And That's That

And the year is done. Out with '08 and in with '09.

A good year, I'd say. Some Bacon Challenge success, some Bacon Challenge not quite success, but "mission accomplished" or not I think it's safe to say that the Bacon Challenge '08 was a great thing. All participants and supporters had fun as far as I have heard. As they like to say, "Everyone's a winner!"

As for '09? Well, nobody has really committed to a new plan as far as I can tell. It seems nothing gets people excited and motivated like bacon does. Maybe we get back into it with a new challenge in '10? Or maybe we make a quick decision? I've already had one apple and have another sitting on my desk right now so apples are sounding good to me if anything. But I'd like this to be a group thing so maybe we need more planning than this.

Oh, eating or not, here is a challenge for '09 that a co-worker/beer pong arch enemy is doing ... it's called Year of the Beard. Join in or donate or both (I guess this isn't really ideal for the ladies to participate in, but since the quest will raise some money for battered ladies I guess it all evens out).

Happy New Year everyone ... and bacon, just because you're not part of a challenge this year, don't think we won't still be eating you on the regular.

Functional Fashion

I received a shout recently from Meg C. (a non-BC '08 participant) of some crochet needles done good. How she found out about this remains a mystery. Is she a secret crocheter? A crochet fan? Just a finder of oddities? I guess that doesn't really matter. What matters is the combining of good eats with good stitches.

Regular bacon keeps you warm on the inside, but this bacon keeps you warm on the outside: Bacon Wrap

What Does The Future Hold?

I received an e-mail from Chris T. about a week ago:

Just came across your site today. A little late to get in on the 08 challenge, but as a daily bacon eater, I could probably catchup in the 6 weeks remaining. Any chance you will be doing this for 2009? I would be interested in participating.

Thanks,
Chris

Well? What's our deal? Is the era of challenges over, or do we go at it again? Bacon again or do we switch to something else?

Apples, to see if "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" really holds true?

Cheese?

Bananas?

Sausage?

Oreos?

Something else?

While in the home stretch we should probably get thinking/deciding.

'Tis the Season

My friend Stacey who is not a participant but is clearly a fan of all this Bacon Challenge madness sent me this today (conveniently just as the Christmas shopping season begins):

Christmas presents for you and your Bacon Challenge cohorts:

http://www.baconnaise.com/

http://www.perpetualkid.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1733

http://www.mcphee.com/items/11706.html

http://www.mcphee.com/items/11847.html

http://www.baconandmeat.com/bacon-band-aids.htm

A few of these may have crossed our bacon eating paths this past 11 months, but some are definitely new to me. It seems that nothing would be better than paying for bacon with money taken from a bacon wallet, but that's just one man's opinion.

Happy Thanksgiving ... now get eating bacon. Only 34 days to get to the elusive 365.

41 Days Left

Even with time dwindling, turkey isn't a shortcut I will take.

Illustration courtesy of Natalie Dee

Bacon vs. Fries

I guess somebody has to win, but if only we could overcome the bipartisan nature of politics and create a SuperSenator: election results

Fatty Boombalatty

Tonight I went and got myself a burger from Buckeye Beer Engine. Bacon was included. Now I know this is a bacon blog and I'd certainly never try to steal away bacon's thunder with something else, but I think the real story here is actually the burger that the bacon resided upon. It was November's burger of the month called Fatty Melt (you love it already, I can tell).

Per the Beer Engine menu, Fatty Melt is this: Our famous half-pound beef patty, lovingly placed between TWO grilled cheese sandwiches filled with bacon and tomatoes.

Note that the patty is "famous", and that "famous" patty is not just slapped between two grilled cheeses, it's "lovingly placed" there. Let the record show that I could taste both the fame and the love.

With that I must sign off as I think I am about to go into a coma. A delicious, delicious coma.

Note: Sorry the photo isn't better. It was a little dark in there and I guess the camera on my phone doesn't care for that.

Congrats

Mr. Tom "I hate gluten" D. can now hang up his Mission Accomplished banner. That's right everybody, he's the first to hit the magic number of 365. An impressive 365 strips of bacon consumed.

Although I haven't spoken with him, it seems the one strip a day isn't enough for him as with 117 more days remaining in 2008 he's already five over the goal. Always pushing the bacon envelope. He's probably dreaming of breakfast at this very moment.

Kudos, Tom!

Now I gotta go play some catch up.

Long-Term Bacon

Stock up your bomb shelter, or maybe just your kitchen pantry. With a shelf life of 10+ years, there's really no reason to not have bacon at the ready no matter what the situation: Canned

Bacon All Year. Bacon One Day.

Bacon spread out all year long, or bacon on one special day ... there is no wrong way to participate as far as I can tell.

