecture Will Be Repeated at 1:45 pm)
• 12:00 pm – 2nd Course is Served
• 12:30 pm – Third Seminar entitled, “Temple Rye Whiskey – An Iowa Classic” by Scott Bush, President of Temple Rye
• 1:00 pm – Parade of Bacon Explosions by the BBQ Addicts, creators of the Bacon Explosion
• 2:00 pm – Bacon Popper Pizza served by Fong’s Pizza
• 2:30 pm – Bacon Desserts are Served
• 3:00 pm – Bacon Showcase Closes
• 3:15 pm – Bacon Eating Contest Begins
• 3:45 pm – Bacon Festival Closing Ceremony (Best Bacon T-Shirt Award Winner, Last “OHHH, Bacon” Cheer, Bacon Eating Champion Speaks)
• 4:00 pm – The After-Party Begins at High Life Lounge and El Bait Shop

* Times are subject to change

Event Information

• What – Third Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival
• When – Saturday, February 27th, 10am – 4pm
• Where – Scottish Rite Consistory, 519 Park Street, Des Moines, IA
• Ticket Availability – Available for purchase through an online link located at www.blueribbonbaconfestival.com at high noon on Thursday, February 4th
• Cost – $35 per ticket which includes a commemorative t-shirt, koozie, a menu of 7 bacon items, unlimited bacon samples at the Bacon Showcase, live music, a seat in two bacon educational lectures and your first drink free
• Consumption – 583 lbs of bacon was consumed at the 2nd Annual Bacon Festival in 2009, the Iowa Bacon Board has already secured over 1,050 lbs of bacon for this year’s event
• Competition – Personal Trainer, Manni Balignasay is the back-to-back Blue Ribbon Bacon Eating Champion in 2008 & 2009
• Bacon Showcase – In 2010 the following bacon brands will be showcased: Eden Farms, Farmland, Hormel, Iowa Farm Families, Niman Ranch and Vande Rose Farms
• Iowa Bacon Board – Members include Suzanne Reynolds Arnold, Seth Hall, Mark Pederson, Caressa McCurnin, Logan Porter, Marshall Porter, Tom Porter, Brad Proctor, David Proctor, Brooks Reynolds, John Tiffany and Kevin Tiffany
• Honorary Cardiologist – Jeffrey Olson, M.D. – Dr. Olson will be present, handing out business cards and discussing the benefits of a balanced bacon diet
• Sponsors – Coors Original Banquet Beer, IP Pathways, Pearl Vodka, Reynolds & Reynolds, Iowa Pork Producers, Smarty Pig, Stiver’s Ford Lincoln Mercury, Scottish Rite Consistory, Vande Rose Farms, Niman Ranch, Fidelity Bank, Fong’s Pizza and Goin’ Postal

What started as one man’s passion for “all things bacon” has evolved into America’s premier bacon festival. In 2007, Brooks Reynolds of Des Moines gathered fellow bacon lovers and formed the Iowa Bacon Board with the mission of improving the enjoyment of all things bacon. Informal meetings of the group had been held for years with weekend retreats at Spirit Lake where each bacon fanatic would bring at least two pounds of bacon for consumption over a two-day period. On March 1st, 2008, after several meetings between the Iowa Bacon Board, Full Court Press and In Any Event the festival was born: a day dedicated to nothing but Bacon.

This weeks “Weekend Cooking” is a recipe that Oscar Myers sent me to use with there Super Thickcut Bacon. Sadly I didn’t have their bacon so I used another great brand Nueske’s.

This is a great side dish for just about anything. It’s sweet, savory, and buttery. Beth and I thought they if we add diced potatoes to the mix it could almost be a meal in itself. Give this one a try and let us know what you think about it.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar
Prep Time: 10 min. Total Time: 40 min. Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Brussele sprouts, trimmed, halved
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 slices of applewood bacon cut in to 1 inch strips
• 1 cup coarsely chopped red onions
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 400F
2. Toss sprouts with oil, place in a shallow pan bake 20 min
3. Meanwhile cook bacon and onions in a skillet on medium heat until bacon starts to turn brown, drain off grease
4. Add bacon mixture to sprouts, stir.
5. Bake 5 to 10 min or until sprouts are tender and golden brown
6. Stir in vinegar and pepper
7. Enjoy!

Adapted from a recipe from Oscar Myers (all we did was add more bacon). Beth took that amazing photo of this recipe!

Bacon Tuxedo Puzzle – $9.95
Ham? Too casual. Meatloaf? Too retro. Make no mistake about it, bacon is the best meat for formalwear! This bizarre jigsaw puzzle features a dashing young man in a bacon tuxedo posing with his date for a prom picture. She must have been so proud. Also includes a 48 piece bonus mystery puzzle! Each 500 piece puzzle is 14″ x 18″ when assembled.

I wonder what the 48 piece bonus prize is. I hope it’s a coupon for 48 bacon-wrapped spicy chicken nuggets from Wendy’s. It’s either that or another puzzle, which wouldn’t be as cool.

McPhee also released the “Sunrise in Meatopia Puzzle” which is an illustration of a landscape made of meat. It could also be a representation of a vegan nightmare. In fact if I worked for them I would have called it, “Hide the lid and build this puzzle with a vegan friend, then watch them crumble in sadness as they realize they build a meatopia”. Ok, maybe my title was a little long, but it got my point across.

Bacon and puzzle lovers finally have two puzzles they can complete with pride and satisfaction. Thanks Archie McPhee, Enjoy Bacon.

Another new feature you are going to see on the blog is “Weekend Cooking”, where Beth and I will cook a bacon recipe and then share it with you. This week’s recipe is Lentil Soup made some of the leftover Nueske’s Applewood bacon. The recipe only called for three strips of bacon but I thought it would be better if we used four.

The soup has a very smokey flavor and the bacon doesn’t get lost. I am not sure if that’s because we added the extra bacon or the fact that Nueske’s bacon as such a strong flavor. It also becomes more flavorful when you heat it up for leftovers.

Give the recipe a try and let us know what you thought about it. If you changed anything please share via a comment. Send recipe ideas to jmosley at mrbaconpants dot com.

Lentil Soup w/ Nueske’s Applewood Bacon
Prep: 20 minutes Total: 1 hour Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 strips (4 ounces) bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch half-moons
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (3 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven (or other 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), cook bacon over medium-low heat until browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.
2. Add onion and carrots; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste, and cook 1 minute.
3. Add lentils, thyme, broth, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover; cook until lentils are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Stir in vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve immediately.

Adapted from a recipe in Martha Stewart Living, March 2005 (all we did was add more bacon)

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