These Bacon Day people commented on a post way back in January when the BC was just getting to be a part of our lives.

They've got a site dedicated to International Bacon Day, which according to their site is: held on the Saturday before Labor Day US (the first Monday of Sep.). This year that is the 30th of August. That's coming up. You have 10 days to prepare.

Go ahead and support this international fest while padding your BC '08 numbers, or getting yourself back in the game or just because you feel like it. August 30, 2008 -- be there.

I'd Like To Report A Bacon Theft

I went camping this past weekend. Just Friday to Saturday afternoon, but during that short time there was some bacon involved.

Sometime in the wee hours of Saturday morning I am awoken by the noise of repeatedly crinkled plastic and some shuffling around. At first I think maybe it is a fellow camper just looking for a latenight snack or something to drink or whatever, but then the quiet noise becomes louder. The twang of hard plastic breaking and then the crash of something falling off of the picnic table gets me fully awake and moving. I get out my flashlight and spot a fat, furry, masked burglar inside the screenhouse under the picnic table. He's got a package of cookies and is squeezing out the door in an attempt to make off with them.

I get out of my tent and chase this raccoon off. He dropped the package of cookies so most of them were able to be recovered. I put them in the cooler and went back to sleep.

Come daylight we were able to survey the scene a bit more carefully. The cookie container had been cracked open a bit. I'm guessing there were some raccoon paws or snout in there so I threw away a few of the cookies on that end of the package, but for the most part no major damage done. Also, some bananas were gone/smooshed. I'd say about four of them. But here's where it gets ugly. I notice some muddy paw prints on the cooler. I also see some paper on the ground. At first I think nothing of it but then ... the bacon!

This bacon was from a market/butcher so it was wrapped in paper as butchers like to do rather than the vacuum sealed packaging of regular store purchased bacon. Every last piece of the bacon was gone. One pound of bacon gone and presumably in one racoon's stomach. Also missing was one hot dog and about five hot dog buns.

Luckily someone had a backup package of bacon so breakfast was not a complete loss. Let this be a lesson to you to not leave your bacon (or anything else) unattended.

Authorities are still searching for the masked bandit. Suspect is considered wily and probably experiencing some vile digestive issues. Approach with caution.

Thanks, Marilyn

Again, thanks to my mom, there is some bacon info worth posting. Check this out -- some good news for us bacon eaters from Marilyn "Ms. Smarty Pants" vos Savant in this past week's Parade Magazine:

Q: On a package of raw bacon, does the calorie content refer to cooked or uncooked bacon?
—James Taylor, Denver, Colo.
A: It refers to raw bacon. If you cook the bacon and discard the fat, the calorie count plummets. A medium slice of raw bacon contains about 125 calories. After broiling, it contains only 35 calories.

Source: http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_08-03-2008/Ask_Marilyn

It seems that with this new knowledge we should change the name "bacon" to "diet bacon." As long as you aren't eating it raw or drinking the grease it's almost healthy. Eat up, it's diet!

Bad Choices

I must be feeling the strain of 200 plus days of Bacon Challenge pressure ... today while out for some breakfast I ordered some pancakes and eggs. The waitress asked, "Sausage or bacon?" and I opted for sausage patties rather than bacon. Sausage! The patties just sounded so delicious (and to be honest, they were).

Sausage: same delicious breakfast meat family, but just not applicable to the BC '08 tally. So very weak of me. So very unwise.

The regret.

The guilt.

The shame.

As American As Bacon Pie

About a month ago my mom e-mailed me a bacon recipe. While not a Bacon Challenge participant she certainly has taken an interest our desire to plump ourselves up and cut our lives shorter. This particular recipe has so many layers of fat that I think even the one healthy ingredient probably converts from an antioxidant to an artery clogging mechanism just from hanging around with the rest of the troublemakers.

That said, I made this masterpiece last night: Bacon Tomato Pie [complete recipe to follow]

A photo tour ...

Get your ingredients together. Pie shell (I suppose you could make your own if you're fancy), shredded or grated cheddar, mayonnaise (please note: I use "Light" to keep this whole thing healthy), tomatoes and the guest of honor -- bacon.


Bake up the pie shell and cool. Let me mention that I have a new respect for pie makers. This is my first time ever making any sort of pie and even with the pre-made shell it was a pain in the ass and not very pretty. Definitely not a blue ribbon winner at the fair for this guy. But we're here for taste, not for aesthetics (at least not this time). Enter stage center: sliced tomatoes then cooked and broken up bacon on top.


Mix your mayo and cheese and glop on top of the bacon and tomatoes.


Into the oven for like 30 minutes and then try to control your urge to taste for at least a few minutes so you don't burn your face off.


And go at it

Full recipe:
Tomato Bacon Pie
From Taste of Home
1 unbaked deep-dish pastry shell
3 medium tomatoes, cut in 1/4" slices
10 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar
1 cup mayonnaise

Bake pastry shell according to package directions. Cool
Place tomatoes in the crust, sprinkle with crumbled bacon.
In a bowl, combine cheese and mayo. Spoon over bacon in the center of the pie, leaving 1" around the edge.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown (cover edges of crust with strips of foil if necessary to prevent over-browning).
Makes six or more slices (about 1.6666667 strips of bacon per slice if you cut it in six).

Make this next time you would like some bacon for breakfast, brunch, lunch dinner, midnight snack or anywhere in between. It's cheesy and salty and tangy and really gives bacon a little more street cred than when it is just sitting around as a side dish.

I had one slice when it was still warm and another the following morning after a night in the 'fridge. It really works either way, although if forced to choose I think I prefer it warm.

Bacon!!

America's Bithday/Halfway There

So I threw down a July 5th/Halfway Through the Year BBQ on Saturday. As with most things it was rather half-assed, but there was some bacon consumed and some fun had. There was some bacon wrapped around hot dogs, then grilled. Also the same was done with some brats. And then some opted for bacon on their burger. Some (like me) had all of the above.

Also was some cornhole, beer, s'mores, an impromptu lawn mow, chips, dip, guac and lots of sunshine. Summer!!
A brat w/bacon, sauerkraut and Stadium Mustard created by Mike

Surf and Swine

Just got back from a little vacay in St. Kitts. Although I didn't see any swine anywhere on the island, there was bacon. Ah, the magic of the shipping industry.

The best use of bacon I tasted was in a little something called the Lobster BLT, served at the Marriott's Bohemia Beach Bar & Grille (aka out by the pool)

A slightly spicy lobster on a roll with bacon, lettuce, tomato. The lobster would be good with nothing else, but this sandwich includes the bonus of two slices of bacon. A nice smoky touch. Here is a photo of half (hopefully your imagination will allow you to picture what the whole thing would look like):


Delicious!

In non-bacon news, I also saw Billy Ocean who was staying at the hotel. For those of you who haven't seen Billy since he was bigtime back in the 80's, he looks like this these days. And just for the record, he opted for the fish burger rather than the lobster BLT. What a fool.

Meet Me Halfway

So I've been thinking of having a halfway through the year party for awhile now and I think I'm going to actually do it. I bought a grill and have a small yard/paved area to make use of so why not? It's not going to be only bacon, but I think bacon will definitely be the guest of honor. Grilled bacon. That means hot dogs wrapped in bacon, chicken wrapped in bacon, bacon cheeseburgers, vegetables wrapped in bacon, bacon wrapped in bacon, etc. Maybe you can even make some bacon into a straw and drink the beverage of your choice through it (if you perfect that project, please make many straws so everyone can participate). This will be a chance to catch up on your intake or if you are not in need of catching up you can just enjoy supporting on your fellow BCers (aka peer pressure) while you pad your numbers a bit.

If need be the site will be moved from my "yard" to Edgewater State Park (conveniently located withing walking distance of my apartment), but we'll play that by ear.

July 5 is the date. Make your travel plans now!

Bacon for your party times.

I saw this recipe on another site a while ago, but I don't remember the site so if it's yours, you go ahead and let me know and I'll give you credit. But for now, let's just give credit to the seventies. I tried it at a holiday party this year, and it worked super duper well. Everyone loved it. They clapped so loudly I almost couldn't hear their arteries closing.

Here are the ingredients:

Bacon
Parmesan cheese that comes in a green can
Club crackers (the buttery ones)


Sprinkle about 1 t parmesan cheese on to the top of each cracker, wrap with 1/2 slice of bacon. Place on a cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven and leave it there for two hours. For real.

Then eat them. Num num, right?

Right.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

Pork belly prices are under pressure as interest in the BLT, the popular summer bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, could dip after an outbreak of salmonella poisoning in nine U.S. states, with illnesses in two of them blamed on eating raw tomatoes.

Full story here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080605/us_nm/salmonella_bacon_dc_2

Keep talking crazy, livestock analysts. Bacon will continue to be consumed by Bacon Challenge participants (and probably every other bacon eater), tomatoes or not, so go ahead and drop those prices. That's what we like!

And just for the record, I'm going to keep eating tomatoes too. What's so horrible about a little salmonella with your BLT?

The Bacon Man Lives In A Bacon House

While doing some other Simpsons-related "research" while at work today I stumbled upon this audio clip of a bacon needy Homer Simpson in a very pro Bacon Challenge breakfast ordering moment: http://download.lardlad.com/sounds/season17/dohwhere8.mp3

Link courtesy of Last Exit To Springfield (lardlad.com)